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Wind Power News: Florida
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Builders of proposed wind farm drop plans
Developers of a disputed energy-producing wind farm have dropped their plans to build 500-foot-tall turbines on the edge of the Everglades, a project representative confirmed Tuesday. Environmental groups long opposed allowing the Sugarland Wind project to be built on western Palm Beach County farmland. Opponents argued that its towering, whirling blades posed too great a risk to endangered wood storks, Everglades snail kites and other migrating birds. Despite the risk to birds, the Palm Beach County Commission last year allowed . . . Complete story »
State approves wind farm despite bird threats
Threats to birds didn’t stop state regulators from approving an energy-producing wind farm – with towering, whirling blades – planned for Palm Beach County sugar cane fields. The Sugarland Wind proposal calls for building at least 114 wind-catching, Statue of Liberty-sized turbines that would be spread across 13,000 acres of farmland in western Palm Beach County. Environmental groups have objected to the proposed location of the turbines, saying they pose too much of a risk to birds migrating through the Everglades. That . . . Complete story »
Wind power numbers just don’t add up
Sugarland Wind has received local approval to construct a 200 million watt (megawatt) electrical generating wind farm in Florida’s Everglades. They state that, “the 113 turbines will produce clean domestic energy for up to 60,000 homes.” This is a nice neat quotable statement that has been picked up by every local media outlet in South Florida. In east central Wyoming, near Casper, Duke Energy recently completed construction of the Top of the World farm, a 110-turbine 200-mega watt wind farm. . . . Complete story »
Thumb down: Wind turbines installed at Sebastian Municipal Airport still not working as promised
It seemed like a good idea at the time – and may ultimately be a good idea – but nearly a year later, there are questions about the decision by the Sebastian City Council on a plan to install two wind turbines at the Sebastian Municipal Airport. The 20-foot turbines were expected to generate energy from wind to power security streetlights along Industrial Park Drive at the airport. With power allocated to FPL, the city could get a credit on the its . . . Complete story »
Year-old wind turbines at Sebastian airport not working; plagued by software glitches, voltage problems
SEBASTIAN – Two vertical wind turbines at the Sebastian Municipal Airport still are not operational almost a year after the City Council gave its approval to the project. Software glitches and voltage problems have the turbines working only sporadically, according to airport director Joe Griffin. “We’re not happy with the installation so far,” said Griffin. “They’re only working intermittently but they are under warranty.” The two, 20-foot wind turbines adjacent to the new hanger “B” were supposed to generate enough energy . . . Complete story »
Florida wind farm’s antagonists: environmentalists
When it comes to clean energy projects like wind farms, where people stand on a proposal sometimes depends on where they sit. Take the case of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, certainly a champion of green causes – until someone proposed building a wind farm off Cape Cod, where the liberal lion liked to do his sailing. He fought the wind farm until he died. Now comes a proposal to build an electricity-generating wind farm in remote western Palm Beach County, . . . Complete story »
Postal Service struggles; senator tilts at windmills
Powered in the past by horses, cars, trucks, airplanes and the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Postal Service is facing its toughest challenge yet. The challenge comes from the Internet. Because of that competition, business is down 25 percent since 2006, and the Postal Service has lost $25 billion in five years. That’s hard to fathom, as the Postal Service brings in about $66 billion a year and would rank easily in the Fortune 50. Add in the impact of the . . . Complete story »
Stop shooting the breeze would you, FPL?
It was all just a mistake, according to a senior Florida Power & Light Co. official this week. Tim Fitzpatrick, FPL’s vice president of marketing and communications was referring to a PR gaffe made last week by a fellow VP from FPL’s wind power subsidiary, NextEra Energy Resources. Mike O’Sullivan of NextEra was speaking to a Palm Beach Post reporter last week about a proposed wind farm a competitor wants to build near Belle Glade. “If wind made sense in . . . Complete story »
FPL still plans to pursue wind power in St. Lucie County
ST. LUCIE COUNTY – Plans for wind towers and possibly wind turbines in St. Lucie County may still be in the works for Florida Power and Light Co., despite its affiliate NextEra Energy Resources saying wind farms in Florida are not smart nor cost effective. Four years ago, FPL pushed for a multimillion-dollar wind farm on Hutchinson Island, but the concept caused an uproar from residents who said the wind wasn’t sufficient and turbines would negatively impact the environment and scenery. . . . Complete story »
Palm Beach County allows wind farm at edge of Everglades
A commercial “wind farm” – the first in the state – can spring from sugar cane fields on the edge of the Everglades, despite concerns about killing endangered birds, Palm Beach County commissioners have decided. The County Commission determined in its meeting on Thursday that the benefits of encouraging nonpolluting, alternative energy production in western Palm Beach County outweighed the threat to birds posed by whirling blades atop Statue of Liberty-sized wind turbines. In addition to encouraging “green” energy, the wind farm . . . Complete story »
