Wind Power News: Ohio
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch 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.
Columbus clean-energy plan moves forward
Columbus has been quietly pushing full steam ahead on an aggressive timeline for a new green-energy aggregation program that might result in local wind and solar farms being constructed by 2022, shooting for a 100% goal of green power. Just after Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther announced in mid-February that he would pursue a community-choice energy-aggregation program to reach 100% green power by 2022, the city was rocked by the coronavirus crisis and then police-brutality protests and riots. But the . . . Complete story »
Wind farm to tower over northwest Ohio countryside
KENTON – Massive construction cranes have taken over parts of southern Hardin County and northern Logan County. Once quiet, rural roads are now filled with trucks, some pulling long trailers with multiple axles that haul blades nearly 200 feet long, sections of towers and other parts for wind turbines. The trucks maneuver through narrow county and township roads on their way to concrete foundations already built in farm fields. In those fields are cranes, some hundreds of feet tall, to be . . . Complete story »
Personal View: Criticism of recent Lake Erie wind farm decision is misguided
Much has been made of the Ohio Power Siting Board’s (OPSB) recent decision to approve the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp.’s (LEEDCo) Icebreaker wind turbine project. Misplaced criticism of the OPSB, the governor and other officials has centered on the condition that the project idles its turbines during nighttime hours in select months until LEEDCo can demonstrate there will not be an undue environmental impact on bats and migratory birds. I have long been a critic of the Icebreaker project. . . . Complete story »
Proponents of the Lake Erie Wind Turbine Project avoid downside realities
Today, wind provides less than 1 percent of the global energy demand. Electricity, less than 20 percent of what is termed “final energy.” To consider the financial viability of wind turbines, studies have shown that large turbines require 16 mph average wind speed; small wind turbines an average wind speed of 12 mph. These metrics are not possible on Lake Erie. It is also reported that wind power is not reliable, producing only approximately 30 percent of planned wind turbine . . . Complete story »
Lake Erie wind turbine developer asks state regulators to reconsider ruling that could doom the project
COLUMBUS, Ohio—A wind-energy developer hoping to build Icebreaker Wind, the nation’s first freshwater offshore wind farm, is asking state regulators to reconsider their ruling setting dozens of conditions that could kill the project. The Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., or LEEDCo, the nonprofit company behind the six-turbine project several miles northwest of Cleveland, argues the Ohio Power Siting Board’s decision last month was “unjust” and “unlawful,” as it overruled an agreement between the company and board staff last year. On . . . Complete story »
A clean-energy project on Lake Erie faces stiff head winds because of warblers and waterfowl
CLEVELAND – The nation’s first wind energy project on fresh water has big ambitions. It also has big bird problems. Known as Icebreaker Wind, it aspires to position as many as several hundred turbines on Lake Erie, where strong winds, shallow depths and the proximity of power stations would seem to be a winning trifecta. According to the project’s developer, the potential could meet 10 percent of the nation’s electricity needs by 2030. But a pilot with six turbines is facing . . . Complete story »
A few things for landowners to consider
It has been reported recently that large out of state wind energy developers are soliciting Seneca County landowners for leases to place large industrial wind turbines on local property. Let me first state that what any property owner does legally with their property is an American right. But hopefully every landowner will consider the wishes of their neighbors since local zoning laws do not apply to industrial wind turbines. Hopefully, every landowner will also consider their community since the County . . . Complete story »
State’s Icebreaker ruling was correct
Lake Erie is the source of fresh drinking water for 11 million people. Tourism-related spending for the Ohio counties bordering Lake Erie is $15.1 billion, supporting 127,000 jobs and generating $1.9 billion in taxes. Lake Erie Foundation supports the state of Ohio’s decision to require carefully thought out conditions for Icebreaker Windpower and all utility projects proposed for Lake Erie. That is consistent with our support for clean, alternative energy. Icebreakers’ developers state they plan to build only six wind . . . Complete story »
Paulding commissioners discuss wind farm issue, property tax report
PAULDING – Paulding County commissioners here have released information on their three regular sessions held in late May and early June. Included among a number of different topics was a discussion with Wade Miller concerning wind turbines near the village of Briceton. According to information provided by commissioners, Miller claimed that “only a few people were offered compensation by a good neighbor agreement on Magee Street from the wind farm company. Mr. Miller has been calling the wind farm company for . . . Complete story »
‘Final nail in coffin’ for Icebreaker offshore wind project, developer says
Icebreaker, the only advanced offshore wind project in the Great Lakes, appears to be dead in the water. After years of permitting battles, the Ohio Power Siting Board this week approved the Icebreaker project, but it came with a “project-killing” catch: The wind farm would be forced to pause its turbines at nighttime between March and November to protect birds and bats, gutting its revenue stream. The six-turbine Icebreaker project has been under development for a decade by the nonprofit . . . Complete story »
