Wind Power News: Ohio
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.
Bucyrus hosts meeting on wind turbine endeavors
BUCYRUS- The future of Honey Creek Wind, the industrial wind project, was discussed over two hours during a “community information session” Aug. 10 in Bucyrus. More than 100 Crawford Country residents attended. Live presentations occurred Wednesday evening from a medical professional and a half-dozen Apex employees who attempted to address attendees’ concerns. Following their presentations, there was a question-and-answer session with written queries from the audience. Apex hoped to dispel rumors about where turbines are made and explain the minimal . . . Complete story »
Crawford Co. voters will decide wind farm issue, elections board rules
In November, voters will decide whether to allow industrial wind farm development in Crawford County At a meeting on Tuesday morning, the Crawford County Board of Elections approved placing a referendum vote on the fall ballot. Crawford County will be the first in Ohio to have this kind of referendum on the ballot. On May 5, commissioners passed a resolution blocking wind farm development in all unincorporated areas of the county for 10 years, effectively barring construction of Honey Creek . . . Complete story »
Knox County commissioners say no to wind farms, okay solar on case-by-case basis
MOUNT VERNON – The Knox County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution on Thursday prohibiting the construction of large wind farms but allowing large-scale solar facilities. The resolution applies to the unincorporated parts of the county. Large-scale wind, also called utility scale, is defined as projects greater than 1 megawatt (MW). Large-scale solar is 50 MW and larger. The commissioners will look at solar projects on a case-by-case basis. “I think we all thought that wind was something the people would not . . . Complete story »
Ohio Supreme Court weighs fate of area wind farm
GROTON TWP. – The Emerson Creek wind farm in Erie and Huron counties is on hold until the Ohio Supreme Court rules on the latest attempt by opponents to block the project. A decision by the Ohio Supreme Court appears to be months away. While the court has received briefs in the case, it has not yet scheduled oral arguments. When the Ohio Supreme Court weighs in, that’s likely to finally settle the matter, said Jack A. Van Kley, a Columbus . . . Complete story »
Lake Erie wind turbine project clears Ohio Supreme Court, can proceed
A decade-long effort for a company to put wind turbines in Lake Erie took a major step forward when the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the project can proceed over objections from residents. The Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., a regional economic public-private partnership that combines the city of Cleveland, the port authority and other coastal counties, now plans to market the electricity that it expects to produce from the six-turbine project called Icebreaker Wind. “LEEDCo will need some time . . . Complete story »
Apex panelists talk about pros of proposed Honey Creek Wind
The amount of money individual property owners might earn from hosting an Apex Clean Energy wind turbine is not information the company will disclose to voters. “That is confidential information between us and the landowners,” Carmen O’Keefe, the company’s project developer, told a Crawford County audience Wednesday. “That is their business and our business.” The company hosted a two-hour “community information session” at the Trillium Event Center in Bucyrus to lobby voters on the proposed Honey Creek Wind, a 300-megawatt . . . Complete story »
Ohio Supreme Court approves first freshwater offshore wind turbine project in Lake Erie
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a state permit to construct the first freshwater, offshore wind turbine facility in North America was appropriately granted for the Icebreaker project in Lake Erie. The Icebreaker project proposes to build six turbines eight to 10 miles off the Lake Erie coast, near Cleveland. The demonstration project would generate 20.7 megawatts of electricity, with a potential to expand if successful. At issue before the court was whether the Ohio Power . . . Complete story »
Ohio court ruling backs turbines in Lake Erie
An Ohio Supreme Court has affirmed the placement of wind turbines in Lake Erie as part of the Icebreaker wind project off the shores of Cleveland. By a 6-1 margin on Wednesday, the justices ruled the power siting board employed “a flexible standing in granting the requested certificate (that) poses no legal problem.” For now, that decision allows the first freshwater offshore wind-powered electric-generation facility in North America to move forward. That plan includes a six-turbine wind-powered electric-generation facility on . . . Complete story »
Wind farm controversy in rural Ohio: Crawford County voters will likely decide if wind turbine plans can proceed
BUCYRUS, Ohio – When the Ohio legislature passed Senate Bill 52 last summer it gave local authorities the ability to quash proposed wind farms rather than leave their fate to the Ohio Power Siting Board. The Crawford County commissioners took advantage of that law in May when they created a wind farm exclusion zone to prevent Apex Clean Energy from moving ahead with its proposed 300-megawatt Honey Creek Wind project north of the county seat of Bucyrus. But rather than . . . Complete story »
At Honey Creek Wind information session, experts will answer questions
For a two-hour special information session on Aug. 10, Apex Clean Energy is bringing together a team of experts to answer residents’ questions about its Honey Creek Wind project and wind energy in general. But one face that’s become familiar to people on both sides of the issue will be absent. Tyler Fehrman, who had served as Apex’s field manager, said last week he is “no longer on the Honey Creek project.” “I’m still with Apex, but anything Honey Creek, . . . Complete story »
