Wind Power News: Blogs
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.
Would you want a wind turbine in your backyard?
After I posted about the use of eminent domain for power lines and pipelines, a woman who has been dealing with these issues for years reached out to me. Janna Swanson and her husband Paul own a farm in northern Iowa, where they are raising two kids. For several years they fought a long-distance high-voltage transmission line that would go through their farm, with 200-foot towers and a 150-foot easement, carrying wind power out to neighboring states. Iowa eventually ruled . . . Complete story »
Iowa considers major changes in siting of renewables
On May 22, 2020, the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) opened a rulemaking proceeding that will change 20 years of precedent on siting of wind farms and, for the first time, establish rules aimed directly at siting solar projects and energy storage projects. Since 1997, wind projects in Iowa have not had to obtain a generating certificate from the IUB so long as the project was designed with less than 25 MW of nameplate capacity (the trigger under the state generating certificate . . . Complete story »
Seeadler und Turmfalke von Windkraftanlage in Holtsee erschlagen
[Sea eagle and kestrel slain by wind turbine in Holtsee (translate article to English)] Der Anruf kam gegen 9.30 Uhr. Ein Spaziergänger hatte einen Seeadler unter einer Windkraftanlage in Holtsee entdeckt. Ich fuhr umgehend zur Fundstelle. Unter der Windkraftanlage lag ein verendeter Turmfalke, welcher offen sichtlich in ein Rotorblatt geraten war. Er war bereits berupft. Es ist wahrscheinlich, dass der Seeadler den verendeten Turmfalken als Aas entdeckt hat. Dies wurde ihm zum Verhängnis. Ob der Adler beim An- oder Abflug erfasst . . . Complete story »
Isle Of Man seabird populations plummet as wind farms overwhelm the Irish Sea
Herring Gulls are down 82%, European Shag down 51%, Razorbills down 55%. The list goes on … The world’s biggest offshore wind farm is just a few miles away. Isn’t there a conspicuous connection? The Isle Of Man wildlife charity Manx Birdlife has reported a shocking 40% decline in the populations of many species of sea birds around the island’s coast. The worrying figures emerged following a comprehensive census that took place over two years. Whatever the reason for the sharp . . . Complete story »
Gordonbush wind farm extension: environmental and economic downsides
The Scottish Government has recently approved increases in turbine heights – now set to reach 150 metres (490 feet) to blade tip – at the extension to the Gordonbush wind farm in the far north of Scotland, near Brora in Sutherland. The approval brings many significant public interest questions into the spotlight. The Gordonbush wind farm is notorious for its impact on wildife in the area, particularly Golden Plover. A study by the RSPB found that “numbers of the plover, . . . Complete story »
Falmouth’s municipal boondoggle begins its opening farewell
$2.3 million has been appropriated for turbine dismantling, removal and storage purposes. Subsequent phases, all requiring more funding from Town Meeting, remain. Option 1 – relocating both turbines for use at a site outside of Falmouth Nine companies / organizations responded to the town’s request for letters of interest regarding the wind turbine relocation project this past summer. Four others expressed a general interest in the town’s turbines. In the case of the nine companies / organizations cited above, a ‘Request . . . Complete story »
Ford County State’s Attorney confirms board members cannot be compelled to complete the Wind Energy Conflict of Interest Survey
On November 8, 2019, Andrew Killian, the Ford County State’s Attorney, penned a lengthy letter to Ford County board members who received legal advice from an outside attorney in regards to a conflict of interest survey composed by Killian. The board members subject to Killian’s letter included Deb Smith, Tim Nuss, Ann Ihrke, Tom McQuinn, and Cindy Ihrke. Apparently, the board members considered the “conflict of interest survey” as a fishing expedition which included baited questions that had more than . . . Complete story »
Les éoliennes : Une escroquerie verte organisée – Témoignage d’une agricultrice bio
[Wind turbines: an organized green scam – testimony of an organic farmer ( Complete story »
State blows smoke to hide wind costs
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s energy agency issued a stern correction to an October 24 blog post in this space that said subsidies for offshore wind developers could cost ratepayers more than $6 billion. NYSERDA, the state Energy Research and Development Authority, said my calculations (which were based on NYSERDA’s own data) were “incorrect and misleading.” So I went back and double-checked. In one respect, I did make a mistake, explained below—but not in reaching the $6 billion estimate. In fact, the . . . Complete story »
Michigan’s not good for wind power, so Consumers Energy customers will pay more
The Michigan Public Service Commission recently approved an application from Consumers Energy to buy an industrial wind farm development in Hillsdale County that is projected to begin operations by December 2020. The Crescent Wind Project is said to have a levelized cost of electricity, a common industry metric, of about $48 per megawatt hour over a 31-year period. That’s above the average national cost, and the rate will hold only if the big utility company is allowed to use federal . . . Complete story »
