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 are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Jamestown whale sparks anti-wind conspiracies
JAMESTOWN, R.I. – There is nothing yet linking the Block Island Wind Farm to the death of humpback whales, but that hasn’t stopped anti-wind and conservative groups from making the connection. The recent stranding and death of a 32-foot juvenile humpback whale in Jamestown triggered speculation, and in some cases unsubstantiated assertions, that noise from the first U.S. offshore wind farm caused this and other whales to die. As the HuffPost recounts, the claim was first made by the conservative website . . .
Rural America doesn’t want to become America’s power plant
A friend sent me an op ed that cracked the door on a little bit of truth that urban America needs to accept. Rural America doesn’t want to become your power plant. Donald Trump was in Iowa recently, and issued a Trumpism critical of wind power. The media jumped on its propaganda pony to point out that Iowa loves wind, and gets 36.6% of its energy from wind. The story was that Trump was a lone critical voice and that . . .
Family, young children forced from home by wind turbine noise
Victoria Day weekend in Canada is a time for picnics and fun with family and friends, for many people. One set of grandparents living on a farm in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Township in Huron County thought that would be fun too, and were looking forward to having their two young granddaughters come and stay for a lovely weekend in the country. But it was not to be. Early on the morning of the holiday Sunday, the grandmother said, “there was a horrible tonal* . . .
Is ‘big wind’ making people sick?
In Colorado alone, there are 23 industrial wind farms that are operational, with over 1,800 turbines in over 10 counties. Wind energy has gone from supplying one percent of Colorado’s total energy output in 2005 to 14 percent in 2014. Yet, with the explosion in wind generation there is a dearth of studies regarding the long-term health impact of industrial wind in Colorado. And there doesn’t seem to be much interest in cataloguing those impacts any time soon. The World Health Organization recognized in a 2009 study that . . .
Engineer says MOECC testing shows wind turbines out of compliance, but continue to operate
Ontario engineer William Palmer has proposed a rigorous, but simple and transparent technique to assess wind turbine noise, that could replace the problematic complex computer models and “black box” algorithms currently used in the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change newest protocol to assess wind turbine noise compliance. Speaking at the International Conference on Wind Turbine Noise that took place in Rotterdam beginning May 2, Palmer said of his proposed method, The method had to consider that an effective . . .
As voters reject additional development in Michigan’s ‘wind capital,’ what next?
Across several townships and three counties in Michigan’s “Thumb” region last week, voters rejected plans for specific wind projects and approved zoning changes that restrict future development. Developers there are now regrouping, uncertain of whether they will pursue future projects in the three-county region of Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola that has the most concentrated amount of wind turbines in the state. Huron County in particular, which covers the top of the eastern peninsula that juts into Lake Huron, has hundreds . . .
Crossover hasn’t calmed concerns about wind power’s effects on military
The controversy over the possible impact of wind energy turbines on military base operations has not blown over, even though none of the relevant bills met the April 27 legislative crossover deadline. Concerns exist that the towering wind turbines could disrupt radar operations and interfere with training and flight paths at the state’s air bases. “Just because a bill doesn’t make crossover doesn’t mean it’s dead,” state Rep. Chris Millis, R-Pender, said Monday. Crossover refers to the date most bills . . .
End of state tax credit expected to impact Iowa clean energy growth
The race is on to finish about a dozen large renewable energy projects in Iowa after state lawmakers did not act on renewing a key tax credit. The state’s production tax credit of 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour will not be available for any projects that go into operation after Dec. 31, 2017. The Iowa Legislature did not vote on renewing the credit during the session that ended in late April. The impact will be twofold: projects now in process . . .
Renewable energy could be cash cow for Rhode Island farms
“The legislation would essentially allow industrial-scale uses — power plants — on properties that are often residentially zoned and may be in close proximity to residential neighborhoods,” Maria Mack, chairwoman of the South Kingstown Planning Board, said during a recent hearing at the Statehouse. Mack said the bill takes away local siting control while omitting standards for fences, view shed, wildlife and decommissioning of the wind turbine or solar array. There is also no requirement for a public hearing for a proposed project, she added. “It appears that the primary beneficiaries of the proposal might be the investors of these facilities,” Mack said.
Searchlight Wind project retreats, but future of wildlands remains in doubt
The Searchlight Wind project threatening wildlands in Nevada’s Piute Valley has been cancelled, according to Basin & Range Watch communication with the Bureau of Land Management. The Searchlight Wind project would have converted nearly 29 square miles of wildlands into an industrial zone, with 87 towering wind turbines and at least 35 miles of new access roads carved into the desert around the small outpost of Searchlight. The project suffered legal setbacks after Basin & Range Watch and the Friends . . .
