Wind Power News: Letters
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.
Epic failures on wind energy
Well done to the Ferret and The Herald for the excellent article on wind farms, obscene profits and tax avoidance (“Scottish wind farm owners linked to foreign tax havens”, The Herald, July 13). We have known for years that LLPs who operate wind farms send their revenues to tax havens overseas, where they are (not) taxed. From there benefits can flow to individuals anywhere in the world. Nothing accrues to the UK Exchequer. Putting it right is very complicated, because . . . Complete story »
Wind farms in Connemara
A chara, – There has been huge wind farm development in Connemara. This provides a very considerable input of green energy to the national grid. However, there has been a cost. Many have seen their areas transformed. Flicker and noise impinge on the daily life of those unlucky people who live nearby. The skyline is dominated by these huge steel structures. Beautiful unspoilt areas have been changed, probably forever. Yet Connemara remains a beautiful and special place. The destruction of . . . Complete story »
Resident objects to ‘degrading, offensive’ Stanley project proposals
So the people of Stanley have spoken out to object to the Western Plains wind farm and salmon farming proposals. Are they all nutters? No, we are concerned residents who have chosen to make this fantastic, quiet little haven our permanent home, free from the hustle and bustle of city life. We are located in pristine surroundings and our coastal shoreline is untainted. Nor is it polluted and scarred – so far. So my question to the projects’ proponents: do . . . Complete story »
Power for the people
Due to the abject failure of the on-shore wind industry to meet its declared ambition to deliver abundant supplies of clean, green, cost effective and reliable electricity, the country now finds itself on the brink of electricity blackouts. The blame for this is repeatedly pinned on data centres and their apparently unforeseen appetite for electricity, and of so-called serial objectors to planning applications for increasingly large clusters of wind turbines in rural environments. Independent examination and cost assessment of what . . . Complete story »
A lot of untruth circulating about wind turbines
The big surprise from the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) on June 24 was its denial of a certificate to build the Republic Wind Project. Although the project that will affect me, the Emerson Creek Project, was awarded a certificate, there are avenues for appeal. Those of us in the Emerson Creek Project congratulate our neighbors in the Republic Wind Project, the first in 49 years to have a wind company denied the certificate needed to start construction. Special appreciation . . . Complete story »
Decommissioning turbines is costly
The difficulty in recycling wind turbine is an environmental problem nobody seems to have thought of. Take France for instance. There are 300 wind turbines within a kilometre of each other, all over the north of an area called Hérault. A 2MW wind turbine weighs 1688 tons: 1300 tons concrete, 295 tons of steel, 48 tons iron, 24 tons fibreglass (which is not recyclable) four tons copper, 0.4 tons neodymium and 0.65 tons dysprosium. Mining for rare metals in foreign . . . Complete story »
Windmill idea just liberal feel-good talk
I read Gov. Florio’s opinion column on wind energy (”Former Gov. Florio: It’s an idea whose time has come,” June 24). I would like to have seen links to the cost-benefit analysis sites he mentions. With the cost-benefit analysis, is reliability part of it? Judging by Bayonne’s windmill, it’s more of a sculpture garden than an energy source. Then there’s useful life, replacement costs, and maintenance costs. When Gov. Florio mentions jobs, I think he means onetime construction jobs. After . . . Complete story »
Huge wind farms aren’t the solution
The fate of 250 square miles of the beautiful Driftless region is in the hands of about 50 landowners. Sales agents for the multinational corporation Pattern LLC have been approaching landowners in southwest Iowa and Lafayette counties asking them to sign lease contracts for 170, 650-foot-high industrial wind turbines. With enough signatures, the state could order the 600 megawatt system to be constructed, which could lead to even more industrialization. Wisconsin already has more electrical power plants than we can . . . Complete story »
Tempting ploy for more wind turbines
Fiona Ainslie asks why no compensation is available to wind farm neighbours who are directly affected by a development. (letters 19 June). The difference (in terms of compensation rights) between people living near a proposed high speed rail link or motorway and those near windfarms comes down to whether the developments are classified as “public works” and whether compulsory purchase order powers apply. The Scottish government has no powers under energy regulation to direct developers to pay compensation. Having just . . . Complete story »
Time to ban industrial wind
The arguments against protecting neighbors have been around for as long as we have had industrial wind turbines. When the turbines were 400 feet tall the wind company’s safety manuals said that “in case of an emergency to run upwind for 1640 feet,” Communities started to use this as a setback to property lines. Now the wind companies will not let their safety manuals be seen. Wind companies also admit a long list of negative impacts for neighbors for 2,640 . . . Complete story »
