Wind Power News: General News
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.
‘Most renewable energy companies’ linked with claims of abuses in mines
Most of the world’s top companies extracting key minerals for electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines have been linked with human rights abuses in their mines, research has found. Analysis published by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), an international corporate watchdog, revealed that 87% of the 21 largest companies mining cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel and zinc – the six minerals essential to the renewable energy industry – have faced allegations of abuse including land rights . . . Complete story »
‘Planet of the Humans,’ possibly most bracing environmental documentary ever made, premieres at Traverse City Film Festival
Director Jeff Gibbs argues we’re heading toward ‘total human apocalypse’ and green energy is ‘not going to save us, it’s actually going to kill us faster.’ Films about environmental issues have long been a staple of the documentary form, a genre that in recent years alone has brought us Before the Flood, Chasing Ice, Chasing Coral and, of course, An Inconvenient Truth. But those documentaries arguably pale in importance to Planet of the Humans, which just held its world premiere . . . Complete story »
Fell Twp. supervisors, residents focus on experimental mine reclamation, wind turbines
FELL TWP. – At a well-attended meeting Monday night, residents and supervisors addressed two prominent issues in the township: an experimental mine reclamation project and wind turbines. Supervisors motioned to formalize an agreement with Scranton-based law firm Myers, Brier & Kelly LLP at an hourly rate of $425 to provide the township with a legal opinion regarding its dispute with Laflin-based Pioneer Aggregates and its Simpson Stone Quarry on Route 171. The quarry received approval from the state Department of Environmental . . . Complete story »
Rhode Island says clean energy plan falls short
PROVIDENCE – National Grid is set to negotiate a contract for another batch of renewable energy for Rhode Island, but instead of lauding the move, the state energy office is saying that the selection falls short. Few details about the decision have been made public because talks are continuing, but the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources says that National Grid chose only one project and that it does not come close to the 400-megawatt capacity in the request for proposals . . . Complete story »
The reason renewables can’t power modern civilization is because they were never meant to
Over the last decade, journalists have held up Germany’s renewables energy transition, the Energiewende, as an environmental model for the world. “Many poor countries, once intent on building coal-fired power plants to bring electricity to their people, are discussing whether they might leapfrog the fossil age and build clean grids from the outset,” thanks to the Energiewende, wrote a New York Times reporter in 2014. With Germany as inspiration, the United Nations and World Bank poured billions into renewables like . . . Complete story »
Around the world, buyer’s remorse sets in for costly clean power
Two decades ago, governments and utilities around the world began offering above-market rates and contracts to fuel the rise of clean energy, helping wind and solar become some of the cheapest power sources. Now, these pacts are under attack. In Canada, Ontario Premier Doug Ford killed hundreds of contracts for planned wind and solar farms. Spain pulled back subsidies, yanking the rug from projects already up and running. And in the U.S., bankrupt California power giant PG&E Corp. could soon . . . Complete story »
Cheap wind power distorting power market pricing, leads to legislative interest in study
Renewable energy developers receive federal subsidies to build solar farms and wind farms, incentives that have helped spur so much wind development over the past few years that abundant wind energy from West Texas has made Texas among the cheapest states for power. Texans paid 8.4 cents per kilowatt hour last year for electricity, according to the Energy Department. Only six states paid less for power. The Texas Legislature recently took a step to eliminate the cost advantage in renewable . . . Complete story »
Wind energy resources declining in northern hemisphere: study
A widespread decrease in surface winds has led to a rapid decline of wind energy resources in the northern hemisphere in recent years, according to a recent study led by Chinese researchers. Wind power is one of the most important renewable energy sources, but it is a fairly unstable natural resource. Previous studies have focused on the assessment of wind energy reserves. However, little research has been done on how wind energy resources evolve over time. Researchers from the Institute . . . Complete story »
It takes power to make power: Temporary power keeps wind turbines spinning
As the fourth largest source of power in North America, wind energy continues to be an essential part of the renewable energy story. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Vision report expects wind energy to supply 10 percent of the United States power needs by 2020, 20 percent by 2030 and 35 percent by 2050. To keep up with the ambitious growth trajectory, the size of wind turbines is also growing. So, engineers are turning to more powerful temporary generators . . . Complete story »
Wind farms can act like apex predators in ecosystems, study finds
The impact of wind farms on flying species has been well documented, with turbines reducing the number of birds and bats in an area and disrupting migration routes. But a new study finds that the impacts of turbines are more far-reaching than previously thought, acting almost like a new apex predator in an ecosystem. Ecologists from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore looked at how wind farms in India’s Western Ghats, which have been operating for 16 to 20 . . . Complete story »
