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Wind Watch: Industrial Wind Energy News
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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.
Council secures court order prohibiting further development at wind farm where bog slide occurred
Donegal County Council has secured a High Court order prohibiting further development of a wind farm at a site that was the subject of a large bog slide that had “significant environmental consequences”. Mr Justice David Holland’s order restrains Planree Limited and Mid-Cork Electrical from finishing their “largely complete” 19-turbine project on primarily blanket bog in Cashelnavean, Co Donegal, until further court order. The development entities can apply to vary or discharge the order, which came in enforcement proceedings issued . . . Complete story »
Measuring the sound of silence
In an area where the tallest structures are grain elevators, industrial wind turbines are more than simply a disturbance to the rural skyline. They are transformative. Modern turbines are 600 to 650 feet tall. They change a rural landscape into an urban one. As one neighbor put it, “If I wanted to look at tall buildings and blinking lights I’d move to the city.” Modern wind turbines are taller than the Space Needle, twice the height of downtown Spokane’s Bank . . . Complete story »
As Japan makes major investments in wind power, some residents are pushing back
About a 40-minute drive to the north from central Sapporo lies the Sea of Japan port of Ishikari, a city rich in biodiversity that now finds itself at the heart of a fierce debate over wind power as Japan scrambles to decarbonize its energy sector. In a sense, Ishikari represents the idealized version of Hokkaido for many Japanese as well as for foreign tourists: Its coastal waters are famous for their seafood, while the city’s nature trails and parks are . . . Complete story »
Øyfjellet: 150 meter bred rotor falt ned fra ødelagt vindturbin [Rotor assembly detaches from wind turbine]
Like over byen Mosjøen i Nordland ruver Øyfjellet. I 2021 åpnet Norges største vindkraftanlegg her. På det værharde fjellet står 72 vindturbiner. Men 27. januar i år ble tallet 71. Årsaken? Under ekstremværet Ingunn løsnet en 150 meter bred rotor og falt ned. Ingen dyr eller mennesker kom til skade da rotoren falt over 100 meter og ble knust. Hvordan kunne dette skje? Fikk problemer allerede i juni Det er Øyfjellet Wind AS som har konsesjonen på vindkraftanlegget på fjellet. . . . Complete story »
Her er 15 av 34 vindturbiner ute av drift [15 of 34 wind turbines out of operation]
Over én tredjedel av vindturbinene i Nord-Odal står stille på grunn av feil. Hittil har kommunen gått glipp av flere millioner kroner på stillstanden. – For Nord-Odal kommunes del er det jo litt tragisk, sier nyvalgt ordfører i kommunen, Odd Kjetil Østvand-Sløtte (Ap). Odal vindkraftverk som ligger i Nord-Odal har totalt 34 vindturbiner, men nå er 15 av turbinene ute av drift. Hittil har kommunen gått glipp av 3 millioner kroner på grunn av stansen. Det merkes i en kommune . . . Complete story »
Vindturbinblad knakk og falt av [Wind turbine blade snapped off]
Et 71 meter langt vindturbinblad knakk og falt av en turbin på Engerfjellet i Innlandet onsdag. Ingen ble skadet. – Vi fikk beskjed av en grunneier at en vinge hadde falt av, sier daglig leder i Odal vindkraftverk, Lars Tallhaug. Han sier videre at heldigvis var ingen personer i nærheten da det skjedde, og at deres hovedfokus er sikkerheten til de som jobber og oppholder seg i vindkraftverket. Ifølge Tallhaug skjedde hendelsen rundt klokka 19.30 onsdag kveld. Turbinbladet veier rundt . . . Complete story »
Maine House, protecting sand dunes, rejects plan to build offshore wind terminal on Sears Island
The Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday to protect sand dunes on Sears Island where the Mills administration has proposed to build an offshore wind terminal. In an 80-65 vote, the House rejected legislation that would have authorized the Department of Environmental Protection to grant a permit to build the terminal on an area of Sears Island that includes a coastal sand dune system. If the legislation fails, it is unclear how severely the decision would delay the buildout of . . . Complete story »
Neilston wind turbine plan rejected over ‘significant’ detrimental visual impact
A bid to build an almost 67 metre high wind turbine near Neilston has been rejected after planners warned it would have a “significant” detrimental impact on the landscape. Officials at East Renfrewshire Council recommended the application was turned down as the “scale and design of the proposed turbine” were considered “well beyond what the local area can accommodate”. Andy Brand, of Nether Carswell III Ltd, had applied for permission to erect the turbine on a site to the south . . . Complete story »
‘Terrible’: Federal MP lambasts state government planning changes
Independent federal MP Helen Haines has condemned Victorian government planning changes she says will “silence” and “punish” rural and regional communities. The state government announced new rules in March to fast-track renewable energy projects across Victoria by channelling them into an approval program that has already rammed dozens of infrastructure projects through, over the heads of local communities. The changes will also prevent many neighbouring landholders from appealing renewable planning decisions to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). The . . . Complete story »
Federal government proposes wind farm in the middle of a whale migration route
In what is believed to be a world first, the federal government has proposed developing an offshore wind farm in the middle of a whale super highway off Western Australia’s southwest coast. Each year, tens of thousands of whales use the water in and around Geographe Bay on their annual migration to Antarctica. The bay is described as a pristine marine ecosystem off Bunbury, about 168km south of Perth, and stretches 98km along the coastline to Cape Naturaliste, between Dunsborough . . . Complete story »