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Wind Alert! 17-Oct-2017News and information from The WindAction Group facts, analysis, exposure of industrial wind energy's real impacts - www.windAction.org |
| Issue: 17-Oct-2017 |
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WindAction EDITORIALDenmark’s Anti-Wind Problem Local resistance to wind power development is intensifying worldwide and project developers are feeling the heat of angry communities saying ‘no’ to their spinning towers. As policy wonks try to understand the opposition, the wind industry is quick to tout public gaiety in Denmark over operating projects. But like every... → MORE Recent ArticlesAustralia Retreats on Renewable PowerThe government’s new plan will drop a clean-energy target proposed by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel in favor of forcing power companies to offer a set amount of reliable energy provided by coal, gas or even hydro, available to households at all times. While the plan would also require companies to... → MORE Opponents Seek To Block Wind Power Project Off Monhegan Island"Putting an industrial plant a few miles off shore and then bringing the cable for the transmission of power into this tiny village and bringing it straight up the peninsula would really disrupt both of those activities - tourism especially, and lobstering and fishermen, absolutely," Blum says. → MORE Is there a way to build wind farms without distrust and division?Oct 16, 2017 — In exchange for annual payments potentially worth millions, Avangrid Renewables wants to install wind turbines in two small, North Country towns. But not everybody is celebrating. → MORE Town of Eagle: Noble Energy reaching out to host townsIf NYSERDA stops paying Noble incentives, Noble’s income will decrease and could directly affect the Town of Eagle. The funding that Eagle receives annually from Noble as a part of the host agreement is percentage based, so if Noble loses income, so will Eagle and the residents of Eagle with... → MORE Study: Proposed change to Texas power pricing could hurt wind sectorIf implemented, the proposal would require wholesale power prices to reflect the small amount of electricity lost during transmission through heat or other factors, which would essentially raise the cost of sending power from remote generation plants — such as wind farms — to cities. Transmission losses currently are omitted... → MORE Crossburns wind farm plan rejected“Local communities across Highland Perthshire were rightly concerned that this wind farm could have inflicted serious damage not just to the ecology and landscape of the area, but also to local businesses which rely on year-round tourism." → MORE Air Force bases must have areas protected from wind farm intrusionSpeaking Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Lee Levy, commander of Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Tinker, said wind turbines that rise hundreds of feet into the sky are encroaching on the flight corridors. Some of those turbines now are in the paths of low-flying planes, requiring the Air Force... → MORE Passions ignite at wind energy public hearingEditor's note: This is a continuation of the story titled "Tempers Flare at Public Hearing on Wind Turbine Application" that ran in the Reporter on Oct. 10. → MORE Maine city struggles to get rid of windmill that never produced energy as promisedThe wind turbine never came close to generating the amount of energy promised, and Entegrity Wind went bankrupt in 2009, thus making the guarantee invalid. The wind turbine, in need of repair, was shut down last year due to safety concerns, according to City Administrator Kevin Sutherland. → MORE Gone with the wind: report finds Minnesota’s wind energy policies did little to reduce prices, emissionsA new study from the Center of the American Experiment aims to answer this question, taking a close look at how aggressive clean energy policies have cost Minnesotans billions of dollars without delivering on environmental protection goals. → MORE Wind and Solar's Future Hangs on Taxes, Not Clean Power PlanClean-energy’s fiscal advantage stems in part from two tax credits that Congress extended in 2015. Both measures are scheduled to be phased out in the 2020s, but Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt on Monday called for them to be eliminated. That could upend wind and solar’s edge. “Without tax credits,... → MORE County commissioners sign letter opposing Somerset Wind power development projectAfter discussing the idea of following their counterparts in Somerset County by drafting a letter in formal opposition to additional industrial-scale wind development for customers in Massachusetts overlooking Moosehead Lake, the Piscataquis County Commissioners signed a document of their own during an Oct. 3 meeting. → MORE Wind energy's expansion in Nebraska creates sharp new divideAs wind energy has grown in Nebraska, so has a fervent resistance from mostly rural landowners and lawmakers who view the turbines as noisy, heavily subsidized eyesores that lead to lower property values. ..."You're taking a pristine area, and you're going to shred it for the sole purposes of wind... → MORE Why wind? Why now? Experts say Wyoming needs to face challenges and opportunities of new wind developmentSen. Cale Case doesn’t dislike wind power, but he believes that putting up wind turbines reduces the beauty of Wyoming’s wide open panorama, its steppes and its sagebrush-coated hills. And the Republican senator from Lander believes wind should be taxed for taking away that view. → MORE Germany’s Shift to Green Power Stalls, Despite Huge InvestmentsGermany has spent an estimated 189 billion euros, or about $222 billion, since 2000 on renewable energy subsidies. But emissions have been stuck at roughly 2009 levels, and rose last year, as coal-fired plants fill a void left by Germany’s decision to abandon nuclear power. That has raised questions —... → MORE Wind turbine setback and ethics violations bill gains support at statehouseConcerns are growing about potential ethics violations by wind companies and some county officials who approve their projects. Thursday, a bill designed to address those issues is gaining support from state representative Heath VanNatter, the House’s vice chair for the Utilities and Energy Committee. → MORE Court talks wind farmsHamilton County Commissioners met Tuesday morning and heard from Keith Sled of the Heart of Texas Defense Lines for Bell, Coryell and Lampasas area for Fort Hood in regard to tax abatements for wind farms. “The turbines have impact on radar and the western trading area,” said Sled. → MORE Cuomo on Fort Drum, wind turbine issue: ‘I see the potential danger’“There’s two separate topics: Wind power, renewables, I support,” he said. “Wind power that would affect Fort Drum is a totally different issue. Fort Drum is a very important economic engine, and we wouldn’t want to do anything to dilute that.” → MORE U.S. Tax Reform Would Leave Renewable Energy Out in the ColdThe prospects for a broad tax reform with lower corporate rates has excited business leaders and boosted the stock market -- except for renewable energy. Tax reform “will make renewables more expensive,” Keith Martin, a partner at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, said in an interview Tuesday at Infocast’s Solar Connect... → MORE Inspectors find turbine breaches noise limitsIt has been revealed that a wind turbine which has caused years of "anguish and distress" for residents in Castlewellan has breached required noise limits at a nearby residential property. ...A major factor that has been troubling residents in the area since the turbine was erected is the noise emitted. → MORE Turbine blade breaks near LewisvilleAdam Greene, site supervisor for Deerfield, suggested that the Tribune reach out to Vestas. "I have no idea what's going on at this time," he said. ...Two blades in separate turbines similarly broke last October. → MORE Savoy voters reject bylaw allowing taller wind turbinesBy a vote of 126 to 53, voters shot down the proposal to amend a bylaw that would allow Minuteman Wind LLC and its partner, Palmer Capital Corp., to increase the height of its West Hill turbine blades from 425 to 453 feet. The proposed amendment required a two-thirds majority to... → MORE Brown County hosts special meeting on wind turbine health effects Dr. Coussons - Robert Rand - Dr. McCunney - Mark Werner -- Presentations and Q & A → MORE Md. renewable energy mandates: Corporate welfare disguised as environmentalismSo why are Maryland politicians and environmental groups pushing increasingly tougher renewables mandates? The answer involves a common dynamic in politics: the “bootleggers and Baptists coalition.” In Southern “dry” counties, alcohol prohibition is favored by both Baptists and bootleggers (for very different reasons). Likewise, renewable energy mandates are favored by... → MORE Wind developer’s dispute with Iowa utility reveals a broader schism on clean-energy law After more than a year of discussions with Interstate, Optimum finally filed a complaint in April with the Iowa Utilities Board. It alleges that Alliant made a “non-negotiable” offer to purchase power at a rate and under terms that, according to Optimum, ensure that “these projects will not be able... → MORE Judge Mott rules Commissioners had no authority to issue wind farm permit in northwest Sumner CountyIn December, the county commissioner overturned a recommendation by the Sumner County Planning Commission to deny a permit. The commission denied the permit by a 5-3 vote two weeks earlier ...However, Mott cited in a 20-page ruling issued on Sept. 21, that the Commissioners lacked the jurisdiction to approve such a... → MORE Sandhills landowners vow to fight for rightsCommittee member Bruce Bostelman of Brainard said he had personally fought the battle three years and had lived a lot their stories. "We need to be smart about it. If we're going to use renewables (energy), fine. Let's do them in the right place, at the right time, with input from... → MORE Wind farm exceeded blade size, say Waterford residentsPlanning regulation and inspection around wind- farms is expected to come under further scrutiny following claims that a wind- farm in Co Waterford was built with larger blades than allowed for. → MORE Company pulls plug on Boone County wind farm projectIn a letter sent to residents who agreed to lease farmland for wind turbines, Chicago-based Mainstream Renewable Power says a more-restrictive county ordinance approved last year makes it too difficult to move forward with the six-year project. → MORE Clark County residents debate big wind projectMore than 40 people spoke for and against the project, which could include 200 wind turbines, each 500 feet tall with rotor diameters of 446 feet. Sixty landowners have signed onto the project, which would cover 30,000 acres in the rolling Crocker Hills. The hearing was only for the commissioners to... → MORE Cowboy Fire sparked by wind turbine burning on 1,592 acres near Evanston A wind turbine that caught fire and sparked a wild fire northeast of Evanston, Wyoming. The turbine is one of the 80 Vestas 1.8 MW turbines (total 144 MW capacity) at the Wyoming Wind Energy Center. The facility is owned and operated by Nextera Energy Resources. → MORE DTE discusses turbine troublesGearboxes had to be replaced because they were made of “not the best metal from overseas,” Buda said. Specifically, the metal came from China. The gearboxes were designed by General Electric, with some produced in the United States, and some produced in China, said Austin Osentoski, wind technician for DTE, who... → MORE Planned Mexico wind farm sparks protestsSome 500 people from Unión Hidalgo marched Saturday to protest the planned Gunaa Sicarú wind farm that firm Eléctricité de France (EDF) plans to build, according to local media reports. The coastal town and fishing community of Unión Hidalgo is inhabited by people of the indigenous Zapoteco ethnic group, who claim... → MORE Wind project opponents say Avangrid’s proposed project is tearing friends and families apart in Parishville, HopkintonFrom stares and mumblings at public meetings to stolen wind signs and frequent opposing opinion pieces in North Country This Week, Avangrid’s proposed 40-turbine wind farm has impacted friendships and family relationships in Parishville and Hopkinton. → MORE Invenergy worker killed in wind farm accidentIt took crews from Scurry County EMS, Snyder Fire Department, and the Scurry County Sheriff's Office to retrieve Hubbard from the turbine. He was pronounced dead at Cogdell Memorial Hospital, the Daily News reported. → MORE Wind Energy Isn’t a BreezeFarmers feel outnumbered and outfinanced by powerful energy companies, government officials, and green energy advocates, all of whom they say have incentive to ignore their problems. The key word here is setbacks, which is the distance turbines must be kept from occupied buildings, property lines, and roads. Farmers say if... → MORE Wind project pulls out of PerquimansApex Clean Energy has shelved plans to build a multi-million dollar wind power project in Perquimans County but will pursue building the Timbermill Wind project in Chowan County where it did win approval. The company made the announcement last Wednesday. → MORE Siemens Gamesa announces mass layoff at Hutchinson plantFriday’s announcement marks the second mass layoff at the plant since it opened in 2010. The first was in September 2012, when its then German-based owner which built the plant, Siemens AG, cut employment from its all-time high of some 400 workers down to 152. Within 9 months, however, employment... → MORE Wind speed slows for Vestas’ Q2 profitThe world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer saw profits drop 33 per cent → MORE Blade factory announces 600 workers let go; Record exit at Siemens Gamesa facility in AalborgHe states a number of reasons for the cuts including that "The global wind power market is becoming increasingly competitive. For the past 10 years, we have managed to lower prices by 40 percent in the industry. This development continues, and we must adapt the capacity in Aalborg to the... → MORE Regulators reject controversial power lineIn issuing the order, commission members said in part that the company had failed to prove that it had first obtained all necessary consent from counties along the project’s proposed route for road crossings. The PSC cited a Missouri Western District Court of Appeals decision in a separate, but recent,... → MORE Clearview Wind turbines licence revokedThere may not be eight wind turbines spinning in Clearview Township after all. In a decision released Wednesday, the Environmental Review Tribunal revoked the renewable energy approval for the project, saying the danger to human life and safety was too great. → MORE Clark County wind project hits snagA judge on Monday ruled in favor of the Clark County Commissioners’ decision to keep wind towers a minimum of 3,960 feet from residences. The decision could affect the outcome of the Crocker Wind Farm planned by Geronimo Energy of Minneapolis. → MORE Giant turbines at testing site damage our health, claim neighboursLocals who oppose the plans claim their lives are blighted by headaches, nausea and insomnia caused by low-frequency noise from two turbines. One of these, the Mitsubishi 7MW Sea Angel, is more than 630ft high, making it one of Britain’s tallest turbines. → MORE The Scottish wind-power racketWind farm owners in Scotland are making out like bandits; Since 2010, we’ve paid £328m to wind farms not to generate - most of them in Scotland; Westminster must stop Holyrood from consenting new wind farms and extensions. → MORE Endangered bat at center of fight over Kahuku wind farm proposal"Currently, all major wind farms in Hawaii have exceeded their amount of take that they've been approved for. In fact, the two existing wind farms on Oahu have already killed over 70 bats in just a few years of operation," said Maxx Phillips, an attorney for Keep the North Shore... → MORE Think Wind-Generated Power Is Saving People Money? Check Out America’s First Offshore Wind Farm“The idea that we subsidize any business on the backs of ratepayers is poor policy and to have regular Rhode Islanders pay 24 cents per kilowatt hour in a state that already has higher costs than normal is an unfortunate way to use the little people to subsidize a corporate... → MORE Big MHI Vestas test wind turbine on fireA test version of MHI Vestas' V164 turbine, the world's most powerful wind turbine at 9 megawatts, has caught fire. → MORE Recent DocumentsEnergy Policy in Minnesota: The High Cost of Failure This report evaluates Minnesota’s energy policy and reaches five main findings that buttress one conclusion: Minnesota’s aspirational energy policy is a grand exercise in virtue signaling that does little to reduce either conventional pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. → MORE ERT Wiggins v. Ontario: Decision revoking wind turbine permit In this important decision by the Ontario Environmental Review Tribune, the Tribune officially revokes Wpd Canada's permit to install eight 137-meter (450 feet) tall wind turbines in close proximity to the Collingwood Regional Airport and a private air field owned by Kevin and Gail Elwood. In its October 2016 decision, the... → MORE Recent PicturesTurbine Shredded: Puerto Rico This aerial picture taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows how hurricane-force winds shredded one of the Vestas turbines at the Punta de Lima project in Puerto Rico. The Punta de Lima Wind facility, developed by Gestamp Wind, began operation in April 2013 and includes 13 Vestas 1.8 megawatt turbines for a total capacity... → MORE Michigan Blade Failure Another turbine failure has been reported at Michigan's Deerfield wind facility in Huron County. The Deerfield project includes a mix of Vestas V110 2MW and 2.2MW machines for a total installed capacity of 150 MW. Two blades on separate turbines broke in half in late 2016 when the project was in the... → MORE Recent VideosArkwright wind project: a sick joke, our worst nightmareThis powerful video conveys the shock and sadness as wind energy projects move through Arkwright, NY and Chautauqua County. → MORE Turbine devastation in Puerto RicoHurricaine destroys turbines in Puerto Rico. → MORE |
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