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Wind Alert! 19-Oct-2020News and information from The WindAction Group facts, analysis, exposure of industrial wind energy's real impacts - www.windAction.org |
| Issue: 19-Oct-2020 |
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WindAction EDITORIALRep Crenshaw is right about wind and solarColumnist Chris Tomlinson’s recent attack on Rep. Dan Crewshaw (R-TX) for repeating “tired talking points” about the silliness of wind and solar was itself filled with unsubstantiated and misleading declarations beginning with Tomlinson’s claim that wind and solar employ 143,000 Texans. → MORE Recent ArticlesNorth Wales seabirds face 'extinction' if Boris Johnson's 'limitless' wind farm plan takes off“Our seabirds and marine environment are in trouble, facing a cocktail of threats from human pressures and climate change. “Without transforming how we plan development in our seas alongside the delivery of meaningful conservation measures, these combined threats risk irreversible seabird losses. → MORE Farmersville Town Board votes 3-2 to appeal Alle-Catt decisionThe Farmersville Town Board voted 3-2 Monday to appeal the New York Siting Commission’s approval of the Alle-Catt Wind Farm application. ...Board members also voted 3-2 to revoke a permit for a meteorological tower and to revoke a 2019 road use agreement the town negotiated with the Chicago-based Invenergy, the... → MORE Germany kicks off repowering talks as support cut-off looms for 16GW of windGovernment and industry today began talks about what to do with 16GW of onshore wind capacity due to exit Germany's old support scheme by 2025 → MORE Lack of wind sparks National Grid energy alertIn a statement, the National Grid Electricity Systems Operator (ESO) said: "Unusually low wind output coinciding with a number of generator outages means the cushion of spare capacity we operate the system with has been reduced." It added that it was exploring measures to ensure that there was enough generation... → MORE Lawsuit filed to halt DeWitt County wind farmA lawsuit opposing development of an industrial wind complex in northwest DeWitt County has been filed on behalf of 69 constituents against the DeWitt County Board and Enel Energy, owner of Alta Farms II. “This was something we wanted to avoid, but at this point, we have no choice,” said... → MORE Wyoming criticizes utility’s plans to replace coal with renewablesWyoming’s largest electrical provider, PacifiCorp, wants to speed up its shift from coal-fired power to renewable energy. But its plan for achieving that vision lacks proper analysis, transparency and modeling, and doesn’t adequately consider other alternatives, such as nuclear power or adding carbon capture to coal plants. → MORE Mitsubishi eyes Great Lakes for offshore wind developmentWissemann said future Great Lakes projects will look more like those shaping up along the Atlantic Coast: larger and more competitive on cost. Winter ice endemic to the Great Lakes is not an engineering challenge for turbines affixed to the seabed, and there’s no need to demonstrate any particular technology... → MORE Windfarm farce that blew £1.4billion of YOUR money!Boris Johnson has declared that wind power is the future of Britain's energy but an investigation has revealed turbine owners are being paid over the odds. Civil servants set subsidy rate so high it's been branded ‘licence to print money’. → MORE Gage County extends moratorium on turbine permitsThe County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved extending the moratorium on permit applications for wind turbines that was initially passed in July. The board now wants the Planning and Zoning Commission to take a closer look at the regulations before again accepting permits. → MORE Semi-trailer truck carrying wind turbine equipment flips on State Highway 44; One in hospitalA semi-tractor-trailer truck carrying wind turbine equipment rolled over on Texas State Highway 44 sending one to the hospital Saturday. → MORE Blade falls from Dundonnell Wind Farm turbine, launching investigationThe blade fell around 8.30pm and the company has since removed all turbines from operation while an investigation of the damage occurs. "A root cause analysis will be completed in conjunction with the wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas, which will inform the assurance process on the other turbines prior to these... → MORE Windfarm proposal: ‘It’s the wrong development in the wrong location’Aberdeenshire Council’s planning service recommended refusal on the grounds that the application is contrary to its Local Development Plan Policy and added that it would have a visual impact and could have an impact on aircraft and aviation. Councillor Ann Ross said: “I think that the scale of the additional... → MORE California wildfire smoke decreases solar generation by more than 13% in CAISODaily solar-powered generation began declining as large wildfires broke out in mid-August, reaching a low of 68 GWh on August 22 before returning to approximately 100 GWh by the end of the month. Solar-powered generation began declining again as wildfire activity rose in September, falling as low as 50 GWh... → MORE Wind energy project up for discussion in FalmouthMayflower Wind recently got approval from the Falmouth Conservation Commission to conduct geotechnical boring investigations at two beach parking lots to eventually install underground cables. The company will appear before the Select Board on Monday to get permission to conduct the tests on town property. → MORE Study: Solar projects driving down home values in R.I. suburbsCorey Lang, associate professor of natural resource economics, and doctoral student Vasundhara Gaur found that prices of homes within a mile of a solar installation declined by 1.7%. Homes within a tenth of a mile went down by 7%. ...“In those non-rural areas there aren’t many large blocks of farmland... → MORE Broken wind farm blades worry local farmers, residents near LexingtonTim Jolly is a fifth-generation McLean County farmer and is looking forward to a safe harvest this fall. However, while farming in the footprint of a wind farm near Lexington, Jolly has major concerns over the potential of falling debris from nearby wind farm turbines from the Bright Stalk Wind... → MORE The future of Lake Erie's Icebreaker windfarm remains up in the airLake Erie is an abundant natural resource with 10,000 square miles of water, wind and wildlife. → MORE Researchers: Offshore wind farm would alter ecosystemThere’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding how an offshore wind farm would impact specific species off the coast, but researchers say it will change the area’s ecosystem. → MORE Trump’s offshore oil ban to halt coastal wind farms tooAt issue are recent Trump memos ruling out new oil and gas leasing along Florida, Georgia and South and North Carolina from July 1, 2022 until June 30, 2032, issued after some Republicans pressed for a drilling ban and as the president courts voters concerned about the environment. On Friday,... → MORE Senator Lankford and others target elimination of wind tax credit“This production tax credit was established years ago to help the fledgling renewable energy industry. Now, when you drive through my state and many others with countless wind turbines, you can see that the wind industry is no longer a start-up, new energy source,” said Lankford. “The wind industry is... → MORE Big Spring man dies in fall from Tom Green County wind turbineSAN ANGELO, TX – Deputies with the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday were dispatched to the Langford Wind Power Farm, located in the 11000 block of Allen Road near Christoval, TX. in reference to an accidental fall victim. → MORE UMass Dartmouth wind turbine comes down after stormy historyJacquart explained that when the university acquired the turbine in 2012, hopes were high for an inexpensive service contract while its power output would equate to roughly one percent of the campus energy usage. He said the turbine would frequently break down and generate less and less electricity every time... → MORE 18,000-pound wind turbine blade breaks in Adair CountyAdair County farmer Curt Beane said the blade crushed the corn below, but nobody was injured. “I work in the field that it came down, and I do have true safety concern,” Beane said. Beane said he does not own the land that the blade fell onto, but he does... → MORE ‘No more wind.’ WA state utility questions efficacy of wind farms for power generationBut in a recently released report, “Wind Power and Clean Energy Policy Perspectives,” the utility’s commissioners say they “do not support further wind power development in the Northwest.” ...“While development of wind farms may be politically fashionable and appeal to many in the general public as a harmonization of nature... → MORE New York proposes rules to speed renewable projects, but local control, other issues could be contentiousRenewables advocates are celebrating the proposed regulations and attorneys say they will almost certainly speed up the existing process. But there are likely to be debates over specific requirements, and in some ways the rules remain similar to the current regime, which is set out under Article 10 of the... → MORE Group continues legal battle to reverse Cherry County's endorsement of Kilgore-area wind farmCounty commissioners, the county itself and BSH Kilgore LLC filed answers Monday to a lawsuit by wind-farm opponents seeking to overturn an Oct. 29, 2019, County Board vote granting BSH a conditional use permit. → MORE Plans for Lake Erie wind farm clear a major hurdle, as ‘poison pill’ restriction is liftedDuring a virtual meeting that involved a level of discussion and debate unusual for the Power Siting Board, board members unanimously voted to rescind part of an order they issued last May that approved construction of the wind turbines only if the turbine blades didn’t move at night between March... → MORE Debate continues over wind regulationsCitizen's group Albany County for Smart Energy Development, spoke Monday morning in front of the Albany County Courthouse. The group presented a petition to the Albany County Board of Commissioners asking for continued review of wind regulations. → MORE Christian County board votes in favor of ZBA amendments effectively ending wind farms in the countyThe Christian County Board voted “Yes” on Tuesday to keep the Christian County Zoning Board of Appeals recommendations for setbacks and shadow flicker for wind turbines 10-6 effectively ending any chance of wind turbines being built in Christian County. → MORE Wyoming lawmakers surprise public with proposal to repeal three-year electricity tax exemptions for wind energyDespite the topic not being on the agenda, Wyoming lawmakers narrowly voted to propose a bill increasing the tax burden on wind energy producers in the state late Friday afternoon. After impassioned public comment on the topic, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions decided to draft... → MORE Offshore wind energy will deliver few U.S. jobs; Lack of oversight means most jobs will be overseasNew developments have raised serious questions regarding the economic and job benefits from offshore wind energy projects in U.S. waters. → MORE NY wind farm wants $21M tax break for 2 permanent jobsThe sponsor of 124 megawatt wind turbine installation in eastern Broome County has applied for a 30-year, $21 million property tax reduction in return for two permanent jobs. ...During the application process many of these numbers have been kept under wraps by developers, who claimed they were proprietary. The application... → MORE Pretty Prairie wind farm lawsuit dismissed, allowing it to be appealedPretty Prairie Wind LLC, a subsidiary formed by NextEra Energy to develop an 82-turbine wind farm in the southeast quadrant of the county, filed the suit in July 2019 after it failed to obtain a conditional use permit to build the project. → MORE Ratepayers on hook for portion of Block Island wind farm cable mess“Because, after all this surveying work the companies did, they determined like we asked them several years ago that the best way to bury these cables was by horizontal directional drilling and that is what they are going to do,” CRMC’s interim executive director Jeffrey Willis said when the plan... → MORE Vestas and EDPR to investigate why V150 blade broke off at Ohio siteVestas and developer EDP Renewables are investigating after the blade of a V150 4.2MW turbine at the 125MW Timber Road 4 project broke off. The project was commissioned earlier this year. → MORE Offshore Wind in NJ Gets Boost, But Lawmakers Demand a Halt to One ProjectThe three legislators, all of whom were sponsors of the Offshore Wind Development Act, asked the state agency to look into representations made by Ørsted in its application to hire union labor and set up a fund to ensure minority businesses and women-owned businesses have an opportunity to enter the... → MORE Gage County Board Approves One-Mile Setback Limit, on Wind TurbinesNorthern Gage County residents won a long battle today, as the Gage County Board approved an amendment increasing the setback between wind turbines and non-participating rural homes, to one mile. → MORE RWE terminates wind turbine farm projectRWE Renewables will not pursue its proposed wind turbine farm in Gibson and Posey counties, citing provisions in the newly adopted Gibson County zoning ordinance that make the project unfeasible to develop. Company officials confirmed that more than 300 landowners were notified RWE plans to terminate the proposed $600 million... → MORE The day California went dark was a crisis years in the makingBy the late afternoon Friday, when the state’s substantial solar production began to drop off as the sun set, California ISO grid operators in its control room in Folsom knew they were in trouble. The renewable supply was falling, and there wasn’t enough gas to replace it. The only recourse... → MORE California Fish and Game Commission again punts on Joshua tree protection voteIn a surprise decision potentially spurred by late arriving opposition from the solar and wind industries, the western Joshua tree will have to wait at least another month to receive legal protection under the California Endangered Species Act. ...The beloved, high desert species will once again be up for listing... → MORE Bald Hills Wind Farm neighbours win historic legal battle against turbines 'too close to homes'Land owner says the noise from the turbines near his property has caused sleep deprivation for residents. → MORE Solar power is booming. But it’s putting desert wilderness at risk.How renewable energy projects in the Mojave Desert threaten local species — and how to fix that. → MORE Dominion bills have soared — and are set to rise even faster, officials sayDominion Energy customers’ monthly electric bills have jumped nearly 29% since 2007 under a series of electric utility-backed bills enacted since then — and look set to rise another 45% over the next decade, the State Corporation Commission said. ...It said Dominion’s push to expand its solar and wind generating... → MORE Rare sea eagle found with head injury on Lewis moorlandScottish SPCA auxiliary inspector, Maggie Adkins, said: “On arrival it was clear the eagle had a serious head injury and it was also being eaten alive by midges. “It was found in a remote part of the island close to a large wind turbine, so this is likely to have... → MORE Pelican deaths spark debate on wind farm locationsThe Hellenic Ornithological Society said these large birds, which have a wingspan of almost 3 meters, nest together with Dalmation pelicans in the Little Prespa wetlands and are an emblematic species of the region, protected internationally. → MORE Interior memo scaling back bird protections is 'contrary to law,' court rules“The opinion freezes the MBTA in time as a hunting-regulation statute, preventing it from addressing modern threats to migrating bird populations,” she wrote in a decision vacating the opinion, calling it “an unpersuasive interpretation of the MBTA’s unambiguous prohibition on killing protected birds.” → MORE Blade repairs and upgrades hit Vestas' Q2 earnings;Vestas swung to a €5 million loss in the second quarter of the year, with its earnings hampered by blade repair costs, but the company reintroduced its full-year guidance as visibility has improved. ...A spokesman for the manufacturer added that the issue relates to a “confined number of sites across... → MORE Recent DocumentsWashburn Wind project withdrawnThis email from RPM Access confirms the company's cancellation of the Washburn Wind energy facility. The 35-turbine (70 MW) project to be constructed in Black Hawk County Iowa was first approved in a 3-2 vote of the Board of Adjustment in April 2018. In early 2019, the company secured an... → MORE Campo Wind Complaint This complaint in federal court challenges the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (“BIA”) notice of record of decision (ROD) authorizing the issuance of a 25-year lease of land (with a possible 13-year extension) between the Campo Band of Diegueño Mission Indians and Terra-Gen Development Company LLC (“Terra-Gen”), allowing Terra-Gen to develop, construct, the... → MORE Mortality limits used in wind energy impact assessment underestimate impacts of wind farms on bird populations This important paper found that the population viability of bird species can be very sensitive to proportionally small increases in mortality.The authors found that just a 5% increase in existing mortality resulted in a 9%–77% reduction in the population of the species after 10 years. A portion of the report... → MORE Recent PicturesRecent VideosBjerkreim Søndre wind facilityThe Bjerkreim Søndre cluster in Norway is the result of a 15-year contract by Facebook to acquire the full output of the 294MW facility. The turbines are sited at/around latitude and longitude of 58.437781, 6.089634 which appears to be a highly complex terrain that includes an abundance of rock formations and water areas.... → MORE Wind turbine sparks wildfire in Nolan CountyNOLAN COUNTY, Texas — Firefighters battled a wildfire in Nolan County. Sweetwater Fire Chief said the Game Ranch Fire, located just north of FM 89 near the Nolan/Taylor County line, was sparked by a wind turbine. As of Monday evening, the fire had burned 1,500 acres, and was 30-percent contained.... → MORE |
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