www.windaction.orgfacts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impactsWindactionhttp://www.windaction.org/articles/c51+122?theme=atomXarayar2006-06-12T02:16:27Z Turbine safety risks at Barrington, RI high school
Last month, Barrington, RI voters approved plans to fund and erect a $2.4 million wind turbine to power the local high school. Town leaders anticipate the 600 KW turbine to supply a substantial portion of the school's energy demand. Windaction.org tried to determine a cost breakdown, expected electric generation, and suggested payback period but documentation on the Town's website showed numbers to be inconsistent and difficult to reconcile. For example, documents put the turbine cost at $1.4 million installed with published annual capacity factors varying between 19% and 25%. Further, no wind studies were done to gauge whether the marginal area winds meshed with periods of high demand.
Financials aside, Windaction.org is most concern with the suggested placement of the turbine. According to published reports, the base of the 328-foot structure will be located roughly 200-feet from the high school building, between the football and baseball fields and at 500-feet (or less) from the nearest residence. Town reports justify the minimal setbacks with rhetoric like "In order to attract investment, this new industry cannot afford any failures so the machines have to be designed to meet extremely high safety standards and have thereby enjoyed an excellent safety record ..."
Windaction.org encourages Barrington residents to demand a more thorough investigation into the risks of placing turbines so close to where people gather. Turbine collapse, blade throw, ice drop, and fire are a few of the accidents reported in the US just in the last 10 months. See also: http://www.windaction.org/faqs/14347 . Turbine manufacturer Vestas recommends no less than 1,300-feet clearance for technicians. And noise is another important factor. The noise level of the 600 KW machine at hub height is 98 decibels, only slightly lower then the turbines installed at Mars Hill, ME.
Wind turbine sites approved by town.223912009-07-29T09:14:51Z2009-07-29T09:14:51ZKingsville council has approved the sites for 19 wind turbines east of Cottam but delayed a decision on three others because of concerns over two nearby air strips.
Council agreed Monday to 19 site-specific bylaws for turbines as the public got to see Brookfield Power Corporation's location for 22 wind turbines. ..."Flying by these would be dangerous," Ronald Bell said Tuesday.
Turbulence is the concern.
Faulty Northumberland wind turbines could be taken down.216902009-06-23T11:36:51Z2009-06-23T11:36:51ZFaulty wind turbines in a Northumberland beauty spot could be taken down after they stopped working.
The three giant structures at Kirkheaton, North of Hexham, were put up almost 10 years ago by EDF Energy.
But technical issues have meant that two of the turbines have had to have their blades removed, and haven't been operational since last autumn.
Zoning board says ‘yes' and ‘no' to windmills.207862009-04-17T08:14:51Z2009-04-17T08:14:51ZMembers of the Elkhart County Board of Zoning Appeals got a taste of the wind power debate during their meeting Thursday morning. One petitioner's bid for a wind-powered generator was granted and another denied. ...Anita Miller, a nearby neighbor of Ntende's, voiced her concerns over possible dangers, such as electrical surges or falling debris due to the proposed windmill's proximity to surrounding homes and electrical lines.Lakeshore OK's wind farm; Zoning approval granted over objection of airstrip owner.198982009-02-10T12:51:36Z2009-02-10T12:51:36ZA $30-million wind turbine project that threatens an airstrip owned by legendary Spitfire fighter pilot Jerry Billing got zoning approval Monday from town council in a 6-2 vote. ...Erik Billing told council that area pilots would be at risk trying to thread their way through some of the 120-metre high turbines just west of the airstrip. ...Essex County's official plan amendment dealing with alternative energy calls for a four-kilometer buffer around airstrips registered with Transport Canada.
Increased setbacks recommended for Enfield wind law; County's advice could stop wind farm project near Connecticut Hill.187452008-11-12T14:47:16Z2008-11-12T14:47:16ZThe setbacks in the proposed Enfield wind law are not large enough, according to a letter from the Tompkins County Planning Department to Town Supervisor Frank Podufalski, but following that advice could kill the wind farm proposal for a site near Connecticut Hill.
The planning department recommends increased setbacks between property lines and the wind towers ...If the Enfield Town Board does not adopt the recommendations, it will need a supermajority, which means four votes on the five-member board, to pass the proposal into law.Turbine turbulence.185932008-10-30T18:20:51Z2008-10-30T18:20:51ZOne of the largest businesses in town is working toward going green. Decas Cranberry Company in South Carver has proposed installing a test tower to measure the wind on the property in an effort to determine whether a wind turbine would be a viable future energy source for the company. Middleburg Heights City Council must approve wind turbine on fairgrounds.184262008-10-18T12:03:45Z2008-10-18T12:03:45ZA proposed wind turbine at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds faces one more hurdle before it can be approved by the city. After being approved unanimously by both the Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning Commission, the turbine is now before City Council. Wind farm wins guarded go-ahead.172962008-08-09T17:55:22Z2008-08-09T17:55:22ZPlans for a major wind farm in Northumberland were approved by the Government yesterday.
npower renewables' proposal to erect 18 turbines, 125m high, at Middlemoor, North Charlton, near Alnwick, was given the go-ahead by Energy Secretary John Hutton.
But the wind farm cannot be erected until the energy giant comes up with a way to make sure the turbines do not affect RAF radar systems.
RAF wind industry peace deal faces first test.172732008-08-08T11:07:52Z2008-08-08T11:07:52ZTwo new wind farm planning approvals dependent on developers and MoD agreeing way of minimising radar disruption ...approvals are conditional on technical solutions being developed that mitigate the effects of the turbines on the Air Defence Radar at RAF Brizlee Wood and Trimmingham respectively. The government said that both the business and defence ministers must be satisfied the impacts on these air defence radar are acceptable for the projects to proceed.Torrance windmill plan faces headwind.169402008-07-21T16:03:11Z2008-07-21T16:03:11ZLewis calls the whole proposal, its implications and its aftermath "just weird."
For instance, he didn't receive the letter from Schumacher until July 5 - almost three weeks after the board's decision.
"This letter was the first anyone knew about it," Lewis said. "We were just shocked this could happen without notifying anybody."
Galvin is mobilizing the neighborhood and hopes people will show up at a school district meeting tonight to complain.
"It's imperative we show opposition to this thing. Otherwise it's going to get shoved down our throats, which is what the school district has done already," she said. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Windaction.org has been informed that this project has since been canceled due to complaints filed by residents in Torrance.]
Barrington High School not ruled out as turbine site.168592008-07-16T04:49:57Z2008-07-16T04:49:57ZA dozen opponents of the high school site were at the meeting to ask the committee to immediately declare the high school off limits, and they presented a 21-page report that, they contended, proves that the turbine would pose a physical danger and noise hazard to students.
But committee members said they wanted to review the report and hear counter-arguments from the town's renewable energy committee, which has asserted that the device is safe. It has voted to give preference to the alternative site, which would be 1,000 feet from any house and have stronger winds.
MoD objects to wind farm plans.166712008-07-05T19:12:09Z2008-07-05T19:12:09ZAviation experts are set to clash over the impact a proposed wind farm at Routh, near Beverley, could have on radar installations.
Twelve huge turbines could endanger aircraft flying over the region, a public inquiry into the controversial development will hear on Tuesday.
Wind farm business RidgeWind Ltd is appealing against East Riding Council's refusal to allow the development at Hall Farm in Routh.
Major blow for QEH turbine plan.155712008-04-29T14:56:21Z2008-04-29T14:56:21ZWest Norfolk planners yesterday turned down plans for a wind turbine at Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. ...Cllr Bill Daws felt there had been insufficient liaison with the Ministry of Defence and the Air Ambulance before the application was submitted.
He also felt the site was too close to the busy Al49.
He added: "You have got a 240-feet-high thing sticking out of the ground with a helicopter buzzing around. I don't think that's safe."
Fears about the effect of noise on hospital staff and patients were raised by Cllr Roy Groom, who was also concerned about what would happen if the hospital relocated and homes were built on the site.
Kondylis to propose halt on new turbines.154072008-04-20T16:29:07Z2008-04-20T16:29:07ZAfter watching and learning from the year-long process of approving new wind turbines in the Montezuma Hills, one county supervisor will ask Tuesday for a temporary ban on such projects.
Supervisor Barbara Kondylis will present the issue at Tuesday's Solano County supervisors meeting. The discussion comes after the Planning Commission recently approved 75 new wind turbines in an area east of Travis Air Force Base. ...Now, Kondylis wants to see the approval of similar projects stopped until the kinks of the new radar system are worked out.
"I really think it's time for us to stop and give Travis a chance to get their radar in place," she said. "Hopefully they will be able to resolve the problem.
Airport commission takes look at wind farm project.146122008-03-11T15:44:11Z2008-03-11T15:44:11ZFor the first time in more than a year, a group other than the Solano County Planning Commission will be discussing a proposal to install up to 88 wind turbines in the Montezuma Hills.
The Solano County Airport Land Use Commission will hear the issue Thursday night, a year after voting against the issue the first time around for fear of the turbines affecting the radar system at Travis Air Force Base.
The difference this time is that officials at Travis are no longer objecting to the proposal, as stated in a letter written by Wing Commander Col. Steven Arquiette earlier this month. ...The company proposing the project, enXco, has offered Travis a gift of up to $1 million that the base may use anyway it wishes.
Wind farm plan could create national security risk.144002008-02-28T23:36:07Z2008-02-28T23:36:07ZRepresenting the MOD, Ailsa Wilson said the organisation's appearance at Duns Volunteer Hall was the first time they had needed to attend a public inquiry and added that they were satisfied that the correct judgement had been made when the original application was objected to.
In her closing statement Ms Wilson reiterated the Ministry's concerns that of the 48 turbines proposed, at least 37 would be in the line of sight of the RAF radar at Brizlee Wood near Alnwick.
She added that a windfarm at Fallago Rig would effectively create a 'hole' in detection and said that even losing sight of an aircraft for a minute could be crucial to aviation operations and national security.
MoD has serious concerns over wind farm location; Fallago Rig public inquiry continues.141282008-02-14T14:33:04Z2008-02-14T14:33:04ZGiving his precognition during the second week of the public inquiry into the application by North British Windpower, Squadron Leader Neal Henley, Staff Officer for National and NATO Command Control Capability, said that even though there is 70km between the site in the Lammermuirs and an air defence radar head at RAF Brizlee Wood, near Alnwick, there was still a substantial risk that a windfarm development could disrupt air defences.
He described the "significant adverse impact," any turbines could have on radar signals and stated that of the 48 turbines earmarked for Fallago Rig, 35 are calculated to be in the line of sight of the air defence radar.
MoD under fire over windfarms.136972008-01-20T14:10:23Z2008-01-20T14:10:23ZThe Ministry of Defence has been accused of trying to put a "blanket ban" on onshore windfarm development in East Anglia.
And in the wake of a succession of high-profile MoD objections to turbines on the grounds of radar interference, leading developers warned they could be forced to scrap future windfarm plans in the region - at great cost to the local economy - unless the planning climate changes.
Representatives of four regional companies, Wind Power Renewables, Mellinsus Renewables, SLP Energy and Enertrag UK, will lobby MPs and officials for less prohibitive planning procedures. ...An MOD spokesman said: "We fully support the government's renewable energy policies and targets, and treat each windfarm case on its merits. Objections are only raised when absolutely necessary, and we will always engage with landowners and developers to try to find solutions to any concerns we may have.
"However it is vital that we protect our air defence and air traffic control radar from interference from any development which would unacceptably jeopardise national security or the safe movement of aircraft."
Airport set for battle of skies over turbines.135152008-01-10T12:22:35Z2008-01-10T12:22:35ZYesterday airport head of planning and corporate affairs Graeme Mason said he would be asking Ministers to ‘call in' the application and hold a public inquiry because of the unresolved safety concerns. Site owner Hainsford Energy wants to replace the existing nine turbines at Blyth Harbour with the seven much bigger and more powerful machines to create a facility capable of powering 11,600 homes. Approval was granted by Wansbeck's regulatory committee on Tuesday night, despite a last-minute plea by Newcastle Airport that it would be ‘quite wrong' to give the scheme the green light. The new turbines will be built along Blyth's East Pier and at Battleship Wharf near Cambois.
Yesterday Mr Mason said: "I have already been in contact with Government Office for the North-East to formally request that the application is called in by the Secretary of State. It is looking increasingly likely that we will be arguing this issue at a public inquiry.