http://www.windaction.org/ facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts en-us Windaction hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.windaction.org/articles/23398 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:09:52 GMT Neither of the companies that announced the transfer of development rights for a massive wind farm on Lake Erie owns those rights, Ontario authorities told The Associated Press on Thursday. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources disputed accounts offered the day before by a U.S. company, which said it had acquired and was selling the rights to operate giant wind turbines on the Canadian half of Lake Erie, and a Canadian company that said it was buying those rights. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23398 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23128 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:51:03 GMT During a conference that touted regional energy co-operation in Saint John, N.B., Tuesday, Graham said last year NB Power had surplus capacity on the transmission system. He said that access was put up for auction, an auction that all jurisdictions could bid on. But nobody from Prince Edward Island put in a bid. He said the province of Quebec purchased the excess capacity and now holds the rights to that transmission capacity, even though it is not using it. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23128 http://www.windaction.org/articles/22847 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:55:17 GMT Financial troubles for Entegrity Wind will increase because dozens of turbines sold by the P.E.I.-based company have to be checked for a possible manufacturing flaw, says the firm's CEO. Last week, a judge gave the company 45 days to come up with a plan for dealing with at least $9 million in debts. ...Company CEO Jim Heath told CBC News last week that a problem with the turbines will dig the company into deeper troubles. http://www.windaction.org/articles/22847 http://www.windaction.org/articles/22764 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:32:14 GMT The customers of a P.E.I. wind turbine manufacturer are worried about what financial trouble at the company will mean for them. ...The company avoided an effort by a creditor to be put in receivership earlier this week. Entegrity has sold turbines to wind operations in 70 locations across North America and around the world, and some of those customers are nervous. http://www.windaction.org/articles/22764 http://www.windaction.org/articles/22673 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:25:28 GMT SkyPower Corp, a Canadian developer of renewable energy projects owned by bankrupt Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (LEHMQ.PK), said on Wednesday that it has filed for court protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. SkyPower said it was seeking to quickly sell its assets through a court-approved process and that several potential bidders have expressed interest in a deal. http://www.windaction.org/articles/22673 http://www.windaction.org/articles/22017 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:55:19 GMT A wind turbine maker based in Charlottetown is under investigation by P.E.I.'s Labour Relations Board after employees complained they were owed up to eight weeks of back pay. Entegrity Wind Systems sent most of their workers home late last month after running into financial trouble. But most of their 50 workers haven't been paid since mid-May. http://www.windaction.org/articles/22017 http://www.windaction.org/articles/20495 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:13:54 GMT Saint John-based Irving Oil Ltd. is studying the potential construction of a 500- to 600-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant to sell into the energy-hungry New England market. The project was revealed as New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham and Maine Gov. John Baldacci were in Saint John announcing their governments' intention to explore the development of an energy corridor to move electricity and natural gas between the Maritimes and New England. http://www.windaction.org/articles/20495 http://www.windaction.org/articles/20178 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:29:59 GMT Superior, Erie, Huron and parts of Ontario - are particularly prone to freezing over in the winter months, meaning that ice pack and ice floes could potentially damage turbine bases and towers. A feasibility report released in January by Wisconsin's Public Service Commission notes that freshwater ice is harder than sea ice and warns of the risk of thick ice floes striking the turbine bases. http://www.windaction.org/articles/20178 http://www.windaction.org/articles/20039 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:58:41 GMT Chicago-based renewable energy company Invenergy LLC has made a concerted push into Canada, last month bagging one of six contracts from the Ontario Power Authority to build a total of 500 megawatts of wind capacity at a cost of $1.3-billion. But when Invenergy chairman Michael Polsky looks at Canadian renewable energy policy these days, he sees uncertainty that spells problems for a sector already battered by a global recession and credit crunch. http://www.windaction.org/articles/20039 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19774 Sun, 01 Feb 2009 02:35:21 GMT When London surgeon Robert McMurtry decided to build a house, he wanted to go green - geothermal heating, solar panels for hot water and a wind turbine for electricity. But when he started reading about wind turbines, the former dean of medicine at the University of Western Ontario said he had a change of heart. "I thought, ‘Holy Toledo, there are some issues here.' " http://www.windaction.org/articles/19774 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19449 Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:51:07 GMT New research shows that the study of bat mortality at wind turbines should be the primary ecological concern for developers. ...TransAlta has about 189 MW of wind farms operating in southern Alberta and another 162 MW under construction. By analyzing specimens found on one of TransAlta's farms, Robert Barclay, a biological sciences professor at the university, discovered that the vast majority of bats died not as a result of colliding into the turbines, but as a result of a sudden drop in air pressure in the airspace around the turbines - which destroys their lungs. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19449 http://www.windaction.org/articles/18834 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:09:05 GMT Canada is the biggest exporter of oil to the United States, and one might expect environmentalists to cheer the prospect of exchanging a little of our dependence on foreign oil for dependence on foreign wind. But some fear that a flood of clean power from Canada will undercut New England's efforts to become a national leader in green energy and technology. Jobs could be lost, they caution, and local utilities may have less incentive to reduce their use of coal and other fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. Concerns also exist that the construction of expensive transmission lines to bring renewable energy from Canada could drive up the region's electricity rates, already among the highest in the country. http://www.windaction.org/articles/18834 http://www.windaction.org/articles/18617 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:43:30 GMT Investors are deserting a wind power sector that until now had benefited from twin climate and energy concerns, as a debt squeeze forces developers to rethink projects. The sector has enjoyed explosive growth, at more than 30 per cent per year during the past five years, partly on aggressively priced project finance debt. Now that debt is more expensive, if available at all, harming the economics of wind farm financing. http://www.windaction.org/articles/18617 http://www.windaction.org/articles/18583 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:58:31 GMT Imagine sections of the Great Lakes dotted with rows of gleaming, 12-storey turbines, blades whirring in the stiff breeze as they generate electricity for homes and businesses onshore. It's only an idea -- for now. But U. S. government regulators are bracing for an expected wave of proposals for offshore power generation ...Despite its allure as a plentiful source of clean energy, they say, offshore wind power could affect the aquatic environment and commerce. http://www.windaction.org/articles/18583 http://www.windaction.org/articles/18260 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:53:09 GMT Wind turbines are popping up in rural communities around the world, including Canada, in the hope that they will reduce reliance on coal and other sources for power. Currently, there are about 1,500 turbines across Canada and there are plans to build another 1,000 to 1,500 in the next year. But some residents who live near wind farms complain the turbines cause a number of adverse health effects, such as crippling headaches, nose bleeds and a constant ringing in the ears. ..."I had problems with my heart, with my eyes, my digestive system," Marshall told CTV News. "It traumatizes your whole body." http://www.windaction.org/articles/18260 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17979 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:40:25 GMT New England governors and Eastern Canadian premiers are expected to focus on a regional approach to energy when they begin their annual meeting Tuesday in Bar Harbor, Maine. With an energy-hungry New England market and the five eastern provinces all looking to export new sources of energy, the premiers say maintaining good cross-border relations is crucial. "We'll be able to talk about the commonalities and that's around energy efficiency, around renewable types of energy," said Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald. http://www.windaction.org/articles/17979 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17849 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:27:37 GMT Sierra Club Atlantic has asked the Energy Board of Canada for proof that green energy generated in Nova Scotia is used in the province, and not exported to the United States. Their six page submission makes several references to the Digby Neck wind farm and statements made by Barry Zwicker, developer of the project. ...Mark Dittrick, the club's conservation chair, says the New England states are eager to purchase green energy, and right now Nova Scotians have no assurance wind power and tidal power won't be exported from the province. http://www.windaction.org/articles/17849 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17624 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:22:26 GMT Sudden air pressure changes around wind turbines is likely behind the large numbers of migratory bats found dead in southern Alberta, according to a new University of Calgary study. The two-year study found 90 per cent of the studied bats found dead below turbines near Pincher Creek suffered severe injuries to their respiratory systems consistent with a sudden drop in air pressure that occurs near the turbine blades. http://www.windaction.org/articles/17624 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17626 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:32:06 GMT Canadian researchers have found wind turbines can kill bats without them actually flying into the blades. ..."An atmospheric drop in pressure at wind-turbine blades is an undetectable - and potentially unforeseeable - hazard for bats, thus partially explaining the large number of bat fatalities at these specific structures," said Baerwald. http://www.windaction.org/articles/17626 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17406 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:06:32 GMT New Brunswick is a rural province, and has low population densities. "So it's possible to locate wind generating facilities without intruding on residential areas," Howe said. "That's a key advantage over New England in terms of being able to locate a wind generator without having concerns on the part of resident who don't want a wind generator in their backyard." http://www.windaction.org/articles/17406