www.windaction.org | facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts http://www.windaction.org/ facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts en-us Windaction hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss Great Lakes offshore wind: Falling prey to Tea Party politics http://www.windaction.org/articles/28759 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:41:39 GMT As offshore wind energy developers in the Great Lakes region thrash out the logistics presented by the Jones Maritime Act and the Lakes' lock system, resistance from the local elite threatens to sway policy and undermine offshore wind energy altogether. http://www.windaction.org/articles/28759 Wind + coal = More pollution than coal alone, new study claims http://www.windaction.org/articles/26956 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:36:38 GMT Wind energy paired with coal could cause more pollution than coal itself, according to a study in Colorado and Texas said. A coal plant is most efficient when it runs continuously at a certain level of production, says the study by Bentek Energy LLC, a consulting company hired by Colorado's oil and gas industry. http://www.windaction.org/articles/26956 Wind farms catch a gust on Great Lakes http://www.windaction.org/articles/26807 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:38:36 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/26807 Looking into the 'noise' about wind turbines http://www.windaction.org/articles/19068 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:12:00 GMT When the state of Michigan commissioned recommendations to help formulate wind energy policies, acoustic expert Rick James saw two problems with the commission. The commission lacked both the expertise of an acoustic engineer and a medical doctor. Without these two perspectives, a major concern of wind turbines - their potential physical side effects due to the sounds they emitted - were overlooked. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19068 Governors address climate change http://www.windaction.org/articles/10893 Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:49:08 GMT TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - States should develop creative approaches to climate change, just as they have with challenges such as health care, despite their different economic interests, governors said Saturday. Talks on state-level climate policy were planned for the annual National Governors Association meeting this weekend at a resort on Lake Michigan, where receding water levels have touched off debate over the effects of global warming on the Great Lakes. http://www.windaction.org/articles/10893 Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Under Construction http://www.windaction.org/articles/3880 Mon, 10 Jul 2006 15:04:31 GMT Ishpeming, Michigan [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Construction is currently under way this month on a rare wind energy project, a 200 kilowatt (kW) vertical-axis wind turbine outside a large residential complex in Michigan. http://www.windaction.org/articles/3880 Ground broken for turbine installations http://www.windaction.org/articles/778 Fri, 02 Dec 2005 19:39:44 GMT Bingham Township - (12/02/05)--Michigan's first wind farm is one step closer to reality. Ground was broken Friday for the renewable energy project near Ubly, which will most likely see the landscape dotted with huge wind turbines soon. http://www.windaction.org/articles/778 RSEP seeks injunction to halt wind turbine construction http://www.windaction.org/articles/745 Thu, 01 Dec 2005 04:07:20 GMT BAD AXE — Residents for Sound Economics and Planning have filed a lawsuit against Huron County and Clerk Peggy Koehler, asking the court to issue an injunction that would stop the construction of wind turbines in the county until a referendum could be held on the zoning ordinance passed by the county board of commissioners during the summer. http://www.windaction.org/articles/745 Wind power for the birds? Turbine blades can be lethal for birds and bats http://www.windaction.org/articles/620 Tue, 29 Nov 2005 04:37:40 GMT Sometimes it's not easy being green. Proponents say Michigan is ideal for wind generation, a Green Power energy source that is pollution free and self renewing. But some worry that spinning wind turbine blades up to 85-feet long could be lethal scythes for migrating birds, especially if, as some predict, wind generation gathers steam in Michigan. http://www.windaction.org/articles/620 Huron County windmill park is ready to break ground http://www.windaction.org/articles/746 Wed, 02 Nov 2005 04:14:41 GMT "Huron County: We've got the breeze." You might see that saying, or something similar, on a T-shirt next summer. http://www.windaction.org/articles/746 War of the Winds http://www.windaction.org/articles/244 Mon, 31 Oct 2005 05:00:00 GMT Deel, however, now has a different sort of headache. Alternative-energy companies Michigan Wind Energy and Machinaw Power plan to build dozens of wind turbines-290 ft tall white steel pinwheels- across the county."

Glenn Schleede's (10/26/05) letter (False Claims in Time 'War of the Winds' article) is available in 'Opinions'. ]]> "Suffering from migraines and sick of suburban life, real estate agent Dawn Deel fled the outskirts of Detroit three years ago to build a new life in Golden Township, Oceana County, on Lake Michigan's eastern shore..... Deel, however, now has a different sort of headache. Alternative-energy companies Michigan Wind Energy and Machinaw Power plan to build dozens of wind turbines-290 ft tall white steel pinwheels- across the county." Glenn Schleede's (10/26/05) letter (False Claims in Time 'War of the Winds' article) is available in 'Opinions'. http://www.windaction.org/articles/244 Cape windbags come to the Great Lakes http://www.windaction.org/articles/27056 Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:46:09 GMT Having learned nothing from Cape Wind's tortuous nine-year battle to locate a wind farm off Cape Cod, the state of Michigan is encouraging wind farms in the Great Lakes. ...But silly pols who insist Michigan factories can be run on wind are about to plunge its lakeshore residents into a bitter and prolonged public battle. http://www.windaction.org/articles/27056 Wind turbines are green, but their design blows http://www.windaction.org/articles/21481 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:56:55 GMT I'm not against wind power. But why can't they make wind turbines more visually pleasing? Why do they have to be so ugly? Speaking for travelers, I think whoever designed these turbines littering the planet should be ashamed. And slapped for lousy design. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21481 Don't force overreliance on renewable energy; Consumers will decide viability of solar and wind power http://www.windaction.org/articles/15508 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:56:18 GMT Wind farms will have a niche role in generating electricity for Michigan. But their role should not be mandated by legislation. The economics of wind power will determine if it is viable and cost effective. Mandating or subsidizing a marginal player in the power industry will, in the long run, be costly. Wind power's chief drawback is obvious: The wind doesn't blow constantly. ...Renewable energy has grown in recent years. And will continue to have a place producing electrical power. But the growth should be at a pace dictated by the economics of production, not by government fiat. http://www.windaction.org/articles/15508 Blowing in the wind? Our energy independence hinges on renewable resources http://www.windaction.org/articles/13371 Sun, 30 Dec 2007 05:59:13 GMT Besides the environmental advantages of an RPS, many states are finding an economic incentive. Texas has huge potential for wind energy and business interests there are pushing for it, but other states find the turbines unsightly. ...expensive and disputes the job-creation assertion. "Proponents of wind energy claim that mandating renewable energy will lead to job creation," Doug Roberts, Jr., the chamber's director of environmental and energy policy, told members of the House Committee on Energy and Technology. "However, proponents usually can't back up these claims with facts. "For a quick comparison, for under half the cost of a 10 percent renewable mandate, Michigan could build a new nuclear plant (cost $2 billion to $3 billion)," Roberts added. "A new nuclear plant would provide 1,200 megawatts of reliable energy and would create 1,800 temporary construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13371 The Wind Power Debate Continues to Produce Crosswinds of Controversy http://www.windaction.org/articles/7621 Sat, 27 Jan 2007 14:57:46 GMT From Barton, Vermont, to the German border with Denmark and from the shores of Lake Huron, to the Romney Marches of southern England, wind power advocates are fighting crosswinds from local residents. In Barton in mid-January, a referendum overwhelmingly rejected the wind power turbines that were planned near this upper Vermont community. ...In Germany, where one-third of the world's current wind power is generated, doubters have provoked a loud debate. The company that owns the grid that includes nearly half the wind-farms in Germany reported its wind farms generated only 11 percent of their capacity. The company said the winds vary so much the wind farm had to be backed 80 percent by the conventional power grid. http://www.windaction.org/articles/7621