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/13150 Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:54:40 GMT Technicians remove the blade assembly on Carleton College’s wind generator as the gearbox undergoes repair. The two-month process of fixing it involved finding a crane tall enough and heavy enough to remove the giant blade assembly from the top of the 230-foot tower. The crane was on site almost three weeks, at a cost of $5,000 a day. The wind turbine was erected in Sep 2004. http://chronicle.com/blogs/architecture/1178/fixing-a-wind-turbine-no-small-matter http://www.windaction.org/articles/13150 http://www.windaction.org/articles/9165 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:08:51 GMT Workers build a new powerline in southwest Minnesota to take energy from wind turbines into the national grid. Utility companies are planning hundreds of miles of new lines. http://www.windaction.org/articles/9165 http://www.windaction.org/articles/7972 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:17:03 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/7972 http://www.windaction.org/articles/7109 Thu, 28 Dec 2006 22:13:01 GMT A wind turbine tower waits to be built in a forest of already constructed towers on land just north of Taopi in this file photo. http://www.windaction.org/articles/7109 http://www.windaction.org/articles/9179 Wed, 24 May 2006 10:19:29 GMT A wind turbine looms behind a farm east of Pipestone, Minn., in this May 24, 2006 http://www.windaction.org/articles/9179 http://www.windaction.org/articles/21980 Tue, 04 Sep 2001 11:25:51 GMT Thunderstorms in the background of the Buffalo Ridge wind energy facility. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21980 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24195 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:04:43 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/24195 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24150 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:45:02 GMT During the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) public hearing in Harmony on Monday, Nov. 9, to gather public input regarding the proposed EcoHarmony West Wind Project, several individuals voiced concern as to how the wind farm would impact the karst topography of the area. The proposed wind project will be sited in an area of about 23,000 acres west of Harmony. http://www.windaction.org/articles/24150 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24085 Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:38:11 GMT A wind farm planned for southern Dakota County is getting some blowback from nearby residents. In a barrage of comments submitted to the state's Public Utilities Commission, neighbors and even a few people from other parts of the metro area criticized the proposal for a 10.84 megawatt wind farm in Greenvale Township, northeast of Northfield. The project would be the first to concentrate multiple windmills in the seven-county metro area, and many people objected to that idea. http://www.windaction.org/articles/24085 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24078 Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:39:59 GMT Critics of a proposed wind farm near Goodhue urged a state commission Thursday to scrutinize the project. Goodhue County landowners attended the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission meeting asking commissioners to question Goodhue Wind's status as a Community-Based Energy Development. C-BED developments are supposed to guarantee some level of local project ownership. The group also briefly discussed setback concerns. http://www.windaction.org/articles/24078 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24063 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:06:20 GMT The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) held a public hearing in Harmony on Monday evening to gather public input regarding the proposed EcoHarmony West Wind Project. The proposed 280 megawatt wind project will be sited in an area of about 23,000 acres west of Harmony and will consist of about 134 turbines ...The hearing was part of the public process for EcoEnergy's certificate of need and site permit application. http://www.windaction.org/articles/24063 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23862 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:10:02 GMT It's one step forward, two steps back for the Greenvale Wind Farm. The two local companies behind the development of a proposed wind farm have asked to temporarily halt any further action on the 11-megawatt project located in Greenvale Township. In an Oct. 14 letter to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Sparks Energy and Medin Renewable Energy, the two companies behind the development of the proposed wind farm, say they need more time to listen and respond to residents' concerns about the development. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23862 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23854 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:04:30 GMT A proposed wind farm near Parkers Prairie won't hamper agricultural activities, nor will the noise affect residents, according to Prairie Wind Energy LLC Board members. Four board members, including President Terry Carlson, attended the Otter Tail County Board meeting Tuesday to answer any questions regarding the project and also update the board that it is completing its due diligence on the project. Twenty people attended the meeting. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23854 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23778 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:22:04 GMT The blades of a wind turbine at Burnsville Walser Honda still turn with the breeze, as they have for decades - but these days, that's pretty much all they do. "The wind turbine stopped functioning about nine years ago - apparently, the dynamo or generator stopped working," said Doug Sprinthall, Walser's director in charge of new vehicle operations. ...The turbine is the only one of its type in Burnsville. The city is examining whether to change its existing wind-power ordinance, which dates back to 1982. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23778 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23750 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:38:23 GMT The city of New Ulm doesn't want a few farmers to break wind, so to speak, and it will pay them not to. But the farmers are having none of it. "It's not a money issue or a wind turbine issue anymore. It's the way we were treated by New Ulm," said farmer Clete Goblirsch, who maintains that his wind rights aren't for sale at any price. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23750 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23716 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:48:02 GMT Wind energy production nationwide increased by 1,649 megawatts during the third quarter, but you'd never know it by looking at wind installation in Iowa and Minnesota, the largest wind energy states in the Midwest. Both states recorded no gain in installed wind energy, although they have a total of seven wind projects under construction as the fourth quarter began. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23716 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23621 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:24:36 GMT For the first time in Minnesota, the powerful government tool known as eminent domain could be used to take property rights in a wind energy project. There's been a growing public backlash against wind energy; complaints about noise, visual pollution and even bird kills. The city of New Ulm, as other cities around Minnesota have, wants to put up five wind turbines as a power source. The proposal has angered a group of landowners just across the Minnesota River from the southern Minnesota city. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23621 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23566 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:38:21 GMT Wind power turbines are going up in five metro cities, with Anoka set to get one on Monday, as a multi-city consortium moves forward with plans to use recycled windmills to generate renewable energy. In Anoka, the 115-foot-high white structure will rise just north of Anoka High School, following on the heels of windmills recently erected in Buffalo and North St. Paul. The cities are among the 11 members of the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA), which bought the refurbished windmills for $300,000 each from Palm Springs, Calif. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23566 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23478 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:44:51 GMT A proposal to build the metro area's first major wind power project reaches an important turning point this week, with proponents and opponents lining up to be heard. The state of Minnesota is accepting public comments through the end of today on a proposed wind farm in southern Dakota County that has many residents in the rural farming community in an uproar, even as renewable energy advocates keep their fingers crossed. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23478 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23470 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:18:42 GMT Residents expressed concerns about potential problems that could be caused by a proposed commercial wind farm. The concerns raised during Tuesday's Otter Tail County Board meeting were a noise level that could impact residents' health, safety, a negative economic impact for land owners and an inability to spray crops. Prairie Wind Energy LLC is proposing a 40-turbine project to be located in Parkers Prairie, Elmo, Effington and Folden Townships, according to a June letter written by Prairie Wind Energy President Terry Carlson. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23470