On October 19, the town of Wallagrass, ME passed a 6-month moratorium on wind energy development to become effective October 16, 2008. The wording of the ordinance can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

In October 2006, Palmerston North City Council and Horowhenua District Council received land use consent applications from Motorimu Wind Farm Limited to construct, operate and maintain 129 wind turbines as part of a proposal known as the ‘Motorimu Wind Farm’. In June 2007, consent was granted for 75 of the proposed turbines to be constructed with consent declined for the remaining 52 turbines. Motorimu appealed the decision arguing it needed all 129 turbines for the project to be viable. This month the Environmental Count granted Motorium permission to erect up to 80 turbines. Dr. Dave Bennett's testimony was entered into the record before the Environment Court.

Tom Hewson of Energy Ventures Analysis, Inc. ("EVA") was hired by the citizen's group, Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy, to evaluate a Decommissioning Cost Report prepared for the Beech Ridge Energy Project - a 124-turbine project proposed for Greenbrier County, West Virginia. His summary below provides insight into what communities and permitting agencies should be looking for when evaluating decommissioning plans. Mr. Hewson's memo on decommissioning of the Beech Ridge wind facility, which was included in the public record before the West Virginia Public Service Commission on the project, can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

For two decades, the capacity factor of wind power measuring the mean energy delivered by wind turbines has been assumed at 35% of the name plate capacity. Yet, the mean realized value for Europe over the last five years is closer to 21% thus making levelized cost 66% higher than previously thought. We document this discrepancy and offer rationalizations, emphasizing the long term variations of wind speeds. We conclude with the consequences of the capacity factor miscalculation and some policy recommendations. Click on the link below to download the full document.

This document provides before and after aerial photos of the very southern end of the NedPower wind facility, the most recently constructed wind energy facility in the mid-Atlantic region. The project is comprised of 132 2-MW Gamesa wind turbines, each nearly 400 feet tall. Extensive clearing of forest was done to install the turbines and other project infrastructure. The average width of the area bulldozed for road corridor varies from about 75 to 100 feet.

Policy analyst and attorney, Drew Thornley, of the Texas Public Policy Foundation examines the growth of wind energy in Texas over the last decade. While many policymakers and business leaders foresee wind as a major contributor to America’s electricity supply, his report identifies several practical obstacles that stand in the way of achieving that vision.

The following information was submitted to the Potter County Commissioners of Potter County Pennsylvania during their regular meeting on September 25, 2008. Martha Young appeared before the Commissioners to request a 1-mile setback from non-participating landowner property lines. Prior to her submission, Ms. Young searched for documentation to defend her request. The materials presented before the County board were the result of this search. Links to her supporting documents can be found below.

This motion was filed with the Vermont Public Service Board on Sep 22, the day hearings were to begin for the Deerfield Wind LLC proposal. Deerfield Wind LLC is seeking to erect 15 industrial scale wind turbines in the Green Mountain National Forest. In response, the Vermont Public Service Board ordered that the hearings be rescheduled to December 1, 2008.

Richard R. James' testimony before the Wellington City Council in regard to modeled noise predictions for a Meridian Energy Ltd. wind energy facility.