News
U .S. awards four leases to explore wind energy off Jersey coast
June 23, 2009 by MaryAnn Spoto in The Star-Ledger
June 23, 2009 by MaryAnn Spoto in The Star-Ledger
The federal government today issued five leases to allow wind-energy companies to explore the possibility of building wind farms off the coast of New Jersey and Delaware.
In a news conference with Gov. Jon Corzine, U.S. Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar called the leases, the first of their kind issued by the federal government.
Also filed under [
General|
New Jersey]
CONTROVERSIAL plans for 26 giant wind turbines in Congham have been scrapped following a shock U-turn decision, it was revealed yesterday. Farmer Michael Mason has backed out of the scheme, and will not be allowing developers to build a wind farm on his land, between the village and Little Massingham.
A Devon council is calling on Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks to reverse a decision to allow a huge wind farm.
Earlier this month Mr Wicks gave Devon Wind Power the go-ahead for a 22-turbine project at Fullabrook Down. ...Council leader Mike Harrison said the "landscape and people of North Devon have been sacrificed in the national interest".
He added: "This is a classic example of the impact of centralised planning on a local community."
U. S. ponders use of offshore wind turbines in Great Lakes; But There Are Environmental Issues At Stake
October 28, 2008 by Associated Press in Chatham Daily News
October 28, 2008 by Associated Press in Chatham Daily News
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.
LONDON, May 25 (UPI) -- The British government Friday said grants will be made available again for those who want to install micro-wind turbines and solar panels on their homes.
The Department of Trade and Industry's Low Carbon Buildings Program has already allocated more than $13.5 million to householders and, following the addition of an extra $11.9 million in the national budget, applications are set to open Tuesday for an estimated $23.6 million remaining.
U.K. energy policy threatens thousands of jobs, Civitas says
July 12, 2010 by Alex Morales in Businessweek
July 12, 2010 by Alex Morales in Businessweek
Green energy policies have already boosted energy bills to businesses by 21 percent. "If we do not see reform of energy and climate legislation a whole swathe of businesses will not be able to operate competitively in the U.K. "The only question is how long it takes for their closure to result."
The U.K. is trying to spur renewable power in order to meet a European Union target.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
UK]
U.K. focuses on wind farms to improve energy profile
September 29, 2010 by Julie Werdigier in New York Times
September 29, 2010 by Julie Werdigier in New York Times
Despite growing opposition from citizens, nature conservation trusts and local lawmakers, the government continues to push for more wind farms across the country. Time is ticking toward a deadline in 2020 set by the European Union by which Britain would have to increase the amount of power it generates from renewable sources to 15 percent.
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Energy Policy|
UK]
U.K. incentives boost biomass, marine power, threaten wind farms
October 21, 2011 by Sally Bakewell and Alex Morales in Bloomberg News
October 21, 2011 by Sally Bakewell and Alex Morales in Bloomberg News
The Department for Energy and Climate Change yesterday proposed doubling the tradable ROCs, or Renewables Obligation Certificates, given to enhanced biomass co-firing plants and more than doubling rewards for wave and tidal-power projects. The government said it will cut support for wind farms as costs fall.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
UK]
U.K. Must Encourage ‘Local Energy’ Production, Lawmakers Say
January 30, 2007 by Paul Dobson in Bloomberg
January 30, 2007 by Paul Dobson in Bloomberg
The U.K. government and local authorities should use more tax breaks and subsidies to promote low-carbon energy production, a group of British lawmakers said.
“Local energy'’ generation from equipment such as solar panels or wind turbines “is capable of making a major contribution'’ to the U.K.’s electricity and heat supplies, the Trade and Industry Committee said today in an e-mail.
U.K. should build more nuclear, less offshore wind power
May 9, 2011 by Alex Morales in Bloomberg News
May 9, 2011 by Alex Morales in Bloomberg News
"Nuclear, for the foreseeable future, looks like it will be the lowest cost low-carbon technology," David Kennedy, chief executive of the committee, said in London. "It's only as you get to the end of the 2020s and the beginning of the 2030s that the cost of renewables starts to converge."
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Energy Policy|
UK]
U.K. urged to abolish renewable goals, spend less to cut CO2
May 6, 2011 by Catherine Airlie in Bloomberg News
May 6, 2011 by Catherine Airlie in Bloomberg News
Britain could save 12.5 billion pounds ($20.6 billion) by scaling back ambitious wind projects around its coastline, the London-based research group said in an e-mailed report today. The U.K. should "renegotiate its commitment" to the European Union renewable target, the report said.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
UK]
U.K. wind farm company studying report on noise pollution’s effects
August 11, 2007 by Kris Schumacher, Prince Rupert Daily News in The Vancouver Sun
August 11, 2007 by Kris Schumacher, Prince Rupert Daily News in The Vancouver Sun
A U.K. company planning to develop a wind farm off B.C.'s north coast is studying the effects of noise pollution on marine mammals after a report found that whales and dolphins were being stranded.
A United Nations climate panel on Friday blocked carbon financing for around 10 Chinese wind farms over concerns about whether they are financially viable without receiving carbon offsets, the panel said. ...The panel's decision on the Chinese wind farms could have serious implications for billions of dollars' worth of wind farm investment in China. The panel said it lacked sufficient information in support of the projects' claims of making additional emissions cuts.
Lobbyist pressure will not weigh on a U.N. panel's decision whether to award carbon finance worth about 100 million euros ($144 million) to Chinese wind power projects, said the chair of the panel on Tuesday. ...The issue has caused long-running tension between the panel and project developers and brokers about the speed of approvals in the $6.5 billion global carbon offset market.
Under the U.N.-led Kyoto Protocol's clean development mechanism, rich countries can buy rights to pollute by funding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in developing nations.
The farms would produce 3,000-megawatts and be managed by Power Company of Wyoming, and will be built at an estimated cost of US$4B-$6B. Half of the turbines will be located on public lands. The utility has forecast a regional economic benefit.
The U.S. Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service designated five areas on the Outer Continental Shelf for testing new energy technologies related to wind power, wave energy and ocean currents.
The five areas are located off the coasts of California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia and New Jersey. The agency said in a statement that it is proposing limited, temporary leases in these areas for data collection and technology testing. Commercial energy production will not be allowed yet.
"Our projections show that existing policies that stress energy efficiency and alternative fuels, together with higher energy prices, curb energy consumption growth and shift the energy mix toward renewable fuels," said EIA Administrator Richard Newell. "However, assuming no new policies, fossil fuels would still provide about 78 percent of all the energy used in 2035."
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
USA]
U.S. approves first offshore wind farm near Cape Cod
April 28, 2010 by Kim Chipman and Tom Moroney in Bloomberg News
April 28, 2010 by Kim Chipman and Tom Moroney in Bloomberg News
Cape Wind, 130 wind-powered turbines to be placed in the shallow waters of Nantucket Sound, will have to be reconfigured to "reduce the visual impact" from land in order to go forward, Salazar said in a statement today. When completed the wind farm may generate enough power for more than 200,000 average U.S. homes, the Interior Department said.
Homeowners whose ocean views would be affected and local environmentalists spent $20 million over nine years to block the project.
Efforts to protect an iconic bird could disrupt oil, natural gas and wind energy development in the U.S. West and add to the Democratic Party's green woes ahead of the 2010 congressional elections.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has until Feb. 26 to decide whether or not to list the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act. This may prove politically charged as it comes in the face of opposition from energy interests and state governments who fear it will hurt economic development.
U.S. board stands by critical view of Cape Wind
April 7, 2010 by Christine McConville in Boston Herald
April 7, 2010 by Christine McConville in Boston Herald
The head of a federal panel tasked with analyzing Cape Wind is defending its work, after a state official said the group overstepped its authority.
The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation last week recommended that U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reject the offshore wind farm because the project's 130 turbines would have a "pervasive, destructive" effect on historic properties.