News
Siemens says German energy switch on track for failure on costs
April 30, 2013 by Stefan Nicola in Bloomberg News
April 30, 2013 by Stefan Nicola in Bloomberg News
Germany is burning more coal because gas plants are not economical, subsidies for renewables are pushing up power prices, and a greater share of fluctuating renewables threaten the stability of electrical grids, Michael Suess, chief executive officer of Siemens Energy, said.
Maine DEP holds first public hearing for Bowers Mountain wind project
April 30, 2013 by Nick Sambides Jr. in Bangor Daily News
April 30, 2013 by Nick Sambides Jr. in Bangor Daily News
Opponents and proponents have begun two days of public hearings before the state's top environmental agency arguing the merits and problems with an industrial wind site proposed for Bowers Mountain.
"We are VERY unappreciative of this symbol being used by the USPS for Earth Day," Marie McNamara recently emailed postal officials in Washington. "Thanks for putting us on record as strongly objecting to the symbol of industrial wind turbines as a postmark. Thanks for putting us on record as wanting to see the postmark go away immediately."
Lawmakers weighing wind permit changes
April 30, 2013 by Sam Evans-Brown in New Hampshire Public Radio
April 30, 2013 by Sam Evans-Brown in New Hampshire Public Radio
The House Science, Technology and Energy Committee kicked off a summer's worth of work to reform the way the state evaluates proposals for new power plants Tuesday. They heard a whole day's worth of testimony about wind energy.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
New Hampshire]
Proposals to protect large parts of wilderness and unspoilt land in Scotland from controversial wind farm developments will be unveiled by government ministers today.
The new guidance will include maps, drawn up by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)
The Board approved the resolution to make the change at the April Board meeting.
None of the county application requirements have changed but the process for developing a wind energy plan has been modified from a one-step to a two-step process, Moore said.
Wildlife Embarrassing snafu at Ocotillo Express Wind Project
April 29, 2013 by Chris Clarke in ReWire
April 29, 2013 by Chris Clarke in ReWire
This isn't the first time that reports have surfaced of workers at the Ocotillo Express Wind site failing to hew to the highest standards of professionalism. In February, Pattern's construction manager Russell Scott Graham was arrested by Imperial County Sheriffs deputies after allegedly assaulting and threatening Parke Ewing, a local opponent of the project.
Pros and cons (mostly con) aired during Deepwater hearing
April 29, 2013 by Laura Kelly in Block Island Times
April 29, 2013 by Laura Kelly in Block Island Times
Opponents and supporters of the Deepwater Wind's proposed five-turbine wind farm off Block Island had a chance to air their arguments before the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Wednesday during one of two public hearings being sponsored by the state permitting agency. The second public hearing will be held Wednesday, May 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at New Shoreham Town Hall.
Also filed under [
General|
Rhode Island]
Request for wind turbine grounded in Lampasas
April 29, 2013 by Brenda Young in Killeen Daily Herald
April 29, 2013 by Brenda Young in Killeen Daily Herald
Robert Guptill had the wind blown out of his sails earlier this month when the City Council turned down his request for a specific use permit to allow a wind turbine on his property.
Guptill has tried for four years to get the council's approval for the project, which was rejected because of its height. At 43 feet, it's eight feet higher than the city ordinance allows.
Sierra Club, utilities spar over Nebraska wind power
April 29, 2013 by Richard Piersol in Lincoln Journal Star
April 29, 2013 by Richard Piersol in Lincoln Journal Star
But John Boyd Jr., a New Jersey consultant who helps companies site data centers, told Midwest Energy News the demand for wind power was driven by marketing. He acknowledged he doesn't think wind power is the leading criteria for siting decisions. More important factors, he said, are tax incentives, real estate costs and the price of the electricity.
The consultative committee's chair John Brewster says it is hard to know how many people support the project.
"This is a question that's asked quite often and I really couldn't tell you any more than 50/50," he said.
Eastern Shore wind project confronts eagles, Navy; Proposed turbines face concerns over bird deaths, radar interference
April 29, 2013 by Timothy B. Wheeler in The Baltimore Sun
April 29, 2013 by Timothy B. Wheeler in The Baltimore Sun
The agency estimated that the original plan to put up 60 turbines east of Princess Anne could kill up to 43 eagles a year. The developer's experts disputed that, projecting deaths of 15 to 18 birds annually, but the agency said even that lower rate would result in more eagle deaths than any other wind project proposed nationwide. ...Biologists don't know how big a buffer is needed for bald eagles, which can roam over thousands of acres to find food.
Sinovel has reported a loss of CNY 582 million ($92 million) in 2012, representing a 197% year on year fall in earnings from its CNY 598 million net profits in 2011. ...Sinovel said it attributed the poor performance to the slow growth in the Chinese wind power market and low turbine prices.
Also filed under [
General]
The application for the five 126 metre turbines at Harbourcross Land at Meddon was withdrawn from Torridge District Council's planning system by the developers Wind Ventures Ltd on Thursday.
The application was submitted last year and in the past few months has met fierce objection.
Also filed under [
Impact on Views|
UK]
Battle lines drawn over proposed Maine wind farm
April 28, 2013 by Clarke Canfield in The Associated Press
April 28, 2013 by Clarke Canfield in The Associated Press
The sides will square off when the Department of Environmental Protection holds two days of hearings this week on First Wind's application to build a 16-turbine, 48-megawatt wind farm, known as the Bowers Wind project, in a backcountry area straddling Washington and Penobscot counties.
A year ago, regulators rejected First Wind's application.
While many in the area embraced the new green wind power it's "honeymoon over" for Hoaglin township trustees Wayne Kemler and Milo Schaffner.
Kemler and Schaffner want Iberdrola Renewables to pick up the tab to pave 3 and a half miles of Hoaglin township roads that they say weren't properly repaired.
Gillespie updated last week's events and noted nine experts have testified for the PECFN. Gillespie said the ERT panel has accepted their presentations on the serious and irreversible harm of turbines to bats, birds, butterflies, turtles and the environment as "expert testimony" while noting a few of Gilead Power's witnesses have "limited expertise" and the Ministry of Environment's presentation "experienced" in reviewing reports.
You'll meet people from New York and Massachusetts, living just 120 miles apart, but claiming to have similar health issues they attribute to giant wind turbines in their backyards.
"It sounds just like a prop jet outside the house," says Keith Dillenbeck, a dairy farmer in Herkimer County.
Deflated wind power bill backed by House; Senate future remains up in the air
April 28, 2013 by Andrew Stein in VT Digger
April 28, 2013 by Andrew Stein in VT Digger
Senate Bill 30 might have gotten the wind knocked out of it this session, but a revised bill - far from its original call for a moratorium on big wind projects - sailed through a second reading on the House floor Friday by a vote of 140-3.
That does not mean, however, that some senators have ceased trying to pump the legislation back up.
Kingston flicker study starting; Residents share opinions on regulations
April 28, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
April 28, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
All five wind turbines in Kingston - the Independence, Mary O'Donnell's three turbines and the T's turbine - will be part of a shadow flicker study coordinated by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
Monday night, the Board of Health informed residents and others at a meeting for discussion of possible new shadow flicker regulations that the study would start this week. A report from the contractor CEC chooses to conduct the study would be completed by June 10.