News
Category:
Rhode Island
Planning board recommends 6-month wind turbine moratorium
May 16, 2013 by Elizabeth McNamara in East Greenwich Patch
May 16, 2013 by Elizabeth McNamara in East Greenwich Patch
"We thought we would impose a moratorium while we study other ordinances and templates and models and what's happened in other places and draft something coherent," she said.
Other Rhode Island municipalities have imposed such a moratorium in advance of legislation, including North Kingstown, which ended up with a large wind turbine it didn't want on privately owned land on Route 102.
Also filed under [
Zoning/Planning]
The 1.5-megawatt turbine was commissioned in March 2009 but was shut down June 18, 2012, after the gearbox showed significant wear. The faulty gearbox was no longer covered by warranty, and the manufacturer of the turbine, AAER Wind Energy of Quebec, is no longer in business. Three of five turbines of the same make and model erected in California and Templeton, Mass., also suffered gearbox failure.
Also filed under [
Safety|
Structural Failure]
In 2007 voters approved a $3 million bond issue for the turbine, which sits behind the tennis courts at the high school. It's been idle since June 2012 due to a broken gear box. The town has been weighing its options ever since.
Also filed under [
General]
Charlestown turbine foes hear scientific evidence of infrasonic threat
May 9, 2013 by David Pepin in The Westerly Sun
May 9, 2013 by David Pepin in The Westerly Sun
It's not always the noise you hear that damages your ears. The noise you don't hear can be more harmful, wind turbine opponents were told Wednesday night.
Harold Vincent, an associate research professor at the University of Rhode Island, told an audience of about 75 residents at Cross' Mills Public Library that infrasonic noise can create health problems that go beyond hearing difficulties.
Also filed under [
Impact on People|
Noise]
The Narragansett Town Council Voted 5-0 to suspend talks with the offshore wind turbine developer, Deepwater Wind, until June. The council felt its residents needed more time to vet a plan to run a transmission line through a popular beach.
The long-running quest of Larry LeBlanc and his son-in-law, Michael Carlino, to build the twin 262-foot turbines received a boost in R.I. Superior Court when Associate Justice Kristin Rodgers denied appeals by the Town Council and abutters of the property to halt the turbine project, which has been before town officials and boards since 2010.
Also filed under [
General]
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]
Nearly 100 people came out Wednesday night to speak out on Deepwater Wind's $250-million proposal to install five wind turbines in state waters off Block Island and connect them to the mainland through an underwater transmission line.
Also filed under [
General]
Motion to suspend talks with Deepwater tabled until May; Wants to update new council members
April 18, 2013 by Laura Kelly in Block Island Times
April 18, 2013 by Laura Kelly in Block Island Times
“The project proposed by Deepwater Wind is extremely complicated and the short-term and/or long-term impact of that project on the town of Narragansett is unclear,” Mannix said in his motion.
“The reason I put in a motion is to make sure we get a complete vetting of information,” Mannix said last week.
Also filed under [
General]
FAA considers decommissioning navigation device at B.I. Airport; Says Deepwater Wind project may impact signal
April 7, 2013 by Stephanie Turaj in Block Island Times
April 7, 2013 by Stephanie Turaj in Block Island Times
"This is really important for people who are flying in bad weather to be able to land," said pilot Henry duPont, an island resident. Without the Sandy Point VOR, pilots without more advanced GPS technology would not be able to fly to Block Island legally, duPont said.
Also filed under [
Safety]
National Park Services raises concerns about Deepwater site; Advises more locations be looked into
April 5, 2013 by Stephanie Turaj in Block Island Times
April 5, 2013 by Stephanie Turaj in Block Island Times
In public comments submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the NPS said that it is concerned about potential adverse impacts to Block Island's historic South East Lighthouse, the lighthouse's property and its viewshed. The NPS also suggests that additional locations be considered for the wind farm.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape|
Impact on Views]
Mannix asks to suspend Deepwater negotiations
March 29, 2013 by Derek Gomes in South Coast Independent
March 29, 2013 by Derek Gomes in South Coast Independent
Councilman Matthew Mannix has asked the Town Council to consider suspending negotiations with Deepwater Wind until July 1.
Mannix submitted the motion to the Town Clerk's office earlier this week...Mannix cited the complexity of the project and its "unclear" impacts on the town.
Also filed under [
General]
Several Block Island residents attended the meeting to voice their opposition to the project, including Town Councilors Sean McGarry and Chris Warfel. "The cheapest option is for Block Island to develop its own power," Warfel said. "I ask Narragansett not to allow itself to be manipulated like Block Island has."
Also filed under [
General]
In voting 4-to-1 against waiving the fee, members of the Ocean Special Area Management Plan Subcommittee said that the application fee was miniscule when compared to what taxpayers and the company has already invested in the 30-megawatt, five-turbine wind farm.
Also filed under [
General]
A flood of unexpectedly cheap natural gas could put a damper on offshore winds' fresh enthusiasm. Electric utilities may find it cheaper and easier to enjoy cheap gas while they can and put off more costly investments in alternatives, at least in the near term. "There's some truth that the decline in gas prices has changed people's perception about the urgency of renewables."
Also filed under [
Offshore Wind|
Massachusetts]
The 1.5-megawatt turbine was commissioned in March 2009. The turbine had a 20-year life expectancy, but was shutdown June 18, 2012, after an inspection showed significant wear to the gearbox. An independent investigation blamed the damage on a faulty design. The gearbox, however, was no longer covered by warranty.
Also filed under [
General]
EBEC was started with about $400,000 of seed money from the state Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and its wind farm project would have made millions through net metering. Net metering allows private energy companies to sell excess energy to National Grid at retail prices.
"Why should we, if we could, make a profit on the backs of every single ratepayer in the whole state of Rhode Island."
Also filed under [
General]
Some call it an attractive energy source: renewable and sustainable.
Others say wind energy is expensive and inconsistent, needing government subsidies to survive. James Hummel of the Hummel Report examines the questionable practices of the Rhode Island East Bay Energy Consortium - or EBEC.
Also filed under [
General]
Could wind power cool New England's price fever?
February 16, 2013 by Matthew L. Wald in New York Times
February 16, 2013 by Matthew L. Wald in New York Times
Wind turbine project off Block Island revised for right whales
February 5, 2013 by Richard Salit in Providence Journal
February 5, 2013 by Richard Salit in Providence Journal
The developer proposing to erect five wind turbines off Block Island announced on Monday that due to concerns about the endangered North Atlantic right whales it has revised its construction plans for the demonstration project slated to begin in 2015.
Also filed under [
Impact on Wildlife]
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