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Rethinking wind's impact on emissions and cycling costs
March 1, 2013 by David Wagman in Power Magazine
March 1, 2013 by David Wagman in Power Magazine
Recent reports by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and others suggest that the emissions-reducing benefits of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar may have been overstated and the cost of cycling fossil-fueled plants underestimated. These findings may change how utilities and policymakers weigh the costs and benefits of wind and solar energy.
Why the US still doesn't have a single offshore wind turbine
March 1, 2013 by Tim McDonnell in The Guardian
March 1, 2013 by Tim McDonnell in The Guardian
Higher construction and transmission costs make electricity from offshore over twice the price of onshore in the US, he says, a tough pill for state regulators and utility operators to swallow, especially given the low cost of natural gas made possible by fracking. Today renewables startups rely heavily on private investment to get off the ground, but the industry needs better financial backing from the feds.
Also filed under [
Offshore Wind|
USA]
The Department of Environmental Protection has discarded sound data on Fairhaven's turbines obtained one night during October when one turbine was experiencing a technological error.
DEP spokesman Edmund Coletta said the error caused the turbines to spin without producing power and was caught when a DEP technician was reviewing data after the test.
Also filed under [
Noise|
Massachusetts]
Underneath the giant wind turbines in Fairhaven the whirring sound is unmistakable.
And even in the closest neighborhood, just over one thousand feet away, you can still hear it.
Residents say it's taking a toll.
First sound study at Lowell shows wind project noise (mostly) within required standards
February 27, 2013 by Kathryn Flagg in Seven Days
February 27, 2013 by Kathryn Flagg in Seven Days
Wind opponents and neighbors, however, aren't satisfied with the study, and say the noise generated by the 400-foot-tall turbines is still loud enough to disrupt the quality of life for nearby residents. ...The turbines sound like "a jet plane on the horizon." The noise isn't steady, the Nelsons say, but pulses in and out.
Controversy over wind energy in Brown County. A proposal to amend the noise ordinance to include low- frequency noise will go before the Brown County board. That could decide the fate of future wind farm projects.
Sen. Grassley seeks fairness for wind energy in tax debate
February 27, 2013 by Mark Del Franco in North American Windpower
February 27, 2013 by Mark Del Franco in North American Windpower
Grassley says he will continue to defend wind energy. However, there may be other battles to fight. For instance, more transmission will be needed to transport wind power from the Midwest to load centers in the East - which has the potential to spark a debate on transmission siting.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
USA]
Colorado orders Abound Solar to clean up hazardous waste at four sites
February 26, 2013 by Mark Jaffe in The Denver Post
February 26, 2013 by Mark Jaffe in The Denver Post
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says Abound Solar is responsible for thousands of "unsellable" solar panels containing cadmium in warehouses. Barrels of toxic liquid also were found.
The households have complained that the noise from the turbines, which have an overall height of around 100 metres, has turned their lives upside down and made their lives unbearable.
The constant pulsating noise has led to sleep deprivation and is impacting on the health of those living close by.
Claims that there is no upper bound for wind power, that it is scalable because gusts and breezes don't seem likely to "run out" on a global scale, are not based on reality. And neither are claims that the generating capacity of large-scale wind farms is unlimited. The generating capacity of very large wind power installations ...may peak at between 0.5 and 1 watts per square meter. Previous estimates put that figure at between 2 and 7 watts per square meter.
Also filed under [
Technology|
USA]
Ralls can question U.S. over forced wind farm sale, judge say
February 23, 2013 by Andrew Zajac in Bloomberg News
February 23, 2013 by Andrew Zajac in Bloomberg News
Jackson threw out the bulk of Ralls’s lawsuit against the Obama administration, which focused on whether the president exceeded his power by ordering the company, an affiliate of China’s Sany Group Co., to sell the wind farm assets. “The statute expressly authorizes the president to do what he deems necessary to accomplish or implement the prohibition."
Board of Health seeks acoustical expert
February 22, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
February 22, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
If the state Department of Environmental Protection doesn't provide the Board of Health an acoustical sound engineer to interpret the data collected from the Independence wind study, board members are prepared to look for one of their own.
Also filed under [
Noise|
Massachusetts]
Numerous noise complaints from abutting neighbors led to the action. Under the terms of the permits, they can be revoked if the applicant engages in any misrepresentation of fact ...When the Zoning Board of Appeals granted special use permits for the turbines in 2010, the applicants said the turbines were "extremely quiet," "almost silent," according to the resolution.
Wind turbine neighbours have to endure noise
February 22, 2013 by Hans E.H. Jacobsen in Aftenbladet.no
February 22, 2013 by Hans E.H. Jacobsen in Aftenbladet.no
A number of residents nearest to the wind farm on Høg-Jæren are struggling with poor sleep, headaches, and other complaints.
They believe the cause is the constant swishing sound and turbine roar from the wind turbines put into operation in 2011.
Rare Right Whales Move into Area, Mariner Restrictions in Place
February 22, 2013 by Mark Alan Lovewell in Vineyard Gazette
February 22, 2013 by Mark Alan Lovewell in Vineyard Gazette
The whales have also caught the attention of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is overseeing wind farm lease areas off the Vineyard and Rhode Island, and has commissioned the New England Aquarium to do an aerial survey, according to Tim Cole, a research fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Mary O'Donnell turbines won't be part of Independence study in Kingston
February 21, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
February 21, 2013 by Kathryn Gallerani in Wicked Local Kingston
Marion Drive wind developer Mary O'Donnell's three turbines won't be part of the sound study commissioned by the owners of the Independence wind turbine.
In a letter to the board, attorney John Yunits wrote that O'Donnell has declined to participate in the acoustical monitoring study.
Also filed under [
Noise|
Massachusetts]
Thanks to turbines, she can't sleep, resident says
February 21, 2013 by Peggy Aulisio in South Coast Today
February 21, 2013 by Peggy Aulisio in South Coast Today
Linda Kellish always thought wind energy was a good idea, but living close to two industrial-sized turbines has changed her feelings.
For one thing, she says, the town's wind turbines have made it impossible to sleep. ...She said getting no response from town officials to her complaint has left her with a helpless feeling of not knowing where to turn.
Of hundreds of credible studies around the world on wind energy, none conclude there is no association between the towering turbines and adverse health effects. ..."(The conclusions are) not new, but it's further confirmation that these are not NIMBYs, these are people affected by these things," Lynn said Tuesday in an interview. "All of the studies rejected the null hypothesis that there was no association. Every one of them found that there was an association."
Wind, solar lobbyists scramble to shield grants from sequester cuts
February 20, 2013 by Nick Juliano in E&E News
February 20, 2013 by Nick Juliano in E&E News
Sweeping federal spending cuts scheduled to take effect next month have sparked a quiet lobbying campaign and veiled threats of lawsuits from renewable energy interests expecting smaller project grants. ...The wind industry is less exposed to worries about the sequester. However, several projects have yet to be reimbursed by Treasury, and it remains an open question whether anyone still awaiting payment would see their reward cut.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
USA]
Federal agency slammed over 'secretive' eagle-wind energy policy proposal
February 19, 2013 by Chris Clarke in Rewire
February 19, 2013 by Chris Clarke in Rewire
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is considering eliminating most public oversight of wind turbine impacts on protected bald and golden eagles by offering developers 30-year permits to kill eagles by accident, as opposed to the current 5-year permits. What's more, they're shaping the implementation of that proposed policy change in a series of private "stakeholders'" meetings to which the public is not invited.