www.windaction.org

Wind turbine didn't have permits
June 8, 2013 by Ken Stephens in The Hutchinson News

lanning and Development Director Nancy Scott said that is not the case and that the city regulates their placement only in the interest of public safety and to protect neighbors from nuisances such as noise or shadow flicker caused by spinning blades catching the sunlight. In Myers' case, Scott said, the city was responding to a complaint by another citizen and Myers' first problem was that he never submitted plans for the city's approval or sought a required conditional use permit.

Also filed under [ Safety| Zoning/Planning]

Some Siemens turbines to slow; Unclear if B53 blade issues to affect Hutch site.
June 3, 2013 by John Green in The Hutchinson News

Siemens Energy officials ordered wind turbines using its B53 rotor blade - manufactured at its Fort Madison, Iowa, plant - to run at significantly reduced speeds while the company works to determine what caused two blades to fall from turbines at two wind farms in recent weeks.

Also filed under [ Safety| Structural Failure]

Farmers, power developer at odds over high-voltage line
May 26, 2013 by Megan Hart in The Capitol Journal

A plan for high-voltage power lines will drive farmers out of business - or provide rural counties with a needed source of revenue, depending on who you ask. The line, called the Grain Belt Express, would transmit about 3,500 megawatts of electricity along 600 kilovolt lines from wind farms in southwest Kansas east to Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, where it would join with other lines to carry the power farther east.

Also filed under [ Transmission]

Graham Co. approves wind farm
May 6, 2013 by Gayle Webber in Hays Daily News

The reality of a wind farm in Graham County took a step closer last week when Graham County commissioners approved a conditional-use permit for Ringneck Prairie Wind Farm. The 70-megawatt farm, is on pace to be fully commissioned by the end of 2014.

Lightning damages wind turbine; Another storm has caused problems for the wind turbine
May 2, 2013 in El Dorado Times

An inspection of the damage was performed on Wednesday confirming a lightning strike. Results of the inspection show the damage does not appear to be extensive.

Also filed under [ Safety| Structural Failure]

Hearing set on changes in wind development process
April 29, 2013 by Gale Rose in Pratt Tribune

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.

Also filed under [ General]

Effort to push back renewable energy requirements fails in House committee
March 20, 2013 by Brent D. Wistrom in The Wichita Eagle

Rep. Dennis Hedke, said the pushback against renewable energy standards is about 2.9 million Kansans who are seeing higher energy rates that he says are driven largely by government mandates to use alternative energy sources. Hedke said electrical rates have increased 37 percent since 2008.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Kansas house committee considers softening renewable mandates
March 6, 2013 by Taylor Smith in Heartland Institute

"Everyone who is an electricity consumer or who pays taxes that are handed over to the wind power industry has skin in the issue. Forcing Kansans to purchase more expensive renewable power harms almost everyone with skin in the issue."

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Kan. lawmakers reject lessening green energy rules
February 28, 2013 by John Hanna in Associated Press

The Senate voted 23-17 on Thursday to reject a bill postponing the renewable energy requirement for four years, until 2024. The action, which killed the measure, came hours after the House voted 63-59 sending its own legislation lowering the standards back to committee.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Norquist pitch on renewable energy mandate rejected
February 27, 2013 by Tim Carpenter in The Capitol Journal

Anti-tax conservative Grover Norquist attempted to convince Kansas legislators Thursday to support a bill to weaken a state law requiring utilities to draw 20 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Green energy standards hitting blockades; Kansas is now resistant
February 19, 2013 by Ken Silverstein in EnergyBiz

Renewable Portfolio Standards are coming under attack. The latest locale is Kansas, where the Republican-led legislature says that green energy mandates are distorting markets. ...It's all part of the national discussion over whether requiring utilities to either procure or to produce a percentage of their offerings from sustainable sources is a good thing.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy| USA]

Kansas considers pulling plug on renewable energy standards
February 11, 2013 by Tim Carpenter in The Capitol Journal

Rep. Dennis Hedke, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy, said lack of progress on the coal plant prompted lawmakers to consider dumping the RPS or delaying targets two or four years. Some House and Senate members want to extract the state from meddling in oil, gas, nuclear, wind and solar businesses, he said.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Legislature considering delays in renewable energy standards
February 6, 2013 by Nikki Wentling in Lawrence Journal-World

The debate about climate change continues, and the discussion has now made its way to the Kansas Legislature. The Senate Standing Committee for Utilities is proposing to delay or modify the mandates established by the Renewable Energy Standards Act that would relieve utilities' requirements to use more renewable fuels.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Wind shift damages turbine
November 9, 2012 by Julie Clements in Dodge Globe

"There was a cold front that came through two weeks ago," said Kurt Bookout, public utilities director. "During the night we had the wind switch from 35 to 45 out of the south to 50 to 60 out of the north in the middle of the night." As the wind turbine was turning into the wind the blade tips deployed and flaired out as a braking mechanism. That caused one of the tips to break.

Also filed under [ Safety]

Major layoffs coming to Fort Madison plant
September 18, 2012 in KHQA News

The biggest cuts will come in Fort Madison, where 407 workers at a wind turbine blade factory will be out of work. About 220 workers there will be retained. The company blamed difficult market conditions due to lack of congressional action on a wind energy tax credit as well as increased use of natural gas-fired power plants and an overall sluggish economy.

Also filed under [ General| Florida| Iowa]

Siemens laying off half its work force in Hutchinson
September 18, 2012 by Emily Behlmann in Wichita Business Journal

Siemens, a German conglomerate, announced Tuesday it is laying off 146 employees at its wind turbine nacelle plant in Hutchinson, leaving just 152 employees there. All told, 615 employees in Siemens' wind power business will lose their jobs. Siemens said the change would primarily affect employees in Iowa, Kansas and Florida.

Also filed under [ General| Florida| Iowa]

Not in Kansas anymore: Politics threaten state's wind energy market
September 6, 2012 by Kimberly Svaty in North American Windpower

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Kansas is leading the U.S. in new wind farm installations this year. By the end of the year, eight new utility-scale wind projects will come online - representing approximately $3 billion in new investment - and the state will have more than doubled its installed wind power by adding 1.489 GW of new wind power capacity.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies| Energy Policy]

Renewable energy mandate spikes cost for customers
July 28, 2012 by Ben Fitch in The Emporia Gazette

KPI President Dave Trabert said subsidized wind farms hurt the state's economy, that business investment in the state will be $191 million less than without the mandate. "It's easy to see windmills going up or an employer moving into town as a good thing," Trabert said in a KPI press release. "But it is often overlooked that they received a subsidy or incentive.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

County gives OK to FHSU turbines
July 17, 2012 by Dawne Leiker in Hays Daily News

Commissioners unanimously approved the recommendation of the Ellis County Planning and Zoning Commission for a conditional-use permit for Fort Hays State University to construct two wind turbines, contingent upon meeting several requirements. The project for two 2.1 megawatt Suzlon turbines.

Also filed under [ General]

Power of wind energy not yet realized in Pratt County
June 30, 2012 by Carol Bronson in Pratt Tribune

Wind turbines interfere with agriculture, especially with aerial application of herbicides, pesticides and fungicides, he said. Another detractor is this area's location on a major fall migratory route for whooping cranes, an endangered species.

Also filed under [ General]