Letter to the Editor

New England Energy Alliance Survey Finds Consumer Concern about Future Electricity Supplies, Desire to Choose Electricity Supplier and Support for Addressing Global Warming

If New England's nuclear energy plants had to be replaced by other non-emitting sources of electricity to meet the RGGI goals, the region would be looking at large-scale wind projects, with weather-dependent output, spread over some 650,000 acres of land or water at a cost of more than $10 billion.

Those supporting the moratorium heavily outnumbered those opposed to the bill. Many traveled from northern parts of the state to explain why they think the wind turbines aren't a good fit for their communities. "When does a private company in search of profit have more rights than the private citizen who owns property in the state of New Hampshire?"

The Select Board voted Monday night to delay the decision whether to accept a $40,000 compensation from Antrim Wind Energy until after the state committee that turned down the project in February releases its final order. ..."It does look like you're taking a bribe," said Kat Affholter.

Following numerous and heated public hearings, the zoning board approved a height variance for a meteorological tower on Tuttle Hill after just more than an hour of deliberation. Chairman John Kendall was the sole negative vote on the variance, which approved the construction of a 196-foot met tower on ridgetop property owned by resident Michael Ott. The decision will be effective at the end of the 30-day appeals period, but resident Richard Block has no intention of letting that happen. "It will be appealed, on a number of levels," said Block after the meeting.

Vermont utility regulators are giving the go-ahead to a plan by the state's two largest electric utilities to buy wind power produced in northern New Hampshire. ...CVPS plans to buy 30.3 percent of the Granite Reliable's output and GMP will purchase 25 percent of the output for 20 years.

Rep. Fred King, a Colebrook Republican and a member of the county planning board, which oversees land use in the unincorporated areas, said the county delegation and commissioners have endorsed the wind project. But, he said, he has made it his "mission in life" to see the transmission line upgraded so biomass plants, which would create more long-term jobs and sustain the region's history of logging, can be built, too. "It's safe to say, if we did get to vote on it and we had the two to pick from (biomass and wind), my guess is we'd probably vote for the biomass plant," he said.

The government support - which includes loan guarantees, cash grants and contracts that require electric customers to pay higher rates - largely eliminated the risk to the private investors and almost guaranteed them large profits for years to come. The beneficiaries include financial firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, conglomerates like General Electric, utilities like Exelon and NRG - even Google.

A proposal to place a meteorological tower on Antrim's Tuttle Hill to study whether the spot is ideal for wind turbines to generate electricity has ruffled some feathers. The debate in Antrim is just one example of the controversy blowing across the country over the placement of wind farms as the focus on renewable energy sources grows. Last month, the Antrim zoning board gave Antrim Wind Energy LLC permission to place a temporary 196-foot tower on privately owned property off Route 9.

The answer may not be blowing in the wind. Tuesday night Almont Village Council trustees joined a growing number of local officials eyeing regulations for wind turbines. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reported last month that the U.S. wind industry built nearly 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity last year, enough to supply electricity to 2.4 million homes. The association predicts a 30-fold growth in wind turbine installations over the next five years.

In the first of a two day series, NHPR Correspondent Hilary McQuilkin is going to take us to the state's first commercial windfarm....in Berlin.

But in the second of our two-part series looking at wind power in the Granite State, we shift to the southwestern part of the state, to Lempster. There a large 24 megawatt wind farm has been proposed for Lempster Mountain. But, unlike in Berlin, this proposal has sparked a great deal of controversy.

Abutters and area residents of the Tuttle Hill area in Antrim rallied against the proposal of a temporary meteorological (met) tower at the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) meeting on Tuesday. The tower would collect wind and weather information to assess whether wind turbines would be practical in the area. Chairman John Kendall, faced with a growing amount of information for board members to consider for a height variance, continued the meeting to Sept. 15.

The operators of the New England grid are restricting the amount of electricity being accepted from the three operating wind projects in the Northeast Kingdom and the North Country of New Hampshire. And there's no indication that the restrictions, called curtailments, will end anytime soon.

CONCORD (AP) - Gov. John Lynch has signed the proposal that promotes expanding renewable energy in New Hampshire, a move that's expected to reduce pollution and expand the alternative energy industry. The legislation requires electric utilities to buy a growing percentage of their energy from sources such as wood-fired plants, wind farms and hydro power. The goal is to have 25 percent of the state's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2025. As he signed the bill on Friday, Lynch said the plan will help lessen the need for foreign oil and expensive natural gas, build a stronger state economy and protect the environment.

The groups contend that alternative energy sources could eventually make the nuclear energy supplied by Seabrook Station unnecessary. ...When it dismissed the groups in March, the NRC indicated alternative energy technology must be viable today "or in the near future" in order for consideration.

A decision by the Zoning Board of Adjustment to deny an appeal for a permit to erect three wind turbine generators at 22 Hickory Drive has landed the board in court. ... At issue is whether the town's zoning ordinances prohibit the windmills.

Block said the proposed definition of renewable energy facilities is too vague and leaves the door open to excessive development. "What they want to do is open up the town to anything that can be construed as renewable without any controls or limitations on it," he said. He also warned if the amendment passes, the Tuttle Hill project would be all but assured.