NORWAY -- The Sámi herders from Nordland county are accusing the Øyfjellet windfarm constructors of breaking licensing agreements which stipulated that construction would not interfere with reindeer migration paths. This is not the first such lawsuit in Norway. In the past five years Sámi communities have begun legal actions against the country’s largest onshore windfarms and have appealed to the UN, arguing that the farms violate their territorial and cultural rights.

Legal Europe

‘Renewables are just not what people think they are. People think that they harmonise society with the natural world but that’s fantasy. Renewables can’t save the planet, are we going to keep letting them destroy it?’ ...Pound for pound, however, rare earths are vastly more intensive to extract and refine. To Shellenberger that, in combination with renewables’ unreliable, diffuse power, makes the entire green-energy revolution – Boris’s billions and Biden’s trillions – a vast mistake. ‘Renewables are going to have to fail, and they will fail spectacularly everywhere over the next several years, before we discover that really there’s no alternative, in terms of climate change, to doing a lot of nuclear.’

General UK

At the end of November, a 230 meter high wind turbine near the town of Jörn in Skellefteå municipality collapsed. The whole tower gave way and crashed to the ground.

Safety Structural Failure Europe

Plan includes giant solar farm, hydrogen plant, data center;  Final investment decision may take place by end 2023

General Europe

In his action Mr Sweetman claims the decisions to grant the licence are invalid as they allegedly contravene various sections of the EU directive on Habitats. He also claims there was a failure by the Ministers to publish the making of the decisions challenged or make available for public inspection any determination made in relation to the decisions.

Impact on Wildlife Offshore Wind Ireland

The RSPB says kittiwakes will need to fly through the area, dodging turbines, to reach feeding grounds. ...The developers have promised to compensate for the impact on the birds. They plan to do this by building four bespoke nesting towers to encourage them on land. But the RSPB says it will take a decade to see whether this idea works – and that will be too late because the wind farms will be up and running by then.

Impact on Birds UK

The Republic's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it is considering legal action against those responsible for a landslide at the construction site of a new wind farm that damaged a river in Northern Ireland.

Erosion Legal Ireland UK

The Republic's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it is considering legal action against those responsible for a landslide at the construction site of a new wind farm that damaged a river in Northern Ireland.

Erosion Legal UK Ireland

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it is considering legal action against those responsible for a landslide at the construction site of a new wind farm. Last November’s slide at Meenbog in Co Donegal brought thousands of tonnes of peat and trees down the hillside and into the River Finn. ...Invis Energy, owners of the turbines which are being built to supply energy to Amazon data centres, declined to comment. 

Erosion Legal Ireland UK

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it is considering legal action against those responsible for a landslide at the construction site of a new wind farm. Last November’s slide at Meenbog in Co Donegal brought thousands of tonnes of peat and trees down the hillside and into the River Finn. ...Invis Energy, owners of the turbines which are being built to supply energy to Amazon data centres, declined to comment. 

Erosion Legal UK Ireland

Providing areas for onshore wind and permitting will continue to hamper Germany’s energy transition despite some improvements achieved in the recent amendment of the country’s Renewable Energies Act (EEG), wind energy federation BWE said in an analysis.

Energy Policy Germany

A 10-year-old planning application to install wind turbines near Llanidloes has been withdrawn. ...EDF Energy proposed to install nine wind turbines with a maximum height to blade tip of 125m.

UK

A Borders resident says they are “worried” about plans to build a wind farm near their home. Last month, this newspaper reported that E Power Limited will apply for planning permission to build the farm at Ditcher Law north of Oxton. But now a village resident says the proposal to build 15 wind turbines is “not really suitable” for the area.

General UK

“But worse is that the proposed turbines will be part of the landscape in which people live and work and through which they walk, cycle and drive, and their feelings run deep.” The group carried out a survey of residents’ feelings about Kilbraur2, to find that 82% were against it. Mrs Perera said: “Wind 2 knows – because their own research revealed it – that local people are vehemently opposed to this added blight, and yet they still wish to proceed despite this opposition.”

Impact on People UK

Cllr Joe Behan said that he has very deep concerns regarding the visual impact of the project. 'You're making comparison with on-shore projects as if in some way you're being very generous with 10km.' He said that he was horrified by a visual representation of the likely view from Bray.

Impact on Landscape Offshore Wind Ireland

Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, has approved an amendment to the country’s Renewable Energies Act (EEG) that aims at reaching 65% of renewables in the country’s power mix by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.

Energy Policy Germany

The federal government wanted to make the construction of new wind power and solar plants a question of national security by law. However, after opposition was expressed over the idea the controversial amendment to the energy transition law was dropped.

Impact on Wildlife Energy Policy Germany

Fifteen years ago, hardly any of the electricity we use in Northern Ireland came from renewable sources like wind and solar power.

Impact on People Taxes & Subsidies UK

While the cost of wind power is falling, a growing number of voters want to see less of it. They’d rather see alternatives like more hydro or even fossil fuels -- which would clash with the government’s environmental goals. A survey in November showed that only 36% were favorable about onshore wind as an energy source, down from as much as 84% in 2011. Oil’s popularity has increased to 29% from just 16% five years ago, according to Kantar’s Climate Barometer, which polled 2,085 people.

General Europe

A Caithness councillor has claimed that residents in the Reay area are being subjected to "corporate bullying" over the scale of wind farms planned for the surrounding area. Councillor Matthew Reiss said villagers fear being almost encircled by turbines and he accused renewable energy companies of "utter insensitivity to the wishes of local people".

UK