Straus said he began to question MassCEC's capabilities last month after reading a letter from multiple tug boat pilots to MassCEC Offshore Wind Director Bill White stating the planned dimensions for the terminal's turning basin and navigational channel were not wide enough for barges to safely maneuver.

General Massachusetts

Sumul Shah of Scituate Wind LLC told selectmen this week that the wind turbine is failing to synchronize with National Grid’s power grid. So while the turbine ramps up and can produce energy when turned on, it has been offline since June 22.

General Massachusetts

As the 131-foot-long blades of the wind turbine on the Driftway sit motionless, an executive of Scituate Wind LLC said the company has lost more than $45,000 since the machine stopped working on June 26. ..."they’re talking to people in Beijing to get things fixed. They’ve been trouble shooting, but haven’t been able to figure out what the problem is.”

General Massachusetts

With just five months to go before South Terminal construction is complete, questions remain unanswered about who will operate the facility and what types of cargo it might receive.

General Massachusetts

Just when Cape Wind officials thought it was safe to go back in the water, federal lawmakers have fired another, albeit largely symbolic, shot across the bow of the controversial project.

General USA Massachusetts

Cape Wind’s developers initially sought a $2 billion federal loan guarantee ...the company subsequently sought a $500 million loan guarantee ...that ultimately led to the $150 million commitment announced Tuesday.

General USA Massachusetts

First Wind Holdings Inc., a dominant player in New England’s wind energy industry, has sustained legal setbacks in Maine that threaten some of the Boston-based developer’s proposed projects there.

General Maine Massachusetts

Not only would Cape Wind burden taxpayers and ratepayers with its high costs, it would outsource jobs abroad. For example, rather than utilizing local Massachusetts businesses such as Mass Tank, the production of turbine foundations has been outsourced to Germany, and manufacturing jobs to build the turbines have been outsourced to Siemens in Denmark.

General USA Massachusetts

Barnstable residents gather together after taking turns at the town council podium on May 15 to state their support for the Cape Wind project and objections to the town’s numerous court cases against it. Thirteen people in all spoke.

General Massachusetts

The town invested heavily in new wind turbines but town officials said their wind farm near Wachusett Mountain has resulted in higher than expected debt costs, energy production and repair costs along with less than expected energy output. Without the assistance, town officials said its 1,500 customers are paying on average an additional $480 annually over their investment in wind power.

General Massachusetts

The company cited anticipated changes in turbine regulations from the state as its reason for withdrawing the application. It also faced potential legal challenges from neighbors and mounting opposition in the community.

General Massachusetts

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, U.S. Rep Joseph Kennedy III, and U.S. Sen. Al Franken are among the politicians who have reaped thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Cape Wind executives and lobbyists. ...“They successfully lobbied to extend the tax credit until December. Those (legislative) decisions really make or break these deals because without that subsidy, Cape Wind wouldn’t happen.”

General USA Massachusetts

“While our operators have checked wiring and equipment and cleared most of the faults, there has been a recurring problem of 'fix one problem and another one appears.' Sometimes it’s been fix the second problem and the first one re-appears. ...they don’t yet know the root cause.”

General Massachusetts

Monday brought a light southwesterly breeze, yet the 131-foot-long blades of the wind turbine on the Driftway weren’t moving, just as they hadn’t moved for more than two weeks. Crews are working to solve mechanical issues.

General Massachusetts

Despite the Hobarts’ repeated testimony that the turbine caused health implications and reduced the value of their home, the appeals board voted unanimously to uphold building commissioner Eladio S. Gore’s determination that the turbine at the Falmouth Technology Park is not a nuisance. ...Michael J. O’Neill, an attorney from the Boston law firm McGregor & Associates, said of the turbine “Since they [the Hobarts] no longer live in the house, they are no longer aggrieved.”

General Massachusetts

Unlike last November's failed attempt to restrict wind projects, the current proposal will target only industrial-size turbines and will encourage small-scale wind energy conversion systems among individual property owners.

General Massachusetts

He [the judge] allowed O’Donnell’s request that the complaint be dismissed based on the expiration of the building permit appeal deadline. The last day they could have appealed the filing of the building permits was Jan. 15, 2012.

General Massachusetts

But Cape Wind's impacts extend far beyond the environment. The controversial project would also jeopardize public safety, put fishermen's livelihoods at risk and desecrate sacred tribal lands. As a result of these impacts and the choice of a highly conflicted location, Cape Wind continues to face litigation and opposition.

General Massachusetts

But the Conservation Law Foundation and others say the state’s effort to boost renewable energy is so ambitious, it will force utilities such as National Grid and Northeast Utilities to deal with large, Canadian hydropower companies. Solar and wind producers can’t create the 2,400 megawatts of additional clean energy that Patrick is calling for.

General Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) Board of Directors today approved up to $1.8 million in relief funds for the Town of Falmouth to help the municipality mitigate the financial impacts associated with the reduced operations of its town-owned wind turbine project located at the Town of Falmouth Wastewater Treatment Plant.

General Massachusetts