Issuing or withholding wind turbine permits is testing the limits of home rule. A 400- or 500-foot tower’s impact is not exclusive to the town in which it has been erected. Maybe the solution is a renewed focus on offshore turbines, which is the trend in Europe. In any case, the pressure’s on for an approach — arguably a regional approach — to wind turbine siting that recognizes the literally towering impact of this iteration of green power.

General Maine

Board member and chairman of the county’s land use committee, Terry Ferguson, created some moments of suspense, when he introduced a series of conditions to attach to the motion to grant the special use permit.  Conditions often are added to motions to try to ensure a project is conducted in accordance with county objectives. Ultimately, after some hesitation, Ferguson voted against granting the permit, creating a 6-5 vote with one abstention and failure of the motion. 

General Illinois

Two decades ago, governments and utilities around the world began offering above-market rates and contracts to fuel the rise of clean energy, helping wind and solar become some of the cheapest power sources. Now, these pacts are under attack.

General

Sempra Energy on April 22 marked its complete exit from the U.S. renewables business as it completed the sale of 724 MW of operating wind generation and battery assets to American Electric Power (AEP) for $1.05 billion. 

General USA

Marion County has one wind farm in the far north part of the county. A second wind farm is proposed and county commissioners are expecting strong public comment from those for and against the proposal. County commissioners have already heard from some opposed to the look of a wind farm in the county.

General Kansas

Ray Ziegler, director of the Burleigh County Building/Planning/Zoning Department, said county officials received word that the court appeal was dismissed, but did not have any other information. NextEra would be required to submit a new application for the project, Ziegler said.

General North Dakota

“There is no way you can ever restore mother nature the way she was created – never. I understand the financial impacts this is supposed to have on surrounding municipalities and schools and everyone involved. I want you all to remember when all those turbines are put in place, it will never, ever again be the way it once was.” “You’ve crossed your ‘i’s and dotted your ‘t’s. I don’t care (about Pattern’s scientific research), there is no way you can ever restore mother nature the way she was created – never. 

General New Mexico

“I’d say public land plays a huge role in the furthering of renewable energy,” David Bobzien, who runs Gov. Steve Sisolak’s Office of Energy, said during an interview this week. But siting a project can be costly and challenging in the face of balancing the disturbances of development with public access, wildlife and recreation. The tension can often split allies.

General USA Nevada

“After a careful review of several factors, RES has decided to discontinue the development of the Summit Lake Wind project.” RES project manager Sean Stocker said in a statement “continued delays in the planning process have ceased to make the project financially and logistically viable.” A company spokesperson declined a request for further comment.

General Michigan

Wind turbines? Not in our backyard. That was the message from the Otis Planning Board on April 4, when members voted 3-2 to adopt a new wind turbine ordinance aimed at blocking commercial wind development in the town.

General Maine

Wind farms in Tippecanoe County took a blow Wednesday, as planners from across Greater Lafayette recommended an ordinance that would effectively ban commercial turbines. The vote came after a half-dozen people derided the idea, saying that banning wind farms would make Tippecanoe County appear backward at a time when energy sustainability is vital.

General Indiana

Opponents of a proposed wind farm spanning from Florence to Aulne to north of Peabody once again showed up at county commission meeting to ask for a moratorium on wind farm development. “What it comes down to, I think, is money,” said Hillsboro resident David Marsh. “If you have a moratorium, it will buy you time.”

General Kansas

Renew Wisconsin and other groups believe wind power is one solution to climate change because it helps reduce carbon emissions. They also cite economic benefits ...But residents who live near proposed wind power sites often see it differently, and an intense fight is playing out in Wisconsin and other states between residents and renewable energy developers as large wind and solar projects crop up.

General Wisconsin

Wind Colebrook operators say voltage fluctuations along Eversource's nearby distribution line have been causing the turbines to turn off suddenly. In addition, they say a safety system designed by Eversource for the site has also been malfunctioning, causing similar shutoffs. In both instances, the turbines' massive rotating blades come to a hard stop, which has damaged their mechanical parts and driven up maintenance and repair costs.

General Connecticut

Burgess went on to explain that only the certificate holder — Cassadaga Wind, LLC — could petition the siting board to amend their certificate and that requests to amend the certificate made by any other party would be interpreted as requests for rehearing, “the avenue available to any party aggrieved by a decision by the Siting Board.”

General New York

More than a dozen citizens asked the Wasco County Commission April 3 not to submit a letter of support it wrote for the Summit Ridge wind project east of Dufur. The commission opted to table the matter.

General Oregon

The company’s Lighthouse Wind project has been bitterly opposed by many in Yates and Somerset, who said turbines over 600 feet in height were way out of scale with a rural community by the lake. Residents also have concerns the turbines would affect public health with noise and shadow flicker, and also negatively impact wildlife and property values.

General New York

German wind turbine maker Senvion has entered what it describes as “self-administration proceedings” as the company struggles with debt, delays to projects and increased market competition from its major rivals.

General Australia / New Zealand

The developers of a planned wind power project in Somerset and Yates informed town officials Wednesday night that they will not submit a formal application for state approval this year. Although Apex Clean Energy won't say so, Somerset Supervisor Daniel M. Engert said Thursday he believes the Lighthouse Wind project is dead.

General New York

According to data compiled by the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association, the country has the ability to produce equipment for adding 10,000 MW of wind power generation capacity every year. Comparably, 1,700 MW of wind power generation capacity was added in 2017-2018 and just 1,520 MW of capacity was added in 2018-2019.

General Asia