• Wind power in Maine (part 1)

    Updated: 2010-02-24 23:23:35
    Communities all over Maine are considering wind power as a way to stabilize electrical rates and provide the state with an economic boost. Since the Fox Island Wind Project started running last November, all eyes have been on Vinalhaven. The $15-million dollar project was built to provide power for Vinalhaven and North Haven. While it’s been widely thought of as a success, there have been some issues, mostly concerns about noise. “My quality of life before the wind turbines was fantastic…it . . .

  • School board supports efforts of wind group

    Updated: 2010-02-24 23:23:15
    LINDSAY – The Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) has officially given its backing to a local group looking for the Ontario government to produce an independent study on the health effects of wind turbines. TLDSB trustees voted to support the group’s initiative in principle when the minutes of the Feb. 9 meeting were approved on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Manvers Gone With The Wind has voiced concerns about the possibility of wind turbines being placed in the vicinity of Rolling Hills Public . . .

  • Reaping the whirlwind? Europe’s big wind subsidy race

    Updated: 2010-02-24 23:12:54
    COPENHAGEN — For centuries, the winds howling at high speeds during most of the year over the North Sea have been a challenge for those sailing these waters, but now they present a big opportunity for utilities: a free power source. If you combine that with relatively shallow water, which makes offshore construction cheaper; close proximity to crowded urban markets; and consumers already accustomed to paying a high price for electricity, it gets still better. Then add the European Union’s goal of . . .

  • Contre l’éolien, la mobilisation des riverains monte d’un cran – Villaines-la-Carelle

    Updated: 2010-02-24 21:00:01
    Les associations, collectifs et groupements de riverains des communes du nord-Sarthe, des communautés de communes du Saosnois, des Portes du Maine Normand et du Pays marollais, veulent sensibiliser les élus par une lettre ouverte concernant la ZDE (Zone de développement éolien) du nord-Sarthe. Samedi après-midi, ils se sont réunis au gîte du Fay, proche de la vallée du Rutin en limite de la commune de Saint-Longis. Bien que le bureau d’études ait indiqué le souhait de retirer ce secteur de la . . .

  • « Natura » contre l’éolien ?

    Updated: 2010-02-24 20:55:12
    Le parc éolien offshore fécampois sera-t-il balayé par « Natura 2000 » ? FECAMP. Le maire, Patrick Jeanne, et Estelle Grelier, députée européenne, inquiets pour le projet éolien. Estelle Grelier et Patrick Jeanne ont envoyé mercredi un courrier chagrin au préfet de région, Rémi Caron. Les deux élus fécampois étaient quelques jours auparavant à Breme, en Allemagne, pour rencontrer les dirigeants de l’entreprise WPD porteuse du projet éolien au large de Fécamp. « Nous avons découvert à cette occasion que WPD disposait de . . .

  • Artistas de L’Empordá critican la propuesta de mapa eólico de la Generalitat

    Updated: 2010-02-24 20:52:51
    A pesar de que no se oponen a la implantación de los aerogeneradores, aseguran que la manera como actúa la dirección general de Energía de la Generalitat dinamita cualquier intento de consenso y el esfuerzo hecho desde el Consell Comarcal para intentar encontrar las mejores ubicaciones para la ubicación de los molinos de viento. Los artistas mantienen que la Generalitat ha impuesto unilateralmente un modelo que sólo satisface al sector eléctrico, sin tener en cuenta la voluntad del territorio, ya que . . .

  • Corps wants study of Duke Energy-UNC wind project; Duke Energy’s wind project is questioned

    Updated: 2010-02-24 19:54:03
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants Duke Energy to conduct an environmental impact study of its offshore wind power project in Pamlico Sound. Duke plans to build up to three wind turbines within a 3-mile-square area 7.3 miles west of Avon and 9.1 miles of Frisco. Both communities are on the Outer Banks’ Hatteras Island. Electrical cable buried under the sound will connect the turbines to the island. The project, announced last September, is a test by Duke and UNC Chapel . . .

  • Wind turbine operations examined during informational meeting in Mendon

    Updated: 2010-02-24 19:39:06
    MENDON, Ill. — Questions about noise, shadows and safety were generated Tuesday night at an informational session on wind energy at North Adams Home. Bill York of Quincy, who is a wind energy consultant for an international energy company, shared information about wind turbine operations. Although he said the information is not specific to the proposed 100-turbine operation planned near Camp Point, York’s audience wanted to know what’s going to happen locally. “Illinois is a fair-to-good wind resource, but it also has . . .

  • Closing date looms for windfarm submissions

    Updated: 2010-02-24 19:38:49
    Members of the Midlands Industrial Wind Turbine Action Group are calling on all residents to have their say and make a submission on the proposed development of a 12-turbine wind farm at Gaybrook before the closing date – Thursday, March 4 at 4pm. Emily Wallace of the Action Group said that those living in the area who feel they may be adversely affected by the proposed development should ensure that they lodge an objection with Westmeath County Council before it’s too . . .

  • Residents want information session on Harwich wind turbines

    Updated: 2010-02-24 19:38:34
    HARWICH – Pressure is coming from both sides as the town moves deliberatively toward locating two wind turbines on town-owned land. The Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative, which would lease town land and construct the turbines, needs town action to be taken to move forward with its funding. Yet, residents in the neighborhoods where the turbines would be located say they are not getting the answers promised them. Terry Hayden, a resident along Headwaters Drive, approximately 1,000 feet from where one of . . .

  • Lawmakers pass restrictions on energy tax credits

    Updated: 2010-02-24 19:38:17
    A bill headed for Gov. Ted Kulongoski will limit a business tax break for alternative energy projects — but expand the break to makers of electric cars and component parts — and recoup state tax money for the budget. The House gave final legislative approval on a 58-0 vote Tuesday. The Senate passed it Monday. House Bill 3680 was prompted by the growth in projects, particularly large wind-generating projects, spurred by an expanded business energy tax credit in 2007. The credits, which . . .

  • Le Mont Saint Michel en passe d’être sauvé de la spéculation éolienne

    Updated: 2010-02-24 15:19:22
    [Mont Saint Michel on way to being saved from wind speculation — Three of the eleven wind power projects bordering the bay of Mont Saint Michel have recently been refused by the Prefect. A fourth project in Argouges (Manche), on the ridges overlooking the bay, is in the Court of Appeals in Nantes] Trois des onze projets de parcs éoliens situés en bordure de la baie du Mont Saint Michel viennent d’être refusés par le Préfet. Ces décisions font . . .

  • Major concerns over wind turbine plan

    Updated: 2010-02-24 14:51:12
    Plans to relax planning controls on wind turbines have been sharply criticised because of the disastrous impact they would have in West Sussex on the environment, thousands of wild birds and ordinary residents. The Government proposals would mean that people will be able to put up electricity-generating turbines on their properties without planning permission, subject to certain conditions on size and height. Chichester Harbour Conservancy has told the Government it has failed to appreciate the potential impact on protected landscapes. It fears . . .

  • Group confront turbine chiefs at packed meeting

    Updated: 2010-02-24 14:50:51
    Talybont residents packed the village hall this week to confront chiefs from a wind farm company who plan to erect 80 turbines at Nant y Moch, writes James Nicholas. The meeting, organised by the Cambrian Mountain Society, was attended by over 200 people and was chaired by Ceredigion MP Mark Williams. If permission is granted, construction of up to 80 wind turbines could begin as early as 2013, with developers Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) saying: “The turbines will make a . . .

  • BP Wind discloses leases with town officials

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:47:58
    CAPE VINCENT — Town officials who have signed leases with BP Wind Energy North America Inc. stand to make between $1,500 and $27,545 annually, according to information released by BP. The disclosure fulfills the requirements of the Wind Industry Ethics Code, which was introduced by state Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo in July. BP has a proposal for the 140-megawatt Cape Vincent Wind Farm in the southern agricultural district of the town. Planning Board Chairman Richard J. Edsall has a lease with . . .

  • Huge wind turbines are losers

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:47:49
    Tomorrow, the Energy Advisory Committee is going to present the Green Community Act Action Plan. As Councilor Cronin has recently noted, if this action plan is enacted, it specifically takes away the ability of the community to have a say in the installation of alternative energy devices, i.e., geo-thermal, solar panels and wind turbines. When installing an alternative energy device, as long as zoning requirements and safety concerns are satisfied, it will proceed. The GCA is an opportunity for Newburyport to . . .

  • Planners must give more consideration to windfarm sites

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:47:42
    The windfarm debate is heating up with a groundswell of community concern about current and new developments. Windfarms are a relatively new concept to the region, and to Australia, and have been around in Europe for much longer, but it’s still surprising to see that internet search engine Google brings up a choice of 437,000 sites which relate in some way or another to windfarm opposition. Overseas there are many groups opposing wind farm development either as a general principle or for . . .

  • Bayshore groups warn of wind turbine effects; Environmental groups plan forums to educate public

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:47:32
    Two Bayshore environmental groups are calling for more information on the effects of an industrial wind turbine planned in Union Beach. Despite conditional approval granted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for a 1.5- megawatt industrial wind turbine, the Hazlet Area Quality of Life Alliance (HAQLA) and the Hazlet Environmental Commission (HEC) will host informational forums about wind energy and public health effects the turbines may pose to residents of the region. “At this point, they are still awaiting . . .

  • Clare panel approves Hilltown wind mast

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:47:23
    A wind monitoring mast, the precursor to a wind farm application, on the Camels Hump Ranges near Clare, has been approved for installation, despite strong community objections. Wind Prospect put in the application for the temporary 50 metre monitoring mast with the Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council’s Development Assessment Panel who considered the proposal over the weekend. The panel met on Friday night, taking proceedings to the Clare Town Hall annexe because of an expected large gallery – a good decision as . . .

  • Woodford board claims legal conflict; Some in county say same firm shouldn’t work for zoning director, wind farm

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:47:14
    EUREKA — Some Woodford County Board members are crying foul over a Peoria law firm’s representation of a county employee who has threatened to sue them. County Board President John Krug said Miller, Hall & Triggs should not represent Zoning Director John Hamann because the firm also represents wind farm developer Gamesa Wind Energy. Through his attorney Patrick Murphey of Miller, Hall & Triggs, Hamann has threatened to file a lawsuit if the County Board does not expunge a disciplinary letter he . . .

  • 500 ft wind turbine proposed

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:46:57
    There are proposals for a wind turbine just outside Aylesbury which is 2-and-a-half times the size of the Bucks County Council tower. It’s part of plans for 1380 new homes in a new development which will house 3,329 people. It would be sited next to the Berryfields Major Development Area near Fleet Marston where thousands of new homes are going to be built. The Bucks County Council tower in Aylesbury is 200ft tall, the wind turbine’s rotor blades would each be 70 metres . . .

  • Going green could become law; City considers increased energy standards

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:46:30
    As the city works toward qualifying for designation as a Green Community by standards set by the state, it is looking to educate the public about the effort’s widespread implications for local businesses and residents if the standards were officially adopted. Newburyport officials have been working with the state’s Green Communities Division at the Department of Energy Resources to begin the process of becoming designated a “green community” under legislation passed by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2008. Mark Sylvia, the director of . . .

  • Vote NO in Lowell

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:46:24
    “Shall the voters of the Town of Lowell approve the concept of a wind project in the town as proposed by Green Mountain Power Corporation and the Vermont Electric Cooperative provided that an agreement is reached between the Town and the developers that would bring a minimum of $400,000 per year to the Town of Lowell.” A yes vote will surrender all your rights and place them in the hands of the three members of the Public Service Board and GMP. . . .

  • WTG ordinance changes go to county board

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:46:06
    LIVINGSTON TWP. – After nearly one year of discussions and the formation of a wind turbine generator (WTG) subcommittee to address a revision of the current Otsego County WTG ordinance, the Otsego County Planning Commission voted Monday to recommend adoption of the proposed changes by the County Board of Commissioners. “I feel we have a good ordinance,” said Planning Commission member Mike Mang, who chaired the subcommittee. That group spent countless hours revising the current ordinance which, when it was adopted . . .

  • Commissioners learn wind farm put on hold

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:45:51
    Young County commissioners learned Monday that a proposed wind farm may be years away. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jimmy Wiley announced that BP Energy has delayed plans to construct a wind farm. “They’re going to do it, but they’re looking at two to four years down the road,” Wiley said. “They put it out for bids for the electricity and got no bids. Another problem is where we’re at, they can get the electricity, but they have no way to get it where . . .

  • Panel overturns renewable energy mandate

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:45:40
    Ignoring threats by a company to pack up and leave, a House panel voted late Tuesday to overturn the renewable energy mandate on utilities by the Arizona Corporation Commission. HB2701 strips utility regulators of their authority to impose such requirements. In its place, it puts in a different mandate, this one crafted by Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Glendale. But the mandate is full of loopholes that, in essence, would undo the commission order requiring utilities to generate at least 15 percent of their . . .

  • Hundreds sign petition against Norfolk substation plans

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:45:29
    More than 800 people have signed a petition to stop an electricity substation being built next to a Norfolk village. The names have been added to a pile of nearly 100 objection letters to Breckland Council about the plans to build the substation on more than 40 acres of land at Little Dunham, near Swaffham. The campaigners’ cause also appears to have picked up weight from a holding objection from Norfolk County Council’s highways team, which says the developers need to do . . .

  • Company seeks wind farm land

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:45:19
    NextEra Energy Resources is considering developing a 200-megawatt wind farm project spreading across DeKalb and Clinton counties. “It is an area we are very interested in,” said Steve Stengel, spokesman for NextEra Energy Resources. “We have been talking to potential landowners about the project.” The company also is currently measuring the wind resources in the area and looking at the transmission availability. “It’s possible, if everything went perfectly, that we could start in 2010,” said Mr. Stengel. “It’s a 2010-2011 project.” Still, the company . . .

  • Wyoming wind energy policy likely to be set after session

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:45:05
    CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Legislature appears set to pass a package of bills dealing with wind energy, including an excise tax on wind-produced electricity generated in the state. But whether the Legislature passes the legislation or not, there is general agreement that the real fight over the state’s wind energy policy is yet to come. Four different bills, which came out of proposals by either Gov. Dave Freudenthal or a legislative wind task force, would impose a tax of $1 per megawatt . . .

  • Wind energy projects win lottery cash

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:44:58
    Big Lottery Fund backing for Scottish community wind generation schemes worth £2.2million will be announced today . Turbines on islands in Orkney and Shetland and at Udny in Aberdeenshire have secured support from the lottery’s Growing Community Assets scheme. Chairwoman Alison Magee said the cash would help some of the most remote communities in Scotland to become more sustainable in the long term by securing energy supplies and income. Foula Electricity Trust in Shetland has been awarded £220,000 to build three small wind . . .

  • Councillor’s turbines plan approved

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:44:50
    A plan by an Aberdeenshire councillor to build three wind turbines at his farm was approved yesterday. Central Buchan Independent member Albert Howie intends erecting the 260ft turbines at West Knock Farm, Stuartfield. The scheme could generate enough electricity to power up to 4,000 homes. Mr Howie says the project is a family venture and that it could benefit the village in years to come. Planning officer Wendy Forbes said there had been two representations received and the main issues were the possible impact . . .

  • New electricity substation will be needed for proposed wind farm

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:44:44
    Plans for the Triton Knoll wind farm off the Mablethorpe coast will require a new electricity substation to be built in East Lindsey. Energy giant RWE npower renewables was unable to confirm rumours, put to them by the Target, that the proposed 40 acre substation could be built on land between Skegness and Chapel St Leonards. They did however say that they will soon be formally approaching local authorities, landowners and tenants in East Lindsey regarding the plans. For the full story see . . .

  • NSP seeks OK of deal on Strait wind farm

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:44:30
    Nova Scotia Power is seeking regulatory approval to spend $28 million to kick-start a stalled wind farm in Point Tupper, Cape Breton. The utility formally applied Tuesday for approval of its agreement to partner with Renewable Energy Services Ltd. to build and construct a wind farm planned for the Strait area to come online later this year. “We are very pleased to have this partnership with an experienced Nova Scotia company like RESL, which has been producing wind energy in our province . . .

  • TIF explanation postponed

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:44:14
    DIXFIELD – An explanation of how tax-increment financing for a wind farm could affect the town was canceled Monday night, because the consultant was unable to attend. It has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. April 12. The session will provide selectmen with information on how they should proceed with a tentative plan by Patriot Renewables LLC, which wants to construct up to 22 turbines along the ridge that includes Col. Holman Mountain. Mathew Eddy, executive director of Eaton Peabody Consulting Group of . . .

  • Inquiry told wind farm proposal ignores beauty spot

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:44:04
    A beauty spot was overlooked when determining whether the landscape for a potential windfarm development was suitable, a public inquiry heard. Developer RidgeWind is appealing against North Lincolnshire Council’s refusal to grant planning permission for seven turbines at Flixborough Grange, near Burton-Upon-Stather, at the inquiry, which began yesterday. The council’s principal environmental planning officer, Ian Goldthorpe, raised concerns that an area known as the Lincolnshire Cliff had not been included in a visual impact assessment by the developers. This feature borders the Trent . . .

  • Relief from the pain they caused

    Updated: 2010-02-24 11:43:48
    Certainly it’s splendid news that a Spanish windmill maker plans to build a factory in Milwaukee and employ 270 people. It’s especially nice that the company mentioned the supply of experienced workers and engineers here. Of course, those people will supply a market that depends utterly on governments’ favors granted at the expense of everyone else. The simple fact is that as good as having 270 jobs land in Milwaukee is, the company, Ingeteam, said it ended up here because of tax . . .

  • Fish and Wildlife director’s death prompts week delay in sage grouse decision

    Updated: 2010-02-23 19:13:10
    A decision on the proposed listing of greater sage grouse under the federal Endangered Species Act has been delayed for a week. The Friday announcement was delayed because of the death Saturday of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton after he suffered a heart attack skiing in Colorado. “Our people need to be able to answer questions,” said Meggan Laxalt Mackey, a Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman in Boise. “They are no where near ready.” Services for Hamilton, 54, a native of . . .

  • Opposition growing to proposed wind farm northeast of Calgary

    Updated: 2010-02-23 18:22:29
    People opposed to a massive wind farm planned in an area northeast of Calgary will get a chance to say their piece. The Alberta Utilities Commission is now evaluating an application for the Ghost Pine wind project, which would see 54 turbines erected in Kneehill County. Operated by Fortuna GP, Inc., the wind farm would generate 81 megawatts of electricity. While some landowners have struck agreements to have turbines raised on their farms, others say they fear the health effects caused by noise . . .

  • Increased costs are blowin’ in the wind

    Updated: 2010-02-23 17:57:40
    Wind energy on the Pacific Northwest’s electricity grid has increased substantially over the years, and this is leading to a number of problems. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the Pacific Northwest’s federal power marketing authority, is charged with integrating the large influx of wind power into the electricity grid. In 1998, the BPA’s wind generation was roughly 25 megawatts (MW). Today, it totals 2,200 MW; and, with the Oregon Renewable Portfolio Standards passed in 2007, over 6,000 MW of wind . . .

  • Wind farm turbine having ‘teething troubles’

    Updated: 2010-02-23 17:57:31
    Two out of three generators at Otago’s first wind farm are performing well, but the third is going through some “teething troubles”. Pioneer Generation started producing power from its Horseshoe Bend wind farm, 15km east of Roxburgh, in late October. All three machines had been operating for about a month, but “teething troubles” had recently developed with one, Pioneer chief executive Peter Dowling said. “It’s nothing major, but we’ve been having a few problems in the past month with one of the . . .

  • Residents voice questions, concerns over wind farm

    Updated: 2010-02-23 17:31:27
    DEXTER — A new wind farm in Mower and Dodge counties brings the promise of more jobs, more income for land owners, more money for county government, cleaner air and energy independence. It also brings concerns. During a two-hour hearing Monday that drew 200 people, wind-farm neighbors complained about noise, flickers, threats to property values, transmission lines and surrendering stars in the night sky to flashing red lights, “The light flickering off the wind turbine blades is irritating, and there’s no compensation . . .

  • Watt Section to be home to wind turbine

    Updated: 2010-02-23 17:30:25
    Sheet Harbour will have a new structure in its skyline. Watts Wind Energy Inc., a joint venture between renewable energy operators Seaforth Engineering Group and Eon WindElectric, plans to install a wind turbine at Watt Section in Sheet Harbour. The 1.5-megawatt Vensys turbine should have the blades whirring this year, the company said Monday. Watts Wind Energy received one of 10 long-term contracts awarded Jan. 21 to supply Nova Scotia Power with wind-generated electricity for the next 20 years. The project was submitted in . . .

  • South Side Wind Farm progress slowed by town

    Updated: 2010-02-23 16:48:49
    AMHERSTBURG – Town council has held any progress on the South Side Wind Farm in abeyance until more information comes from the province. Town council had requested a representative from the provincial Ministry of the Environment (MoE) to meet with them at their Feb. 8 meeting. Council wants more answers pertaining to setbacks and health concerns. Those issues were once again raised Monday night by residents, led by Mick MacCorquodale. MacCorquodale made his third straight appearance before town council airing concerns he . . .

  • Save Central group opposes Feds’ bid to join appeal

    Updated: 2010-02-23 16:30:29
    A lobby group dedicated to protecting the natural landscape of Central Otago has opposed an application by Federated Farmers to join the appeal against the Environment Court’s Project Hayes decision. Federated Farmers lodged an affidavit this month to join the Meridian Energy-led appeal against the November court decision, which cancelled consents granted by the Otago Regional Council and Central Otago District Council in a 350-page decision. The Save Central group, a vociferous opponent of the 176-turbine wind farm bid, includes former . . .

  • Electric rates may rise with PUC plan

    Updated: 2010-02-23 16:30:15
    Hawai’i consumers could end up paying higher electricity rates if overall usage goes down under a landmark plan approved by the state Public Utilities Commission. The PUC on Friday gave its go-ahead on a plan that would sever the amount of profits that Hawaiian Electric Co. earns from the amount of electricity that it sells. Known as revenue decoupling, the proposal is a key part of Gov. Linda Lingle’s Hawai’i Clean Energy Initiative. Advocates say it will encourage energy conservation and will . . .

  • Wind turbines interfere with television reception

    Updated: 2010-02-23 16:30:01
    On Feb. 14, I read Murray Light’s column on wind power. As he states, there is a noise factor involved with wind turbines. Residents should also be aware of television interference. Last June, the federal government forced digital TV down our throats and I fell victim to such television gone wrong. I am a property owner in the Town of Eagle, and my television reception was harmed by wind turbine activity. The wind turbine company had its expert television consultant . . .

  • Wind concerns

    Updated: 2010-02-23 16:02:57
    The intensity of opposition to the proposed 10-turbine wind farm in the Gunn’s Hill area was not fully captured in the Sentinel-Review coverage of the recent project open house. We spoke with over 50 people during the three hours we were at the meeting who are very worried about the possible impact of the turbines on their health. It appeared the only people who supported the plan for the wind turbines were employees of the developer, Prowind, and the six . . .

  • Moratorium on windmills extended

    Updated: 2010-02-23 15:53:38
    MESILLA – Alternative energy use in Mesilla will have to wait another 120 days as a moratorium continues on the installation of windmills. After realizing that a 90- to 100-day extension might be cutting things a little too close, Mesilla’s four trustees voted unanimously for a 120-day extension that should give town officials enough time to complete a draft ordinance and take it through procedures to get it approved. “There’s already been two delays, so another 120 days probably isn’t going to . . .

  • Portland lawmaker asks about possible conflict of interest

    Updated: 2010-02-23 15:39:54
    A co-chairman of the legislative committee that deals with energy issues is asking the state ethics panel whether his participation in upcoming votes, and his wife’s representation of wind power companies, present a conflict of interest. Rep. Jon Hinck, D-Portland, is asking for an advisory opinion from the Commission on Government Ethics and Election Practices. The panel is scheduled to review the request at 9 a.m. Thursday in Augusta. The request follows anonymous and unproven charges from wind power opponents on the . . .

  • Cash blows in for wind farm protesters’ fighting fund

    Updated: 2010-02-23 15:34:36
    A fundraising drive by wind farm protesters has got off to a great start with £1,000 being donated at a fun and fact day. Members of Billingborough and Horbling Against Turbines, known as BHAT, and Action Group Against Sempringham Turbines, known as AGAST, organised the event on Saturday to help raise £5,000. The groups say they will need to pay for expert help if electricity company EON submits a proposal to build 17 turbines on farmland east of Billingborough. The firm says . . .

  • Wind Dominates in Europe Again

    Updated: 2010-02-05 16:33:10
    The European Wind Energy Association released statistics on newly installed wind in 2009. The number demonstrates clearly that other sources of generation are threatened by wind. Wind was the number one source of new capacity, at 39%, with over 10,000 MW installed. Natural gas was in second place at 26%, and solar photovoltaic was [...]

  • One year ago – Natural Gas Shutoff

    Updated: 2010-01-12 00:08:28
    Posted in energy, fuel, video Tagged: energy, natural gas, oil, peak

  • Quotes from System Operators

    Updated: 2010-01-10 17:49:48
    I have been catching up on some reading of wind publications, and came across an interesting article in WindSight. The article is titled “System Operators find Integration Solutions”. “We’ve gotten over the variability of wind. It’s variable and that’s fine. We’re going to deal with it.” Kim Warren, Ontario Independant Electricity System [...]

  • The Carbon Tax in Ireland

    Updated: 2010-01-05 23:19:54
    After many years of talk and conjecture, the Irish Government have introduced a carbon tax on transport (Diesel and Petrol) and thermal (heating) fuels. This year the rate set is €15 per tonne. This is about the middle of the rates that I had heard suggested. Electricity isn’t included because all electricity generators are already included [...]

  • Winning the Battle

    Updated: 2010-01-04 01:27:05
    With the New Year upon us, I thought I would reflect on the state of the world. It is sometimes easy to get discouraged. The climate denial machine, funded by fossil fuel lobbies, continues to have more ink than they deserve. Copenhagen collapsed in disarray – it’s a wonder our species has [...]

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