Updated: 2010-06-30 11:59:21
Construction of a 1.5-megawatt industrial wind turbine in Union Beach will be erected by January 2011, pending two new bird and bat impact studies, officials from the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority (BRSA) said last week. The authority’s commission approved resolutions for the preconstruction studies at its June 21 meeting. The studies, which were contracted to wind power and bird consultants Curry & Kerlinger LLC, Cape May, are required to be completed under the BRSA’s permit with the N.J. Department of . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:58:52
FOND DU LAC — Wind farm advocates and critics packed Legislative Chambers at the City County Government Center on Monday to voice their opinions about proposed wind siting rules to be crafted by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. The rules would result in uniform wind siting standards for local units of government, replacing a patchwork of rules and moratoriums imposed by counties and towns around the state governing small wind power projects. The public hearings, scheduled around the state this . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:58:25
LITTLE CURRENT—Questions have arisen surrounding the McLean’s Mountain Wind Farm following a request for more information from the Ministry of the Environment, but proponents say it’s a normal part of the process that ensures the company is meeting all the requirements for a successful project. On June 14, project proponent Northland Power received a request for additional information from the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) on its renewable energy approval (REA) submission, which was sent to the ministry in mid-May. . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:55:57
A quiz about wind power: 1. Who runs America’s biggest wind farm? (A) Cannon Power Group, (B) General Electric, (C) BP or (D) Terra-Gen Power. 2. Where is it located? (A) Oregon, (B) Colorado, (C) California or (D) Indiana. The answers are BP and Indiana. BP? The company whose thirst for oil may have polluted the Gulf of Mexico for decades? And Indiana? I just assumed the best place to harvest the wind was on gusty, barren height out West. . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:55:15
Galloo Island Wind Farm developer Upstate NY Power Corp has until Sept. 15 to work out the best alternate routes for a transmission line from the island to the state’s wholesale grid system. On March 31, the Public Service Commission agreed to a suspension of the developer’s application on the basis that it needed more time to collect information on new alternate routes. Upstate NY Power’s original preferred route ran a transmission line from Galloo Island to make landfall on . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:55:09
The push to develop wind farms off Virginia’s coast and elsewhere is bringing to light concerns about a complex federal approval process and about how the giant turbines might affect air travel and national security, a congressional subcommittee was told Tuesday. Testifying before the House Armed Services’ Readiness Subcommittee in Washington, a wind energy executive said the industry has been talking for four years with federal officials about how to develop a more specific process for federal review of the . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:54:41
Environmental groups are gloating over the conviction last week of Syncrude Canada Ltd., which now faces fines totalling $800,000 for failing to prevent the deaths of 1,606 ducks that alighted on a company tailings pond two years ago. Yet the fact a great many more birds and bats are mangled by wind turbine blades each year draws scant attention, much less prosecution. This double standard highlights the widespread misperception that so-called “renewable” energy sources do not demand environmental trade-offs. That . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:52:33
WASHINGTON — Government officials said Tuesday that the rapid increase in wind turbine construction in recent years could interfere with the military’s long-range radar systems used for surveillance and air defense. Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment in the Defense Department, told the House subcommittee on military readiness that Defense relies on long-range radar to monitor U.S. airspace and ensure national security. She said wind turbines — built to generate electricity — can keep radar signals . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:51:34
THERESA — Without the public rancor that has plagued other Jefferson County communities, the town has formulated a zoning law to govern wind power projects and wind turbines for personal use. “We don’t have anyone interested but we have noticed what other towns have had,” supervisor Clinton A. Coolidge said. The zoning law proposal is part of a series of new zoning laws for the town, including permits for temporary use of recreational vehicles as residential space and rules for . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:51:29
SHELTON — A proposal to allow companies to harness the power of wind to produce electricity continued to meet with some resistance Tuesday. The Planning and Zoning Commission continued a public hearing from last month regarding a proposal from MBI Inc., which wants to install a wind turbine at its Forrest Parkway facility. Since the city has no such regulations on its books governing the alternative energy resource, MBI, in working with Optiwind Corp. of Torrington, has drafted proposed regulations . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:50:57
Recently released provincial setbacks for offshore wind projects could quash Toronto Hydro’s wind farm proposal, but Guildwood residents aren’t giving up their fight. In an announcement Friday, June 25, the provincial government released proposed regulations for offshore wind projects that would require a minimum setback of five kilometres from the shoreline. The Toronto Hydro project has always been talked about as being two to four kilometres offshore as Lake Ontario drops off around the five kilometre mark, which could substantially . . .
Updated: 2010-06-30 11:50:38
Environmental survey plans for a wind-farm on Stornoway Trust land to the west of Stornoway are due to be submitted to the Scottish Government shortly. The Trust’s development partners, AMEC and EDF Energy, have drafted their proposals for surveys of an area of land identified by the Halcrow Report, commissioned by Scottish Energy Minister Jim Mather, as suitable for wind farm developments. The document will cover all aspects of how the proposed wind farm would be assessed from an environmental . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 23:04:19
SALT LAKE CITY — Three environmental groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government for it failure to immediately enact protections for the greater sage grouse, which is found in Utah. Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deemed the bird merited addition to the Endangered Species List — kicking loose a variety of protections — it also said in its March decision that other species of animals had higher priority. For now, the sage grouse remains a “candidate” . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 22:57:58
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin is sticking to a firm Sept. 1 deadline to propose wind turbine placement rules despite calls from local governments to wait. “We had a very clear mandate to get work done quickly,” PSC Chairman Eric Callisto said Tuesday. “Expediency is important in order to have uniformity and ground rules in place for future wind development.” Callisto and other PSC staff members this week are traveling throughout the state to hold public hearings on wind . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 22:43:49
BOWMANVILLE — Clarington council is asking the Province to impose a moratorium on the approval of any wind farm applications until further studies can be done on the possible health and economic impacts. “We’re very pleased that they’re taking this step forward,” said Heather Rutherford, spokeswoman for Clarington Wind Concerns, a group of citizens who live in the study area of two current wind farm proposals. Councillor Gord Robinson brought the motion for a moratorium to the June 28 council . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 20:01:25
The lobby group opposed to the Project Hayes wind farm yester-day slammed the judicial process and said Meridian Energy’s High Court appeal was a face-saving exercise. Justices Lester Chisholm and John Fogarty reserved judgment on the Meridian-led appeal against the Environment Court’s November decision, which declined consents for the proposed $2 billion wind farm on the Lammermoor Range. Save Central co-ordinator Graye Shattky and other Project Hayes opponents were in a Dunedin courthouse last week for three days of legal . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 16:29:10
New plans are to be unveiled today for a windfarm on Lewis two years after proposals for a massive £500million development were rejected by the government amid a storm of protest. Island landowners the Stornoway Trust and developer Amec are at an advanced stage of negotiations on proposals to build about 30 turbines on trust land. A bid for a 181-turbine windfarm on Barvas Moor in the north of Lewis was turned down by the Scottish Government in 2008. But . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 16:19:27
Landowners, engineers, wind energy advocates, elected officials and others turned out for two public hearings in Fond du Lac Monday on proposed uniform wind siting regulations. Among the speakers was Michael Hutter of Michels Corporation, which has worked on wind farm projects in Calumet, Columbia, Dodge, and Fond du Lac counties. His company believes uniform regulations will “facilitate the responsible development and construction projects in Wisconsin.” Barnaby Dinges, a member of the American Wind Energy Association, is concerned the rules . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 16:19:17
A decision to block a planned wind farm on the edge of the Lake District has been upheld by the government. West Coast Energy appealed against a decision by Eden District Council to refuse permission for nine turbines near the village of Greystoke. The council said the 334ft (102m) turbines at Berrier Hill would blight the “unique local landscape.” The company said it was disappointed at the government’s decision and would review its options for the area. Opponents to the . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 16:19:07
While the British Petroleum oil spill was expected to encourage a boom in renewable energy projects, the dissolution of the Minerals Management Service, which regulated offshore leases, has temporarily blocked Bluewater Wind’s plans for an offshore wind farm 14 miles off Rehoboth Beach. Bluewater Wind and Delmarva Power have agreed to extend a key project deadline because of a permit delay related to the breakup of the Minerals Management Service (MMS). Under its original 2008 contract with Delmarva Power, NRG . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 12:47:39
Amid the hoo-ha of Julia Gillard’s elevation as our first female PM, a piece of legislation finally slipped though Parliament that has left many country people despairing. The legislation was the Renewable Energy Target, which mandated that 20 per cent of Australia’s energy supply must be from renewable resources by 2020. The Clean Energy Council reckons this will save 380 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Immediately, the shackles were released on an estimated $20 billion in projects. And despairingly . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:44:28
Weighing concerns about noise and aesthetics against the altruistic benefits of clean energy, about 100 residents crowded into a Plymouth State University auditorium last night for a public hearing before the state panel that is reviewing a proposal to build 24 wind turbines in Groton. The state Site Evaluation Committee must decide by Dec. 22 whether to approve a proposal submitted by Groton Wind LLC, a local arm of Spanish wind energy giant Iberdrola Renewables, for a 48-megawatt wind farm . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:34:16
Plans for a nine-turbine windfarm on the edge of the Lake District have been rejected by the government. The Berrier Hill windfarm, on the Greystoke Estate, was formally dismissed by the secretary of state for communities and local government Eric Pickles in a letter sent to interested parties this morning. He concluded that the plan was not in accordance with the area’s local development plan, was not in accordance with national policy on windfarms, and that the environmental benefits did . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:24:51
FOND DU LAC – Monday was the first day of three in Wisconsin that allowed for the public to make statements to the Public Service Commission regarding rules for the siting of wind farms throughout the state. Fond du Lac City Hall hosted the first round of open hearings at 1 and 6 p.m. The siting rules pertain to the of turbines and will cover issues from resident’s health and safety to developer requirements. The rules are required through Act . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:24:40
They came from near and far, packing Legislative Chambers at the City County Government Center in Fond du Lac Monday to voice their opinions about proposed wind farm siting rules to be crafted by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. The proposed rules would ultimately result in uniform wind farm siting standards for local units of government, replacing a patchwork of different rules and moratoriums that have been imposed by counties and towns around the state in relation to small wind . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:23:54
A 60-turbine wind farm proposed for the waters of Lake Ontario off Kingston may not get closer than five km to the city shoreline. The provincial environment ministry has recommended a five-km “shoreline exclusion zone” so that offshore wind projects don’t interfere with drinking water intakes, fish and bird habitats or produce excessive noise near communities. “The new rules will apply to all projects,” said ministry spokeswoman Kate Jordan. A citizens’ watchdog group that raised alarm bells about the offshore . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:22:57
FOND DU LAC – Dozens spoke their minds before the Wisconsin Public Service Commission on proposed rules on wind turbines in Fond du Lac. Opinions on the controversial topic varied. Many don’t want wind turbines near their homes, saying their property values will go down and their health will decline. “Someone who doesn’t sign a contract for those wind turbines shouldn’t have their lifestyle changed,” said Jarret Treu of Morrison. The Public Service Commission created a draft of the rules . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:22:43
Ministers are to take over the fast-tracking of plans for major projects like airports, after abolishing the new Infrastructure Planning Commission. The IPC was set up by Labour last year to take control of planning decisions on big projects from local authorities. It was aimed at streamlining decisions and avoiding a repeat of the lengthy £80m Heathrow Terminal Five inquiry. Big projects will still be fast-tracked but ministers argue it will be more democratic as they will decide on them. . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:22:36
Householders will be offered “economic incentives” to drop their opposition to major developments including wind farms, nuclear plants and housing estates, the Chancellor said. George Osborne told business leaders meeting in London that the incentives were part of an overhaul of planning rules designed to make it easier to win approval for controversial schemes. The abolition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission is intended to return planning powers from a quango to local people. But the move worries developers because it . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:21:42
RALEIGH — Thirty years ago, the federal government built the largest wind turbine in the world in Boone. It was a prominent beacon, rising 130 feet on top of a mountain 2 miles north of Appalachian State University, and experts said it could power hundreds of homes. Now fast forward three decades and the idea of harnessing wind for generating power faces an uncertain future. The state Senate passed a bill last year that would essentially ban the construction of . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:21:32
Exasperated anti-wind turbine protestors say there is no point opposing plans for two massive generators in March. Save Our Skylines campaigners say it would be a “complete waste of our time and energy” to contest the latest March Landfill Site application because Fenland is “easy pickings” for big development. One protestor, John Stoneman, says he will make no formal objections because he feels powerless to stop Fenland District Council’s “support and embracement of heavy industry that bordering councils would never . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:21:18
St Andrews University officials have promised detailed responses to questions raised about their proposed windfarm development at Kenly, following public meetings in Kingsbarns and Dunino. More than 50 people packed out the Memorial Hall in Kingsbarns on Monday evening to hear details of two preferred options of turbine to go on the university-owned site at Upper Kenly Farm, south of St Andrews. John Maguire, the university’s director of estates, and Roddy Yarr, its environment and energy manager, said the options . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:21:05
Maine residents overwhelmingly support wind power development, chiefly because it cuts dependence on fossil fuels and creates jobs, according to the first survey released by the industry. In a statewide telephone poll of 500 registered voters, 88 percent supported wind power in Maine. Calls to residents in seven rural “rim” counties, from Aroostook to Oxford, where most wind power projects are built or planned, showed 83 percent in support. The survey was done by Portland-based Pan Atlantic SMS Group for . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 11:20:46
A group of angry protesters who are fighting proposals for a new wind farm in West Huntspill have this week issued this new photo montage showing the size of the huge wind turbines which, they claim, will appear like ‘alien invaders’ in the Somerset countryside. The group claims that the computer-generated image illustrates what the 79m tall turbines would look like if they are built by energy firm Ecotricity on land next to the Huntspill River. Campaigner Julie Trott from . . .
Updated: 2010-06-29 00:20:29
New transmission lines are critical to developing the alternative electricity production needed to meet demand in the coming years, governors of states in the West said Monday. The need for new energy development and dangers of climate change topped the agenda at the annual meeting of the Western Governors Association, where participants recognized that more renewable energy is a priority that will require considerable private investment. About half of the governors in the West are participating in the event. The . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 23:59:41
Fall of 7.5% in power obtained from wind, hydro and other renewable sources blamed on dry winter with low wind speeds Britain’s renewable energy revolution suffered an abrupt setback this winter when the power supplied from wind, hydro and other “clean” sources fell, despite years of promises and policies to end the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and slash global warming pollution, the Guardian can reveal. The news comes as the government will tomorrow unveil a major report into how . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 21:25:52
TORONTO, ONTARIO — The Guildwood Village Community Association (GVCA) today called on Toronto Hydro to cancel any plans to place up to 100 wind turbines 1 – 2 kilometres off the Scarborough Bluffs in Lake Ontario, and to immediately remove the anemometer wind testing device from the Scarborough shoreline. “Clearly, in light of the provincial government’s announcement on Friday that it is looking at 5 kilometre setbacks for offshore wind turbine placement, Toronto Hydro is wasting its own resources in . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 21:02:52
Residents and politicians are united in opposition to twin proposals for wind farms in a Howdenshire village. A protest group was set up last year when Coriolis/Falck announced plans to erect six 136m turbines at Spaldington Airfield and German firm Volkswind put forward another eight 125m turbines at Spaldington Common. The STOP group (Spaldington Turbine Opposition Project) opposes both proposed sites and several members recently met close to another separate wind farm development at Newlands. STOP spokesperson Alison Taylor wanted . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 21:02:28
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah startup says it will add sonar and laser devices along with mechanical wind meters to assess the potential for a wind farm along the Wyoming border. Together, the devices will tell the company where on leased lands to put spinning turbines of different sizes to match wind conditions that can vary with the terrain. It’s a nuanced approach for wind farms, said Dick Cutler, managing member of Flaming Gorge Wind LLC, a subsidiary of . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 20:54:48
Not in my backyard. I’ve given a lot of thought to that phrase lately, because I’ve been called a NIMBY. People who want to stop average American citizens from exercising their right to “have a say” love to throw out the NIMBY tag, thinking it will shame those citizens into silence or make them look selfish; thereby turning public opinion against them. That’s not how I see it. It’s inherent in human nature and instinctive to every living creature to . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 17:19:20
FERRYSBURG — Pentwater-based Lake Michigan P.O.W.E.R. Coalition is hoping to educate local residents about wind energy before any decisions are made regarding a proposal by Scandia Wind Offshore LLC to place a wind farm in Lake Michigan. “We’re not opposed to jobs. We’re not opposed to renewable energy,” said Jeff Hodges, a member of the coalition board. “We’re opposed to making mistakes.” The coalition, a nonprofit organization of concerned citizens who want to protect the lakes, say they are opposed . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 17:19:13
Donegal SOS concerts go from strength to strength in Leo’s Tavern, Meenaleck, Crolly, Co. Donegal Donegal Alternatives To Pylons are pleased to announce that the next in the ‘Save our Scenery’ series of Gigs hosted by Moya Brennan which takes place on June 29th and features Brian Kennedy and Frances Black is aready sold out but that there are still some tickets for the July 1st concert at Leo’s Tavern, Meenaleck, Crolly which features Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill, . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 17:19:06
With oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from BP’s crippled offshore well, almost every East Coast state earlier this month agreed to begin working with the federal government in a new push to develop clean, emissions-free offshore wind energy in the Atlantic. The only Atlantic state not formally cooperating? Georgia, despite studies that show parts of the Atlantic off the state’s coast could have the right kind of winds for such a venture. State officials say they’re hesitant to . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 17:18:48
Public demand has led to a parish poll being held in North Creake over the proposed wind farm to be built on land bordering Stanhoe. The call for the poll was made at a parish meeting, and it will take place on Thursday, July 8, at the village hall in Church Street, from 4pm to 9pm. A West Norfolk Council spokesman said: “People who are eligible to vote in local government elections and are registered to vote in North Creake . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 14:40:05
PLANKINTON — Bismarck, N.D.-based Basin Electric has one area county left from which to obtain a conditional or special-use permit for its PrairieWinds project north of White Lake. The Aurora County Board of Adjustments will have a public hearing at 8 p.m. Tuesday on a conditional-use permit to build about 53 wind turbines on portions of 17 sections in Patten Township owned by 28 landowners. The meeting will be at the county courthouse in Plankinton. Basin Electric submitted its application . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 14:39:53
A truck carrying a wind turbine blade through the streets of New Castle caused quite the scene on Saturday afternoon. While attempting to make a turn the nearly 160 foot blade knocked into part of the stone fencing at Kennedy Square. According to the company escorting the truck, a route provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation led them through the streets near the square. No one was hurt in the incident and a report was made. The trucking company . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 14:35:11
THUNDER BAY – One of the more controversial issues facing City Council this year come before a special meeting on Tuesday. This past Thursday, Administration released their recommendations regarding the proposed Big Thunder Wind Park development. A Special Committee of the Whole meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 to review this report prior to several public deputations being made that same evening. The pre-meeting – before the regular meeting is a 2 hour proposed in-camera session from . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 14:31:45
The legal squabbles over participation in the review of the electricity contract for Cape Wind have focused attention on a state agency that runs steadily in the background like a quiet but powerful generator. The Department of Public Utilities’ three commissioners work to ensure that Massachusetts energy consumers receive the most reliable energy at the lowest cost – a regulatory role that most don’t notice until their electric bills soar or their power goes out for a week after a . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 11:59:36
PICKERING — Pickering council is joining other municipalities to insist health and safety concerns be considered in light of the Province of Ontario’s focus on wind power. On July 21, council supported Arran-Elderslie Township’s bylaw that calls for the protection of life, liberty and security of person under Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, claiming wind turbines cause serious health effects. The letter to Pickering from the chief administrative officer said council is “not opposed to ‘green . . .
Updated: 2010-06-28 11:58:23
There’s nothing to suggest that Colette McLean is a troublemaker or a threat to public safety. Yet that’s the impression left in the wake of her treatment by the OPP. For the record, McLean, her husband Walter and 17-year-old son live in the Harrow area and farm about 140 acres of land. She also happens to be a critic of the 24 giant wind turbines near her home. That opinion is shared by many people in the county who have . . .
Updated: 2010-06-21 17:32:50
This is the title of a new book by Tom Rand. I have heard of Tom Rand – he is involved with Clean Tech in Toronto, and has a profile in the clean energy space. So I though I would read his book.
The book has 10 chapters each of which outlines the potential [...]
Updated: 2010-06-03 03:36:06
The President of Houston Spectra Energy, which owns Union Gas, was in the Toronto Star today. Greg Ebel is giving interviews and speeches extolling the virtues of natural gas, and questioning why the province is signing contracts to buy wind and solar energy, when new technology has given us “100 years worth of [...]
