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Wind Alert! 14-Nov-2019News and information from The WindAction Group facts, analysis, exposure of industrial wind energy's real impacts - www.windAction.org |
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14-Nov-2019
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WindAction EDITORIALNo, Congress will not extend the PTCIn another month, the wind PTC will finally expire after twenty-seven years. Taxpayers will still be on the hook for billions more in PTCs through the next decade but the burden should not increase. In that time, the wind industry has grown significantly reaching over 100,000 MW and now mainstreamed... → MORE Recent ArticlesWind turbine opponents gearing up for court battleThe petition claims that the Wheatland Township Planning Commission’s vote on Ordinance 16.25 took place after the meeting had been adjourned, in violation of Michigan’s Open Meetings Act. It also alleges a conflict of interest among several Board members, who did not recuse themselves during a later, July 12, 2018... → MORE Hawaii protests show why wind energy can't save us from climate changeThe refusal of all-renewable advocates to consider the cartoonish land requirements of their schemes and how those plans are affecting ordinary people in rural areas is perhaps the single biggest disconnect in the current energy debate. How cartoonish? Last year, two Harvard researchers found that meeting current U.S. electricity needs... → MORE No consensus on how to bring offshore wind power ashore in NJFor the short term, offshore wind developers will likely have relatively few problems hooking up with the electric grid, at least to achieve the goals of developing 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030 ..Long term is another issue altogether. → MORE New bill would give residents a say in wind farmsUnder the current law, the authority to approve or deny wind energy projects belongs to the Ohio Power Siting Board. But Ohio Rep. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, and Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, introduced companion bills Wednesday in the Ohio House and Senate that would give communities a chance to vote on... → MORE £1bn wind farm will be shut for weeks due to faultA billion-pound wind farm has been closed for more than two weeks after a technical fault brought it to a standstill. Rampion Wind Farm, which is 13km off the Sussex coast, is still out of commission after an electrical problem on October 26. → MORE State fined €5m over Co Galway wind farmThe wind farm was regarded as one of the largest in the EU when a landslide occurred during its construction in October 2003 by an ESB subsidiary, Hibernian Wind Power. At the time, large areas of forest and peat up to a depth of 5.5 metres on the top of... → MORE Clear Creek passes moratorium on wind farm developmentThe Clear Creek Town Board approved a one-year moratorium Monday night on wind farm development in the town. The action came in response to overwhelming demand from town residents who attended a special meeting last week about a proposed 200-megawatt wind farm in southern Eau Claire County. ...Eau Claire County... → MORE Group sues to stop Saline County wind farmThe lawsuit is the second one filed over the project. In July, a Massachusetts woman who owns property near the proposed wind farm filed suit against the county and EDF Renewables over the granting of right of way for the company to run underground electrical cables on her land. Saline... → MORE Wind 'on its knees' as profits vanish, says industry pioneer“The industry has to be more profitable than the alternatives, and currently we’re not,” he said. “We have reduced the number of turbine suppliers in the west from 15 to four in the last 10 years. Two of those are absolutely without profit, two of them are barely profitable, and... → MORE Fishermen unite to resist vast windfarmPeople are just looking at the map and saying, ‘oh my god, this is where I fish,’ so there’s a sense of panic. “We only heard about this when the applications were lodged,” Ms McIntyre said. “You must understand how huge this was: it was a complete and utter shock.... → MORE Review launched into onshore impact of offshore wind farmsThe energy minister is to launch a review into the impact wind farms have onshore amid claims the countryside is being “concreted over” with substations and cable corridors built as supporting infrastructure. The move has been welcomed by campaigners who have been fighting proposals in the East of England to... → MORE The gov’s well-paid wind-power liarsOffshore wind power is the most expensive alternative-energy source, and Cuomo has boosted these projects’ costs by requiring union labor. To hide the bad news, NYSERDA has to play games. Maybe that’s why, as the Empire Center also reports, its officials have the highest average pay of any state authority. → MORE Wind power crisis and job cuts: Enercon wants to talk politics; 3000 jobs disappearBut the days when Germany was the largest market for wind turbines in Europe are over. Now there is a slowdown in the industry. In the first half of 2019, the expansion of wind power on land almost came to a standstill. Only about 150 wind turbines were newly built,... → MORE Wind farm application is still deniedThe Henry County courtroom filled with cheers and applause Thursday evening after the Board of Zoning Appeals voted down an appeal from Big Blue River Wind Farm LLC. → MORE Wind farm repowering decision delayedThe owners of a wind farm near Valley City want to re-power the existing farm, by installing larger turbines and bigger blades. But the North Dakota Public Service Commission isn’t yet ready to give it the go-ahead. → MORE Iowa's betting big on wind energy, but it's creating a problem: What happens to the blades once they're no longer useful?"This clean, green energy is not so clean and not so green," says Julie Kuntz, who opposes a Worth County wind project. "It's just more waste going in our landfills." Daniel Laird, a U.S. Department of Energy researcher, acknowledges that disposing of the blades is a challenge. Wind energy generation,... → MORE Turbines will be taller in latest wind farm plan for Botetourt CountyA renewable energy company has revised its plan to build wind turbines on a Botetourt County ridgeline, making them nearly 700 feet tall. The latest proposal by Apex Clean Energy exceeds the maximum turbine height of 550 feet approved nearly three years ago and would require an amended permit from... → MORE Terra-Gen wind energy official defends project as public blasts impactsAs the controversial Terra-Gen wind energy project reached the Humboldt County Planning Commission table on Thursday for the first of a two-part public hearing, its numerous critics came out in full force, chorusing the project’s potential negative impacts as they filled the commission’s meeting chamber to the brim. → MORE Wind farm opponents buoyed by Farmersville, Freedom election winsA coalition of local organizations opposed to the 106-square mile Alle-Catt wind farm proposal took majorities on two host towns and the supervisor’s position in a third host town in Tuesday’s elections. ...As a result of Tuesday night’s vote count, members of project opponents Freedom United and Farmersville United became... → MORE ‘You won’t understand it until you live it’These monsters are 494 feet tall from base to the tip of the blade; the blades are close to 200 feet long. When you have a very large structure, moving and spinning at over 200 mph, vibrating the air, then compound it with multiple structures, all of the same size... → MORE Norway working on new plans to speed up wind projects after framework scheme fails: ministerThe NVE stopped approving new wind power projects in April after a raft of protests to give the government time to work on a new framework for developments. The now-discarded scheme proposed new wind farms in 13 designated areas, but faced fierce opposition from some utilities and the municipalities affected... → MORE Nemaha County Commission extends moratorium six monthsCommissioners Gary Scoby, Tim Burdiek and Dennis Henry unanimously approved Resolution 2019-8, which states the commissioners will not hear any requests to use roads, infrastructure and other public areas of Nemaha County for a period of six months. The commissioners can vote again at that time to extend the moratorium... → MORE How 100% renewables backfired on a Texas townAn inconvenient truth is hanging over Georgetown, Texas: Its celebrated shift to renewable energy doesn’t look like a national model these days. Electric rates are up. Critics are blasting the costs. And the city north of Austin is trying to figure out how to mitigate the situation. → MORE Siemens Gamesa plans 600 job cuts as 'headwinds' persistThe manufacturer had already in September announced 600 job losses in Denmark as it discontinued some legacy turbine production. CEO Markus Tacke said while those reductions were the result of shifting global demand patterns, and would be offset by growth in production elsewhere, the latest cuts are “structural” adjustments geared... → MORE Wind farm rejection leaves clean energy advocates baffledRenewable energy advocates have been left disappointed after a proposed wind farm on the NSW Southern Tablelands was rejected because of the visual impact on residents. → MORE Insufficient recycling capacity for dismantling of wind turbines
More than 27,000 onshore wind turbines (WTG) are currently in Germany. At the end of 2020, facilities earning the 20-year subsidy under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) will no longer be covered for the first time. Depending on local conditions, older plants may be replaced by more powerful and... → MORE Vineyard wind pushes IRS for subsidy extension on delayed offshore project“Since the business case is being impacted by external delays, we are requesting an extension from the IRS for the originally planned ITCs of the project,” Torgerson told analysts. “We’re petitioning the IRS to get an extension of that ITC at the 24 percent level…through the 2022 timeframe.” The delay... → MORE Great Lakes offshore wind — possibility or pipe dream?Building a wind farm in the midst of Lake Erie poses different engineering and technical challenges from the Atlantic Ocean. They include ensuring turbines can withstand the force of ice floes during winter. While huge cone-shaped turbine bases would be used to break the winter ice on Lake Erie, special... → MORE Opposition growing to proposed wind farmOne of the foremost concerns voiced by residents was that the MOU had been signed in July and notice of the public presentation wasn’t made till September. “I’m frustrated that it got to this point and we didn’t even know about it,” resident Marlene Quinn said. ...Each of the Fenwick... → MORE Bats live mostly out of sight and out of mind. But their falling numbers are a reason to look up and worry, scientists sayThe elusive winged mammals who make special appearances in decorations and throughout popular culture during the fall are under increasing threats across the state and the Midwest, the victim of a stubborn and spreading disease, shrinking natural habitat and a growing wind turbine industry. And with new changes to the... → MORE Wind turbine size changes could jeopardize approvals; agency seeks PSC reviewLast week, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) fired off a letter to the PSC urging the agency to reopen the cases awarding the ORECs to the two projects and reconsider the original approvals. The MEA letter, penned by MEA Director Mary Beth Tung, cites the significantly increasing size of the... → MORE ‘Shadow flicker’ and lost sleep: Are Kahuku wind turbines too close to homes?If Kahuku’s residents have their way, it won’t be the law much longer. Community members are lobbying legislators such as Sen. Gil Riviere, who said he is drafting legislation to increase setback distances for turbines. “I’m just trying to prevent the rest of the island from having to live with... → MORE Germany's giant windmills are wildly unpopularThis nasty political and regulatory climate creates too much uncertainty for investors, just as the German government prepares to phase out wind-energy subsidies. That a vicious circle will ensue, understandably, worries the renewables industry. A recent study carried out for the engineering lobby group VDMA predicted that, if the current... → MORE Military wants more rules for turbines near nuclear missilesThe military wants North Dakota and four other states with nuclear missile arsenals to consider introducing new rules aimed at preventing conflicts between wind turbines and helicopters that provide security at launch facilities. → MORE Cuomo’s green-power dreams are slamming upstate yet againGov. Andrew Cuomo just can’t seem to resist slamming Upstate simply to pander to the greens. The latest pain: His drive to build vast “wind farms” off Long Island will zing upstaters’ electric bills to the tune of more than $1 billion — and that’s just for the first round... → MORE Question of the month: Why more often dead porpoises around offshore wind farms?The number of porpoises washed ashore has increased enormously in recent decades. Where fewer than a hundred dead porpoises were reported each year in the 20th century, this number increased steadily. Peak stranding years were 2011 and 2013 when almost 900 stranded dead porpoises were found every year on the... → MORE Freedom United wins lawsuit over new Town of Freedom wind lawPending appeal, a decision handed down in state Supreme Court Monday could spell the beginning of the end of the proposed $775 million Alle-Catt Wind Farm. State Supreme Court Judge Terrence Parker ruled the Freedom Town Board acted illegally in approving its new wind law at the urging of Invenergy,... → MORE 55 protesters arrested as wind farm convoy completes journey to Kahuku“Today is not the end. We’re still going to be fighting,” said Kamalani Keliikuli, vice president of Ku Kiai Kahuku. “We just don’t want the turbines, and we want them to listen to us. We’re in it for the fight.” The arrests started Thursday night in Kalaeloa, where hundreds gathered... → MORE In a reversal, wind power industry wants more U.S. tax creditsLess than a year after the U.S. wind industry swore off federal tax credits, its top lobbyist wants another go at the incentive that helped it become the cheapest source of new energy in much of the world. → MORE Madison County OKs state's first moratorium on wind, solar developmentRenewable energy in Iowa hit new headwinds Tuesday as Madison County supervisors passed the state's first moratorium on new wind turbine installations and Adair County leaders said they were considering capping the number of turbines in their county, effectively stopping new construction. Madison County supervisors voted 2-1 to approve their... → MORE Offshore wind company wants to build on state parkland, offering upgrades in exchangeThe Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has signed an initial memorandum of understanding with Ørsted, an offshore wind company based in Denmark, to discuss leasing up to 1.5 acres in Fenwick Island State Park. Ørsted would use park property to build an interconnection facility that will connect power... → MORE Bird fears delay decision on building world's biggest wind farm off north Norfolk coastA decision on whether the world's largest offshore wind farm will be built has been delayed amid fears it will harm endangered birds. The Government was meant to rule on October 2 whether or not the Hornsea Three wind farm - 120 kilometres off the north Norfolk coast - would... → MORE Wind power giant Vestas to cut 600 jobs in Denmark and GermanyA fall in prices and near collapse in the German market are among factors forcing Vestas to make the jobs cuts, according to Jacob Pedersen, a head analyst with Danish bank Sydbank who closely monitors the industry. “Prices are significantly lower than they were just two years ago. That’s why... → MORE Ørsted to deploy record size turbines in Atlantic City offshore wind farm“With the introduction of 12 MW, it is going to be the biggest machine ever deployed — the most powerful machines in the world.” The new units are bigger in megawatts generated and capacity and rotor diameter, he said. The GE turbine has a rotor diameter of 220 meters (722... → MORE Top GE engineer lifts lid on wind turbine collapse probe findingsGE’s investigation into a string of collapses of its wind turbines in 2019 suggests a variety of factors rather than “a single systemic issue” is behind the first four, the engineer leading the probe revealed to Recharge. → MORE Recent DocumentsEvidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring (wind energy)
This critical study demonstrates the direct connection between wind energy deployment and the dangerous decline in bat populations, particularly involving the Hoary bat, which existed in abundance throughout the United States until recently. The researchers show that White Noise Syndrome is not a factor in the decline across the Pacific... → MORE Recent PicturesTexas Turbine Fire
A wind turbine caught fire in southwest Taylor County in Texas. Crews worked through the night to contain the flames but it had already spread to 200 acres and was only contained by 50%. The fire appears to be caused by turbines at the Buffalo Gap wind energy facility located... → MORE Recent VideosInfrasound and low frequency noise: Physics and cells, history & healthProfessor Richard Mann invited Dr Mariana Alves-Pereira to speak about the harm to health from low-frequency noise and infrasound. She spent three days visiting Ontario’s largest industrial wind power project and meeting with residents who are now experiencing the cumulative and irreversible harm from industrial wind turbines that surround their homes,... → MORE A glaring engineering mistake that make wind turbines inefficientScientists and engineers detail the glaring mistake that render wind farms inefficient and costly. → MORE |
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