• Campaigners urge Moray and Aberdeenshire councils to think again about any more wind farms

    Updated: 2023-01-31 13:54:26
    An open letter has been sent to Aberdeenshire and Moray councils expressing concern about the development of more wind farms in the Upper Deveron Valley. The document, signed by community councils, charitable bodies and business owners – including Conservatives Moray MP Douglas Ross and Aberdeenshire West MSP Alexander Burnett – requests an urgent landscape capacity study is undertaken to understand the impact on local communities. The letter calls for urgent action to undertake “an inter-authority regional landscape capacity assessment” and . . .

  • Glenmont residents challenge environmental review of wind project again

    Updated: 2023-01-31 13:47:54
    One of the most outspoken Glenmont residents challenging the town of Bethlehem’s approval of the Beacon Island wind turbine manufacturing project asserts that the town planning board didn’t properly follow state environmental review regulations. But both the town planning board attorney and the Department of Environmental Conservation say that the claim is just flat wrong and relies on a misinterpretation of SEQR, otherwise known as the State Environmental Quality Act. Sylvia Rowlands, one of about 30 Glenmont residents who have . . .

  • Local mayors, others call for moratorium on wind power surveys

    Updated: 2023-01-31 13:35:43
    A delegation of a dozen mayors from barrier island communities signed a letter, dated Jan. 30, to New Jersey’s federal legislators, calling for a moratorium on any offshore wind farm activities until state and federal officials can determine what is killing whales off the New Jersey coastline. Local mayors Judith Davies-Dunhour (Stone Harbor), Patrick Rosenello (North Wildwood), and Don Cabrera (Wildwood Crest) each signed the letter addressed to U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez (both D-NJ), and U.S. Reps. . . .

  • Group sounds warning on impact of proposed Clare windfarm

    Updated: 2023-01-30 14:41:37
    The proposed development of a new wind farm near Bridgetown will result in an average of one truck passing the village every 90 seconds during an eight-hour day, a local lobby group has claimed. RWE Renewables Ireland has submitted a planning application to construct eight wind turbines with a blade tip height range from 169 metres to 176 metres, a hub height range from 102 to 110 metres and a rotor diameter of 138 meters, the length of a GAA . . .

  • Wind farms backed by green subsidies could be paid more to switch off

    Updated: 2023-01-29 15:21:36
    Wind farms backed by government subsidies could be paid more to switch off than to generate power, The Telegraph has learnt. A lack of grid storage and transmission infrastructure means that the UK is regularly producing more electricity from wind than it can use. At particularly windy times, the National Grid pays producers to switch off rather than overload the local system, with the costs passed on to household energy bills. Producers offer the price at which they are willing . . .

  • Armadale developers remove three turbines from proposal, increase size of remaining nine

    Updated: 2023-01-28 14:15:38
    The company behind plans for a controversial wind farm at Armadale in north Sutherland has axed three turbines from the layout. Brookfield Renewables UK Ltd confirmed the move which it said was in response to objections. The original scheme for 12 150-metre high turbines had been due to go before Highland Council’s north planning committee on Wednesday. But the application was withdrawn following the revision. Local objectors have pledged to continue to fight the scheme which they insist will still be . . .

  • Fremont County citizen’s group files lawsuit against county over wind energy regulations

    Updated: 2023-01-27 13:39:44
    A local citizen’s group has filed a lawsuit in Iowa District Court against Fremont County regarding alleged mishandlings of regulating wind turbines in the county. According to a press release from the offices of Lawyers Shawn Shearer and Theodore Sporer, a 60-page petition outlining at least 20 separate allegations has been filed into district court in Fremont county to “express frustrations with the county’s Board of Supervisors” and their attempts to regulate wind turbines. According to the release, allegations include . . .

  • ‘Strategy’ to protect right whales from offshore wind development is recipe for extinction

    Updated: 2023-01-26 17:49:54
    The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a draft of their strategy to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW) from the hazards of offshore wind development this past fall. The report is a heartbreaking portrayal of the plight of the 336 remaining right whales. Approximately 230 animals have died over the past decade. Autopsies and photo documentation conclude that fishing gear entanglement and vessel strikes have caused the . . .

  • Pritzker flips: supports overriding local control of wind farm siting decisions

    Updated: 2023-01-26 15:21:02
    A bill that strips local control from county governments regarding zoning matters on wind and solar energy appears to be close to becoming law. The legislation, which passed in the lame-duck session of the previous Illinois General Assembly, would provide counties with “guardrails” for siting wind farms, and would create a commission that would oversee and approve wind turbines everywhere but Chicago. Supporters say the measure is needed to better attain the state’s renewable energy goals. “I think it’s very . . .

  • Councillors stick to their guns and refuse to lift objection to Strath Oykel Wind Farm despite approach from Scottish Government

    Updated: 2023-01-25 17:56:41
    North councillors have remained resolute in their decision to raise an objection to a planned Sutherland wind farm. Members of the North Planning Applications Committee were asked by the Scottish Government to reconsider their decision, taken just five months ago, to oppose the proposed Strath Oykel Wind Farm. The move by ministers was made in the light of a new planning policy, National Planning Framework 4, agreed by the Scottish Parliament and set to be adopted at the start of . . .

  • WindEurope urges lawmakers to allow turbines closer to homes

    Updated: 2023-01-24 21:21:25
    The lower house of the Polish parliament, the Sejm, this week will vote on a government proposal to water down a damaging ‘10H’ distance rule for onshore wind, which since it came into effect in 2016 has excluded most of the country’s territory from new projects. Industry lobby WindEurope has called upon lawmakers to approve a proposal for a minimum distance between wind turbines and residential buildings of 500 metres, which is in line with other European countries. The currently . . .

  • Wind turbines taller than the Statue of Liberty are falling over

    Updated: 2023-01-23 20:36:35
    On a calm, sunny day last June, Mike Willey was feeding his cattle when he got a call from the local sheriff’s dispatcher. A motorist had reported that one of the huge turbines at a nearby wind farm had collapsed in dramatic fashion. Willey, chief of the volunteer fire department in Ames, 90 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, set out to survey the scene. The steel tower, which once stood hundreds of feet tall, was buckled in half, and the . . .

  • Onshore wind power projects face local opposition in northeast Japan

    Updated: 2023-01-23 14:02:33
    Several wind power plant construction projects in the Tohoku region are facing opposition from local mayors and residents concerned over potential damage to the environment. In the last several months alone, a number of projects have been scrapped in the face of strong opposition, though one particular project is moving ahead after the operator coordinated closely with locals. According to one expert, projects that are green-lighted have a common theme: Companies deal sincerely with the concerned local communities. On Dec. . . .

  • Humpback whale washes up at Assateague Island

    Updated: 2023-01-22 18:15:41
    A dead whale washed up on the shore at Assateague Island Monday morning. The 20-foot humpback whale was found Jan. 16 in the Maryland Oversand Vehicle Area. Assateague Island interpretation and education chief Liz Davis said it’s a fairly unusual occurrence. “That said, we do see a dead whale washed ashore every few years,” she said. There are no obvious signs of a cause of death at this time, said the National Park Service. A necropsy was planned for today . . .

  • Rep. Harris demands halt to windmill construction after whale washes up at Assateague

    Updated: 2023-01-22 18:13:14
    Maryland Congressman Andy Harris is calling for an immediate halt to offshore windmill construction and underwater geotechnical testing. Harris who represents most of Maryland’s Eastern Shore region made the demand after a dead whale washed ashore at Assateague Island Monday. Now in his seventh term in Congress, Harris argues there is no evidence suggesting that windmill construction did not cause the whale’s death. The lawmaker says he wants full transparent necropsy results. “I am also calling for a full and . . .

  • A week after nod, Neemuch wind power project withdrawn

    Updated: 2023-01-22 14:50:24
    A week after Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) mayor-in-council approved 15 MW wind power project in Neemuch, the proposal was withdrawn before being placed before the 85-member BMC council, here on Saturday. Also located in Neemuch some 425 km from Bhopal, status of two BMC solar power projects with a capacity of 10 MW is also in limbo. During the third council meeting since election, Bhopal mayor Malti Rai did not place the proposal for approval of the council. Later BMC officials said . . .

  • Wind turbine collapse in Dodge County under investigation

    Updated: 2023-01-22 14:47:39
    Dodge County, Wis. (CBS 58) – Neighbors in rural Dodge County woke up to quite the shock Thursday morning when a NextEra Energy Resources wind turbine collapsed in the middle of the night. While it isn’t clear what caused the incident at Butler Ridge Wind right now, neighbors nearby say it was quite a shock when this all happened Wednesday night, but not something that they’re overly concerned about. “We heard a really loud boom and thought maybe one of our . . .

  • Eastern WA lawmaker proposes law to limit ‘eyesore’ of blinking red wind turbine lights

    Updated: 2023-01-21 20:38:55
    Wind turbines would no longer be allowed have continuously blinking red lights at night under a bill proposed by new Washington state Rep. April Connors, R-Kennewick. Several states already require Aircraft Detection Lighting Systems for wind turbines that only turn lights on to alert low-flying airplanes as they draw near and then shut off when they have passed. The legislation, if approved, would apply to the Horse Heaven wind farm proposed for just south of the Tri-Cities along the Horse . . .

  • Live in Tri-Cities? Here’s how many wind turbines you might soon see from your house

    Updated: 2023-01-21 20:33:56
    “Too many turbines, too close to people” say three Kennewick area residents who crunched the numbers for the proposed Horse Heaven Clean Energy Center. Scout Clean Energy proposes two scenarios along the Horse Heaven Hills just south of Kennewick from Finley to Benton City: Up to 244 turbines up to 500 feet tall Up to 150 turbines up to 670 feet high “Benton County people are impacted disproportionately to every other county in the state, in the Northwest and even . . .

  • Mafia goes green

    Updated: 2023-01-21 16:01:19
    The Sicilian Mafia reckons it can recover from losing its Godfather by going green. Newly-promoted Dons are turning to environmentally-friendly schemes to make dough for their organised crime empire. Cops say despite the arrest of Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, 60, this week, the battle against Cosa Nostra is not over because it is earning billions of euros each year creating solar and wind farms. They are investing in renewable energy to make cash alongside their more traditional interests in . . .

  • Wind turbine plans turned down: would have ‘distracted from conservation area’

    Updated: 2023-01-21 15:52:37
    Plans for three 413-foot high wind turbines which would have “desecrated” the setting of a nearby south Pembrokeshire conservation area have been turned down. The Rhoscrowther Wind Farm Limited application for a three 4.3MW-turbine wind farm on land near Valero, to the east of Rhoscrowther was refused by The Welsh Government by Minister for Climate Change Julie James. It was said to have the potential to generate enough energy to power around 9,450 homes a year for some 35 years. . . .

  • Fight for no-wind position: Tablelands residents in battle to stop project

    Updated: 2023-01-21 15:46:26
    The fate of a controversial clean energy project on the Atherton Tablelands now hinges on federal approval after getting a green light from the state government, but a core group of concerned locals has not given up the fight. More than a thousand submissions have been made by residents protesting the proposed wind farm fringing a declared Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, 15km from Ravenshoe. Ark Energy, a subsidiary of Epuron, plans to build the Chalumbin Wind Farm which received . . .

  • Tax abatement for NextEra’s wind farm to come before the county Ben Shaffer

    Updated: 2023-01-21 15:22:29
    The tax abatement for NextEra’s wind farm is on the Midland County Commissioners’ Court agenda Monday. In November, county commissioners approved a reinvestment zone for the planned location of the wind farm, the first step toward granting a tax abatement, but the abatement discussion itself was postponed to a later date. NextEra is developing the facility, a 141-megawatt facility comprised of 47 3-megawatt turbines. They will be placed on surface acreage Pioneer owns on the Hutt ranch in southeast Midland County. . . .

  • ‘Cannot be financed and built’: Company behind big offshore wind energy appeals DPU approval

    Updated: 2023-01-21 15:17:06
    The developer behind the largest single offshore wind farm in the state’s pipeline on Thursday filed a formal notice of appeal to contest the Department of Public Utilities’ approval of contracts that the developer agreed to but says will no longer allow its project to be financed or built. The DPU last month determined that the contracts, which the wind developers and utility companies agreed to in May, “are in the public interest” and approved them over the developer’s objections. . . .

  • Wind farm utility causing onshore problems

    Updated: 2023-01-21 15:14:43
    New England has regional noise/vibration problems since the Block Island Wind Farm started. Indeed, one could note, regional wind turbines no longer typify “green energy.” In addition to air storage batteries being secretly installed on Beavertail in Jamestown to facilitate retention of unpredictable wind power, the regional power grid has been secretly raised to a higher power level to capture more irregular wind power for investors. However, that higher grid power has caused widespread environmental pressure, including water and sewer . . .

  • Éolienne : rassemblement contre le projet de Louin dans les Deux-Sèvres

    Updated: 2023-01-21 15:11:06
    Riverains, élus locaux et militants pour la protection de l’environnement étaient rassemblés ce 21 janvier pour dire non au projet d’installation de quatre nouvelles éoliennes à Louin. Selon eux, le département des Deux-Sèvres est déjà très largement doté en équipements de production d’énergie renouvelable. “Si on calcule le nombre d’éoliennes installées dans le nord des Deux-Sèvres et dans la Vienne, on arrive à 50% des éoliennes de la Nouvelle-Aquitaine, explique Monique Nolot, la maire de Louin. Pourquoi ces deux départements ? . . .

  • No de la Consejería de Medio Ambiente de Cantabria al parque eólico Quintanillas

    Updated: 2023-01-21 15:02:42
    El Boletín Oficial de Cantabria (BOC) ha publicado en su edición del 18 de enero la resolución de la Consejería de Desarrollo Rural, Ganadería, Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente por la que se formula declaración de impacto ambiental “desfavorable” para el proyecto Parque Eólico Quintanillas, de 27,5 megavatios, y sus infraestructuras de evacuación en el municipio de Valdeolea, promovido por Viesgo Renovables SL. La Dirección General de Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Cambio Climático entiende que este proyecto, a la vista . . .

  • La Policía busca al camionero que dañó una pala de aerogenerador, valorada en 250.000 euros

    Updated: 2023-01-21 14:56:51
    La policía alemana busca a un camionero que golpeó una carga de gran tamaño durante maniobras nocturnas en un estacionamiento. Al mismo tiempo, se debe liquidar una factura por los daños causados, por valor de unos 250.000. euros. El mencionado “tamaño” era el transporte de una pala para un aerogenerador. Las construcciones de este tipo no solo son impresionantes en longitud, sino también muy costosas, debido a que están hechas de polímeros especiales. Y aunque estos materiales combinan bajo peso . . .

  • ‘Absolutely crazy’: Wind turbine in Dodge County collapses

    Updated: 2023-01-21 14:26:27
    A neighbor tells WISN 12 News the impact shook their home. Dodge County, Wis. – Wednesday night the blades and top portion of a wind turbine came crashing down to the field below in a rural area of Dodge County, near the town of Herman. The impact scattered massive pieces of debris across the ground. Nobody was hurt. “The one that lives on top of the hill right there and the farm right behind us, they said that they both heard . . .

  • Tensions high on Port au Port Peninsula over wind-hydrogen megaproject

    Updated: 2023-01-20 15:23:42
    1st phase proposes 164 wind turbines in area the size of the City of St. John’s. Depending on who you talk to on the Port au Port Peninsula, the region is either on the brink of an economic transformation or walking an environmental tightrope. Forty-five per cent of residents in the area drew employment insurance in 2019. But a company formed just a few months ago, World Energy GH2, promises a revolutionary wind-hydrogen project it says will bring hundreds of . . .

  • Lorna Slater flees Holyrood chamber rather than face ‘evidence’ she misled Scottish Parliament

    Updated: 2023-01-19 20:23:45
    Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater has been accused of “fleeing” the Holyrood debating chamber during a point of order demanding to know why she “misled” parliament. The SNP/Green administration has come under increasing scrutiny for using inaccurate data over the course of a decade to oversell the prominence of renewable energy potential. There is a clear discrepancy between the dates at which Ms Slater and SNP’s energy minister Michael Matheson discovered Scotland did not have 25 per cent of Europe’s . . .

  • Amid scrutiny, PGE overhauls flagship wind farm to address safety and reliability problems

    Updated: 2023-01-18 14:21:10
    Portland General Electric plans to overhaul its flagship wind farm to address known maintenance problems and safety concerns exposed in an August investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive. The utility’s proposed fixes follow years of apparent inaction and come amid new scrutiny from state regulators who previously either ignored or did not recognize the scope of problems at the aging facility in the Columbia River Gorge. PGE temporarily shuttered its Biglow Canyon wind farm last year after a massive blade from one . . .

  • Community set to resist planned wind farm in Kilkenny

    Updated: 2023-01-18 14:12:22
    Locals opposed to a planned wind farm just a few kilometres outside of Kilkenny City are continuing their campaign to stop the development by EDF Renewables Ireland, which is wholly owned by the French energy giant, EDF Group. The community was out in force last Thursday evening at a public meeting, organised by the Save Our Hills group, at Johnswell Hall. Local auctioneer, Michael Boyd, who lives just under one kilometre from a proposed wind turbine, told the meeting that . . .

  • Windkraftanlage in Stieglund: 14 Tonnen schweres Rotorblatt abgerissen

    Updated: 2023-01-17 15:30:56
    [14-ton wind turbine blade broken off, demolished] In Stieglund, Kreis Schleswig-Flensburg, riss in der Nacht auf Montag ein Rotorblatt einer Windkraftanlage ab. Ob die Unfallursache auf den Sturm oder einen Produktionsfehler zurückzuführen sind, soll nun ein Gutachten klären.  [article available by subscription]

  • Study, amid groundswell of opposition, shelves idea of wind turbines in Lake Erie

    Updated: 2023-01-17 15:27:19
    Opponents of wind turbines in Lake Erie have put flyers in mailboxes from Lackawanna to Dunkirk and taken to social media to voice their concerns about the idea – work, that for now at least, has paid off. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has determined this isn’t the right time to put the turbines in Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. NYSERDA concluded the turbines would cost more than other renewable energy options, and wouldn’t offer a feasible contribution to . . .

  • Who pays the bill when renewable energy gets old?

    Updated: 2023-01-16 14:09:38
    Wandering about Essex and Kent counties you may be struck by the number of abundant wind turbines and even an aggregation of solar panels. These structures provide renewable energy. However, how much attention is being paid to end of life for the wind turbines and solar panels? Wind turbines are mechanical equipment and like any equipment will eventually wear out. Indeed, life expectancy of wind turbines is roughly 20 to 25 years. Solar panels have a longer estimated lifespan of . . .

  • Environmental alarm over new generation of 850ft ‘super’ wind turbines

    Updated: 2023-01-16 14:04:06
    Scotland’s wild landscape is set to be hit by hundreds of super-wind turbines being proposed across the country that are up to four times the height of the original schemes. The Herald on Sunday can reveal that there are at least 14 major wind farm proposals that have bypassed local authorities to go straight to the Scottish Government for consideration directly on account of their size with giant turbines ranging between 720 and 850 feet tall – the equivalent of over . . .

  • L’Assemblée nationale vote dans la confusion le projet de loi sur les énergies renouvelables

    Updated: 2023-01-15 19:17:14
    [Environmentalists abstain as Assembly votes to ‘accelerate’ renewable energies.] Décidément, rien n’est simple dans cette Assemblée nationale. C’est après trois heures de confusion, causée par un incident technique, lors du vote électronique dans l’Hémicycle, que les députés ont adopté – avec 286 pour et 238 voix contre –, mardi 10 janvier, le projet de loi d’accélération des énergies renouvelables. Craignant un scrutin serré, l’exécutif a pu compter sur les voix des députés du Parti socialiste (PS) et des élus du groupe . . .

  • Danish offshore company World Marine files for bankruptcy

    Updated: 2023-01-13 21:49:27
    Danish shipping company World Marine Offshore, which had been one of the pioneers in developing modern offshore services to support wind farms, filed for bankruptcy this week in Denmark. Reports are that the administrator appointed by the court is already working to attract buyers with the hopes of selling the company and its assets. Previously it had been reported several companies, including ones in the United States, had explored buying the troubled company. World Marine Offshore has gone through a . . .

  • Packed house attends Jefferson County zoning meeting on wind energy regulations

    Updated: 2023-01-13 21:41:34
    Fairbury – About 130 people attended a Jefferson County Planning and Zoning meeting Thursday night, as officials continue to discuss proposed wind energy regulations. NextEra Energy Resources wants permission to build a second wind farm in the county in the Jansen and Plymouth areas, with up to 90 wind turbines. Currently, Jefferson County has a moratorium on wind permits while regulations are finalized. Local attorney Greg Kratz says the goal is coming up with a set of regulations that are equitable . . .

  • Senator Polistina calls for suspension of all offshore wind development activity following multiple whale deaths

    Updated: 2023-01-13 19:56:09
    After six dead whales washed up on area beaches, Senator Vince Polistina (R-Atlantic) urged Governor Phil Murphy to order a suspension of all offshore wind development activities so that a full and proper investigation can be conducted to determine any connection between the deaths and ongoing work. “We should suspend all work related to offshore wind development until we can determine the cause of death of these whales, some of which are endangered,” Polistina stated. “The work related to offshore . . .

  • 7th dead whale washes up at Jersey Shore. Calls to stop offshore wind work grow.

    Updated: 2023-01-13 17:35:36
    The seventh dead whale in just over a month has washed up on the New York-New Jersey coastline, a local photographer and a climate group told NJ Advance Media on Friday. The humpback whale, the resident said, washed up at a beach in Brigantine. “This was at the far north end of Brigantine,” said Connie Pyatt, who noted that the whale was dead. The dead whale washed up just miles from where another whale was found in Atlantic City on . . .

  • Fears of wind farm ‘rift’ in Kilkenny

    Updated: 2023-01-12 13:56:18
    Two community meetings will take place in Kilkenny within the next seven days to discuss the potential impact of up to 10 planned wind turbines only kilometres northeast of Kilkenny City. EDF Renewables Ireland are spearheading the wind farm development in the Freneystown-Castlewarren area and are hoping to submit a planning application later this year. Locals opposed to the wind farm have been actively mobilising in recent years under the banner of the ‘Save Our Hills’ group. Save Our Hills . . .

  • County commissioners discuss wind energy taxes

    Updated: 2023-01-11 14:58:52
    The tug-of-war between counties in Wyoming that are home to wind turbines, the State Department of Revenue and independent energy producers over ad valorem taxes is back before the Legislature. Counties appear to have the power to win the fight. At stake is the amount of ad valorem taxes wind energy producers say they’ll contribute to a county’s tax base when they’re seeking permits and other concessions versus what they actually pay over a project’s lifetime. Carbon County Commissioner John . . .

  • Lawmakers to renew fight over offshore wind workers

    Updated: 2023-01-11 14:54:56
    A bipartisan duo of House lawmakers are vowing to take an offshore energy legislative brawl into the new year after getting snubbed in last year’s defense policy bill. The legislation from Louisiana Republican Garret Graves and California Democrat John Garamendi would close a loophole that allows energy developers – including offshore wind and oil and gas – to keep labor costs down by hiring cheaper non-U.S. workers to crew ships constructing turbines and oil rigs. “Those should be American jobs,” Garamendi said . . .

  • Wind turbines a ‘threat’ to endangered Scots birds of prey

    Updated: 2023-01-11 14:50:57
    Some 33 raptors, including ospreys, golden eagles and peregrine falcons, have been killed as a result of collisions with onshore wind turbines in Scotland since 2019. NatureScot, which compiles the records, confirmed the figures are not a “comprehensive record of bird collisions with wind turbines” and that collecting figures for offshore wind farms also provides “significant methodological challenges”. But Scottish Renewables says the Scottish Government’s NatureScot agency advises that well-sited wind farms have limited effects on birds. Two hen harriers . . .

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