Wind Watch: Industrial Wind Energy News
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Wind farm blocked in Sumner County
A Sumner County judge has blocked the development of a controversial wind farm northwest of Wellington, to the relief of many county residents. The company Invenergy received a conditional use permit and rezoning approval from the Sumner County Commission to put in their Argyle Creek Wind Project. They wanted to erect 60 wind turbines, which would have generated 150 megawatts of electricity once the wind farm was running by the end of 2018. An attorney for a group of landowners . . .
Sandhills landowners vow to fight for rights
Dan Welch raises cattle and horses in the Sandhills. He came to Lincoln Friday, along with a slew of other folks from the area, to tell the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee how he’s doing. “Well, this summer we had a drought, the hay crop’s about half, we fought three range fires, cattle market’s depressed, taxes are going out the roof,” he told senators. Add to that, the Sandhills are being invaded from the south by electric transmission lines and from . . .
Wind farms in Ohio pit environmentalists against neighbors tired of noise, view
PAYNE, Ohio – From the ground, the narrow aluminum ladder might as well extend to infinity. Actual height: 290 feet. A Dispatch videographer straps on a protective harness, hard hat and safety glasses, joined by two employees of the farm’s operator, EDP Renewables. They are about to climb inside one of 55 wind turbines at Timber Road II wind farm in Paulding County. The first steps are easy, even with 10 pounds of cameras and other gear. Just resist the urge . . .
Parishville man will stay on state siting board, despite wind developer’s motion to remove him
PARISHVILLE – A Parishville man will get to stay on the New York Siting Board on Electronic Siting and the Environment following a motion by a wind developer to have him removed for what they say was a conflict of interest. Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess mailed a letter to Gary Snell Sr. stating that the siting board had no authority to disqualify or remove Snell from the board. “She said I can stay on the board unless I decide to recuse . . .
Kirkby Moor windfarm row splits Ulverston Town Council
A plea to think of future generations and continue to invest in renewable energy was made at a meeting of Ulverston Town Council. On Monday councillors were split over a proposal to extend the lifespan of the Kirkby Moor wind turbines. Permission for the windfarm to operate expires in 2018 which has prompted an application to run them for another 10 years. Ulverston Town Council, which is an advisory body to South Lakeland District Council, in planning matters had a . . .
Wind energy and public power ownership bring out strong opinions at State Capitol
LINCOLN – Increasingly price-competitive electricity from wind and a contentious transmission project in western Nebraska brought electricity to the fore at the Capitol on Friday. In between a morning briefing marked by vehement anti-wind sentiment and an afternoon hearing for a study on public power ordered by the Nebraska Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee, opponents on the Capitol steps protested wind farms and a 225-mile electric transmission project planned to traverse the Sand Hills. “There are harsh feelings among senators” who support . . .
Judge blocks development of controversial wind farm
A Sumner County judge has blocked the development of a controversial wind farm northwest of Wellington. An attorney for a group of landowners says he learned of the ruling late Thursday. He explains the District Court judge ruled the paperwork for the wind farm was improperly copied from a similar proposal developed last year. A lawsuit to stop the Argyle Creek Wind Project was filed against Sumner County in January. The ruling prevents the county from making an initial payment . . .
Brown County hosts special meeting on wind turbine health effects
Dr. Coussons – Robert Rand – Dr. McCunney – Mark Werner – Presentations and Q & A Shirley Wind (Brown County, WI) has received global attention following the October 14, 2014 declaration by the Brown County Board of Health that Duke Energy’s eight 2.5 MW wind turbines are a human health hazard– a declaration that has not been rescinded. In an ongoing effort to gain further understanding of the issue of wind turbine adverse health effects, a joint meeting of the . . .
Does this activist have the power to keep a wind farm out of his town?
An energy developer with plans to build a big wind farm in rural St. Lawrence County recently got a surprise. Avangrid Renewables is getting ready to submit an application to build the North Ridge Wind Farm, with up to 40 turbines in Hopkinton and Parishville. The towns are deeply divided, but the final decision was supposed to rest with a state siting board. This summer, the state announced that an anti-wind activist from Parishville will get to sit on that . . .
Wind turbines don’t make good neighbors
Two wind turbines were put up in the town where I live in close financial collaboration with the state. The neighbors only found out when the land was cleared on Veterans Day 2011. At that time the project was so far advanced that there was little the neighbors could do to stop it, although we tried very hard. After the giant blades (total turbine height is 394 feet) began to spin, the turbine neighbors turned to the state Department of . . .
