Windaction News Issue: July 6, 2013
By Lisa Linowes -- July 6, 2013Windaction.org’s periodic newsletter keeps readers updated on the latest news in the wind energy industry!
facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy’s real impacts
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News
Deepwater Wind to bury transmission in Narragansett July 5
by Alex Kuffner in Providence Journal — Rhode Island
by Alex Kuffner in Providence Journal — Rhode Island
Owner withdraws wind turbine after opposition July 5
by Caleb M. Soptelean in Bigfork Eagle — Montana
Fairhaven Wind suggests shutting one turbine at night July 4
by Peggy Aulisio in South Coast Today — Massachusetts
Rural landscape ruined by wind turbines say locals July 4
by Lucy Barbour in ABC Rural — Australia / New Zealand
Hanover calls technicians from India to fix troubled turbine July 4
by Neal Simpson in The Patriot Ledger — Massachusetts
BLM advances major Wyo.-to-Nev. transmission July 3
by Scott Streater in E&E News — USA | Nevada| Wyoming
Residents demand demolition of ‘noisy’ school turbine July 3
by Miranda Newey in This is Lancashire — UK
Lanai’s Big Wind not needed to reach renewables goal July 3
by Duane Shimogawa in Pacific Business News — Hawaii
Offshore wind project on hold after battle over energy bill July 3
by Christopher Cousins and Whit Richardson in BDN — Maine
Wind farms touted as ‘green’ but have impact on birds July 2
by Dan Tilkin in KATU — USA| Oregon| Washington
Falmouth wind turbines under review July 2
by Sean F. Driscoll in Cape Cod Times — Filed under| Massachusetts
Confirmed: Lightning struck Scituate Wind turbine July 2
by Nancy White in Local Scituate — Filed under| Massachusetts
Sinovel Wind to Shut Four Overseas Subsidiaries July 2
by Chuin-Wei Yap in Wall Street Journal — Asia
Jousting over wind farm extends beyond court June 29
by Roger DuPuis in The Times Leader — Pennsylvania
Siemens to cut 1,700 jobs in energy operations: report June 29
by Marilyn Gerlach in Reuters — Germany
U.S. says Chinese wind turbine firm stole trade secrets June 28
by Charles Riley in CNN Money — Asia| USA| Massachusetts
Arkansas wind turbine plant to stop production June 28
by Chuck Bartels in Businessweek — USA| Arkansas
Zoning board to hear wind request: Tipton Co June 26
by Ken de la Bastide in Kokomo Tribune — Indiana
Wasatch Wind gets more time to start building wind farm June 26
by Laura Hancock in Casper Star-Tribune — Wyoming
Osage Nation takes cultural stand against eagle kill permit June 24
by Jarrel Wade in Tulsa World-Herald — Oklahoma
Minnesota regulators pull plug on a Goodhue wind farm June 20
by Josephine Marcotty in Star Tribune — Minnesota
County Supervisors sued for turbine-friendly approach June 19
by Dorian Hargrove in San Diego Reader — California
Opinions
Germany is indeed avoiding blackouts—by opening new coal- and gas-fired plants. Renewable electricity is proving so unreliable and chaotic that it is starting to undermine the stability of the European grid and provoke international incidents. The spiraling cost of the renewables surge has sparked a backlash, including government proposals to slash subsidies and deployment rates.
Nobody with a sense of fiscal responsibility could endorse the massive subsidies being lavished on wind power which, as we report, are being maintained despite the Government’s proclaimed culture of austerity. …the Government’s EU-prescribed goal of providing 20% of the country’s energy requirements from ”renewables” by 2020 does not look realistic or financially responsible.
McGuinty’s green-energy ‘vision’ begins to fade June 27
by Konrad Yakabuski in The Globe and Mail — Canada
With the bulk of Ontario’s baseload electricity capacity coming from emissions-free nuclear power, commissioning massive amounts of wind and solar energy at guaranteed sky-high rates was a dubious idea from the get-go. With energy surpluses galore, idling nuclear reactors so an overloaded electricity grid can accommodate intermittently produced renewable energy is costing Ontario dearly as it exports unneeded wind power at a fraction of what it pays for it.
Are renewable goals realistic? June 24
in EnergyBIZ — USA
If we managed to triple the rate of wind installations and solve the engineering, environmental, and legal problems associated with building out a supergrid and find about $3.6 trillion to pay for it all we could possibly have an economy driven by wind energy including during peak demand nights in the summertime. …My common sense assessment of this scenario is simple. It will not happen.
Proponents of RPS mandates like to talk about the green jobs “created,” but they fail to account for the private-sector losses that pay for these jobs. Regulations requiring that companies use higher-cost sources for electricity mean less money can be spent expanding business and employing talented workers.Bartlett boldly asserts that reforming the RPS mandate “will have serious, damaging consequences for Maine consumers and our environment.” His justification? None.
Documents
Ostrander Point Wind Project permit revoked: Decision July 3
by The Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal
The Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal has permitted the appeal of the Ostrander Point Wind Energy Project to proceed on the grounds that serious and irreversible harm to the natural environment will occur if the project is built. The permit granted by the Director of Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment was…
Appeal documents opposing Whistling Ridge wind facility July 2
by Gary K. Kahn, Nathan J. Baker, and J. Richard Aramburu
These appeal documents challenge decisions made by the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council and former WA Governor Christine O. Gregoire in approving the Whistling Ridge Energy Project, a 75 megawatt wind energy project proposed to be sited in Skamania County in the Columbia River Gorge. The appeal was…
Comments on Jacobson renewable energy future for New York May, 2013
by Nathaniel Gilbraith, Paulina Jaramillo, Fan Tong, and Felipe Faria
This paper provides a pointed critique of a earlier study which concluded the State of New York could be powered entirely on renewable energy. The authors argue that the analysis performed to show renewables could power NYS was insufficient and failed to consider the economic, technical and social barriers to…
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