garetpaquette: Windaction News Issue: July 6, 2013

Windaction.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

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

Italian mafia wind farm investments launder money’ July 4
by Jill Reilly in The Daily Mail – Europe

These problems are blowing in the wind July 4
by Priyam Bagga in Pune Mirror – Asia

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

Turtle wins the day in wind fight July 4
by Bruce Bell in The Intelligencer – Canada

BLM advances major Wyo.-to-Nev. transmission July 3
by Scott Streater in E&E News – USA | Nevada| Wyoming

Iroquois board considers increasing turbine setbacks July 3
in Paxton Record – Illinois

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

New Hampshire residents have mixed feelings on wind farms July 3
in WMUR TV 9 – New Hampshire

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

Siemens chief of wind power steps down July 2
by Catherine Green in Los Angeles Times — | USA

Sinovel Wind to Shut Four Overseas Subsidiaries July 2
by Chuin-Wei Yap in Wall Street Journal – Asia

Sinovel facing lawsuit from investors June 30
by Wang Xinyuan in Global Times

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

Twitchers see rare bird killed by wind turbine June 27
by Melanie Hall in The Telegraph – UK

Call for study into impact of wind farms on tourism June 27
by David Black in The Journal – | UK

Fighting for ancestral rights June 26
by Braulio Villanueva Fajardo in Slow Food – Mexico

Zoning board to hear wind request: Tipton Co June 26
by Ken de la Bastide in Kokomo Tribune – Indiana

Ban on turbines for wild land gets ‘overwhelming’ support June 26
by Nick Drainey in The Times – UK

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

Wind developer abandons Ellis County project June 24
in Hays Post – Kansas

Spanish downturn a disaster for green energy June 23
by Katell Aviven in Phys Org – Europe

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

Connecticut law exposes Vermont’s duplicity on RECs June 18
by Jon Margolis in VT Digger – Vermont

GMP wants permit to kill endangered bats June 17
by John Dillon in Vermont Public Radio – Vermont

PUC and judge differ on SoCal Edison transmission June 12
by Molly Peterson in KPCC – California

Opinions

Green Energy Bust in Germany July, 2013
in Dissent Magazine – Germany

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.

Britain can’t afford to throw money at wind power June 30
in The Telegraph — UK

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.

The cost of requiring more renewable power June 18
in Bangor Daily News – Maine

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…