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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Two hundred fifty people and many media representatives came to the Cape Vincent recreation hall, tonight, (Tuesday)  to observe a special meeting of the Cape Vincent Town Board which was called to address the New York State Attorney General's recently announced investigation of "certain Cape Vincent public officials."

Supervisor, Urban Hirschey and Councilors Brooks Bragdon and Donald Mason were in attendance. Mason is listed on the wind developer Acciona's website as having a financial conflict of interest. Councilors Marty Mason, who is also listed as having a financial conflict of interest and Mickey Orvis, were absent. As the meeting began, Supervisor Hirschey said, "We must think positively and limit divisiveness in our discussion". Mark Gebo, Town Attorney, said the public integrity bureau has receive complaints and they are requesting documents for January 2005 forward that pertain to wind development. Including zoning board records regarding the placement of a private wind town.

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August 18, 2010

State Sen. George Maziarz of Niagara County, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, has filed a Freedom of Information request with the New York Power Authority for copies of offshore wind energy proposals. The authority is reviewing five private-sector proposals to construct huge wind turbines in Lake Ontario or Lake Erie. The agency won't make public any information about the proposals, which have stirred controversy in shoreline communities. Maziarz's open-records request mirrors one filed in June by the Democrat and Chronicle for documents related to the controversial wind-farm proposal. The Power Authority denied that request, but now is four weeks overdue in answering an appeal of that denial.

Noise Controversy Over Vinalhaven Wind Turbines Amps Up

August 12, 2010
Vinalhaven sits 15 miles off the coast and just over an hour's ferry ride from Rockland, but it has an old-fashioned sense of community rare on the mainland these days. Every driver waves as they pass and it's common for an islander to leave the keys in the truck in case anyone needs to borrow it. It was with that sense of community that the islanders welcomed the three wind turbines to Vinalhaven last year. Not only did the turbines promise reliable electrical service, which was something long-term residents did not take for granted, but wind power would lower electric rates for everyone. Islanders turned out in strength last November to see the turbines started up, watch the 123-foot-long blades sweep the air and watch grade-school children do a windmill dance to the tune of "I'm a Little Tea-Pot."

August 18, 2010

LEWES — Since its blades first started spinning June 11, the University of Delaware’s wind turbine has become a city landmark and is already providing some clean power to campus facilities. However, for some residents, the structure’s majesty is overshadowed by its noise. Janice Pinto, who lives on Rodney Avenue, compares the sound to “a jet engine that won’t land. Neighbors are awakened … I’m concerned,” she said. “I think environmental government controls need to protect citizenry from noise pollution.”

August 16, 2010
via North American Platform Against Windpower (NA-PAW)

Having applied for the permission to erect 10 gigantic wind turbines near the little town of Färingtofta in Northern Scania, the world’s second largest energy conglomerate has taken the first step in a process that will ultimately cause the destruction of much of what people like so much about Sweden: its quiet, undisturbed forests and rural landscapes. E.ON’s machines, reaching 180 meters in the sky, will stand out well above the tree line, creating a visual pollution for many miles around and disturb the nearby habitations with noise, sounds, shadow flickers and flashing lights. At Färingtofta E.ON seeks to put to test the legal noise limit, which in Sweden is 40 dBA for the nearest habitations. A concerned resident telephoned Henrik Malmberg, E.ON’s group manager for wind power planning in the Nordic countries. He was told: “we are fully aware that they will create disturbances. However, we want to test if the disturbances are within the legal limits.”

August 17, 2010

Fairfield — Flatbed trucks carrying sections of massive wind turbines have been spotted in recent days along local roadways, making their way to the towns of Fairfield and Norway where a wind farm is now starting to take shape.
And officials with the state Department of Transportation and international energy company behind the project, Iberdrola Renewables, answered questions from The Telegram on everything from transporting oversized turbines to a timetable for project completion.
Here is the wind farm project by the numbers:

August 18, 2010

Wind farms in the South West are only generating around a fifth of the electricity they are capable of, according to official figures from the energy regulator.

Statistics from every major wind farm in Britain show that more than half are operating at less than 25 per cent capacity. In England, the figure rises to 70 per cent of onshore developments. Industry experts believe generous subsidies mean that turbines are being erected on sites which are simply not productive enough. The worst performing wind farm in the country is in Blyth Harbour in Northumberland, where the nine turbines lining the East Pier reached just 4.9 per cent of its 2.7MW capacity. There are eight operational wind farms in Cornwall and one in Devon. The Bears Down site, near Padstow, operated at 23.9 per cent over 12 months with Delabole, in North Cornwall, at 22.8 per cent. St Breock, near Wadebridge, recorded a figure of 21.76 per cent while Cold Northcott, near Launceston, generated 20 per cent of its 6.8MW capacity. Four Burrows wind farm, near Truro, was the worst performing at 19.5 per cent. No figures were provided for the other sites.

August 11, 2010

COLUMBUS — If the Nebraska landscape was covered with wind farms, the energy produced would not sustain the state’s energy needs, according to Ron Asche during a presentation Tuesday to the Columbus Noon Rotary. Providing Nebraska Public Power District’s (NPPD) position on energy generated from wind, Asche, NPPD president and CEO, highlighted reasons wind energy may provide supplemental support, but it will never become a primary source for generation. “Look outside, there is not a lot of wind. You can guess where this is going,” Asche said to the crowd of about 50 people. “There are high loads on the system today, but no wind,” he said. “Wind is not a very stable generation facility” as wind speeds and patterns can vary significantly from hour to hour and day to day, affecting energy production.