National Wind Watch: News Watch

A request for councillors to decide on the fate of a wind farm planning application has been denied. Councillors Jean McClung, Tony Gurney and Jim Montgomerie wanted the full planning committee to determine the Sorbie Farm application instead of council officers. Councillor McClung said: “North Ayrshire Council declared a climate emergency which means we really do have to reduce carbon substantially. “One of the way to do this is to have more renewable energy produced in a safe, clean way. . . .

An ocean wind farm project that could power more than a half a million New Jersey homes, create thousands of jobs and bolster the state’s use of renewable energy will be discussed at a town hall meeting Saturday, Feb 8 in Ocean City. The public meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ocean City Tabernacle, 550 Wesley Ave. The wind farm company, Orsted, will have representatives and consultants on hand to answer questions about the project. . . .

The Lincoln Land Wind Project sent a proposed wind turbine structure on January 27th to the FAA. The structure is proposed to be cited south of Alexander and the structure is proposed to be 791 feet tall, well outside of the range of the 660-foot limit by the Morgan County WECS ordinance. Lincoln Land Wind has yet to ask for their permits from the Morgan County Zoning Board of Appeals, which was established in early January after some lengthy debates . . .

A planning inspector has rejected an appeal to build a wind turbine in Devon after the applicant held a consultation “down the pub”. Plans for the 15-metre high turbine at Eastlake Farm in Dolton, near Winkleigh, were originally submitted by Simon Paine back in December 2018. 38 people objected to the plans citing visual impact, a lack of economic benefit for the area and a ‘conflict’ with the local plan as their reasons. The application was refused by Torridge District . . .

DECORAH – The Winneshiek County Zoning Commission invites all county residents interested in renewable wind and solar energy to two public meetings at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 (solar) and at 8 p.m. March 10 (wind) at the courthouse annex. Both meetings will give the public the opportunity to share concerns, suggestions and ideas for how the county should proceed to write regulations that will benefit solar energy and wind energy generation while protecting the health, safety and welfare of county residents. . . .

The people of occupied Syrian Golan on Sunday staged a general strike in the protest of the aggressive and expansionary Israeli practices and measures against the Golanese, the last of which is setting up “wind turbines” on their agricultural lands and confiscating their properties by force. The strike comes after a meeting held by the religious figures and dignitaries from the Golan in Majdal Chams town on Saturday. In a statement to SANA reporter in Quneitra, the people of the . . .

A new wind energy power plant south of Winslow will be built on the border of Coconino County and Navajo County, and is vying to be a part of the state’s transition into a clean energy future. The 477-megawatt Chevelon Butte Wind Farm is proposed by sPower, a Utah-based company, and could build turbines that will be some of the largest structures in the state. The wind farm would join three other wind farms in Arizona, two of which are . . .

SCOTTVILLE – Apex Clean Energy, the company orchestrating the Lincoln Land Wind Project in eastern Morgan County, is looking at areas near Modesto, Scottville and Virden in Macoupin County for another wind farm project. Landowners in those areas recently received notice about an open house in February that will introduce plans for a 200 megawatt wind development plan called the Lotus Wind Project. The project calls for up to 80 turbines along the northern Macoupin County line. Max Jabrixio, a representative . . .

MONTPELIER – In testimony given to lawmakers Thursday at the Statehouse, representatives of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department said the 30-megawatt, 15-turbine Deerfield Wind Farm on Green Mountain National Forest land has affected the habitat of black bears in that region. That message, offered to House Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, was a portion of hearings regarding a rewrite of Act 250, Vermont’s land use law that was designed to keep the state rural and environmentally friendly, but . . .

LITTLE VALLEY – A proposed wind law change in the Town of Farmersville was given the green light from the Cattaraugus County Planning Board Thursday. Planning Board members voted unanimously to approve the Farmersville Wind Facilities Law after making a few minor recommendations for changes in wording. Board members Robert Keis Sr., also expressed concerns about the Farmersville Town Board’s proposal to consider all Amish homes as churches. “A town cannot arbitrarily declare private property a church,” said Keis, the longtime . . .

Justin Helland, one of the local residents who spoke against the project, expressed frustration at having to limit his comments to the application before council. At the beginning of the discussion, Reeve Jason Schneider had asked those sitting in the council chambers public gallery to limit their comments to the application, as five members of council who heard the application sit on the County’s Municipal Planning Commission, which will hear ABO’s application on the wind farm itself, and another council sits on a board that would hear any appeal of the MPC’s decision. Discussions on the wind farm itself could disqualify councillors from being involved in those decisions, Schneider warned. “I think everyone can agreed that the powerline is used to serve the project,” said Helland. “That’s a fact. So I don’t think it’s out of place to talk about the effects of the project.” The Lomond-area community is willing to fight “anything that enables the proposed wind farm,” he said. “And this powerline does that,” said Helland.

Wittstock. Windräder sollten stürmisches Wetter eigentlich aushalten können – doch in Klein Haßlow war dies offenbar nicht der Fall: Ein riesiger Knall hat am Freitagmorgen die Bewohner des kleinen Ortes bei Wittstock/Dosse nahe der Müritz-Region am Morgen aufgeschreckt. Teile flogen bis zu 200 Meter weit Was wie ein schweres Gewitter oder das Einstürzen eines Hauses klang, war der obere Teil einer etwa 100 Meter hohen Windkraftanlage, der plötzlich abriss und zu Boden stürzte. Große Trümmerteile, darunter auch die Rotorblätter lagen . . .

West Waterford community groups fighting against windfarm developments in their area have slammed recommendations which would mean shorter setback distances. The proposals are contained in a Draft Revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines document, which invites submissions aimed at upgrading the much-criticised present 2006 guidelines. Wind farm guidelines are particularly pertinent to Waterford Council as it sets about formatting a new county development plan. The west of the county presently has 43 turbines above 150 ft high planned for the region. . . .

Up to 60 people attended a recent meeting in Mountmellick Arts Centre to voice their objections to a proposed wind farm near the town. Norwegian power company Statkraft Ireland Ltd plans to erect eight 185-meter high wind turbines, a sub-power station and a 110-metre high meteorological mast in the townlands of Dernacart and Forest Upper. The initial planning application was deemed to be incomplete by Laois County Council. The meeting in Mountmellick heard concerns about the height of the turbines, . . .

A High Court judge has warned a father and son they face being jailed and having their machinery seized if they persist in obstructing an access route being used by the developers of a Co Donegal windfarm. Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds said she had run out of patience with Joseph McGonigle and his son Seosamh McGonigle whom it is claimed have prevented parties involved in the construction of a windfarm Glackmore in Co Donegal from accessing the site. Late last . . .

Bourbon County Commissioners continue to hear concerns from residents on a proposed wind energy project. During the commission’s Tuesday meeting, four residents spoke about the proposed Jayhawk Wind project for Bourbon and Crawford counties, which is being developed by Apex Clean Energy. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

GREENFIELD, Iowa – While continuing the conversation over a public outcry southwest of Des Moines, KCCI’s Tommie Clark speaks to people who believe wind turbines are hurting their health and others who don’t agree with that claim. “You get up every day. You go to work with it every day. I mean the silence is gone, and it’s forever gone. Yeah, it’s gone,” said Tanya and Mike Lamb, of Greenfield. The Lambs live 500 feet down from a wind turbine and . . .

A recent editorial in The Missouri Times referred to the Grain Belt Express Transmission Line as an “Investment in Missouri,” citing the creation of 1,500 jobs and the promise of low cost electricity. When the Grain Belt Express was first proposed, the Missouri Public Service Commission turned down the project because there were not enough perceived benefits to Missouri. In the second proposal, the private company proposing the project, added an off ramp for some power in eastern Missouri and . . .

Residents in Mountmellick are being urged to back a rural community 4km away on the Laois Offaly border who do not want a wind farm in their midst. Dernacart windfarm by Norwegian multinational energy company Statkraft is proposed to have eight turbines 185 metres tall on locally owned farmland in Upper and Lower Forest near the Mountmellick to Tullamore road. Some 60 people attended a public meeting in Mountmellick’s Balcony theatre on Monday January 20 held by Mountmellick Wind Turbine . . .

Some of Australia’s biggest wind farms face delays in bringing their full capacity into the national power market, pushing out further wholesale price relief amid a slowdown in renewable projects connecting to the grid. The only four wind farms that began operations last year were still progressing through the ­“energising” and commissioning phases of start-up, in a slower process than many in the market ­expected, consultancy ITK Services said. That means a large volume of energy will be delivered to . . .