Flaming wind turbine alert! Grab a chair and bring along some marshmallows.

Posted on October 11, 2011 by morgan

In an earlier post we discussed our concern for the “Just let them burn and they will eventually burn out” fire fighting technique offered by the developer of the wind project high on the Allegheny Front in Mineral County, West Virgina.  Surely this can’t be the only emergency response available, we thought!

Well, our friends at Wind Concerns Ontario convinced us with a post today that we’re not the only ones scratching our heads.  According to WCO, the Norfolk Fire & Rescue has a plan in case a wind turbine catches fire, one that does not involve extinguishing the flames. Rather, the plan is to move in, establish a perimeter and allow the fire to burn itself out.

It’s amazing when you think that the international emergency plan for multiple 400 foot tall, 300 foot diameter spinning sparklers is nothing more than “bring your own marshmallows and gather around.”

Oh, I don’t fault the firefighters.  What else can they do?  The fire is out of reach for any equipment they might have available and we certainly don’t want them risking their lives simply to save equipment.

At least the Norfolk Fire and Rescue group has a plan to establish a perimeter.  I’m not sure we’ve even gotten that far here in West Virginia with the Edison Mission folks, and our turbines are scheduled to fire up … oops … start up on December 31, 2011.

Don’t get me wrong … our West Virginia firefighters are second to none, but it’s a long and winding road up to the turbines at Pinnacle, and they’re nestled in the middle of a forest.  I’m frankly concerned that if a turbine fire occurred on a dry and windy night, the fire perimeter might actually establish itself … at the bottom of the mountain.

It’s not impossible to imagine that scenario if you consider what happened recently in Texas on flat land with easy access.  It took a rapid response with eight trucks to contain the fire to about 2 acres.

As the WCO article and our review of this Fire Engineering article points out, “there is a surprising amount of combustible material on top of these towers.”  Calling it a definite “high hazard zone,” due to the potential dangers of falling combustibles and turbines blades constructed of “balsa wood wrapped in fibreglass,” John Verboom, a community safety officer with Norfolk Fire & Rescue recommends no one “get within half a kilometre of them.”

I would suggest that a safer distance, even if the expensive, unreliable and inefficient clunkers aren’t lighting up the sky, might be … say 24,901.55 miles miles.  Yep, that should do it!

Posted in Allegheny Mountains, industrial wind failure, Mineral County WV, Wind Concerns Ontario | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Confused in West Virginia

Posted on October 6, 2011 by morgan

Two years ago, when David Friend, CEO of US WindForce LLC testified before the WV Public Service Commission, he was asked to describe Edison’s relationship with the Pinnacle wind project currently under construction on the Allegheny Front above Keyser, West Virginia.  Mr. Friend told the Commissioner, “I get confused sometimes. There’s an Edison Mission Group and Edison Mission Energy, and there’s a little bit of synonymous use of the two names.”

Well, welcome to my world.  I’m still trying to figure out who is who … or is that who is whom … whom is who – oh, whatever!

And I’ve got to tell you, a recent filing before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission didn’t do anything to clear up my confusion.  I found plenty of organizations on the Edison family tree, but not a mention of US WindForce LLC anywhere in the formal document submitted to the Federal Government.  Take a look … maybe I missed something:

If you found US WindForce LLC on the list, please let me know and read no further.  Thanks!

If you confirmed that US WindForce LLC isn’t among the many companies in the FERC application, maybe you can help me.  If you can confirm that Pinnacle Wind LLC is the same entity as Pinnacle Wind Force LLC, that would help too!  I hate to assume, although it seems the Lawyers and Regulators don’t seem to mind.

According to a published report at Interstate Acquisition Services, at least on 1/10/2011, Pinnacle Wind Force LLC was owned by Mr. Friend’s US WindForce LLC.  (Just to be clear, this is not the same name as the Pinnacle Wind LLC listed in the FERC submission – but I suppose, with all these LLCs floating around, it’s possible the Attorneys were confused as well.)  Anyway, take a look at this from the IAS article: The West Virginia Public Service Commission granted a Siting Certificate to Pinnacle Wind Force, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Wind Force, LLC, for the construction and operation of the proposed wind power project known as “Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage”.  IAS goes on to describe the project as, “located along a 3.5-mile section of Green Mountain, southwest of Keyser in Mineral County, West Virginia,” so that would confirm it’s the same Pinnacle project Mr. Friend was asked about in the WVPSC hearing.

I was a little surprised that the formal request to FERC by representatives of Pinnacle Wind LLC, did not include even a mention of US WindForce LLC, especially since the document goes to great length to list every possible company connected to the Pinnacle project.

So, where exactly does US WindForce LLC fit into the Pinnacle mix and, if it doesn’t, should US WindForce LLC still be speaking for the project?  One might assume that, since US WindForce LLC owns, or did own, Pinnacle Wind Force LLC (if that’s the same entity listed in the FERC submission as Pinnacle Wind LLC), the principles of US WindForce LLC might actually be on the organizational chart for both LLCs.  If it’s as simple as that, wouldn’t it be helpful if these folks would clarify that they actually are speaking as authorized representatives of what appears to be the real entity, Pinnacle Wind LLC.

Then again, scuttlebutt around here was that US WindForce LLC was going to sell the farm, so to speak.  We were led to believe the Edison Mission Group would purchase.  If that did happen, I suppose I missed it.  Wouldn’t be the first thing!

In any case, I think it would be nice to know the specific entity responsible to fulfill the promises and agreements made to our community by US WindForce.  You know … which of the many Edison entities listed on the FERC application will be cutting the checks to the community?  I think this is a fair question to clear up confusion since, while not noted in the FERC application, US WindForce LLC apparently continues to speak for the project.

For example, if you read articles such as the one on September 6, 2011, you might think US WindForce LLC is still in charge.  David Friend, identified as CEO of US WindForce LLC, is quoted as saying that, as a result of the Pinnacle wind farm being constructed in Mineral County West Virginia, “the county will collect an estimated $433,000 in annual average property taxes, as well as additional taxes to local, state and federal entities.”  Another article from September 18, 2011, Mr. Jim Cookman, president of U.S. WindForce was quoted in the local “Just let them burn and they will eventually burn out” article discussing specifics about the Pinnacle project.  (We covered the incredibly innovative firefighting technique discussed in the same article – here and here.)

Now it could be that the US WindForce LLC folks don’t want to confuse us by suddenly speaking as Pinnacle Wind LLC.  Or, maybe they are speaking out of turn.  I don’t know.

Here’s what I do know.  Experience has shown that many communities were blindsided when project owners successfully negotiated tax rate reductions.  The monies dangled in the approval stage didn’t materialize in reality.  Whether it is the simple threat of “have to take our business elsewhere” or the wind business classic, “if taxes weren’t so high we could build more wind projects, and that would allow us to consider a manufacturing facility in your community,” the ultimate result is … elected officials knees will buckle and tax rates will fall.  Oh no … not yours Mr. and Mrs. Average Citizen, the tax reductions will be industry specific.

And let’s face it, the wind business is … well … a business, and there’s no reason to believe the owners of the Pinnacle wind project, whoever they may be, won’t go after tax relief unless, of course, our elected officials got a commitment otherwise.  But, lacking that agreement, why shouldn’t the owners go for reductions?  Heck, it’s their job to drive down costs and improve profits.  After all, in spite of what the wind lobby would like you to believe, they’re not a charity or a non-profit organization.  As one wind industry leader famously said, “This is all about making money!”

And, speaking of getting handouts making money, I wouldn’t even be surprised if the Pinnacle folks aren’t lined up at the Federal feeding frenzy, aka – the Renewable Energy Grant program, where they could stand to pocket some $40,000,000.00 of your money simply by constructing the Pinnacle turbine project.  Oh … in case you missed that … the Federal Renewable Energy Grant program provides that qualified renewable projects which begin construction in 2011 will receive 30% of the project cost from taxpayers.  If my math is right, that would mean the owners of Pinnacle could walk away with around $40,000,000.00 of your hard earned tax dollars.  Oh … and that’s not where the subsidies end, by the way.

But I have no way to know if the Pinnacle owners are signed up for the 1603 Grant, but wouldn’t they be crazy not to latch onto that bundle?  Oh, there are clues, if you think maybe that’s the reason for the project completion deadline discussed in a recent news article.  You see, completing the project by December 31, 2011 eliminates a lot of messy paperwork the Federal Government requires of companies who don’t finish their project by the end of this year.  Of course there could be other reasons for the December 31 deadline.  There’s the … uh … hmm!  Oh wait, what about … nah!  Any ideas?

Besides, the WVPSC would surely know all about the grant application if it existed, don’t you think?  After all, as I recall, that was a requirement in the siting permit granted by the WVPSC.  How did they phrase that requirement?  Oh, yes:  “In the Application, Pinnacle indicated that the federal government is considering programs that could provide funding to foster the development of renewable energy projects, Pinnacle might seek funding under the program, and if it does so, Pinnacle will promptly make any disclosures required by the Commission’s Siting Rules. It is reasonable to require Pinnacle to advise the Commission if it receives any public funding for the project so that the Commission can reopen this proceeding and perform the Part Two analysis that W. Va. Code 5 24-2- 1 1 c requires.”

That was pretty specific.  And boy, you know what sticklers the WVPSC is about complying to their orders … they won’t let this one slip by … guaranteed!  And, in any case, the Federal Government publishes everything you want to know about that hand-out scheme, so we’ll keep you posted.

Anyway, recognizing that we are dealing with a business structure which includes easily dissolved LLCs, I admit I’m more than a little concerned about relying on the $433,000 annual revenue touted by Mr. Friend.  In fact, I wrote an open letter to our elected officials who so ardently supported the Pinnacle project and asked this question, among others, “Regarding the issue of tax revenue … do you have assurance that the new and future owners will not appeal the current tax rate assessment seeking to reduce their obligation?”  I haven’t heard a thing since.

Then I got to thinking.  Maybe they just don’t know who to ask.

I sure don’t … I’m too confused.

Why, you ask?  You obviously didn’t you read the FERC application I provided, did you?  Let me help you with this summary:

Pinnacle Wind (Seller) is a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware.

  • Pinnacle Wind (Seller) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mission Wind Pinnacle, Inc.
  • “Mission Wind Pinnacle” is an indirect subsidiary of Edison Mission Energy (“EME”).
  • EME is an indirect subsidiary of Edison Mission Group Inc.
  • Edison Mission Group is wholly-owned by Edison International, which also is the ultimate parent company of Southern California Edison Company (“SCE”), a public utility with a franchised service territory in Southern California.

Pinnacle Wind (Seller)  is affiliated with the following entities:

  • American Bituminous Power Partners, L.P. (“American Bituminous”), the owner and operator of an 80 MW (nameplate) waste coal facility located in Grant Town, West Virginia.3
  • EME Homer City Generation, L.P. (“Homer City”), an EWG4 which leases and operates a generating facility consisting of three coal-fired generating units with a combined nameplate capacity of 1,884 MW, located in Indiana County, Pennsylvania
  • Forward WindPower, LLC (“Forward Wind”), an EWG6 that owns a 29.4 MW (nameplate) wind-powered generating facility located in Somerset County, Pennsylvania
  • Lookout WindPower, LLC (“Lookout Wind”), an EWG8 that owns a 37.8 MW (nameplate) wind-powered generating facility located in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
  • Midwest Generation, LLC (“Midwest Gen”), an EWG10 that owns approximately 5,777 MW (nameplate) of generation formerly owned by Commonwealth Edison Company.
  • Big Sky Wind, LLC (“Big Sky Wind”), an EWG12 that owns and operates a 240 MW windpowered generation facility located in Illinois in PJM.

In addition, Pinnacle Wind (Seller) is affiliated with the following power marketers:

  • Edison Mission Marketing & Trading, Inc. (“EMMT”) is a power marketer that holds contractual rights to uncommitted energy from the generation facilities of Homer City, Midwest Gen, Lookout Wind, Big Sky Wind, and Forward Wind. EMMT does not own or control any other generation capacity.
  • Edison Mission Solutions, LLC is a power marketer that does not own or control any generation capacity.
  • CL Power Sales Eight, LLC, CP Power Sales Seventeen, LLC, CP Power Sales Nineteen, LLC, and CP Power Sales Twenty, LLC (collectively, “CP Power Sales Entities”) are power marketers that do not own or control any generation capacity.
Posted in Allegheny Mountains, Alternative Energy, Energy Subsidies, Industrial Wind and Local Governments, Industrial Wind Taxes, Mineral County WV, Pinnacle Wind Force LLC, US WindForce, WV PSC Hearing - Pinnacle Knob | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

It’s BAAAAAAAAAAACK!

Posted on October 5, 2011 by morgan

If there’s an award given for the most intellectually insulting commercial, this gem from Emerson would certainly be in the running.

I posted the video some time ago and hadn’t seen it on TV for a while.  I thought perhaps the folks at Emerson realized how ludicrous it is to show plants thriving, on coal no less, as a result of their efforts to reduce the amount of CO2 in the air.

Nope!  There it was again this morning, proving that companies like Emerson aren’t going to let a little science get in the way of emotional hype.  Green sells, don’t you know … no matter how silly the premise.

Come on, Emerson!  It’s not like the ongoing Global Warming debate doesn’t have enough lunacy surrounding it.

Besides, exactly how stupid do these companies think we are?  Wait … don’t answer that!

Posted in Environment, green lunacy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

“I’m watching a (wind) turbine on my land on fire, throwing fire balls on my property”

Posted on October 4, 2011 by morgan

“Just let them burn and they will eventually burn out.”  That was the advice provided by Joe Bocian, project manager for the Pinnacle wind project under construction on the top of the Allegheny Front above Keyser, WV, in the event of a wind turbine fire.

You might recall our concern that, while Edison’s “let it burn” emergency preparedness plan might work on the flat-lands, applying that logic to the isolated top of Green Mountain might be seriously problematic.  We suspect a turbine “throwing fireballs” on the top of a mountain might be considered a very serious issue.

Well, a recent wind turbine fire in Texas might just tell you all you need to know.  “Just after 10 o’clock Sunday night, Buffalo Gap, View and Ecca Volunteer Fire Departments responded to a fire at the Taylor County ranch of Texas House Representative Susan King. They used eight trucks to quickly contain the fire to about 2 acres.”

Think of that, folks!  Rapid response with eight trucks to an easily reached flat area contained the fire to about 2 acres.  I doubt you could get eight trucks to any one location on Green Mountain, let alone respond promptly.  The potential on the Allegheny Front is dozens of acres.

The Texas Representative says she wants to help the volunteer fire company receive some kind of compensation for their time and effort.  Excellent!

And how about the wind company?  Next Era Energy, their friendly wind operator said, “We have supported each of these volunteer fire departments in the past financially to help them purchase needed equipment because we recognize the important work that they do.”

KTXS – Abilene checked that statement out with the local volunteers were told “they haven’t gotten help from Next Era in about 4 years.

Oh, by the way … this wasn’t their first fire.

Posted in Allegheny Mountains, industrial wind failure, Mineral County WV | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

NY Power Authority decides against off-shore wind turbines

Posted on September 27, 2011 by morgan

So, if the wind business is such a great deal … why don’t private investors jump in to cover the cost?

“we could not come up with a way to lower the subsidy to the point where it would be affordable to the authority or to customers.” The annual subsidy for a modest-sized 150-megawatt offshore project would have been $60 to $100 million a year

Hmmm …  I think I get it!

Posted in industrial wind failure, Wind Power subsidies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday to AT

Posted on September 26, 2011 by morgan

Today is the second birthday for this obviously amateur blog.  It has been a great learning experience and many people to thank.

After some 670 (admittedly sporadic) posts since beginning in September, 2009, I chose to celebrate by offering the two which completely altered my thinking about industrial wind and served to guide what has become Allegheny Treasures.

A Conversation with Jon Boone – Toward a Better Understanding of Industrial Wind Technology

and

A Conversation with Jon Boone – Industrial Wind and the Environment

Mr. Boone, publisher of the very informative Stop Ill Wind, has served as a mentor over these many months and I thank him for his guidance, patience, and his friendship.

Thanks to all who have contributed their thoughts, ideas and most of all – their continued efforts to inform the public to the costly failure that is industrial wind.

 

Posted in Jon Boone | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Politics over science … does the security of the nation matter?

Posted on September 26, 2011 by morgan

A must read by Lisa Linowes at MasterResource:

“Wind Energy and Radar: A National Security Issue”

We at AT discussed the hostage politics of the Oregon wind deal in this post from May, 2010:  Defense Secretary Gates: “homeland security concerns shouldn’t thwart home-grown renewable energy”

What these shenanigans demonstrate is that political influence continues to trump science, even if the security of the nation is jeopardized.  Ms. Linowes expressed these very security concerns to Senators and Representatives months ago.  Whether they will finally take the issue seriously, is the question you should be asking your congressional representatives.

Make the call!  Contacts info: US Senate – US House of Representatives

Please review John Droz Jr’s important presentation Electrical Energy: Sound Scientific Solutions which speaks specifically to the issue of “Our Energy Policy: From Science, or Lobbyists.“

Posted in John Droz, Politicians and Wind Energy, Wind Energy Legislation, Wind Energy Shenanigans | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

I don’t even know where to start!

Posted on September 25, 2011 by morgan

If you haven’t seen the recent legislative offering from Congressman Paul Tonko, D-NY, I’d strongly suggest you read it closely.  The requirements placed on the Department of Energy in his H. R. 2782 – “To provide for a program of wind energy research, development, and demonstration, and for other purposes” – are stunning!

Pulled seemingly from this year’s American Wind Energy Association letter to Santa, Representative Tonko is requesting that the DOE take on product research and development activities for the heavily taxpayer subsidized, profit making, private sector wind business.

Take a look at the activities Congressman Tonko is requiring the DOE to perform:

SEC. 2. WIND ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

In General.–The Secretary of Energy shall carry out a program of research and development to–

(1) improve the energy efficiency, reliability, and capacity of wind turbines;

(2) optimize the design and adaptability of wind energy systems to the broadest practical range of atmospheric conditions; and

(3) reduce the cost of construction, generation, and maintenance of wind energy systems.

Further, the program under this section shall focus on research and development of–

(1) new materials and designs to make larger, lighter, less expensive, and more reliable and longer lifecycle rotor blades;

(2) technologies to improve gearbox performance, reliability, and lifecycle;

(3) automation, materials, and assembly of large-scale components to reduce manufacturing costs;

(4) low-cost transportable towers greater than 100 meters in height to capitalize on improved wind conditions at higher elevations;

(5) wind technology for offshore applications, including improvement of analysis, testing, verification, and certification to reduce up front time and cost;

(6) advanced computational modeling tools to improve—

(A) the reliability of aeroelastic simulations of wind energy systems;

(B) understanding of the interaction between each wind turbine component;

(C) understanding the loads and lifecycle of each wind turbine component;

(D) siting of wind energy systems to maximize efficiency and minimize variable generation;

(E) integration of wind energy systems into the existing electric grid to ensure reliability; and

(F) understanding of the wake effect between upwind and downwind turbine operations;

(7) advanced control systems and blade sensors to improve performance and reliability under a wide variety of wind conditions;

(8) advanced generators, including–

(A) automated system and drive train sensors to predict and manage maintenance process;

(B) medium-speed and low-speed generators;

(C) direct-drive technology; and

(D) the use of advanced magnets in generator rotors;

(9) methods to assess and mitigate the effects of wind energy systems on radar and electromagnetic fields;

(10) technical processes to enable–

(A) scalability of transmission from remotely located renewable resource rich areas; and

(B) optimization of advanced infrastructure design, including high voltage transmission; and

(11) other research areas as determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 3. WIND ENERGY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

In General.–The Secretary of Energy shall conduct a wind energy demonstration program. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall ensure that–

(1) the program is of sufficient size and geographic diversity to measure wind energy system performance under the full productive range of wind conditions in the United States;

(2) demonstration projects carried out under this program are–

(A) conducted in collaboration with industry and, as appropriate, with academic institutions; and

(B) located in various geographic areas representing various wind class regimes; and

(3) data collected from demonstration projects carried out under this program is useful for carrying out section 2(b).

Cost-Sharing.–The Secretary shall carry out the program under this section in compliance with section 988(a) through (d) and section 989 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352(a) through (d) and 16353).

If you’re not familiar with Representative Tonko, he is a self-proclaimed advocate for a “green economy” and “green-collar jobs”, Congressman Tonko has promoted wind development in Upstate New York and successfully lobbied GE to locate their growing GE Wind operations in Schenectady, NY.

If you’re not familiar with GE Wind … it looks a lot like Enron’s wind business.

I’m not sure if this bill will move forward in the house.  I really hope you’ll contact your Representative and let them know that, while it is nice to have a cooperative relationship between government and the private sector, the government should not be doing the private sector’s work.  The activities I see listed in H. R. 2782, at least in my experience, are the responsibility of private enterprise.

Your congressional representative’s contact info is here – US House of Representatives

Please make the call!  And even if, by the time you reach your congressional representative this bill has been tossed, take the opportunity to stress that the organizational structure outlined in this bill is unacceptable.

Posted in Energy Ethics, US energy policy, Wind Energy Legislation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chairman Paul Ryan, “THE EMPTY PROMISE OF GREEN JOBS”

Posted on September 24, 2011 by morgan

THE EMPTY PROMISE OF GREEN JOBS

THE COSTLY CONSEQUENCES OF CRONY CAPITALISM

September 22, 2011

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AT Note:  Allow me to emphasize this visual from the report:

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AT Note:  John Droz Jr. suggests that the 2011 EIA subsidy graph used to prepare his “Electrical Energy: Sound Scientific Solutions,” portrays wind as MUCH worse than the graph used by Chairman Ryan.  We highly recommend you view Mr. Droz’ presentation which is available at the link.

Posted in green lunacy, US energy policy, Wind Energy Legislation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Letter From Your Country Cousin.”

Posted on September 24, 2011 by morgan

We thank John Terry for granting permission to post his very entertaining and informative “Letter From Your Country Cousin.” As Mr. Terry notes:  “At its least, this piece presents some interesting pictures to explore. At its best, it prompts the reader to ask some questions and to question some beliefs. Perhaps the first question should be: How did you form your understanding and beliefs regarding wind power?”

The “letter” is best viewed in full screen format by clicking the button at the bottom of the Scribd frame below or at this link –  http://www.scribd.com/doc/66173809/Letter-From-Your-Country-Cousin

Enjoy!

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AT Note:  Send a request via comments to obtain a copy of the original pdf file.

Mr. Terry is also the creator of the wonderful Windtoons web site.  Please visit!

 

Posted in Appalachian Mountains, Environment, Friends and Citizens Groups, Wildlife Resources, Windtoons | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment