From the Windustry Community Wind Toolbox – the basics of the PPA (Power Purchase Agreement):
Allegheny Treasures Note: Windustry® promotes progressive renewable energy solutions and empowers communities to develop and own wind energy as an environmentally sustainable asset.
From ABC News: Wind Farm Plans Stir up Storm Over Military Radar
The article begins: The U.S. military is growing increasingly concerned that proposed wind farms can disrupt or block radar designed to detect threats and protect America’s skies, a problem that is stalling the alternative energy projects around the country.
The title quote comes from Democrat Ike Skelton, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who expressed concern that, “We’ve heard concerns that wind turbines may interfere with radar and impact military training routes.”
Pay close attention to what is said in the article: “While the radar interference issue is not new, it has become a bigger problem as more wind projects move through the permit process. Industry leaders and the Energy Department have said that wind power could provide as much as 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030.”
Along with many opponents to industrial wind, we at Allegheny Treasures have stated our concerns to officials and in posts regarding the cumulative impact of the uncontrolled growth of industrial wind.
It is time to reign in this tax shelter posing as green energy.
From the Cumberland (Maryland) Times-News:
March 18, 2010
Megan Miller (Cumberland Times-News)
— CUMBERLAND — A Savage Mountain wind power project that never got off the ground will officially die on Saturday, when the facility’s construction deadline passes.
Despite a two-year extension granted in 2007, construction work never began on the proposed US Wind Force facility. After three years of construction delays, Vice President David Friend said that ultimately, the company couldn’t secure an adequate power purchase agreement in a timely fashion.
“At that time the market was at one place and today it’s at a different place,” Friend said. “In today’s market, that project just didn’t perform well enough to make it work.”
US Wind Force filed a permit application with the Maryland Public Service Commission on Aug. 26, 2002, to build a 40-megawatt wind power facility on the border of Allegany and Garrett counties, near Lonaconing.
The Maryland Public Service Commission approved the permit on March 20, 2003, allowing the project to proceed and requiring construction to be completed within five years.
But the Savage Mountain wind farm was planned on ground that had been strip-mined for coal since the 1960s. Due to complications with mining companies, the backfilling, regrading and other land reclamation work under the Bureau of Mines was not completed until June 2006. Because of the delay, US Wind Force requested and was granted a two-year extension on the construction deadline.
That was as far as it got.
Friend said the company isn’t calling it quits yet on another stalled project, this one on Dans Mountain in Allegany County. The Dans Mountain project received PSC approval in February 2009, but was stopped by zoning ordinance changes made by the County Commission.
“It’s not abandoned by any stretch,” Friend said. “At the end of the day, we still have a huge investment there, and we’re not ready to give up on that project just yet.”
US Wind Force isn’t the only company struggling to implement commercial wind projects in Maryland. To date, no developer has managed to accomplish that feat.
Andrew Gohn, clean energy program manager for the Maryland Energy Administration, said in the case of Allegany County, wind power development was blocked by the policy decision by local government officials.
“Allegany County drafted and ultimately passed an ordinance that is so restrictive that I think it’s fair to say it effectively bans wind power in Allegany County,” Gohn said. “It was pretty clear that it was drafted with an intent to ban the technology from the county, and it has had that effect.”
But in Garrett County, that hasn’t been the case. Gohn said the lack of developers’ success there could be partly due to national policy on renewable energy development.
The federal tax credit that incentivizes developers to build renewable energy projects used to be available on an intermittent basis — only so many months out of each year. Gohn said that made it more difficult for developers to finance their projects.
Two projects now pending in Garrett County, both reincarnations of earlier plans, could become the first Western Maryland wind farms to go into construction later this spring.
Both are located on Backbone Mountain. One, previously owned by Criterion Power Partners, was purchased in November by Constellation Energy. The deal was set to close in the first quarter of 2010, and a Constellation spokesman said everything is on track for construction to begin shortly thereafter.
The second, a Synergics Wind Energy project, received its approval from the PSC in mid-November.
Contact Megan Miller at mmiller@times-news.com.
The Science and Public Policy Institute (SPPI) presents Mr. Glenn Schleede.
During a forum at the University of Charleston, West Virginia the Forum, Robert Kennedy, Jr. made many statements about wind energy that are false or misleading and should not be allowed to stand without challenge.
It’s unclear from the transcript whether Mr. Kennedy has been misled by the wind industry, whether he really believes all that he said about wind energy, or whether he was merely hoping that no one listening to the forum or reading the transcript would challenge his false and misleading claims.
Mr. Schleede’s full presentation follows:
Funny, the things you find. Take this little letter posted at the WV Public Service Commission web site. A quick peek for “Pinnacle” and then a look at activities list associated and up pops this:
My first thought was … why? A formal, legal appeal is in process and the only letter from an individual at this stage, at least so far, is this one.
To understand my dismay, you have to understand that the time for public comment on the initial case is long gone and the WV PSC has since ruled in favor of the wind developer. As is pretty typical, the local citizen’s group directly involved in the case is appealing that ruling. The citizen’s group thinks think maybe something needs review and is asking the appropriate authority to reconsider. The wind developer who received the benefit from the initial ruling also weighs in on the appeal, as is their right. Seems to make sense so far.
But then, out of the blue … an independent review! What in the world inspired this letter from an individual with no apparent tie to the legal proceedings? (No, I don’t have an answer … that was rhetorical.)
You see, I didn’t attend Law School. I’m not knowledgeable enough, or frankly bold enough to tell the PSC Commissioners that I see nothing new in the appeal and suggest they should just move on to more important stuff, or as the letter reads “After reading the Alliance’s petition, I believe that nothing new has been brought to the table“. WHAT??? Well, why didn’t the Alliance just check with her first and save the Commissioners all this trouble.
I got my chance to voice my opinion back in the fall when they asked for it … me and everybody else. Sad to say, I didn’t get a call from the PSC for more consultation. But maybe this individual, even though not a litigant in the case as far as I know, did get a request from the PSC for an opinion on the appeal. I know for a fact she made her opinion known before this latest advice to the Commissioners. Two additional times, as a matter of fact!
Here’s one from the PSC web site from October 2009 (posted along with that of another individual):
And here’s another around the same time, but formally as a member of the Mineral County Commission:
So, it’s safe to say this person is in favor of the wind farm. Readers who stop by here occasionally know that I’m not. But that’s not really what is at issue here.
What is at issue is the incredible arrogance displayed when an individual uses the “power” of office to promote a their opinion. I’m willing to give the Commission a pass for weighing in early on, since they held several discussions regarding the topic. On a split decision the Commission chose to lend its support to the project, and they did so in the third letter above.
But for someone to claim the right to represent me by attaching title to name at each occasion they feel compelled to offer their opinion is beyond arrogant. And if the intent of that individual was to give the impression they speak for my views, allow me to correct that here and now: when a public servant becomes so enamored of themselves that they deem every idle thought bouncing between their ears worthy of their title and our worship, maybe it’s time to go.
What is happening at the PSC is a legal proceeding in which a ruling is being challenged by a legal representative to the case. Sure, if a private citizen chooses to drop a line to the PSC during the proceedings there’s not much to be done. But, for a private citizen to imply in any way they are acting as a representative of the people, presumably with intent to sway outcome is a whole different story and should begin to raise questions.
If, on the other hand, the WV PSC did solicit this advice from someone serving in the role of formal representative of the people of Mineral County – as to how, or even if they should proceed in this appeal, I will be the first one out with an apology. But then, I would have to wonder why the other Commissioners didn’t weigh in. Or shucks … maybe they weren’t asked! Now that would be embarrassing!
From Smart Money: Spain’s government in May 2009 introduced a government-controlled registry of new wind farms that established stringent quality prerequisites for new wind parks in order to slow the uncontrolled growth of wind power.
The regulatory change paralyzed the activities of turbine manufacturers for months.
Makes you wonder what would happen here in the US if our legislators had the courage to act against the heavily funded wind lobby.
From Power-Gen: UK offshore wind farm payments could subsidize European power supplies – DECC
“Offshore wind farm subsidies underwritten by British electricity bill payers will be paid to generators even if the electricity is transmitted outside the UK via a North Sea ‘supergrid’, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has confirmed.”
At least Jesse James wore a mask!
Frank O’Hara sent a troubling article to me today titled: Wind turbines stir up bad feelings, health concerns in DeKalb County
The Chicago Tribune article begins with this: “Months have passed since anyone has waved hello to one another in Waterman or Shabbona in rural DeKalb County. Some people claim they’ve even stopped going to church to avoid having to talk to former friends.
“It’s gone. The country way of living is gone,” declares Susan Flex, who lives in Waterman with her husband and their nine children.
The animosity stems from the greenest of energy sources: a wind farm.”
It is sad, but not at all unpredictable to see this play out time and again across the US. The wind developers and their enablers, politicians and the media, push the fable of jobs, tax revenue, emissions reductions and green energy on to the unsuspecting public destined to live with the results long after the wind LLCs take the profits and move on.
Be sure to read the entire Chicago Tribune article, but before doing so, continue on.
A little while back Jon Boone, Environmentalist, Artist, Author, Former University Administrator and Formal Intervenor in Wind Installation Hearings, produced a documentary which he named “Life Under a Windplant,” embedded here for your convenience.
Now, when you read the article you’ll begin to appreciate how important it is to educate yourself, your neighbors, and your politicians to the consequences of choosing the unreliable, expensive and environmentally destructive industrial wind as an energy source.
Find, join or form a citizen’s group. They are forming in every part of the country to take on the heavily funded wind lobby groups. If you contact us in the comment section we will make every effort to point you to a group to assist you.
From Anthony Watts: Indianapolis wind power contract canceled
Press release in full:
March 12th, 2010
Termination of the Lakefield PPA by IPL
On March 1, enXco, the US subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, received notification that the US utility Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL) would terminate the power purchase agreement related to the 201 MW Lakefield wind project currently under development (southwestern Minnesota).
The project received the approval of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) on January 27, 2010. The IURC’s order was consistent with similar past orders. IPL has purported to unilaterally terminate the power purchase agreement on the basis of this order without providing further specific reasons.
enXco is considering its rights and remedies within the framework of the PPA. In addition, the Company is currently analyzing several options, including re-marketing the project to one or several other utilities.
Consistent with EDF Energies Nouvelles policy, construction has not yet started.
The 2012 operational objective of 4,200 MW net and 2010 objective of EBITDA will not be impacted by the Lakefield project evolution.
From the Twin Cities Daily Planet: Federal energy policy will impact wind farm development in Minnesota
“Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and has introduced a bill that would amend the 2005 Energy Policy Act to give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) more authority to site transmission lines in transmission corridors of national interest. Yesterday he met with Obama to discuss the bill, which is of huge importance to Minnesota and other states with renewable energy resources like the Dakotas and Bingaman’s home state, New Mexico.”
So, basically any state that doesn’t see the necessity to drag the rare kilowatt accidentally produced by one of these silly contraptions across their property will be over-ridden by the nanny state. Sounds consistent with what we’ve witnessed so far from the incompetents we keep sending back to Washington.
Perhaps while the Senator is counting revolutions at the turbines he can read this: Green Jobs Obsession Distracts from Real Economy Recovery or better yet, this: The Constitution of the United States.
Land grabbing to support such an obvious scam should not be permitted. As I said in this post: To stop industrial wind you’ll probably have to boot your current legislator out of office.
Allegheny Treasures 