Breaking Wind – Quick hits from the industry for August 7, 2012

Posted on August 7, 2012 by morgan

Items of Interest:

1-“He also noted that wind farms are attractive to investors because government subsidies are often available to support their construction.”  “You’ll probably see more of them being erected up and down the ridges, unless the government decides not to support that” – renewablesbiz

And you’d be seeing more artificial ducks on my pond if the government taxpayers sent me a check for each.  What part of this is so confusing, folks?

2-And coming soon to your personal electric bill: “Britain’s ‘obsession’ with wind farms will push up family electricity bills by more than £300 a year, a report claimed today.” – Daily Mail

3-Sometimes the comments are more interesting than the actual article – Boston-based wind farm developer faces new challenge as it tries to solve mystery of Hawaii fire

Check out KP’s

4-“lightning hit one of the blades of the turbine, sending part of it to the ground. The fire continued to burn, both at the base and at the top of the 175-foot-tall tower.” – Brookings Register

I know you folks are probably tired of hearing about this, but when you live in the mountains and officials tell you to “Just let them burn and they will eventually burn out.” … well, dammit … that just isn’t good enough.

5-“some scientists say, we have the technology to burn plutonium in a new generation of “fast” reactors. That could dispose of the waste problem, reducing the threat of radiation and nuclear proliferation, and at the same time generate vast amounts of low-carbon energy. – The Energy Collective

 

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Breaking Wind – Quick hits from the industry for August 6, 2012

Posted on August 6, 2012 by morgan

Items of Interest:

1-“Wind Energy Is Extraordinarily Expensive And Inefficient” – Watts Up With That?

2-“As dawn came and the 1.4 million customers in Xcel Energy’s service district began turning on the lights, toasters and other appliances, the utility’s coal and natural gas-fired power plants ramped up production and brought wind’s contribution back closer to its 2012 average of 17%.” – thedenverchannel.com

So, we just have to change our lives from day to night to accommodate.

3-“But this fight misses the bigger point – why are we building wind in an area already dominated by hydro when we are supposed to be replacing coal and gas with alternative sources? Building wind under these circumstances squanders whatever benefit to global warming comes from low-carbon sources since replacing hydro with wind, or vice versa, does nothing to lower carbon emissions, but wastes precious construction resources.” – Forbes

4-Hmmm! I suppose it all depends on how you choose to present the facts:

Greentechmedia – “The Real Deal on US Subsidies: Fossil’s $72B, Renewable Energy’s $12B”

or …

US Energy Information Administration  – “Relative to their share of total electricity generation, renewables received a large share of direct federal subsidies and support in FY 2010. For example, renewable fuels accounted for 10.3 percent of total generation, while they received 55.3 percent of federal subsidies and support”

5-Energy Consumers vs. Regulators: Who Knows Best? (Mercatus study stands up to critics) – MasterResource

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Breaking Wind – Quick hits from the industry for August 4 and 5, 2012

Posted on August 5, 2012 by morgan

Items of Interest:

1-“it is only now being recognized that offshore IWT installations have necessarily caused damage to the ecosystems, particularly coastal ecosystems, where they are erected, and that the infra sound generated by their vibration may in fact be altering the ecosystems surrounding them by causing echo location species such as whales and dolphins and other mobile species to avoid them.” – countylive.ca

2-Guess who’s giddy about the Senate Finance Committee’s decision to move the production tax credit forward:

Denmark – Two cheers from Vestas for U.S. wind tax credit shift

Spain – As US wind power gets tax extension boost Spanish industry fights for its life

3-“This was the third fire related incident at the Kahuku wind farm since it opened in March 2011. The battery energy storage system was hailed as breakthrough technology but clearly there are flaws.” – Hawaii News Now

4-Nothing else need be said about the viability of industrial wind: “Without tax credits, Atlantic Wind would be on hold indefinitely because it would be unable to produce electricity at a competitive rate, Harris said.” – THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

5-“The fact that the effect of the tax credit is to reduce Elkhorn Ridge’s previously paid 2009 property taxes lends to the conclusion that (the law) grants a ‘special favor’ to a particular individual,” Merritt wrote. “The tax credit … is not available to any taxpayer other than Elkhorn Ridge and will not affect any county other than Knox County.” – Journal Star

You mean for-profit wind companies might actually have to pay what they argeed?  Oh, the humanity!

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Edison Mission Energy, owner of WV wind farm, may file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Posted on August 3, 2012 by morgan

Edison Mission Bonds Worth 54 Cents in Bankruptcy, JPMorgan Says

Don’t say we didn’t warn you! – Edison Mission Group – “deteriorating financial conditions” – March 1, 2012

And these poor souls actually invested in EMG – Invest teacher pension funds in Edison Mission Group? Seriously? – March 6, 2012

Not to worry folks!  Edison still seems to have enough money laying around to fight against private citizens.

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Breaking Wind – Quick hits from the industry for August 3, 2012

Posted on August 3, 2012 by morgan

Items of Interest:

1-“Those in favor of extending the credit, said Jimmy Glotfelty, executive vice president of external affairs at Clean Line Energy Partners, a transmission developer, “want the jobs associated with the wind farms that can be developed today.” – New York Times

Mr. Glotfelty, an official with the former Bush administration is,  of course, one who expects to benefit from the extention of the tax credit.

2-“A common misconception exists in the alternative energy circle that says wind power does not cause environmental damage. This is simply not true.” – Freedom Works

3-“Exelon is part of a growing contingent of companies and other stakeholders who
recognize that the production tax credit for wind has achieved its goal of
jump-starting the wind industry and after 20 years, should be allowed to sunset
as required by the existing law,” the company said in a statement.” – Chicago Tribune

4-“While the five-page document outlines several potential impacts that the wind farm project could have on landowners and the surrounding landscape, its conclusion is that there is “no significant impact” expected from the proposal.” – Pierce County Herald

Hmmm … makes you wonder if the WV PSC consulted on this decision.

5-“Germany, the nation that has a California-like fantasy that it will get 80 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050—is building 23 new coal-fired power plants …” – Power Line Blog

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Breaking Wind – Quick hits from the industry for August 2, 2012

Posted on August 2, 2012 by morgan

Items of Interest:

1-“The trouble started shortly before 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the battery storage building where the energy collected by the 12 (wind) turbines is stored.” – Hawaii News Now

2-“Right now, researchers are exploring new solutions to reducing bat deaths at large wind farms, but with the rising number of small wind turbine installations for residential and urban areas, bats may lose more valuable habitat.” – treehugger

3-“Mitt Romney and Barack Obama draw up battle lines over US wind farm tax credits” – The Guardian

4-“Much as I love the whole idea of wind power, I have to ask: Is it being used in a safe manner for all involved?” – The Bethel Citizen

5-“Environmentalists try to stop wind turbine project” – KGET

“The condor is an important issue to all three of the groups I represent,” said Babak Naficy who represents the Sierra Club and a coalition of environmental groups that sued North Sky River Energy over the company’s plans to install 100 wind turbines in an area north of Mojave, inhabited by the California Condor.”

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Breaking Wind – Quick hits from the industry for August 1, 2012

Posted on August 1, 2012 by morgan

Items of Interest:

1-“Special political favor at the local, state, and federal levels have created an artificial industry: industrial windpower.” – MasterResource

2-“Ontarians interested in quickly finding the location of wind turbines in the province have their work cut out for them.  The province doesn’t make public a consolidated map of its thousands of turbines. The Ontario Power Authority, which approves wind turbine contracts, doesn’t have one; neither does the Ministry of Natural Resources nor the Ministry of Energy.” – CBC News Technology & Science

Surprised?  Ask any of your elected officials in the Appalachian region if they’ve seen a plot plan for thousands of current and projected wind towers required to meet the ridiculous renewable energy standards they’ve legislated.

Ignorance may be bliss – but it’s not a valid excuse.

3-Wind energy and stray voltage … interest seems to be growing –  southwesternontario.ca

4-“Despite extensive area cleared around the base of each turbine, Ewing said, the blaze still spread into a wildland fire that swiftly engulfed 367 acres. If not for prompt reporting by a witness, it could have been far worse.” – National Wind Watch

Makes you wonder what would happen if this occured on top of the Allegheny Front?

5-Peak Minerals: Shortage of Rare Earth Metals Threatens Renewable Energy – OilPrice.com

“The magnets that drive a Toyota Prius hybrid’s electric motor use around 1 kilogram of neodymium, while 10 – 15 kg of lanthanum is used in its battery … around one tonne of REE-based permanent magnets is needed to provide each MW of wind-turbine power.”

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Breaking Wind – Quick hits from the industry for July 31, 2012

Posted on July 31, 2012 by morgan

Items of interest:

1-Western Maryland wind project faces limits to protect bats, birds – Baltimore Sun

“As part of the plan, federal officials are weighing whether to issue Exelon an “incidental take” permit authorizing the loss of a small number of Indiana bats to its turbines atop Maryland’s tallest peak, Backbone Mountain. Such a permit is needed under the Endangered Species Act, which makes it illegal to kill or harm any animal under its protection. A decision is expected once a public comment period ends Sept. 28.“

2-“AWEA’s own charts and statistics demonstrate that the wind sector wouldn’t be nearly as big as it currently is, if we had a level playing field where the government didn’t pick energy winners and losers.” – Canada Free Press

3-German firm executive: “Letting the (US Production Tax) credit lapse would in effect impose a targeted tax increase on the wind industry” – DesMoinesRegister.com

This logic sorta confirms today’s Item 2, don’t you think?

4-Speaking of the Production Tax Credit – “Wind energy is not green, eco-friendly, sustainable or sensible. Extending the subsidized slaughter is not something any members of Congress, state legislatures or county commissions – Republican or Democrat – should want to have on their conscience.” – MasterResource

5-Now here’s something you don’t hear everyday, “We can sleep better at night knowing BP is up there. ”  And, in the same article, here’s something you do seem to hear everyday, “When completed the wind farm will have the capacity to produce 141 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 40,000 homes.” – citizensvoice.com

Of course, we just dealt with that 40,000 homes thing, didn’t we?

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Breaking Wind – Quick hits from the industry for July 30, 2012

Posted on July 30, 2012 by morgan

Items of interest:

1-Disgrace of the day – After receiving $78,334,713.00 this month from the US Taxpayers (1603 Grant), a Vancouver (Canada) -based wind and solar energy company is up for sale

A year ago I wrote:  I’m curious … is “Yabucoa” the Spanish word for rip-off?  I guess the answer is – YES

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2-“Fact is the wind companies are getting by with murder.” – David Baumann/The Berkshire Eagle

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3-“It is hard to think of a messier and more wasteful way of shifting from fossil and nuclear fuel to renewable energy than the one Germany has blundered into. The price will be high, the risks are large and some effects will be the opposite of what was intended.” – The Economist

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4-H/T: Wind Concerns Ontario:

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5-“The dream of an America powered by a vast amount of renewable wind energy is exactly that– a dream. Let’s come back to reality and concentrate our efforts on more feasible and reliable sources of energy.” – FreedomWorks

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American Bird Conservancy sues Federal Agencies over access to industrial wind correspondence.

Posted on June 26, 2012 by morgan

Notes from the Media Release:

In a lawsuit filed today (June 26, 2012) in Washington D.C. District Court American Bird Conservancy has accused the federal government of suppressing information about wind energy projects and their potential negative impact on America’s wildlife.

“It’s ridiculous that Americans have to sue in order to find out what their government is saying to wind companies about our wildlife—a public trust,” said Kelly Fuller, Wind Campaign Coordinator for ABC. “ABC is concerned that many of these projects have the potential to take a devastating toll on songbirds, majestic eagles, and threatened and endangered species,” she added.

ABC filed six requests under FOIA – all of them more than eight months ago. ABC’s FOIA requests asked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s correspondence with wind developers regarding birds and bats, as well as related information about wildlife impacts, such as studies showing which bird and bat species were in the area and how many had been killed by the facilities. ABC’s FOIA requests were to be processed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which subsequently referred one request to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Under FOIA’s strict deadlines, the agencies were required to fulfill the requests or claim exemptions within 20 working days.

Read the release at this link:  Federal Agencies Sued Over Failure to Disclose Correspondence with Wind Industry – Promise of Government Transparency Not Being Met

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