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| 19 Mar 2010 08:04:50 pm |
 Anti-wind study funded by...surprise!...U.S. fossil group |
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Last year, a research company in Denmark produced a controversial report that questioned the credibility of the Danish wind industry, particularly claims that wind energy reduces carbon emissions.
The report raised eyebrows because the Danes are really good at wind energy--for example, they have come up with a system of power shifting and trading with their neighbors that can be a model for the United States when it gets serious about integrating wind into the utility system. At the time, Danish energy experts rebutted the study's major conclusions.
Now the Danish organization has publicly acknowledged that the report was funded by the Institute for Energy Research, a U.S. organization with close ties to the U.S. fossil fuel industry.
The Danish research firm also acknowledged that it was told that IER is funded by elements of the U.S. fossil fuel industry.
IER, a small organization staffed largely by former Congressional aides, has been conducting a vigorous anti-wind campaign based on poorly sourced assertions that wind energy is bad for the environment and is subsidized by the government to mask its true cost.
In addition to the Danish study, IER was tied to a Spanish wind study whose conclusions were subsequently undercut by Spanish energy officials. |
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Category : AWEA News
| By : Chris Madison |
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| 18 Mar 2010 10:23:15 pm |
| FERC nukes wind, or something like that |
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You don't need to understand all the details of the Westar case unless you are a utility lawyer or particular fan of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) intricacies. All you need to know is that FERC has given the Kansas utility the green light to charge a wind developer an exorbitant charge to connect to the grid.
Rob Gramlich, AWEA's senior vice president for public policy, said, "This flawed order, unless corrected on rehearing, sets a precedent that would add significant new costs to renewable energy nationally."
FERC accepted Westar's statement of the cost of integrating wind into the grid without granting the industry a chance to rebut Westar's proposal.
"We are surprised and disappointed that FERC would approve, without even an evidentiary hearing, a proposal that discriminates against renewables and assesses charges well above their costs," Gramlich added.
If you want to read the flawed decision click here. And stay tuned because this case is not over. |
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Category : AWEA News
| By : Chris Madison |
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| 18 Mar 2010 07:27:48 pm |
| Wind Turbine Sound: The Neighbors Speak |
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A story on the new wind farms that have sprung up in western Indiana during the past two years provides a useful perspective on the sometimes-mentioned issue of wind turbine sound:
Quote : And when it comes to noise, nobody seems to take issue.
"I don't hear them at all," said Charlene Deckard.
"In the house I hear nothing," Elmira Deckard said.
And from Don Clute: "If a train goes by a mile away it makes more noise than I've ever heard from a wind tower."
Adds reporter Kristin Maiorano in an accompanying video, "And everyone I spoke with said the turbines make so little noise that you can usually only hear it if you're right under one." |
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Category : AWEA News
| By : Tom Gray |
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| 17 Mar 2010 11:09:33 pm |
| No demonstrators, but lots of determination in Greensboro |
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At AWEA’s supply chain workshop in Greensboro, North Carolina this week, the hotel security folks were on the alert—they had been warned that some anti-wind demonstrators from the Western part of the state were going to show up and were bringing fellow protesters from the adjacent state of Virginia.
But no demonstrators showed up. Maybe they realized that wind, which creates jobs and energy without pollution, is hard to be against, especially at a time when many Americans are still hurting economically.
There were about 400 attendees at the workshop and, judging by a show of hands, it appeared that at least half were new to the industry. They were the go-getter types who are trying to figure out how and where they could enter the growing industry. It’s hard to protest that kind of spirit—it’s pure America.
So far, North Carolina has no wind projects, but it does have the prospect of wind projects offshore and in the mountains in the western part of the state. It also has wind manufacturing facilities that employ more than 1,000 workers.
North Carolina also has experienced some controversy about whether wind turbines should be allowed on so-called ridge lines in the state's western mountains, with some local legislators trying to enact a law that would ban all but the smallest turbines that could only be attached to individual residences.
Wind proponents in the state are appalled. “This is as close to a ban as they could get without saying so,” warned Dennis Scanlin of Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.
Back at the workshop, where the demonstrators never appeared, the attendees were more focused on getting into the business. The last panel—always the hardest to get attendance for—included three case studies of companies that are creating manufacturing jobs in the southeast, including North Carolina. They did not make it sound easy. Finding a niche in the manufacturing process that, for example, has been based overseas, or is well-established here, takes research, ingenuity, and dedication.
Said Cheryl Richards of PPG Industries, which has retooled significantly to adapt its fiber glass expertise to wind energy: “You have to think through all the stages of product development. You have to be persistent. It’s not going to happen overnight.” Craig Lawson, Renewable Energy Business Development Manager for Burndy, a New Hampshire company with some manufacturing in this region and elsewhere, said, “It’s a matter of figuring out where you can fit into the supply chain, and how you can add value. You have to know who you are.”
Earlier, Pat Thacker, a supply chain expert with Areva Renewables, warned would-be entrants that they should enjoy the thrill of riding a roller coaster if they plan to enter the industry. “It tends to be an up and down market,” he said.
Considering the experience the industry has been through in the last few years, that is an understatement. |
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Category : AWEA News
| By : Chris Madison |
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| 16 Mar 2010 07:22:07 pm |
| Governors endorse renewable electricity standard |
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The bipartisan Governors' Wind Energy Coalition today urged Congress to enact a renewable electricity standard (RES) so that the United States can take full advantage of the nation's considerable wind energy resource.
"We offer our assistance in working with Congress and the administration to achieve one of the nation's principal energy goals, energy independence, and increasing the role that wind energy plays in meeting that challenge," wrote the coalition's chairman, Iowa Democratic Gov. Chet Culver, and vice chairman, GOP Gov. Donald Carcieri of Rhode Island, in a letter to Congress. The group also sent a letter to President Obama.
Gov. Carceri noted that “This is the first set of comprehensive wind energy recommendations ever submitted to Congress by a group of the nation’s governors.”
The coalition includes governors from 29 states and has become an important group advocating for policies that promote wind energy. In general, states have been ahead of Congress in recognizing the value of wind energy--30 states, including the District of Columbia, have renewable standards, and many have taken additional steps to increase the use of wind energy and attract wind component manufacturers to their states.
A national RES is considered crucial to create additional demand for wind energy, and attract manufacturers. A national standard will also make it easier for the electric utility industry to meet renewable targets.
The House passed an RES last year as part of the comprehensive energy and climate bill, and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee included an RES in its energy bill.
In addition to an RES, the governors recommended development of new transmission infrastructure; full support for development of offshore wind projects; streamlined permitting for onshore and offshore wind projects; expanded cooperation between states and the Department of Energy and the wind industry to accelerate innovation; and extending the Treasury grant program while developing a long term production tax credit. |
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Category : AWEA News
| By : Chris Madison |
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