Category Archives: Wind power

Mass Renewables Redux

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This time last year we reported that a state law requiring heating oil to contain a paltry 2% biodiesel was finally being enforced. Alas, once again, implementation has been delayed.

Although Cape Wind gets most of the press, it is not the only contentious wind project in the Bay State. Last week the SJC ruled that a planned project in Western Mass. was legitimately permitted and could proceed.

Finally, the state has also announced that it will be reviewing emissions regulations for biomass-fueled power plants. Variously characterized as perplexing, raising the bar, and a win for biomass opponents

Need to Know: It’s not impossible to ween ourselves off of coal & oil

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Need to Know PBS’ new weekly news magazine—Need to Know—has been covering some interesting stories. The fifth episode aired last week, and included the piece below on the Danish isle of Samso’s effective elimination of fossil fuels within the past decade. FYI: rapeseed is what most of the planet calls canola, and the Danish subsidies for wind appear to be less than those in the U.S. 1.

They’ve also had some compelling coverage of the gulf spoil including Big Oil’s Chernobyl and A chance encounter on the Gulf Coast with a BP engineer

1. Wind is subsidized at 30% of capital cost in Denmark. Ignoring any state incentives, there is a 2.2¢/kWh federal tax-credit. At typical costs and an average operating capacity of 50%, this amounts to a subsidy of up to: 2.2¢/kWh × 10yr × 8,760 hr/yr × 50% × 2.5MW × 1,000 kW/MW ÷ 100¢/$ = $2.4 million / $3.5 million = 68% (not accounting for erosion by inflation)

Hot air

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An onlooker asks an artist painting landscapes 'How much extra is it for you to edit out the turbines?'

Back in July T. Boone Pickens announced a quartering of his mega-wind farm project. The project has essentially been scrapped due to continuing issues with access to transmission lines, as Mr. Pickens downplays wind in his wind+natural gas “plan.” The remaining order with GE has been halved to three hundred odd turbines, whose future home is expected to be relocated from the Texas panhandle to Canada or Montana. Continue reading →

Further Complications for Cape Wind

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The New York Times published story today on the National Parks Service’s response to an inquiry about Nantucket Sound, finding that is is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The site has not yet been listed, and if it were it could further hinder the beleaguered renewable energy development, but it would not be an insurmountable impediment. Continue reading →

Heimlichkeitwindmühlen

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Marine windmills Besides aesthetic, and grid connectivity issues, siting wind farms is further complicated by concerns over interference with doppler radar. This must certainly frustrate some meteorologists, but I expect most readers would agree that clean energy is a reasonable exchange for less accurate forecasting; assuming that more radar installations couldn’t compensate. Unfortunately, the interference also causes problems for air traffic control and monitoring as well. Luckily research into a number of possible solutions is underway.

Whiche’er way the wind blows

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Photo of wind turbine in field

Remember T. Boone Pickens and his famous plan? There’s been much buzz today (for example) about an announcement of the downward revision of his original plans to one quarter the original scale. The change has been attributed to lower fossil fuel prices than when the plan was first put forth, as well as the credit crunch. However, Pickens is already on the hook for nearly 700 turbines, and he plans to make several smaller wind farms rather than the megafarm previously proposed. Most people seem to see this as an unfortunate turn of events, but a handful of smaller installations are a more sound strategy from most vantage points e.g; redundancy, minimizing impacts, etc. As for the diminished capacity, initial delivery is not due until 2011, so it there’s probably still time for things to pick back up.

(Update)

Small roof-top wind turbine installation in Harvard Square

P.S. There seems to be a new wind installation in Harvard Square next to The Garage at Dunster & Mount Auburn. Give it a gander next time you’re in the area, and if you forget but it’s gusty out, you might just look up to figure out where that gentle whirr is coming from. (Click the image at right for a better view)

Wind Turbine Zoning

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Title: Wind Turbine Zoning
Location: City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Link out: Click here
Description: The Planning Board will be meeting to discuss amendments to local zoning outlined in the attached link.
Start Time: 19:30
Date: 2009-06-02

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Community Wind Resource map for Cambridge might also be of interest.

Cape Cod wind farm approved… sort of.

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bilde

From this week’s Cape Cod Times comes news of the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board voting unanimously to approve a bundle of permits for the long-proposed (and infinitely delayed) Nantucket Sound wind farm.

This vote marks the first time the state agency has issued a super permit, wrapping all required state and local permits for a project into a single decision. Which, of course, upset many of the project’s opponents, who vow to keep fighting. Of course, Federal permits are still needed from the U.S. Minerals Management Service, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Aviation Agency…

Nonetheless, Warm Home Cool Planet sees this as significant progress, but it also explains why any picture of a wind turbine operating in Nantucket Sound is likely to remain an ‘artists rendering’ for a couple of years at least.