On the heels of last week's apparent defeat of the proposed Hoosac Wind project in mountainous Western Massachusetts due to environmental (wetland) concerns, Massachusetts' new governor has put his voice behind further offshore wind projects. The timing is interesting.
We already knew Governor Patrick supports Cape Wind, the final permitting for which is now up to the feds. Details are sketchy yet on what he proposes for further offshore projects, but it sounds like an unofficial rebuttal to the state arbitration panel's decision that the Department of Environmental Protection didn't do its job on the Hoosac proposal. And maybe they didn't, but it's another interesting situation, where bureaucrats again hold the power over the scientists.
To get a further appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes when big wind projects are proposed, I suggest the new book Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound. It's highly entertaining, if slanted toward the pro-wind side, and would be a great read if/when you find yourself on a (nicely windy) beach this summer.
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GreyFlcn Posted 3:39 am
28 May 2007
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=48 ...
http://www.acore.org/pdfs/ACORE_Joint_Outlook_Report.pdf
http://www.acore.org/pdfs/dl-outlook.pdf
Wind Turbines Not a Threat to U.S. Bird Population, Says Study
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=48 ...
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11935&pag ...
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SustainableGreen Posted 1:28 am
29 May 2007
There are two things missing here. First, generation of electricity with small, distributed wind turbines is completely dismissed, this from a government that purports to support small business entities: 'Small business is the backbone of America...blah blah blah blah stinkin' blah.' 'Reduce the size of government.'--empty talk and outright lies. If it ain't BIG Bidness, it ain't worth shit. If we want ANY SORT of a populist movement, we have to foster it, support it, understand it, embrace it. Big Government, hiding behind the curtain of conservatism, will NEVER NEVER NEVER do it.
The second thing missing here is any elaboration or discussion of the full process of creation and operation of a wind farm. The report refers to one aspect--siting. Apparently ignored are two other important features: turbine layout and turbine design. Completely ignored and almost universally dismissed is the fourth feature: operational controls. It really is simple: if you are in heavy traffic you slow down; if you are operating a wind farm and a flock of birds or bats approaches, you slow or stop turbines. They are so proud of their low mortality calculation; the likelihood and mortality of an avian interaction with an unmoving blade is virtually zero.
It is time to improve the technology and environmental responsiveness.
David
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amazingdrx Posted 2:10 am
29 May 2007
Remote human operatoin, with the help of some kind of bird/bat flock detection, might be possible.
Small distributed wind needs new and better designs. There is a lot of lower speed wind potential out there that could be harvested if wind machines were less NIMBY prone.
Less visible, quieter, lower speed blades, just above tree height designs that optimize for lower wind energy, localized home and small business siting.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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SustainableGreen Posted 2:46 am
29 May 2007
Hey, Amazingdrx:
Remote operation is imminently doable. It can done from in the windfarm itself or half-way around the world--real-time, with practically instantaneous commands--one operator. The only lag is that of the blades slowing. You can have an operator in Beijing or Delhi watching windfarms in CA or TX--and given the 'gobbleization' trend, it ain't a bit out of the question.
And bird/bat flock detection is called R-A-D-A-R. If you go back to the invention and development of RADAR, you'll see that operators were constantly mystified by tremendously varied unexplained objects on scopes. I don't know if it was religious fervor, religious butt-covering, or tongue-in-cheek, but they called them "ANGELS"! This was in the late 30s, and it wasn't until the mid 50s that they conclusively figured out they were birds! Much of the technology after that was for filtering what they now considered noise. Add newer technology such as microphones and infra-red sensors, and a dragonfly would not get through without detection. In fact, these are some of the research tools used to assess potential sites.
And with respect, what small wind needs is financial, governmental, and public support first, even if what you suggest is also needed. There could be hundreds of thousands of small turbines on factories and warehouses alone, with no aesthetic or noise concerns needed. NIMBY issues were dispensed with long ago, all with negative impacts (habitat loss, pollution, urban squalor/sprawl, etc.). Turbines are a positive impact.
As you imply, where NIMBY issues do exist, more needs to be done, but we should not focus only on that aspect. There are plenty of "low-hanging fruit" to be picked.
Thanks for the response.
David
Sustainability For Life
Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!
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Erik Hoffner Posted 4:18 am
19 Jul 2007
http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/press/0607hoos.htm
So this project is on again. It's only 20 turbines, but NE needs more power, coupled with more conservation.
The recent heat wave here contained a day that ranked as the 6th highest demand day ever in NE, even though we were scarcely aware. If a couple power plants went offline for something routine that day, they could've sparked a problem for the whole region.
The Orion Grassroots Network: 1000+ grassroots groups working for conservation & more
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