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Archive for April 1st, 2012

Apr 1

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Wind Turbines a Fire Danger to Wildlands, Forests

From Al Fin Energy — Sunday, April 01, 2012

A recent wind turbine fire in Germany exposes the risk of constructing wind farms in drylands and wild lands subject to wildfire. The image below of a turbine explosion and fire in Scotland, illustrates the danger.
And now we learn that such fires are not considered uncommon by insurers:

A fire at such a machine could lead to a potential loss of 300,000 euros to 400,000 euros ($400,000 to $533,000) per year, according to Fraser McLachlan, chief executive officer of GCube Underwriting Ltd., an insurer of renewable energy projects.

As more people discover the cluster-foque nature of wind farms — from the outlandish costs of service and maintenance, to the inherent unreliability and risk to the power grid, to the human illness caused by proximity to the turbines, etc. etc. etc. — public support for these monstrous monuments to the green dieoff religion should subside.

As public opposition to these counter-productive boondoggles grows, a bit of energy reality should eventually be enforced — even in lands such as Germany, where sun and wind faeries are worshiped in all government buildings.

Link to full article at Al Fin Energy

Apr 1

UK: All this talk of wind turbines is just hot air!

Sunday 1 April 2012 18:00

HAVE you taken a drive to The Borders lately; in particular, down the A74 road to Carlisle? If not, you’re in for a bit of a shock.

It’s one of the most stunningly beautiful areas of the country. Streams, forests, ancient dykes, the gentle curves of the hills, and whacking great metal wind turbines. Dozens of them.

Comes as a bit of a shock, does that. Mile after mile, you just get used to the splendour of the place, then you come round a bend, and there’s yet another forest of these great, arm-waving robots. Except, when I was there recently, they weren’t waving… no wind you see.

Another mile of unspoiled country and – ooops, there’s more, right along the skyline of some wild, desolate hill. Lovely.

Once you’ve seen this horrendous blight on the landscape, it’s something you just can’t get out of your head.

But putting aside the ugliness of these things encroaching on what was once some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, let’s remember that they’re one of the most expensive and inefficient ways to produce power. High winds and no winds; they don’t work at all.

What’s more, the Government has shovelled money into making sure this happens, paying subsidies left right and centre.

Even paying compensation to shut the things down for periods when there is enough electricity from elsewhere. One of the greatest scams of our age, that is.

full article

Apr 1

U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ISSUE “TAKE” PERMITS FOR EAGLE KILLS BY WIND ENERGY COMPANIES

By Megan McGlamery — East County Magazine — April 1, 2012

Concerns are growing across the nation over the number of birds, particularly eagles, that are losing their lives. Now, as the number of wind energy projects grows, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing to issue “take” permits that will make it legal for wind energy companies to kill eagles with no consequences.

Killing eagles is currently a federal crime punishable by up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine.  Individuals and companies have historically been found guilty and held accountable for eagle deaths—but no wind farm operator has ever been prosecuted, despite numerous documented eagle deaths from wind turbines. 

“Taking” is defined as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct,” of any endangered species.

“As we adjust laws rightfully passed to protect birds, we want to make sure the wind power industry is not stagnated in its mission to generate clean energy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels,” says Stu Webster, director of permitting and environmental at Iberdrola Renewables, which seeks to build Tule Wind, an industrial-scale wind facility in McCain Valley with 450-foot-tall turbines.

Nationwide, about 450,000 birds are killed by wind turbines every year—a number that will surely grow as more wind facilities come on line.

Every year, wind turbines at the Altamont Pass Wind Farm in the Bay Area kill approximately 75 to 100 eagles, according to the Audobon Society. Some are decapitated. Others lose their wings, or are cut in half, suffering a painful and sometimes tortuous death.

Mark Duchamp, president of Save the Eagles International, is strongly against the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to issue the permits throughout the nation.    “Eagles are a federally protected species. Yet the USFWS is minded to issue licenses to kill Golden Eagles in order to benefit wind farm developers.”

Wildlife biologist Jim Wiegand contends that larger modern turbines with larger blade sweeps are capable of killing even more birds than those with older, smaller and slower-moving blades.  Moreover he has stated that many bird kills go unreported, since the dead birds may be carried off by scavengers and the carcasses never found.  Some injured birds will also fly to areas outside the search site before succumbing to their wounds.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently in the process of finalizing Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance that could allow the take of bald and golden eagles provided the applicant meets a set of standards,” says Alexandra Pitts, Deputy Regional Director for the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “This guidance provides help to Service biologists and others in applying the regulatory permit standards as specified in the 2009 Final Eagle Permit Rule.”

Because wind turbines and eagles are attracted to similar wind currents, wind farms are often times built in the direct path of the birds, causing them to be killed.

Locally, people are disturbed about the imminent death of such beloved and endangered birds, which until now have been protected by both the Bald and Golden Eagle Act of 1940 and by the 1918 Migratory Treaty Act.

“Wind turbines, if placed incorrectly, can be a great threat to golden eagles,” said David Bittner, executive director of the Wildlife Research Institute in Ramona, ECM news partner 10 News reported.  Bittner has documented several local eagles killed by wind farms in other areas.

“I strongly oppose the license to kill that ‘take permits’ represent–especially when we have such declining numbers of Golden Eagles in San Diego County,” states Donna Tisdale, chair of the Boulevard Planning Commission. “Industrial scale wind turbines are inefficient, expensive boondoggles that should not be allowed anywhere near people, wildlife, livestock, recreation areas, etc.,” she concluded.

link to article

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The insanity continues unabated. — Donna Quixote