On a pair of hillsides in Downeast Maine, the blades of 19 wind turbines began rotating for the first time recently, spinning air into energy for the Boston utility NStar.
The Blue Sky East project is the first of three New England wind farms — including the largest yet to be built in Massachusetts — that will begin operations before the end of the year and sell their power to NStar. Together, they will generate enough electricity to supply roughly 50,000 homes, providing a cheaper source of power for NStar’s customers while increasing economic activity in rural areas that desperately need it.
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The revenue wind turbines generates is what Princeton Municipal Light thought. Since their 2 wind turbines began operation, Princeton ratepayers are on the hook for an extra cost of $1.86 million attributed to them by PLM. Cape Wind is "discontinued", "sinking", "shifting", and "corroding" as specified in the 4,000 page Environmental Impact Statement; and in the Cape Wind Construction Operation Plan. http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2012/07/29/13018297-cape-wind-is-discontinued-sinking-shifting-and-corroding-by-developers-specifications US citizen's fund green jobs in Spain and China. Spain's Iberdrola shows $4 billion (2.87 billion euro) 2010 net profits. "IBERDROLA Records....": "The Group has benefited from more than $1 billion in U.S. government incentives for wind power, the largest obtained to date by any renewables company." http://www.justmeans.com/press-releases/IBERDROLA-Records-2-87-Billion-Net-Profit-in-2010--Highest-in-its-History/6861.html UPC First Wind is New England's largest wind developer, the same for Maine and Hawaii. Some in Maine are questioning the wind power goals and results according to ME Center for Public Integrity: http://bangordailynews.com/2010/08/09/news/some-who-created-windpower-fast-track-now-questioning-the-goals-they-set/ UPC First Wind's Hawaii project, "Kahuku", has caught fire three times and is shut down and may never be repaired. Hawaii Free Press Sunday, November 11, 2012 'Lawsuit: Kahuku Windfarm May Never Get its Turbines Repaired' By Andrew Walden Link to a must read article: http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/8191/Lawsuit-Kahuku-Windfarm-May-Never-Get-its-Turbines-Repaired.aspx?utm_source=November+11%2C+2012+News+From+Hawaii+Free+Press&utm_campaign=November+11%2C+2012+Email&utm_medium=email UPC First Wind affiliate Italian Vento Power Corporation IVPC had seven wind projects seized in Italy during operation "Gone with the Wind" investigations of wind fraud. http://hawaiifreepress.com/main/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4008/Hawaii-Wind-Developer-tied-to-Largestever-asset-seizure-by-antiMafia-police.aspx First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor is Governor Deval Patrick's appointed green policy Advisor to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and to the MA DEP. The benefits of wind energy are imagined. Its adverse impacts are economically and environmentally measurable and catastrophic. Spain, China, Mexico, Germany, and multinationals involved in oil, gas, minerals rights, transmissions, pipelines and Cape Wind is "discontinued", "sinking", "shifting", and "corroding"as specified in the 4,000 page Environmental Impact Statement; and in the Construction Operation Plan. http://bjdurk.newsvine.com/_news/2012/07/29/13018297-cape-wind-is-discontinued-sinking-shifting-and-corroding-by-developers-specifications US citizen's fund jobs in Spain and China. Spain's Iberdrola shows $4 billion (2.87 billion euro) 2010 net profits. "IBERDROLA Records....": "The Group has benefited from more than $1 billion in U.S. government incentives for wind power, the largest obtained to date by any renewables company." http://www.justmeans.com/press-releases/IBERDROLA-Records-2-87-Billion-Net-Profit-in-2010--Highest-in-its-History/6861.html UPC First Wind is New England's largest wind developer, the same for Maine and Hawaii. Some in Maine are questioning the wind power goals and results according to ME Center for Public Integrity: http://bangordailynews.com/2010/08/09/news/some-who-created-windpower-fast-track-now-questioning-the-goals-they-set/ UPC First Wind's Hawaii project, "Kahuku", has caught fire three times and is shut down and may never be repaired. Do not miss this article: Hawaii Free Press Sunday, November 11, 2012 'Lawsuit: Kahuku Windfarm May Never Get its Turbines Repaired' By Andrew Walden Link to article: http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/8191/Lawsuit-Kahuku-Windfarm-May-Never-Get-its-Turbines-Repaired.aspx?utm_source=November+11%2C+2012+News+From+Hawaii+Free+Press&utm_campaign=November+11%2C+2012+Email&utm_medium=email UPC First Wind affiliate Italian Vento Power Corporation IVPC had seven wind projects seized during operation "Gone with the Wind" for wind fraud. http://hawaiifreepress.com/main/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4008/Hawaii-Wind-Developer-tied-to-Largestever-asset-seizure-by-antiMafia-police.aspx First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor is Governor Deval Patrick's appointed green policy Advisor to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and to the MA DEP. The benefits of wind energy are imagined. Its adverse impacts are economically and environmentally measurable and catastrophic. Spain, China, Mexico, Germany, multinationals involved in oil, gas, minerals rights, transmissions, pipelines and overseas manufacturers are the winners of the US citizen-funded wind lottery.
Do you realize the Government subsidies that are involved in wind power. The Tax payers are paying for wind power. You are being DUPED. Wind power is only good as a backup ask any true electrical engineer who works for a power company. Until we find a way to store the electric power it is only good for a backup.
"Wind farms GENERATING revenue in small towns" is quite a deceiving heading. And, quite misleading to the "green" general public. Perhaps, I am incorrect in my assumption, but the title suggests that Iberdrola has delivered a check to the town of Groton, N.H. for nearly $545,000. a true Windfall for that community! Is that so? And, there have been hundreds of construction jobs created by the Groton, N.H. project (at the peak). Is that so? And, what did you say the number of permanent jobs would be after the developers take their share of the profits and leave town? Oh, you didn't say; did you ask the question? Monroe and Florida (the Hoosac Project) has not pushed the "on" button; so, is it safe to assume that it is not one of the small towns (projects) where wind farms are generating revenue; deceiving heading. And Blue Sky East appears to have gone on line on November 14, 2012; so it really is not one of the small towns generating revenue either; deceiving heading. Perhaps, you will, for the edification of your readers list the wind farms generating revenue in small towns. Also, your interviews and quotes are all with and about the developers and the contractors and, perhaps, a town official who may also have been a decision maker in the permitting process. I see nothing attributed to the residents of the several communities mentioned. The Union Leader had an article dated August 26, 2012 with some comments from the locals; not all negative, nor, however, are they all positive. But, it will round out your commentary. Re: bjdurk (Comment 11/14/2012, 11:28 a.m), gives the true picture. The Industrial Wind Turbine Agenda is quite complex and the people deserve to know the whole story. Perhaps, you will consider a second column in the near future.
Regular readers know not to depend on Ms. Ailworth's typically slanted reporting. Lucas Willard recently provided a shorter yet more thorough report for Northeast Public Radio. [ September 10, 2012, at http://wamc.org/post/hoosac-wind-project-nears-completion/ ] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As currently practiced, wind power involves high environmental costs. Ms. Ailworth's cleverly chosen photos hide from Globe readers huge scars on the landscape from access roads and clearings, likely to provoke heavy soil erosion abd easily seen in aerial photos. Massachusetts siting regulations are useless for protecting nearby residents from severe health hazards of wind turbine noise. The only way wind power prices can approach bulk power prices from combined-cycle natural gas is by way of state and federal tax incentives. That means you and I are paying subsidies, only not through electric bills. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Until Ms. Ailworth is willing and able to report these topics honestly and accurately, her stories on "green power" projects will continue to be deceptive and superficial.