Wind Watch: January 2023

#IA Act relating to the siting and operation of certain wind energy conversion facilities

3. a. A wind energy conversion facility shall be sited at the following distances: (1) No less than two and one-half times the total height of a wind turbine to be constructed on a proposed facility or five thousand feet, whichever is greater, from any existing abutting dwelling or nonparticipating property. (2) No less than one and one-tenth times the total height of a wind turbine to be constructed on a proposed facility or five hundred feet, whichever is greater, . . .
http://dlvr.it/ShcsD7

Wind turbine hub: oily dirt and missing nose cone

Vestas 1.65-megawatt wind turbine, missing its nose cone, at Portland General Electric’s Biglow Canyon wind farm in Wasco County, Oregon, 2022 - Photographer: Dave Killen/The Oregonian
http://dlvr.it/ShN7WN

Akita Prefecture, Japan

Wind turbines line a major road in Akita Prefecture, Japan - photo from Yomiuri Shimbun
http://dlvr.it/ShKG6t

#FIN The presence of wind turbines repels bats in boreal forests

Highlights Presence of Eptesicus nilssonii and Myotis spp. are higher further from wind turbines located in forests. The avoidance of wind turbines or their surroundings could mean important loss of habitats for bats. Bat activity at wind power sites in forests varies with night length and season in the boreal zone. Mitigating this avoidance effect in current and future wind farms requires stronger regulations in Finland and the rest of Europe. Abstract Impacts of wind power on bats are usually . . .
http://dlvr.it/ShK0Jk

#NY New York State Great Lakes Wind Energy Feasibility Study

[from Summary:] Based on the totality of this analysis, this concludes that Great Lakes Wind currently does not offer a unique, critical, or cost-effective contribution toward the achievement of New York State’s Climate Act goals beyond what existing, more cost-competitive programs are currently expected to deliver. This conclusion is based on a fulsome analysis of the resource development costs, ratepayer impacts, expected State benefits, transmission and interconnection limitations, infrastructure and supply chain constraints, visual impacts, and potential environmental impacts of . . .
http://dlvr.it/Sh1Vl7

#IA Act relating to the siting and operation of certain wind energy conversion facilities

Fire, Mendota, Illinois

Wind turbine burns near Mendota, Illinois, January 6, 2023 - photo by Elena Fouck
http://dlvr.it/Sgn7Rr

#IA Act relating to the siting and operation of certain wind energy conversion facilities

Devil Winds

Devil Winds, by Julio Reyes, 2017
http://dlvr.it/SgkDjn

Red lights on wind turbines

Red position lights shine on wind turbines in the "Odervorland" wind farm in the Oder-Spree district. 15 January 2020, Brandenburg, Sieversdorf. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB (via Getty Images)
http://dlvr.it/SgYy5l

#FIN The presence of wind turbines repels bats in boreal forests

#NOR Ice throw from wind turbines: Assessment and risk management

[excerpts] What is in-cloud icing? If temperatures are below 0°C and the structure is located inside a cloud (above cloud base height) we get in-cloud icing. The ice accretion rates increases with the relative windspeed and the moisture content of the cloud. Because the blade of a wind turbine moves fast there is an elevated hazard associated with ice throw and fall from turbines located in icing conditions. How far can the ice be thrown? Maximum throw distance (screening) : 1.5 . . .
http://dlvr.it/SgVRMH

#FIN The presence of wind turbines repels bats in boreal forests

#NLD Geluid van industrie?le windturbines: de relatie met gezondheid

Industrial wind turbine noise: the association with human health [abstract] Climate targets will provide the Netherlands with more and higher industrial wind turbines that produce various ‘side effects’, including noise pollution and annoyance. Especially low-frequency noise and infrasonic vibrations can be detected more than 10 km away. In neighbouring residential areas, long-term exposure, especially at night, leads to sleep disturbances, with secondary symptoms, that may be associated with, for example, delay in cognitive development of children. More research is needed. . . .
http://dlvr.it/SgH06B