Wind Energy & the Environment
Wind energy works, is increasingly cost-effective, has a net positive environmental impact, and is compatible with most existing land uses. The links below touch on the topic of wind’s environmental benefits and impacts.
GE Renewable Energy Partners With Veolia NA For Wind Turbine Blade Recycling
By
Steve Hanley
GE Renewable Energy has found a new use for old turbine blades — chop them up and use them to make cement. In a press release, the company says it has signed a multi-year agreement with Veolia North America to recycle blades removed from its US-based onshore turbines during upgrades and repowering efforts. Veolia will use kiln reprocessing technology to turn the blades into raw material for cement. Similar recycling techniques have been proven effective at a commercial scale in Europe.
Greek enviro orgs warn of poorly sited wind farms after pelican deaths
By
Sladjana Djunisic
Seven environmental organisations in Greece denounced the installation of wind turbines near protected habitats after three pelicans were found dead on Sunday following collision with blades.
Wind farms ‘turn off times’ could help save Eastern European bat populations
By
Forschungsverbund Berlin
The scientists therefore recommend the widespread introduction of turn-off times during the migration months, which—as the team was able to show in a local wind farm—would massively decrease bat mortality yet produce only a marginal loss in the energy production of the turbines.
Ohio siting board’s poison pill to kill pioneering Lake Erie wind project shows a state in thrall to major energy interests
By
Brent Larkin
When it comes to energy in Ohio, there’s always a whiff of wrongdoing in the air. And the smell can almost always be traced to the vicinity of Broad and High streets in Columbus, where various state officials have for decades cared more about serving electricity and coal interests than the citizens of Ohio.
Michael Moore’s new movie production, Planet of the Humans–A critique
By
Michael Totten
One fully expects a Moore movie to be in-your-face contentious, provocative, and highly controversial. That it certainly is, but not in an accurate way, riddled as it is with out-of-date information, biased evidence, and a surfeit of logical fallacies that all combine to undermine the few substantive arguments that are critically important.
My Feedback on the Film “Planet of the Humans”
By
Paul Gipe
Neal Livingston called and asked me to watch the film Planet of the Humans and provide some context on the environmental benefits of renewable energy. Neal’s an award-winning documentary film maker from Nova Scotia. He knows film, but he’s also a doer. He and his partners installed three Enercon wind turbines on his Cape Breton land to practice what he preaches.
