Wind Power

[Pedtupe]

Energy costs drive state toward wind power
Conservationists have opposed farms

By RAY HENRY
The Associated Press
May 28. 2006 10:00AM



Wind ripples along the Rhode Island coastline and over New England ridgetops. Harnessed by turbines, it could provide a clean source of affordable energy for a state that has some of the most expensive electricity bills in the nation.

But relatively few turbine blades are spinning in New England, and several proposals have hit opposition from conservationists who fear the massive towers will ruin scenic landscapes and kill birds.

Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri is gambling that he can overcome that opposition and build enough windmills to satisfy 15 percent of the state's energy needs in five years. Environmentalists say the plan is workable but ambitious considering that Rhode Island would essentially be starting from scratch.

"We're not talking about a major energy-consuming state," said Jeff Deyette, an energy analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy group. "When you talk about the percentages, it's something that's probably achievable, even if you put just one or two small or medium-sized projects in place."

Power plants that run on fossil fuels enjoy an advantage over wind turbines: coal and natural gas can be transported to the plant. Wind turbines can operate only in specific locations that are wind-swept and near transmission lines. Often, these are spots prized by others.
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Aesthetic and environmental concerns have been raised about a proposal to build a massive windfarm off Nantucket Sound in Massachusetts. Another developer recently proposed building up to 120 turbines in nearby Buzzards Bay. There are some smaller projects - mere handfuls of turbines -in Hull, Mass., near Mount Wachusett in Princeton, Mass., and even a single turbine along Interstate 93 in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood.

The best spots to build on land are ridgetops above 3,000 feet, said Robert Charlebois, managing director at Catamount Energy in Rutland, Vt.

"Therein lies the rub," he said. "Once you're on the ridgetops, you run into these conflicts between those who want to preserve ridgetops from ever being developed and those that think windfarms support a huge public good."

His firm found itself embroiled in conflict after it proposed building 19 turbines on Vermont's Glebe Mountain, a ridgeline that includes part of the Magic Mountain ski area.

Jim Wilbur, co-chairman of the Glebe Mountain Group, said Vermont law protects most mountaintops from commercial development, and he doesn't see why wind developers should receive an exemption. The amount of energy produced by Catamount's 400-foot-tall turbines wouldn't compensate for a blighted view, he said.

"Let's just work out a broad energy policy before you start (tampering) with mountaintops you thought were important enough to protect," Wilbur said.

Catamount recently decided against pushing forward in the face of opposition and the state's rejection of another, smaller project that had more support.

"We have concluded that Vermont just doesn't want wind projects," said Charlebois, whose company is now focusing on projects elsewhere.

It could take as many as 150 windmills to reach Carcieri's benchmark of generating 15 percent of Rhode Island's energy needs. The state has to overbuild because turbines normally operate at about a third of their capacity because of varying winds, said Andrew Dzykewicz, the governor's chief energy adviser.

One of Dzykewicz's first tasks is to pay for a statewide map identifying sweet spots for wind. Once that's complete, analysts can cull a list of sites where the local community is supportive.

State authorities are discussing whether a state agency should permit the wind turbine projects, sparing private developers who could spend thousands of dollars on projects that may never get government approval. Since public reaction is uncertain, Dzykewicz said having the government handle permitting could increase interest in developing wind power in Rhode Island.

"It's ideal," Dzykewicz said. "Whether people are going to want them there is another issue."

His office is taking steps to reduce public opposition. Dzykewicz said he would like to scatter individual turbines across the state rather than build massive windfarms that take up acres of land and might rile neighbors and conservationists.

Where turbines aren't feasible, solar or hydropower projects could help the state reach Carcieri's 15 percent goal for renewable energy, he said.

"This is going to be a whole bunch of singles, not a home run,"Dzykewicz said.

Source:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060528/REPOSITORY/605280373/1002/NEWS02