The wind beneath their turbines

NSP vows to be supportive, flexible for wind farm developers
By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter, Chronicle Herald
Wed. Jan 7 - 6:36 AM

Wind power backers who signed deals to sell electricity to Nova Scotia Power shouldn’t have trouble raising money, says the president of NSP’s parent com­pany.

“All of these contracts are ba­sically being done on the back of Nova Scotia Power’s balance sheet," Chris Huskilson, presi­dent of Emera Inc., told The Chronicle Herald’s editorial board Tuesday in Halifax. “Any­body telling me they can’t raise money on Nova Scotia Power’s balance sheet . . . I have a little trouble with that."

Mr. Huskilson said none of the companies have told NSP they are unable to raise the capital required for the multimillion­dollar projects. Several wind power develop­ers have expressed concern pub­licly over the past several months about financing drying up because of the global eco­nomic crisis. A Nova Scotia developer poised to build a $150-million wind turbine park next year near New Glasgow is looking for more time to get his project op­erating.

Mike Magnus, presi­dent of Shear Wind, has said the economic climate has made it difficult for wind farm develop­ers to raise money, and he is looking for an extension. Shear Wind signed a deal last year with NSP to provide 60 mega­watts of electricity — enough for 17,500 homes — starting in late 2009.

Financial challenges could mean the half-dozen wind pro­jects scheduled to start produc­ing electricity this year fall be­hind schedule.

NSP president Rob Bennett admitted Tuesday during the ed­itorial meeting that all of the wind power developers have met with utility officials about their financial difficulties, but none has “formally" said they cannot follow through.

“Every developer has asked us for flexibility," said Mr. Bennett, adding any extensions to con­tract deadlines would require the agreement of the provincial government, the utility and government regulators.

“We believe every one of these is a viable project. . . . We are doing everything that we can do to be supportive and helpful," said Mr. Bennett. He said it is a “perfect time" for wind projects to move for­ward — the cost of turbines is down 15 to 20 per cent, the price of steel used in the towers is down dramatically, and engi­neering firms are looking for work.

Mr. Bennett said if any of the developers are having trouble or missing any milestones for development, it will be revealed later this month when compa­nies start reporting quarterly results.

NSP has contracted for 247 megawatts of power — enough for 87,000 homes — which, add­ed to its existing wind farms, would account for 10 per cent of the province’s electricity by 2013.

The utility is required by pro­vincial legislation to provide half that amount of power from renewable sources by 2010 as part of the province’s efforts to reduce pollution.

Mr. Bennett said the utility oversubscribed in purchasing renewable energy in case one of the wind projects failed. “So if you have land, a turbine supplier and ultimately, a pow­er purchase agreement with a strong utility like ours, that is a complete project," said Mr. Ben­nett.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/9010071.html

Storm damages wind turbine

ERIC MCCARTHY
The Journal Pioneer
Summerside, PEI
26th Dec 2008

NORWAY – Norway resident Ethel McHugh got up from her chair Monday evening to investigate what she thought was a snowplow in her backyard.

“I was trying to figure out what was going on,” she said.

“I just went like this,” she said, placing her hand against the glass, “and as soon as my hand touched it, the vibration.”

That vibration stopped suddenly within about three minutes and it was not until the next day that she learned the likely cause of both the noise and the vibration.

Lloydie Shea gathers up some of the fibreglass debris that blew off a wind turbine blade during a wind storm. Company officials still have to determine the extent of the damage but they believe the strong wind was its cause. Eric McCarthy/Journal Pioneer

One of the blades of a Suez Energy North America V-90 wind turbine situated approximately 1,600 feet away, between her house and the Northumberland Strait, was damaged. Pieces were dangling from the blade and other pieces were strewn throughout a field, right up to her back door.

A Suez Energy North America crew scrambled on Christmas eve afternoon to gather up the debris before another snowfall rolled in to bury the fragments.

The debris was generally lightweight, narrow bands of fibreglass wrapping.

For McHugh’s brother, Lloydie Shea who lives in Anglo, the scattered debris is further confirmation that wind turbines have to be set back a greater distance from residential properties. Shea is a member of Save Our Unspoiled Landscapes, a group opposed to large-scale wind energy production in residential neighbourhoods.

The wind turbines had been shut down due to high wind earlier in the day.

Danni Sabota, from the company’s communication department in Houston said the turbines at Norway and West Cape were shut down around 11 a.m. Monday and were not manually turned back on until Tuesday afternoon.

The company is blaming the damage on a storm that battered Canada’s east coat. “That’s what we think is the situation: the bad storm, the bad winds coming through,” she said.

Sabota reported that blades on two of the three turbines in Suez Renewable Energy North America’s Norway wind park sustained some damage. She said specialists will be checking the turbines in the coming days to determine the extent of damage.

“It looks like there is some damage to the exterior, the fibreglass that covers the blades,” she said.

Specialists should be able to determine whether the blades can be repaired on location or they will have to be taken down for repairs. They might also be able to determine the cause of the damage.

Whether the blades were turning when the damage occurred had not been determined. Sabota said the turbines were offline at the time and the blades should not have been turning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What does it take for governments to understand that these things are dangerous?? These fragments flew 1600ft! That's nearly 500m. With a decent safety zone, that makes the 2km we have been asking for too close!