Caution to the Wind

W-FIVE Staff

Updated: Sat. Dec. 27 2008 6:55 PM ET

Ontario Energy Minister George Smitherman is all smiles at the opening ceremony of the Melancthon EcoPower Centre, near Orangeville. With133 gleaming white turbines, standing 80 meters tall and poised to generate enough energy for 52,000 homes, this is the largest wind farm in Canada -- and a symbol of Ontario's commitment to green energy.

Ontario Energy Minister George Smitherman speaks at an event promoting wind energy as a source of renewable power.

"When by 2014, our collective actions allow us to close the Nanticoke coal fired generating station," Smitherman told to the gathered crowd, "we will have made the biggest single contribution to climate change anywhere in all of North America."

No doubt about it, green is good. So why is it that across the country, more and more people are seeing red over wind energy? Some say that in the rush to develop wind power, current government regulations aren't doing enough to protect human health, or the environment.

Helen Fraser wasn't at the opening of the Melancthon EcoPower Centre. But she's all-too familiar with the turbines. According to Fraser, she and her husband lived just over 400 meters from one of the turbines erected in phase one of the project. At first she had no problem with the fact that a wind farm was coming to her rural area.

Helen Fraser and her husband lived just over 400 metres from a turbine. She says the sound and strobing effect caused her to develop headaches and body aches, and her caused her husband's diabetes to get worse.

"I thought this was absolutely amazing. [I was] all for green" said Fraser. But soon after the 45 meter blades -- longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 737 -- started spinning, she said she knew something was wrong.

"It was like a whoosh sound. It would just go whoosh-whoosh, like a steady beat with it. And there would be times my heart would actually beat to the pulse of the turbine," she recalled.

Even though the turbines' distance from the Fraser's home satisfied the Ontario government's noise guidelines, the sound and strobing effect when the sun was shining through the spinning blades made them too close for comfort - at least for the Frasers.

"I had terrible headaches, body aches. I couldn't sleep at night," said Fraser. "My husband's blood sugar, because he has diabetes, was all over the map." When the couple went away on vacation, they say the problems stopped.

Fraser and her family eventually sold their property to Canadian Hydro Developers, the company behind the wind farm, and their former home sits in the shadow of a giant, spinning wind turbine.

Assessing the Health Risk

To some, the experiences of Helen Fraser might sound far-fetched. But not to Dr. Robert McMurtry, a former assistant deputy minister at Health Canada. When McMurtry decided to retire, he chose Prince Edward County, an area in Eastern Ontario that juts out into Lake Ontario. It makes the region well-suited for wind farms and several are planned. Concerned about possible effects, McMurtry, a medical doctor who is not an expert in the field of wind turbines, decided to analyze the scientific literature.

"I am really concerned because there have been too many reports in too many places around the world about ill affects, adverse affects on health," he told W-FIVE. "The low frequency noise has a particular problem. And a number of people have reported ill effects including headaches and dizziness and ringing in their ears or sometimes worse."

The turbines apparently don't affect everyone equally. Andrea Hutchinson and her family live near the Melancthon wind farm - the same one that caused Helen Fraser such distress. But Hutchinson doesn't mind them at all.

Andrea Hutchinson walks her daughter in front of their house, which stands near the Melancthon wind farm.

Standing on her property, and pointing to the spinning turbine nearby, she told W-FIVE the sound was far less than she had originally feared.

"I can hear them if I'm not moving around and there is no traffic," she said. "It's not offensive at all. They're not that loud."

The wind industry backs up its claim that there are no adverse health affects from wind turbines with several studies and points to the fact that there are some 10,000 turbines across North America, with relatively few complaints.

But opposition to wind farms is growing across Canada. Critics want tougher rules governing how close turbines may be built to people's homes. Some provinces do set noise limits. And in Ontario, that usually means municipalities require turbines be 400 meters away. That's three times closer than the buffer zone being recommended by health experts at France's National Academy of Medicine.

To bring awareness to the issue, several local groups have joined forces to make some noise about wind energy. They're called Wind Concerns Ontario. W-FIVE attended the inaugural meeting in Innisfil, Ont. this past fall.

"I think the government really needs to step up to the plate and make sure they do their due diligence and make sure they do their history checks on where they are putting these wind turbines because it's about location, location, location," said one member.

"The government has made rural Ontario residents expendable in the name of green energy," complained another. "It's as simple as that. And they are going to ram it down our throats."

Canadian Hydro developers

Developers like Canadian Hydro Developers first have to find landowners to lease their land, then conduct environmental assessments, and finally have to make deals with municipalities.

The controversy over wind power has been a surprise to John Keating, the CEO of Canadian Hydro Developers. His company has built the Melancthon EcoPower Centre.

"Some people don't like change. Some people embrace change, and this type of change is the type of change that we should all be embracing, because that is our future," said Keating.

He also doesn't understand how there can be any adverse health effects from wind turbines.

So how do wind developers like Canadian Hydro Developers find a place to put their wind turbines? The first step is to recruit local landowners to lease a part of their land, a lucrative arrangement that can bring in between $9,000 to $14,000 a year, for each turbine. Next, they begin an environmental screening process where consultants are hired to address any potential environmental concerns. Another key process is making a deal with the local municipality to determine what the wind power company will contribute to the local government, which also makes the zoning changes necessary for construction.

On Wolfe Island, home to 1,200 residents at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just offshore from Kingston, community concerns went beyond human health. They extended to how the municipal approvals were granted and the potential impact to an environmentally sensitive area, because Wolfe Island is designated as an Important Bird Area and is an important stopover for migrating birds.

At the time the Township of Frontenac Islands council voted on changes to the zoning by-law to allow the wind farm development to go forward, the environmental screening report still hadn't been completed. Two township councilors from Wolfe Island had optioned their own land to Canadian Hydro Developers, leaving the vote to the mayor and the two remaining councillors from neighboring Howe Island. The vote passed, with the township poised to earn about $645,000 every year for the next 20 years, under the agreement.

The mayor of the township of Frontenac Islands, Jim Vanden Hoek, refused to give W-FIVE an interview, but did send an e-mail to the program:

"Wolfe Islanders are excited about the economic opportunity that this project brings to the community and proud to be contributing to the solution to what is likely the most serious problem facing the next generation," wrote Mayor Vanden Hoek.

John Keating, of Canadian Hydro Developers, also defended his company's actions.

"What we do when we find a resource that is attractive, we approach the local municipal council, we look for champions within that council and just see what support there is for a project," said Keating. "Over the course of our history on Wolfe Island, we've seen two municipal elections and the councilors generally ran on, one of the platforms was in support of this renewable energy project."

That wasn't good enough to mollify Wolfe Island resident Sarah McDermott, who challenged the project before the Ontario Municipal Board.

"I live in the village right across from the restaurant and all of the people with optioned land go to the restaurant in the morning for coffees," said McDermott. "It's made me paranoid in that I don't even want to go outside anymore."

Her partner, musician Chris Brown, feels the same way. "You know they've created this image of green energy and being against the windmills, as they say, is about on par with 'don't you support our troops.'"

McDermott's OMB challenge, and her request that the Ontario Environment Ministry escalate the Wolfe Island environmental screening to a more stringent environmental assessment failed. Despite some local opposition and initial concerns from Ducks Unlimited and Environment Canada the project was given a go-ahead because the OMB was swayed, in part, by Canadian Hydro Developers' commitment to locate their turbines away from wetlands and to monitor the project's impact on birds for at least three years.

Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen, whose riding includes Wolfe Island, concedes that so far, not one of the 19 requests from citizens to escalate environmental reviews for wind turbines has been granted. "I think that we have enough information available with respect to the major issues that are involved," Gerretsen told W-FIVE in an interview.

Bill Evans, a bird expert who has studied migratory patterns on Wolfe Island, argues that more environmental reviews are required. He claims that waterfowl, songbirds and, in winter, snowy owls and bald eagles are all at risk from the newly constructed turbines on Wolfe Island.

"What I'm concerned about is the precedent for this project going in this close to Lake Ontario, this close to these kinds of populations of waterfowl, and eagles," said Evans. "If a developer can come in and build here, why not anywhere along the lakeshore?"

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081223/wfive_windmills_081227/20081227?hub=WFive

Video at:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/w-five/w-five-caution-to-the-wind/#clip123798

Wind farms lower property assessments in western P.E.I.

From CBC news PEI

A couple from West Prince has proof from the government their property has dropped in value since wind turbines were put up near their home.

Promoters of wind farms have fought against the notion that wind farms lower property values, but Beverly and Errol Howard had their home in West Point reassessed in October, and it came back with a 10 per cent lower property value on the retirement home they built eight years ago.

Last summer, the Howards discovered the wind farm several kilometres up the road was expanding.

Beverly Howard told CBC News Monday there are now five new turbines within sight of their home, the closest about 500 metres away.

"If you're sitting out on your deck, they're noisy, if you're out gardening they're noisy," she said.

"We can't hear the surf anymore in the summertime; all we hear is windmills."

The Howards specifically asked for the reassessment in light of the new presence of the windmills. When they announced the result at a recent public meeting on the wind farm, Howard said environmental officials at the meeting were caught off guard.

"It was said to us — not by [Environment Minister] George Webster — but by someone else in the government, that we shouldn't be making false statements," said Howard.

"When they checked into it they found out it wasn't a false statement."

A spokesperson with the tax department said a handful of other residents living next to wind farms in West Prince also received lower assessments. Although the criteria for assessing property values doesn't specify turbines, the department felt the properties near windmills should be treated the same as properties near industrial areas.

Despite receiving the lower assessment, the Howards are asking the tax department to have another look, because they feel their home has dropped in value by more than 10 per cent.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2008/12/23/pe-wind-assessment.html#socialcomments

President-elect proposed economic suicide for US

Christopher Booker article in today's Sunday Telegraph (UK)

If the holder of the most powerful office in the world proposed a policy guaranteed to inflict untold damage on his own country and many others, on the basis of claims so demonstrably fallacious that they amount to a string of self-deluding lies, we might well be concerned. The relevance of this is not to President Bush, as some might imagine, but to a recent policy statement by President-elect Obama.

Tomorrow, delegates from 190 countries will meet in Poznan, Poland, to pave the way for next year's UN conference in Copenhagen at which the world will agree a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. They will see a video of Mr Obama, in only his second major policy commitment, pledging that America is now about to play the leading role in the fight to "save the planet" from global warming.

Mr Obama begins by saying that "the science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear". "Sea levels," he claims, "are rising, coastlines are shrinking, we've seen record drought, spreading famine and storms that are growing stronger with each passing hurricane season."

Far from the science being "beyond dispute", we can only deduce from this that Mr Obama has believed all he was told by Al Gore's wondrously batty film An Inconvenient Truth without bothering to check the facts. Each of these four statements is so wildly at odds with the truth that on this score alone we should be seriously worried.

It is true that average sea levels are modestly rising, but no faster than they have been doing for three centuries. Gore's film may predict a rise this century of 20 feet, but even the UN's International Panel on Climate Change only predicts a rise of between four and 17 inches. The main focus of alarm here has been the fate of low-lying coral islands such as the Maldives and Tuvalu.

Around each of these tiny countries, according to the international Commission on Sea Level Changes and other studies, sea levels in recent decades have actually fallen. The Indian Ocean was higher between 1900 and 1970 than it has been since. Satellite measurements show that since 1993 the sea level around Tuvalu has gone down by four inches.

Coastlines are not "shrinking" except where land is subsiding, as on the east coast of England, where it has been doing so for thousands of years. Gore became particularly muddled by this, pointing to how many times the Thames Barrier has had to be closed in recent years, unaware that this was more often to keep river water in during droughts than to stop the sea coming in.

Far from global warming having increased the number of droughts, the very opposite is the case. The most comprehensive study (Narisma et al, 2007) showed that, of the 20th century's 30 major drought episodes, 22 were in the first six decades, with only five between 1961 and 1980. The most recent two decades produced just three.

Mr Obama has again been taken in over hurricanes. Despite a recent press release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claiming that 2008's North Atlantic hurricane season "set records", even its own release later admits that it only tied as "the fifth most active" since 1944. NOAA's own graphs show hurricane activity higher in the 1950s than recently. A recent Florida State University study of tropical cyclone activity across the world (see the Watts Up With That? website) shows a steady reduction over the past four years.

Alarming though it may be that the next US President should have fallen for all this claptrap, much more worrying is what he proposes to do on the basis of such grotesque misinformation. For a start he plans to introduce a "federal cap and trade system", a massive "carbon tax", designed to reduce America's CO2 emissions "to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them an additional 80 per cent by 2050". Such a target, which would put America ahead of any other country in the world, could only be achieved by closing down a large part of the US economy.

Mr Obama floats off still further from reality when he proposes spending $15 billion a year to encourage "clean energy" sources, such as thousands more wind turbines. He is clearly unaware that wind energy is so hopelessly ineffective that the 10,000 turbines America already has, representing "18 gigawatts of installed capacity", only generate 4.5GW of power, less than that supplied by a single giant coal-fired power station.

He talks blithely of allowing only "clean" coal-fired power plants, using "carbon capture" - burying the CO2 in holes in the ground - which would double the price of electricity, but the technology for which hasn't even yet been developed. He then babbles on about "generating five million new green jobs". This will presumably consist of hiring millions of Americans to generate power by running around on treadmills, to replace all those "dirty" coal-fired power stations which currently supply the US with half its electricity.

If this sounds like an elaborate economic suicide note, for what is still the earth's richest nation, it is still not enough for many environmentalists. Positively foaming at the mouth in The Guardian last week, George Monbiot claimed that the plight of the planet is now so grave that even "sensible programmes of the kind Obama proposes are now irrelevant". The only way to avert the "collapse of human civilisation", according to the Great Moonbat, would be "the complete decarbonisation of the global economy soon after 2050".

For 300 years science helped to turn Western civilisation into the richest and most comfortable the world has ever seen. Now it seems we have suddenly been plunged into a new age of superstition, where scientific evidence no longer counts for anything. The fact that America will soon be ruled by a man wholly under the spell of this post-scientific hysteria may leave us in wondering despair.

Who could object to wind power?

MARGARET WENTE

November 25, 2008

Globe and Mail

On Toronto's waterfront stands a mighty wind turbine, its blades rotating lazily in the breeze (at least sometimes). It's a monument to good intentions and civic virtue. The Mayor loves it. The Premier loves it. All governments love wind power, because it makes them look so green. David Suzuki, the patron saint of environmentalism, compares wind turbines to medieval cathedrals - the highest expressions of human achievement. Wind is clean, sustainable, renewable, free. Who could possibly object?

The citizens. Last night in Toronto, hundreds of anxious folks jammed a meeting called to discuss plans for a massive wind farm along the shore of Lake Ontario. They fear the 90-metre turbines will chop up birds, disrupt migration routes, destroy views, lower property values, even make them sick.

NIMBYs? No doubt. But they have a lot of company. Across Canada, Britain and Europe, a growing protest movement is arguing that wind farms are no good for the environment.

Here's another reason not to like them. Wind power can't survive without massive subsidies, courtesy of you and me. "If these hidden subsidies were taken away, there would not be a single wind turbine built in Britain," says David Bellamy, a well-known environmentalist who has been tramping the Scottish countryside to oppose a massive wind project there.

Subsidies might be okay if wind could help replace conventional energy one day. It can't. "If the whole of Wales was covered with wind turbines, the nation would generate only a sixth of the U.K.'s energy needs," says Prof. David MacKay, a physicist at Cambridge. He's all in favour of clean, renewable energy. But he's done the math.

The biggest problem with wind is that it doesn't always blow. There are lots of days when Toronto's monument to civic virtue couldn't even power my toaster. Inconveniently, these times of low production tend to coincide with times of high demand. So no matter how many turbines you put up, you always need backup power. Usually that means fossil fuel, or, in Ontario's case, nuclear.

The biggest advertisements for wind power are Germany and Denmark. Germany has more wind turbines than any other country in the world, and Chancellor Angela Merkel has draped herself in green. But wind energy can't replace conventional power there either, so Germany is also building dozens of new coal-fired power plants. Denmark, with the largest offshore wind farm in the world, brags that 20 per cent of the electricity it generates comes from wind. But more than half its wind power is exported, because that's the only way the system can work.

Here at home, wind companies have been scrambling to get their share of $1.5-billion in federal subsidies for clean energy. On top of that, they get a premium when they sell the power. Ontario pays them 11 to 14 cents per kilowatt hour. Conventional energy goes for about half that price.

"Ontario is turning to wind turbines to help create jobs and power a green energy future," brags a government press release. But wind companies are chasing another green. The biggest wind project in the world, on the Thames Estuary, nearly collapsed last spring when a major backer, Shell, pulled out. Shell said the "incentives" were better in the United States.

Fortunately, a lot of wind companies won't survive the recession. One big Canadian firm, EarthFirst, is under court protection. Wind companies need a huge amount of credit, which has dried up. Expensive wind power makes a lot less sense with oil back around $50. And the global slump will do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions than all the wind turbines and solar panels David Suzuki can dream of.

When will we stop pouring billions into wind? I have no idea. Politicians really love their turbines. Meantime, that soft whooshing sound you hear is your friendly green government, vacuuming money out of your pockets.

Economic turmoil may slow wind projects

By MICHAEL TUTTON The Canadian Press

Independent wind producers are facing big hikes in debt costs, raising doubt on whether ambitious construction goals will be met over the next few years, say financing experts.

Chris Gifford, a vice-president with Allied Irish Banks in Toronto, says worrisome signs for the industry came recently when EarthFirst Canada Inc. — the proponent of a major wind farm in British Columbia — declared it was seeking creditor protection.

"I think it’s a warning sign, what happened to them (EarthFirst) could happen to other people," he said in a telephone interview.

The German bank WestLB AG has said it intends to "enforce security" on its $131-million loan to the Calgary-based wind firm.

Meanwhile, a news release issued Thursday by EarthFirst says attempts to find fresh financing had been "severely hindered by the unprecedented crisis in the global financial markets."

In addition to the Dokie 1 wind farm in British Columbia, and the smaller Nuttby wind project in Nova Scotia, the company also has permits for further projects in B.C. and Ontario.

EarthFirst was unavailable to provide an updated comment on the projects, but has said in news releases it has retained its staff and is continuing to work on them.

Scott Urquhart, the vice-president of corporate finance at Jennings Capital in Halifax, says the problem facing Canada’s independent wind producers is they are often heavily reliant on debt, raising between 70 to 80 per cent of their financing by borrowing.

He has assisted small Atlantic Canadian energy and mining firms to find lenders and investors in the past few years. However, he said when he was recently approached by two wind firms in Nova Scotia, he advised them to wait out the storm.

"Some of the banks are . . . not doing deals at all, and it’s going to be into the new year before you can talk to the banks about doing some of these projects," he said.

Urquhart said last year banks and life insurance companies were interested in financing the projects at rates in the range of 6.5 per cent. But he estimates the interest costs are now over eight per cent, and the lenders are offering shorter terms for smaller amounts of money.

The challenges are unwelcome news in provinces where wind is viewed as a key source of future energy.

For instance, in Nova Scotia, Emera subsidiary Nova Scotia Power Inc. had contracted for 247 megawatts of capacity — enough power for 87,000 homes — which when added to its existing wind farms would be 10 per cent of the province’s electricity by 2013.

The utility is required to hit roughly half that amount of power by 2010 as part of the province’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Margaret Murphy, a spokeswoman for Nova Scotia Power, said the utility remains optimistic it will meet its minimum goals.

Despite changes, wind farm views remain mixed

By Steve Goodwin, Pictou Advocate

Mike Magnus says he hopes the latest discussion regarding the adjustments his company has made to the proposed wind turbine project in eastern Pictou County will allay local concerns and allow the major project to proceed.

“We’ve taken all the comments to heart and have engaged folks to look at the changes,” the chief executive officer of Shear Wind Inc. said Saturday, following the company’s latest information session that attracted more than 100 people to the Lismore Community Hall. “Our concern is to be a good neighbour.”

Shear Wind has applied to the province to build a 60-megawatt wind farm called Glen Dhu on Brown’s Mountain, near Bailey’s Brook, that would generate enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 17,500 homes.

The company submitted its environmental assessment documents Aug. 20 and hosted community gatherings in Merigomish and Lismore during the 30 days provided for responses to the proposed project.

Environment Minister Mark Parent informed the company last month that he needed more information before he could either approve the project outright, or with conditions, or reject it.
“Parent was not rejecting the project,” Magnus said. “He sought more information. I wasn’t surprised with the technical assessment, but more with the community concerns.”

According to the latest diagrams presented Saturday, the four most western turbine sites have been eliminated and other positions have been moved, although Magnus noted all the turbines are well beyond the minimum setbacks contained in the Municipality of Pictou County’s wind bylaw. “We’re within the county bylaw, but we’ve done this because we think it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

While most residents support the project, some who live closest to where the turbines would be erected do not want the project to go ahead.

They say they don’t want their lifestyle and the community’s pastoral setting disrupted by the sight and sound of the turbines, which they feel would industrialize the area.

Faye Kinney bristled upon hearing how the wind farm and accompanying interpretive centre and restaurant proposed near the Glen Dhu site would increase tourism like it has in North Cape, P.E.I.

Magnus acknowledged having discussed the interpretive centre with the Pictou Regional Development Commission as a means of attracting tourists and to educate people about the community and the project.

“The idea of these tourists coming just kills me,” said Kinney.

“I’m not in favour of this project,” Bailey’s Brook resident Eileen MacKinnon added. “I know my life is going to change.”

Fellow resident Kristen Overmyer asked how much greenhouse gas reductions and diversion from coal-fired electrical generation the project would achieve. Company officials said they would have to get back to him with that information.

Meanwhile, environmental scientist Tom Windeyer said the company is addressing matters that include noise, wildlife, land disturbance and surface water. “We are addressing all the issues put forward,” he said.

“The community needs to heal and wholly understand this project,” said Pictou East MLA Clarrie MacKinnon, who also attended the meeting. “As with any project, there has to be middle ground and I think they’ve struck middle ground.”

http://www.pictouadvocate.com/stories.asp?id=503

Alternative Energy Stocks link

Charles Morand was interviewed by CBC radio noon time show today.

He was gloomy but not entirely despondent about EarthFirst. Check out the link below (October 25th entry) for a TON of information, including the disclaimer that he has a position with the company.

http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/wind/

Alternative energy play out of power

Andrew Willis, October 27, 2008

Streetwise blog via Globe and Mail

For all the promise of alternative energy, small-cap companies in the capital-intensive sector are beginning to fail due to a lack of financing.

Less than a year after going public with a $140-million offering, analysts are predicted that wind farm operator EarthFirst Canada is about to turn out the lights. The company's market capitalization is now just $7-million, and EarthFirst has been unable to land new financing for projects that include a B.C. wind farm named Dokie I.

“The market appears to have priced in a liquidation value for the company,” said a note Monday from Scotia Capital analyst Ben Isaacson.

Back in August, EarthFirst announced that it was reviewing “strategic alternatives,” in other words, it was looking for a buyer, with Blair Franklin Capital Partners and GMP Securities as advisors.

“Two months have passed since the company announced its uncertainty to remain a going concern,” said Mr. Issacson on Monday. “To date, no refinancing deal has emerged that we are aware of. As credit and equity markets have deteriorated materially since then... we find it increasingly difficult to believe that a refinancing package for Dokie I will provide an acceptable economic return to shareholders.”

Shares in EarthFirst are changing hands at 7 cents on Monday, down from last November's IPO price of $2.25 each. GMP Securities and Scotia Capital led the IPO.

EarthFirst is attempting to replace a project financing loan package from German bank WestLB that expired in August. WestLB is one of several German banks that are likely to be recapitalized by the government.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com:80/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081027.WBstreetwise20081027125658/WBStory/WBstreetwise

Nuttby Wind farm hits turbulence

Developer of Colchester County site seeks creditor protection

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter, Chronicle Herald

The future of a $90-million wind energy project in Colchester County is in doubt after its struggling Calgary developer sought creditor protection in Alberta on Tuesday.

EarthFirst Canada Inc.’s initial attempts to find a buyer for the wind company have failed and it sought protection to give it more time to attract a suitor, EarthFirst president Linda Chambers said in a telephone interview from Calgary.

"EarthFirst’s efforts to pursue strategic alternatives have been severely hindered by the unprecedented crisis in the global financial markets, which has impacted on EarthFirst’s ability to raise financing or to complete a sale of the company," the firm said in a statement released Tuesday.

Ms. Chambers said the economic crisis is "paralyzing" the wind energy industry and many other sectors.

"Part of the problem is the credit markets globally have collapsed and it’s having an impact on people wanting to make an acquisition."

EarthFirst owns two projects in British Columbia as well as the proposed 45-megawatt Nuttby Mountain wind energy project in Colchester County.

Despite the turbulent times, EarthFirst will continue its day-to-day operations and hopes to find a buyer by early 2009 that will proceed with the 22-turbine Nuttby Mountain project, she said. "It is scheduled for completion in late 2009 and at this stage we think it can be done, depending on the purchaser."

EarthFirst has submitted the Nuttby project for a federal environmental assessment but has been unable to negotiate deals for wind turbines and warranty agreements.

The proposed development would be located about four kilometres north of the village of Nuttby and six kilometres east of Earltown.

The turbines could generate enough electricity to power about 15,000 homes.

This spring, Nova Scotia Power announced it would purchase electricity from the Nuttby Mountain project for an undisclosed price.

On Tuesday, the province’s largest utility was awaiting word from the Calgary company.

"I think we need to hear from EarthFirst," NSP spokeswoman Margaret Murphy said.

"We owe it to them to hear what they have to say."

Ms. Murphy said EarthFirst is "clearly signalling" it is dealing with a global issue that a lot of companies are trying to cope with these days.

In the past year, NSP has signed power purchase agreements with five other companies for new wind-generated electricity.

EarthFirst announced in March it would buy the Nuttby Mountain project from Atlantic Wind Power Corp. and its partner, Cobequid Area Wind Farms.

At the time, EarthFirst paid $75,000 cash and $374,000 in shares for the Nuttby project. The deal went through in May, when shares were trading in the range of $1.80.

The stock crashed this summer to 22 cents a share and on Tuesday was trading at seven cents a share.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1088645.html

The horse needs to be put in front of the cart

The rules have to be changed to make it easier for wind developers to "harvest" the wind, but not be constrained by where they interconnect to the grid. If the perfect wind is in the hills, then send the transmission line into the hills!

Currently, the process is so competitive, developers take the easiest and cheapest way - by looking for transmission lines and then for land and then for wind.

The horse is behind the cart.

Wind energy developers should be looking for the wind, then land and community support (if there even is a community nearby) and then go harvest the wind by putting in transmission lines. The Province has to understand this and help NSPI and wind developers to install the required infrastructure.

That is a Provincial matter that could take years to implement. Therefore the Municipalities have a place in this by meanwhile having reasonable setbacks that protect the area residents from the impact of wind turbines.

As things now stand, any future tax income from turbines is increasingly in peril as more and more people realise that these things are not desirable in close proximity. Instead of losing any future wind development, it behoves Council to set out better land use bylaw that allows wind development, protect existing economic structures and protect the health and lifestyle of the people of Cumberland County.

Summerside, PEI council delays vote on wind farm zoning

Summerside Council heard resident's concerns last night and agreed to postpone a vote on zoning parts of the city that would allow turbines as close as 400m from residences. Just as we told our Councilors, they are not opposed to wind turbines, but they should not be located too close to residences.

Spokesperson, Keith Tanton asked Council to consider that they consider the setback used by countries with a long history of wind energy that have increased their setbacks away from residences. He cited that Germany, a country with a high population density and with the world's greatest number of turbines, has setbacks of 1.6km.

Perhaps with some new Councilors at Cumberland County, there's a chance that the dozens of people who sent their concerns to Council 1.5 years ago will also now be heard.

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

From CBC this morning:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2008/10/21/pe-sside-windmills.html

Residents' concerns delay vote on wind farm

Summerside city council has decided to wait a month before voting on a wind-energy farm planned for the western P.E.I. city.

Council was set Monday night to make the changes needed to rezone a part of the city for turbines, but people living near the proposed wind farm were able to temporarily push back plans. Some of the about 40 residents at the meeting were clearly angry about the proposal.

"Now we're getting windmills? Like, what the," said Roland Perry. "I better stop. Thank you very much."

Keith Tanton, official spokesperson for the group, said council needs to reconsider plans for the wind farm in the North Drive area of Summerside.

"There seems to be a huge rush to chase the money surrounding wind energy, but please remember this project will forever change our community," said Tanton.

"Before you spend millions of dollars on a wind farm, let's make sure you get it right."

Provincial guidelines require a buffer zone for wind turbines — no homes within a distance equal to three times its height. In this case, that's 400 metres. The four turbines proposed for Summerside would meet that requirement, but Tanton points to Europe, where buffer zones of 1.5 to two kilometres are in place.

After hearing the residents' arguments, Coun. Garth Lyle, asked that the vote be postponed for a month.

"I think for the slowdown this is going to cause, it's also going to give peace of mind to the residents in the area that we're not going to ram this through, and that they're going to be looking at windmills before they even have a further say on the situation," said Lyle.

Council asked city staff to research the health effects of wind turbines so they can make an informed decision when the matter comes back for a vote next month.

The wind project in Summerside is part of the city's plan for the local utility, and separate from a $1 billion wind-energy development plan announced by the province on Friday.

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

From yesterday's Journal Pioneer:

Wind turbine opponents to make pitch to council tonight

STAFF
The Journal Pioneer

Keith Tanton and a delegation of concerned neighbours want Summerside City Council to reconsider plans to build a new windfarm development in the city’s North Drive area.

Tanton, representing his parents who live in the area, and other residents opposed to the development, will be appearing before council at tonight’s meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

There are simply too many health and property issues for the plan to go ahead in its present form, said Tanton.

Minimum setback distances for wind turbines in countries such as France range from 1.6 km to two km., he said.

The distances being considered by the City in its plan are 400 to 500 metres, “less than a third” of recommended distances, said Tanton.

“I’ve also confirmed that Germany, with more wind turbines than any other country, has a setback of 1.6 km.”

In other jurisdictions where giant wind farms have taken root, including parts of the Island, residents have complained of sleep problems, headaches, dizziness and other health issues, he said.

Residents within the 2 km. area proposed for Summerside's development number in the hundreds, estimated Tanton.

“I am asking Mayor and Council not to vote in favour of the proposed rezoning. Please revisit the selection process and come up with a plan that does not situate this development in an area that will impact residents,” wrote Tanton, in a recent letter to council.

http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=181862&sc=118

N.S. wants more info on Shear Wind farm

Neighbours worry about noise

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter, Chronicle Herald

Nova Scotia’s environment minister wants more information about a proposed $150-million wind farm in Pictou County before he will give it the go-ahead.

Mark Parent sent a letter last week to Shear Wind, developer of the Glen Dhu wind farm near Merigomish, Pictou County, asking for details on the proximity of the wind turbines to nearby homes and the anticipated noise levels.

"During the review, many local residents expressed concern about the potential for noise from the wind farm," Mr. Parent wrote last Wednesday in a two-page letter to Ian Tillard, Shear Wind’s chief operating officer.

Kristen Overmyer, of Baileys Brook, was heartened by Mr. Parent’s action.

"My wife and I feel the minister’s decision demonstrated his department’s commitment to protecting the environment and residents by following the process and responding to our concerns," he said in an e-mail Tuesday.

During the review process, Mr. Overmyer discovered his house would be closest to the wind turbines, less than a kilometre from the nearest one.

The company explained that one turbine had to be moved closer to Mr. Overmyer’s house to avoid the flight patterns of raptors, including vultures, hawks, eagles and osprey.

Shear Wind must tell the government exactly where the turbines will be located and the number of residences — along with any other "sensitive receptors" such as daycares, hospitals or seniors residences — within two kilometres.

Shear Wind, founded in 2005, submitted its environmental studies in late August for its proposed 60-megawatt Glen Dhu Wind Park.

It hopes to start producing wind-generated electricity as early as December 2009 and sell it to Nova Scotia Power.

Residents have complained that the wind turbines would be closer to their homes than Shear Wind first indicated.

Besides location and noise issues, Mr. Parent said there are other "outstanding concerns."

"Shear Wind must address potential impacts of the proposed development on the local population of mainland moose," the minister wrote.

Shear Wind has a year to provide the requested information and the minister then has 50 days to approve or reject the wind farm project.

Mr. Parent also said Fisheries and Oceans Canada wants to visit the site to review the proposed water crossings.

Shear Wind has said the environmental studies, which took two years to complete, focused on soil, water, animal life and socio-economic conditions.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1084741.html

Shear Wind must provide more information on Glen Dhu project to NS Government

http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/ea/glen.dhu.wind.farm/glen.dhu.wind.farm_MinDecision.pdf

The environmental assessment of the proposed Glen Dhu Power-Wind Project, Pictou and
Antigonish Counties, Nova Scotia, has been completed.

This letter is to advise that, pursuant to Section 13 (1)(a) of the Environmental Assessment
Regulations, I have determined the registration information is insufficient to allow me to
make a decision and that I require additional information.

During the review many local residents expressed concern about the potential for noise
from the wind farm. The Registration Document failed to provide the necessary information
about the proximity of nearby residents to the turbines and anticipated noise levels. This
information is required in order to determine the potential for noise-related concerns. Shear
Wind Inc. must, therefore, provide a description of the proximity of the proposed project
to affected communities including the number of residences and sensitive receptors such
as day cares, hospitals, or seniors’ residences, within intervals of 640 m, 1 km, 1.5 km and
2.0 km.

In addition, although Estimated Turbine Sound Levels are presented in Figure 5.5 of the
Registration Document, there is no discussion of the model used or model inputs used in
determining the noise levels from the proposed wind turbines. Shear Wind Inc. must
provide a discussion of the noise simulation model used and provide mitigation measures
that will be taken to reduce public exposure to noise, in accordance with the requirements
of the Proponent’s Guide to Wind Power Projects. Shear Wind Inc. must also demonstrate
that consideration has been given to project-related sources of electric and magnetic fields
and potential health effects.

Shear Wind Inc. must provide the details of all issues and concerns raised by local
residents and how the company proposes to address them.

There are outstanding concerns regarding mainland moose and the potential for adverse
effects within and around the proposed project footprint. Shear Wind Inc. must
address potential impacts of the proposed development on the local population of mainland
moose. Specific attention should be directed at clarifying what, if any, changes in moose
distribution, habitat use and/or behavior have been documented at wind farms after they
have become operational.

Provide any other studies or information pertinent to the assessment.

This information shall be submitted by Shear Wind Inc., within one year, as an addendum
to the original registration information. Pursuant to Section 13(1) of the Environmental
Assessment Regulations decision options available to me are: additional information is
required; approval with conditions; focus report is required; environmental assessment
report required; or, rejection. Upon submission of the information I will have 50 days to
make my decision. Shear Wind Inc. is also required to notify the public of the submitted
addendum through notices in the paper pursuant to Section 10 of the Environmental
Assessment Regulations.

In addition, during the review, Fisheries and Oceans Canada requested that Shear Wind
Inc. contact Mr. Charles MacInnis, Habitat Protection Chief, Antigonish Office, as soon as
possible, in order to plan a site visit to different proposed water crossings. Mr. MacInnis can
be reached at (902) 863-5670.

Shear Wind Inc. must not commence the undertaking or any part thereof until the
undertaking has been approved under Part IV of the Environment Act.

Original Signed By
Mark Parent
Minister

PEI Tourism Survey cannot be applied to the Gulf Shore

The Tourism Research Centre of UPEI conducted a paper and web based survey http://www.trc.upei.ca/files/Wind_Energy_Report.pdf of 1,676 residents and visitors to "capture perceptions of wind energy production and wind farms, and their perceived effects on the landscape."

Given there were 1.4 million visitors to the Island last year, a survey number of 1,313 visitors this summer seems rather small to be truly representative. Only 363 residents were surveyed, with a stated sampling error of 4.8% at 95%, these results verge on being barely statistically significant.

There is no indication as to whether the visitors surveyed were day trippers or cottagers. 145 (11%) of the surveys were conducted at Visitor Information Centres (VIC). These centres are mostly frequented by day trippers, not cottagers. The people who return year after year rarely require the services of a VIC. Also, the visitors are often referred to as "travelers". From this, one has to suspect that most of the non-resident people surveyed were short stay or day-trippers.

What we do know is the demographic composition of the travelers (mostly families and couples), whether they had been to the Island before (80.4% were repeat visitors) and what areas they visited. The report states: "Charlottetown and Anne’s Land are the two most popular areas to visit while on PEI. Fewer visitors travel to the eastern and western regions of PEI. Since these are the locations on PEI where the wind farms are located, it is expected that a bare majority, at best, would have seen a wind farm on PEI. " The report later states that only 51% of visitors had even seen a wind farm, while 83.3% of residents had seen one.

There were questions as to how energy should be produced and how much one would be prepared to pay for greener energy. There were more negative comments about wind turbines from residents than visitors.

Residents and long term seasonal residents are more likely to have experienced the positive or negative effects than day trippers. This is reflected when asked that the perception that PEI is "Canada's Green Province" where residents did not believe this to be true but visitors did.

The appendices A to E of verbatim and written comments appear to be unavailable for review.

One finding of the report was that "44% of both residents and visitors either agreed or strongly agreed that a wind farm adds to the attractiveness of the area it is based." In other words, 56% disagreed that they add to the attractiveness. The majority believed that wind energy is a good use of the land, but whether the original use of that land (forestry, farmland, cottage country or Anne's Land) was part of how these turbines are located was not part of the survey. While the majority believed there should be more wind energy produced, they were not asked where the turbines should be located.

Even if we can believe the results from this very small and incomplete survey as being statistically significant, the results cannot be applied to the Gulf Shore, because there is no indication that the same kind of visitors (or residents) have been surveyed. The report shows support for wind energy (as do we) but does not ask where this energy should be found.

Wind energy may be a good use of land, but it has to be the in an area that does not impact the neighbourhood and it's economy.

The Gulf Shore area is a long term seasonal visitor destination area. It is where people come an stay for long periods of time. Many retire here. We have our day-trippers, but by far the more important part of our economy is driven by the long term "visitors".

Wind turbines cause health problems, residents say

A wind turbine looms over Helen and Bill Fraser's house in Melancthon, Ont.

Updated Sun. Oct. 5 2008 10:23 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080928/windmill_safety_080928/20081005?hub=TopStories

Windmills may be an environmentally friendly alternative energy source but they also cause debilitating health problems, say people who live near them.

Wind turbines are popping up in rural communities around the world, including Canada, in the hope that they will reduce reliance on coal and other sources for power. Currently, there are about 1,500 turbines across Canada and there are plans to build another 1,000 to 1,500 in the next year.

But some residents who live near wind farms complain the turbines cause a number of adverse health effects, such as crippling headaches, nose bleeds and a constant ringing in the ears.

Helen and Bill Fraser initially supported the nearby wind farm in Melancthon, Ont. One turbine sat close to the Fraser's kitchen window.

"We thought, more green energy, this is great," Helen told CTV News.

Ernie Marshall and his wife look at the windmills near their former home near Goderich, Ont. The Marshalls moved from several kilometres away after they began developing health problems.

However, Helen says she developed headaches, body aches and she had trouble sleeping. The dog began wetting the floor at night.

"There were nights I was lying in bed and my heart would beat to the pulse of the turbine. It was an uneasy feeling," Helen said.

Ernie Marshall at first supported the wind farm that was placed near his home near Goderich, Ont. However, he also says that once the turbines got rolling, his health began to suffer.

"I had problems with my heart, with my eyes, my digestive system," Marshall told CTV News. "It traumatizes your whole body."

Dr. Nina Pierpont, a pediatrician in upstate New York, has interviewed dozens of people who live near windmills in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Her soon-to-be released book, Wind Turbine Syndrome, documents the litany of health problems experienced by some people who have wind farms near their homes.

Pierpont believes that with the growth of wind farms near residential areas, Wind Turbine Syndrome "likely will become an industrial plague," she states on her website.

Scientists have only begun studying the phenomenon in the last few years.

Some early findings suggest that wind turbines create a high intensity, low frequency sound that may have an effect on the body. Not only can the sound potentially cause debilitating illness. Some researchers believe that the vibrations the sound causes in the inner ear may lead to vibro-acoustic disease, which can cause dizziness, nausea and sleep disturbances.

However, officials with the Canadian Wind Energy Association point to a handful of studies they say prove that windmills lead to few, if any, adverse health effects.

"We know there have been complaints about health impacts of wind turbines," Sean Whittaker of the Canadian Wind Energy Association told CTV News.

"On the other hand, we know there are some 10,000 turbines installed across North America and complaints have been relatively few. There's been research done on this and to date that research has come to a fairly solid conclusion that wind turbines do not have an adverse impact on human health."

Whittaker says the windmill industry follows all regulations for where and how a wind farm can be established.

"It's important to point out that in order to install a wind farm, there is a very lengthy procedure to go through of environmental assessments, approvals, permits, regulatory approval," Whittaker said. "And those are skewed around making sure the turbines don't have an effect on people, on plants, animals, birds."

The issue has not just put experts at odds. Communities across North America are divided between residents who say local windmills have made them sick and their neighbours who don't believe them.

"Everyone was calling me a liar," Ernie Marshall said. "It don't matter who you talk to. You bring 'em out here and they'll say that noise don't bother us. Sit there for a week under that and listen to it and see what it does to your body."

The inconsistencies in the early research, coupled with the fact that some residents who live near wind turbines complain of such a wide array of symptoms, are evidence that further study is needed to determine if Wind Turbine Syndrome is a problem, how big of one and what should be done, experts say.

"Depending on your distance you'll have 30, 40, 50 per cent of people who are troubled, but not 100 per cent," Dr. Robert McMurtry of the University of Western Ontario told CTV News. "That's why it's important to do these studies to see just how many are troubled and how real it is."

More research will also help governments determine a standard distance that windmills should be located from homes and schools.

For now, provincial governments are setting their own guidelines, which call for windmills to sit about 400 metres from buildings.

Some groups, including the National Academy of Medicine in France, suggest larger setbacks between 1.5 and two kilometres away from homes and schools.

Some affected residents can only sell their homes and move away. The Frasers left their home of 32 years and moved to nearby Shelburne, Ont. They say their symptoms have, for the most part, vanished.

Ernie Marshall moved to the town of Seaforth, Ont., which is several kilometres away from the turbines near his former home.

"I had to get out or I wouldn't be standing here talking to you," Marshall said.

With a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and senior producer Elizabeth St. Philip

Video link: http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/airing-their-concerns/#clip96832

Do wind energy companies keep their promises?

I have refrained from posting or commenting on what has been going on in Pictou County until now because I have been waiting to see some kind of explanation from the company as to why they have changed their plans as to where turbines will be placed. None has been forthcoming.

Mike Magnus has a cottage on the Gulf Shore, has come to some of our meetings and (I thought) believed that turbines should not be placed too close to homes. He is still listed as president and director of ShearWind, so I can only believe that he has some control as to what is going on with the Glen Dhu project.

My impression was that the company sold this plan to the public and to NSPI using reasonable setbacks of 2 to 3km. After most of their permits and deals have been completed, this has changed dramatically.

This only demonstrates to me that these companies have no compunction in changing plans to suit their own needs, and any promises made to the public mean nothing.

What does this mean to us in Pugwash and on the Gulf Shore?

The latest map of a reduced number of turbines pushed back a few feet from the shore does not mean a thing. More turbines could be added by this or any future company at any time.

Shear Wind raises $1.6m for Pictou County project

Chronicle Herald, Business section
Thu. Oct 2 - 6:30 AM

Shear Wind Inc. of Halifax has raised $1.6 million toward the development of its $150-million wind park in Pictou County, the company announced Wednesday.

The company also said the deal is subject to a four-month hold.

When the company announced Sept. 2 it was trying to raise money, it stated that "certain key shareholders" of Shear Wind, one of whom is an insider, had sold their shares through the TSX Venture Exchange and Blackmont Capital Inc. in order to raise some of the cash. Blackmont Capital received a commission of $160,150 for the deal.

Shear Wind, which was founded in 2005, is developing the 60-megawatt Glen Dhu wind park near Merigomish.

That project is slated to begin generating power by as early as December 2009. But it has upset people who live nearby who said recently that the windmills will be closer to their homes than Shear Wind had first indicated.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1082368.html

Petition presented to program advisory committee

Digby

September 2, 2008

The Municipality of Digby’s planning advisory committee (PAC) has reached the point where it is drafting a bylaw regulating wind farm development—but it’s not exactly full speed ahead.

At the Aug. 27 meeting, two presentations were made to the committee.

The first was by Dermott Murphy, Manager of the Nuclear Insurance Association of Canada.

Murphy, who owns property in Rossway, asked committee members to consider the fact that wind turbines have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years. At the end of that period, ideally, they are dismantled and removed from the landscape.

He stated that GE’s 1.5-megawatt turbines have towers measuring 216 feet and the structures weigh in excess of 160 tons. They are placed on a base of 100 tons of concrete and steel rebar.

Murphy said that a recent bid to de-commission a 3-megawatt wind turbine in France came in at $1.3 million.

Murphy passed along to the committee a petition signed by “almost 200 residents of Digby Neck.” It called for: (1) maximum public participation and maximum sharing of information with the public (2) for single residential or commercial turbines, a setback distance from the adjacent property line and public road equal to seven times the hub height (3) a minimum separation of 2,400 m. (1.5 mi.) between a wind turbine and any habitable building.

The latter recommendation would have a profound impact on the development of wind farms on Digby Neck—since the peninsula is less than three km. wide,

Judith Peach also addressed the committee. She said that the province of Nova Scotia is irresponsible in passing responsibility for the regulation of the wind-farm development to the municipalities, rather than putting provincial legislation in place. “People should be protected equally,” she said

Peach drew on the studies of Tony Lodge, an UK energy analyst, and presented copies of his document “Wind Chill” to PAC members.

In that report, Lodge says that wind is unreliable, expensive, and not particularly green.

Peach told the committee that in Denmark, Europe’s most wind-intensive state, not a single conventional power plant has closed.

“Because of the intermittency and variability of the wind, conventional power plants have had to be kept running at full capacity to meet the actual demand for electricity and to provide back-up,” according to Lodge’s study.

Lodge’s report concludes that it is time to call a halt to new wind farms, and to aggressively expand Britain’s nuclear, clean coal and renewable supplies of energy such as tidal energy.

Peach also quoted descriptions of the noise generated by wind towers and said it makes no sense to tackle one environmental challenge by creating another one.

By Jeanne Whitehead

http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/09/02/petition-presented-to-program-advisory-committee/

Wind Storm

Residents angry over wind farm project
SARAH REGAN
The News, New Glasgow
18 September 2008

LISMORE – Tempers ran high as roughly 40 residents showed up at a public information session last night to oppose the development of a wind farm in Bailey's Brook.

One by one residents filed into the Lismore Community Centre. They pulled up a chair and waited for the show to begin.

"I'm not leaving until I get answers," said Linda McCallum.

However, many homeowners left the session two hours later none the wiser.

Their anger was amplified when they realized no representative from Shear Wind Inc, the company responsible for the project, was at the open house.

Fulton Energy Research, the company hired by Shear Wind Inc. to document the environmental assessment, was on hand, as well as a former regional biologist and an environmental scientist.
While they were able to answer questions concerning how 30 turbines will affect butterflies and eagles, they weren't able to comment on how the farm will affect residents of the area.

"This thing is going to go ahead and nobody cares what I have to say," says McCallum.
Shear Wind Inc. is proposing to construct a 60-mega watt wind energy park near Barney's River Station in Pictou and Antigonish counties. Shear Wind Inc. anticipates construction will begin in 2009 and the park will be fully operational by 2010.

Once developed, this wind park has the potential of providing power for approximately 50,000 homes per year.

Kristen Overmyer was just one the residents to show up at the open house to raise concern over the project.

Overmyer says his home on Brown's Mountain will be 640 metres from the closest turbine.
The mechanical engineer says he has conducted weeks of research, studying bylaws and conducting audiology tests using a similar wind turbine on Fitzpatrick Mountain.

For those who think wind turbines emit little to no noise, Overmyer says think again. One day, he says he measured the sound coming from the turbine at 43 decibels.

"Sometimes, when the wind is high, it sounds like a jet aircraft. Other times it emits a low thumping, the sound sneakers make when tumbling in the dryer. Either way, it's annoying, like someone continually poking at you."

McCallum said many of the homeowners in the area feel "deceived" by Shear Wind Inc.
When the project was announced in April, Mike Magnus, president and CEO of Shear Wind Inc., told The News 95 per cent of the turbines are located three to four kilometers away from the closest residence.

But Lisa Fulton of Fulton Energy Research says that is not the case. The closest home will likely be 680 metres from the turbines.

"Plans change," she said.

Overmyer says the company hasn't given the public enough time to react, putting residents at a disadvantage. The deadline to submit a concern to Nova Scotia Environment is Friday.

"I personally admit that more could have been done to inform the public, but we did what we could with the information we had," says Tom Windeyer, a senior environmental scientist with Stantec Consulting.

Another public open house will take place tonight from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lismore Community Centre, Lismore.

http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=172429&sc=49

Is Shear Wind full of hot air?

By KRISTEN OVERMYER
Thu. Sep 18 - 6:23 AM
Chronicle Herald, editorial section

In promoting its wind turbine project to the residents of Baileys Brook and the surrounding community, Shear Wind made public statements to the effect that its project would not interfere with the neighbourhood, that there would be little visual impact, and that noise would not be a problem. On Aug. 20, 2008, Shear Wind submitted its environmental assessment (EA) registration documents, which appear to contradict this description.

In a Shear Wind public meeting in March 2007, Mike Magnus presented a site map showing the turbines beginning near the Antigonish and Pictou County border and then proceeding due south. Since the highland’s scarp face runs in a southwesterly direction, it creates increasing distances between the turbines and the scarp face, placing them deep into the highlands and at reasonable distances from residences. Mike also stated: "Noise will not be an issue" and "[the project] will not interfere with the neighbourhood."

Also, in a June 2, 2007, Chronicle Herald article, Harley Kellock, speaking on behalf of Shear Wind, stated, "There was one concern about the noise, but this (project) is so far back and remote and in the woods that it shouldn’t be an issue."

However, page 91 of the EA registration states "the site optimization and selection process has changed the project area and turbine location to the highland area along the scarp face." Many turbines were moved hundreds of metres to prominent positions on the scarp face, overlooking homes and dominating the skyline.

Also, page 157 of the EA registration now states, "Sound levels generated by the WTGs may have a negative impact on residents close to the site." Shear Wind did not hold a public meeting or contact residents regarding these substantial changes.

On Aug. 31, 2007, in a meeting at Lismore Community Centre organized by residents, Mike Magnus of Shear Wind stated that no turbine would be closer than two kilometres to any residence. In stark contrast, page 22 of its EA registration states, "The nearest house will be approximately 640m from the closest proposed turbine location." This is more than three times closer than its public statement. The hardships imposed on residents living in such proximity to industrial-scale wind turbines are well documented.

On April 2, 2008, at Nova Scotia Power’s announcement of Shear Wind’s contract award, in answer to a question, Mr. Magnus stated, "From what we can gather, 95 per cent of the turbines are located three to four kilometres away from the closest residence. … We wanted to take a responsible lead. We are very sensitive to that." This would mean that no more than two turbines would be closer than three kilometres. Its EA registration site map contradicts this, showing 17 turbines within three kilometres of the closest residence or over eight times as many as stated by Magnus.

During the April 2, 2008, announcement, Mr. Magnus also stated that Shear Wind would be holding a public meeting in three to five weeks. Instead, 23 weeks later, Shear Wind announced four open houses. The last open house, to be held today at the Lismore and District Community Centre, is just one day before the deadline for public input on the environmental assessment document.

My father used to instruct me that actions speak louder than words. Whether you are for or against the construction of wind power plants in our rural communities, I believe that at a minimum, the residents, whose lives will be forever altered, deserve to be dealt with openly and honestly. I leave it to the reader to decide whether or not Shear Wind has done so.

Kristen Overmyer lives in Baileys Brook.

Wind farms are too imposing

Letter to the Editor of today's The Journal Pioneer, PEI


We live in Cape Wolfe in Western P.E.I., in the middle of the West Cape Wind Farm.

This is a call to our premier and our environment minister to put a halt to all construction of wind farms being built on P.E.I., and especially West Prince, until our government has in place some very strict guidelines and regulations, to protect our environment, our residential landowners (full time and seasonal), our communities, our wetlands, our farmland, our wildlife, our tourist trade, and most importantly, the health and well-being of our people.

A prime example of what can happen when there are no regulations is our community. Please come and see for yourselves. Remember, this can happen in your community as well. All the great things we hear about these electrical generating stations are coming from the people who have the most to gain. Now is the time to show what people power can do.

If you are interested in joining us, please email me: bevhoward@ymail.com and write to our ministers to let them know how you feel.

All the reasons we chose to build and retire in this quite, peaceful, beautiful community are gone. Our community has been raped of all the reasons people chose to live in the country.

If we wanted to listen to a constant rumble and flickering sunlight we would have moved to a more urban centre.

Beverley Howard,
Cape Wolfe

URB: Wind projects can jump queue

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter

A lineup of clean energy projects looking to hook up to Nova Scotia’s power grid was given the green light Tuesday, but with conditions by government regulators.

Nova Scotia Power Inc. asked its regulator, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, to step in during the summer and allow seven wind projects to jump the queue in obtaining engineering studies needed for connecting to the power grid. The seven projects had won renewable energy contracts from NSP this spring,

While the regulator approved NSP’s request, the board stated in its decision that it has "concerns" about NSP’s process.

"Based on the evidence before the board, it appears that NSPI was aware of the potential problem during RFP (requests for proposals) process in 2007," the board stated in its nine-page decision. "NSPI chose to seek the board’s ruling to impose a temporary waiver, which has the potential to prejudice some of the projects in the queue."

Other wind developers complained to the board about NSP’s request and lack of consultation with the utility.

The board has directed NSP to meet with all developers no later than Nov. 17, 2008, and report back to the board no later than Dec. 15, 2008.

NSP had complained there was a logjam of requests before the provincial transmission system operator forinterconnection generation studies, which can take months to carry out.

Nova Scotia Power awarded contracts for renewable energy projects this spring in the hope of producing 246 megawatts of new renewable energy by 2010.

The province has mandated a standard of 130 megawatts of renewable energy by 2010.

Twenty-six interconnection requests, amounting to more than 1,390 megawatts, are in the generation interconnection queue, according to Nova Scotia Power.

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

Link to latest NSPI Interconnection Request Queue: http://oasis.nspower.ca/documents/GIP_Queue.pdf

Lehman woes won’t hurt wind farm, company says

By STEVE PROCTOR Business Editor

Chronicle Herald

A backer of a $70-million wind farm on Digby Neck says the ill winds blowing through Wall Street won’t delay the project, even though one of the major players is affiliated with the troubled global investment bank Lehman Bros.

SkyPower, a 50 per cent partner in the Digby project, is identified on its website as a Lehman Bros. company. In news releases the renewable energy developer says it has been affiliated with the investment bank since 2007.

Lehman Bros. filed for bankruptcy protection this week, sparking a financial crisis that sent the markets into a tailspin.

Barry Zwicker, president of Scotian WindFields, the other major player in the 1,100-hectare wind park, said Tuesday he had been in touch with SkyPower representatives and has been assured it is business as usual.

"It’s unfortunate and it will cause some confusion for a while, but SkyPower is working away," he said.

Vikaas Rao-Aourpally, a principal with the Toronto firm, answered his office phone Tuesday but referred requests for information to media spokesman Aaron Peters. Mr. Peters didn’t return repeated calls Tuesday.

The wind park is to feature 20 General Electric wind turbines and generate enough energy to power 10,000 homes. The 1.5-megawatt units are to be installed during the summer of 2009 on either side of Highway 217 in the Rossway-Gullivers Cove area of Digby Neck, some 12 to 15 kilometres west of Digby.

The partnership has a 20-year purchase agreement with Nova Scotia Power for the wind-generated electricity

Mr. Zwicker said that as a result of SkyPower’s relationship with Lehman Bros. the group had been looking to the investment bank to play a lead role in financing, but now he doesn’t expect that to happen.

"We always had a fallback position," he said in a telephone interview. "We were never reliant on Lehman Bros. We always said we would make the best deal for the project."

He said the group would be looking for additional financing options, but aside from that the normal development activity was taking place. That work includes submitting an environmental assessment application to the federal and provincial governments over the next 10 days and finalizing the layout of the turbines on the site.

Terry Thibodeau, the economic development officer responsible for renewable energy with the Annapolis Digby Economic Development Agency, said he had no concerns about the future of the project.

"This project’s going forward. SkyPower is not totally funded by Lehman Bros.," he said. "As far as I understand, it’s still a go."

Down on wind

Just as global warming has become a reality to us all, so has the world’s energy crisis. It is time, we, as responsible governments, business corporations and private individuals, do our part to alleviate the situation.

The government is promoting the establishment of wind farms across the province. This is a huge step in becoming more environmentally friendly. Or is it?

I’m not convinced it is or ever will be. Natural gas has proven to be a sham to the people of Nova Scotia. I predict our "green electricity" will be also. These ventures always have a heavy impact on our environment and individuals. We must not be so naive. We must be able to recognize what is right for the planet; therefore will benefit all of us.

My wife and I live in the country and off the grid. That means we make our own electricity (by the sun). Conservation is very important to us. So is peace and serenity, which was taken from us, when, over two yeas ago, two commercial wind turbines were placed three-quarters of a kilometre from our house.

There are times when the relentless roar from these things force us to evacuate our home and return when the wind subsides. If I could see that they benefit the locality and the province, I would not be writing this letter. If these wind farms must exist, then please have the consideration to place them properly or convince me that they are needed at all!

Ward Brubacher, Millsville,

Pictou Co.

From Voice of the People

Chronicle Herald

Wind project still on

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter, Chronicle Herald
Wed. Sep 10 - 6:49 AM

Owners of a proposed 22-turbine wind energy project in Colchester County will proceed despite the company’s recent financial troubles.

The president of EarthFirst Canada Inc., Linda Chambers, confirmed the company is reviewing its three operations, two projects in British Columbia and the proposed 45-megawatt Nuttby Mountain wind energy project in Colchester County.

The "strategic review" was ordered by the company’s board of directors in late August after it was revealed in July that its Dokie 1 wind energy project in B.C. incurred cost overruns of $35 million, and revised wind energy estimates meant that increased project financing would be required.

She said all operations are being reviewed to maximize shareholder value, but the board of directors has endorsed the Nuttby Mountain project.

"Let me assure you our commitment to Nuttby Mountain has not changed at all," Ms. Chambers said Tuesday in a telephone interview.

In the past week, EarthFirst submitted the Nuttby project for a federal environmental assessment, and the company is negotiating deals for wind turbines and warranty agreements, she said.

The complete installation of the turbines is scheduled for 2009.

EarthFirst announced in March it would buy the Nuttby Mountain project from Atlantic Wind Power Corp. and its partner, Cobequid Area Wind Farms.

At the time of purchase, EarthFirst paid $75,000 cash and $374,000 in shares for the Nuttby project. The deal went through in May, when shares were trading in the range of $1.80. The stock crashed this summer to 22 cents a share and is now trading around 40 cents, said Ms. Chambers. Those same shares are now worth around $83,100. She blames the drop on the news of Dokie I’s cost overruns and a gap in financing.

"Because it was our first flagship project, it was not a good thing to have happened," Ms. Chambers said. "The economy is very volatile, and when you have a misstep like that, the market reacts very strongly. We have an obligation to shareholders to maximize opportunities."

This spring, Nova Scotia Power announced it will purchase electricity from the Nuttby Mountain project for an undisclosed price.

The wind farm will cost $90 million to $100 million and will be located about four kilometres north of the village of Nuttby and six kilometres east of Earltown. The turbines will produce enough energy to power about 15,000 homes.

EarthFirst was formed last December after a restructuring of Creststreet, a co-owner of the Pubnico Point wind farm.

Residents: Turbines closer in revised proposal

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter , Chronicle Herald
Tue. Sep 9 - 4:46 AM

Residents in Pictou County were promised that turbines at a proposed wind farm would be several kilometres away from their homes, but it turns out the blades will be swooshing closer to their doorsteps.

"If they were going to do what they said, not one person would be complaining, but now that has changed," Baileys Brook resident June MacDonald said in a telephone interview Monday.

Ms. MacDonald is upset with the "inconsistencies" in the plan to locate wind turbines at Shear Wind’s proposed $150-million wind farm near Merigomish, Pictou County.

Shear Wind officials told residents in the area last year that the 30 wind turbines would be no closer than three or four kilometres from homes, she said.

Last week, residents discovered Shear Wind would be hooking up turbines closer than originally promised after the company filed a detailed project description, including a turbine map, with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.

The company is seeking environmental approval from the federal agency.

Mrs. MacDonald and her husband, Rod, have lived in Baileys Brook on a 500-acre beef farm for the past 34 years.

Under the plan for the Glen Dhu wind farm, she said the couple will be able to see spinning blades from their home as well as a blinking strobe light on a wind tower.

"I’m not against wind turbines and we need alternate sources of energy," said Mrs. MacDonald. "But my biggest concern is the health" issues.

She said her husband suffers from migraines and having a bright flashing light coming through the windows each night would trigger the headaches.

Kristen Overmyer, another Baileys Brook resident, will now live the closest to the wind turbines. A turbine will be less than one kilometre from his house.

"This is egregious," said Mr. Overmyer. "It will be looking right over our house."

Ian Tillard, Shear Wind’s chief operating officer, said 17 of the 30 turbines will be less than two kilometres from homes.

The wind turbine near Mr. Overmyer’s house is being moved closer to avoid the flight pattern of raptors, including vultures, hawks, eagles, ospreys and falcons, said Mr. Tillard.

He said the location of the wind turbines was determined after Shear Wind won its bid in April 2008 to produce 60 megawatts for Nova Scotia Power.

Mr. Tillard said the location of the turbines was determined by the proximity to a powerful transmission line.

Previously, company president Mike Magnus said the turbines would be three to four kilometres away from homes.

Mr. Tillard said Monday those statements were based on using a second transmission line that wasn’t possible.

"The important issue here is we have spent a fair amount of time on design and noise mapping," said Mr. Tillard.

While Shear Wind has moved the location of some turbines, they are still within the bylaws passed by the local municipal council requiring turbines to be at least 600 metres from homes.

Shear Wind will hold open houses on Wednesday and Thursday at the Merigomish fire station and on Sept. 17 and 18 at the Lismore and District Community Centre.

The deadline for making public comments to the agency is Sept. 19.