As the federal government under the direction of the Biden administration encourages renewable energy growth across the U.S. it is also resulting in increased opposition to some of the projects. Fierce battles have broken out over solar and wind farms and carbon capture projects. It happened in Oklahoma years ago when wind farm …
Category: Wind Energy
Unexplained—wind turbine tower found leaning in Illinois farm field
First we had wind turbines that came crashing to the ground in northern Oklahoma and other sites across the world. Now there’s the case of a 400-foot tall wind turbine in Illinois that started leaning at an obvious angle. RWE Renewables Americas LLC, based in Austin, Texas is investigating to learn why its tower …
ALLETE reports improved income but issues with its Oklahoma wind farm sites
Wind farm operator ALLETE, Inc. based in Minnesota and with operations in Oklahoma, reported improved earnings per share as well as net income in 2022. But its wind farm subsidiary also had issues with the Southwest Power Pool and its Oklahoma wind farm operations. The firm said total 2022 earnings were $3.38 per share …
Strong winds left thousands without power in OGE system
Strong winds in Oklahoma on Tuesday caused power outages for Oklahoma Gas and Electric. An estimated 8,200 customers were without service as of late in the afternoon. Winds gusting to 50 mph were blamed for the outages. OG&E said the winds damaged the power lines and equipment. The outages were expected to continue throughout …
Energy briefs
** Ford Motor announced Monday that it’s partnering with a Chinese company to build a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, a move sure to spark backlash from Republican lawmakers. ** Republicans are scrutinizing the administration’s billions of dollars in low-carbon energy incentives for signs that money could benefit companies tied to Beijing. ** Recently …
Rural Oklahoma’s economy helped by growth of wind farms
The number of wind turbines in Oklahoma isn’t slowing down and the economic impact on the state is realized—especially in the rural areas of northwest Oklahoma. The Enid News and Eagle reports northwestern Oklahoma is home to several wind farms, including NextEra Energy’s Skeleton Creek Wind, Solar, and Battery Storage Project in Alfalfa, Garfield …
State Senator wants renewable energy land leases unitized to be more equitable
A bill before the Oklahoma legislature would unitize wind and solar farm leases much the way unitization is implemented for oil and gas production. It might result in changes to the way Oklahoma landowners are paid for such renewable energy leases. SB770 was filed by Oklahoma City Democratic Sen. Carri Hicks and if approved, …
Governor calls for diversification of Oklahoma’s energy grid
In his State of the State address Monday to the Oklahoma legislature, Gov. Kevin Stitt spoke of protecting Oklahomans and promoting freedoms and for more steps to promote excellence in education. He touched on energy a few times in his speech to the 59th Legislature. At one point, the governor said, “Let’s continue to …
Kansas considers conflict-of-interest bill for wind and solar projects
Legislators in Kansas are considering a bill aimed at conflict-of-interest reporting requirements for public officials who might gain financially from wind or solar projects. The pending bill would prohibit elected officials from voting to approve such projects and if they violate the law, they would be forced to resign reported the Kansas Reflector. Click …
Did renewable energy fail or succeed in recent U.S. winter storm?
A report suggests that perhaps renewable energy did better than expected last month when Winter Storm Elliott brought extreme cold weather, winds and storm to a large part of the nation. While some reports said the nation’s renewable energy sources failed and resulted in rolling blackouts, others indicated they exceeded expectations reported the …
