** Amid consternation over blackouts across New Orleans after Hurricane Ida, Entergy floats the idea of moving its headquarters out of the Louisiana city and sets off ripples of concern. ** The Department of Energy reports in 2020, wind energy was the largest source of U.S. electric-generating capacity additions, accounting for 42% of new capacity. ** Commercial buildings in the United …
Category: Wind Energy
No slowdown in Oklahoma’s wind power growth
A Department of Energy report on wind power in the U.S. shows Oklahoma with a strong number three ranking in the country in terms of installed wind capacity and wind generation power. The Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2021 Edition provides an overview of developments and trends in the U.S. wind power market. A record 16,836 megawatts (MW) …
Energy news in brief
** The Biden administration on Monday morning announced an interagency plan to deal with the effects of frequent extreme heat waves caused by global warming. The Department of Labor will develop regulations and processes to set and enforce regulations limiting extreme heat exposure for outdoor workers, in industries like agriculture, construction and delivery, and indoor workers, including …
Wind farm fraud lands Arkansas man in prison
A man involved in a failed wind farm project in northwest Arkansas was sentenced this week to 10 months in federal prison and ordered to repay more than $422,000 to investors. Cody Fell worked for Dragonfly International at the time and pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal wire-fraud and tax-evasion charges. He was sentenced by …
Arkansas wind fans excited about latest Oklahoma project to go online
The buzz is still being generated in Arkansas about the addition of an Oklahoma wind farm as part of the Southwestern Electric Power Company’s North Central Wind Project. As we reported last week, SWEPCO implemented the second commercial phase of the project in northern Oklahoma and eventually it will mean more than half of …
Energy news in brief
** Hurricane Ida shut down enough petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants to make a dent in national manufacturing activityand slow industrial growth to 0.4% in August. ** The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports as a result of the storm, 96% of crude oil production and 94% of natural gas production in the U.S. federally administered areas …
Wind farm moratorium adopted by County Commissioners at Hutchinson, Kansas
Reno County Commissioners in Hutchinson, Kansas stunned wind farm advocates and opponents by adopting a moratorium on the development of commercial wind farms through the end of the year. The move was made as a lawsuit filed last year by NextEra Energy against the county is pending in the Kansas Court of Appeals. The …
Maverick wind farm now serving PSO customers
The second of three new wind facilities serving Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) customers has begun commercial operation. Located southwest of Enid, the 287-megawatt (MW) Maverick facility is part of the 1,485-MW North Central Energy Facilities (NCEF) project. “PSO customers expect clean, renewable energy to be a growing part of our energy portfolio, …
Why Missouri’s largest wind farm is idle at night
The deaths of bats at the site of Missouri’s largest wind farm caused the owner to idle the operation so it wouldn’t kill more endangered and threatened bats. Now the move is playing a role in the company’s request to increase customers’ rates reported the Kansas City Star. Click here for Kansas City Star
Wind farm development takes a hit in SE Nebraska
County officials at Beatrice, Nebraska propose tougher restrictions on wind farm development. News Channel Nebraska reported the actions by Gage County officials might make it nearly impossible for the development of any wind farms in the northern part of the county. Click here for News Channel Nebraska.