Is wind a dead issue in Henry County (IN)?

Posted by Laura Arnold / November 18, 2018 / Posted in wind / No Comments

Wind: A dead issue?

Nov 16, 2018

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com

Wind, the dominant four-letter word of 2018 in Henry County – one that has packed public meetings and swept incumbents out of office – swirled anew at Wednesday’s Henry County Commissioners meeting.

Commissioners received numerous documents from Derek Reiman on behalf of the Big Blue River Wind Farm, perhaps laying the groundwork for a renewed effort by Calpine to erect between 80 and 100 wind turbines in northwestern Henry County.

“Upon review of the revised wind energy ordinance, there are a number of agreements and other documents required to be submitted to the commissioners for their review and consideration,” Reiman said. “We would like to present drafts of a number of those documents this evening. These are just being presented in draft form for your consideration.”

The words “draft form” did little to calm another large crowd of anti-wind residents present in the Old Circuit Courtroom.

Questions immediately blew like a gale toward the commissioners’ table. Will the new documents be made public? How tall will these turbines be? What is the timeline of the project?

The only definitive answer to questions came when Reiman was asked by a reporter where the wind turbines were planned to be.

“We’re in the midst of determining where wind turbines can be located but they will mostly be located in and around the towns of Cadiz, Sulphur Springs and Kennard,” Reiman replied.

All three of those towns have passed a four-mile buffer zone ordinance, meaning wind turbines can’t be constructed within four miles of those town limits. Cadiz, Sulphur Springs and Kennard are among nine small incorporated Henry County towns to enact the buffer zone ordinance. The others are Blountsville, Greensboro, Lewisville, Mount Summit, Springport and Straughn.

Mooreland is expected to pass the ordinance at its Nov. 19 meeting.

Commissioners emphasized nothing was being decided Wednesday. The three did unanimously support a recommendation from County Zoning Administrator Darrin Jacobs to enter into a general services agreement with Shrewsberry and Associates, Inc., an Indianapolis engineering firm, to specifically to look at future wind turbine proposals.

For the three commissioners, that decision was simply a case of being proactive, not necessarily pro-wind.

“Why would you guys hire a company to look at an application that hasn’t been made yet?” Northern Commissioner-elect Ed Tarantino asked.

“Because I’m not confident enough to look through the materials and decide whether there’s something that is right or wrong from an engineering standpoint and I doubt whether my two colleagues are,” Commissioner Ed Yanos said.

“The anticipation is that Calpine is in the process of bringing an application,” Commissioners Chairman Butch Baker said. “I don’t know how soon they’re bringing an application, but they’re bringing an application. We need to have a company in place to represent the county if they do make an application. This engineering company can then look at their application and the process and determine whether or not it meets muster.

“Obviously, they’ve done some work and are in process of doing something so it looks like there is an application forthcoming,” Baker added. “When it comes, we need to be prepared.”

Jacobs, quizzed on where he got the names to select an engineering firm, said some came from a former OCRA employee, some he met at conferences, some were suggested by leaders in industry and some came via word of mouth.

But only one, Shrewsberry and Associates, Inc., submitted a proposal.

“I would rather us have someone available in case an application is made rather than wait until it happens,” Jacobs said.

Yanos agreed.

“I thought wind was a dead issue in Henry County,” Yanos later added, as audible moans and incredulous laughter rose from some of those assembled. “I heard Darrin had received a check, and I thought, well, maybe this is going to move after all. And I sort of went into a little bit of panic mode that we weren’t really prepared to consider something like that properly. So I think it’s appropriate that we do engage an engineering firm like Shrewsberry.”

Jacobs confirmed he did receive a check via Fed-Ex Wednesday from Calpine, one that he has returned.

“At this time, there has not been an application presented to the planning commission for a WECS,” Jacobs said. “We did receive today via Fed Ex a check from Calpine we assume would have been for an application. When we found out there was not going to be an application made, we did return that check back to Derek Reiman with Calpine. So the county is not in possession of check for application and we have not been presented with any applications or any documentation.”

Jacobs said for Calpine’s latest proposal to be included on the Dec. 20 Henry County Planning Commission agenda, it must be received by Tuesday.

Mayors Join Efforts to Support Solar Energy

Posted by Laura Arnold / November 16, 2018 / Posted in solar / No Comments

Carmel Mayor James Brainard

More Than 200 Mayors Join Group’s Efforts To Support Solar Energy

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

With a decided lack of leadership at the national level on moving clean energy policy forward – and in some cases taking significant steps backward instead – the power to affect change in environmental policy necessarily is defaulting to the city and state level.

That’s why the latest numbers from Environment America’s Research and Policy Center’s announcement yesterday that more than 200 mayors across the United States – 216 in fact – have signed its letter calling for more solar energy is such an exciting development.

Even more exciting is the fact that the signatories aren’t limited to states and regions that have traditionally supported solar power as a natural part of their development. From every region of the country, solar energy is gaining momentum as the environmentally smart choice.

“While our federal government is promoting 19th-century energy policies, Americans can look to local governments to lead the United States’ transition to clean energy,” said Emma Searson, Environment America’s Go Solar Campaign Advocate in a press release announcing the news. “Mayors across the country are rising to the challenge — thinking bigger, acting smarter, and tapping the sun for more power.”

The list of 216 mayors who signed the letter spans the political spectrum, including 25 Republicans, as well as a broad range of city sizes and budgets. Republican Mayor James Brainard of Carmel, Ind., is proud to support solar in his community and says it’s a “no-brainer” for every city to consider:

“Even as Carmel continues its substantial growth, our city is working aggressively to reduce our carbon footprint well below what it was several years ago, when we were a smaller community,” Brainard said in the release. “Solar plays a major role in that effort, including more than 6,100 panels on four major facilities: our water treatment plant, a sanitary sewer pump station and two public parking garages in our city center. They’ll cost about $3.2 million but yield well over twice that in energy savings over the life of the panels. All this in a part of the country that hardly gets sunshine every day of the year.”

What Brainard says is true – solar isn’t just for the sunny states anymore. As battery storage and other technological improvements continue to grow, the range of regions that can successfully install solar continues to expand as well. So the letter signed by these mayors is just another signal to the national government that it should get its act together and support solar energy – because the Solar Revolution is already here, whether the fossil fuel interests that dominate our politics like it or not.

IndianaDG Note: Thus far only two Indiana Mayors have joined this effort. Both are Republican Mayors:

Indiana
Mayor James Brainard: Carmel
Mayor Phil Jenkins: Nappanee

Indiana Republican Mayor Phil Jenkins of Nappanee

Wind developer E.ON looks at SW Indiana

Posted by Laura Arnold / November 14, 2018 / Posted in Uncategorized, wind / No Comments

Wind developer looks at Southwestern Indiana

Worries about wind farm in Posey, Gibson Counties

By STUART HAMMER ; Nov 07, 2018 05:37 PM CST

European energy giant E.ON is looking to harvest the power of rural Indiana; not in corn or soy beans, but wind. Posey and Gibson County could see turbines pop up in farm fields. Reg from E.ON are in the Tri-State working to build the wind farm. Some people in the county report getting paperwork detailing potential projects.

“This is something that will impact our community for up to 50 years,” said one man in rural Posey County. “What's the long-term benefits?”

He and his wife are worried how 33 turbines might transform the landscape. They're talking anonymously because they don't want to make anyone mad.

“We’re concerned about getting more information because we don't know that much about it,” said the man’s wife.

Posey County Area Plan president, Mark Seib says E.ON has its eye on their farms, including land close to his own. The German company is looking to lease 15,000 acres, more than 23 square miles, across two counties.

The amount of money at stake depends on how much equipment is on their land, whether a turbine is on the property, or other infrastructure.

The question for some is – what's in it for me? Are there energy savings or tax breaks?

“Or is it just going to be an eyesore that we have to look at?” asked the one concerned neighbor.

Seib says the possibility of turbines is still years away and who stands to gain with new energy on the grid is still up in the air.

The worried man just wants more information to “make sure it's something that's good for this county.”

From generation to generation, the farm land has outlasted it all. But out there, some fear that way of life is being challenged, and this generation could be its last.

“I don't relish the idea of waking up every day and looking at wind turbines.”

According to Seib, there will be an informational meeting on November 12 at Gibson Southern High School at 6:30 p.m. Farmers and attorneys will be there.

https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/local-news/worries-about-wind-farm-in-posey-gibson-counties/1579746727

Farmland solar installations on the rise, but meeting local pushback

Posted by Laura Arnold / November 13, 2018 / Posted in solar / No Comments

Farmland solar installations on the rise, but meeting local pushback

Solar photovoltaic panels generate electricity at an Exelon solar power facility on September 1, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. — Solar photovoltaic panels in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Scott Olson via Getty Images

by Maggie Teliska

Development and deployment of solar farms continue to increase across the U.S., driven by tax incentives, falling costs and renewable energy mandates for electric utilities. Solar farms are built on farmlands that no longer generate enough revenue or have been abandoned, with some farmers entering into leases of 15–20 years with local utilities and others selling the land directly.

The big picture: Farmers who enter such leases benefit from greater revenue and stable income from rents, while utilities and solar companies benefit from access to cheap land. Although this seems like a win-win for all, some neighbors are getting upset at the change in landscape.

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The background: Farmlands offer flat, well-defined properties without the risk of floods, making them well suited to solar farm installations. In Illinois, the Future Energy Jobs Act set targets for the state to get 25% of its electricity from renewables by 2025. This has spurred a great deal of interest from private developers both in and out of state.

Yes, but: Residents and landowners around these planned solar farms are expressing concerns. In addition to being unsure about the benefits and long-term impacts, they're worried about the lengthy construction timeframes — some projects will take years to complete — and the reduction in property values that may result in the surrounding land. (Solar farms are not generally considered aesthetically pleasing.)

Similar disputes are occurring in North Carolina and Florida. And in New York, residents are complaining about out-of-state companies applying for permits without the landowners' consent, forcing the state to require that developers show landowner consent as part of the project review.

What’s next: Local zoning and planning boards will typically hear concerns and develop ordinances to establish rules for site acquisition and construction, though it's unlikely they'll be able to satisfy all parties. But despite setbacks and delays, the environmental and financial benefits of solar on U.S. farmlands will most likely lead to more developments.

Maggie Teliska is a technical specialist at Caldwell Intellectual Property Law, an intellectual property law firm. She is also a member of GLG, a platform connecting businesses with industry experts.

Duke tries to sock it to rooftop solar in SC with massive fixed charges

Posted by Laura Arnold / November 13, 2018 / Posted in solar / No Comments

Duke tries to sock it to rooftop solar in South Carolina with massive fixed charges

Duke’s proposed basic service charges of $28-29 for residential customers in South Carolina could stop rooftop solar dead in its tracks.

NOVEMBER 13, 2018 CHRISTIAN ROSELUND

It is nothing if not a masterful sleight of hand. Two months after reaching a deal with solar advocates to extend net metering in the South Carolina service area of Duke Energy Carolinas to March 2019 – and concurrent with a billion dollar green bond offering – Duke is proposing the highest fixed charges on residential customers in the nation, which could stop rooftop solar in its tracks.

The company’s plans to raise rates by around 10% are also buried in an extensive grid modernization program that it is proposing. But even this 10% may be a bit of a distraction; as Duke’s biggest changes to its rates would not be the absolute value, but a change in the way that they are calculated so as to massively increase fixed charges.

Increasing fixed charges has been a tactic of utilities to claw back more revenue from its customers who install solar and/or to kill rooftop solar markets outright. What these charges mean under net metering is that when customers install solar they can only eliminate so much of their electric bill, as even if they wipe out their total usage the basic monthly charges remain. This in turn weakens the economics of rooftop solar and lengthens payback times of systems.

And it has never been done this boldly to date. The changes to residential fixed charges for Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas would represent 220% and 238% increases, to $28 and $29 per month. According to a tweet by EQ Research

If approved, the fixed charges could be the highest in the USA of all investor-owned utilities, according to our research.

And EQ would know, as the company produces the most careful, in-depth research on how utility rate affect distributed energy of any organization known to pv magazine, including a quarterly review of utility rate cases.

These are only slightly offset by a change in energy charges in the territory of Duke Energy Carolinas which would slightly incentivize those customers who use less than 1000 kilowatt-hours per month.

In its testimony, Duke officials offered a bland excuse for this. “The unit cost study indicates that it is appropriate to raise the basic facilities charge to better reflect all customer-related costs,” stated Duke Energy Director, Southeast Pricing & Regulatory Solutions Michael J. Pirro in his testimony.

This proposed increase is likely to be sharply contested before the South Carolina Public Utilities Commission. Not only are rooftop solar advocates opposed to such charges, but so are ratepayer advocates, as higher fixed charges disproportionately affect low-income customers.

And even if Duke does not get this massive increase, they could still win. As documented in EQ Research’s latest report, even though utilities don’t usually get the fixed charge increases they want, this tactic is slowly ratcheting up fixed charges across the nation.