Entries in EcoEnergy (4)
10/27/11 Wind developers Eco-Energy/ Acciona caught red-handed AND turbines shut down at night to protect bats.That's a good start, but what about protecting people?
NOTE FROM THE BPWI RESEARCH NERD: Folks in Rock County are quite familiar with the wind developers mentioned in the article below. They had big plans for a major wind project in the Towns of Magnolia, Spring Valley and Union. They began by signing up landowners to long term contracts and working the community to pit neighbor against neighbor.
The project that was the subject of this audit is located just a few miles south of the Wisconsin-Illinois border.
CLEAN-ENERGY DEVELOPERS REAPED EXCESS U.S. AID, AUDITORS SAY
By Jim Efstathiou Jr. - Oct 26, 2011
The Obama administration overpaid renewable power developers in a federal grant program, including $2.08 million distributed to a unit of Acciona SA (ANA), a Spanish maker of wind turbines, according to government investigators.
The excess payment to EcoGrove Wind LLC, a unit of Acciona, was uncovered in an audit by the U.S. Treasury Department’s inspector general. EcoGrove received a $67.9 million grant in October 2009 for a wind farm in Illinois through a program to promote clean power created in the economic stimulus bill that year.
President Barack Obama’s administration already faces congressional inquiries over the Energy Department’s $535 million loan guarantee to Solyndra LLC, a maker of solar panels that filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 6. The audits raise questions about the Treasury’s management of a separate grant program that has awarded $9.2 billion to wind, solar and geothermal projects as of Sept. 11.
“A significant number of them no doubt have inflated costs,” William Short, an industry consultant and former investment banker with Kidder Peabody & Co., said in an interview. “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. This one’s a superhighway.”
The grants, covering 30 percent of a project’s cost, are based on what companies claim as the expense of developing a power source. Inspectors found overpayments in four of the five grants they have audited so far. Aside from Acciona, the discrepancies totaled $43,137. The excessive payments may climb as the inspector general investigates more of the 19,875 grants awarded.
‘Abusive Action’
The Treasury grants offer a benefit that leads some project developers to “engage in abusive action,” according to George Schutzer, a partner specializing in tax law with Patton Boggs LLP in Washington. Schutzer said he has advised clients seeking grants against being overly aggressive in their claims.
“It’s on the list of the things the Treasury Department is clearly looking at,” Schutzer said in an interview.
The audits by Eric Thorson, the Treasury’s inspector general, have focused on whether projects were eligible for the grants they received and whether the amounts awarded were appropriate, Richard Delmar, counsel to Thorson, said in an e- mail. The office plans to issue reports on nine additional grants next year, Delmar said.
The audits, which began in February 2010, involve visits to the headquarters of companies that received the so-called 1603 grants, and to project sites, Delmar said.
Planned Report
“We do plan to assess common and/or pervasive issues identified through these individual audits in the aggregate as part of a planned report on Treasury’s administration of the 1603 Program and make recommendations as necessary,” Delmar said.
There isn’t a deadline for completion of the “overall program assessment,” he said.
In Acciona’s EcoGrove project, investigators questioned five items including $5.3 million for interest on a late payment related to a turbine supply agreement with another unit of the company. Ineligible costs totaling $6.93 million led to the government overpayment of $2.08 million, Marla Freedman, assistant inspector general, said in a Sept. 19 report.
“People want to make sure they don’t leave money on the table, but you’ve got to strike that balance between what is permissible and what goes too far,” Jeffrey Davis, a tax partner with Mayer Brown LLP in Washington, said in an interview.
Furniture, Spare Parts
The Treasury Department agreed with the inspector general that Madrid-based Acciona should return $35,479 for costs associated with transmission lines, office furniture and expendable spare parts, according to the report. The Treasury hasn’t determined whether the interest penalty is eligible for the grant.
The company said including the interest payment in the cost of the project is “common industry practice” in construction of wind farms, according to the report.
“I don’t think there’s any padding” of costs, Amy Berry, a spokeswoman for Acciona, said in an interview. “You’re talking about companies that have a lot more on the line than a couple million back from U.S. Treasury. Obviously the consequences are huge if we don’t do it right.”
Small Staff
Six months after Obama signed the stimulus measure, the inspector general said managers at the Treasury Department had failed to explain what staffing would be needed to evaluate “the potentially thousands of applications of varying complexity for awards under this program,” according to an Aug. 5, 2009, report.
The Treasury Department responded that “the current team of four is adequate.”
“Just for just practical matters, we have a program to administer,” Ellen Neubauer, grants program manager for the Treasury, said in a Sept. 21 interview. “We have a large number of applications, a relatively small staff. We sort of have to set some parameters on what we’re going to examine more closely and what we’re not.”
The program has led to $31.1 billion in public and private investment in clean-energy projects that have the capacity to generate 13.6 gigawatts of electricity, about the same amount as 13 nuclear reactors, according to the Treasury.
Treasury Comment
“Treasury’s team works closely with a larger team of reviewers to carefully evaluate each application to ensure that the amount of money awarded is correct,” Sandra Salstrom, a department spokeswoman, said today in an e-mail. “In all instances where funds are found to be paid improperly, Treasury will work aggressively to recoup them.”
In the first five audits, investigators questioned $2.12 million of $306.4 million awarded in grants, or 0.69 percent. In the case of two wind farms developed by EON AG, inspectors reversed initial decisions questioning $1 million in grant awards related to spare parts after Treasury Department officials said the costs were eligible under tax law.
“The auditors that come out aren’t always the subject- matter experts when it comes to tax policy,” Matt Tulis, a spokesman for EON, said in an interview.
Credits Turned Grants
The incentives began under President George W. Bush as a tax credit companies could use to offset profit by investing in renewable energy projects. The 2008 financial crisis dried up company profits and opportunities to use the tax credit, resulting in the move to convert the benefit to grants.
“Our experience shows that it’s difficult getting financing for the projects,” Schutzer, the tax lawyer, said. “That makes the grant or the credit upfront so valuable. I would bet that the rate of mis-claimed charitable deductions is a good bit higher than the rate of abuse you’d find with the grants.”
The grant program, which was set to expire last year, received a one-year extension in December. A second continuation is unlikely, Bill Wicker, a spokesman for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a Sept. 12 e-mail.
“Given the considerable fiscal challenges confronting Congress, renewing this program seems to be a steep hill to climb,” he said.
NEXT STORY:
BAT FATALITIES AT WIND FARMS: CURTAILMENT A MORE COMMON PRACTICE
by Bill Opalka,
Source www.renewablesbiz.com
October 26, 2011
The recent discovery of a dead endangered bat at a Pennsylvania wind site led to the immediate shutdown of night-time operations of a wind facility. The practice has become more widespread I recent years.
Unlike a few years ago, the wind industry has been armed with studies and procedures that lead to immediate actions to prevent further fatalities, which have been deployed in sensitive areas populate by migrating birds and bats.
On September 27, Duke Energy Corporation notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that a dead Indiana bat, a state and federally protected species, had been found at its 35-turbine, North Allegheny Wind facility.
The facility, located in Cambria and Blair Counties in Pennsylvania, has been in operation since September 2009, and the bat carcass was located during voluntary post-construction mortality monitoring, FWS said.
Duke Energy stopped operating the wind farm at night “to prevent additional mortalities of Indiana bats,” spokesman Greg Efthimiou said.
Efthimiou said the company will continue to switch off the farm a half hour before sunset and a half hour after sunrise until mid-November, when the migration season of the endangered Indiana bat generally ends.
The ridge is in the section of the Appalachian Mountains that extends into West Virginia, where the issue of bat mortality first gained prominence a few years ago.
The bat carcass was discovered by a contracted technician and brought to the office at the end of the day per Duke standard procedures.
Duke immediately curtailed night-time operations of the turbines at the North Allegheny facility, and reported the incident to the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Service. The FWS said it is currently reviewing the incident.
A project in West Virginia was itself endangered when the Beech Ridge project avoided denial of its permit when wind developer Invenergy and the Animal Welfare Institute reached a proposed settlement in federal court. The developers sought an “incidental take permit” from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, recognition that some fatalities will occur from an otherwise lawful activity.
The actual settlement that was agreed upon allows the turbines to be in 24 hour operation between mid-November and April 1 when the bats are hibernating. For the remaining months the turbines may only operate in the daylight hours.
In other locations, bat and bird monitoring has led to wind curtailment. Not the most lucrative solution, as curtailment cuts into wind plant revenue, but it helps avoid a PR disaster-in-the making.
1/29/10 How many is too many? Columbia County learns of yet another wind developers plans AND Glacier Hill's 18 turbine "Country Cousin" wind project has no plans to 'buy American'
Officials of the Madison-based Wind Capital Group came to County Board's planning and zoning committee almost 18 months ago. They asked for, and got, a conditional use permit for two test towers, each about 197 feet high, to measure wind velocity and direction, to determine if southern Columbia County has adequate wind to sustain a 25- to 33-turbine wind farm capable of generating up to 50 megawatts of electricity.
So far, the data collected at the test towers indicates that southern Columbia County's wind seems sufficient to sustain a wind energy operation, said Tom Green of Wind Capital Group. The planned two-year testing period is scheduled to end in August.
Green said he continues to think that southern Columbia County would be a good location for what would be the company's first Wisconsin wind farm, although it has operations in other states such as Iowa.
Wind Capital Group would sell the wind farm's electricity to utilities.
But whether the wind farm goes in, he said, will depend on what the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin decides, as it sets parameters for wind farms - including setback from neighboring properties - that will apply throughout Wisconsin, and which cannot be made stricter by local authorities.
"You can't have a patchwork of rules throughout the state," Green said.
A new state law directed the PSC to set the statewide rules, which would guide municipalities, such as towns and villages, in regulating wind farms, said PSC spokeswoman Deborah Erwin.
The rules, when they are adopted, will apply to wind farms such as the one proposed by Wind Capital Group - operations that generate less than 100 megawatts.
Larger projects, such as the recently approved We Energies Glacier Hills Wind Park in the Columbia County towns of Scott and Randolph, require direct approval from the PSC. Smaller projects don't need the commission's approval, but would be subject to local regulations, provided that those regulations comply with the rules that the PSC soon will set.
But George Plenty, chairman of the town of Arlington, said officials in his town hope that an ordinance adopted last spring, requiring wind turbines to be at least 2,640 feet from buildings, still will be in place once the PSC establishes the statewide rules.
That ordinance, Plenty said, was in direct response to the proposed wind farm.
Given the density of housing in the town of Arlington, it's unlikely there would be any place in the town where a turbine could be built that would conform to a 2,640-foot setback.
"But I don't know what will happen to this ordinance when the PSC gets involved," Plenty said.
The pending PSC rules were the reason why the town of Leeds didn't adopt any ordinances regulating the placement of wind turbines, said James Foley, Leeds town chairman.
One of the Leeds town supervisors, Alan Kaltenberg, has leased some of his land for one of the test towers. Foley said Kaltenberg would abstain from voting on any matter related to the regulation of wind turbines.
For some town of Leeds residents, Foley said, a wind farm would offer an opportunity to make money from land that might not be particularly productive for farming.
"All these turbines would have to be sited on a high knoll," he said. "High knolls are usually rocky, and farmers can't farm rocks."
Plenty said he's heard of few landowners in the town of Arlington who would be willing to lease their land for a wind turbine location.
One reason for that: Town of Arlington resident Lori McIlrath, who opposes locating a wind farm in the town, has shared her concerns with area farmers.
McIlrath and her husband, Joel, have organized opposition to the project, she said, mainly because they have visited people who live near We Energies' 88-turbine Blue Sky Green Field wind farm in northeast Fond du Lac County.
McIlrath said she thinks a wind farm would cause health problems such as sleeplessness, reduce property values and create around-the-clock noise in what has been a quiet rural area.
"I ask landowners if it's truly worth whatever they'd get for their land, to do this to the community," she said.
Wisconsin utilities already are required to produce a percentage of their power from renewable resources such as wind or solar power. Those requirements might become even more stringent with a bill, backed by Gov. Jim Doyle, that's pending in the Wisconsin Legislature. One of the provisions of the Clean Energy Jobs Act is a proposal to require utilities to use renewable resources for 20 percent of their power by 2020 and 25 percent by 2025.
Wind farms are likely to become more common in Wisconsin, Green said.
That's why, he said, he has made himself available to the public, at Leeds and Arlington town meetings and at small-group sessions with southern Columbia County residents, to answer questions about the effects of a wind farm.
"It's our job," he said, "to present to the public accurate, scientific information, so they can better understand the facts about wind energy."
January 27 2010
Wisconsin regulators have approved plans to startup company E Wind to build a 30 megawatt wind farm northeaset of the State Capial of Madison at a cost of $60 million dollars. Talks are underway to buy 18 turbines fro Hyundai Heavy Industries, E-wind tells Recharge.
If the deal is finalized, it would represent the largest known US order thus far for South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy.
Wes Slaymaker, who heads a company that provides engineering services for the wind industry and is a partner in E Wind, says the next project step is to negotiate a long-term power purchase agreement with a utility.
“This is our biggest challenge because electricity prices and demand are soft,” he says in a telephone interview. “Utilities are not excited about buying more power at the moment.”
Even so, they must comply with Wisconsin’s renewable portfolio standard that requires publicly-held utilities to produce 10% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2015.
Governor Jim Doyle is also calling on lawmakers to pass his proposed Green Energy Jobs Act, which would update the RPS to 25% by 2025.
“I think the bill has a decent chance of getting passed,” says Slaymaker.
Once a power purchase agreement is in place, Slaymaker believes he and two local partners will obtain project financing. One of them owns part of the 1,800 acres where the turbines will be sited near the town of Randolph.
Slaymaker describes the proposed wind farm as a community project because it has local owners and operators, and most of the investment for site preparation and wind project development will stay in the region.
“This type of community wind project, while common in Minnesota, is unique to Wisconsin,” says Slaymaker.
12/4/08 Why This Wind Developer Gets an "F" On His Paper, AND What We Talk About When We Talk About Industrial Wind Turbine Noise AND Ice Throwing Turbine Update!
In response to a questionnaire submitted by Union Township to wind developers regarding the noise made by wind turbines the developers defended their noise specifications with statements that indicated they may have opened "some medical books" to get an answer. Those who are currently unable to sleep because of turbine noise in Fond du Lac county might take issue with this armchair diagnosis provided by a wind farm salesman. Our Grade For His Response?
A big, red F.
Here is the response: "Turbines are sited to have maximum sound level of 45dBA, well below levels causing physical harm. Medical books on sound indicate sound levels above 80-90dBA cause physical (health) effects. The possible effects to a person's health due to "annoyance" are impossible to study in a scientific way, as these are often mostly psychosomatic, and are not caused by wind turbines as much as the individuals' obsession with a new item in their environment."
Community noise experts Kamperman and James took issue with this and published a formal response to the questionnaire, highlighting major deficiencies in the wind developers' statements, including:
* The tone and context of the statement implies that 45 dBA is fully compatible with the quiet rural community setting.
* No acknowledgement is made of the dramatic change this will be for the noise environment of nearby families.
* No mention is made of how the wind facility, once in operation, will raise evening and nighttime background sound levels from the existing background levels of 20 to 30 dBA to 45 dBA.
* There is no disclosure of the considerable low frequency content of the wind turbine sound; in fact, there are often claims to the contrary.
* They fail to warn that the home construction techniques used for modern wood frame homes result in walls and roofs that cannot block out a wind turbine's low frequencies.
* They do not disclose that the International Standards Organization (ISO) in ISO 1996-1971 recommends 25 dBA as the maximum night-time limit for rural communities. Sound levels of 40
dBA and above are only appropriate in suburban communities during the day and urban communities during day and night. There are no communities where 45 dBA is considered acceptable at night.
* Making statements outside their area of competence, wind industry advocates, without medical qualifications, label complaints of health effects as "psychosomatic" in a pejorative manner that implies the complaints can be discounted because they are not "really medical" conditions. Such a response cannot be considered to be based in fact.
NOTE FROM THE BPWI RESEARCH NERD: Developers and Wind Lobbyists alike compare the sound of industrial wind turbines to that of a refrigerator. The source of this statement seems to come from Tom Gray, a lobbyist for the American Wind Energy Association, and he can't seem to decide how far from the refrigerator you need to be in order to make the comparison, as illustrated by the video below.
UPDATE ON THE ICE THROW FROM AN INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINE
(Click here to read it at its source)
Residents complained when the 260ft wind generator began hurling shards of ice, some measuring two feet long, after the cold snap over the weekend.
Operators Cornwall Light and Power turned off the machine in Kings Dyke, Whittlesey, Cambs, which is situated next to several homes and an industrial estate.
The energy company has also opened an investigation amid fears that the ice could have caused serious injury to people living and working near the turbine.
Tyson Clark, who owns a carpet showroom next to the generator, said he called Cornwall Light and Power demanding that it be turned off when lumps of ice started falling on his premises.
He told his local newspaper, the Wisbech Standard: "We have been told the turbine will stay off until the company has some satisfactory answers to why it happened."
The turbine was restarted a day later but had to be switched off again after more people complained.
Peter Randall, who runs a nearby welding company, said: "We were assured that ice could only cause a problem in severe weather conditions like those in Scotland, and two days later we got javelins thrown at us.
"I am worried about the safety of my family and everyone in the area, we should not have to put up with this."
The £2million turbine was criticised by many local residents when it was erected.
Whittlesey county councillor Ronald Speechley said: "It's worrying. Ice froze on the blades and, when it started moving, it started throwing it all over.
"It could be very dangerous."
A spokesman for Cornwall Light and Power said: "Following reports of ice shedding on Saturday, we shut down our wind turbine at Whittlesey.
"Our people have visited the site and nearby residents, and we have agreed that the turbine will not generate until we are fully satisfied that there is no risk of ice shedding."
1/24/08 How Were The Wind Rights to Magnolia Township Sold And What Does A WInd Developer Do?
WHAT WAS SOLD AND HOW
BPRC contacted EcoEnergy to ask what it was they sold when they sold wind development rights in our community to Acciona of Spain. We are grateful for this response, and appreciate their willingness to correspond with us, in spite of our differing views about this project. We were asked to print their response in its entirety and we are very glad to do so.
(Click here to visit EcoEnergy's Web Site)
From EcoEnergy:
“The question has come up regarding what EcoEnergy sold to Acciona and how EcoEnergy acquired this asset. In the case of the EcoEnergy arrangement with wind power leader Acciona, here's how it works. EcoEnergy does the initial project development, which includes locating good spots for turbines (based on wind maps and proprietary research related to wind patterns) and if local landowners are interested in participating, EcoEnergy then takes the project through the permitting process. At the end of the process, Acciona becomes the majority owner in the project and EcoEnergy retains an option for ownership and involvement in the ongoing operation to ensure a local, domestic presence. Both companies work together in the engineering and construction of the wind facility. In other words, EcoEnergy sold Acciona several wind project limited liability corporations. These corporations had assets, including proprietary wind data and analysis, geospatial analysis, project management, and staff time that was invested in meeting with local community members and groups. Thus, Acciona bought EcoEnergy’s development rights for the project LLC. This does not prevent another wind energy developer from working with the community, nor does it prevent community members from deciding to participate in a different project. It simply means that if EcoEnergy develops the project, Acciona will be majority owner.
It may make it clearer if we compare this arrangement with other types of long-term lease or ownership situations. In a new large building, for example, a private or public entity purchases the land for the building (roughly equivalent to the landowners in a wind facility project). In most cases, then, a developer is hired to find tenants for the proposed building (part of EcoEnergy's role, roughly equivalent to taking the project through the permitting process). A construction firm does the actual building (roughly equivalent to roles played by EcoEnergy and Acciona in this case, working together). At that point, the operation of the building is often turned over to a firm that manages it for its lifetime, including handling all its repairs and maintenance, and to whom the tenants of the building (assuming it's not a condo-type situation) pay their rent. The original owners still own the land on which the building sits, but they are not responsible for the day-to-day upkeep of the building. They receive a share of the profits from the project, but the firm managing the building for its lifetime may often be referred to as the owner and for all intents and purposes related to the running of the building, it is. It makes its money by managing the building and making sure it is well-maintained. In the case of a wind facility owned and operated by EcoEnergy and Acciona, these two companies are roughly equivalent to the firm that operates the building -- they "own" the equipment and the operation of the turbines, but the land is still owned by the original landowners, who receive annual payments for the use of that land, just as the owners of the large building -- while not involved in its day-to-day activities -- still receive payments based on its success.”
THANK YOU ECOENERGY FOR THAT RESPONSE! Please know it is appreciated.
WHAT'S A WIND
PROJECT DEVELOPER?
Need a job?
The BPRC Research Nerd has learned that Acciona of Spain has a branch in Chicago and they're looking for someone who can develop wind energy projects like the one developed and sold in our area by EcoEnergy.
(Read the ad at its original source by clicking here)
Acciona Energy North America Corporation
Title: Project Developer
Location: Chicago, IL
Sector: Alternative Energy
Occupation: Business Development
Education: Bachelors/Physical Science or Engineering
Benefits 401K
Other Features :Travel75%
Description: Acciona is a global pioneer in contributing to sustainable worldwide development through its main lines of business: development and management of infrastructure and real estate projects, provision of transport, urban and environmental services, and development and operation of renewable energies.
Acciona seeks seasoned professionals to assist in the development of utility-scale wind power projects. We have openings in San Diego, Chicago,and Toronto. This position reports to the regional head of development. This senior project management position will be responsible for all aspects of project delivery for multiple projects in specific regions throughout the United States, ensuring that their projects are completed on time and on budget. The Project Developer’s initial charter will be to focus on managing existing projects. As the U.S. and Canadian business grows, he/she will be responsible for identifying and securing new development sites, evaluating project acquisition and investment opportunities and mentoring junior staff members.
Duties/Responsibilities:
# Manage process to move projects from green field development to commercial, preconstruction stage
# Ensure that timelines and budgets for Company’s existing projects are effectively managed
# Coordinate feasibility studies and project development activities with cross functional resources, peers, and outside consultants to ensure project stays on track
# Negotiate land rights acquisition with landowners and address land use issues
# Work with Permitting Manager to define, apply for and manage complex federal, state, and local environmental, construction, and related permits and support community outreach efforts towards a variety of stakeholders
# Work with Staff Scientist to coordinate wind resource assessment activities
# Work with Power Market and Interconnection Manager to manage interconnection studies, load flow analyses and assist in PPA negotiations
# Identify and communicate to Vice President any project risks and develop mitigation strategies
# Identify and introduce new potential joint venture partners, project acquisition opportunities and green field sites
# Identify and develop relationships with stakeholders; effectively communicate with a range of personalities, including land owners, partners, government officials, technical experts, utilities, and consultants
# Manage project budget, schedule and financial modeling inputs; communicate any variance to V.P.
# Prepare and present detailed analysis; communicate status reports to V.P.
Skills Required:
# Bachelor’s degree in Physical Science or Engineering
# Previous experience in energy development required, preferably in wind energy project development, with an understanding of deregulated electric markets
# At least 5+ years in a project management position with proven track record of building, leading and managing a multi-disciplinary team, preferably in the renewable energy or power generation industry
# Excellent written and oral communications skills; the ability to develop clear and concise development plans and presentations covering project status, timeline, risk assessment, and budget needs and performance
# Ability to operate at a detailed level, to organize and multi-task, with a dedication to seeing projects through to completion
# Ability to read and interpret topographic and other land use maps, preferably with some experience with Graphic Information Systems
# Understanding of local community dynamics, with the ability to negotiate effectively with landowners, permitting authorities, utilities, and other stakeholders
# Understanding of cost accounting, budgeting, and contract implementation
# Works well in a team environment and must be able to collaborate
# Business and utility industry experience preferred
# Willingness to travel regionally (generally 20%, but at times up to 50%)