Industrial Wind Turbines

INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINES UPDATE DECEMBER 2015

1. Green Energy Act _ Six Years Later. Where do Things Stand?

The stated goals were:

• To expand renewable “green” energy generation
• To create 50,000 new jobs in the “green energy” sector in Ontario.
• To increase the generation of wind and solar power to make up for the phase-out of coal-fired generation plants.

Renewable energy generation capacity has indeed been increased. As of September 2015 wind generation capacity reached 9% of the overall capacity of 35600 mega watts, or approximately 3200 mega watts. However, because of the intermittent nature of the wind itself, useable wind energy averages only 3% of the installed capacity. In other words, only 30% of the overall wind turbine capacity is produced at the time that it is needed by the provincial grid.

Because electricity must be available at all times it is necessary to have other sources of power on standby to begin generating electricity the moment the wind generation slows or stops. Gas plants are kept idling for this purpose. The result is that large amounts of exhaust gas are produced without producing any usable electricity thereby defeating the “clean” aspect of wind energy

As far as “green energy” jobs are concerned, the desired goal of 50,000 jobs has not yet been achieved. According to the Ontario Ministry of Energy 20,000 jobs have been created in this sector to date (June 2015) but many of those jobs are necessarily short term.

Regarding the phase out of coal in thermal power plants, that has been achieved. The thermal power plants now operate on “BIOMASS”. Biomass is carbon based and when it is burned it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The rationale for this being better than burning coal (also carbon) is that the carbon in coal has been locked up for millions of years and if is burned today will add carbon dioxide to the existing  atmosphere, whereas recently produced biomass materials such as wood and plants obtained their carbon from the current atmosphere and burning these materials merely returns the carbon to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide and is used again in producing new biomass material in a closed loop.

WHAT’S TO COME

Northland Power is completing the Grand Bend Project and expects to be supplying electricity to the grid in early 2016. The supply of turbines to Northland has been delayed. As a result the delivery of electricity from the Grand Bend project may be delayed.

POTENTIAL OFFSHORE WIND TURBINES

Northland is a large company valued in the stock market at about $2 billion. The Company is constructing the largest offshore wind turbine power project in the world in the North Sea 85km off the coast of the Netherlands. Lake Huron would seem to be a logical next step for Northland to pursue here in Ontario. Shoreline residents should try to follow any attempts by the Ontario Government to construct such a project in partnership with Northland and be prepared to voice their opinions and protect their interests.

REPORTING  PROBLEMS

If you are having problems with noise that need immediate attention call the Environmental Spills Reporting phone number 1-800-268-6060.  Although the title does not sound appropriate, it is correct to use it and the call will go into the Ministry of the Environment reporting office to be dealt with.

Health problems believed to be related to turbines should be documented and a copy of the documentation sent to Jane Wilson of Winds Concerns Ontario as they are trying to maintain a list. windconcerns@gmail.com

Industrial Wind Turbines HISTORY

(This Information was posted prior to December 2015 and may be of interest in the history of industrial turbines in our area)

Contents
1. Green Energy Act
2. Auditor General report
3. Fraser Institute report
4. Health
5. Property Values
6. Legal claims
7. Industrial Wind Factories in Bluewater
8. Wildlife
9. Other important Websites
10. Turbine location maps

1. Green Energy Act

Passed in 2009 by the Liberals, Ontario’s Green Energy Act (GEA) was created to expand renewable energy generation, encourage energy conservation and promote the creation of clean energy jobs. It promised 50,000 new jobs and to date only a few thousand temporary jobs have been created and many more permanent jobs have been lost due to high electricity cost in Ontario. One objective of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009, was to increase production of wind and solar power to help make up for the planned phase-out of coal-fired generation plants by 2014. The government indicated at the time that it would lead to modest hikes in household electricity bills of about 1% annually, but this was later revised to a 7.9% annual increase over the next five years. GEA took away the local rights of residents and Municipal Governments to regulate, locate, accept, change or modify any part of the creation and operation of Industrial Wind Factories in our communities. Mississauga and Oakville residents took a stand against the GEA gas plants planned there but during the 2011 election, to save Liberal seats, the plants were cancelled and eventually relocated to Sarnia and Napanee at a cost of nearly a billion dollars. Feed in Tarriff (FIT) is part of the GEA which provides subsidised funding to produce power at 10 times or more the rates power is sold irregardless of whether the power is needed or in fact produced. Even higher rates are paid if First Nations participate in FIT and the Ontario Government will guarantee loans to First Nations People to purchase Industrial Wind Factories even if they are not located on First Nations’ land. Aamjiwnaang and Bkejwanong First Nations from Walpole Island have jointly entered into a 50/50 partnership with Northland Power Inc. to purchase 50% of the $380 million dollar Grand Bend Wind Farm with Ontario backed Government loans.

2. Auditor General report

The Auditor General of Ontario reported that by 2014 Renewable Energy Contracts will cost Ontarians $8.1 BILLION ANNUALLY due to the Ontario only “Global Adjustment” versus market price for electricity. “Billions of dollars of new wind and solar power projects were approved without many of the usual planning, regulatory, and oversight processes”, Auditor General Jim McCarter says in his 2011 Annual Report.The Auditor General Report indicated that of the 50,000 jobs projected to be created 30,000 would be only temporary and for every job created by the GEA 2 to 4 jobs would be lost due to high electricity prices.

News Release: http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/news_en/11_newsreleases/2011news_3.03.pdf

Full report is at: www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_2011_en.htm

3. Fraser Institute report

The Fraser Institute is an independent non-partisan research and educational organization based in Canada. They published a report on the Environmental and Economic Consequenses of the Green Energy Act. The three primary conclusions were; 1 It is unlikely the Green Energy Act will yield any environmental improvements other than those that would have happened anyway under policy and technology trends established since the 1970s. Indeed, it is plausible that adding more wind power to the grid will end up increasing overall air emissions from the power generation sector.2 The plan implemented under the Green Energy Act is not cost effective. It is currently 10 times more costly than an alternative outlined in a confidential report to the government in 2005 that would have achieved the same environmental goals as closing the coal-fired power plants.The focus on wind generation is especially inefficient because production peaks when it is least needed and falls off when it is most needed.3 The Green Energy Act will not create jobs or improve economic growth in Ontario. Its overall effect will be to increase unit production costs, diminish competitiveness, cut the rate of return to capital in key sectors, reduce employment, and make households worse off. Surplus power is regularly exported at a considerable financial loss. For the full report or the Executive summary go

http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/display.aspx?id=19537

4. Health

Cleaner air for Ontario was promised by GEA but with only 2 coal plants in Ontario (to be replaced by Gas now anyway) and 400 coal plants in States around the Great Lakes blowing pollution into Southern Ontario, little impact is felt. Noise from turbines is only regulated to a maximum allowable 40 db to receptor (home). This is often exceed but requirements are based on hourly averages only and there is no enforcement. The biggest contributor to the health problem is the infrasound and shadow flicker. Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Arlene King, who stated there is no health issues linked to Industrial Wind Turbines, did not conduct a study but simply did a literature review to make her conclusions. Since then she has refused to explain and testify before the courts and is being protected by the Provincial Government. Dr. Hazel Lynn Ontario Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health disagrees and has conducted her own study of local residents who are suffering from the effects of turbines. see link

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2013/02/22/studies-show-association-between-turbines-adverse-effects-report

Bluewater asks county health unit for health study on wind turbines:

http://ontario-wind-resistance.org/2013/04/17/bluewater-asks-county-health-unit-for-health-study-on-wind-turbines/

5. Property Values

Ben Lansink AACI from London ON. has conducted several studies on the devaluation of property value due to the Industrial Wind Turbines near homes. Lansink used actual sales figures from sales of home in Ontario. He concluded that home values dropped 22-55% because of the IWT being built. see link

http://www.lansinkappraisals.com/publications/index.html

Case Study: Impact of a Wind Turbine Project on a Rural Community by the Suncor/Acciona/Ripley Wind Project, Huron-Kinloss Township, Bruce County shows the 12 properties devastated by IWT causing health and livestock issues resulting in: repurchase by Suncor wind project, abandonements, one demolition and disposals due the the inhabitants inability to live there any longer. see link

http://wepat.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/ripley-case-study-1.pdf

6. Legal claims
There are currently several legal claims for damages before the courts. The Drennans near Goderich Ontario are fighting a case on the basis of potential health effects. see link
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/09/10/wind-farm-injunction-ontario-couple.html
Many of the Industrial Wind Companies have begun and or threatened Municipal Governments with legal claims for attempting to enforce local by-laws which by the Green Energy Act were overridden.
Many residents have begun legal claims on their own to stop or claim damages for lost value etc. Contact Eric Gillespie Law if you wish to join one of these groups making a claim against IWT Co and landowners at
Eric K. Gillespie Professional Corporation
600-10 King Street East
7. Industrial Wind Factories in Bluewater with operator website