News Roundup
News Roundup for March 29
Sen. George Voinovich
WANTED: NUCLEAR SUMMIT
A bipartisan group of 11 senators is urging President Obama to co-sponsor a summit on nuclear power. A summit could spur development of new reactors and result in a 50-year strategy to ensure a future role for nuclear power in domestic energy supplies. The summit should also include financial heavy-hitters, such as Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft. “We believe that the White House’s support will be crucial” to attract public and private leaders to develop a successful nuclear power strategy, states a letter by Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, among others.
WINDY SOUTH
Armed with a grant from the Department of Energy, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is studying how southern states can get a piece of the wind energy action. In particular, the group wants to build wind generation in eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, which are near the Appalachian Mountains. A new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has shown more wind potential in the South than previously thought. However, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., opposes wind projects along the mountain’s ridge.
NO WIND TAX
South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds has vetoed legislation that would provide tax refunds to wind projects, saying the state couldn’t afford to forfeit revenue during the bad economy. The bill would have made the wind industry and developers eligible for a 55 percent tax break. The bill would have given a “negative message to other industries,” said Rounds, adding that the bill’s definition of “wind energy facility” was too broad.
BAD DAY AT THE WIND FARM
Engineers at Europe’s largest wind farm are trying to figure out why a 150-foot turbine blade fell off. All 140 turbines at the Whitelee wind farm near Glasgow, Scotland, were immediately shut down following the incident, in which no one was injured. Engineers are considering whether mechanical failure or a lightning strike is to blame. “This type of incident is exceptionally rare and highly unusual,” said Keith Anderson, managing director of ScottishPower Renewables, which owns the farm.
―Based on news and wire reports
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