Whose side are unelected officials really on: The general public or special interests? The question came to mind recently as the Icebreaker Wind project neared final approval and was halted dead in its tracks by a fatal last-minute requirement.

Icebreaker Wind, a small pilot farm of six turbines (20.7 MW) planned for Lake Erie, has been in the works for more than 10 years. Over that period, the project team has been gathering funding and meeting state requirements to safeguard fish and wildlife that might be affected by the project. It’s a pilot project so other communities around the Great Lakes might duplicate it and take advantage of the equipment (docks and install vessels) and specialized job skills Icebreaker would teach. Promoters suggest that this project alone would generate $168 million in economic impact over its life.

Recently, the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) gave the final go-ahead for the project but with one critical caveat: the turbines could not operate at night for eight months of the year, supposedly out of concern for migrating birds and bats that studies said would be unaffected. This was essentially a poison pill that made the project financially impractical and would thereby kill it.

The caveat, we suspect, was placed in the final “approval” by a former coal and utility-industry lobbyist appointed as the Board Chairman by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Other board members seemed surprised when they learned of the late addition and professed to be unaware of it when they voted their approval.

To say the least, we supporters were greatly disheartened after learning of the not-to-operate clause. What do we do now, after many years of hearings, reports, fund raising, scouting fabrication facilities, and the planning approval of 13 other local, state, and federal agencies?

With the million in investments and many jobs on the line, we reached out to the 40 state senators and representatives in the 11 counties of northeast Ohio by a Zoom call. It worked. These representatives then collectively wrote a Letter of Support to Governor DeWine and members of the OPSB pointing out what was being lost and asking them to reconsider that poisonous clause. This was a bipartisan, bicameral effort that was signed by 32 legislators. Another legislator sent his own support letter for Icebreaker. Together, this represented over 80% of the northeast Ohio delegation and 25% of the Ohio General Assembly.

The Icebreaker Wind project is a proposed 20.7-MW demonstration wind farm in Lake Erie that will consist of six 3.45-MW turbines.

Lo and behold, that worked too. The board members reconsidered the clause and removed it. Now Icebreaker has an unfettered go-ahead.

This victory provides a few lessons for renewable energy advocates facing similar obstacles. First, no group is too small to be effective. We worked with a group with about a dozen active members and many more who are less involved. Writing letters and phone calls are not difficult and most everyone can do that. Although the Governor never, to our knowledge, acknowledged the letters and calls we made, he must have heard of them because he encouraged the OPSB to reconsider what they had voted on.

Second, look for allies as we did with state senators and representatives, and suggest their course of action. Determined supporters can rally the local leadership to recognize their own best interests. Don’t be shy. It’s their job to listen to constituents.

Third, money talks, so highlight the worthy investment at stake and what its loss means to the affected communities. In our letters and phone calls we stressed they would never see the million-dollar investments in roads and schools that companies were willing to make and the jobs the project would generate.

Every project like Icebreaker will have opponents, some honest but many less so. Your opponents will be attending related meetings and hearings, and you should be there too. You can also spot some opponents because they are from out of state or funded by shadowy or recently established organizations. Just remember, determined supporters, making their voices heard with good and clear arguments can withstand unfair assaults and win the argument to everyone’s benefit.

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The ZephIR wind Lidar, attached to the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse at Bell Rock in Scotland, achieved up to 95% data availability and conducted measurements remotely at heights of more than 180m.

The ZephIR wind Lidar, attached to the world’s oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse at Bell Rock in Scotland, achieved up to 95% data availability and conducted measurements remotely at heights of more than 180m above the sea during the 3 years of detailed wind direction and wind velocity measurements. These datasets were taken to complement the wind data from an offshore met mast. At the end of the campaign, the Lidar and supporting structure were removed with no trace left on the historic lighthouse.

Matt Smith, an Offshore Expert at ZephIR Lidar, said: “At ZephIR Lidar, we understand that no deployment is the same and we provide the very best solution and customer service for every unique case. Seeing a ZephIR wind Lidar mounted on a heritage piece of infrastructure like Bell Rock lighthouse was a great experience! We thoroughly enjoyed working with Inch Cape Offshore Limited to get the best wind measurements possible with this a one-of-a-kind solution.”

Pre- and post-deployment validations of the ZephIR wind Lidar were conducted against a 91m IEC compliant mast at the UK Remote Sensing Test Site. From an analysis of the results, there was no significant changes observed in the Lidar’s performance during the 3 ½ years, with an absolute performance fitting well within the industry standard (IEC) requirement for accuracy on wind speed for a first class, calibrated, well-mounted cup anemometer.

John Reddish, Technical Manager, Inch Cape Offshore Limited said: “The ability to set up the Lidar system quickly and take wind measurements without the need for any additional infrastructure brought huge benefits to the project in terms of reducing costs, improving efficiency and staying on schedule.”

John added: “The harsh Scottish coastal climate naturally brings challenges to overcome and we had the additional challenge of protecting the heritage of the Bell Rock lighthouse. Thanks to its small, compact size and robust design, ZephIR’s wind Lidar provided  non-intrusive technology that was resistant to the adverse effects of the environment and as a result, helped us gather the necessary data without the need for servicing or delays due to repairs.”

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These are the main components of a Liftra Blade Way blade-removal system.

A few of its advantages include:

Reduced mobilization costs that come from its transport in just two standard 40-foot containers. It boasts of universal compatibility thanks to a system that is configurable for all major turbine brands. Its proven wire system and controls are based on the company’s self-hoisting crane. Also, proven blade yokes are based on the last seven years of development in vertical blade installation technology.

The system is comprised of two blade yokes, one for the root end of the blade and one for the tip end, and a hub sling and hoist block.

The components of the Blade Way include:

• Blade Way wire system at the turbine hub.
• A dual light-weight crane with two arms for hoisting the hub sling and hoist block.
• A steel A-frame that attaches to the container for gaining wire height, and the
• Wire system that runs from a winch in the container through the A-Frame and both blade yokes up to the hub sling.

Blade Way brings down a blade for repair.

The Blade Way sets up at a turbine and removes a blade this way:

• Workers position the blade to be replaced by turning the rotor to position the faulty blade vertically.
• The dual light-weight crane is hoisted with the internal turbine crane and mounted inside the nacelle.
• With the light-weight crane, the hub sling system is hoisted and hooked around the two ‘bunny-ear’ blades.
• The root yoke and tip yoke are threaded and hoisted along the wires to each end of the vertical blade.
• The root yoke clamps the root end of the blade, and the tip yoke clamps the tip end, both at precisely defined positions.
• The blade is lowered to the ground, either with or without the blade bearing.
• Once on the ground, the blade or bearing is changed, and the blade can be hoisted back up and reattached to the hub.

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