The wording of the Eagle Protection Act could not be any clearer. It
“prohibits anyone, without a permit issued by the Secretary of the
Interior,” from “taking” bald or golden eagles. The law defines “take”
as “pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, trap,
collect, molest or disturb.”
Despite that language, the Obama
administration continues to cast a blind eye to the largest
eagle-killing industry in America: the wind-energy sector. Not only is
the Department of Justice refusing to prosecute the wind industry
despite clear and repeated violations of two of America’s oldest
wildlife laws — the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Eagle Protection Act —
but the administration is also helping the wind industry cover up the
number of birds it is killing.
We know this thanks to some
excellent reporting this week by Dina Cappiello of the Associated Press.
The wind industry, says Cappiello, reports bird kills only on a
voluntary basis, and “the Obama administration in many cases refuses to
make the information public, saying it belongs to the energy companies
or that revealing it would expose trade secrets or implicate ongoing
enforcement investigations.”
Cappiello’s work also shows that the
extent of eagle kills by wind turbines is more widespread that was
previously known. She found that wind projects in Wyoming have killed
four dozen golden eagles since 2009. One site, Duke Energy’s Top of the
World wind project, has killed ten golden eagles in its first two years
of operation.
The AP report on eagle deaths was published just
one day after the Fish and Wildlife Service revealed that it will not
prosecute the operator of a proposed wind project, to be located in Kern
County, Calif., if that project kills a California condor. The
California condor is among the world’s most endangered animals, with a
total population of fewer than 250 birds in the wild. The proposed wind
project will be built on public land.
The more studies that are
done on wind turbines and bird kills, the more definitive proof we have
that the machines are killing lots of birds. In March, a peer-reviewed
study published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin estimated that 573,000
birds per year are killed in the U.S. by wind turbines, including some
83,000 birds of prey. The latest study’s numbers are significantly
higher than an official estimate published in 2008 by the Fish and
Wildlife Service that put bird kills by wind turbines at 440,000 per
year.
The large number of eagle kills in Wyoming matters because
that state could soon be home to one of the world’s largest wind
projects. A subsidiary of Anschutz Corporation, the privately held
company owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, is planning to
build a $5 billion, 1,000-turbine facility known as the Chokecherry and
Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project. Last year, Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar praised the project, much of which may be built on federal land.
Salazar did so even though the Bureau of Land Management has estimated
that the massive wind project will kill 46 to 64 golden eagles every
year.
On its website, the Fish and Wildlife Service says that any
violation of the Eagle Protection Act can result in a fine of $100,000,
or $200,000 for organizations. It further states that penalties
increase for “additional offenses, and a second violation of this Act is
a felony.” Those facts are important because nine golden eagles have
been killed since 2009 by wind turbines at the Pine Tree Wind Project in
Kern County, California, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service
agent in charge of the facility. Felony charges ought to be leveled
against the owners of the Pine Tree project, but that might prove a tad
embarrassing. Pine Tree is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power, which eagerly promotes the claim that the wind project’s
carbon dioxide savings are “roughly the same as removing 35,000 cars
from the road.”
2013年5月16日 星期四
2013年5月15日 星期三
Clarington an unwilling host to wind power
Last-minute presentations by a wind farm developer and a doctor convinced there are no ill health effects from properly-sited turbines were not enough to tip the scales against a council chamber packed with residents opposed to the farms.
Clarington is officially an unwilling host to wind energy, after council passed the declaration at its Monday, May 13 meeting.
In her first throne speech, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Ontario could benefit from industrial wind farms only if there were willing hosts for the turbines. Shortly after, several communities passed resolutions to declare themselves "unwilling hosts" of wind farms.
Heather Rutherford, from Clarington Wind Concerns, asked Clarington council to do the same.
"We are hoping that the Premier of the province will take our concerns, and the concerns of other communities, into serious consideration when they make their decision," said Ms. Rutherford. "We're hoping that by passing this resolution tonight, it will send a clear message to Premier Wynne that Clarington does have some serious concerns about this project."
Concerned residents have been vocally opposed to the two industrial wind farms planned for east Clarington.
Representatives from Sprott Power Corp., co-developing with Zero Emissions People, said the 20-megawatt, 10-turbine farm would have no "widespread" impact on property values. They said in the earlier stages of a wind farm, there has been some evidence of a drop in home values, but values do tend to rebound.
"They're not saying there is no specific impacts on any house," said David Eva. "But when the issue is studied broadly, the impact of wind farms on a community, these studies are not finding statistically significant impacts."
Dr. Loren Knopper, a senior scientist with Intrinsik Environmental Sciences, told council that at the setbacks and noise restrictions proposed for the wind turbines in Clarington, people will not get sick. He said the change in environment and annoyance factors are a big part of why some residents report a range of symptoms -- from sleep disturbances to ringing in the ears.
From reviewing studies done on the issue, Dr. Knopper said at the regulated noise limit, 40 decibels, the noise from the wind turbines has not been shown to cause health effects. He added many of the symptoms of "wind turbine syndrome" are common health complaints among many Canadians.
"I don't discount it at all ... I think stress, the subjective worry of it, can definitely lead to problems," said Mr. Knopper.
Council members argued that if a resident was made sick, it hardly mattered whether it was noise or stress from wind turbines having an impact.
Last week Council did raise concerns that there may be places in Clarington -- for example the Clarington Energy Park -- where future wind energy could be welcomed. A staff report and letter from the Clarington Board of Trade said an all encompassing unwilling host resolution could hinder economic development.
The fact that the wind farms are moving ahead quickly, and the energy park is still under development, motivated council to declare Clarington an unwilling host of wind energy.
"I believe that despite your efforts, very few people here tonight would agree that you've addressed their concerns," Mayor Adrian Foster told the wind energy company.
Clarington is officially an unwilling host to wind energy, after council passed the declaration at its Monday, May 13 meeting.
In her first throne speech, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Ontario could benefit from industrial wind farms only if there were willing hosts for the turbines. Shortly after, several communities passed resolutions to declare themselves "unwilling hosts" of wind farms.
Heather Rutherford, from Clarington Wind Concerns, asked Clarington council to do the same.
"We are hoping that the Premier of the province will take our concerns, and the concerns of other communities, into serious consideration when they make their decision," said Ms. Rutherford. "We're hoping that by passing this resolution tonight, it will send a clear message to Premier Wynne that Clarington does have some serious concerns about this project."
Concerned residents have been vocally opposed to the two industrial wind farms planned for east Clarington.
Representatives from Sprott Power Corp., co-developing with Zero Emissions People, said the 20-megawatt, 10-turbine farm would have no "widespread" impact on property values. They said in the earlier stages of a wind farm, there has been some evidence of a drop in home values, but values do tend to rebound.
"They're not saying there is no specific impacts on any house," said David Eva. "But when the issue is studied broadly, the impact of wind farms on a community, these studies are not finding statistically significant impacts."
Dr. Loren Knopper, a senior scientist with Intrinsik Environmental Sciences, told council that at the setbacks and noise restrictions proposed for the wind turbines in Clarington, people will not get sick. He said the change in environment and annoyance factors are a big part of why some residents report a range of symptoms -- from sleep disturbances to ringing in the ears.
From reviewing studies done on the issue, Dr. Knopper said at the regulated noise limit, 40 decibels, the noise from the wind turbines has not been shown to cause health effects. He added many of the symptoms of "wind turbine syndrome" are common health complaints among many Canadians.
"I don't discount it at all ... I think stress, the subjective worry of it, can definitely lead to problems," said Mr. Knopper.
Council members argued that if a resident was made sick, it hardly mattered whether it was noise or stress from wind turbines having an impact.
Last week Council did raise concerns that there may be places in Clarington -- for example the Clarington Energy Park -- where future wind energy could be welcomed. A staff report and letter from the Clarington Board of Trade said an all encompassing unwilling host resolution could hinder economic development.
The fact that the wind farms are moving ahead quickly, and the energy park is still under development, motivated council to declare Clarington an unwilling host of wind energy.
"I believe that despite your efforts, very few people here tonight would agree that you've addressed their concerns," Mayor Adrian Foster told the wind energy company.
2013年4月27日 星期六
Turbine firm under fire for change of plans
Noise restrictions imposed on a controversial and yet-to-be-built wind farm – then approved by a planning inspector and unchanged by the High Court – are to be re-considered by planners.
Permission has already been granted for nine turbines in the Den Brook Valley, near Crediton, but the facility remains on the drawing board due to concerns over noise pollution.
Developers Renewable Energy Systems (RES) have now applied to West Devon Borough Council to vary the conditions.
Mike Hulme, a long-time opponent of the proposal, says RES are "clutching at straws" and is concerned that the council is not qualified to rule on such a complicated issue.
RES says its recent tests show that the condition was "not working properly", claiming the noise from "blade swoosh" can be detected even in areas with no turbines.
In 2010, Mr Hulme, a leading member of the Den Brook Judicial Review Group, failed to overturn the decision of the Communities and Local Government Secretary to grant permission for the wind farm, consisting of nine 120m (393ft) high turbines, on land near the villages of North Tawton and Bow.
But, Mr Hulme, whose home is less than a mile away from the closest proposed turbine, did succeed in having the consent made subject to certain conditions to control potential noise pollution.
The condition relates to the level of noise during different atmospheric conditions at night, caused when the blades rotate through varying wind speeds, so-called "wind shear".
Mr Hume says any decision by councillors to amend the "unique" condition would "fly directly in the face" of the decision by three Law Lords.
He added: "It must be remembered that a top Government planning inspector deemed the current noise controls essential for reaching his decision to finally approve the huge industrial scale wind development more than three years ago.
"RES are applying to change something which has been ruled on by the High Court, the second highest court in the land." The dispute centres on the phenomena known as amplitude modulation (AM), a rhythmic "swooshing" and "thumping" noise which campaigners claim can ruin the lives of those living nearby wind farms.
Since the Court of Appeal ruling, RES says it has spent several months monitoring background noise levels at other rural wind farm sites and running the data through the parameters set by the High Court.
The company says the results of these tests consistently show that excess AM, as defined by the current condition, is present even at locations where there are no wind turbines.
Dan Leahy, RES project manager, said: "We were very concerned when we discovered that the noise condition wasn't working properly.
"Working with a number of noise experts, we believe we have pinpointed the problem and we know how to fix it. However, we have to follow due process and ask the council's permission to vary the condition, which is why we have lodged this application."
Permission has already been granted for nine turbines in the Den Brook Valley, near Crediton, but the facility remains on the drawing board due to concerns over noise pollution.
Developers Renewable Energy Systems (RES) have now applied to West Devon Borough Council to vary the conditions.
Mike Hulme, a long-time opponent of the proposal, says RES are "clutching at straws" and is concerned that the council is not qualified to rule on such a complicated issue.
RES says its recent tests show that the condition was "not working properly", claiming the noise from "blade swoosh" can be detected even in areas with no turbines.
In 2010, Mr Hulme, a leading member of the Den Brook Judicial Review Group, failed to overturn the decision of the Communities and Local Government Secretary to grant permission for the wind farm, consisting of nine 120m (393ft) high turbines, on land near the villages of North Tawton and Bow.
But, Mr Hulme, whose home is less than a mile away from the closest proposed turbine, did succeed in having the consent made subject to certain conditions to control potential noise pollution.
The condition relates to the level of noise during different atmospheric conditions at night, caused when the blades rotate through varying wind speeds, so-called "wind shear".
Mr Hume says any decision by councillors to amend the "unique" condition would "fly directly in the face" of the decision by three Law Lords.
He added: "It must be remembered that a top Government planning inspector deemed the current noise controls essential for reaching his decision to finally approve the huge industrial scale wind development more than three years ago.
"RES are applying to change something which has been ruled on by the High Court, the second highest court in the land." The dispute centres on the phenomena known as amplitude modulation (AM), a rhythmic "swooshing" and "thumping" noise which campaigners claim can ruin the lives of those living nearby wind farms.
Since the Court of Appeal ruling, RES says it has spent several months monitoring background noise levels at other rural wind farm sites and running the data through the parameters set by the High Court.
The company says the results of these tests consistently show that excess AM, as defined by the current condition, is present even at locations where there are no wind turbines.
Dan Leahy, RES project manager, said: "We were very concerned when we discovered that the noise condition wasn't working properly.
"Working with a number of noise experts, we believe we have pinpointed the problem and we know how to fix it. However, we have to follow due process and ask the council's permission to vary the condition, which is why we have lodged this application."
2013年4月26日 星期五
A casino of controversy?
Several representatives from the Cow Creek Band lambasted the Coquille for what they say is an unethical encroaching on their rightful area.
In addition, Betty Hall of the Shasta Nation described the Coquille as "interlopers" who are extending well beyond their territory.
This begins a process that could lead to reservation status for the site. The Coquille also have asked the federal Office of Indian Gaming Management for an exception to a prohibition on gaming on lands acquired after October 1988.
In September 2012, the Coquille tribe announced it had purchased the Roxy Ann Lanes bowling alley and the former Kim's Restaurant in hopes of opening a Medford casino along South Pacific Highway.
Sara Koca of Medford said the Coquille would be a benefit to Medford. She worked for the tribe's Mill Casino in Coos Bay for three years.
"I welcome the Coquille tribe to my community and neighborhood," she said. "I know they will be contributors to the economy and overall well-being of this valley."
Koca said the tribe treated its employees well and crime was never an issue in and around the casino.
"I never had any problems there and I worked overnight," she said. The possibility of crime increasing because of a casino was on the minds of some speakers Thursday night.
William A. Mansfield of Medford pointed out a story in Thursday's Mail Tribune about a man suspected of attacking a local bartender earlier this week. Police allege the man was angry over losing $600 in video lottery machines.
"This is an example of the seamy side of the gambling business," Mansfield said.
Mansfield acknowledged that the state is an active participant in gambling by supporting computer slot machines run by the Oregon Lottery. "I am ashamed of the state of Oregon for being in the gambling business," he said.
Raquel Summers listened to a little of heavy criticism against the Coquille before she left the hearing. Summers' father was part of the Coquille and she remains close to the tribe.
"I don't see why they have to run (the Coquille) into the ground like that," Summers said.
Summers believes the Cow Creek Band is acting in its own economic interests by criticizing the Coquille's legitimacy in Jackson County. She said it all comes down to the Cow Creek Band not wanting Jackson County residents staying put, but preferring that they drive up Interstate 5 to gamble in the Seven Feathers Casino instead.
"This is just a money thing for them," Summers said. "They don't want any competition." A casino would bring much-needed jobs to Medford, Summers said.
Some people attended the meeting to become informed about the issue. Paul Pigue of Central Point said he is "emotionally" opposed to the casino but he is willing to listen to both sides before making his final judgment.
"I'm willing to be convinced that the casino is okay," he said. As far as worrying about gambling as a moral issue, Pigue is troubled by the city government ruling against the tribe on those grounds.
In addition, Betty Hall of the Shasta Nation described the Coquille as "interlopers" who are extending well beyond their territory.
This begins a process that could lead to reservation status for the site. The Coquille also have asked the federal Office of Indian Gaming Management for an exception to a prohibition on gaming on lands acquired after October 1988.
In September 2012, the Coquille tribe announced it had purchased the Roxy Ann Lanes bowling alley and the former Kim's Restaurant in hopes of opening a Medford casino along South Pacific Highway.
Sara Koca of Medford said the Coquille would be a benefit to Medford. She worked for the tribe's Mill Casino in Coos Bay for three years.
"I welcome the Coquille tribe to my community and neighborhood," she said. "I know they will be contributors to the economy and overall well-being of this valley."
Koca said the tribe treated its employees well and crime was never an issue in and around the casino.
"I never had any problems there and I worked overnight," she said. The possibility of crime increasing because of a casino was on the minds of some speakers Thursday night.
William A. Mansfield of Medford pointed out a story in Thursday's Mail Tribune about a man suspected of attacking a local bartender earlier this week. Police allege the man was angry over losing $600 in video lottery machines.
"This is an example of the seamy side of the gambling business," Mansfield said.
Mansfield acknowledged that the state is an active participant in gambling by supporting computer slot machines run by the Oregon Lottery. "I am ashamed of the state of Oregon for being in the gambling business," he said.
Raquel Summers listened to a little of heavy criticism against the Coquille before she left the hearing. Summers' father was part of the Coquille and she remains close to the tribe.
"I don't see why they have to run (the Coquille) into the ground like that," Summers said.
Summers believes the Cow Creek Band is acting in its own economic interests by criticizing the Coquille's legitimacy in Jackson County. She said it all comes down to the Cow Creek Band not wanting Jackson County residents staying put, but preferring that they drive up Interstate 5 to gamble in the Seven Feathers Casino instead.
"This is just a money thing for them," Summers said. "They don't want any competition." A casino would bring much-needed jobs to Medford, Summers said.
Some people attended the meeting to become informed about the issue. Paul Pigue of Central Point said he is "emotionally" opposed to the casino but he is willing to listen to both sides before making his final judgment.
"I'm willing to be convinced that the casino is okay," he said. As far as worrying about gambling as a moral issue, Pigue is troubled by the city government ruling against the tribe on those grounds.
2013年4月18日 星期四
Residents in Wrightington set to fight 90m wind turbine plans
The application to build the development on land near Toogood Lane, Wrightington, was submitted to West Lancashire council earlier this month and has already attracted concern from people living nearby who claim the turbine will have a detrimental effect on the area's green belt landscape.
Karen Collins, a member of the Wrat Pack (Wrightington Residents Against Turbines), said that residents were worried that they would have to live with the effects of the development for years to come.
She said: "At 90m – almost 300ft – the turbine will be twice the height of the Mormon church spire in Chorley. It will have significant impact on the landscape character.
"The size and scale of this wind turbine is totally inappropriate for a small village. This is commercialisation of the country's green belt."
The council's policy on renewable energy supports the installation of renewable schemes providing there is no negative effect to the local area.
The policy also states that planning permission on green belt land would only be granted in very special circumstances and a planning statement from Freshfields explains that "consideration should be given to the whether the development constitutes" this.
Janet Watt, who has lived in Church Lane, for more than 25 years, is just one of the residents who has objected to the plans.
Among her concerns were the impact of the turbine on the visual amenity for residents and visitors, noise and vibration disturbance, the flicker shadow – the flicker effect from the sunlight shining through the moving blades – and the effect the development could have on the area's wildlife.
An environment report from the applicant, Freshfield, stated that there are no records of protected or notable species held within the survey area. It also said that although the turbine will be a noticeable feature it is not considered to be out of scale in relation to its surroundings.
If you've driven by the University of Guam campus recently, you may have noticed a new feature at Dean's Circle. UOG director of integrated marketing communications Jonas Macapinlac says the college's first wind turbine has been up and running since March.
"It is a 65' tower and a one-kilowatt wind turbine and it's at Dean's Circle House 32, the Center for Island Sustainability Model Home, and within the next couple of weeks as we make sure all the settings are correct and the calibrations are correct then we're going to start collecting data" he said.
The turbine will be used to charge an electric car as well as pump water from water encatchments to the site's sustainable garden. Macapinlac adds that this turbine complies with requests from the Guam Land Use Commission as neighbors expressed concerns about a 100' tower's effects, including noise pollution and how it would fall in the event of a typhoon.
Karen Collins, a member of the Wrat Pack (Wrightington Residents Against Turbines), said that residents were worried that they would have to live with the effects of the development for years to come.
She said: "At 90m – almost 300ft – the turbine will be twice the height of the Mormon church spire in Chorley. It will have significant impact on the landscape character.
"The size and scale of this wind turbine is totally inappropriate for a small village. This is commercialisation of the country's green belt."
The council's policy on renewable energy supports the installation of renewable schemes providing there is no negative effect to the local area.
The policy also states that planning permission on green belt land would only be granted in very special circumstances and a planning statement from Freshfields explains that "consideration should be given to the whether the development constitutes" this.
Janet Watt, who has lived in Church Lane, for more than 25 years, is just one of the residents who has objected to the plans.
Among her concerns were the impact of the turbine on the visual amenity for residents and visitors, noise and vibration disturbance, the flicker shadow – the flicker effect from the sunlight shining through the moving blades – and the effect the development could have on the area's wildlife.
An environment report from the applicant, Freshfield, stated that there are no records of protected or notable species held within the survey area. It also said that although the turbine will be a noticeable feature it is not considered to be out of scale in relation to its surroundings.
If you've driven by the University of Guam campus recently, you may have noticed a new feature at Dean's Circle. UOG director of integrated marketing communications Jonas Macapinlac says the college's first wind turbine has been up and running since March.
"It is a 65' tower and a one-kilowatt wind turbine and it's at Dean's Circle House 32, the Center for Island Sustainability Model Home, and within the next couple of weeks as we make sure all the settings are correct and the calibrations are correct then we're going to start collecting data" he said.
The turbine will be used to charge an electric car as well as pump water from water encatchments to the site's sustainable garden. Macapinlac adds that this turbine complies with requests from the Guam Land Use Commission as neighbors expressed concerns about a 100' tower's effects, including noise pollution and how it would fall in the event of a typhoon.
2013年4月11日 星期四
Delta College training machinists to meet manufacturing demand
A recent survey of manufacturers in the Great Lakes Bay Region shows they are having trouble finding qualified machinists.
That news came as a surprise to Kathy Conklin, executive director of the Great Lakes Bay Manufacturers' Association, who compiled the survey in 2012. The 27 companies that responded said all were seeking qualified skilled workers and that they'd need 639 operators and 443 machinists within five years.
"We know there is a great demand," Conklin said.
Delta College hopes to meet that demand with its accelerated computer numerical control, or CNC, machinist program. The next session begins in May, and spaces for students are filling up, said Harvey Schneider, Delta's Skilled Trades liaison specialist.
Schneider said manufacturers often are looking for entry level workers with a few years experience, yet those people typically have jobs. The Delta program helps others learn a skill set to find employment as well, he said.
Delta's 11-week program immerses students in the world of a CNC machinist, with four 8-hour days in the classroom and one day spent job shadowing at an area manufacturer each week.
The accelerated program, Schneider said, is different than Delta's Fast Start programs, which are designed with a specific employer in mind.
Students receive college credit and a certificate of completion for the accelerated CNC program, and can go on to earn an advanced CNC certificate or skilled trades associate degree.
Operators and machinists work locally for companies like Emcor, Bay Cast and Fullerton Tool, that produce pieces for larger machines or devices in industries ranging from aerospace to medical.
Interested students can attend an informational session from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, in room N012 at Delta College, 1961 Delta Road in Bay County's Frankenlust Township. Delta is set to run four sections of the program, including one that will run from 4 p.m. to midnight, Schneider said. The cost for the program and books starts at $2,500. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer-controlled machine tool operators earn a median wage of $35,580 annually, and as much as $52,850 a year.
Of the 22 students who completed the first session last year, 10 got jobs and seven returned to Delta the next fall for classes, said program coordinator Terry Morse.
Morse said manufacturers where students are shadowing are even offering students jobs before they complete the program. "Companies from Oscoda to Genesee County are starting to call us," Morse said.
Morse and Schneider explained students are learning the skills employers are demanding, and are being taught by instructors working in the field.
"It's pretty exciting," said Conklin from the Manufacturers' Association. "We are starting to build a pipeline that really works."
That news came as a surprise to Kathy Conklin, executive director of the Great Lakes Bay Manufacturers' Association, who compiled the survey in 2012. The 27 companies that responded said all were seeking qualified skilled workers and that they'd need 639 operators and 443 machinists within five years.
"We know there is a great demand," Conklin said.
Delta College hopes to meet that demand with its accelerated computer numerical control, or CNC, machinist program. The next session begins in May, and spaces for students are filling up, said Harvey Schneider, Delta's Skilled Trades liaison specialist.
Schneider said manufacturers often are looking for entry level workers with a few years experience, yet those people typically have jobs. The Delta program helps others learn a skill set to find employment as well, he said.
Delta's 11-week program immerses students in the world of a CNC machinist, with four 8-hour days in the classroom and one day spent job shadowing at an area manufacturer each week.
The accelerated program, Schneider said, is different than Delta's Fast Start programs, which are designed with a specific employer in mind.
Students receive college credit and a certificate of completion for the accelerated CNC program, and can go on to earn an advanced CNC certificate or skilled trades associate degree.
Operators and machinists work locally for companies like Emcor, Bay Cast and Fullerton Tool, that produce pieces for larger machines or devices in industries ranging from aerospace to medical.
Interested students can attend an informational session from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, in room N012 at Delta College, 1961 Delta Road in Bay County's Frankenlust Township. Delta is set to run four sections of the program, including one that will run from 4 p.m. to midnight, Schneider said. The cost for the program and books starts at $2,500. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer-controlled machine tool operators earn a median wage of $35,580 annually, and as much as $52,850 a year.
Of the 22 students who completed the first session last year, 10 got jobs and seven returned to Delta the next fall for classes, said program coordinator Terry Morse.
Morse said manufacturers where students are shadowing are even offering students jobs before they complete the program. "Companies from Oscoda to Genesee County are starting to call us," Morse said.
Morse and Schneider explained students are learning the skills employers are demanding, and are being taught by instructors working in the field.
"It's pretty exciting," said Conklin from the Manufacturers' Association. "We are starting to build a pipeline that really works."
2013年3月17日 星期日
The technology of offshore wind
The offshore wind industry is relatively young — the first offshore turbine went up in the waters off Denmark in 1991, whereas we've been building terrestrial turbines for thousands of years. Coincidentally, the first electricity producing turbine was built in 1887 by Scottish academic James Blyth at his vacation home in Marykirk, Scotland. But what the industry lacks in lead time, they have been more than making up for it with passion and hustle — the largest turbine in development, an 8-megawatt (MW) monster with a rotor diameter of 538 feet, is being built exclusively by Vestas for offshore placement and is expected to be available next year.
Offshore turbines in Scottish waters have to withstand all of the punishing weather conditions that land-based turbines face with the added stresses of the strong North Sea currents and salt water. It's not an easy environment to operate in. The challenges don't stop there — once the electricity has been generated, it then has to be transmitted back to the mainland over miles of underwater sea floor.
Nearly every turbine in the water today is fixed solidly to the ocean floor, by various designs. Some sit atop poles driven deep into the seabed while others are anchored by wide heavy bases that grip against the currents. If wind farmers want to push out into the really deep waters, they will have to perfect the floating turbine. Floating turbines still need to be anchored to the sea floor, but they are tied in with stabilizing wires, a much cheaper solution that will allow for operations in waters thousands of feet deep. It seems a simple enough proposition to build a floating turbine until you factor in the height and spread of modern turbines — the stresses created by enormous sweeping turbine blades hundreds of feet in the air will require a lot of creative engineering and masterful industrial design to reliably handle.
Today there are hundreds of oil rigs situated off Scotland's shores, each providing a long string of jobs to the oil workers and supply chain staff that keep them running. Oil and gas money ripple out across Scotland's economy, directly providing employment to hundreds of thousands of people and indirectly to millions more. But each of those jobs is dependent on one thing: there being more oil and gas to pump out of the ground.
In the face of production numbers that show peaking around 2001, Scottish business and political leaders know they need to do something if they wanted to stave off a decline in economic vitality that matches the decline in North Sea oil and gas reserves. Their solution is a pragmatic one — transfer the knowledge and expertise they have built up working in the oil and gas industry for the past four decades into a new industry producing clean, renewable energy. They want to turn Scottish oil rig workers into wind farm workers. They want Scottish welders building turbines and tidal power harvesters. They want to change from being leaders in offshore oil and gas to being leaders in offshore energy.
The road to worldwide leadership in offshore wind power is not without it's potential potholes and roadblocks. Not everyone in Scotland is excited about the idea of dotting their waters with industrial wind turbines. Perhaps the most public and vocal opponent of wind power is American reality television star Donald Trump. Trump, whose mother was born in Scotland, battled environmentalists and conservationists for years to build a sprawling golf course just north of Aberdeen.
He has put his plans on hold to build an additional 1,500 houses and a hotel on his property due to a proposed wind farm offshore from his golf course. Trump, who built part of his course on ecologically sensitive sand dunes, claims that the wind turbines will lead to the destruction of the coastline and local economy and vows not to move ahead with construction until the proposed $327 million 11-turbine development is killed.
Offshore turbines in Scottish waters have to withstand all of the punishing weather conditions that land-based turbines face with the added stresses of the strong North Sea currents and salt water. It's not an easy environment to operate in. The challenges don't stop there — once the electricity has been generated, it then has to be transmitted back to the mainland over miles of underwater sea floor.
Nearly every turbine in the water today is fixed solidly to the ocean floor, by various designs. Some sit atop poles driven deep into the seabed while others are anchored by wide heavy bases that grip against the currents. If wind farmers want to push out into the really deep waters, they will have to perfect the floating turbine. Floating turbines still need to be anchored to the sea floor, but they are tied in with stabilizing wires, a much cheaper solution that will allow for operations in waters thousands of feet deep. It seems a simple enough proposition to build a floating turbine until you factor in the height and spread of modern turbines — the stresses created by enormous sweeping turbine blades hundreds of feet in the air will require a lot of creative engineering and masterful industrial design to reliably handle.
Today there are hundreds of oil rigs situated off Scotland's shores, each providing a long string of jobs to the oil workers and supply chain staff that keep them running. Oil and gas money ripple out across Scotland's economy, directly providing employment to hundreds of thousands of people and indirectly to millions more. But each of those jobs is dependent on one thing: there being more oil and gas to pump out of the ground.
In the face of production numbers that show peaking around 2001, Scottish business and political leaders know they need to do something if they wanted to stave off a decline in economic vitality that matches the decline in North Sea oil and gas reserves. Their solution is a pragmatic one — transfer the knowledge and expertise they have built up working in the oil and gas industry for the past four decades into a new industry producing clean, renewable energy. They want to turn Scottish oil rig workers into wind farm workers. They want Scottish welders building turbines and tidal power harvesters. They want to change from being leaders in offshore oil and gas to being leaders in offshore energy.
The road to worldwide leadership in offshore wind power is not without it's potential potholes and roadblocks. Not everyone in Scotland is excited about the idea of dotting their waters with industrial wind turbines. Perhaps the most public and vocal opponent of wind power is American reality television star Donald Trump. Trump, whose mother was born in Scotland, battled environmentalists and conservationists for years to build a sprawling golf course just north of Aberdeen.
He has put his plans on hold to build an additional 1,500 houses and a hotel on his property due to a proposed wind farm offshore from his golf course. Trump, who built part of his course on ecologically sensitive sand dunes, claims that the wind turbines will lead to the destruction of the coastline and local economy and vows not to move ahead with construction until the proposed $327 million 11-turbine development is killed.
2013年3月6日 星期三
FAE USA Annual Sales Meeting
The first of two days of meetings started at Lake Lanier Islands resort in north Georgia with product training and marketing strategies and continued on day two with additional training and a demo.
With the addition of several new territory managers, the FAE USA staff focused training on the entire FAE and PrimeTech equipment and attachment lines. Several new FAE product offerings for 2013, which were introduced at the meeting, had many looking forward to getting back to their territories to spread the good news.
“The new low flow DML/HY125 and DML/SSL125 are going to be the hottest selling attachments on the market,” said Dave Evans, territory manager in the Carolina’s. “If you think about the low flow industry for heavy brush clearing, there’s only brush cutters and flail mowers. There’s maybe only one other low flow drum style rotary mulcher on the market. The way FAE has designed their new low flow mulcher, I truly believe this is going to be one of the year’s hot sellers.”
Ken Pryzgoda, territory manager of Colo., N.M., and Wyo., was equally impressed with the new FAE USA DML/HY & DML/SSL mulchers.
“With the high speed rotor system having a smaller diameter and turning faster with the new design tooth, these attachments will really open a new market of the low flow machine owners … it’s a very fast cutting machine,” he said.
FAE USA CEO Giorgio Carera was in attendance and noted that everyone seemed very positive that the market is coming back. He said that this optimism coupled with the new products being launched would make for a good year.
“We have new products ... including our new low flow mulching attachments we are introducing at this meeting,” he said. “We explored this market for quite some time and found there was a good potential with contractors that own low flow machines who want to do multiple jobs and be able to add the ability to grind and mulch material and underbrush. What we saw were a lot of low flow skid steers owned by contractors looking for other options to fully utilize their machines and expand into other types of work. With the majority of the skid steer loaders on the market being low flow machines, this was a natural progression for our lineup of mulchers. These new attachments also carry over into utilization in the farming industry.”
Carera added, “FAE prides itself on using the best engineering and technology available as well as the best materials, such as Hardox steel. The majority of the attachment body that contains the main wear parts are protected by Hardox. Because of this, we are the only manufacturer in this segment of the industry that is able to carry the Hardox logo on our attachments.”
Americans consume on average nearly fifty percent more salt than is recommended by the nutritionists and government guidelines. But several outside researchers cautioned that although there are already good health arguments for lowering salt intake, the connection between salt and autoiummune disease needs more research to prove whether it holds true in the human body -- and is an important trigger.
Daniel Cua, a senior principal scientist at Merck Research Laboratories in Palo Alto, Calif., called the studies “remarkable,” but added that the diseases are complex and salt is likely to be just one of many risk factors.
“People have different genetic predispositions to various diseases, including autoimmune disease,” Cua said. “If you genetically have a very high susceptibility to autoimmune disease, it may be by reducing salt, you’re taking away that one” risk.
With the addition of several new territory managers, the FAE USA staff focused training on the entire FAE and PrimeTech equipment and attachment lines. Several new FAE product offerings for 2013, which were introduced at the meeting, had many looking forward to getting back to their territories to spread the good news.
“The new low flow DML/HY125 and DML/SSL125 are going to be the hottest selling attachments on the market,” said Dave Evans, territory manager in the Carolina’s. “If you think about the low flow industry for heavy brush clearing, there’s only brush cutters and flail mowers. There’s maybe only one other low flow drum style rotary mulcher on the market. The way FAE has designed their new low flow mulcher, I truly believe this is going to be one of the year’s hot sellers.”
Ken Pryzgoda, territory manager of Colo., N.M., and Wyo., was equally impressed with the new FAE USA DML/HY & DML/SSL mulchers.
“With the high speed rotor system having a smaller diameter and turning faster with the new design tooth, these attachments will really open a new market of the low flow machine owners … it’s a very fast cutting machine,” he said.
FAE USA CEO Giorgio Carera was in attendance and noted that everyone seemed very positive that the market is coming back. He said that this optimism coupled with the new products being launched would make for a good year.
“We have new products ... including our new low flow mulching attachments we are introducing at this meeting,” he said. “We explored this market for quite some time and found there was a good potential with contractors that own low flow machines who want to do multiple jobs and be able to add the ability to grind and mulch material and underbrush. What we saw were a lot of low flow skid steers owned by contractors looking for other options to fully utilize their machines and expand into other types of work. With the majority of the skid steer loaders on the market being low flow machines, this was a natural progression for our lineup of mulchers. These new attachments also carry over into utilization in the farming industry.”
Carera added, “FAE prides itself on using the best engineering and technology available as well as the best materials, such as Hardox steel. The majority of the attachment body that contains the main wear parts are protected by Hardox. Because of this, we are the only manufacturer in this segment of the industry that is able to carry the Hardox logo on our attachments.”
Americans consume on average nearly fifty percent more salt than is recommended by the nutritionists and government guidelines. But several outside researchers cautioned that although there are already good health arguments for lowering salt intake, the connection between salt and autoiummune disease needs more research to prove whether it holds true in the human body -- and is an important trigger.
Daniel Cua, a senior principal scientist at Merck Research Laboratories in Palo Alto, Calif., called the studies “remarkable,” but added that the diseases are complex and salt is likely to be just one of many risk factors.
“People have different genetic predispositions to various diseases, including autoimmune disease,” Cua said. “If you genetically have a very high susceptibility to autoimmune disease, it may be by reducing salt, you’re taking away that one” risk.
2013年1月16日 星期三
Electric cars still await the next generation
If we fail to see it then it cannot be for a lack of trying on the part of campaigners. The apparent effects of climate change are clear for all to see. Changes in weather patterns, more frequent outbursts of severe weather and the steady shrinking of global ice caps and glaciers.
If anyone still doubts the effects of anthropogenic climate change the change caused by humans then perhaps we should just heed the words of no less a figure than Stephen Hawking, who has compared the seriousness of the climate situation to that of nuclear weapons when it comes to securing our future on this planet.
Private car use is seen as Public Enemy No 1 by environmental campaigners and that s why we re all now paying Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) and motor tax on the basis of the carbon emissions of our cars.
It s also why there has been such a blaze of publicity (good and bad) about electric vehicles recently. Clearly, the car maker that can crack the conundrum of making a usable, desirable car that emits no exhaust gases will make a sales killing. It s not just something that we want to do: it s something that we have to do, says Dermot McArdle of ESB eCars.
The macro factors are moving in one direction only. Fossil fuel prices are increasing on almost a daily basis. As a country we ve also signed up to a lot of international agreements, which inform Government policy, and that policy is to move transport into a low-carbon environment.
How do we do that? By making electric vehicles a realistic possibility for as many people as possible. Choice is a factor, and every major car manufacturer is currently working on bringing either a battery electric vehicle to the market or a plug-in hybrid, and a lot of that is being driven by EU directives on carbon emissions.
What makes it realistic from a consumer point of view is an efficient network of recharging.
The ESB is crucial to the development of electric cars in Ireland, and the company s carbon emissions level will be one of the deciding factors in whether or not it s worth making the switch from fossil fuels to electrons.
This is expected to drop closer to 50g by 2020 as additional renewable generating capacity, mostly from wind farms, comes on stream. A conventional car in this case a Renault Fluence would cost 14.2 cent per kilometre on the urban cycle for a petrol model, 8.6 cent for the diesel version.
Of course, that s not to forget reduced maintenance costs, lower insurance costs and, thanks to recent budget changes, an even lower motor tax rate for EVs, says McArdle.
The ESB s figures assume the wind power component of the system is working efficiently, something that is not always the case, although electric cars offer a potential storage solution for excess wind power generated, especially at night.
There is also the question of the additional demand on power generation created by any major switchover to electric cars.
With a generating system still primarily dependent on fossil fuels, if we all bought electric cars surely we d just be shunting our emissions up the chain to power stations that use fossil fuels?
Yes and no. The ESB currently works under an emissions cap, which means any extra demand on the generating system must be offset.
So, theoretically, no matter how many of us purchase and run electric cars, that extra charging demand on the power plants won t lead to a rise in generation emissions but will lead to a reduction of emissions from transport. Potentially it s a win-win situation.
So if we reached 250,000 EVs by then, as a country we would be saving over EUR 30 million per year on carbon costs, not to mention other savings in generation, by increasing the night-time demand curve and thereby keeping generating stations on load, and also utilising wind energy that might otherwise go to waste.
If anyone still doubts the effects of anthropogenic climate change the change caused by humans then perhaps we should just heed the words of no less a figure than Stephen Hawking, who has compared the seriousness of the climate situation to that of nuclear weapons when it comes to securing our future on this planet.
Private car use is seen as Public Enemy No 1 by environmental campaigners and that s why we re all now paying Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) and motor tax on the basis of the carbon emissions of our cars.
It s also why there has been such a blaze of publicity (good and bad) about electric vehicles recently. Clearly, the car maker that can crack the conundrum of making a usable, desirable car that emits no exhaust gases will make a sales killing. It s not just something that we want to do: it s something that we have to do, says Dermot McArdle of ESB eCars.
The macro factors are moving in one direction only. Fossil fuel prices are increasing on almost a daily basis. As a country we ve also signed up to a lot of international agreements, which inform Government policy, and that policy is to move transport into a low-carbon environment.
How do we do that? By making electric vehicles a realistic possibility for as many people as possible. Choice is a factor, and every major car manufacturer is currently working on bringing either a battery electric vehicle to the market or a plug-in hybrid, and a lot of that is being driven by EU directives on carbon emissions.
What makes it realistic from a consumer point of view is an efficient network of recharging.
The ESB is crucial to the development of electric cars in Ireland, and the company s carbon emissions level will be one of the deciding factors in whether or not it s worth making the switch from fossil fuels to electrons.
This is expected to drop closer to 50g by 2020 as additional renewable generating capacity, mostly from wind farms, comes on stream. A conventional car in this case a Renault Fluence would cost 14.2 cent per kilometre on the urban cycle for a petrol model, 8.6 cent for the diesel version.
Of course, that s not to forget reduced maintenance costs, lower insurance costs and, thanks to recent budget changes, an even lower motor tax rate for EVs, says McArdle.
The ESB s figures assume the wind power component of the system is working efficiently, something that is not always the case, although electric cars offer a potential storage solution for excess wind power generated, especially at night.
There is also the question of the additional demand on power generation created by any major switchover to electric cars.
With a generating system still primarily dependent on fossil fuels, if we all bought electric cars surely we d just be shunting our emissions up the chain to power stations that use fossil fuels?
Yes and no. The ESB currently works under an emissions cap, which means any extra demand on the generating system must be offset.
So, theoretically, no matter how many of us purchase and run electric cars, that extra charging demand on the power plants won t lead to a rise in generation emissions but will lead to a reduction of emissions from transport. Potentially it s a win-win situation.
So if we reached 250,000 EVs by then, as a country we would be saving over EUR 30 million per year on carbon costs, not to mention other savings in generation, by increasing the night-time demand curve and thereby keeping generating stations on load, and also utilising wind energy that might otherwise go to waste.
2012年12月17日 星期一
Slapshot bots
Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" blared from the sound system. The crowd, many of them zonked from pulling repeated all-nighters, was in a state of near-delirium.
This was Robockey 2012 - hockey played by wheeled robots. It is the culmination of a notoriously tough engineering course at the University of Pennsylvania - taught every fall by Jonathan Fiene, the man in the gray suit - and it is a wild scene.
You thought the Palestra was loud? For sheer concentration of energy, it would be hard to top Robockey. More than a hundred spectators crammed into an auditorium at Penn's Levine Hall on Tuesday night to watch the violent clash of machine on machine. They spilled into the aisles, alternately whooping, fist-bumping, jumping up, and yelling themselves hoarse.
"Fraternity brothers," explained Justin Starr, a member of the team that the bare-chested guys were supporting. (Starr himself sported a coat and tie for the occasion. Who says engineers don't know how to dress up?)
The class, a mix of undergraduates and grad students, was divided into 17 teams of three or four people from various disciplines, such as mechanical engineering, computer science, or robotics.
He does Robockey because it motivates his students, and because he likes the power of learning by doing. Robockey is just a game. But by taking part in the tournament and in other projects over the course of the semester, students get an intense dose of electronics and mechanics that several said made it the toughest course they'd taken at Penn.
Several students said they spent well over 100 hours on the Robockey project alone, wrapping up in the last week with 14-hour overnight sessions in the lab.
Some of the matches Tuesday night, consisting of two 60-second periods, were more even than others. Team 16 jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead against Team 14. Fiene respectfully averted his gaze from the bloodbath.
By the end it was 7-0, one of the goals coming when a Team 16 forward simply drove the opposing goalie backward into the goal. Brutal.
"It was tough," said Team 14 member Rafi Pelles, slipping easily into the role of a cliche-spouting athlete in a post-game interview. "You go out there and you try your best."
He attributed the team's loss to a few bugs in its computer code, along with unspecified issues in the "interface between hardware and electronics."
Before his team's first match of the evening, Nick Parrotta bounced on his feet a few times to warm up, as if he were the one about to step into the rink, not the robots.
Dubbed the Avengers, after the comic-book superheroes, Parrotta's team lost its match Tuesday. But it finished with a respectable record of five wins, three losses, and a tie, counting preliminary rounds. Fellow Avenger Vivienne Clayton was not feeling downcast.
"Adrenaline rush!" Clayton said afterward. "That was so much fun."
Easily tops in the spirit category was Starr's team, dubbed Team 'Murica, as in the faux down-home pronunciation of "America." Like Starr, the rest of the team wore blazers. Starr also wore a red-white-and-blue baseball hat backward, while Tarik Tosun sported a red-and-black-checkered hunting cap.
Their robots had presidential names: Millard Killmore, Martin van Bruisin', and Grover Cleaveland.
There was substance to go with the flash. Many teams' robots got stuck in a fierce scrum from time to time, wheels spinning madly. But if one of 'Murica's robots got stuck, it was programmed to back up and allow its teammate to attack from a different angle. "It was beautiful to watch," Fiene said later.
Another strong contender was Team 8, whose members were clad in neon-yellow T-shirts. They started each match by placing their three robots in single file, so the wheeled combatants could plow forward as one. "That's our train formation," said team member Ian Rafter.
It was a good strategy, until they met Team 10 in the finals. That team consisted of Central High grad Wenbin Zhao, Daniel Chabolla, and Sean Gowen, all seniors in mechanical engineering.
Designing the robot required making decisions, and one of the biggest was selecting a motor. Speed or brute force? Claude Giroux or Chris Pronger?
This was Robockey 2012 - hockey played by wheeled robots. It is the culmination of a notoriously tough engineering course at the University of Pennsylvania - taught every fall by Jonathan Fiene, the man in the gray suit - and it is a wild scene.
You thought the Palestra was loud? For sheer concentration of energy, it would be hard to top Robockey. More than a hundred spectators crammed into an auditorium at Penn's Levine Hall on Tuesday night to watch the violent clash of machine on machine. They spilled into the aisles, alternately whooping, fist-bumping, jumping up, and yelling themselves hoarse.
"Fraternity brothers," explained Justin Starr, a member of the team that the bare-chested guys were supporting. (Starr himself sported a coat and tie for the occasion. Who says engineers don't know how to dress up?)
The class, a mix of undergraduates and grad students, was divided into 17 teams of three or four people from various disciplines, such as mechanical engineering, computer science, or robotics.
He does Robockey because it motivates his students, and because he likes the power of learning by doing. Robockey is just a game. But by taking part in the tournament and in other projects over the course of the semester, students get an intense dose of electronics and mechanics that several said made it the toughest course they'd taken at Penn.
Several students said they spent well over 100 hours on the Robockey project alone, wrapping up in the last week with 14-hour overnight sessions in the lab.
Some of the matches Tuesday night, consisting of two 60-second periods, were more even than others. Team 16 jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead against Team 14. Fiene respectfully averted his gaze from the bloodbath.
By the end it was 7-0, one of the goals coming when a Team 16 forward simply drove the opposing goalie backward into the goal. Brutal.
"It was tough," said Team 14 member Rafi Pelles, slipping easily into the role of a cliche-spouting athlete in a post-game interview. "You go out there and you try your best."
He attributed the team's loss to a few bugs in its computer code, along with unspecified issues in the "interface between hardware and electronics."
Before his team's first match of the evening, Nick Parrotta bounced on his feet a few times to warm up, as if he were the one about to step into the rink, not the robots.
Dubbed the Avengers, after the comic-book superheroes, Parrotta's team lost its match Tuesday. But it finished with a respectable record of five wins, three losses, and a tie, counting preliminary rounds. Fellow Avenger Vivienne Clayton was not feeling downcast.
"Adrenaline rush!" Clayton said afterward. "That was so much fun."
Easily tops in the spirit category was Starr's team, dubbed Team 'Murica, as in the faux down-home pronunciation of "America." Like Starr, the rest of the team wore blazers. Starr also wore a red-white-and-blue baseball hat backward, while Tarik Tosun sported a red-and-black-checkered hunting cap.
Their robots had presidential names: Millard Killmore, Martin van Bruisin', and Grover Cleaveland.
There was substance to go with the flash. Many teams' robots got stuck in a fierce scrum from time to time, wheels spinning madly. But if one of 'Murica's robots got stuck, it was programmed to back up and allow its teammate to attack from a different angle. "It was beautiful to watch," Fiene said later.
Another strong contender was Team 8, whose members were clad in neon-yellow T-shirts. They started each match by placing their three robots in single file, so the wheeled combatants could plow forward as one. "That's our train formation," said team member Ian Rafter.
It was a good strategy, until they met Team 10 in the finals. That team consisted of Central High grad Wenbin Zhao, Daniel Chabolla, and Sean Gowen, all seniors in mechanical engineering.
Designing the robot required making decisions, and one of the biggest was selecting a motor. Speed or brute force? Claude Giroux or Chris Pronger?
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