Tag: wind turbines

Appalachian Power Seeks OK for 2 Wind Generation Projects

Appalachian Power is seeking approval for two wind generation projects.

The utility says in a news release that it has asked regulators to approve its requests to acquire projects currently under development by Invenergy LLC.

The statement says the 175-megawatt Hardin Wind Facility will be located in Hardin County, Ohio, and the 50-megawatt Beech Ridge II Wind Facility will be in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

The approval requests were made with regulators in Virginia and West Virginia.

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The company currently has 375 megawatts of wind generation and an additional 120 megawatts coming on line in 2018 from the Bluff Point Wind Farm in Indiana.

Some Species of Bats May Better Absorb Losses from Wind Turbines

West Virginia among the states where scientists are analyzing the genetics of bats killed by wind turbines. Scientists say some species may be better able to absorb losses than others.

David Nelson of the University of Maryland’s Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg said Thursday the study could help refine the siting of wind-power projects.

Researchers looked at two bat species found dead in roughly equal numbers beneath turbines in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. DNA analysis showed that the eastern red bat had a much larger breeding population than hoary bats.

Nelson says the study suggests that red bats may be better able to absorb wind-turbine deaths than hoary bats. Although neither species is considered endangered or threatened, Nelson says the findings suggest a need for greater concern about the rate at which hoary bats are being killed.

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