According to The Chronicle, there has been discourse concerning the necessity of constantly blinking nighttime warning lights on Washington state’s wind turbines. While most agree motion-sensitive red lights are advantageous in terms of safety, there is disagreement as to whether existing turbines should be outfitted with this technology.
House Bill 1173 states new and existing turbines at wind farms in Washington will need to be equipped with aircraft detection lighting systems that meet Federal Aviation Administration standards. After House approval, the bill was recently presented to the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy and Technology.
Energy developers shared their concerns about the new requirement, claiming the costs of outfitting existing turbines with this technology would become a barrier to greater clean energy access. Some are hopeful for a compromise: Jeff Gombosky, a lobbyist representing Renewable Northwest, asked that the bill only include new projects and existing projects being retrofitted under other circumstances.
Read the full story here.
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