Terry Macalister reports on the £4.5bn plan to construct 339 turbines covering 300 square kilometres off Scotland's northern coast, which could potentially power 40% of the country's homes.
Recently submitted for planning permission, the 1.5-gigawatt wind farm to be located more than 12 miles offshore, "is being developed by Moray Offshore Renewables, a joint venture between
Spanish oil company Repsol, and an arm of Portuguese power group EDP,
which has recently become partly owned by China's state-owned Three
Gorges Corporation."
According to Macalister, "The renewable industry has hailed it as a watershed moment but warned
these new deep water farms might only be fully realised if the
government provides policy stability by pushing through its proposed Energy Bill."
Apparently, the wind farm has at least one prominent critic. "It has already attracted controversy because it is opposed by American
billionaire Donald Trump, who says the 200-metre-high turbines will
spoil the view from his planned new golf course."
FULL STORY: World's biggest offshore windfarm planned off Scottish coast
Morro Bay Could be Home to West Coast's First Offshore Wind Farm
If a Seattle company gets its way, in a few years there will be 100 floating wind turbines about 15 miles off San Luis Obispo County on the central California coast, generating about 1 gigawatt of electricity.
Trump Huffs and Puffs about Scottish Offshore Wind Project
Donald Trump says he will sue to prevent the construction of an offshore wind farm that government officials claim will boost the local economy and meet half of residential energy needs in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Proposed Offshore Wind Project Could Be the West Coast’s Largest
If approved, the plan to build a 2,000-megawatt facility off the coast of Washington State would be a milestone for floating offshore wind production in the United States.
Four ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Zoning Reforms
An excerpt from the latest book on zoning argues for four approaches to reform that can immediately improve land use regulation in the United States.
San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to Tuesday to eliminate single-family zoning, but pro-development advocates say additional changes are needed to unleash a wave of construction.
Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.
San Francisco to Reconsider Inclusionary Zoning as Development Slows to a Crawl
Critics of inclusionary zoning frequently point to San Francisco as an example of what not to do. A sluggish year of development has some local politicians ready to reconsider the city’s program.
California Senate Committee Kills Freeway Expansion Bill
The proposed legislation would have prohibited new construction in historically underserved areas that often bear the burnt of the negative impacts of freeways.
Initiative Brings Capacity Building to Booming Rural Towns
A research and capacity building initiative based at Utah State University seeks to help fast-growing tourist meccas in the West plan for smart growth.
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
