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Thursday, February 17, 2005
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Links and resources
• Regulators & studies- Draft Environmental Impact Statement (11/9/04)- State Environmental Secretary's decision to require an environmental impact report.- Ocean Management Task Force report on state waters.- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Proponents, opponents - Cape Wind Associates: Wants to build Nantucket Sound wind-power farm - Winergy LLC : Wants permits to build wind farms in 17 sites along the East Coast. - Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound: Primary opponents of Nantucket Sound wind farm - Clean Power Now: Grassroots citizens group for the Cape Wind project - Windstop.org: Grassroots citizens group against the Cape Wind project
• Other resources - Wind over Water: Documentary about Nantucket Sound wind-power project
• World news archives - Guardian: Wind farms stall property values (Nov. 2004) - BBC: Plans for Suffolk wind farm on display (Oct. 2004) - BBC: Britons 'in favour of wind farms' (Sept. 2004) - AP: Vt. protest over state wind policy (Aug. 2004) - Guardian: Britain's wind rush splits Greens (May 2004) - AP: Vt. utility still seeks 27-turbine project (May 2004) - AP: LI utility seeks turbines off Jones Beach (May 2004) - BBC: Turbine power boost for Denmark (March 2004) - AP: Forest Service vetoes swap for project (March 2004) - AP: Berkshire wind farm contested (March 2004) - AP: Sides form over Glebe Mt., Vt. project (Feb. 2004) - AP: Vt. groups seek wind moratorium (Jan. 2004) - AP: Wind power co. files plans for Me. peak (Jan. 2004) - BBC: Britain unveils plans for offshore wind farms (Dec. 2003) - BBC: Concerns raised about Scottish projects (Dec. 2003) - KRT: New Jersey debates harvesting wind (Nov. 2003) - BBC: Work starts on North Sea project (Oct. 2003) - BBC: Lake District farm raises concerns (Sept. 2003) - BBC: Scots support green power (Aug. 2003) - BBC: Wind farms 'threaten fishing jobs' (July 2003) - BBC: UK's biggest offshore project takes shape (July 2003) - BBC: England plans 'massive' wind farms (July 2003) - BBC: Inquiry rules out wind farm (July 2003) - BBC: Residents lose wind farm battle (May 2003) - BBC: Scottish offshore projects approved (March 2003)
- AP: Board approves wind Vt. towers (Feb. 2003)
- BBC:U.K tries to change the face of energy (Feb. 2003)
- AP: Vt. wind towers concern some (Jan. 2003)
- AP: Dutch move modern mills into town (Jan. 2003)
- AP: Mt. Wachusetts wind farm stirs debate (Jan. 2003)
- ABC: Australian windfarm hit by Aboriginal claim (Nov. 2002)
- BBC: Offshore wind farm's £10m kickstart (Oct. 2002)
- BBC: Plans for 'giant' wind farm (Sept. 2002)
- BBC: Protest over N. Ireland wind farm plan (Aug. 2002)
- L.A. Times: Wind farms churn up controversy on East Coast (Aug. 2002)
- NPR report: Audio NPR report on proposed Cape Cod wind farm (April 2002)
- NYT report: The debate over the Cape proposal (April 2002)
- BBC : The UK's biggest offshore wind farm wins approval. (April 2002)
- Irish wind farm: Government approves world's largest offshore wind farm. (Jan. 2002)
- Wind power Q&A: UK looks to wind and wave power (2001)
- Germany: The world's leading producer of wind power - has expanded its capacity by 44% in the past year (Jan. 2002)
- BBC: Government approves the then-biggest wind farm in the UK, in Wales (Dec. 2001)
- BBC: Survey of Scots on wind farms (2000) -->
• Department of Energy - Wind power resources - U.S. wind news - Wind energy basics • Mass Tech Collaborative - Offshore wind outreach - Project overview - Final progress report (pdf)
• Wind power trade groups - American Wind Energy Association: News, U.S. wind projects database, wind FAQ - National Wind Coordinating Committee: Policy and issue publications; links; resources --> - Euro Wind Energy Assoc. - British Wind Energy Assoc. - Danish Wind Energy Assoc. Check out web cam for an offshore wind farm.
• Worldwide groups - CADDET: Resource site on world renewable energy - Coastal Guide: Resource site for European coastal planners wind power report, pro and con
• Companies - Vestas Wind Systems: Major wind turbine manufacturer - Blyth Offshore Wind: Offshore English wind farm - GE Wind Energy: Wind turbine maker, supplier - National Wind Power: UK wind project developer - TrueWind Solutions: maps winds of potential sites. - Airtricity : UK wind project developer, now in America
• Project critics
- Country Guardian: for the United Kingdom and beyond
- Landsforeningen Naboer til Vindmøller : Danish critic tracks facts, news
-->
LATEST FROM THE TIMESHearing focuses on wind farm The Cape Cod Commission will hold a public hearing tomorrow night to solicit comments about the Army Corps of Engineers' Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the wind-energy project proposed for Nantucket Sound. (Feb. 7)
State voters back wind farm A wide majority of Bay State voters who have an opinion on the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm favor the project, according to a survey underwritten by its developer. (Feb. 5)
High court won't weigh in on wind The U.S. Supreme Court won't review a 2004 decision that affirmed the federal government's authority over the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm. (Jan. 29)
Cape Wind adds clout Ex-House Majority Leader Dick Armey is on the payroll of lobbying firm hired by wind-farm developer, Cape Wind Associates. (Jan. 29)
Lawmakers push wind farm delay Members of the Cape's legislative delegation are asking Gov. Mitt Romney to use his executive authority to impose a moratorium on wind turbines off the state's coastline, as New Jersey's governor did last month.(Jan. 22)
Wind farm review process explained State regulators took the stage yesterday at the Cape Cod Community College's Tilden Arts Center auditorium to give the public an overview of the regulatory process that Cape Wind's wind farm proposal has been under since 2001. (Jan. 9)
Wind farm gets strong endorsement Susan Tierney, the chairwoman of a task force that recommended the state regulate ocean development last March, has written an impassioned letter to the Army Corps of Engineers in support of the Nantucket Sound wind farm. (Jan. 8, 2005)
Wind farm opponents seeksuccessor to CEO Yearley Douglas Yearley, the head of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound will leave his post at the end of this year. Yearley was previously chief executive officer of the Phelps-Dodge mining conglomerate. (Dec. 24)
Wind project finds backers U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed its public hearings on draft environmental report for proposed offshore wind farm. (Dec. 17)
Corps' last wind farm hearing set Several hundred people spoke at recent hearings on the proposed wind farm, but few made specific comments on the draft report that was the focus of the hearings.(Dec. 15)
Mild sparring at wind hearing Nantucket residents took their turns at the microphone to voice deeply held views on the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm. (Dec. 9)
1,000 attend wind farm forum A sometimes boisterous crowd gave Gov. Mitt Romney a standing ovation last night for bashing of proposed offshore wind farm. (Dec. 8)
Islanders sound off at hearing Sparring at Martha's Vineyard school is polite but pointed in the first hearing on the wind farm proposed on Horseshoe Shoal. (Dec. 7)
A week of sound and fury In Martha's Vineyard, the public will get the first of four chances this week to comment on the proposal for an offshore wind farm. (Dec. 5)
Wind farm vote stalled Proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm was dealt a temporary setback when state agency delayed vote on a major permit. (Dec. 1)
Cape group appeals wind farm case A Cape-based citizens group opposed to the Nantucket Sound wind farm proposal has asked the Supreme Court to intercede and order the federal court to return questions about the project's legality to a state court. (Nov. 26)
More time given for wind farm comments Corps extends comment period on draft impact report extended 45 days. (Nov. 24)
Foes gird for renewed fight Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound vows to dissect Corps' report for errors while expanding its public outreach effort. (Nov. 14)
Farm foes to seek court review A lawyer vows to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the project's legality. (Nov. 13)
Flurry of forums on wind power planned Tomorrow starts a week of informational sessions on alternative energy. (Nov. 12)
Romney in D.C., fights wind farm Gov. Mitt Romney took his fight against the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm to the White House yesterday. (Nov. 11)
U.S. laws unlikely to block wind farm New federal rules for offshore resources aren't likely to affect the Nantucket Sound wind farm project. (Nov. 10)
Draft environmental impact statement Read the Army Corps of Engineers report. (Nov. 9)
Corps' report triggers 60-day debate Favorable review means nation's first offshore wind farm could be under construction in a year. (Nov. 9) Farm backers, foes gird for fight Supporters call on Kennedy, Romney Prospect of new scenery doesn't sit well
Draft report favorable to farm Proposed wind farm would provide significant benefits and little long-term environmental disruption, says draft report. (Nov. 8)
Oil-spill response plan lacking Cape and islands towns say they want details before the final permit approvals. (Nov. 1)
Wind farm foe cites risk to radar The Barnstable Airport Commission is sufficiently concerned to appeal FAA's finding of no threat to aviation. (Oct. 19)
Wind power is gaining favor Turbines gaining favor, due in part to subsidies, better technology and higher prices for other energy sources. (Oct. 18)
Wind farm foe raises $1.8M Group spearheading opposition to a wind farm in Nantucket Sound raked in $1.7 million in direct public contributions. (Oct. 16)
Warner relented on wind farm House GOP leader urged senator to remove amendment from defense bill that could have killed the Nantucket Sound wind farm. (Oct. 9)
Move to halt wind farms dies A Virginia senator's attempt to regulate offshore wind farms was dropped from an appropriations bill yesterday. (Oct. 8)
Bill could kill wind-farm plan An amendment tacked onto a defense appropriations bill could indefinitely spell end of offshore wind power development. (Oct. 7)
Wind farm to pay Yarmouth $9.5 million Cape Wind Associates will pay the town of Yarmouth $9.5 million over 20 years as part of an agreement reached between the town and company (Oct. 6)
Coalition pursues wind report Environmentals demand Pentagon release draft evaluation on offshore wind farm. (Oct. 6)
State looks at sea boundary Before the release of a 4,000-page review of the proposed wind farm, state officials are working to assess their potential influence. (Oct. 4)
Review delay annoys Cape Wind The release of a massive environmental review of a proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm has been delayed indefinitely. (Sept. 30)
Key wind farm report delayed A key federal report on the proposed offshore wind farm will not be released until later this month due to ongoing review. (Sept. 9) Cape Wind gives college $50,000
Is review by the book? Federal officials and other observers defend the Army Corps of Engineers' study, a draft of which is due soon. (Sept. 5)
Memo may hold hints of project review findings A confidential memo may provide possible clues into what the long-awaited draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm will contain. (Sept. 1)
Opponents see oil spill risk Wind farm opponent urges delay in draft environmental impact statement until effect of possible oil spill are studied. (Aug. 26)
Report: Project will mar scenery A consultant says the settings of 16 historical sites will be adversely altered by building a wind farm in Nantucket Sound. (Aug. 20)
Search the Cape Cod Times archives for more on the proposed project. Suggested keywords: "wind farm"
Map of the proposed Nantucket Sound wind turbine site. Click to see other sites / Cape Cod Times map Winergy's remaining sites
Explainer graphics
• Locator map: Cape Wind Associates, Sea Energy Generation and Winergy LLC of Shirley, N.Y have proposed wind projects off Nantucket and Cape Cod. - See Winergy's remaining sites • A European wind turbine in Denmark shows how Cape Cod offshore wind turbine generator might look.
• Pros and cons. A quickie overview.
• Overview of data collection tower that is key to the proposed wind farm.
• A Danish crash course in wind energy : for all ages
• Animation: How a wind turbine works Graphics: Closeup drawings, glossary
• Maps: Where does the wind blow the hardest in the U.S.? In New England See these DOE maps.
Wind power projects
• Clickable state-by-state map of U.S. wind energy projects • Country by country : what's built where in Europe as of 2002 • In Britain
Special Times series
• Long Island utility tests waters • The pride of Hull, Mass. • Wind mountain in Vermont
Documents
• Wind Power Today: Department of Energy publication on the status of the wind industry (pdf format; 1.8M) • Wind Power Update: Overview of wind energy technology and use from DOE's energy laboratory (pdf format; 3.3M)
Wind power globally
• Britain: Phase II Offshore Wind Analysis • Britain: Projects approved Map • Scotland: White Paper Critic's reaction • Denmark: 2003 news
____________________________________________________ Back to Cape Cod Times home pageComments and suggestions: news@capecodonline.com advertising@capecodonline.comcape cod online capeweek primetime on cape cape cod times classifieds Copyright © Cape Cod Times. All rights reserved.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Tilting at Windmills
Published on Wednesday, February 16, 2005 by the New York Times
Tilting at WindmillsLocal Environmentalism is Undermining One of Our Best Options for Slowing Global Warming
by Bill McKibben
Finally, American environmentalists have a chance to get it right about wind power.
News broke this week of plans for the first big wind energy installation in the Adirondack Park. Ten towering turbines would sprout on the site of an old garnet mine in this tiny town. They'd be visible from the ski slopes at nearby Gore Mountain, and they'd be visible too from the deep wild of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, one of the loneliest and most beautiful parts of New York's "forever wild" Adirondack Forest Preserve, the model for a century of American conservation. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a place better suited to illustrate the controversy that wind power is causing in this country.
I know the area well; I've lived most of my adult life in this part of the world, and I've skied and backpacked through the old mine and the woods around it, searched for (and found) lost hunters, encountered its bears and coyotes and fisher, sat on its anonymous peaks and knolls and watched the hawks circle beneath. In fact, this very wilderness - these yellow birches, the bear that left that berry-filled pile of scat, those particular loons laughing on that particular lake - led me to fall in love with the world outdoors.
Which is precisely why I hope those wind turbines rise on the skyline, and as soon as possible.
The planet faces many environmental challenges, but none of them come close to global warming. In the past month new studies have shown that the trigger point for severe climate change may be closer than previously thought, and the possible consequences even more severe. Just to slow the pace of this rapid warming will require every possible response, from more efficient cars to fewer sprawling suburbs to more trains to - well, the list is pretty well endless.
But wind power is one key component. Around the world it's the fastest growing source of electric generation, mostly because the technology, unlike solar power, has evolved to the point where it's cost-competitive with fossil fuels. The Danes already generate nearly a quarter of their power from the breeze; the Germans and the Spaniards and the British are rapidly heading in the same direction.
In America, however, the growth of wind power has been slower. Partly that's because the Bush administration's stance on climate change has meant scant government support for renewable energy. But partly, too, it's because environmentalists, particularly in the crowded East, haven't come to terms with this technology. In fights in Cape Cod, the mountains of Vermont, and the ridgelines of Maryland, they've divided into bitter factions over almost every turbine proposal. On one side, national environmental groups like Greenpeace have backed many installations, arguing that the dangers of global warming far outweigh any local effects. On the other side, neighbors of proposed wind farms have joined with local chapters of big conservation groups to fight the Statue-of-Liberty-size windmills on environmental grounds, chiefly arguing that they'll destroy the scenic beauty of their areas.
That may be provincial, but it's not entirely inaccurate. These newer, more efficient turbines are enormous; part of me doesn't want to gaze out from the summit of Peaked Mountain or the marsh at Thirteenth Lake and see an industrial project in the distance. In the best of all possible worlds, we'd do without them.
But it's not the best of all possible worlds. Right now, the choice is between burning fossil fuels and making the transition, as quickly as possible, to renewable power. There are more than 100 coal-fired power plants on the drawing board in this country right now; if they are built we will spew ever more carbon into the atmosphere. And that will endanger not only the residents of low-lying tropical nations that will be swamped by rising oceans, but also the residents of the Siamese Pond Wilderness. The birch and beech and maple that turn this place glorious in the fall won't survive a rapid warming; the computer modeling for this part of the country, conducted at the University of New Hampshire, shows that if we continue with business as usual there won't even be winter as we've known it here by century's end, just one long chilly mud season.
That is not to say that every Adirondack ridgeline should be turned into a wind farm. Most are unsuitable - they're on constitutionally protected state forest preserve, they have no roads or power lines nearby, it would be criminal to wreck them in the name of clean energy. But this site is precisely the sort of place environmentalists should applaud, and insist on: it's privately owned, and there's already a road and a high-voltage line. Because of the mine, much of the land was even zoned industrial, a rarity in the park.
So here environmentalists should step back and say, especially in this cradle of American wilderness, that the price is worth paying. To see that blade turning in the blue Adirondack sky - to see the breeze made visible - should be a sign of real hope for the future.
Tilting at WindmillsLocal Environmentalism is Undermining One of Our Best Options for Slowing Global Warming
by Bill McKibben
Finally, American environmentalists have a chance to get it right about wind power.
News broke this week of plans for the first big wind energy installation in the Adirondack Park. Ten towering turbines would sprout on the site of an old garnet mine in this tiny town. They'd be visible from the ski slopes at nearby Gore Mountain, and they'd be visible too from the deep wild of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, one of the loneliest and most beautiful parts of New York's "forever wild" Adirondack Forest Preserve, the model for a century of American conservation. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a place better suited to illustrate the controversy that wind power is causing in this country.
I know the area well; I've lived most of my adult life in this part of the world, and I've skied and backpacked through the old mine and the woods around it, searched for (and found) lost hunters, encountered its bears and coyotes and fisher, sat on its anonymous peaks and knolls and watched the hawks circle beneath. In fact, this very wilderness - these yellow birches, the bear that left that berry-filled pile of scat, those particular loons laughing on that particular lake - led me to fall in love with the world outdoors.
Which is precisely why I hope those wind turbines rise on the skyline, and as soon as possible.
The planet faces many environmental challenges, but none of them come close to global warming. In the past month new studies have shown that the trigger point for severe climate change may be closer than previously thought, and the possible consequences even more severe. Just to slow the pace of this rapid warming will require every possible response, from more efficient cars to fewer sprawling suburbs to more trains to - well, the list is pretty well endless.
But wind power is one key component. Around the world it's the fastest growing source of electric generation, mostly because the technology, unlike solar power, has evolved to the point where it's cost-competitive with fossil fuels. The Danes already generate nearly a quarter of their power from the breeze; the Germans and the Spaniards and the British are rapidly heading in the same direction.
In America, however, the growth of wind power has been slower. Partly that's because the Bush administration's stance on climate change has meant scant government support for renewable energy. But partly, too, it's because environmentalists, particularly in the crowded East, haven't come to terms with this technology. In fights in Cape Cod, the mountains of Vermont, and the ridgelines of Maryland, they've divided into bitter factions over almost every turbine proposal. On one side, national environmental groups like Greenpeace have backed many installations, arguing that the dangers of global warming far outweigh any local effects. On the other side, neighbors of proposed wind farms have joined with local chapters of big conservation groups to fight the Statue-of-Liberty-size windmills on environmental grounds, chiefly arguing that they'll destroy the scenic beauty of their areas.
That may be provincial, but it's not entirely inaccurate. These newer, more efficient turbines are enormous; part of me doesn't want to gaze out from the summit of Peaked Mountain or the marsh at Thirteenth Lake and see an industrial project in the distance. In the best of all possible worlds, we'd do without them.
But it's not the best of all possible worlds. Right now, the choice is between burning fossil fuels and making the transition, as quickly as possible, to renewable power. There are more than 100 coal-fired power plants on the drawing board in this country right now; if they are built we will spew ever more carbon into the atmosphere. And that will endanger not only the residents of low-lying tropical nations that will be swamped by rising oceans, but also the residents of the Siamese Pond Wilderness. The birch and beech and maple that turn this place glorious in the fall won't survive a rapid warming; the computer modeling for this part of the country, conducted at the University of New Hampshire, shows that if we continue with business as usual there won't even be winter as we've known it here by century's end, just one long chilly mud season.
That is not to say that every Adirondack ridgeline should be turned into a wind farm. Most are unsuitable - they're on constitutionally protected state forest preserve, they have no roads or power lines nearby, it would be criminal to wreck them in the name of clean energy. But this site is precisely the sort of place environmentalists should applaud, and insist on: it's privately owned, and there's already a road and a high-voltage line. Because of the mine, much of the land was even zoned industrial, a rarity in the park.
So here environmentalists should step back and say, especially in this cradle of American wilderness, that the price is worth paying. To see that blade turning in the blue Adirondack sky - to see the breeze made visible - should be a sign of real hope for the future.
Portland Wind Project Begins
Windfarm components arrive
18 February2005Portland Observer
By JASON WALLACE
WINDFARM components were transported from the Port of Portland to Kepple Prince Engineering this week in preparation for erection of the first section of the Portland Wind Energy Project at Yambuk. A HUGE shipment of components for the Yambuk section of the Portland Wind Energy Project arrived at the Port of Portland this week, marking a major step in the multi-million dollar development.
"We've waited years for this," said Keppel Prince general manager Steve Garner at the company's Darts Road plant, as dust rose in the distance from earthworks that began this week for the construction of the Vestas blade plant.
The 20 nacelles Ñ each worth over $2 million, including a generator, and weighing 45 tonnes Ñ as well as hubs, containers of equipment and three sets of blades that arrived from the US and Denmark are being stored at Keppel Prince until towers are erected at Yambuk in the next four to seven weeks.
Mr Garner said the team of 70-80 staff at Keppel Prince building towers was a third of the way through making components for the Yambuk wind farm.
Meanwhile, the Yambuk site has been handed over to contractor Vestas for development and Pacific Hydro project manager Danny Halstead said up to 70 people would be involved in establishing the wind farm, including a range of local contractors.
Track work is underway at Yambuk and Mr Halstead said the foundations for each tower would require 60 truckloads of concrete and Boral had established a temporary batch plant at the site.
Another shipment of blades for Yambuk is due from the UK on March 22 and the wind farm is expected to be completed mid-2005, with Pacific Hydro planning that construction of wind farms at capes Sir William Grant, Nelson and Bridgewater would then follow with blades constructed at the Vestas Portland plant.
Pacific Hydro spokesperson Clare Laffan said the company was investing $54 million in construction of the Yambuk wind farm and $380 million at the three capes.
18 February2005Portland Observer
By JASON WALLACE
WINDFARM components were transported from the Port of Portland to Kepple Prince Engineering this week in preparation for erection of the first section of the Portland Wind Energy Project at Yambuk. A HUGE shipment of components for the Yambuk section of the Portland Wind Energy Project arrived at the Port of Portland this week, marking a major step in the multi-million dollar development.
"We've waited years for this," said Keppel Prince general manager Steve Garner at the company's Darts Road plant, as dust rose in the distance from earthworks that began this week for the construction of the Vestas blade plant.
The 20 nacelles Ñ each worth over $2 million, including a generator, and weighing 45 tonnes Ñ as well as hubs, containers of equipment and three sets of blades that arrived from the US and Denmark are being stored at Keppel Prince until towers are erected at Yambuk in the next four to seven weeks.
Mr Garner said the team of 70-80 staff at Keppel Prince building towers was a third of the way through making components for the Yambuk wind farm.
Meanwhile, the Yambuk site has been handed over to contractor Vestas for development and Pacific Hydro project manager Danny Halstead said up to 70 people would be involved in establishing the wind farm, including a range of local contractors.
Track work is underway at Yambuk and Mr Halstead said the foundations for each tower would require 60 truckloads of concrete and Boral had established a temporary batch plant at the site.
Another shipment of blades for Yambuk is due from the UK on March 22 and the wind farm is expected to be completed mid-2005, with Pacific Hydro planning that construction of wind farms at capes Sir William Grant, Nelson and Bridgewater would then follow with blades constructed at the Vestas Portland plant.
Pacific Hydro spokesperson Clare Laffan said the company was investing $54 million in construction of the Yambuk wind farm and $380 million at the three capes.
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Friends of the Allegheny Front Friends of Allegheny Front. Keep Dolly Sods Wild! ... While some praised the value of harnessing wind power to reduce dependence on foreign oil, others said the 400-foot wind ... Kevin Rackstraw of Clipper Wind Power in Bethesda, Md ... http://www.friendsofthealleghenyfront.org/newsdown... California Climate Action Registry ... Since the beginning of modern wind power utilization, the wind market has been heavily dependent on the ... earlier age of wind power when the great clipper ships allowed trade ... http://www.climateregistry.org/MEMBERS/Feature Wind Farm Development. Wind farm developers. Offshore - Onshore. Wind farm development software Wind farm developers. Consultants for development of wind farms. Offshore and onshore. Wind farm development software. ... Clipper Wind Power. CA. The Clipper team is among the most seasoned in the wind industry with over 100 years of ... http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/wind_farm_developm... PPM Energy - Press Release PPM and Clipper Windpower Dedicate Wind Plant in Iowa. Click Here for a PDF version of this press release. July 21, 2004. DICKINSON COUNTY, Ia. ... 21 to dedicate the Flying Cloud Wind Power Plant. The Honorable Governor Tom Vilsack ... development and wind turbine technology. Clipper has formed two wind power projects totally 206 ... http://www.ppmenergy.com/rel_04.07.21.html . . . the latest word. ... • Structuring Wind Power Developments—. Assessing and Allocating On-Shore and ... Caithness. Cielo Wind Power. Clipper Windpower, Inc. ... http://www.pmaconference.com/wind2_bro2_pma.pdf
--->
clipper : clipper wind power
Clipper Wind Power Information. Executives. News. Links. ... Innovation. D-Gen Characteristics. Overview. Wind Energy & Climate Change. Energy Security. ... 2003 Clipper Windpower, Inc. http://www.clipperwind.com/ Clipper Wind Power - Project Development Clipper Windpower Project Development. Our Fleet. ... Clipper sold the Flying Cloud Project to PPM Energy in 2003. Near-Term Projects in Development. ... WIND FACTS. ... http://www.clipperwind.com/our_fleet.htm Clipper Windpower, Inc., United States United States Clipper Windpower, Inc. ... Internet, www.clipperwind.com. Activities, Wind Power Project Development / Wind Power Technology Development. ... http://www.eco-web.com/register/03308.html Solar, Wind and Hydro Power Generation Easy to install compete systems. Cabin/Homes, inter-tie, and commercial systems. Selection, configuration and design services. http://solargysystems.com CA-Clipper for Windows The FiveWin official website - 2005 Clipper & Harbour to Windows, Linux http://www.fivetechsoft.com/ Clipper Wind Power - News History. Structure. News. Contact. Clipper Windpower, Inc. News. PPM and Clipper Windpower Dedicate Wind Plant in Iowa ... 21 to dedicate the Flying Cloud Wind Power Plant. The Honorable Governor Tom Vilsack ... development and wind turbine technology. Clipper has formed two wind power projects totally 206 ... http://www.clipperwind.com/news_dedication.htm clipper wind power ... Energy. Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program - Wind Powering America. Wind Power Pioneer Interview: Jim Dehlsen, Clipper Windpower. ... ... http://www.marinercruises.ns.ca/?Term=clipper wind... ME3 - Energy Issues - Wind Energy Resources and Information ... Catch the Wind: Minnesota's wind-power industry is ... Wind Power. Clipper Windpower Inc. Community Energy, Inc. Crowley Ridge Wind Power Inc. Curry & Kerlinger, Inc - wind ... http://www.me3.org/issues/wind DenverPost.com - BUSINESS ... Clipper Windpower's plan is to build three manufacturing plants in the ... by placing factories closer to wind farms ... Privately owned Clipper was founded in 2001 by ... http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~265... AAEA Web Search: AAEA. AAEA@groups.msn.com. Wind Power. AAEA Supports Wind Power. Wiind power is emission free and is a great source of additional electrical power for the grid. ... AAEA supports wind power as a supplemental source of ... power because Americans still demand electricity on windless nights. Three energy firms US Wind Force (Pittsburgh), Clipper ... http://groups.msn.com/AAEA/windpower.msnw Clipper Prices Compare Prices and Save from online Stores at NexTag.com http://www.nextag.com/ Texas Wind Energy Learn about generating electricity in Texas using wind power. http://www.odysen.com/ Wind Powering America - Wind Power Pioneer Interview: Jim Dehlsen ... ... returned to the industry and formed Clipper Windpower. ... A. Clipper's formation came from the joint ... try to further our contribution to wind power, believing that ... http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweri... Testimony split on wind power ... While some praised the value of harnessing wind power to reduce dependence on foreign ... Kevin Rackstraw of Clipper Wind Power in Bethesda, Md ... http://www.harpersferry.org/wind/testimonysplit-ma... Wyoming Game and Fish Department Response for Clipper Windpower ... ... NREL or Clipper WindPower should commit to this monitoring ... characteristicsof the proposed low-speed wind turbine be ... rotor-swept area from the Clipper design to ... http://www.eere.energy.gov/golden/PDFs/ReadingRoom... Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative,Links ... A. Wind Energy Associations and Organizations ... § Clipper Wind Power. § Distributed Generation Systems, Inc. ... http://www.seic.okstate.edu/owpi/link MSNBC - The Master of Wind ... The offices of his three-year-old firm, Clipper Windpower, look across the tranquil Santa Barbara ... "And that is clearing the way for the return of wind power.". ... http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5963502/site/newsweek/ A Mightier Wind; Wind turbines may soon be ready to competewith conventional power.(Cover Story) This article from Newsweek International is in theHighBeam Research Library. Read a preview of the article and signup for a free trial for access to millions of articles fromthousands of publications. www.HighBeam.com The Master of Wind; A pioneer hones the competitive edge ofthe windmill.(Jim Dehlsen's Clipper Windpower) This article from Newsweek is in the HighBeam ResearchLibrary. Read a preview of the article and sign up for a free trialfor access to millions of articles from thousands ofpublications. www.HighBeam.com Newsweek: The Master of Wind KeepMedia ... The offices of his three-year-old firm, Clipper Windpower, look across California's tranquil Santa Barbara Channel and ... And that is clearing the way for the return of wind power ... http://www.keepmedia.com/pubs/Newsweek/2004/09/20/... Renewable Energy Today: Federal Officials Okay Clipper Windpower ... ... to AP, Clipper Windpower is looking to develop the turbine on private land located south of Platte River Power Authority's Medicine Bow Wind Farm, with Platte ... http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0OXD/is... Miller Press Business & Financial. Clipper Windpower presents update. Clipper Windpower obtained easements on thousands of acres in the Wessington Springs to Highmore area in 2001, including areas in the Ree Hills, with the plan to build wind turbines. ... The great Clipper ships recall a previous era of wind power harnessed to meet practical ... http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1129&de... USATODAY.com - Environmentalists trade barbs over wind power ... an acceptable trade-off for the benefits of wind power. ... of a proposed 67-turbine wind farm atop ... Developer Clipper Windpower Inc., of Carpenteria, Calif., has ... http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/climate/... Friends of the Allegheny Front Friends of Allegheny Front. Keep Dolly Sods Wild! ... While some praised the value of harnessing wind power to reduce dependence on foreign oil, others said the 400-foot wind ... Kevin Rackstraw of Clipper Wind Power in Bethesda, Md ... http://www.friendsofthealleghenyfront.org/newsdown... California Climate Action Registry ... Since the beginning of modern wind power utilization, the wind market has been heavily dependent on the ... earlier age of wind power when the great clipper ships allowed trade ... http://www.climateregistry.org/MEMBERS/Feature Wind Farm Development. Wind farm developers. Offshore - Onshore. Wind farm development software Wind farm developers. Consultants for development of wind farms. Offshore and onshore. Wind farm development software. ... Clipper Wind Power. CA. The Clipper team is among the most seasoned in the wind industry with over 100 years of ... http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/wind_farm_developm... PPM Energy - Press Release PPM and Clipper Windpower Dedicate Wind Plant in Iowa. Click Here for a PDF version of this press release. July 21, 2004. DICKINSON COUNTY, Ia. ... 21 to dedicate the Flying Cloud Wind Power Plant. The Honorable Governor Tom Vilsack ... development and wind turbine technology. Clipper has formed two wind power projects totally 206 ... http://www.ppmenergy.com/rel_04.07.21.html . . . the latest word. ... • Structuring Wind Power Developments—. Assessing and Allocating On-Shore and ... Caithness. Cielo Wind Power. Clipper Windpower, Inc. ... http://www.pmaconference.com/wind2_bro2_pma.pdf
European Wind Energy Association News
Kyoto Protocol: Wind power is essential for any Government´s top 5 ´Climate to-do´ list
The EWEA - European Wind Energy Association - today welcomed the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, as wind power is one of the leading global solutions to tackle climate change. “Wind power is one of the few power technologies that has the maturity, clout and global muscle to deliver deep cuts in CO2. Wind power is a proven technology and it has to be in any Government´s top 5 ´Climate to-do´ list”, said Corin Millais CEO of EWEA.
News Release CO2 emission reduction from WP CO2 saving & market development Wind Force 12
16-Feb-2005
Wind energy sector criticises lack of competition in European power markets
"Real competition in European power markets is a myth. It is impossible to create effective competition in the European market for renewable electricity unless effective competition is first introduced in the conventional power market. Unless the current distortions in the emerging Internal Electricity Market are overcome, there will be no effective market for renewables to compete in", said Corin Millais, CEO of EWEA.
Press Release WD Editorial EWEA Policy Briefing - Support Systems EREC Policy Briefing - Market Competition
3-Feb-2005
Wind power continues to grow in 2004 in the EU, but faces constraints of grid and administrative barriers
Industry statistics released today for the EU wind energy market show that cumulative wind power capacity increased by 20% to 34,205MW at the end of 2004, up from 28,568 MW at the end of 2003. 5,703 MW of wind power capacity were installed last year, representing a wind turbine manufacturing turnover of some €5.7 billion.
Press Release 2004 EU capacity map
28-Jan-2005
Final R&D Workshop
Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy - February 18th.The final one-day workshop of the Wind Energy R&D Network will be held at the European Commission Joint Research Centre at Ispra, Italy on February 18th. Delegates will prioritise and fine-tune the R&D tasks to be undertaken to meet EU targets for wind energy, laying the basis for development of a “Strategic Research Agenda” in preparation for the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for R&D (FP7).
Registration form Logistical information Map of Ispra (1 MB) R&D report (1.7 MB)
27-Jan-2005
EREC Position Paper on the future of support systems for RES-e
This Position Paper incorporates the ideas of EREC and its Members, the European renewable energy industry, trade and research associations about the evaluation later this year of the Directive on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources, adopted in 2001.
Press Release Position Paper
26-Jan-2005
EWEA publishes Position Paper on the future of EU Support Systems for the Promotion of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) supports the intention to eventually adopt support mechanisms for renewable electricity that are compatible with an undistorted Internal Market. However, any shift to a Community-wide mechanism must be well prepared, and follow after effective competition in the Internal Electricity Market has been achieved.
Press Release Policy Briefing
26-Jan-2005
EWEA calls for wind energy to be reinstated as a priority research area under FP7 Programme
In its response to the European Commission's stakeholder consultation on thematic priorities for FP7, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) signals the great scale of the R&D work that remains to be carried out if the EU is to attain its objectives under, inter alia, the Lisbon Agenda, and the RES-E Directive. Following dramatically reduced funding for wind energy R&D under the European Commission FP6 Programme, EWEA calls for wind energy to be reinstated as a priority research area under FP7 within a new "Renewable Energy Systems" budget line, which conforms to the definition of renewable energies as laid out in the RES-E Directive. This document, submitted in response to the Commission's stakeholder consultation on FP7 research themes, represents the consolidated view of the European wind sector.
EWEA FP7 Submission
25-Jan-2005
BWE and VDMA on German Grid study: Optimal integration of wind energy into the grid is possible - Misinterpretations must be avoided
Following the German Energy Agency DENA study "Integration of wind energy in to the grid", the German Associations BWE and VDMA have expressed their views. The press release is available in English and German. More detailed information will be available at the end of February.
Press Release English Press Release German
20-Jan-2005
Renewables industry calls for a separate budget line in FP7 programme
Transparency is the important issue when looking at energy R&D funding. Renewable energy R&D funding has been declining - a drop of 40-50% in real terms for the EU-15 Member States since the 1980s. Funds to conventional fuels outstrip that of renewables. FP7 is the EU's Framework programme for R&D funding, and runs from 2007-2010. More detail on energy R&D funding in this EREC briefing.
RES budget line in FP7 briefing Market distortion briefing
6-Jan-2005
Wind energy is now world-scale
Over 4200 participants from 44 countries attended the recent four-day 2004 European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC) in London.255 companies exhibited, 220 speakers and chairmen presented in 40 scientific, technical, business and policy sessions alongside 300 poster presentations, reinforcing EWEC's reputation as Europe's premier wind energy event. The next EWEC will take place in Athens, Greece, from 27 Feb - 02 March 2006.
Press Release 2004 EWEC website
25-Nov-2004
Offshore wind: Europe’s major indigenous energy source could satisfy all of Europe’s electricity demand
Whilst land-based wind farms will continue to provide the core contribution to ongoing development, the new frontier for wind energy is offshore, said the European Wind Energy Association at 2004 EWEC, the wind industry conference in London today. "EWEA's expectation is that by 2010 up to 10,000 MW of offshore wind capacity could be operating around European coasts", said Corin Millais, CEO of EWEA.
Press Release Wind Directions Focus
24-Nov-2004
EWEA publishes main data about wind power industry
EWEA has released 5 main factsheets that provide essential reading about wind power core data on the following topics: current status of the wind industry; future prospects for wind power markets; wind power and the environment; economics; and technology.
Future Prospects Economics Environment Technology
23-Nov-2004
2004 EWEC: Total installed wind power worldwide could quadruple from 40 GW to 160 GW by 2012
European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) scenarios show that the future prospects of the global wind industry are promising and in 6 years the total wind power installed worldwide could quadruple from 40GW to 160GW by 2012. EWEA's scenarios assess the potential for global wind energy development to 2012 and examine the future shape of the international wind power market.
Press Release
23-Nov-2004
Wind power on course to become major European energy source by end of the decade
The European wind industry is capable of reaching a target of 75,000 MW of wind power by 2010, said industry leaders as over 4,000 participants gathered for the European Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition (EWEC).28,500MW has been built to date in Europe. The European Wind Energy Association's target of 75 GW would provide electricity equal to the needs of 86 million Europeans, deliver one third of all new EU generation capacity and meet one third of the EU's total Kyoto commitment by 2010.
Press Release Corin Millais' Speech Wind Directions Viewpoint 2004 EWEC website
22-Nov-2004
[Go to News Archive]
Latest Publications
Wind Power Factsheets
Wind Directions
Wind Energy The Facts R&D Strategy report
75GW briefingWind is Power leaflet
Wind is Power video
Wind Force 12
EWEA Advert
Conference Proceedings
Join our Mailing List
Click icon to download free Adobe pdfReader
Home - About EWEA - Policy - Publications - Media - Membership - Projects - Events - Links
© EWEA 2003
The EWEA - European Wind Energy Association - today welcomed the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, as wind power is one of the leading global solutions to tackle climate change. “Wind power is one of the few power technologies that has the maturity, clout and global muscle to deliver deep cuts in CO2. Wind power is a proven technology and it has to be in any Government´s top 5 ´Climate to-do´ list”, said Corin Millais CEO of EWEA.
News Release CO2 emission reduction from WP CO2 saving & market development Wind Force 12
16-Feb-2005
Wind energy sector criticises lack of competition in European power markets
"Real competition in European power markets is a myth. It is impossible to create effective competition in the European market for renewable electricity unless effective competition is first introduced in the conventional power market. Unless the current distortions in the emerging Internal Electricity Market are overcome, there will be no effective market for renewables to compete in", said Corin Millais, CEO of EWEA.
Press Release WD Editorial EWEA Policy Briefing - Support Systems EREC Policy Briefing - Market Competition
3-Feb-2005
Wind power continues to grow in 2004 in the EU, but faces constraints of grid and administrative barriers
Industry statistics released today for the EU wind energy market show that cumulative wind power capacity increased by 20% to 34,205MW at the end of 2004, up from 28,568 MW at the end of 2003. 5,703 MW of wind power capacity were installed last year, representing a wind turbine manufacturing turnover of some €5.7 billion.
Press Release 2004 EU capacity map
28-Jan-2005
Final R&D Workshop
Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy - February 18th.The final one-day workshop of the Wind Energy R&D Network will be held at the European Commission Joint Research Centre at Ispra, Italy on February 18th. Delegates will prioritise and fine-tune the R&D tasks to be undertaken to meet EU targets for wind energy, laying the basis for development of a “Strategic Research Agenda” in preparation for the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for R&D (FP7).
Registration form Logistical information Map of Ispra (1 MB) R&D report (1.7 MB)
27-Jan-2005
EREC Position Paper on the future of support systems for RES-e
This Position Paper incorporates the ideas of EREC and its Members, the European renewable energy industry, trade and research associations about the evaluation later this year of the Directive on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources, adopted in 2001.
Press Release Position Paper
26-Jan-2005
EWEA publishes Position Paper on the future of EU Support Systems for the Promotion of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) supports the intention to eventually adopt support mechanisms for renewable electricity that are compatible with an undistorted Internal Market. However, any shift to a Community-wide mechanism must be well prepared, and follow after effective competition in the Internal Electricity Market has been achieved.
Press Release Policy Briefing
26-Jan-2005
EWEA calls for wind energy to be reinstated as a priority research area under FP7 Programme
In its response to the European Commission's stakeholder consultation on thematic priorities for FP7, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) signals the great scale of the R&D work that remains to be carried out if the EU is to attain its objectives under, inter alia, the Lisbon Agenda, and the RES-E Directive. Following dramatically reduced funding for wind energy R&D under the European Commission FP6 Programme, EWEA calls for wind energy to be reinstated as a priority research area under FP7 within a new "Renewable Energy Systems" budget line, which conforms to the definition of renewable energies as laid out in the RES-E Directive. This document, submitted in response to the Commission's stakeholder consultation on FP7 research themes, represents the consolidated view of the European wind sector.
EWEA FP7 Submission
25-Jan-2005
BWE and VDMA on German Grid study: Optimal integration of wind energy into the grid is possible - Misinterpretations must be avoided
Following the German Energy Agency DENA study "Integration of wind energy in to the grid", the German Associations BWE and VDMA have expressed their views. The press release is available in English and German. More detailed information will be available at the end of February.
Press Release English Press Release German
20-Jan-2005
Renewables industry calls for a separate budget line in FP7 programme
Transparency is the important issue when looking at energy R&D funding. Renewable energy R&D funding has been declining - a drop of 40-50% in real terms for the EU-15 Member States since the 1980s. Funds to conventional fuels outstrip that of renewables. FP7 is the EU's Framework programme for R&D funding, and runs from 2007-2010. More detail on energy R&D funding in this EREC briefing.
RES budget line in FP7 briefing Market distortion briefing
6-Jan-2005
Wind energy is now world-scale
Over 4200 participants from 44 countries attended the recent four-day 2004 European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC) in London.255 companies exhibited, 220 speakers and chairmen presented in 40 scientific, technical, business and policy sessions alongside 300 poster presentations, reinforcing EWEC's reputation as Europe's premier wind energy event. The next EWEC will take place in Athens, Greece, from 27 Feb - 02 March 2006.
Press Release 2004 EWEC website
25-Nov-2004
Offshore wind: Europe’s major indigenous energy source could satisfy all of Europe’s electricity demand
Whilst land-based wind farms will continue to provide the core contribution to ongoing development, the new frontier for wind energy is offshore, said the European Wind Energy Association at 2004 EWEC, the wind industry conference in London today. "EWEA's expectation is that by 2010 up to 10,000 MW of offshore wind capacity could be operating around European coasts", said Corin Millais, CEO of EWEA.
Press Release Wind Directions Focus
24-Nov-2004
EWEA publishes main data about wind power industry
EWEA has released 5 main factsheets that provide essential reading about wind power core data on the following topics: current status of the wind industry; future prospects for wind power markets; wind power and the environment; economics; and technology.
Future Prospects Economics Environment Technology
23-Nov-2004
2004 EWEC: Total installed wind power worldwide could quadruple from 40 GW to 160 GW by 2012
European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) scenarios show that the future prospects of the global wind industry are promising and in 6 years the total wind power installed worldwide could quadruple from 40GW to 160GW by 2012. EWEA's scenarios assess the potential for global wind energy development to 2012 and examine the future shape of the international wind power market.
Press Release
23-Nov-2004
Wind power on course to become major European energy source by end of the decade
The European wind industry is capable of reaching a target of 75,000 MW of wind power by 2010, said industry leaders as over 4,000 participants gathered for the European Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition (EWEC).28,500MW has been built to date in Europe. The European Wind Energy Association's target of 75 GW would provide electricity equal to the needs of 86 million Europeans, deliver one third of all new EU generation capacity and meet one third of the EU's total Kyoto commitment by 2010.
Press Release Corin Millais' Speech Wind Directions Viewpoint 2004 EWEC website
22-Nov-2004
[Go to News Archive]
Latest Publications
Wind Power Factsheets
Wind Directions
Wind Energy The Facts R&D Strategy report
75GW briefingWind is Power leaflet
Wind is Power video
Wind Force 12
EWEA Advert
Conference Proceedings
Join our Mailing List
Click icon to download free Adobe pdfReader
Home - About EWEA - Policy - Publications - Media - Membership - Projects - Events - Links
© EWEA 2003
UK Wind Power
Wind Powers Ahead:Record year for UK wind as industry survey predicts £7 billion of new investment by 2010
As several thousand delegates gather in London today for Europe’s largest ever wind power conference, the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) releases new figures showing that 2004 is a record year for the rapidly expanding UK wind industry and predicting that expansion out to 2010 should result in some £7 billion of new investment into the sector.
BWEA data shows that:
This year 10 new wind projects have been commissioned totalling 240 megawatts (MW) of new capacity, with 2 more to be commissioned by the end of the year – representing almost 3 times last years build
There are currently 18 wind projects under construction totalling over 600 MW. This new capacity is all scheduled to be commissioned in 200
This year 33 new wind projects were approved through the planning system, totalling some 800 MW of new capacity. This represents an 83% approval rate for projects determined this year
There are presently 94 onshore projects in planning, representing some 4,767 MW of capacity equal to some 5% of the nation’s electricity needs.
Looking out to 2010, BWEA released new findings following a survey of 6 major companies at the centre of the development of wind power. The survey shows that:
By 2010 it is predicted that there will be some 7,500MW of wind power installed in the UK. Half of that is predicted to be onshore and half is predicted to be offshore
This represents some 7.5% of the nation’s electricity needs, approximately three-quarters of the Government’s 2010 renewable energy target
It also represents an investment of £7 billion over the next six years.
Marcus Rand, BWEA Chief Executive said;
“These are exciting times for the wind industry. At long last we are developing a healthy and vibrant market here in the UK, the windiest nation in Europe. This year has been a record breaking one for the industry and the indications are that next year will be even bigger.”
“There is clearly a strong optimism within the industry. We need to ensure that the necessary support is maintained and enhanced to turn this optimism and our onshore and offshore predictions into firm realities. Much rests on the success of wind, not least the meeting of our climate and renewable targets and the improvement of our nation’s overall energy security. This new research should provide confidence that wind is capable of delivering its part.”
Notes:
BWEA is the UK’s leading renewable energy trade association, championing the UK wind and marine industries, with 345 companies active in the sectors in membership
The European Wind Energy Conference and exhibition, EWEC 2004, is being held at the Wembley Conference Centre, 22-25 November. Over 250 companies are exhibiting while 180 speakers will present in 40 separate business, technical and workshop sessions. Details at www.ewea.org/06b_events/events_2004EWEC.htm
Companies participating in the wind industry survey were Airtricity, Gamesa Energy UK, npower renewables, Renewable Energy Systems, ScottishPower and Shell WindEnergy.
The UK Government has put in place a target that 10% of the UK’s electricity supply should be generated by renewable technologies by 2010. The Renewables Obligation
For further information on this or any other aspect of the UK wind industry, contact Alison Hill, Head of Communications on 07956 859 749.
Graphics on industry statistics:
This charts the total number of megawatts of new wind capacity both on and offshore which has been approved through the planning system and has yet to be built: namely over 2,000 MW in 68 separate schemes (1039 MW from 9 developments offshore). Combined, these represent some 2% of total UK electricity needs when completed.
This chart represents the total number of megawatts of wind projects currently in the planning system. These 96 projects, inc. 2 offshore, with a combined total of over 5,000 MW potentially represent some 5% of UK electricity needs assuming planning permission is granted.
The map above shows the location of the 600 MW plus of new wind power projects currently under construction in the UK and scheduled for commissioning by end 2005.
Click here for a list of new wind farms coming online in 2004
Click here for a list and map of all operating wind farms in the UK
The figure below illustrates annual build rate for wind energy in the UK, which averaged an annual 55 MW until the introduction of the Renewables Obligation. In 2003, the UK installed just over 100 MW of new wind capacity – a record which will be almost tripled in 2004.
As several thousand delegates gather in London today for Europe’s largest ever wind power conference, the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) releases new figures showing that 2004 is a record year for the rapidly expanding UK wind industry and predicting that expansion out to 2010 should result in some £7 billion of new investment into the sector.
BWEA data shows that:
This year 10 new wind projects have been commissioned totalling 240 megawatts (MW) of new capacity, with 2 more to be commissioned by the end of the year – representing almost 3 times last years build
There are currently 18 wind projects under construction totalling over 600 MW. This new capacity is all scheduled to be commissioned in 200
This year 33 new wind projects were approved through the planning system, totalling some 800 MW of new capacity. This represents an 83% approval rate for projects determined this year
There are presently 94 onshore projects in planning, representing some 4,767 MW of capacity equal to some 5% of the nation’s electricity needs.
Looking out to 2010, BWEA released new findings following a survey of 6 major companies at the centre of the development of wind power. The survey shows that:
By 2010 it is predicted that there will be some 7,500MW of wind power installed in the UK. Half of that is predicted to be onshore and half is predicted to be offshore
This represents some 7.5% of the nation’s electricity needs, approximately three-quarters of the Government’s 2010 renewable energy target
It also represents an investment of £7 billion over the next six years.
Marcus Rand, BWEA Chief Executive said;
“These are exciting times for the wind industry. At long last we are developing a healthy and vibrant market here in the UK, the windiest nation in Europe. This year has been a record breaking one for the industry and the indications are that next year will be even bigger.”
“There is clearly a strong optimism within the industry. We need to ensure that the necessary support is maintained and enhanced to turn this optimism and our onshore and offshore predictions into firm realities. Much rests on the success of wind, not least the meeting of our climate and renewable targets and the improvement of our nation’s overall energy security. This new research should provide confidence that wind is capable of delivering its part.”
Notes:
BWEA is the UK’s leading renewable energy trade association, championing the UK wind and marine industries, with 345 companies active in the sectors in membership
The European Wind Energy Conference and exhibition, EWEC 2004, is being held at the Wembley Conference Centre, 22-25 November. Over 250 companies are exhibiting while 180 speakers will present in 40 separate business, technical and workshop sessions. Details at www.ewea.org/06b_events/events_2004EWEC.htm
Companies participating in the wind industry survey were Airtricity, Gamesa Energy UK, npower renewables, Renewable Energy Systems, ScottishPower and Shell WindEnergy.
The UK Government has put in place a target that 10% of the UK’s electricity supply should be generated by renewable technologies by 2010. The Renewables Obligation
For further information on this or any other aspect of the UK wind industry, contact Alison Hill, Head of Communications on 07956 859 749.
Graphics on industry statistics:
This charts the total number of megawatts of new wind capacity both on and offshore which has been approved through the planning system and has yet to be built: namely over 2,000 MW in 68 separate schemes (1039 MW from 9 developments offshore). Combined, these represent some 2% of total UK electricity needs when completed.
This chart represents the total number of megawatts of wind projects currently in the planning system. These 96 projects, inc. 2 offshore, with a combined total of over 5,000 MW potentially represent some 5% of UK electricity needs assuming planning permission is granted.
The map above shows the location of the 600 MW plus of new wind power projects currently under construction in the UK and scheduled for commissioning by end 2005.
Click here for a list of new wind farms coming online in 2004
Click here for a list and map of all operating wind farms in the UK
The figure below illustrates annual build rate for wind energy in the UK, which averaged an annual 55 MW until the introduction of the Renewables Obligation. In 2003, the UK installed just over 100 MW of new wind capacity – a record which will be almost tripled in 2004.
FPL Energy Wind Farms
FPL Energy's Wind Farms Continue to Have Positive Environmental and Economic ImpactMonday February 14, 2:49 pm ET
JUNO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2005--FPL Energy's wind farms continue to help meet the growing need for pollution-free electricity while providing new economic opportunities for local communities and states across the United States.
In 2004, FPL Energy's 43 wind farms produced more than 6.6 million megawatt hours of electricity for local utilities, municipalities, power marketers and rural electric cooperatives across the country, or enough power to serve more than 500,000 average homes.
FPL Energy estimates that it would have taken the equivalent of 3.8 million tons of coal, or 32,579 train cars of coal, 10.5 million barrels of oil or more than 45.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas, or enough to fill the Louisiana Superdome 360,844 times, to generate the same amount of electricity as its wind farms.
While the relatively young wind industry generates less than one percent of the electricity used in the United States today, it helps reduce air pollution.
Because FPL Energy's wind farms were making pollution-free electricity, more than 4.4 million tons of carbon dioxide, nearly 12,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and more than 8,300 tons of nitrogen oxide were avoided from fossil fuel plants.
FPL Energy's wind farms also had a positive economic impact in 2004. The company's 43 wind farms located in 15 states had an economic impact of nearly $70 million comprised of payment of taxes, salaries, lease payments and locally purchased goods and services. The company estimates the economic impact of its wind farms increasing to more than $80 million in 2005 with the addition of several new projects.
"Wind energy emits no pollutants into the air or water, has a minimal impact on the local infrastructure and contributes to the economic well-being of local communities," said Mike Leighton, senior vice president and chief operating officer of FPL Energy. "Although fossil fuels and nuclear power are the mainstays of power generation in the United States, wind power can play a larger role in diversifying the fuel supply, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing our reliance on foreign oil imports."
Although wind farms may be built across many acres, the wind towers and gravel access roads use very little acreage, leaving the land surrounding the wind towers available for other uses by the landowners. FPL Energy wind farms are generally built in crop and grazing land where landowners, who receive lease payments for their land, can graze or plant right up to the turbine foundations with very little impact to their ranching or farming activities.
FPL Energy is a leading wholesale generator utilizing clean fuels such as natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear to generate electricity. It is the nation's leader in wind energy, with 43 wind facilities in operation in 15 states. It is a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE:FPL - News), one of the nation's largest providers of electricity-related services with annual revenues of more than $10 billion. FPL Group's principal subsidiary is Florida Power & Light Company, one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving more than 4.2 million customer accounts in Florida. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.FPLEnergy.com, http://www.FPLGroup.com and http://www.FPL.com.
Note to Editors: High-resolution logos and executive head shots are available for download at http://www.fpl.com/news/contents/logos.shtml .
Contact: FPL Energy, LLC, Juno Beach
Corporate Communications Dept.
Steve Stengel, 888-867-3050
Source: FPL Energy, LLC
JUNO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2005--FPL Energy's wind farms continue to help meet the growing need for pollution-free electricity while providing new economic opportunities for local communities and states across the United States.
In 2004, FPL Energy's 43 wind farms produced more than 6.6 million megawatt hours of electricity for local utilities, municipalities, power marketers and rural electric cooperatives across the country, or enough power to serve more than 500,000 average homes.
FPL Energy estimates that it would have taken the equivalent of 3.8 million tons of coal, or 32,579 train cars of coal, 10.5 million barrels of oil or more than 45.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas, or enough to fill the Louisiana Superdome 360,844 times, to generate the same amount of electricity as its wind farms.
While the relatively young wind industry generates less than one percent of the electricity used in the United States today, it helps reduce air pollution.
Because FPL Energy's wind farms were making pollution-free electricity, more than 4.4 million tons of carbon dioxide, nearly 12,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and more than 8,300 tons of nitrogen oxide were avoided from fossil fuel plants.
FPL Energy's wind farms also had a positive economic impact in 2004. The company's 43 wind farms located in 15 states had an economic impact of nearly $70 million comprised of payment of taxes, salaries, lease payments and locally purchased goods and services. The company estimates the economic impact of its wind farms increasing to more than $80 million in 2005 with the addition of several new projects.
"Wind energy emits no pollutants into the air or water, has a minimal impact on the local infrastructure and contributes to the economic well-being of local communities," said Mike Leighton, senior vice president and chief operating officer of FPL Energy. "Although fossil fuels and nuclear power are the mainstays of power generation in the United States, wind power can play a larger role in diversifying the fuel supply, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing our reliance on foreign oil imports."
Although wind farms may be built across many acres, the wind towers and gravel access roads use very little acreage, leaving the land surrounding the wind towers available for other uses by the landowners. FPL Energy wind farms are generally built in crop and grazing land where landowners, who receive lease payments for their land, can graze or plant right up to the turbine foundations with very little impact to their ranching or farming activities.
FPL Energy is a leading wholesale generator utilizing clean fuels such as natural gas, wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear to generate electricity. It is the nation's leader in wind energy, with 43 wind facilities in operation in 15 states. It is a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE:FPL - News), one of the nation's largest providers of electricity-related services with annual revenues of more than $10 billion. FPL Group's principal subsidiary is Florida Power & Light Company, one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving more than 4.2 million customer accounts in Florida. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.FPLEnergy.com, http://www.FPLGroup.com and http://www.FPL.com.
Note to Editors: High-resolution logos and executive head shots are available for download at http://www.fpl.com/news/contents/logos.shtml .
Contact: FPL Energy, LLC, Juno Beach
Corporate Communications Dept.
Steve Stengel, 888-867-3050
Source: FPL Energy, LLC
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Ireland to Build World's Largest Wind Farm
Ireland to Build World's Largest Wind Farm
Bijal P. TrivediNational Geographic Today
January 15, 2002
Ireland has approved plans to build the world's largest wind farm on a sandbank just six miles (ten kilometers) offshore from Arklow, a town about 40 miles (70 kilometers) south of Dublin.The Arklow Sandbank—a sliver of land 15 miles (24 kilometers) long and just more than half a mile (one kilometer) wide—is one of the windiest locations in Ireland and will seat 200 wind turbines. The wind farm is expected to generate about 10 percent of the country's energy needs by the time the project is complete.
The farm will be capable of generating 520 megawatts of electricity.
Currently Europe leads the world in its use of wind power. Denmark generates 15 percent of its energy needs using wind power with Germany and Sweden close behind. By 2020 Denmark expects to generate 50 percent of it power demands using wind.
"In Europe environmental concerns really drive energy policy which then drives the growth of wind power," said Randall Swisher, executive director of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in Washington, D.C.
Wind energy also receives far greater government subsidies in Europe than it does in the U.S. "In the United States, subsidies for wind energy amount to hundreds of millions, whereas subsidies for coal and gas run in the billions," said atmospheric scientist Mark Jacobson of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, who is an expert on energy systems.
Currently wind supplies less than one percent of the Unites States' energy needs. But wind is gaining popularity in America, albeit slowly.
Last year the United States spent $1.7 billion installing new wind-generating equipment, half of which supported new wind farms in Texas. This new capacity is enough to supply nearly half a million households and will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide—a leading greenhouse gas—by three million tons and other noxious gases by 27,000 tons, according to the AWEA.
Proponents of wind energy say that it is an emission-free, quiet, and renewable source of energy. And it reduces the country's reliance on foreign oil.
Others argue that wind energy is unpredictable and that the windiest sites in the country—on the Great Plains—are far from coastal regions where the power is needed. Creating a power grid of transmission lines to carry wind-generated power from these sites would be an expensive proposition, said David Keith, of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Jacobson counters that greater numbers of wind farms will produce an almost constant source of power. And, unlike coal and natural gas, there are no fuel-transportation costs.
Currently Cape Wind Associates LLC of Boston has proposed building the country's first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound, off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
At peak production the wind farm would crank out 420 megawatts—enough to power about half a million homes.
"Horseshoe Shoal is an ideal environment for a wind farm," said Jim Gordon, president of Cape Wind Associates. The area gets some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., is out of fishing and shipping routes, and is five miles (eight kilometers) offshore—almost out of sight.
Should the project go ahead, Cape Wind Associates expects to be generating power by 2005.
"Everyone loves wind," said Gordon. "But when it comes to building wind farms, no one wants them in their backyard."
The wind turbines look like enormous airplane propellers mounted on tall metal poles that rise out of the ocean. Once the blade is mounted, the turbines reach a height of 130 meters (426 feet). The Cape Wind farm with its 170 turbines is expected to occupy an area of 25 square miles (65 square kilometers).
Brian Parsons of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, believes that 5 percent of the country's energy demands could be met with wind power by 2020. "But it would be a big challenge," he said.
Swisher agrees: "We could supply 6 percent of the energy needs by 2020, and that's a conservative estimate assuming the current growth rate continues and it's business as usual.
"And we could easily do twice as much if environmental issues become more of a concern," said Swisher.
However, the wind industry will be hard-pressed to have such explosive growth this year. A key incentive, the federal wind production tax credit, which expired December 31, was not renewed. Bills to renew the PTC are in negotiations.
Bijal P. TrivediNational Geographic Today
January 15, 2002
Ireland has approved plans to build the world's largest wind farm on a sandbank just six miles (ten kilometers) offshore from Arklow, a town about 40 miles (70 kilometers) south of Dublin.The Arklow Sandbank—a sliver of land 15 miles (24 kilometers) long and just more than half a mile (one kilometer) wide—is one of the windiest locations in Ireland and will seat 200 wind turbines. The wind farm is expected to generate about 10 percent of the country's energy needs by the time the project is complete.
The farm will be capable of generating 520 megawatts of electricity.
Currently Europe leads the world in its use of wind power. Denmark generates 15 percent of its energy needs using wind power with Germany and Sweden close behind. By 2020 Denmark expects to generate 50 percent of it power demands using wind.
"In Europe environmental concerns really drive energy policy which then drives the growth of wind power," said Randall Swisher, executive director of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in Washington, D.C.
Wind energy also receives far greater government subsidies in Europe than it does in the U.S. "In the United States, subsidies for wind energy amount to hundreds of millions, whereas subsidies for coal and gas run in the billions," said atmospheric scientist Mark Jacobson of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, who is an expert on energy systems.
Currently wind supplies less than one percent of the Unites States' energy needs. But wind is gaining popularity in America, albeit slowly.
Last year the United States spent $1.7 billion installing new wind-generating equipment, half of which supported new wind farms in Texas. This new capacity is enough to supply nearly half a million households and will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide—a leading greenhouse gas—by three million tons and other noxious gases by 27,000 tons, according to the AWEA.
Proponents of wind energy say that it is an emission-free, quiet, and renewable source of energy. And it reduces the country's reliance on foreign oil.
Others argue that wind energy is unpredictable and that the windiest sites in the country—on the Great Plains—are far from coastal regions where the power is needed. Creating a power grid of transmission lines to carry wind-generated power from these sites would be an expensive proposition, said David Keith, of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Jacobson counters that greater numbers of wind farms will produce an almost constant source of power. And, unlike coal and natural gas, there are no fuel-transportation costs.
Currently Cape Wind Associates LLC of Boston has proposed building the country's first offshore wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound, off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
At peak production the wind farm would crank out 420 megawatts—enough to power about half a million homes.
"Horseshoe Shoal is an ideal environment for a wind farm," said Jim Gordon, president of Cape Wind Associates. The area gets some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., is out of fishing and shipping routes, and is five miles (eight kilometers) offshore—almost out of sight.
Should the project go ahead, Cape Wind Associates expects to be generating power by 2005.
"Everyone loves wind," said Gordon. "But when it comes to building wind farms, no one wants them in their backyard."
The wind turbines look like enormous airplane propellers mounted on tall metal poles that rise out of the ocean. Once the blade is mounted, the turbines reach a height of 130 meters (426 feet). The Cape Wind farm with its 170 turbines is expected to occupy an area of 25 square miles (65 square kilometers).
Brian Parsons of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, believes that 5 percent of the country's energy demands could be met with wind power by 2020. "But it would be a big challenge," he said.
Swisher agrees: "We could supply 6 percent of the energy needs by 2020, and that's a conservative estimate assuming the current growth rate continues and it's business as usual.
"And we could easily do twice as much if environmental issues become more of a concern," said Swisher.
However, the wind industry will be hard-pressed to have such explosive growth this year. A key incentive, the federal wind production tax credit, which expired December 31, was not renewed. Bills to renew the PTC are in negotiations.
Illinois Wind Power
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 14, 2005
Governor Blagojevich Sends Sustainable Energy Plan to Illinois Commerce Commission Plan outlined in State of the State address requires Illinois utilities to generate at least eight percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2012 Aggressive plan expected to give wind power major boost
CHICAGO – As he outlined in his State of the State address last week, Gov. Rod Blagojevich today submitted his proposal for an Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan with the Illinois Commerce Commission. The plan calls for greater use of renewable energy and energy efficiency that would create jobs, boost investment in rural communities, protect the environment, promote energy independence and help stabilize energy prices.
The Governor’s proposed Renewable Portfolio Standard would require electric utilities or other electricity suppliers to provide 2% renewable energy to their Illinois customers by 2006, increasing 1% annually to 8% by 2012. This requirement would mean that nearly 4,000 megawatts of power be generated by renewable sources by 2012, enough to serve nearly 1,000,000 Illinois households. At least 75% of renewable energy – or 3,000 megawatts – would be generated by wind power.
“While our energy needs continue to grow, we remain dependent on imported energy sources such as coal and natural gas to power our homes and businesses. The Renewable Portfolio Standard proposal will increase our use of Illinois’ untapped renewable natural resources like wind power. Boosting our use of clean, renewable, homegrown energy will put Illinois on a path toward greater energy security,” the Governor said.
The Governor’s Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan also calls for an Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard that would lead to greater investment by electric utilities in programs that save energy. “Upgrading heating and cooling systems and replacing inefficient lights and appliances with less power hungry equipment will slow the growth of our energy use and help lower energy bills for businesses and families across Illinois,” said Governor Blagojevich. “Investing in energy efficiency will not only save money but will help prevent blackouts by taking pressure off the grid.”
Consumer advocates and environmental groups alike strongly support the Governor’s plan. “The combination of investing in cost effective energy efficiency and renewable energy will payoff for consumers in the form of lower, more stable electricity rates,” explained Martin Cohen, the Executive Director of the Citizen’s Utility Board. “The Governor’s plan brings Illinois into the forefront of a national movement toward a sustainable energy future that reduces our dependence on vanishing resources.”
The Environmental Law and Policy Center, a long-time champion of renewable energy, calls Governor Blagojevich’s Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan “a winner for Illinois.” “This is a historic pro-environmental step that will create good new jobs and spur rural economic development in some of the places in Illinois that need it most,” said Executive Director Howard Learner. “We look forward to working with the Illinois Commerce Commission toward its swift approval of the Governor’s initiative so that Illinois can capture the environmental and economic benefits quickly.”
If adopted, the Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan could generate more than $2 billion in investments in Illinois, creating about 2,000 construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs.
Both of Illinois’ two largest electric utilities – Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Corporation – have also endorsed the Governor’s Sustainable Energy Plan, noting that it is a sensible and responsible approach to ensure Illinois’ energy future is bright. "Ameren is committed to working with the Governor and the Illinois Commerce Commission to achieve the Governor's vision of renewables in Illinois' energy future," said Ameren Senior Vice-President Steven Sullivan, who added that, "the Governor's goal would put Illinois on the cutting-edge of renewable energy when compared to other states."
“We are very supportive of Governor Blagojevich's environmental initiatives, including the use of renewable energy resources and energy efficiency technologies. Over the last five years ComEd has invested more than $350 million to develop renewable energy resources, improve efficiency and preserve and restore natural areas. Renewable energy will be an important future energy source,” said Frank Clark, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, Exelon, and President, ComEd.
The Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan is the culmination of years of dedicated work by environmental groups and Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, who chaired Governor Blagojevich’s Special Task Force on the Condition and Future of the Illinois Energy Infrastructure. Taskforce recommendations issued last year included both renewable energy and energy efficiency as key strategies to bolster Illinois’ energy infrastructure.
Given the broad support for this proposal, the Governor expects that the ICC will promptly take his recommendations under consideration and vote to adopt a final plan as soon as possible.
Governor Blagojevich Sends Sustainable Energy Plan to Illinois Commerce Commission Plan outlined in State of the State address requires Illinois utilities to generate at least eight percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2012 Aggressive plan expected to give wind power major boost
CHICAGO – As he outlined in his State of the State address last week, Gov. Rod Blagojevich today submitted his proposal for an Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan with the Illinois Commerce Commission. The plan calls for greater use of renewable energy and energy efficiency that would create jobs, boost investment in rural communities, protect the environment, promote energy independence and help stabilize energy prices.
The Governor’s proposed Renewable Portfolio Standard would require electric utilities or other electricity suppliers to provide 2% renewable energy to their Illinois customers by 2006, increasing 1% annually to 8% by 2012. This requirement would mean that nearly 4,000 megawatts of power be generated by renewable sources by 2012, enough to serve nearly 1,000,000 Illinois households. At least 75% of renewable energy – or 3,000 megawatts – would be generated by wind power.
“While our energy needs continue to grow, we remain dependent on imported energy sources such as coal and natural gas to power our homes and businesses. The Renewable Portfolio Standard proposal will increase our use of Illinois’ untapped renewable natural resources like wind power. Boosting our use of clean, renewable, homegrown energy will put Illinois on a path toward greater energy security,” the Governor said.
The Governor’s Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan also calls for an Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard that would lead to greater investment by electric utilities in programs that save energy. “Upgrading heating and cooling systems and replacing inefficient lights and appliances with less power hungry equipment will slow the growth of our energy use and help lower energy bills for businesses and families across Illinois,” said Governor Blagojevich. “Investing in energy efficiency will not only save money but will help prevent blackouts by taking pressure off the grid.”
Consumer advocates and environmental groups alike strongly support the Governor’s plan. “The combination of investing in cost effective energy efficiency and renewable energy will payoff for consumers in the form of lower, more stable electricity rates,” explained Martin Cohen, the Executive Director of the Citizen’s Utility Board. “The Governor’s plan brings Illinois into the forefront of a national movement toward a sustainable energy future that reduces our dependence on vanishing resources.”
The Environmental Law and Policy Center, a long-time champion of renewable energy, calls Governor Blagojevich’s Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan “a winner for Illinois.” “This is a historic pro-environmental step that will create good new jobs and spur rural economic development in some of the places in Illinois that need it most,” said Executive Director Howard Learner. “We look forward to working with the Illinois Commerce Commission toward its swift approval of the Governor’s initiative so that Illinois can capture the environmental and economic benefits quickly.”
If adopted, the Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan could generate more than $2 billion in investments in Illinois, creating about 2,000 construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs.
Both of Illinois’ two largest electric utilities – Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Corporation – have also endorsed the Governor’s Sustainable Energy Plan, noting that it is a sensible and responsible approach to ensure Illinois’ energy future is bright. "Ameren is committed to working with the Governor and the Illinois Commerce Commission to achieve the Governor's vision of renewables in Illinois' energy future," said Ameren Senior Vice-President Steven Sullivan, who added that, "the Governor's goal would put Illinois on the cutting-edge of renewable energy when compared to other states."
“We are very supportive of Governor Blagojevich's environmental initiatives, including the use of renewable energy resources and energy efficiency technologies. Over the last five years ComEd has invested more than $350 million to develop renewable energy resources, improve efficiency and preserve and restore natural areas. Renewable energy will be an important future energy source,” said Frank Clark, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, Exelon, and President, ComEd.
The Illinois Sustainable Energy Plan is the culmination of years of dedicated work by environmental groups and Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, who chaired Governor Blagojevich’s Special Task Force on the Condition and Future of the Illinois Energy Infrastructure. Taskforce recommendations issued last year included both renewable energy and energy efficiency as key strategies to bolster Illinois’ energy infrastructure.
Given the broad support for this proposal, the Governor expects that the ICC will promptly take his recommendations under consideration and vote to adopt a final plan as soon as possible.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Creative Financing for Wind Projects
Creative Financing Structures Provide Breath of Fresh Air for Wind Power Projects
2.3.05
Nandan Nelivigi, Partner, White & Case LLP
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After wind power projects ground to a near halt in early 2004, expect a surge of activity among U.S. developers now that Congress has renewed through December 2005 the federal production tax credit, which currently provides a 1.8 cent-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit for energy generated by wind or certain other renewable sources. The bulk of development activity will occur early in 2005 in order to ensure that the wind turbines are placed in service before January 1, 2006, as required to qualify for the federal tax credits. From the date a wind turbine is placed in service, it becomes eligible for such tax credits for 10 years.
In October a new law was enacted that extended a number of expiring business tax credits, including the production tax credits under Section 45 of the Tax Code that are vital to wind power project financings and have been anticipated by the market all year. Analysts predict new installations will likely exceed 2,500 megawatts (MW) in 2005. By contrast, because of the uncertainty created by Congressional delay in renewing the tax credit, less than 500MW of new capacity was installed in 2004. The push for new wind capacity is being further supported by efforts at the state level. A number of states have mandated under their renewable portfolio standards (RPS) that a specified percentage of the electricity supplied to customers be generated from renewable sources, including wind. For example, the RPS in New York requires that the renewable sources constitute 25 percent by 2013; California requires 20 percent renewable sources by 2017.
Role of Production Tax Credits in Financing Wind Projects
To maximize the advantages that the production tax credit offers, however, requires a closer look at how wind power facilities are financed. Unlike most power projects which are financed based on their revenues from power sales, financing for wind power projects depends heavily on the production tax credits. The 1.8-cent-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit could account for as much as half of a wind farm's economics. However, the availability of the tax credits itself does not translate into cash flow, which is essential to service the debt incurred to finance a wind farm. Tax credits are useful only if they can be used to reduce federal tax liability. Entities that own wind farms are typically structured as pass-through entities (like partnerships and limited-liability companies) that do not have federal income tax liability in addition to and separate from the tax liability of the equity owners of such entities.
Therefore, in order to monetize the tax savings resulting from the production tax credits, project finance lenders require the equity owners to contribute cash to the project entity in the same amount as the tax savings resulting from the production tax credits. While there are various ways to structure such cash contributions, no matter what the form, the lenders will want to ensure that the equity owners have the ability to contribute the cash attributable to savings from the production tax credits. The lenders will require these contributions whether or not the tax credits continue to be available under the tax code or can be utilized by the equity owners during the 10-year period after the wind turbines become eligible for the credits. However, the credits are only available for energy that is actually generated, so the lenders take the risk of insufficient wind or mechanical failure because the equity investor is not required to contribute cash under those circumstances.
Small Wind Developers Can Maximize Benefits by Teaming Up with Other Investors
This requirement of the lenders presents an obvious problem in financing wind farms developed by small wind developers which may not be able to use the production tax credits or may not have a credit that is acceptable to project finance lenders. One increasingly popular financing structure addresses this problem by creating a mechanism for the wind developer to share the economics of the project with a tax-oriented investor who can make use of the production tax credits and provide the credit strength that lenders value. This structure will need to be designed carefully to comply with federal income tax rules, including, in particular, the regulations applicable to special allocations of income, deductions and tax credits.
However, pure tax-oriented investors have no appetite for risk during the construction period when the wind turbines are not yet eligible for the production tax credits. That puts the burden on the small developers to find the financing necessary to see the construction through to completion. There are a number of lenders in the market which are willing to provide construction financing or bridge financing, which will either get converted into term financing or refinanced upon completion of construction.
Bond Markets Favor Wind Farm Portfolios
Institutional buyers in the bond market have also become comfortable in financing wind farms based on a combination of revenues from power sales and production tax credits. However, institutional buyers, like the tax oriented investors, also have little appetite for construction risks. Projects likely to be successful in finding financing either in the institutional bond or private placement markets are those that are fully built and operational, and preferably that are pooled together into a portfolio of several wind farms. A portfolio of wind farms has the added advantage of built-in risk mitigation through diversification in terms of wind resource in different regions, different turbine technologies, different power offtakers and other factors.
For example, in 2003 White & Case represented the underwriter in two portfolio bond financings of seven wind farms in six different locations in the United States. Large developers are likely to continue to take advantage of the pricing and the operational flexibility offered by the bond market.
Clearly the stop-and-start approach Congress has taken so far by renewing the production tax credit for only short periods of time before letting it expire disrupts the evolution of wind power as a viable source of energy in the United States. While the better solution would be for Congress to extend the production tax credit over several years to provide industry stability, both lenders and wind power developers can realize a benefit now if they embrace flexibility in how projects are structured and if they act quickly to get wind farms online.
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2.3.05
Nandan Nelivigi, Partner, White & Case LLP
Email This Author
Comment On Article
About The Author
More Articles By This Author
After wind power projects ground to a near halt in early 2004, expect a surge of activity among U.S. developers now that Congress has renewed through December 2005 the federal production tax credit, which currently provides a 1.8 cent-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit for energy generated by wind or certain other renewable sources. The bulk of development activity will occur early in 2005 in order to ensure that the wind turbines are placed in service before January 1, 2006, as required to qualify for the federal tax credits. From the date a wind turbine is placed in service, it becomes eligible for such tax credits for 10 years.
In October a new law was enacted that extended a number of expiring business tax credits, including the production tax credits under Section 45 of the Tax Code that are vital to wind power project financings and have been anticipated by the market all year. Analysts predict new installations will likely exceed 2,500 megawatts (MW) in 2005. By contrast, because of the uncertainty created by Congressional delay in renewing the tax credit, less than 500MW of new capacity was installed in 2004. The push for new wind capacity is being further supported by efforts at the state level. A number of states have mandated under their renewable portfolio standards (RPS) that a specified percentage of the electricity supplied to customers be generated from renewable sources, including wind. For example, the RPS in New York requires that the renewable sources constitute 25 percent by 2013; California requires 20 percent renewable sources by 2017.
Role of Production Tax Credits in Financing Wind Projects
To maximize the advantages that the production tax credit offers, however, requires a closer look at how wind power facilities are financed. Unlike most power projects which are financed based on their revenues from power sales, financing for wind power projects depends heavily on the production tax credits. The 1.8-cent-per-kilowatt-hour tax credit could account for as much as half of a wind farm's economics. However, the availability of the tax credits itself does not translate into cash flow, which is essential to service the debt incurred to finance a wind farm. Tax credits are useful only if they can be used to reduce federal tax liability. Entities that own wind farms are typically structured as pass-through entities (like partnerships and limited-liability companies) that do not have federal income tax liability in addition to and separate from the tax liability of the equity owners of such entities.
Therefore, in order to monetize the tax savings resulting from the production tax credits, project finance lenders require the equity owners to contribute cash to the project entity in the same amount as the tax savings resulting from the production tax credits. While there are various ways to structure such cash contributions, no matter what the form, the lenders will want to ensure that the equity owners have the ability to contribute the cash attributable to savings from the production tax credits. The lenders will require these contributions whether or not the tax credits continue to be available under the tax code or can be utilized by the equity owners during the 10-year period after the wind turbines become eligible for the credits. However, the credits are only available for energy that is actually generated, so the lenders take the risk of insufficient wind or mechanical failure because the equity investor is not required to contribute cash under those circumstances.
Small Wind Developers Can Maximize Benefits by Teaming Up with Other Investors
This requirement of the lenders presents an obvious problem in financing wind farms developed by small wind developers which may not be able to use the production tax credits or may not have a credit that is acceptable to project finance lenders. One increasingly popular financing structure addresses this problem by creating a mechanism for the wind developer to share the economics of the project with a tax-oriented investor who can make use of the production tax credits and provide the credit strength that lenders value. This structure will need to be designed carefully to comply with federal income tax rules, including, in particular, the regulations applicable to special allocations of income, deductions and tax credits.
However, pure tax-oriented investors have no appetite for risk during the construction period when the wind turbines are not yet eligible for the production tax credits. That puts the burden on the small developers to find the financing necessary to see the construction through to completion. There are a number of lenders in the market which are willing to provide construction financing or bridge financing, which will either get converted into term financing or refinanced upon completion of construction.
Bond Markets Favor Wind Farm Portfolios
Institutional buyers in the bond market have also become comfortable in financing wind farms based on a combination of revenues from power sales and production tax credits. However, institutional buyers, like the tax oriented investors, also have little appetite for construction risks. Projects likely to be successful in finding financing either in the institutional bond or private placement markets are those that are fully built and operational, and preferably that are pooled together into a portfolio of several wind farms. A portfolio of wind farms has the added advantage of built-in risk mitigation through diversification in terms of wind resource in different regions, different turbine technologies, different power offtakers and other factors.
For example, in 2003 White & Case represented the underwriter in two portfolio bond financings of seven wind farms in six different locations in the United States. Large developers are likely to continue to take advantage of the pricing and the operational flexibility offered by the bond market.
Clearly the stop-and-start approach Congress has taken so far by renewing the production tax credit for only short periods of time before letting it expire disrupts the evolution of wind power as a viable source of energy in the United States. While the better solution would be for Congress to extend the production tax credit over several years to provide industry stability, both lenders and wind power developers can realize a benefit now if they embrace flexibility in how projects are structured and if they act quickly to get wind farms online.
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Sunday, January 30, 2005
North Dakota Sen. Pushes to Extend Wind Tax Credits
Posted on Sun, Jan. 30, 2005
Conrad pushes wind energy incentivesHerald Staff Report
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said Friday that he has introduced a bill that would give the wind energy industry more incentives to expand than it now receives.
The incentives, known as wind energy production tax credits, give utilities tax breaks based on how many kilowatt-hours they produce.
Currently, the credits are renewed annually by Congress, but delays in renewal have been frequent. The current legislation expires at the end of the year.
Conrad proposes a five-year extension.
This could win more jobs for wind-swept North Dakota, he said.
Stop and start
The stop-and-start nature of wind energy legislation has been bothersome to the industry.
"The short-term duration of the federal production tax credit and its repeated expirations - three in the past six years - are keeping this industry from reaching its potential," said Randall Swisher, executive director of the American Wind Energy Association, in a statement.
The Washington, D.C.-based lobby group reported that the industry added 389 megawatts in capacity in 2004, a sharp contrast to the year before when 1,687 megawatts were added.
A megawatt can supply 240 to 300 average American homes, according to the AWEA.
In 2005, North Dakota is expected to add 20 megawatts, bringing the total capacity to 86 megawatts, according to Conrad's office.
Big potential
Production tax credits might help North Dakota grow its production by another 150 to 200 megawatts, according to wind energy advocates in the state.
Conrad's office said, if a single 100-megawatt wind farm were built, the state could reap as much as $187 million in additional economic activity from the construction, and create as many as 2,200 jobs statewide.
But to fully realize the state's 4,722 megawatt potential, wind advocates have said repeatedly, would require an infrastructure upgrade to bring electricity to major markets, such as the Twin Cities.
A bill before the North Dakota Legislature would create a transmission authority that would help speed the development of new power lines to electric markets.
The bill is HB1169.
Conrad pushes wind energy incentivesHerald Staff Report
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said Friday that he has introduced a bill that would give the wind energy industry more incentives to expand than it now receives.
The incentives, known as wind energy production tax credits, give utilities tax breaks based on how many kilowatt-hours they produce.
Currently, the credits are renewed annually by Congress, but delays in renewal have been frequent. The current legislation expires at the end of the year.
Conrad proposes a five-year extension.
This could win more jobs for wind-swept North Dakota, he said.
Stop and start
The stop-and-start nature of wind energy legislation has been bothersome to the industry.
"The short-term duration of the federal production tax credit and its repeated expirations - three in the past six years - are keeping this industry from reaching its potential," said Randall Swisher, executive director of the American Wind Energy Association, in a statement.
The Washington, D.C.-based lobby group reported that the industry added 389 megawatts in capacity in 2004, a sharp contrast to the year before when 1,687 megawatts were added.
A megawatt can supply 240 to 300 average American homes, according to the AWEA.
In 2005, North Dakota is expected to add 20 megawatts, bringing the total capacity to 86 megawatts, according to Conrad's office.
Big potential
Production tax credits might help North Dakota grow its production by another 150 to 200 megawatts, according to wind energy advocates in the state.
Conrad's office said, if a single 100-megawatt wind farm were built, the state could reap as much as $187 million in additional economic activity from the construction, and create as many as 2,200 jobs statewide.
But to fully realize the state's 4,722 megawatt potential, wind advocates have said repeatedly, would require an infrastructure upgrade to bring electricity to major markets, such as the Twin Cities.
A bill before the North Dakota Legislature would create a transmission authority that would help speed the development of new power lines to electric markets.
The bill is HB1169.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
MidAmerica Energy Plans 50 More Turbines
Iowa gets wind of additional electricity
MidAmerican Energy plans 50 more turbines
By
FRANK VINLUANREGISTER BUSINESS WRITERJanuary 27, 2005
MidAmerican Energy wants to make one of the nation's largest wind energy projects even bigger.The utility plans to add 50 turbines to its Iowa wind farm. The total project would have 257 turbines that could power up to 100,000 homes, according to a request filed with the Iowa Utilities Board on Wednesday.MidAmerican is asking to add more turbines because it has the capacity to do it and the extra generation helps meet Gov. Tom Vilsack's renewable energy goals, said Tom Budler, wind project manager.
"It's a good fit in our generation portfolio, and we think it's the right thing to do," Budler said.The new turbines will cost $63 million, Budler said. But the addition will not affect customer power rates, which will remain the same through 2010 under MidAmerican's rate agreement with the utilities board.MidAmerican's wind project is at two sites. The northwest Iowa site opened Dec. 31. The north-central Iowa site is scheduled to be completed by the end of September.
The proposed new generation would add 15 turbines to the northwest Iowa site and 35 to the north-central Iowa site, for 50 megawatts. That additional generation would be completed by the end of the year, Budler said.Emmet O'Hanlon , energy associate for the Iowa Public Interest Research Group, called the proposed turbines "good news." But he noted that the additional generation is small compared with the capacity of the new coal-fired power plant MidAmerican is building in Council Bluffs.
"Fifty megawatts is great, but it's a drop in the bucket," he said.The Des Moines-based nonprofit group supports the adoption of a 20 percent renewable energy standard, which O'Hanlon said would spur utilities to pursue renewable energy instead of new coal, natural gas or nuclear generation.Iowa law requires utilities to get 2 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. Vilsack has a goal of 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy in Iowa by 2010. When MidAmerican's wind project is complete, the utility estimates that slightly more than 9 percent of its generation will come from renewable sources.
If the utilities board approves the proposal, the entire MidAmerican project will have the capacity to generate 360.5 megawatts, which would make it the largest wind project in the United States.The American Wind Energy Association, however, considers MidAmerican's project two separate wind farms because of the different sites, spokeswoman Kathy Belyeu said.MidAmerican began construction on the turbines in October, shortly after President Bush signed legislation renewing a tax credit for renewable energy gen- eration.
Iowa ranks 10th among states in wind energy potential, according to the wind association. But by the end of last year, Iowa ranked as high as third among states in wind energy production. Bringing the northwest Iowa site into operation on Dec. 31 was enough to push Iowa just ahead of Minnesota, Belyeu said.Four-hundred megawatts of new wind energy generation was brought online in 2004, according to the wind association. The "production tax credit," which supports MidAmerican's wind project and others across the nation, will expire at the end of the year.
Wind projects have been slowed because of industry uncertainty about the credit from year to year, Belyeu said. Turbine construction will slow again if the tax credit is not renewed for two years or more."It's a matter of making sure the momentum of a big year isn't lost," Belyeu said.
MidAmerican Energy plans 50 more turbines
By
FRANK VINLUANREGISTER BUSINESS WRITERJanuary 27, 2005
MidAmerican Energy wants to make one of the nation's largest wind energy projects even bigger.The utility plans to add 50 turbines to its Iowa wind farm. The total project would have 257 turbines that could power up to 100,000 homes, according to a request filed with the Iowa Utilities Board on Wednesday.MidAmerican is asking to add more turbines because it has the capacity to do it and the extra generation helps meet Gov. Tom Vilsack's renewable energy goals, said Tom Budler, wind project manager.
"It's a good fit in our generation portfolio, and we think it's the right thing to do," Budler said.The new turbines will cost $63 million, Budler said. But the addition will not affect customer power rates, which will remain the same through 2010 under MidAmerican's rate agreement with the utilities board.MidAmerican's wind project is at two sites. The northwest Iowa site opened Dec. 31. The north-central Iowa site is scheduled to be completed by the end of September.
The proposed new generation would add 15 turbines to the northwest Iowa site and 35 to the north-central Iowa site, for 50 megawatts. That additional generation would be completed by the end of the year, Budler said.Emmet O'Hanlon , energy associate for the Iowa Public Interest Research Group, called the proposed turbines "good news." But he noted that the additional generation is small compared with the capacity of the new coal-fired power plant MidAmerican is building in Council Bluffs.
"Fifty megawatts is great, but it's a drop in the bucket," he said.The Des Moines-based nonprofit group supports the adoption of a 20 percent renewable energy standard, which O'Hanlon said would spur utilities to pursue renewable energy instead of new coal, natural gas or nuclear generation.Iowa law requires utilities to get 2 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. Vilsack has a goal of 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy in Iowa by 2010. When MidAmerican's wind project is complete, the utility estimates that slightly more than 9 percent of its generation will come from renewable sources.
If the utilities board approves the proposal, the entire MidAmerican project will have the capacity to generate 360.5 megawatts, which would make it the largest wind project in the United States.The American Wind Energy Association, however, considers MidAmerican's project two separate wind farms because of the different sites, spokeswoman Kathy Belyeu said.MidAmerican began construction on the turbines in October, shortly after President Bush signed legislation renewing a tax credit for renewable energy gen- eration.
Iowa ranks 10th among states in wind energy potential, according to the wind association. But by the end of last year, Iowa ranked as high as third among states in wind energy production. Bringing the northwest Iowa site into operation on Dec. 31 was enough to push Iowa just ahead of Minnesota, Belyeu said.Four-hundred megawatts of new wind energy generation was brought online in 2004, according to the wind association. The "production tax credit," which supports MidAmerican's wind project and others across the nation, will expire at the end of the year.
Wind projects have been slowed because of industry uncertainty about the credit from year to year, Belyeu said. Turbine construction will slow again if the tax credit is not renewed for two years or more."It's a matter of making sure the momentum of a big year isn't lost," Belyeu said.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Kansas to Harness Wind Energy
Posted on Wed, Jan. 26, 2005
Kansas takes step to harness its wind energyBy Loren StantonCommunity editor
Thanks to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, something good is in the wind.
Earlier this month the governor adopted a set of recommendations setting forth a strategy for wind energy development in Kansas. It is a badly needed action.
While our state — the third windiest nationally — has stood by, many less windy states have been aggressive about developing wind power and cashing in on its benefits.
The governor wants 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity in the state by 2015. Currently, the state is only about one-tenth of the way there, but several utility companies are have wind-farm projects in either the development or talking stages that soon could get Kansas half way toward the governor's goal. The recommendations she approved will help encourage and assist those projects.
While local governments will have the decision-making authority in approving wind developments, the governor assured that the state will provide services and expertise to help guide local leaders through what can be a complicated approval process.
Rather than Kansas being a place that frustrates wind developers, the governor's initiative signals that she encourages them. We can only hope that other state leaders as well as local ones exhibit similar wisdom. Gubernatorial recommendations are only a start. There will be obstructionists who continue to stand in the way of progress, so success will depend on more far-sighted leaders refusing to allow the continued squandering of this rich resource.
Granted, opponents have some legitimate concerns. Though wind is a “green” energy resource, there are legitimate environmental reservations related to it. Birds occasionally fly into the windmill blades, so turbines need to be situated outside of migratory patterns. Also, the towering turbines would be considered unsightly in some locales, and special sensitivity to those concerns is needed in the scenic Flint Hills. Beyond that, there are a lot of minor and bogus complaints.
No energy source is without its downsides. Other forms give us such horrors as strip mining, oil spills, acid rain, foreign dependence, rising cases of asthma, and oil field attacks overseas.
Though not perfect, wind power's benefits are considerable. Kansas could become a significant exporter of energy, and that means money collected from other states. Jobs could be created. Income for the state and local governments would be generated. New income would flow to financially struggling farmers who sell wind royalties.
And unless the state drags its feet it can take advantage of federal matching funds for wind projects.
Lee Allison, the governor's science and energy policy adviser, said last week that utility companies are becoming increasingly more enthusiastic about wind. In the past, the utilities have balked at pursuing it. Allison said those companies now realize that wind energy is becoming much more economical to produce. He said Joplin, Mo.-based Empire District Electric estimates it will be able to save its customers $6 million per year by developing its planned 100-turbine wind farm in Butler County, Kan. Those savings aren't possible with every utility. For some, in fact, adding wind to their energy mix would cause a price increase. But still, there would be benefits.
Allison notes that once a wind farm is built the power a utility gets from that source is free. In effect, the company locks in a rate scale for that energy source for about 20 years. That's hardly possible with natural gas and oil, which produce constant price fluctuations that mostly fluctuate upward.
Our compliments to the governor and those agencies and committees that helped formulate the basis of her recommendations. The vision and good sense reflected in her actions must not be undermined by myopic self-interests.
In a state struggling for revenues and in a nation needing dependable energy sources, it would be irresponsible not to take full advantage of wind's power
Kansas takes step to harness its wind energyBy Loren StantonCommunity editor
Thanks to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, something good is in the wind.
Earlier this month the governor adopted a set of recommendations setting forth a strategy for wind energy development in Kansas. It is a badly needed action.
While our state — the third windiest nationally — has stood by, many less windy states have been aggressive about developing wind power and cashing in on its benefits.
The governor wants 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity in the state by 2015. Currently, the state is only about one-tenth of the way there, but several utility companies are have wind-farm projects in either the development or talking stages that soon could get Kansas half way toward the governor's goal. The recommendations she approved will help encourage and assist those projects.
While local governments will have the decision-making authority in approving wind developments, the governor assured that the state will provide services and expertise to help guide local leaders through what can be a complicated approval process.
Rather than Kansas being a place that frustrates wind developers, the governor's initiative signals that she encourages them. We can only hope that other state leaders as well as local ones exhibit similar wisdom. Gubernatorial recommendations are only a start. There will be obstructionists who continue to stand in the way of progress, so success will depend on more far-sighted leaders refusing to allow the continued squandering of this rich resource.
Granted, opponents have some legitimate concerns. Though wind is a “green” energy resource, there are legitimate environmental reservations related to it. Birds occasionally fly into the windmill blades, so turbines need to be situated outside of migratory patterns. Also, the towering turbines would be considered unsightly in some locales, and special sensitivity to those concerns is needed in the scenic Flint Hills. Beyond that, there are a lot of minor and bogus complaints.
No energy source is without its downsides. Other forms give us such horrors as strip mining, oil spills, acid rain, foreign dependence, rising cases of asthma, and oil field attacks overseas.
Though not perfect, wind power's benefits are considerable. Kansas could become a significant exporter of energy, and that means money collected from other states. Jobs could be created. Income for the state and local governments would be generated. New income would flow to financially struggling farmers who sell wind royalties.
And unless the state drags its feet it can take advantage of federal matching funds for wind projects.
Lee Allison, the governor's science and energy policy adviser, said last week that utility companies are becoming increasingly more enthusiastic about wind. In the past, the utilities have balked at pursuing it. Allison said those companies now realize that wind energy is becoming much more economical to produce. He said Joplin, Mo.-based Empire District Electric estimates it will be able to save its customers $6 million per year by developing its planned 100-turbine wind farm in Butler County, Kan. Those savings aren't possible with every utility. For some, in fact, adding wind to their energy mix would cause a price increase. But still, there would be benefits.
Allison notes that once a wind farm is built the power a utility gets from that source is free. In effect, the company locks in a rate scale for that energy source for about 20 years. That's hardly possible with natural gas and oil, which produce constant price fluctuations that mostly fluctuate upward.
Our compliments to the governor and those agencies and committees that helped formulate the basis of her recommendations. The vision and good sense reflected in her actions must not be undermined by myopic self-interests.
In a state struggling for revenues and in a nation needing dependable energy sources, it would be irresponsible not to take full advantage of wind's power
Cornell University to Study Wind Energy
CU explores wind energy option
JENNIE DALEYJournal Staff
ITHACA -- In a move to fulfill New York state's new renewable portfolio standard, Cornell University has begun exploring the possibility of setting up wind mills for energy production in the county.
Approved by the state's Public Service Commission in September of 2004, the renewable portfolio standard aims to increase the proportion of energy sold to consumers that is generated from renewable resources to at least 25 percent by 2013. That equals about 3,700 megawatts of renewable energy. Currently about 19 percent of energy sold to consumers in New York state is from renewable resources.
By Cornell's calculations, wind energy is the most affordable renewable energy source that can be set up in the time dictated by the portfolio.
"Wind is by far the most logical means for us to consider," said Lanny Joyce, Cornell's manager of engineering, planning and energy management. "Biomass and solar are just not going to cut it here, we have too many clouds."
Biomass refers to the process of harnessing methane gas produced by cow manure. While Joyce noted Cornell does have a small herd of cows in Harford, he said the start-up costs of installing a system with so few cows would be prohibitive.
Cornell already generates approximately 2 percent of its electricity by hydroelectric power, another renewable energy source, produced with water from Fall Creek. The implementation of lake source cooling also reduced Cornell's electricity use by using water from Cayuga Lake to cool water circulated in the campus' heating and air conditioning systems.
"I think it makes sense to reduce energy use on the supply side and work to generate it wisely," Joyce said. "Wind is way better than conventional fossil fuels for sure."
To study the feasibility of wind power, Cornell is setting up anemometers, which measure wind speed, around the county in areas that may have sufficient wind exposure.
One such test is in Dryden, though Joyce declined to elaborate on where in the town they were looking. Joyce said there is the possibility that more than one site could be used if the project proceeds.
Ithaca College is also considering introducing wind power on campus, though in what capacity is yet to be decided.
"Professors from the physics, biology, and environmental science programs are working together on an educational wind turbine facility for Ithaca College that will be effective in reducing our emissions to the atmosphere," said Beth Clark Joseph, an assistant professor in Ithaca's physics department.
At Cornell, the pros and cons are being considered. Joyce said the visual and avian impacts are the primary side effects people object to, according to his research.
"It's certainly a visual thing," Ed Cope said of wind power. Cope, who works as a botanist at Cornell, has his own wind turbine to power his home and spearheaded the Town of Caroline's successful effort to buy all of the municipality's power from wind. "Nobody minds driving by these posts with wires hanging off them, these ugly things. I don't think wind mills are worse."
JENNIE DALEYJournal Staff
ITHACA -- In a move to fulfill New York state's new renewable portfolio standard, Cornell University has begun exploring the possibility of setting up wind mills for energy production in the county.
Approved by the state's Public Service Commission in September of 2004, the renewable portfolio standard aims to increase the proportion of energy sold to consumers that is generated from renewable resources to at least 25 percent by 2013. That equals about 3,700 megawatts of renewable energy. Currently about 19 percent of energy sold to consumers in New York state is from renewable resources.
By Cornell's calculations, wind energy is the most affordable renewable energy source that can be set up in the time dictated by the portfolio.
"Wind is by far the most logical means for us to consider," said Lanny Joyce, Cornell's manager of engineering, planning and energy management. "Biomass and solar are just not going to cut it here, we have too many clouds."
Biomass refers to the process of harnessing methane gas produced by cow manure. While Joyce noted Cornell does have a small herd of cows in Harford, he said the start-up costs of installing a system with so few cows would be prohibitive.
Cornell already generates approximately 2 percent of its electricity by hydroelectric power, another renewable energy source, produced with water from Fall Creek. The implementation of lake source cooling also reduced Cornell's electricity use by using water from Cayuga Lake to cool water circulated in the campus' heating and air conditioning systems.
"I think it makes sense to reduce energy use on the supply side and work to generate it wisely," Joyce said. "Wind is way better than conventional fossil fuels for sure."
To study the feasibility of wind power, Cornell is setting up anemometers, which measure wind speed, around the county in areas that may have sufficient wind exposure.
One such test is in Dryden, though Joyce declined to elaborate on where in the town they were looking. Joyce said there is the possibility that more than one site could be used if the project proceeds.
Ithaca College is also considering introducing wind power on campus, though in what capacity is yet to be decided.
"Professors from the physics, biology, and environmental science programs are working together on an educational wind turbine facility for Ithaca College that will be effective in reducing our emissions to the atmosphere," said Beth Clark Joseph, an assistant professor in Ithaca's physics department.
At Cornell, the pros and cons are being considered. Joyce said the visual and avian impacts are the primary side effects people object to, according to his research.
"It's certainly a visual thing," Ed Cope said of wind power. Cope, who works as a botanist at Cornell, has his own wind turbine to power his home and spearheaded the Town of Caroline's successful effort to buy all of the municipality's power from wind. "Nobody minds driving by these posts with wires hanging off them, these ugly things. I don't think wind mills are worse."
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Verticle Axis Wind Turbine Testing Success
Source: McKenzie Bay International Ltd.
New Wind Energy Technology Verification Testing SuccessfulFriday January 21, 12:54 pm ET
DETROIT, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - McKenzie Bay International Ltd (OTCBB:MKBY - News) has been advised by its wholly owned subsidiary, DERMOND Inc., that the first level of technology verification for its new, improved, vertical axis wind turbine designed for WindStor(SM) installations has been successfully completed. Core operating features, including coordinating interface and control functions, have been thoroughly tested to satisfaction.
Technology verification testing began immediately after completion of the installation and commissioning of the WindStor(SM) wind turbine on October 29, 2004 (PR-October 29, 2004) at the Universite du Quebec en Abitibi- Temiscamingue in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada. Since that date, the WindStor(SM) wind turbine has successfully: - performed as designed at all rotational speeds, including its 54 RPM
maximum
- demonstrated that audible noise at the base of the turbine tower is
nearly absent at all rotational speeds
- demonstrated that turbine construction, control systems and sensor
effectiveness have the ability to smoothly navigate resonance
frequencies without affecting power production and safety
- operated through all weather conditions, including snow and ice, and
in temperatures as low as minus forty degrees (-40C/F), confirming
design specifications to generate power in extremely adverse weather
conditions
- demonstrated that electronic load-torque control systems and
mechanical braking have functioned as designed
- demonstrated full redundancy of mechanical to electrical emergency
braking and vice versa
- demonstrated that a light weight guy-wired wind turbine tower is an
efficient solution to control the natural vibration frequencies of the
wind turbine structure over the range of power producing rotational
speeds and, as such, simulating the support structure of a rooftop
mounted wind turbine.
Testing of the 100kW WindStor(SM) wind turbine prototype is transitioning to the autonomous operation and performance phase with the Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue. This long term testing phase will continue indefinitely gathering power measurement data serving as a basis for development of technology and performance improvements in operational functionality and economics.
WindStor Power Co., a wholly owned McKenzie Bay subsidiary, intends to begin to contract manufacture and install WindStor(SM) after negotiating Power Sales Agreements (PSA) with customers. PSAs will have defined pricing terms and be subject to: adequate wind power at installation sites to provide economically sufficient electricity production, satisfaction of all regulatory issues such as zoning, permitting and obtaining approvals for site plans, and McKenzie Bay securing financing to fund installations and WindStor(SM) development. Contact: Richard Kaiser - 800-631-8127 (001-757-306-6090)
rich@yesinternational.com
McKenzie Bay International Ltd - www.mckenziebay.com -
info@mckenziebay.com
New Wind Energy Technology Verification Testing SuccessfulFriday January 21, 12:54 pm ET
DETROIT, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - McKenzie Bay International Ltd (OTCBB:MKBY - News) has been advised by its wholly owned subsidiary, DERMOND Inc., that the first level of technology verification for its new, improved, vertical axis wind turbine designed for WindStor(SM) installations has been successfully completed. Core operating features, including coordinating interface and control functions, have been thoroughly tested to satisfaction.
Technology verification testing began immediately after completion of the installation and commissioning of the WindStor(SM) wind turbine on October 29, 2004 (PR-October 29, 2004) at the Universite du Quebec en Abitibi- Temiscamingue in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada. Since that date, the WindStor(SM) wind turbine has successfully: - performed as designed at all rotational speeds, including its 54 RPM
maximum
- demonstrated that audible noise at the base of the turbine tower is
nearly absent at all rotational speeds
- demonstrated that turbine construction, control systems and sensor
effectiveness have the ability to smoothly navigate resonance
frequencies without affecting power production and safety
- operated through all weather conditions, including snow and ice, and
in temperatures as low as minus forty degrees (-40C/F), confirming
design specifications to generate power in extremely adverse weather
conditions
- demonstrated that electronic load-torque control systems and
mechanical braking have functioned as designed
- demonstrated full redundancy of mechanical to electrical emergency
braking and vice versa
- demonstrated that a light weight guy-wired wind turbine tower is an
efficient solution to control the natural vibration frequencies of the
wind turbine structure over the range of power producing rotational
speeds and, as such, simulating the support structure of a rooftop
mounted wind turbine.
Testing of the 100kW WindStor(SM) wind turbine prototype is transitioning to the autonomous operation and performance phase with the Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue. This long term testing phase will continue indefinitely gathering power measurement data serving as a basis for development of technology and performance improvements in operational functionality and economics.
WindStor Power Co., a wholly owned McKenzie Bay subsidiary, intends to begin to contract manufacture and install WindStor(SM) after negotiating Power Sales Agreements (PSA) with customers. PSAs will have defined pricing terms and be subject to: adequate wind power at installation sites to provide economically sufficient electricity production, satisfaction of all regulatory issues such as zoning, permitting and obtaining approvals for site plans, and McKenzie Bay securing financing to fund installations and WindStor(SM) development. Contact: Richard Kaiser - 800-631-8127 (001-757-306-6090)
rich@yesinternational.com
McKenzie Bay International Ltd - www.mckenziebay.com -
info@mckenziebay.com
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