January 8, 2004

Wind Harvest Company Wind News
A compilation of story leads from around the world.
By:  Kevin Wolf

Note:  These story titles and lead paragraphs predominantly come from Energy Central's daily posting of the world's energy stories. Others are sent to me by subscribers of Wind News.  Energy Central requires paid membership to read full stories.  You can often paste the headline into the Google search engine and find the original source of the story.   When I have them, I will include the URL.  Please send me stories that you find, and I will add them into the next edition of Wind News.  Thank you. Kevin
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DEBATE OVER WIND-GENERATED ELECTRICITY WEIGHED IN KANSAS

  Interest in generating electricity from the wind is poised to
  charge ahead in Kansas.
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IBERDROLA SIGNS OVER 6,700 GREEN CONTRACTS REPRESENTING OVER 115
MILLION KWH

  Iberdrola, the Spanish power group, has signed over 6,700 green
  energy contracts with domestic, business and institutional clients
  in Spain since the group started selling this product in 2003. The
  annual consumption of the contracts amounts to over 115 million KWh.
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ALTERNATIVE-ENERGY FIRM CONSIDERS LEASE AT PROVIDENCE, R.I.-AREA
BUSINESS PARK

  The alternative energy company Cape Wind Associates may lease
  space in the Quonset Davisville Port and Commerce Park to build
  windmill turbine blades.
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A MIGHTY WIND
New California Wind Farm Blows Previous Efforts Away

Between San Francisco and Sacramento lies the nearly completed High Winds Energy Center, a state-of-the-art wind farm expected to generate roughly 162 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power 75,000 homes -- and make wind power competitive with extractive energy sources.  The turbines at High Winds represent a substantial improvement in technology: they are more efficient than previous models, creating almost 20 times as much energy as turbines from 20 years ago; they turn to face the wind; their blades revolve more slowly and kill far fewer birds; and they are more widely spaced, for a lighter footprint on the land.  Because farmers receive up to $4,000 a year for use of their land from High Winds' owner FPL Energy, wind power now "represents economic opportunity for rural America," says Ralph Cavanagh, energy program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.  While wind remains a tiny part of the nation's energy picture, High Winds is a gust of good news for renewable power supporters.

straight to the source:  Arizona Republic, Associated Press, Terence Chea, 05 Jan 2003
<http://www.gristmagazine.com/>
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New Calif. wind farm seen as model for future
Jan 05 - Sunday Gazette - Mail; Charleston, W.V. Environmentalists say the dozens of turbines that rise more than 300 feet over wheat fields and herds of sheep here represent the future of wind energy - and a model for overcoming the shortcomings that have kept wind from threatening the dominance of fossil fuels.

The High Winds Energy Center, completed in December in the rolling hills between San Francisco and Sacramento, features turbines that can swivel with the direction of the wind, produce energy even if the wind is blowing less than 8 mph and generate 20 times more energy than earlier machines.

This new wind system, along with similar ones being built around the country, promises to produce electricity at competitive prices - all without disturbing surrounding farms and wildlife, two of the obstacles for wind power today.

The 90 turbines at High Winds can generate 162 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 75,000 homes, according to Florida-based FPL Energy, which owns and operates High Winds along with 30 other wind facilities in 10 states.
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Wind energy investment options are starting to fly
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
By Roddy Scheer, E/The Environmental Magazine

As the fastest-growing energy source in the world, abundant, safe, reliable
and renewable wind power seems like a very promising investment opportunity.
But Americans looking to jump on the wind bandwagon had best be careful,
because no U.S.-based wind power companies are publicly traded. Adventurous
investors willing to leave the comforts of the domestic stock exchanges
behind, however, can look abroad to find publicly traded wind power firms.

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), a record 6,868
megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity was installed worldwide in 2002,
bringing the total global capacity to more than 31,000 MW. By the end of
2002, U.S. wind energy capacity had grown to almost 4,700 MW, providing
enough electricity to power three million homes. Twenty-seven states now
host utility-scale wind power development. This industry growth can be
attributed to a greatly reduced cost of production, an increased demand for
clean, diverse sources of energy, and state and federal incentives designed
to stimulate the market. The average U.S. growth rate for the past five
years is 24 percent, with still only a tiny fraction of the nation's wind
resources tapped.

The sky's the limit
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