May 25, 2007

Wind Harvest's "Wind News"
A compilation of story leads from around the world.
By:  Kevin Wolf <kwolf@windharvest.com>

Note:  These story titles and lead paragraphs predominantly come from Refocus Weekly's posting of the world's renewable 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 Google and find the original source of the story. You are welcome to share this with others. This is a free service from Wind Harvest.   Thank you. Kevin
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WIND TURBINE MANUFACTURER TO INSTALL ITS FIRST PLANT IN U.S.
CHICAGO, Illinois, US, May 2, 2007 (Refocus Weekly).
A Spanish developer of wind power will build its first production plant for wind turbines in the United States.
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Refocus Weekly News-in-Brief (May 2, 2007)

- The U.S. Department of the Interior will fund US$1.5 million to 13 tribal energy development projects which will provide tribes with economic development opportunities. The grants will fund projects promoting development of tribal oil and gas resources, as well as renewable energy projects such as using biomass from forest fire treatments and other sources, geothermal greenhouses, and solar and wind energy production.

- Minnkota Power Cooperative and Otter Tail Power of North Dakota have agreed with FPL Energy to develop the Langdon windfarm to be constructed in Cavalier County. The project includes 25-year agreements with Minnkota to purchase 99 MW of wind power with 19.5 MW with Otter Tail Power, which will own an additional 40.5 MW at the site, bringing its total to 60 MW. Last year, both utilities issued separate requests for proposals for long-term renewable energy supply contracts. The Langdon windfarm is sized for 159 MW peak output and will use 106 General Electric turbines and generate 350 million kWh a year for Minnkota and 215 million kWh to Otter Tail Power.
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PLANNING AND GUIDELINES LACKING IN U.S. WIND INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON, DC, US, May 9, 2007 (Refocus Weekly).
Government guidance to help communities and developers evaluate and plan windfarms is lacking in the United States, although the use of wind turbines to generate electricity is increasing rapidly.
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ADB SUPPORTS 100 MW OF WIND ENERGY IN INDIA
MANILA, Philippines, May 9, 2007 (Refocus Weekly).
A 13-year loan will support development of two windfarms in India's state of Maharashtra
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Refocus Weekly News-in-Brief (May 9, 2007)

- Renewable Energy Holdings has obtained credit approval from Standard Chartered Bank for a project finance facility of up to £91.8 million to fund refinancing of REH's existing assets in Germany and a 4.6 MW expansion to its German windfarm, a further 8 MW expansion in Germany and its windfarm pipeline in Europe and Britain.

- The Asian Development Bank has launched a fund to provide funds to buy carbon credits at the outset of clean energy projects. Commitments in the Asia Pacific Carbon Fund (part of ADB's broader Carbon Market Initiative) have exceeded the US$80 million needed for launch, mainly from Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Other countries are expected to participate before a deadline for investment at the end of June, by which time total committed funds are expected to exceed $120 million. ADB will act as trustee for the fund, which will pay for half of Certified Emission Reductions that will come from projects. The global value of the carbon market was estimated at $10 billion in 2005, with the value of carbon market transactions reaching $27 billion last year.

- Renewable Energy Holdings has obtained credit approval from Standard Chartered Bank for a project finance facility of up to £91.8 million to fund refinancing of REH's existing assets in Germany and a 4.6 MW expansion to its German windfarm, a further 8 MW expansion in Germany and its windfarm pipeline in Europe and Britain.
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DEEPWATER TURBINE STARTS GENERATING ELECTRICITY
CALGARY, Alberta, CA, May 16, 2007 (Refocus Weekly).
The largest offshore deepwater wind turbine has started to generate power in the North Sea.
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INVESTMENT FOR WIND WILL BE ONE-THIRD OF NUCLEAR BY 2015, PREDICTS IEA
PARIS, France, May 16, 2007 (Refocus Weekly).
Considerable investment will be required in new power generation over the next decade, if the world is to meet increasing demand for electricity and replace aging power units.
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Refocus Weekly News-in-Brief (May 16, 2007)

 Arizona Public Service has dedicated a 90 MW windfarm in New Mexico that will generate electricity for 23,000 homes in Arizona. The Aragonne Mesa facility is operated by Babcock & Brown of Australia and APS, Arizona¹s largest utility, has contracted to buy all of the output for an undisclosed price. Previously, APS had generated only 16 MW from renewables (10 MW of geothermal and 6 MW of solar) and, even with this windfarm, only 1.1% of the electricity APS supplies to its customers comes from renewables. The Arizona Corporation Commission requires that regulated utilities source 15% of their electricity from renewables by 2025.

- AGL Energy, the largest retail energy supplier in Australia, has purchased the development rights for a second windfarm in South Australia. The 71 MW facility was acquired from Wind Prospect and will generate green power for 40,000 homes and displace 250,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. By 2010, AGL could be operating 134 turbines in South Australia with a combined capacity of 255 MW, say officials. The utility operates 645 MW of hydro and has 145 MW under construction which, when combined with 400 MW of wind permitted and under investment, make AGL the largest listed owner and developer of green power in Australasia.

- The Public Service Commission of Delaware has voted to support a hybrid approach to wind energy with concern for a reliable backup system to address inconsistent wind conditions and to address capacity issues in the beach areas.

- The government of Australia will fund a Canadian energy storage system for remote areas. VRB Power Systems says Aus$1.8 million will be provided under the Advanced Electricity Storage Technologies program to deploy VRB systems for remote solar and wind applications. The $20 million AEST program was announced in 2004 to promote advanced storage technologies which increase the ability of green power systems to contribute to Australia's electricity supply system.

- Regulators in the state of Wisconsin have approved construction of the Cedar Ridge windfarm in Fond du Lac County. Alliant Energy wants to install 41 turbines on 7,800 acres to generate 98 MW of green power, to contribute to the state¹s goal of sourcing 25% of energy from renewables by 2025. The state currently has 53 MW of wind capacity and another 345 MW approved for construction.
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WIND INDUSTRY IN EUROPE WANTS SWIFT AND EFFECTIVE LEGISLATION
MILAN, Italy, May 23, 2007 (Refocus Weekly).
Europe could install 180,000 MW of wind turbines by 2020 if politicians adopt effective legislation to support the industry, according to the European Wind Energy Association.
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LARGEST OFFSHORE WINDFARM PLANNED FOR UK
LONDON, UK, May 23, 2007 (Refocus Weekly).
The largest offshore windfarm has been proposed for the north Devon coast of England.
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Canadian IPP becomes first to export wind power to U.S.
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada, May 23, 2007.
West Cape Wind Energy has become the first independent power producer to export wind power from Canada into the United States.
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- Mobile Telecommunications and Motorola will deploy a hybrid wind-solar power system to operate a cellular relay facility at Dordabis village in the Khomas Region of Namibia. The trial will allow the carriers to expand voice and data coverage in rural areas of the country.

- Wisconsin Power & Light will waive acceptance of regulator-approved financial parameters for its proposed windfarm in Fond du Lac county. The utility will not use the approved order set under a 2005 state law for the life of the facility, but will apply traditional rate-making procedures and file periodic rate cases with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to determine the rate of recovery. The PSC set the authorised return on common equity at 10.5% but the utility says that rate is too low. The Cedar Ridge windfarm will be operational by the end of next year at an estimated cost of US$180 million, with 60 to 99 MW of capacity from 41 turbines spread over 12 square miles.

- A state magistrate in Florida has ruled against a proposed US$40 million, 20-turbine windfarm in Florida and Monroe. The magistrate ruled that the Department of Environmental Protection was incorrect in issuing a wetlands permit to Hoosac Wind Power's owner, enXco, because enXco did not accurately describe the boundaries of stream banks near the project and failed to perform a wildlife habitat evaluation. Green Berkshires, a non-profit environmental group, and two citizen's groups appealed the DEP permit in 2005, citing environmental concerns, particularly the building of an access road leading to the proposed sites.

- Your Energy will not appeal a planning refusal by Isle of Wight Council against the Wellow windfarm that proposed six turbines on farmland which opponents said would despoil the area. ³In the four months following release of the Stern Report, seven out of 11 decisions for onshore windfarms were refused by local planning authorities around the country, despite the Stern Report issuing a strong message to decision makers to take urgent action on climate change,² said Your Energy director Richard Mardon. ³From our involvement with people on the Island over the past five years, we know the majority of residents would like to see a windfarm on the Island.² Your Energy said the turbines would have generated electricity for 6,500 (10%) of homes on the island. Council said the windfarm would impact the sensitive environment, its residents and wildlife, but warned that other objections, including alleged effects on tourism and buildings, TV interference, noise and avian would not be defendable in appeal.

- Offshore wind energy is still a limited market but it has great potential in Europe, according to the European Wind Energy Conference. Installing turbines at sea is currently one of the most important challenges facing the continent¹s wind industry, as the offshore industry is a critical frontier in the continued development of wind power in Europe. There must be strong growth in offshore windfarms to achieve the target of 20% of the EU¹s overall energy supply to come from renewables by 2020, says Christian Kjaer of the European Wind Energy Association. ³However, many barriers and constraints need to be addressed to unlock the full potential of offshore technology.² Denmark has 400 MW installed offshore, while Britain has 300 MW and the Netherlands with 140 MW. A second wave of European countries will join the offshore industry within three years, with windfarms already under development in Germany, Sweden and France.

- Xantrex Technology of Canada has signed a three-year supply agreement to supply multi-megawatt power converters for an unnamed wind turbine manufacturer in North America. The agreement is valued at Cdn$12 million and the initial purchase order will involve deliveries this year. ³This long-term contract verifies that Xantrex has proven itself as an excellent supply partner to the wind industry,² says John Wallace of Xantrex. ³The associated business will provide stable growth for our wind converter business for the next three years starting in the second half of 2007.²

- China will become the world's largest market for wind power within the next five years, according to the head of Vestas Asia Pacific. Thorbjorn Rasmussen predicts China will reach 8,000 MW of installed wind capacity by 2010. Last year, the country installed 1,334 MW of wind and has 1,500 MW under construction. Rasmussen says 4,000 MW of cumulative wind could be achieved by the end of this year and 30,000 MW is planned by 2020.
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