September 2, 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 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 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 DEMAND FANS COSTS

  A prolonged shortage of wind turbines is pushing up prices for
  projects in the West and forcing developers to scramble for deals
  long before construction begins.
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THIRD WIND FARM IN MID WALES PROPOSED

  An international renewable energy company is planning to
  investigate the feasibility of a third wind farm in mid Wales.
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MEETING URGES WIND FARM ZONING, CAREFUL THOUGHT

  No town should proceed with wind farm development without careful
  consideration, research and a zoning law that regulates wind
  towers, participants were told at an informational meeting Thursday.
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MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT SET TO DOUBLE ACHIEVEMENTS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY

  Ontario is moving forward to add an additional 2,000 megawatts
  (MW) of green renewable power, Energy Minister Dwight Duncan
  announced today.
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EVERYTHING IS BIG THERE: TEXAS NOW TOPS IN WIND

  Recent Texas developments suggest that California's lead in one
  alternative energy area may be gone with the wind. Not only did
  the Lone Star State blow past the Golden State again in this
  year's report, but Texas regulators in July voted to designate
  eight zones for production of some 20,000 megawatts of wind energy.
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PUC ACCEPTING COMMENTS ON ISSUES AFFECTING WIND PROJECTS

  The Idaho Public Utilities Commission will take comments through
  Sept. 21 on a proposed resolution to issues that have slowed
  development of small-wind projects in the state for two years.
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ECOTRICITY TO BUILD MORE WIND TURBINES

  One of the UK's independent renewable energy developers,
  Ecotricity, has said that more wind turbines will be built in
  urban and industrial areas as power companies look for ways to
  avoid the planning problems affecting rural generating schemes.
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FIGHT GOES ON OVER 'MONSTER' WINDMILL

  Protestors will today renew their bid to halt plans for a modern
  windmill being built in the heart of one of Liverpool's best-known
  conservation areas.
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FOR THE BIRDS: NEW WIND FARM EAST OF GROVER MAKES SEVERAL CHANGES TO
HELP RAPTORS

  Out here is where Weld County got its name, a vast stretch of
  brush, blowing dirt and ridges that break up the ocean of blue sky.
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EXPERTS THINK LIPA'S WIND FARM WON'T SEE DAYLIGHT

  With a study reviewing the cost of the Long Island Power
  Authority's off-shore wind project due within days, experts are
  predicting its conclusions will leave the utility with little
  choice but to postpone or scuttle the project.
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VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S TO CLOSE TURBINES PLANT IN AUSTRALIA

  Danish wind turbines maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S announced in
  connection with its interim report on Tuesday (21 August) that it
  will  close its turbine plant in Portland, Australia.
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RES UK & IRELAND GETS GO-AHEAD FOR NORTHERN IRELAND WIND FARM

  RES UK & Ireland has received full planning permission to build a
  10-turbine wind farm at Gruig, near Loughguile, County Antrim. It
  is estimated that the new wind turbines will generate electricity
  equivalent to the needs of 14,000 homes, every year.
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HORIZON WIND ENERGY AND SARGENT & LUNDY SIGN ENGINEERING CONTRACT
FOR SUBSTATION AT PIONEER PRAIRIE WIND FARM PHASE 1

  Horizon Wind Energy has selected Sargent & Lundy LLC to design the
  345/34.5 kV substation for the first phase of the Pioneer Prairie
  Wind Farm project in northeastern Iowa.  The Pioneer Prairie Wind
  Farm is planned for an ultimate output of 300 MW.
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AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES RISES

  So called green electricity's share of the total electricity
  production in the Czech Republic reaches about 4.5%.
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ALLEGHENY WIND FARM PRAISED BY NEIGHBORS

  Joan Ciokota had concerns about noise when a wind-turbine farm was
  proposed two years ago near her Portage Township home.
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XCEL ENERGY SEEKS TO OWN 100-MEGAWATT WIND FARM

  Xcel Energy today asked Minnesota regulators for permission to
  build and own a 100-megawatt wind farm near Austin, Minn. The
  proposed  Grand Meadow Wind Farm, located in Mower County, would
  be the first  wind farm in Minnesota owned by Xcel Energy and
  would be operational  by the end of 2008.
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SOUTHERN COMPANY, GEORGIA TECH WIND POWER STUDY FINDS POTENTIALLY
FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR OFFSHORE GENERATION PENDING RESOLUTION OF
ECONOMIC, REGULATORY ISSUES

  Southern Company said today  that a thorough two-year study
  conducted with the Georgia Institute of  Technology has identified
  several conditions potentially favorable for wind  power
  generation off the coast of Georgia, but that high costs and
  regulatory  issues still need to be resolved.
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SCE PROPOSES FINAL LEG OF CALIFORNIA'S LARGEST RENEWABLE
TRANSMISSION PROJECT

  Southern California Edison (SCE) today applied to the California
  Public  Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the U.S. Forest Service
  for  authorization to construct Segments 4-11 of the Tehachapi
  Renewable  Transmission Project, a series of new and upgraded
  high-voltage electric  transmission lines to deliver electricity
  from proposed new wind farms  in the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area
  to SCE customers and the California  transmission grid.
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Alternative Energy Hurt By a Windmill Shortage

While Projects in U.S. Stall, Europe's Utilities Expand Their Reach
By KEITH JOHNSON
July 9, 2007; THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

The race to build new sources of alternative energy from the wind is running into a formidable obstacle: not enough windmills.

In recent years, improved technology has made it possible to build bigger, more efficient windmills. That, combined with surging political support for renewable energy, has driven up demand. Now, makers can't keep up -- mostly because they can't get the parts they need fast enough.

POWER SPIN

€  The Situation: Interest in renewable energy, such as wind power, is surging, but the makers of wind-turbine parts can't keep up with demand.
€  The Background: The U.S. lags other countries in wind-turbine capacity, and government support has been inconsistent.
€  What's Ahead: Foreign players are moving into the U.S. market, with acquisitions and wind-farm projects.

Numerous wind-power projects from Virginia to California have been stalled due to the shortage. But for some renewable-energy companies in Europe, where wind power has been in vogue for almost two decades, the logjam is a lucrative opportunity. These firms anticipated a shortage of turbines and locked in orders with makers. They're now using their considerable buying power to gobble up smaller utilities in the U.S. that couldn't otherwise get their hands on turbines.
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