January 22, 2008

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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20 STATES ENCOURAGE WIND ENERGY

  Responding to issues ranging from energy security to global
  warming, more than 20 States, including California, New York and
  Texas, have now passed Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (RPS)
  which require utilities to generate more "green" power -- and
  according to experts, the wind energy industry is the major
  beneficiary
**********

DENMARK'S VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S SECURES WIND TURBINE ORDER IN THE US

  Danish wind turbines manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems A/S said on
  Wednesday (2 January) that it has secured a contract for 33 wind
  turbines from RES Americas Inc, a US subsidiary of the British
  company  Renewable Energy Systems Ltd. - (COMTEX)
**********

WIND FARM PAYS OUT $8.1 MILLION IN TAX DEAL

  Local taxing jurisdictions will split nearly $8.1 million in
  payment-in-lieu-of-taxes revenue from the Maple Ridge Wind Farm,
  although reduced tax rates kept that figure well below previous
  estimates. - (Knight-Ridder)
**********

BABCOCK & BROWN AND BP ANNOUNCE FULL COMMERCIAL OPERATION OF ONE OF
THE LARGEST WIND FARMS IN THE U.S.

  Babcock & Brown and BP Alternative Energy today announced full
  commercial operation of the Cedar Creek wind farm in Weld County,
  Colorado. The 300.5 megawatt (MW) wind-power facility has been
  delivered on time, on budget and without a single lost time
  incident during its construction.
**********

IDAHO POWER WANTS TO INVEST IN WIND POWER: YOUR RATES COULD GO UP
INITIALLY, THE COMPANY SAYS ABOUT A PLAN THAT WOULD INVEST MONEY
FROM SELLING SULFUR DIOXIDE EMISSION ALLOWANCES

  Idaho Power Co. wants state regulators to let the company invest
  in wind power and sustainable energy instead of using a pollution
  credit to reduce rates for its customers.
**********

UPC WIND'S STETSON WIND PROJECT APPROVED BY THE MAINE LAND USE
REGULATION COMMISSION

  UPC Wind, a leading North American wind power company, today
  announced  that it has received final approval from the Maine Land
  Use Regulation  Commission (LURC) on its 57 megawatt (MW) Stetson
  Wind Project in  Washington County, Maine.
**********

WIND-TURBINE PAPERWORK BEWILDERS PERMIT APPLICANTS

  Ron Smolowitz knows paperwork. Smolowitz needs more than 90
  permits and licenses to operate his 20-acre farm in East Falmouth.
  But even for Smolowitz, the application for grant money from the
  U.S. Department of Agriculture to purchase and install a
  10-kilowatt wind turbine seemed over the top
**********

DWP WANTS WIND POWER FOR LA

  The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will increase its
  renewable energy resources 3 percent by 2009 under two wind power
  agreements approved today by the City Council.
**********

STUDY: COASTAL WIND TURBINES COULD BE CATASTROPHIC TO BIRDS

  Wind turbines on the southern Texas Gulf Coast, and in Kenedy
  County in particular, could have a "catastrophic" impact on
  migrating and local birds, according to a new environmental review
  commissioned by the Coastal Habitat Alliance.
**********

STETSON MOUNTAIN: WIND FARM CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN

  A Massachusetts energy company has received the green light to
  begin construction of a 38-turbine wind farm in northern
  Washington County.
**********

KANSAS: GROUP TO PROMOTE WIND POWER

  Gov. Kathleen Sebelius formed a group Monday to promote  wind
  power, but two key legislators were skeptical it would make a
  valuable  contribution to energy policy
**********

HIGH WINDS IN AREA WREAK HAVOC ON ELECTRICAL LINES

  High winds blew through the Magic Valley Friday, forecasting an
  approaching storm and causing havoc to the area's electrical
  lines.
**********

A CAMPUS RUN ON WIND POWER?

  Northland Community and Technical College's East Grand Forks
  campus may someday be running on wind power, school officials said
  Friday.
**********

WIND ENERGY CENTER REQUIRES TRANSMISSION LINE

  The $250 million Langdon Wind Energy Center near here could not
  begin to deliver wind energy throughout eastern North Dakota and
  northwestern Minnesota without a new $10 million transmission
  line. -
**********

BABCOCK & BROWN ACQUIRES SEVEN U.S. WIND FARMS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

  International investment and specialized fund and asset management
  group Babcock & Brown, a leading wind energy developer and
  operator, today announced it has acquired seven Midwestern wind
  energy projects, under various stages of development, from Gamesa
  Energy USA, LLC ("Gamesa") and Navitas Energy, Inc. ("Navitas"), a
  subsidiary of Gamesa.
**********

MAINE'S LAND USE REGULATION COMMISSION RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF
TRANSCANADA'S KIBBY WIND POWER PROJECT

  TransCanada Corporation (TSX: TRP) (NYSE: TRP) (TransCanada) today
  announced that Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) voted
  unanimously to direct their staff to prepare a decision document
  approving the zoning change and preliminary development plan
  sought by TransCanada for the 132 megawatt (MW) Kibby Wind Power
  Project in Kibby and Skinner Townships in northwestern Franklin
  County.
**********

GE, RES PARTNER ON NEW WIND FARM, ADDING CLEAN ENERGY TO TEXAS OIL
DRILLING AREA

  GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is
  investing in a  $350 million, 166-megawatt wind generation project
  to supply Austin with  renewable, clean power from an area
  traditionally better known for oil,  ranching and farming
**********

WIND COMMITTEE AGAINST TURBINES

  The Wind Advisory Committee submitted their official
  recommendation against wind turbine development to the Gaines Town
  Board Thursday along with a list of suggestions to include in a
  local law.
**********

REID SEEKS WIND HELP

  Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Thursday turned up pressure on the Air
  Force to remove some of the obstacles facing wind power developers
  in rural Nevada.
**********

WINERGY POWER PROPOSES WIND FARM OFF JONES BEACH

  Months after the Long Island Power Authority gave the thumbs down
  to a controversial 40-turbine wind farm off Jones Beach, a
  Hauppauge company has begun submitting applications for a project
  near the beach that will be four times larger and farther out at
  sea. -
**********

 PSC GRANTS CERTIFICATE FOR SHELDON ENERGY WIND PROJECT

  The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today
  decided to authorize the construction and operation of a wind
  energy project capable of generating 112.5 megawatts (MW) of
  electricity in the Town of Sheldon, Wyoming County, that will
  connect with an existing New York State Electric & Gas Corporation
  transmission line
**********

LET WIND BLOW FOR PUBLIC GOOD, NOT PROFIT: ELECTRICITY COALITION

  Ontario's plan for offshore wind power generation has one major
  flaw, says the Ontario Electricity Coalition. Under current
  legislation, the wind that blows for free will be churned into
  private profit instead of at-cost electricity for the general
  public. -
**********

FPL AMENDS APPLICATIONS FOR ST. LUCIE WIND TURBINES

  Florida Power & Light Company has amended applications it filed in
   St. Lucie County to rezone properties proposed for wind turbine
  locations. The amended plans will remove four turbine sites
  previously  under consideration at John Brooks and Frederick
  Douglass Parks and  propose placing six wind turbines on property
  FPL currently owns at  the St. Lucie nuclear power plant. -
**********

NATIONAL GRID AGREES TO BUY RENEWABLE ENERGY

  National Grid PLC has dropped its objection to signing long-term
  contracts with suppliers of renewable energy, a decision that
  advocates of wind farms say could unleash a flood of proposals in
  the state.
**********

CUBA TO BUILD NEW WIND FARM IN 2008

  Cuba will start construction this year of a  new wind farm, the
  fourth of its kind on the island, which is  expected to start
  contributing energy to the nation's  power-distribution system in
  2009, the official daily Juventud  Rebelde reported
**********

VESTAS WINS ORDER FOR 232 OF ITS 850 KW WIND TURBINES FROM CHINA

  Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems A/S said it  has received an order
  from China's Guangdong Nuclear Wind Power Co Ltd, to  supply 232
  of its V52 850 KW wind turbines.
**********

AIRTRICITY SOLD TO UK GIANT FOR E1BN

  Ireland's biggest wind energy firm, Airtricity, has been bought by
  a major British utility for E1.08bn.
**********

MACQUARIE SIGNS UP FOR WIND FARM

  A new 1000-Megawatt wind farm is being planned for the Broken Hill
  region in Australia.  European group Epuron, a renewable energy
  specialist, will have a half-stake in the venture, partnering
  Macquarie Capital.
**********

INDIA'S SUZLON ENERGY WINS 42.5 MW ORDER FROM SPANISH COMPANY

  Suzlon Energy Ltd, India's largest wind-turbine  maker, said its
  Europe and Latin America unit, Suzlon Wind Energy A/S, has won  an
  order for 42.5 megawatts of wind turbine capacity from an unnamed
  Spanish  company.
**********

SCOTTISH & SOUTHERN SAYS GRANTED CONSENT FOR 45 MLN STG WINDFARM

  Scottish & Southern Energy PLC (SSE) said it  has been granted
  planning permission by the highland council to develop a 45 mln
  stg, 40 MW wind farm at Fairburn in Ross-shire.
**********

DENMARK'S VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S WINS WIND TURBINES ORDER IN POLAND

  Danish wind turbines manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems A/S said on
  Tuesday (15 January) that its Polish subsidiary Vestas Poland
  Spzoo has  received an order for 16 wind turbines from the German
  developer Vortex  Energy Group.
**********