National Wind Watch, Inc.

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England
12 Nov 2008

New guidelines for East Riding green energy
A predicted increase in the number of renewable energy developments in the East Riding has prompted the local authority to draft new guidelines. East Riding Council is seeking views on the draft document, setting out the criteria applicants will have to meet, during a six-week consultation. Among the issues developers will need to consider are landscaping, areas sensitive to biodiversity, radar systems, effects on heritage, the cumulative effect and the proximity to residential areas. Each of these factors ...

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Letters, U.K.
12 Nov 2008

Offshore turbines harm sea life
As this government, driven by the European Union and its targets on renewable energy, seeks to throw huge amounts of taxpayers’ money at offshore windfarms, we have to ask at what cost to the marine environment and its inhabitants. At present, construction is going ahead on offshore windfarms in the Humber and Wash areas. Pile-driving is going ahead for the turbine bases, but the constant thump is having an adverse effect on the marine environment, driving fish stocks ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Massachusetts
14 Nov 2008

'Deep-water' wind technology unveiled
BOURNE — Blue H USA this week gave Cape Codders their first serious taste of a proposed deep-water wind farm project. Raymond A. Dackerman, general manager for the US branch of the Netherlands-based company, spoke before about two dozen people Wednesday morning (November 12) at a special forum sponsored by the Hyannis Chamber of Commerce. His presentation gave the audience a general overview of the company’s cornerstone product, the “floating” wind turbine. The so-called floating turbine is, in fact, a ...

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England
14 Nov 2008

Villagers' dismay at latest windfarm plan
Residents ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal
17 Nov 2008

B&B sells wind farm assets for $2.2b
Babcock & Brown Ltd (B&B) has sold wind farm assets held by B&B Wind Partners in Portugal for $2.23 billion and will use some of the proceeds to pay down debt. The assets were sold to a consortium of investors led by Magnum Capital. B&B said it would earn $285.82 million in net proceeds ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Illinois
18 Nov 2008

Council approves Enterprise Zone's expansion
The Princeton City Council has approved an ordinance to expand the Bureau/Putnam Area Enterprise Zone to include the proposed Walnut Ridge wind farm in northwest Bureau County. The city council took its action at Monday night’s meeting in city hall. City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said having a local enterprise zone benefits the entire region by bringing additional businesses to the area. The eight governmental bodies within the local enterprise zone have worked well together for the good of the entire ...

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Pennsylvania
19 Nov 2008

Windmills not so quixotic in Moore; Township prepares law to have control over construction of energy-saving windmills
MOORE TWP. — Township officials are looking into a zoning ordinance that will control the spread of electric-generating windmills. Actually, they’re looking up. “Right now we have height restrictions on buildings and church steeples, but there’s no mention of windmills in our ordinance,” zoning officer Jason Harhart said Tuesday. Theoretically, someone can come into the municipal building and request a permit to construct a 400-foot-tall windmill — about equal to a 40-story building. Windmills that high exist in Pennsylvania, ...

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Ontario
19 Nov 2008

Wind turbines threaten war hero's airstrip
LAKESHORE — A $30-million wind turbine project is on a collision course with Spitfire fighter pilot Jerry Billing — one of Canada’s most famous wartime aviators and post-war test pilot. Despite Billing’s fame as a much-decorated pilot and honorary citizen of France, Lakeshore planners and Toronto-based wind farm developer Gengrowth never knew about his private airstrip, which has been been there for 40 years. Lakeshore is poised to approve a rezoning for Gengrowth’s Naylor Sideroad wind farm on Monday ...

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Texas
19 Nov 2008

Wind project in Martin County on hold
The volatile economy and a need for electrical transmission lines knocked the wind out of a multi-million dollar wind energy project in Martin County, at least in the short term. “We’re looking at three or four years,” Martin County Treasurer, Butch Howard, said. “All the paperwork has already been done.” Howard says the Lenorah project, will add at least one hundred more wind turbines to Martin County, but was originally contracted to add double that number and start construction in ...

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Opinions, Oregon
19 Nov 2008

Wind power: the "green" myth
Wind power has become increasingly publicized in Oregon as the “green” solution to the state’s increasing energy demand. Currently, the Energy Facility Siting Council (under the Oregon Department of Energy) reports generating 889 megawatts (MW) of electricity with the power of wind. The council has recently approved the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm, which will add 909 MW, more than doubling the current capacity. Shepherds Flat is considered the largest single wind farm in the world and will cost over $600 ...

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New Hampshire
19 Nov 2008

Is the answer blowing in the wind?
Communities around the state — including Laconia, Gilford and Plymouth — are talking about wind power energy systems and whether local zoning laws should be changed to accommodate them. Earlier this year, Gov. John Lynch signed into law House Bill 310, which sets maximum restrictions on what a community can do when someone proposes to erect a wind tower to generate electricity. The communities have until July 11, 2009, to enact their own responses to the state law or to ...

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Prince Edward Island
19 Nov 2008

Tories ask if economy will hurt Ghiz wind power plan
CHARLOTTETOWN — Will the global economic crisis spell the end of the P. E. I. government’s plan to develop 500 megawatts of wind power over the next five years? Premier Robert Ghiz announced a 10-point wind energy plan in mid-October. The Liberal administration is looking to the private sector to develop the wind power at a cost of $1 billion. A government-issued background document suggests a request for proposals will be sent out this month with a closing date in January. The ...

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Prince Edward Island
19 Nov 2008

Medical Society seeks delay in wind farm for health investigation
SUMMERSIDE — Opponents of a proposed four-turbine wind farm in North St. Eleanors have received the support of the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island to delay the project pending a health investigation. In a letter to the city’s mayor and council, long-time Summerside physician Paul Kelly made formal application to city officials that they delay the project calling for four wind turbines on the former landfill site in St. Eleanors. “Residents of the community have expressed their concerns regarding ...

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England
19 Nov 2008

Firm still committed to wind energy
The company behind a number of planned wind farms off the east coast insists it is still committed to renewable energy despite a decision to review costs. Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, will apply for planning permission for its Docking Shoal and Race Bank farms off the coast of Wells next month and already has permission for other sites close to Skegness. But last week it said rising construction bills and the credit crunch meant it would “revisit ...

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Pennsylvania
19 Nov 2008

Wind project gets townships' OK
EATON TWP — Supervisors on Thursday granted a conditional use permit for BP Alternative Energy to build up to 17 turbines in the township. The turbines would be part of a larger facility that could have as many as 87 turbines within the boundaries of Eaton, Mehoopany, Noxen and Forkston townships. BP’s facility will comprise about 14,000 acres and have a 150-megawatt capacity. Supervisors Ken White and Miles Robinson approved the plans on Thursday. Supervisor Randy Ehrenzeller said he abstained ...

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Arizona
19 Nov 2008

Renewable-energy challenge rejected
Another Arizona appellate court has rejected a legal challenge to state Corporation Commission rules requiring electric utilities to obtain a set percentage of their power ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Scotland
19 Nov 2008

Largs wind farm plan 'outrageous'
Plans to erect 29 wind turbines at Waterhead Moor, situated to the east of Largs and the Brisbane Glen, have been slated by Tory Westminster candidate Philip Lardner. The plans (as reported in the News last week), are for 29 towering turbines each of an “absolute maximum of 112 metres” which Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) claim will barely be seen ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Iowa
21 Nov 2008

Clinton mayor: Eagle Point Park will not house wind farm
Clinton’s mayor is responding to reports that indicate Eagle Point Park could be the site of a proposed wind farm, stating that it will not happen. “Recent news media reports indicated that Clinton County may become a new site for a wind farm and the TV footage showed pictures of Eagle Point Park during this TV segment,” Holm stated in a press release issued Thursday. But Holm said he wants to assure residents that Eagle Point Park and other ...

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North Dakota
21 Nov 2008

Work begins on commercial wind farm zoning
The Stutsman County Zoning Board hopes to draft an ordinance for commercial wind energy facilities and forward it on to the County Commission for consideration and possible implementation by the spring, said Fritz Fremgen, Stutsman County state’s attorney. “If we shoot for Feb. 1 for the draft of the ordinance,” he said “It then takes about two months to implement.” The Zoning Board met Wednesday to begin preliminary consideration of the ordinance. The discussion was prompted by interest shown by ...

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Maine
21 Nov 2008

Woodstock discusses wind farm
WOODSTOCK — Thirty people attended a special informational selectmen’s meeting Wednesday regarding a proposed Spruce Mountain wind farm. Todd Presson and Trevor Childs ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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New York
22 Nov 2008

Fair Haven may limit furnaces, windmills
The village of Fair Haven is weighing possible restrictions on wind energy and outdoor furnaces. “We had several comments ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Wales
24 Nov 2008

Covering Wales in wind turbines
If the whole of Wales was covered with wind turbines, the nation would generate only a sixth of the UK’s energy needs, a leading academic has calculated. The claim comes as the Environment Agency is about to announce plans to build up to 80 turbines on its own land and the speculation that a new nuclear power station will be built in Wales intensifies. Professor David MacKay, a physicist at Cambridge University, said ministers would have to look at other ...

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U.K.
24 Nov 2008

More than 195,000 wind turbines to appear outside homes by 2020
More than 195,000 wind turbines will spring up outside homes across Britain over the next 12 years, according to energy advisers, after the Government pledged to pay people for generating their own electricity. A “feed-in tariff” will be introduced to ensure any household generating power through renewable power sources like wind, solar or biomass will be paid for the energy they produce, as part of measures to tackle climate change. The Energy Saving Trust, the independent body in ...

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Letters, Nevada
24 Nov 2008

Transmission lines bring destruction
Virginia Peak Wind Co. is trying to get a foothold in Washoe County by seeking approval for the county’s, and Nevada’s, first wind farm. A lot has been said about the monstrous, 446-foot tall turbines which are planned to be strung out, single file, along the ridge line of the Pah Rah Mountains. The promoter touts the greenness of the project and declares wind power as the answer to the nation’s, if not the world’s, economic and energy woes. However, ...

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England
24 Nov 2008

Crunch time for controversial windfarm plan
A plan for wind turbines which would be visible ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Manitoba
25 Nov 2008

Manitoba OKs deal for biggest wind farm
An agreement was struck Monday for the construction of Canada’s largest wind farm to be built in southern Manitoba, provincial officials said. The $800 million project will use 130 wind-driven turbines to generate 300 megawatts of power outside the rural southern town of St. Joseph (OTCBB:STJO), the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. The project developed by Babcock & Brown Canada ULC cleared its biggest hurdle when Premier Gary Doer and Manitoba Hydro chief executive Bob Brennan, signed the agreement. The deal still ...

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Illinois
25 Nov 2008

Poplar Grove split over wind turbines
POPLAR GROVE — Village officials heard mixed opinions ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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New York
26 Nov 2008

Freedom-Farmersville wind farm “on hold”
According to local officials involved in the project, a proposed Freedom- Farmersville wind park is on long-term hold. Noble Environmental approached the two towns approximately two years ago with its idea for a joint wind project that would be located on the border of the two Cattaraugus County townships. During a recent Farmersville town board meeting, Supervisor Joe Brodka told the board that the project has an uncertain future due to financial problems caused by the current economic situation. In ...

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Alberta
26 Nov 2008

Bylaw amendments include regulations for wind farms
After numerous consultations with other municipalities who already have bylaws specific for wind farms in place, Wheatland County’s planning department was able to present a set of bylaws of their own. “These are just clean standards for the county, developers and any landowners regarding wind farm development,” said David Yee with Wheatland County. The counties of Pincher Creek, Taber, Paintearth and a few in Ontario all have wind farms and their bylaws and regulations were looked at and used as ...

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Maine
26 Nov 2008

Amid reviews, First Wind opens office
LINCOLN, Maine — Anyone who wants to see First Wind of Massachusetts’ plan to build a $130 million 40-turbine wind farm, or question company officials about it, just needs to go to the courthouse on Main Street, company officials said Monday. First Wind has opened an office in the basement of 52 Main St. to act as its local headquarters for its Stetson Mountain wind farm and its proposed Rollins Mountain project for Burlington, Lee, Lincoln and Winn, said Ryan ...

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Connecticut
26 Nov 2008

Optiwind seeks second chance on wind turbine
GOSHEN — An area company submitted a second request to the Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night, in hopes of gaining a permit to build a wind turbine within the town. Last month the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously rejected Torrington-based Optiwind’s request for a permit to build a prototype wind turbine on property owned by the Woodridge Lake Sewer District. The unanimous vote came after commissioners aired concerns about the lack of data on the turbine’s possible effects on ...

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England
26 Nov 2008

Dozens comment on wind farm plan
Dozens of public comments have already been lodged over a controversial plan for 19 wind turbines at Marshland St James. West Norfolk Council’s development control board is due to discuss the Marshland Wind Farm plan in January. It will them be offering its view about the proposals to the Government, which will decide if it can go ahead. Members of the public are lodging their views with the council in their droves. A council spokesman said: “It is important to ...

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Indiana
26 Nov 2008

Wind farms under consideration
Two companies are looking into developing wind farms in southwestern Grant County, and county officials are preparing for a possible increase in windmills through a new ordinance. Wind energy was discussed at Tuesday’s Grant County commissioners meeting. Ken Ellis, area plan director, said there will be a public hearing at 7 p.m. Monday to discuss a new county ordinance with guidelines for people and companies that want to build wind towers. Company representatives ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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West Virginia
27 Nov 2008

State PSC approves Laurel Mountain wind farm project
The Laurel Mountain ridgeline in Barbour and Randolph Counties will soon be changing. The West Virginia Public Service Commission has approved construction of a $250 million wind turbine electric generating facility. The project calls for up to sixty-five wind turbines along an eight-mile stretch. AES, the company behind the project, will have to do a few things before it can start construction. It will have to establish a decommissioning fund and obtain some other permits and certifications. The project is ...

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Letters, Ontario
27 Nov 2008

For the birds
It is time for Ontario to work with citizens and environmental specialists to establish guidelines for the careful development of wind energy (Who Could Object To Wind Power? — Nov. 25). There are some places where wind turbines simply don’t belong. Take, for example, my backyard. It backs onto an internationally recognized owl wood, on Amherst Island in eastern Lake Ontario. Amherst Island is being considered for an industrial-scale wind-turbine development. There is a proposal for 86 or more turbines ...

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Editorials, Ontario
27 Nov 2008

Expect more blow ups on wind farms
We have seen the future and it’s in Scarborough. The future of green energy, that is, which is going to be a series of vicious street fights across Toronto, the province and the country about where to build new sources of renewable power. Thus, what should have been a routine information session informing local residents of Toronto Hydro’s plan simply TO TEST whether a location in Lake Ontario, two kilometres off the Scarborough Bluffs, would be a good site for ...

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California, Letters
27 Nov 2008

Are windmills, solar the answer?
Alternative energy? Yes — but the current form is to the detriment of the desert. I have seen windmills go up, yet the price of my a/c does not go down. Now solar panels are suggested, yet how advanced and reliable is this technology? We need to think before we mar the beauty of the desert and destroy its animals’ habitats and our own. For what? Is it really “green,” or is it to benefit energy companies and greedy ...

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Wales
27 Nov 2008

Fears over hike in pylon numbers
Campaigners are warning of a big jump in the number of electricity pylons covering mid Wales to cope with energy generated ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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England
02 Nov 2008

'Meet us' plea on wind farm
An energy firm which wants to build a wind farm on land between Gilmorton and Dunton Bassett has been criticised for avoiding questions about the proposals. Broadview Energy hosted a public consultation at Gilmorton Village Hall earlier this month but residents say simple queries went unanswered. Tony Leatham, ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Minnesota
04 Nov 2008

Wind turbine proposal generates plenty of heat in Medina
Medina is weighing the pros and cons of adding a 40-story wind tower to its rural landscape. Nothing like it has ever been built in Medina: a wind turbine 40 stories high that would tower over the rural landscape and help Hennepin County, which pays $7 million a year for electricity, cut its energy costs. But so far, the county’s first foray into alternative energy is generating more controversy than wind power. As Medina Mayor Tom Crosby put it: “How ...

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Sweden
04 Nov 2008

'Vindkraft katastrof för renägare'
Nu är det klart. Norska vindkraftsbolaget Fred Olsen Renewables får med ensamrätt under två år undersöka förutsättningarna för en vindkraftspark på Stekenjokk. Tomas Nejne, ordförande i Vilhelmina södra sameby, är upprörd. - Vi har hoppats in i det sista att våra intressen skulle komma i första rummet. För oss renägare blir en exploatering av Stekenjokk detsamma som en katastrof och vi kommer därför att motarbeta alla försök till dess vi går i konkurs, säger han. Avtalsinnehållet har stötts och blötts ...

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California
04 Nov 2008

Federal rules may be in play for Powerlink; 2005 law offers path if California regulators reject Sunrise proposal
If state regulators follow through with an administrative law judge’s recommendation to reject the Sunrise Powerlink, San Diego Gas & Electric Co. still has other options to get the transmission line it seeks. The California Public Utilities Commission decision may be appealed to the courts, or SDG&E could ask the federal government to override state regulators and authorize the big line. A 2005 law allows utilities and other power-line builders to go to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission if they ...

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England
04 Nov 2008

Purbeck wind farm protest gathers momentum
A pressure group demonstrated against a proposed wind turbine in Purbeck and then made off with the developer’s information leaflets. The public rally by the Dorset Against Rural Turbines (Dart) group and the county branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) opposed plans for Alaska Wind Farm in Master’s Pit, East Stoke. A dozen people gathered with placards and shouted ‘wind turbines make bats lungs explode’, ‘no giant wind turbines here’ outside the Springfield Country Hotel near Wareham. ...

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England
04 Nov 2008

BT unveils plan for wind farm
Telecommunications company BT is planning to build a wind farm in the North-East, as part of a £250m national project. If planning approval is granted, the company will site nine turbines on land between Elwick and Dalton Piercy, near Hartlepool. The plan, announced last year, is to install more than 100 turbines across the country, with the aim of generating a quarter of the company’s energy needs by 2016. Andy Riley, head of partnership development for the BT Wind of ...

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Minnesota
04 Nov 2008

Geronimo interested in Goodhue County wind
Yet another company has expressed interest in harvesting Goodhue County winds for renewable energy. Officials ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Germany
05 Nov 2008

Berlin urged to speed up energy projects
Germany’s energy regulator is urging politicians to speed up the approval of infrastructure projects to ensure that the country can avoid a looming threat of power shortages. In an interview with the Financial Times, Matthias Kurth, president of the Bundesnetzagentur, said Germany must do “everything possible to get these things delivered in time” and ensure it was no longer “possible that it takes 10 years to roll out a grid”. Germany urgently needs new energy transmission grids because of a ...

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Scotland
05 Nov 2008

Television fears over wind-farm development
A claim that people in Castletown could have a problem with their television reception if a wind farm is given the go-ahead at nearby Durran has been disputed by Scottish and Southern Energy – the company behind the project. Speaking at Thursday night’s meeting of the Castletown and District Community Council, chairman Douglas Fraser argued that the plan to erect 13 turbines at Durran Mains could affect television pictures in the village. “We are in a low-lying area and this ...

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Canada, Nova Scotia
05 Nov 2008

Wind farm hits turbulence; Developer of Colchester County site seeks creditor protection
The future of a $90-million wind energy project in Colchester County is in doubt after its struggling Calgary developer sought creditor protection in Alberta on Tuesday. EarthFirst Canada Inc.’s initial attempts to find a buyer for the wind company have failed and it sought protection to give it more time to attract a suitor, EarthFirst president Linda Chambers said in a telephone interview ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Letters, Maryland
06 Nov 2008

Don’t race to deface mountains
This is a letter of concern requesting commissioners in both counties to enact a moratorium on wind turbines until more environmental, safety, and wildlife studies can be concluded. There are many issues regarding turbines that have not been adequately addressed (such as, include setback restrictions, height restrictions, community impact in regard to health and safety, eminent domain and basic protections for the community members who will reside close to the wind machines). There are legitimate noise and health issues caused ...

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Maine
06 Nov 2008

Tests begin on Lake Auburn wind
AUBURN — A wind gauge measuring breezes coming off Lake Auburn went up Wednesday. “We’re trying to see if this will be a good place for a wind turbine,” said John Storer, assistant water district superintendent. “I’m hoping it is, but we’ve been out here all morning and haven’t had so much as a breeze.” The gauge, called an anemometer, will test the wind along Lake Auburn’s western shore to see if it can be used to generate electricity. It ...

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England, Letters
06 Nov 2008

Applauding council for fight against Fullabrook
With reference to the article of October 2, I note with interest that since 2002 we have been a Biosphere Reserve, the environmental equivalent of a World Heritage Site. The article speaks of ‘a new drive to promote the region’s unique environmental attributes’. Also covered in the same issue is the fact that the North Devon Council spent almost £150,000 fighting the Fullabrook wind turbines (please stop calling it a wind farm; it’s not a farm in any sense), and ...

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Massachusetts
06 Nov 2008

City takes steps to promote wind power; Millenium Park plan, however, may have hit a snag
On Nov. 5, the City of Boston was set to adopt new zoning regulations that will accommodate wind energy facilities into the Boston Zoning Code. Jim Hunt, who serves on Mayor Thomas Menino’s cabinet as Chief of Environmental and Energy Services, hopes the new code will give guidelines to new wind projects the City of Boston proposes or envisions to propose. Hunt also said there are a number of private sector projects in the pipeline that will benefit ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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England
06 Nov 2008

Lamb's beef over wind farm
Former cricketer Allan Lamb has joined hundreds of people protesting against plans to site wind turbines near Brixworth. The former Northamptonshire and England batsman, who lives in Scaldwell, said he is totally against plans to build turbines at the Mercedes Benz plant in Brixworth as well as on land north of the village, near to Hanging Houghton. “Lamby” and his wife Lindsay joined dozens of fellow protestors at a meeting held in Brixworth Community Centre on Tuesday last week. He ...

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Minnesota
07 Nov 2008

Questions delay Winona County wind turbine plan
Winona County’s proposal to build a commercial wind turbine is on hold at least another week after commissioners on Tuesday postponed a vote on a revamped version of the project. The county has worked on the project for three years. The county’s Economic Development Authority board recently endorsed partnering with private investors to build two wind turbines in Mount Vernon Township at a cost of $3.6 million. The county board tabled the proposal after commissioner Marcia Ward questioned the project, ...

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Ontario
07 Nov 2008

Turbine opponents trying to fight back
Dave Colling regrets having leased some of his farm near Ripley to a wind energy developer. Colling is part of a group of neighbours who signed a three-year lease in return for a fixed amount of money a year, plus a percentage of the profits once the project is underway. “If I knew then what I know now I never would have signed up,” said Colling, whose farm will have wind turbines as part of the second stage of development ...

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Minnesota
07 Nov 2008

Residents tilt at windmill, but Medina Council approves it
Despite opposition ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Ontario
08 Nov 2008

Residents ready to oppose wind test towers
Bert Vanderdonk knows where he’ll be this coming Wednesday night (Nov. 12). And he’s pretty sure he can count on his neighbours, too. The Fennels Corners resident who operates B&A Auctions with his wife, Ann, will be at a public information session at the Innisfil Town Hall at 7:15 p.m. to hear a proposal for two wind testing towers. The proposal is ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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Scotland
10 Nov 2008

Beef Tub wind farm under scrutiny
Scottish Borders Council has been recommended to object to plans for a 36-turbine wind farm near the scenic Devil’s Beef Tub. The final decision on the proposal lies with the Scottish Government due to the scale of the development. However, local councillors have been asked for their views on Wind Energy Ltd’s Earlshaugh project. Dumfries and Galloway Council has already expressed “grave concern” about the visual impact of the plans. The wind farm site is located in the Scottish Borders but ...

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Netherlands
10 Nov 2008

Energy island to supply green power when wind drops
A man-made island housing a hydroelectric plant and generating enough electricity to supply two million Dutch homes is planned for the North Sea by 2020. It would act as back-up to wind farms by ensuring that electricity is still generated when the wind drops and would provide extra peak-time capacity. If successful, similar islands could be be built to supply other countries, especially those such as Britain that will increasingly come to depend on wind energy. The proposed site, called ...

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South Dakota
10 Nov 2008

A push for wind power; Buffalo Ridge II backers stake claim in state's energy future
A 306-megawatt wind farm proposed for 77 acres in Brookings and Deuel counties would nearly triple the state’s total production of wind energy — adding enough capacity to power 148,000 Midwestern homes. Oregon-based Iberdrola Renewables Inc. wants to build Buffalo Ridge II close to its two existing farms near White. Buffalo Ridge II would join the 54-megawatt Minn-Dakota farm that came online in April and the 55-megawatt Buffalo Ridge I, which should be completed in early 2009. “It’s a $700 million project, ...

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Letters, Wales
10 Nov 2008

We will fight Gamesa
I can tell Gamesa (the Spanish owned company) that we will not accept their proposal to build a wind farm consisting of 23 turbines each 387ft high in the upper Afan valley. The exhibition held in Glyncorrwg on September 26 was a disaster and could not have been called a proper consultation by any public relations firm worth their salt. It was held in a caravan in a car park ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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England
11 Nov 2008

Officials support Alveston wind turbines
Three giant wind turbines could be built on green belt farmland in South Gloucestershire after planning officials recommended they should be approved. A report into the scheme for the 100-metre (328ft) turbines off Old Gloucester Road, Earthcott Green, near Alveston, will be considered by councillors this week. Members of the development control committee will decide if the wind farm, which has sparked a 370-signature petition against it, should go ahead. It is the second attempt to develop a wind farm in the area. ...

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Australia
11 Nov 2008

Ramsey investigates wind farm lighting
Federal Member for Grey Rowan Ramsey says a review into wind farm lighting will give constituents the opportunity to put forward ideas and concerns regarding the issue. “Constituent concerns about aspects of wind farm lighting, particularly the intrusion flashing lights have on those living in the direct vicinity, is having a genuine impact on people,” he said. “Research and discussion have brought to light ways this may be improved to have a less intrusive effect on people living nearby. “This is ...

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Ontario
11 Nov 2008

Wind farm likely to get OK
ESSEX — The last significant planning barrier to Canada’s biggest wind energy project is expected to be removed in little more than a week. Brookfield Renewable Power hopes its $600-million commercial wind farm in Lakeshore and Kingsville will get underway early next year. County council expects to pass final changes to its alternative energy zoning regulations at its next meeting. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs is promising approval the day after. Zoning amendments in Lakeshore and Kingsville permitting the ...

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Scotland
11 Nov 2008

Viking job claims criticised
Shetland wind farm developers Viking Energy are in Edinburgh lobbying backbench MSPs about their ambitious plans, which the company said yesterday (Monday) would create hundreds of jobs in the isles. However critics have accused the company of creating a smokescreen to divert attention ...

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National Wind Watch, Inc.

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England
11 Nov 2008

Villagers move to halt Eden's plan for turbine
Angry villagers have demanded the Eden Project withdraws its plans to build a 127-metre-high wind turbine on the site of the tourist destination. The Eden Neighbours’ Forum says it has received a staggering number of complaints about the plans from people who are genuinely concerned about the impact it will have on their lives. Meg Prater, chair of the forum, said: “It has been decided to ask the Eden management to withdraw the present proposal and to research other methods ...

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Minnesota
12 Nov 2008

Turbine transport vexes some drivers
It’s an increasingly common sight in Central Minnesota: an oversized semitrailer-load of wind turbine parts rumbling down the highway, drawing the attention and sometimes the frustration of other drivers. St. Cloud is on a main route for wind turbine components traveling from the port of Duluth to destinations across the Midwest, where the demand for wind energy is soaring. While the focus on renewable energy may be good for the environment and the local economy, the turbines themselves can ...

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Maine
12 Nov 2008

Jackson cautiously proceeds with potential wind projects
Residents gave town officials the green light Thursday, Nov. 6, at a special meeting, to get more information from companies interested in erecting wind turbines in Jackson. The vote came after extensive discussion and a number of changes to the way the authorization was worded. The special town meeting was prompted by announcements a month earlier that two different companies were interested in putting wind turbines on town-owned land as part of a larger project that would stretch across three ...

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Canada, U.S.
12 Nov 2008

Turbines tricky for crane operators
Growing demand for sustainable energy from wind turbines is presenting potentially dangerous, wind-powered challenges for crane operators involved in turbine construction and repair. “The problem is that you want to put these turbines up in places where the wind blows,” said Ron Kohner, president of Landmark Engineering Services in Roseville Minnesota, who has been involved in lifting projects internationally, including in Canada. Adding to that challenge, he noted at a recent workshop, is that the wind velocity at the top ...

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Wyoming
12 Nov 2008

BLM holds meetings on public lands plan
CODY — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is revising its Big Horn Basin resource management plan, a document that guides many of the policies about how public lands will be administered for the next decade or more. The agency will hold scoping meetings on the issue in three local communities this week, and Park County Commissioner Jill Shockley Siggins said she wants to make sure residents show up to voice their opinions. “They revise this plan about every 20 ...

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California
12 Nov 2008

Bats vs. windmills — are there solutions?
Humboldt State University bat expert Joe Szewczak will give a talk on Friday about windmills’ effects on the nocturnal flying mammals. In light of wind farms proposed in Humboldt County, Szewczak will talk about his work on developing methods to help bats avoid being killed by windmills. Szewczak’s lab has been looking into bat mortality at wind turbines. The lab has worked with Bat Conservation International on how bats might be attracted to the sounds of wind turbines and how ...

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Texas
12 Nov 2008

Pickens putting wind farm project in Texas on hold
Billionaire hedge-fund manager Boone Pickens said Tuesday that he is postponing his plan to build a 4,000-megawatt wind farm in the Texas Panhandle because lower prices for natural gas make it uneconomical. Late last month, Pickens said in several news interviews that the ongoing credit crunch was imperiling the huge project, estimated to cost $10 billion to $12 billion. In those comments he also cited low natural gas prices, which drive electricity prices in Texas’ deregulated markets, as a problem. ...

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Oregon
12 Nov 2008

Zoning ordinance gets first public hearing
After a half-dozen meetings designed to explain the county’s new zoning ordinance, residents now have the chance to tell the Planning Commission what they think of the document. Well, not all of the document. While the Baker County Planning Commission’s first public hearing on the proposed zoning ordinance is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Baker County Extension Building, any testimony on what should be the most controversial chapter in the new ordinance — 340, on transportation standards — ...

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Nebraska, U.S.
12 Nov 2008

Wind-power backers call for federal help
Federal help to build transmission lines will be necessary if Nebraska is to reach its full potential for wind energy. That’s the word from Nebraska’s first wind energy conference, which started Tuesday and continues today in Kearney. The conference, which about 400 people are attending, comes at a time of increased interest in wind energy in the state and nation. Nebraska is ranked as the sixth-windiest state in the nation by the American Wind Energy Association. Iowa ranks 10th in wind potential ...

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England
12 Nov 2008

Wind farm battle plans meeting
A wind farm protest group is hosting a public meeting about plans for 19 turbines in Marshland St James. The meeting is at Tilney St Lawrence Village Hall at 7pm on Friday. Guest speaker will be Mike Barnard, who has led campaigns to defeat wind farm applications elsewhere. By Louise Brain Lynn News 11 November 2008  ...

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New York
12 Nov 2008

Wind farm addresses local rumors; Attorney General investigates
Noble Environmental Power has 257 wind turbines up in northern New York and about half of those have been generating power since early this year. But they recently stopped spinning. Noble said that’s because of work being done at a substation, and once the work is complete, the windparks in Clinton, Ellenburg, Chateauguay and Altona will be running. Noble was also recently investigated by the New York Attorney Generals office. There were concerns about conflicts of interest between town leaders ...

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Poland
11 Nov 2008

Germany's RWE agrees deal for 150-MW Polish wind capacity
German utility RWE has signed a contract with a Polish wind farm project developer to build 150 MW of capacity in three projects, it said late Friday. All three are still in the early phase of development and RWE expects to obtain official approval for them from 2011. The CEO of RWE Polska Filip Thon said: “By 2012, RWE will invest one billion euros ($1.28 billion) in renewable energy projects per annum. I am glad ...

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Northern Ireland
12 Nov 2008

Wind farm plan to offer new horizon
There could be a new scene on Belfast’s horizon if a proposal by a leading renewable energy company gets the go-ahead. A number of turbines on the south western slopes of Belfast’s hills could soon be in view if a proposal by RPS Planning and Environmental Ltd, on behalf of Gaelectric Developments, to install a wind farm there succeeds. The company has outlined a draft proposal to install a set of five or six turbines at Tornagrough on top of ...

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Pennsylvania
12 Nov 2008

Board approves wind-turbine plans
NOXEN — Supervisors on Tuesday approved plans for BP Alternative Energy to build a portion of a wind-turbine facility in the township. The company wants to build up to 87 turbines within the boundaries of Noxen, Eaton, Forkston and Mehoopany townships. Up to 35 of the turbines will be located in Noxen, BP business developer Kevin Davis said. The township has received $87,500 in fees from BP for the project. As part of a “Voluntary Host Agreement” with BP, Noxen ...

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Maine
12 Nov 2008

Wind power petition on tap at Fort Kent meeting
FORT KENT, Maine — Residents will have the opportunity at the next annual town meeting to decide the fate of a citizens petition seeking a 180-day moratorium on the construction or processing of applications for wind power facilities. The annual Fort Kent town meeting is in March. Members of the public were excluded from the Town Council’s deliberation of the proposed moratorium Monday night after the council voted to enter into executive session to discuss the matter with its attorney, ...

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Ontario
12 Nov 2008

Wind farm chases couple from Wolfe Island
When Dawn and Dean Wallace moved to Wolfe Island 17 years ago, they fell in love with the peaceful, slow pace of life in the rural community. It quickly became home and they planned to retire on the island. That has all changed. The couple feels that construction of one of Canada’s largest wind-power projects has forced them out of the community and they’re in the process of moving off the island into a home they’ve bought northwest of Kingston ...

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England
12 Nov 2008

Turbines shock for villagers
Families living in Yelland have expressed their shock at “stumbling upon” plans to build three 130-metre wind turbines in the tiny neighbouring hamlet of Bickleton. Details of the proposal by Stamford Renewables Limited (SRL) only began to emerge this week after a development brief was apparently “leaked” to a number of local people living near the site at Bickleton Farm. Yelland woman Mo Mugridge said she was “horrified” to learn that a local farmer and a developer had already ...

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New York
12 Nov 2008

Increased setbacks recommended for Enfield wind law; County's advice could stop wind farm project near Connecticut Hill
The setbacks in the proposed Enfield wind law are not large enough, according to a letter from the Tompkins County Planning Department to Town Supervisor Frank Podufalski, but following that advice could kill the wind farm proposal for a site near Connecticut Hill. The planning department recommends increased setbacks between property lines and the wind towers from 1.1 times the blade radius to 1.5 times the height of the tower. This would increase the setback from property lines from about ...

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Ontario
12 Nov 2008

Toronto firm eyes Innisfil skies; Want to build tower to measure wind
While Innisfil ponders the fate of one wind-farm proposal, another wind-energy company is looking to set up shop in the town. A public meeting was held recently to discuss Schneider Power’s plans for a five-turbine wind farm near Line 5 and Highway 400. Innisfil town staff are expected to release their report on that proposal in the new year. Now, a Toronto company called Sky- Power Corporation wants to rezone an area near Highway 11 and Line 14 for a ...

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England
12 Nov 2008

Wind farm suffers blow
One in three of the huge turbines at a controversial Lancashire wind farm haven’t worked for almost two weeks — despite perfect blustery conditions. An electrical fault meant engineers were forced to shut down a third of the 26-turbine Scout Moor wind farm between Rawenstall and Rochdale. Peel Energy, which runs the site, says the fault has now been identified and the turbines will be back to full operation by the middle of the month. Development manager Richard Dibley said: ...

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England
12 Nov 2008

Outrage at rural vista of turbines
Another Northumberland community is gearing up to fight a proposed wind farm. People living in the area around West Ancroft, near Berwick, are banding together to oppose plans from E.on Climate and Renewables to put up eight 125m turbines. The company has been carrying out scoping work for a year and says it is still some way off submitting a planning application. Nevertheless, local people have already begun to rally in opposition. Retired couple Ian and Joy Corsie, 65 and 66 ...

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New York
12 Nov 2008

Everpower must detail how wind turbines will affect potential neighborhoods
The Allegany Town Planning Board formally decided Monday night that a proposed wind turbine project will have an environmental impact. The decision furthered the environmental review process which began last month for a proposed project of 32 wind turbines in the Chipmonk Ridge area. New York-based energy company Everpower Renewables submitted an application for a site plan review and land use variance for the project in August. Everpower now has to prepare a draft environmental impact statement, a lengthy document ...

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England
12 Nov 2008

Windfarm application gathers pace
Findings about the impact a windfarm will have if it goes ahead are to go on display. Energy company Enertrag UK have been carrying out environmental surveys throughout the year on a site near Baumber where it wants to put up eight turbines. The findings, which include results from wildlife surveys, archeological digs, noise monitoring and landscape assessments, will be on display at Baumber Village Hall on Tuesday, November 18. Visual guides to how the planned windfarm will look will ...

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Texas
11 Nov 2008

Wind farm death caused by lattice tower, employer said
A falling section of a lattice tower used for wind measurements caused the death of a contract worker on Sunday at a Kenedy County wind farm, his employer said Tuesday. Matthew Peterson, a 25-year-old test technician, died while working at Babcock and Brown Ltd.s Gulf Winds project about half a mile south of the Sarita checkpoint, said Per Wiggo Richardsen, a spokesman for Det Norske Veritas, a Norwegian risk management firm. DNV is the parent company of GEC, the engineering ...

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England
11 Nov 2008

Villagers move to halt Eden’s plan for turbine
Angry villagers have demanded the Eden Project withdraws its plans to build a 127-metre-high wind turbine on the site of the tourist destination. The Eden Neighbours’ Forum says it has received a staggering number of complaints about the plans from people who are genuinely concerned about the impact it will have on their lives. Meg Prater, chair of the forum, said: “It has been decided to ask the Eden management to withdraw the present proposal and to research other methods ...

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England
11 Nov 2008

Structure could topple on to popular Clay Trail
The British Horse Society (BHS) has this week filed its opposition to plans to build a 127-metre wind turbine at the Eden Project, claiming the machine will render bridleways useless for riders. They have concerns over the safety of the plans, claiming that if the turbine toppled over it would land on a nearby Clay Trail which was used frequently by local horse owners. Adrian Bigg, the British Horse Society’s access and bridleways officer for Cornwall, said: “The proximity of the ...

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Poland
11 Nov 2008

Germany’s RWE agrees deal for 150-MW Polish wind capacity
German utility RWE has signed a contract with a Polish wind farm project developer to build 150 MW of capacity in three projects, it said late Friday. All three are still in the early phase of development and RWE expects to obtain official approval for them from 2011. The CEO of RWE Polska Filip Thon said: “By 2012, RWE will invest one billion euros ($1.28 billion) in renewable energy projects per annum. I am glad ...

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