Wind Power News

At the annual AWEA Wind Resource & Project Energy Assessment Workshop in Oklahoma City next week Second Wind, a developer of wind measurement systems, plans to celebrate with customers, colleagues and other wind experts as it takes its 30th birthday celebration on the road. The annual workshop is known to wind insiders as the place to gather for the latest discoveries about wind resource assessment, technology and what's in store for the future.

Wind farms in Oregon are rapidly growing in size. Portland General Electric Company (PGE) just finished the final phase of a 450-MW wind farm in northern Oregon.

Venezuela's commissioner of national electricity announced last week that the country will work with developers to build 1,500 MW of wind farms over the next five years. The wind farms will be the first for the oil-rich nation.

As the vein of black gold enriching the Gulf of Mexico finally, or temporarily, dwindles to a trickle, what passes for public debate on American television descends all too predictably into screeching about 'blame.' Everyone knows all good movies need a villain and despite a few quiet voices not-so-helpfully reminding us that accidents happen and we should remain stoic in the throes of fate, Americans crave the simplicity and uncomplicated drama of the white hat/black hat narrative.

Yesterday the Rick Scott campaign attacked a group of businessmen and farmers who believe that renewable energy is the path to creating new jobs and growing Florida's economy. His response - more nuclear.

China has succeeded the US as the most attractive location in which to invest in renewable energy projects, according to Ernst & Young's latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Indices.

Schools are a black hole for energy consumption. The buildings, which often serve as the hub of communities, are open from early morning to late at night. With air conditioning or heating systems that run continually, it is not unusual for a single building to use hundreds of thousands of gallons of fossil fuel each year. While this energy consumption is a major concern to students, teachers, administrators and the community – who all wish to lessen dependence on fossil fuels – school systems are moving at a glacial pace when it comes to making environmentally conscious decision regarding what technologies should power their facilities.

A group of businessmen, farmers and renewable energy advocates who met today to support Alex Sink for Governor, were abruptly met with an attack from the Rick Scott campaign.

What about a recently laid-off woman who now pushes a reel mower yard to yard to make money? Would lawn lady's be a green job created, a general job lost, or would the two cancel one another for a net job gain of zero?

The evolving discussion over renewable energy technologies has a tendency to get a bit technical. Most of us who work in the renewable energy space take for granted that many potential customers, investors and partners haven't spent any time in academia studying photovaltaics or wind turbines. In fact, they may not have a background in general energy metrics. Terms that once belonged to the realm of industry-insider jargon are quickly becoming standard. Thus, anyone who wants to follow the renewable versus traditional energy debate needs to know what we mean when we say "watt." Here, then, is a brief crash course in energy lingo.

In what they are calling a "clear and easy choice" for the future of the renewable energy industry, the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy (FARE), announced today their endorsement of State CFO Alex Sink for Governor and encouraged every organization, business and individual involved in the renewable energy industry to do the same.

The tremendous growth of wind power in the United States is the result of several factors including state Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) as well as the nation's Smart Grid implementation, which requires the electric grid to accommodate and encourage increasing renewable resources.

Many investors find the prospect of selecting individual stocks simply too daunting. For those investors interested in investing in peak oil, but uncomfortable with the risks and moral dilemmas inherent in oil company stocks, there is another option: Powershares Global Progressive Transportation Portfolio (PTRP).

The huge turbines at the Guanting Wind Farm are popular backdrops for photos of newly married couples who find the 60-meter-tall structures a symbol of modernity; an endearing addition to the distant mountains, corn fields and lake a few dozen kilometers outside bustling Beijing.

Despite a buoyant European offshore wind market, offshore construction & installation contractors that fall short of budget and technology challenges risk falling by the wayside. Utility scale developers at the forefront will be seeking out only companies capable of providing and meeting the necessary challenges imposed on the industry today.

Iberdrola Renovables, in a consortium with local energy company Neoenergia, is to supply Brazil with electricity from 9 wind farms over 20 years for €60 million ($77 million) a year.

The Treasury Department recently issued a series of FAQs in an effort to clarify when projects will be treated as having "begun construction" for purposes of the section 1603 grant. As you may be aware, a project that otherwise qualifies for the grant but is not placed in service before the end of 2010 may still be eligible for the grant if construction on the project is begun in 2009 or 2010 and the project is eventually placed in service before the applicable "credit termination date." The new FAQs address a number of the unanswered questions. However, the framework adopted by the Treasury Guidance and the new FAQs is complex, and there appears to be a considerable amount of confusion among developers about how the "beginning construction" requirement can be met. Therefore, we thought it important to issue this alert.