Alternative Energy Retailer reports educational institutions across the United States are requesting small wind turbines from Americas Wind Energy Corp. The turbine manufacturer recently announced sales of a turbine to a school district in Wray, Colorado and three turbines to the campus of University of Illinois- Champaign-Urbana.
StreetInsider.com reports Prairie Star Wind Farm in Minnesota will produce 100.65 MW of wind generated energy capacity. Great River Energy has recently begun using this wind energy. The use of wind generated electricity from Prairie Star brings Green River Energy’s wind portfolio to a total of 213 MW in addition to biomass energy resources.
E-Composites, Inc. reports Babcock & Brown recently purchased seven wind farms across the Midwest. The 750MW from these farms will contribute to Babcock & Brown’s current portfolio of 20 wind farms in operation and an additional 18 under construction in the United States.
CanadaEastOnline.com reports Acciona Wind Energy Canada will construct, operate, and own the Lameque Wind Farm in New Brunswick that is expected to produce enough wind energy to power up to 8,900 homes. NB Power will sign a 25 year power purchase agreement for up to 49.5MW of wind energy from the facility to go towards a goal of purchasing 300MW of wind from private sectors by 2010.
Sedona.biz reports three consecutive years of tax credits created a boom in the wind and solar power sector in 2007. Possible expiration of these credits in December could cause a severe drop in renewable energy production. Nearly 1/3 of all renewable power capacity was in wind, an increase of 45% last year.
CNNMoney.com reports GE Energy announced a $1 billion sale of wind turbines to Invenergy LLC. The total generating capacity of the turbines is 800 MW and are expected to be delivered sometime in 2009. 600MW will be used for projects throughout North America with the remaining 200 MW for projects in Europe, enough energy for 275,000 households.
JSOnline.com reports a resident of Saukville, Minnesota wants to erect a wind turbine on his 5 acres of land. Not only is Norman Ammerman interested in lowering his monthly utility bill, but he feels he would be contributing to lowering emissions. He is looking at a cost of $30,000 to erect theturbine. In a similar situation, another resident has received a check for $450 last month for the excess wind energy his turbine produced.
Bloomberg.com reports Richard Branson, billionaire of Virgin Group, Ltd, announced plans to establish a company to assist China to develop clean energy through renewable sources. The Chinese government will provide tax breaks and other incentives to companies that are developing renewable energy, and they will create between 16,000 and 20,000 MW of wind generating capacity by 2010. This goal far surpasses the original goal of 5,000 MW by 2010.
Knowledge Wharton reports the Wharton Energy Conference panels resulted in mixed feelings for various methods of renewable energy sources. Many companies are wary to invest in new technology, such as wind or solar energy, until they are sure it is a method that will be widely supported. The panelists noted that wind power will face obstacles in the United States for several reasons. For one, wind turbines aren’t suited for urban areas. Secondly, people support wind energy but don’t want the turbines to disturb the aesthetics of their environment. Last, the value of the U.S. dollar will prevent an adequate amount of turbines to be imported from Europe to accommodate the high need for wind energy.
Inquirer.net reports Japan is the world’s 5th largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The country is looking to offset those emissions under the Kyoto Protocal and have now looked to offshore wind farms. The Japanese town of Hokkaido currently powers an average of 1,000 homes through the first offshore wind farm outside of Europe. Maintenance of the offshore wind farm is difficult and much more expensive than in Europe due to the much deeper sea level the turbines have to placed.