Wind Education

Great use of funds to help educate for the fiels. One day I love to see this go on in Racine.

New Addition To Iowa Lakes C.C. Wind Studies Center Is Dedicated
in News Departments > New & Noteworthy
by NAW Staff on Wednesday 16 December 2009
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The new $550,000 addition to the Sustainable Energy Education Center/Wind Energy and Turbine Technology building on the Estherville, Iowa, campus of Iowa Lakes Community College has been officially dedicated.

KCUA-TV reports that the new 6,200 square-foot addition is ready for the spring semester, which begins on Jan. 14. Financing for the facility was paid, in part, with a $350,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"This addition provides state-of-the-art technology for our wind energy students and allows them to learn necessary skills for the wind industry in a controlled environment prior to working on wind turbines," says Valerie Newhouse, college president. "The addition allowed the college to accept two more sections of students into the wind energy program."

SOURCE: KCUA-TV

Renewable Engery is still a good idea

Climategate will even if the MSM will not cover it puit an end the the global warming BS. WE may have to take years to fix the damage that The US Government under Obama and The State Government under Jim Doyle will do.
However as the focus shifts we should still create as much as we can renewable Energy as we can.
Why? Well bluntly every doller we spend here on energy we produce is one less doller scum lake Hugo Chavez get to spend on hating this country, or Iran gets to buy weapons or give to groups that would attack this country. As well IMHO I think Obama/EPA might have tipped us to the point of The Shit has hit the fan. so the more our homes can be powered by Wind/Solar etc the better off we can be.
I am very happy about the jobs starting to come to Wisconsin as this State puts up more wind turbans.

Falmouth MA In the News

Now Racine WI is on the lake and we have a browns field that would be great to place a good three turbines. Will we? I think not very poor thinking from the City Leadership

Mass. Town Installs Turbine

by NAW Staff on Monday 23 November 2009


The Town of Falmouth, Mass., has installed a single Vestas 1.65 MW wind turbine on an 80-meter tower at its wastewater treatment facility. According to the Falmouth Energy Committee, the project is the first in the state owned by a municipality (but not a municipal utility).

The turbine will provide about 33% of the municipal electrical load, and a second 1.5 MW turbine is scheduled to be installed in 2010, which will help the town generate more than half of its own electricity from wind.

A general obligation bond has been issued and the project revenue will cover the debt and operating costs.

In 2002, Falmouth joined the ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection program and committed to reducing its dependence on fossil fuel and associated greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2010.

SOURCE: Town of Falmouth, Mass., Energy Committee

40,000 Wind turbines+

40,000 Wind turbines be nice, need more a good start however.

From Pike Research:

According to a recent report from Pike Research, the North American market for wind turbines will continue to grow through 2015, driven by new generation additions, as well as replacements of smaller, older turbines with larger, more efficient turbines.

Pike Research's study, "Wind Energy Outlook for North America," analyzes the opportunities and challenges facing wind power in North America in the current economic and political climate.

Key players in the wind energy business are profiled. The report includes quantitative analysis for market sizing, segmentation, market share analysis of turbine vendors, and growth forecasts for the U.S. and Canada through 2015.

The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that the turbine market will resume its growth in 2011, following three years of stagnation. According to the report, cumulative wind turbine deployments will exceed 40,000 units during the period from 2010 to 2015.

In addition, Pike Research forecasts that 45% of all turbine installations in North America will be replacements

"The global economic crisis that began in late 2008 has thrown the industry into confusion, along with most global industries," says Clint Wheelock, managing director of Pike Research. "Still, we see cause for optimism in the longer term as capital markets recover and the regulatory environment improves for wind energy."

The report also examines how many turbines will be required to meet wind generation capacity goals, key industry growth drivers, challenges inhibiting the growth of wind power, and the economics of turbine manufacturing, installation, operations and maintenance.

On the shores of Lake Erie

A great first step! Good for everyone.

Giant conglomerate Samsung is apparently pondering a wind farm comprising 200 turbines on the north shore of Lake Erie but the Ontario government would only confirm Sunday that talks with the Korean-based company are in advanced stages.

The proposed wind farm, part of Samsung's new push into renewable energy, would stretch about 25 kilometres from Port Maitland toward Nanticoke, an area considered to have excellent wind potential.

The Ontario government said the two parties have been involved in "months of extraordinarily co-operative effort" toward an agreement that would involve billions of new investment, including in manufacturing facilities.

"Both Samsung C&T Corporation and the government of Ontario are pleased to confirm that efforts are progressing well toward the signing of a historic framework agreement," the government said in a statement.

"While the contents of the proposed agreement remain commercially sensitive, both parties can confirm that Samsung, one of the world's leading companies, proposes to establish a new renewable-energy business in Ontario."

Part of the plan calls for the erection of about 50 of the 200 turbines on sparsely populated forest and scrub lands belonging to Six Nations, near Dunnville, Ont., Chief Bill Montour said Sunday.

There has been "nothing substantive" since Samsung and Ontario government representatives toured his area in late July but the project could be a huge boon under the right circumstances, Montour said.

"We're not interested in one or two per cent of the royalties; we want to have a play in the project," he said.

The chief said Six Nations has a reputation in steel erection, a facility for steel fabrication, and could possibly do some of the electronics assembly and maintenance on the towers and turbines.

Samsung would first put up six, 80-metre measuring towers to see whether a wind farm would be economically viable, he said. The plan was to put those up some time this fall.

Samsung could not be reached for comment Sunday and the Ontario government said further information would only be made available "once a framework agreement has been completed."

To encourage large-and small-scale renewable energy production, Ontario's new Green Energy and Economy Act includes a "feed-in" tariff program - the amount paid to producers of green power.

Wind-turbine developers can earn about 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, roughly double the amount consumers now pay for electricity.

Earlier this year, Samsung Heavy Industries Co., the world's second-largest shipyard, announced ambitious plans to enter the global wind-turbine market in 2010.

The company said it planned to make turbines with capacities of 2.5 megawatts and five megawatts for a market it estimated would be worth US$74 billion by 2020.

Samsung has already gained a toe-hold in the U.S. with a winning bid to supply Cielo Windpower with three of its new 2.5 MW turbines. It recently sought to recruit a senior project manager in Ontario for "early-stage development" of wind projects.

The company has also entered the solar-panel business, and both solar-panel and wind-turbine manufacturing in Ontario are reported to be part of the talks with the province.

Ontario's manufacturing sector, particularly its hard-hit auto sector, has shed hundreds of thousands of jobs in recent years .

While Premier Dalton McGuinty called the act a significant move to attract green investment to the province, the United Steelworkers criticized regulations that require wind-power facilities in the province to have 25 per cent Ontario content for the next three years.

"Setting the domestic content so low will not spur the creation of a manufacturing base to support this industry and will limit domestic job creation," the union's Ken Neumann said last week.

Great Lakes Wind Council

www.michigan.gov (To Print: use your browser's print function)	Release Date: February 06, 2009 Last Update: February 06, 2009
Contact: Megan Brown 517-335-6397
Governor Granholm Signs Executive Order Creating Great Lakes Wind Council
February 6, 2009 LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed Executive Order 2009-1, creating the Great Lakes Wind Council, an advisory body within the Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth that will provide citizens with a public forum to begin to identify where, in the Great Lakes, wind energy systems may be prudently sited. "The Great Lakes are Michigan's most precious natural resource, and they provide tremendous economic value to the citizens of Michigan," Granholm said. "The availability, consistency, and velocity of wind in the Great Lakes make their waters uniquely attractive to wind energy developers seeking to build offshore wind energy systems - but we want to make sure we are prudent in this process of approval." In addition to looking at ways to best engage the people of Michigan in a public dialogue about offshore wind so that statewide interests are considered, the council will identify criteria that can be used to review applications for offshore wind development. The council will also identify criteria for mapping areas that should be excluded from offshore wind development and those areas that are most favorable for such development, providing a full report to the governor by September 1, 2009. The governor announced the following appointments to the Great Lakes Wind Council: Adesoji O. Adelaja, Ph.D. of Okemos, director and founder of the Michigan State University Land Policy Institute and John A. Hannah distinguished professor in land policy, is appointed to represent other residents of this state for a term expiring September 1, 2009. James P. Clift of Lansing, policy director of the Michigan Environmental Council, is appointed to represent statewide environmental organizations for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Frank D. Ettawageshik of Harbor Springs, chair of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, is appointed to represent Native American tribal governments for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Dennis L. Grinold of Lansing, member of the Michigan Charter Boat Association, is appointed to represent the charter fishing industry for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Curtis A. Hertel, Sr. of Grosse Pointe Woods, executive director of the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority, is appointed to represent the commercial shipping industry for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Thomas L. Hickner of Bay City, Bay County executive, is appointed to represent local government officials for a term expiring September 1, 2009. M. Jack Knowles, III of Ann Arbor, vice president of Dietrich, Bailey and Associates, P.C., is appointed to represent other residents of this state for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Steven E. Kurmas of Shelby Township, president and chief operating officer of Detroit Edison, one of three major business units of DTE, is appointed to represent electric utilities for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Marty G. Lagina of Traverse City, chief executive officer of Heritage Sustainable Energy, LLC, is appointed to represent the wind energy development industry for a term expiring September 1, 2009. James D. MacInnes of Beulah, chief executive officer and co-owner of Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa, is appointed to represent the tourism industry for a term expiring September 1, 2009. John G. Russell of East Lansing, president and chief operating officer of Consumers Energy, is appointed to represent electric utilities for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Richard F. Vander Veen, III of Lowell, president of Mackinaw Power, is appointed to represent other residents of this state for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Joseph L. Welch of Monroe, chairman, president and chief executive officer of ITC Holdings Corp., is appointed to represent independent electric transmission companies for a term expiring September 1, 2009. These appointments are not subject to disapproval by the Michigan Senate. Executive Order 2009-1 is attached. # # #
Copyright © 2009 State of Michigan

More Wind Power

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has placed an order for 22 wind turbine generators with Vestas for the proposed expansion of the utility's Wild Horse wind and solar facility. Delivery of the turbines and initial construction, after all approvals are received, is slated for mid-2009, with entry into commercial service by later that year. The turbine order accounts for the major portion of the proposed $100 million project.

"The turbines have proven themselves at our Wild Horse and Hopkins Ridge facilities in providing a reliable source of clean, renewable energy," says Kimberly Harris, executive vice president and chief resource officer for PSE. "Building on the success of Wild Horse makes sense for our customers and for the economy of the Kittitas Valley."

Vestas is the current supplier to Wild Horse and the utility's Hopkins Ridge Wind Facility in Dayton.

In addition to the turbine order, the Kittitas County board of commissioners voted at a public hearing to approve the expansion plan as a modification to the original 2005 site development agreement with the county. The planned expansion will result in 149 turbines and a capacity of 269 MW at Wild Horse – well within the original development agreement limits of 158 turbines and 312 MW. Currently, the wind facility has 127 turbines capable of producing 229 MW of electricity.

An environmental impact study for the project will be completed later this year, with final approval of the expansion plan expected by the state Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council in early 2009.