China’s Push into Wind Worries U.S. Industry. By Tom Zeller Jr. and Keith Bradsher, NYTimes, 12/16/10. “Goldwind and other Chinese-owned companies plan a big push into the American wind power market in coming months. While proponents say the Chinese manufacturers should be welcomed as an engine for creating more green jobs and speeding the adoption of renewable energy in this country, others see a threat to workers and profits in the still-embryonic American wind industry… By entering the United States, the Chinese industry is coming to a world leader in wind energy capacity: roughly 41 gigawatts, or enough to power the equivalent of 10 million American homes. Only China itself, which recently passed American output, generates more wind power -- 43 gigawatts -- although that is spread over a population more than four times the size of the population of the United States. But American wind output still meets only a small portion of the nation’s overall demand for electricity -- about 2% -- compared with countries like Spain, which gets about 14% of its electrical power from the wind.” Related NYTimes articles: Wind Power for Boston, Made in China, 12/16/10; To Conquer Wind Power, China Writes the Rules, 12/15/10.

New Altamont Wind Turbines Aim to Cut Bird Deaths. By Kelly Zito, SanFranChron,San Francisco Chronicle12/7/10. “For years, wind energy turbines at Altamont Pass have been blamed for killing thousands of birds each year… Jerry Brown warns state budget deficit could grow 12.09.10The largest wind-power company in the Altamont Pass will replace thousands of turbines as part of a settlement with lawmakers and environmental groups hoping to reduce the number of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks and other birds killed each year by the whirring blades... The company will also pay $2.5 million for raptor habitat restoration in the area. The deal to address the long-running debate over bird kills in the country's oldest wind farm was announced Monday by California Attorney General Jerry Brown, whose office brokered the agreement between the state, NextEra, Bay Area branches of the Audubon Society and Californians for Renewable Energy... In keeping with recent scientific research on bird habitats, the pact requires NextEra to place the modern turbines away from ridge tops and valleys, where many of the eagles, kestrels, falcons and owls ride updrafts or hunt for prey. That provision represents a key victory for wildlife groups that say little thought was given to where the original turbines were erected. ‘This is the first chance across the nation to take what was learned about turbines over the last 30 years and put it into use,’ said Mark Welther, executive director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. ‘We support wind energy, but we need to make sure we don't sacrifice birds and wildlife to have renewable power.’”

Concerns over Eagle Safety Stall Wind Projects. By Jason Dearen and Noaki Schwartz, AP, 12/13/10. “Fears that whirling wind turbines could slaughter protected golden eagles have halted progress on a key piece of the federal government's push to increase renewable energy on public lands, stalling plans for billions of dollars in wind farm developments. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management suspended issuing wind permits on public land indefinitely this summer after wildlife officials invoked a decades-old law for protecting eagles... The restriction has stymied efforts to ‘fast-track’ approvals for four of the seven most promising wind energy proposals in the nation, including all three in California. Now, these and other projects appear unlikely to make the year-end deadline to potentially qualify for hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus funds. If extensions aren't granted in the lame duck session of Congress, the future of many of these plans could be in doubt.”

Massachusetts Regulators Give National Grid Approval to Purchase Cape Wind Power. By Beth Daley, BostonGlobe, 11/22/10. “The state Department of Public Utilities gave permission on 11/22 for National Grid to purchase half of Cape Wind's power, removing the last significant hurdle for the controversial wind farm to start construction in Nantucket Sound next year. However, the agency refused to approve a second agreement for the sale of the other 50% of the project's power. Without a buyer for that power, Cape Wind's efforts to get financing for the proposed 130-turbine project could suffer, energy specialists say, with some suggesting only half of the turbines may now be built.”

Offshore Wind Power Line Wins Praise, and Backing. By Matthew L. Wald, NYTimes, 10/12/10. “Google and a New York financial firm have each agreed to invest heavily in a proposed $5 billion transmission backbone for future offshore wind farms along the Atlantic Seaboard that could ultimately transform the region’s electrical map. The 350-mile underwater spine, which could remove some critical obstacles to wind power development, has stirred excitement among investors, government officials and environmentalists who have been briefed on it.

“Google and Good Energies, an investment firm specializing in renewable energy, have each agreed to take 37.5% of the equity portion of the project. They are likely to bring in additional investors, which would reduce their stakes… ‘Conceptually it looks to me to be one of the most interesting transmission projects that I’ve ever seen walk through the door,’ said Jon Wellinghoff, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees interstate electricity transmission. ‘It provides a gathering point for offshore wind for multiple projects up and down the coast.’”

Scotland’s Pentland Firth Tidal Power Surges. By Steven McKenzie, BBC, 10/12/10. “There are high hopes Caithness will benefit from projects in the Pentland Firth. Its tide is one of the fastest in the world and orca hunt along its shores for young seals. Now there are grand plans to harness the power of the fearsome tides and waves of the Pentland Firth. Seven renewable energy developers have already leased 10 seabed sites off the Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney coasts from landowner the Crown Estate. And an announcement is imminent on the company to investigate the potential for generating electricity in the firth's Inner Sound between Caithness and Stroma... But there are also doubts over exactly how much Caithness and neighboring Sutherland will benefit socially and economically. Highland Council wants Caithness and Sutherland to become a centre of excellence for engineering and marine renewable... The aspiration is a feature of the authority's Highland Wide Local Development Plan. Wick councillor Bill Fernie said the Pentland power surge could save the north coast from dark days ahead -- if first companies can overcome the challenges of working in one of the fastest tidal races in the world.”

Washington's Wind Power Windfall. By Kathie Durbin, Clark Columbian, Washington, 10/12/10. “Eastern Klickitat County’s wind energy boom has utterly transformed the landscape. In the past four years, 624 wind turbines have risen along the crest of the Columbia Hills and on ridges south and east of this town of 90, each the height of a 41-story building as measured from the ground to the tip of the highest turbine blade… The gusty Gorge winds that set those turbine blades spinning have the capacity to generate more than 1,200 megawatts of power once all the wind farms under construction in Klickitat County are generating electricity -- enough to serve about 300,000 homes. That’s more than the generating capacity of Portland General Electric’s Trojan nuclear power plant, which closed in 1993, or about five natural gas-fired plants, such as the River Road plant operated by Clark Public Utilities… For Bickleton, the wind-powered transformation has been abrupt, and mostly positive… The arrival of large-scale wind development also has thrown a lifeline to Bickleton-area farmers who previously scratched out a living growing dryland wheat.”

U.S. Signs Offshore Lease with Cape Wind. By Chris Barrett, Providence Business News, 10/6/10. “The construction of a wind farm in Nantucket Sound nudged closer to reality Wednesday [10/6/10] with the developer signing a lease with the federal government. Developer Cape Wind Associates inked the deal for 25 square miles of ocean space during a ceremony at an offshore wind conference sponsored by the American Wind Energy Association. Under the 28-year lease, Cape Wind will pay $88,278 in annual rent prior to the farm’s operation. Once the farm goes online, rent will range between 2% and 7% based on revenue from selling the electricity to the regional market. Plans call for the project to include 130 turbines producing an average of 182 megawatts, or enough to power more than 200,000 homes.

“The lease with the U.S. Department of Interior marked the first of its kind. ‘This is the beginning of a new era for our nation in offshore energy production,’ said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. ‘Responsibly developing this clean, renewable, domestic resource will stimulate investment in cutting-edge technology, create good, solid jobs for American workers, and promote our nation’s competitiveness, security, and prosperity.’”

Cape Wind Backers Blew Right by Cost. By Beth Daley, BostGlobe, 10/10/10. “Amid the maelstrom of controversy over the nation’s first offshore wind farm, one truth is as plain as the proposed 440-foot turbines in Nantucket Sound are tall: Its energy will be very expensive. That’s not just compared with power from coal and natural gas, but with renewable power from other sources. Once the 130 turbines begin rotating, the energy produced willcost up to 50% more than energy today from some land-based wind farms and twice as much as some hydroelectric dams. The cost will increase customers’ monthly electric bills about 2%, and for many that is too steep in tough economic times. So if Cape Wind is such a pricey proposition, why is it being built at all? The answer lies at the intersection of a tenacious clean energy entrepreneur’s vision and an ambitious governor’s green one.

“In the end, the cost of Cape Wind will not be known for years after it is built. That’s because its fixed price will look attractive if fossil fuel prices go up substantially. But if those prices go down, it could look like a bad deal. In addition, there’s no way to calculate Cape Wind’s other benefits: The value of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and of building the country’s first offshore wind farm to help chart a path away from fossil fuels is largely incalculable.”

DOE Study: U.S. is Well-Positioned to Build Massive Offshore Wind Farms. By Joel Kirkland, ClimateWire, 10/8/10. “If politics and economics align, the United States is well-positioned to build massive wind farms off of U.S. coasts and in the Great Lakes to meet a substantial amount of the nation's electricity needs, according to the Department of Energy. In a 240-page study [PDF] of the potential and barriers for building 54 gigawatts' worth of offshore wind capacity, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that doing so means the creation of at least 43,000 permanent jobs. Potential exists for $200 billion in economic activity, and government analysts predict 20 jobs would be created for every megawatt produced off of U.S. shores. The Obama administration appears big on the idea of jump-starting a dormant U.S. offshore wind industry. With the best-known offshore project, off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass., mired in a decadelong regulatory morass, the United States trails Europe and China in the development of projects.”

Noise From Wind Turbines Attract Complaints. By Tom Zeller, Jr., NYTimes, 10/6/10. “Some residents of Vinalhaven, Maine, are among a small but growing number of families and homeowners across the country who say they have learned the hard way that wind power is not without emissions of its own… Of the 250 new wind farms that have come online in the United States over the last two years, about dozen or so have generated significant noise complaints, according to Jim Cummings, the founder of the Acoustic Ecology Institute, an online clearinghouse for information on sound-related environmental issues… A common refrain among homeowners grappling with sound issues, however, is that they were not accurately informed about the noise ahead of time… Similar conflicts are arising in Canada, Britain and other countries. An appeals court in Rennes, France, recently ordered an eight-turbine wind farm to shut down between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. so residents could get some sleep… Vinalhaven’s wind farm enjoys support among most residents, from ardent supporters of all clean energy to those who simply say the turbines have reduced their power bills. Deckhands running the ferry sport turbine pins on their hats, and bumper stickers seen on the island declare ‘Spin, Baby, Spin.’”

Study Claims that Offshore Wind Turbines Could Produce Nearly Half of East Coast Energy Demand. By Matthew L. Wald, NYTimes, 9/28/10. "The Atlantic coast has more energy to give via wind than it does from oil or gas, according to a study [Untapped Wealth, PDF, 48 pp] sponsored by Oceana, an environmental group. The group contends that using wind turbines to make electricity instead of drilling rigs to produce hydrocarbons would not only cut the chance of accidents like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the gulf but would also reduce the use of coal on land, the group said. This is important to Oceana because air pollution from coal eventually ends up in the ocean, making the water acidic and raising the water temperature, which causes other problems for ocean life… The study considered wind from waters 30 meters deep or less, easily shallow enough for wind turbines, and between 3 and 24 miles from the coast, ignoring shipping channels and other competing uses. That production would allow 127 gigawatts of power, the report said. This is vast, since the total of all generators of all types in the United States is only about 1,048 gigawatts." See chart.

Bonneville Power Experiences Too Much of a Good Thing. By Matthew L. Wald, NYTimes, September 23, 2010."Saturated with too much energy from wind and water, the Bonneville Power Administration, a federal agency based in the Pacific Northwest, has been forced to look for outside help. For the moment its problems represent an extreme, but experts predict that other systems will find themselves in the same pickle as utilities build more wind machines in an effort to reach state-mandated quotas for renewable energy. Bonneville, which issued a report [PDF, 12 pp] this month on its rough patch, went through a period in June where it literally had to give energy away and induce neighboring utilities to shut down their fossil-fuel powered plants. The problem was that its own territory was struck by unexpected storms that filled its dams with water.

"Other systems might have released the water and bypassed the wind turbines, but for Bonneville that causes environmental damage. Water that goes over a spillway as opposed to through a turbine picks up bubbles of nitrogen gas from the atmosphere. When baby salmon absorb the bubbles, they experience something resembling the bends in a human diver. The same storms also brought wind… Normally hydro and wind are a good pairing because hydro plants can adjust their output almost instantly to compensate for a variation in winds. But if all the water has to go through the turbines, as was the case in June, the hydro operator loses the ability to cut back when there is a sudden surge in wind."

U.K. Switches On World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm. By Sarah Arnott, Independent (UK), September 24, 2010. "The world's biggest offshore wind farm opened in Thanet, seven miles off the Kent coast, yesterday (Thurs. 9/23/10)… The Thanet project, built in two years by Sweden's Vattenfal, consists of a hundred 115-metre turbines spread over 35 sq km and can generate enough power for 200,000 homes… The 300 megawatts of electricity produced by the Thanet wind farm -- plus the expansion of the Crystal Rig onshore wind farm in the Scottish Borders -- takes Britain's total installed wind power capacity to more than 5 gigawatts for the first time. Wind power is now powering almost three million homes, according to the industry group RenewableUK."

Renewable Energy Bill Introduced With Bipartisan Support. By Timothy Gardner, Reuters, September 21, 2010. "A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill on Tuesday [9/21] that would require utilities to generate minimum levels of renewable power which environmentalists welcomed but analysts said had slim chances of passing this year. Jeff Bingaman, a Democrat and chair of the Senate's energy committee, and Sam Brownback, a Republican, introduced the bill which would create a Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) requiring utilities to generate 15% renewable power by 2021. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stripped a Renewable Electricity Standard out of the broader oil spill bill in July saying climate measures would not get a single Republican vote. But the bill introduced on Tuesday has some support as it is nearly the same bill as one that passed Bingaman's committee last year.

"Supporters of the bill said two other Republicans, Senators Susan Collins and John Ensign, also support it. Steel workers, utilities that have strong renewable portfolios, and environmentalists seeking to spur reductions in greenhouse gas emissions have pushed for the bill saying it would create jobs to help the country compete with China in production of wind turbines and solar power panels… The bill introduced Tuesday would set incremental mandates requiring power companies to generate 3% of their power from renewable sources such as wind, solar, ocean waves, and geothermal by 2012. It requires 6% renewable energy by 2016, 9% by 2017, 12% by 2019, and 15% by 2021."

Wind Power Wanes with Fading Federal Incentives. By Jeff Brady, NPR, September 6, 2010. "Wind power, one of the largest segments of the renewable energy market, will experience a sharp decline in growth this year. The slowdown comes as a surprise because the stimulus bill, which President Obama signed into law 18 months ago, included a big boost for renewable forms of electricity in the form of $43 billion for energy projects. Last year, 10,000 megawatts of wind power were brought online in the United States -- that's enough to power nearly 300,000 homes. In 2010, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates, that number will be 57% lower. It will be the first time in six years that the growth rate of the wind industry will actually decline... Right now, if you build a wind project, the government will, essentially, cut you a check for 30% of the cost. But that incentive is running out of rope and scheduled to expire at the end of 2010. That deadline prompted a lot of activity lastyear. 'Everybody moved their projects forward into 2009 to take advantage of it,' says George Sterzinger, executive director of the Renewable Energy Policy Project. But now, he says, some developers are waiting to see if the credit will be extended. And with natural gas relatively cheap now, some utilities are choosing to build gas power plants rather than wind farms."

Maine DEP Consultant Agrees With Vinalhaven Neighbors: The Wind Farm is Too Noisy. AP, September 13, 2010. "A consultant hired by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection agreed with local residents who've complained that three wind turbines installed on Vinalhaven island exceed state noise standards. Some neighbors have expressed frustration over the nighttime noise levels, and the consultant, Warren Brown from the University of Maine, agreed that the turbines exceed the 45-decibel limit. 'We're encouraged that after all this hard work and effort that it's coming to some sort of conclusion,' islander Cheryl Lindgren said Monday. She noted that the 'whoosh' and 'wump' sounds from the turbines less than a half-mile from her home are loud enough to drown out a seasonal brook behind her home.

"The Fox Island Wind farm was dedicated in November 2009 with a goal of easing electricity rates for 1,800 year-round residents of Vinalhaven and North Haven islands. Residents were told that ambient noise would muffle the turbines. But some residents near the turbines have complained about the noise, especially at night. Brown, who gave his findings last week to the Department of Environmental Protection, agreed that the turbines violated noise limits. 'Substantial changes are recommended for FIW nighttime operations,' Brown wrote." Fox Island Wind Disputes the Maine DEP Findings, AP, September 14, 2010.

Major Wind Investment Announced in Scotland. By Jane Bradley, Edinburgh Scotsman, September 14, 2010. "Iberdrola, the Spanish owner of ScottishPower, is to plough £3 billion into renewable energy projects in Scotland over the next three years, delivering a major boost for a sector that has been hailed as the future of the country's economy. The investment, the company's biggest in Scottish projects, will fund both onshore and offshore wind-farm developments to 2012, as well as advancements in carbon-capture technology and smart grids... Iberdrola's international offshore wind headquarters is to be in Glasgow, from where back-office operations will be run for a string of projects across Europe."

Offshore Projects in Northern Europe Hampered Supply Shortages. By Selina Williams, WSJournal, September 13, 2010. "Northern Europe's ambitious plans for adding offshore wind power are getting off to a rough start -- because of weaknesses in the supply chain. The U.K., Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and other Northern European neighbors are gearing up to add giant wind farms up to 120 miles off their coasts. The move is part of their efforts to shift to renewable power sources to meet tough European Union climate-change targets for 2020 and ensure the region isn't too dependent on imported supplies of natural gas... The supply shortages threaten to delay or add billions in extra costs to an endeavor that's already immensely expensive. At today's prices, it will take around $185 billion to meet the European Wind Energy Association's target of 40 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2020. That's enough electricity to supply around 34 million households."

Wind Power Wanes with Fading Federal Incentives. By Jeff Brady, NPR, September 6, 2010. "Wind power, one of the largest segments of the renewable energy market, will experience a sharp decline in growth this year. The slowdown comes as a surprise because the stimulus bill, which President Obama signed into law 18 months ago, included a big boost for renewable forms of electricity in the form of $43 billion for energy projects. Last year, 10,000 megawatts of wind power were brought online in the United States -- that's enough to power nearly 300,000 homes. In 2010, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates, that number will be 57% lower. It will be the first time in six years that the growth rate of the wind industry will actually decline... Right now, if you build a wind project, the government will, essentially, cut you a check for 30% of the cost. But that incentive is running out of rope and scheduled to expire at the end of 2010. That deadline prompted a lot of activity lastyear. 'Everybody moved their projects forward into 2009 to take advantage of it,' says George Sterzinger, executive director of the Renewable Energy Policy Project. But now, he says, some developers are waiting to see if the credit will be extended. And with natural gas relatively cheap now, some utilities are choosing to build gas power plants rather than wind farms."