The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

WIND.ALERT FOR OCTOBER 2003 FROM WINDPOWER
MONTHLY

Here are your summaries of the top stories in the October 2003
issue of Windpower Monthly. For a descriptive list of this month's full
contents just go to http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current

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Bat kills a sudden and unexpected problem
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Bat kills are emerging as a major and unexpected problem at wind turbine sites. The issue was brought to a head last month after the death of what scientists describe as an "alarming" and "surprising" number of bats in a single large wind farm over a period of weeks. Deaths of bats at wind power stations is not new, but the recent incident... (Go to
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current,#focus to read more about this article)

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Spin and crossed wires
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Politicians blinded by their own spin can be an awful liability. The glossy spin put on "rewiring Britain" for renewables has made evolution sound like revolution--and an expensive one to boot. As if all other new electricity plant needs no wires to transport generation to the consumer, the scary idea has taken hold in Britain that wind power is a special case requiring massive extra investment in transmission and distribution. Not so ... Read the entire leader at http://www.windpower-monthly.com/currentleader

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Outcry over Irish renewables tender
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There has been much hype about the supposed need to "rewire Britain" for renewables, mainly based on the assumption that the government's targets for green power can only be met through the use of Scotland's wind resource. Whether this assumption is correct or not is an unresolved issue. So too is how the cost of any grid upgrades are to be recovered -- and where upgrades can present best value for money. Rewiring Britain could be years away yet. Windpower Monthly has talked to market players about least cost options and the real costs, north-south political pressures which favour Scottish companies at the expense of economic reason, and new ideas for management of local grid connection. Get the facts behind the hype in our Rewiring Britain series of articles in the October issue.

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Economic and market indicators
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Windpower Monthly's third quarter update of wind market indicators for 2003 reports once again on share price movements, green certificate prices, market trends and includes our fully updated country-by-country table of operating wind power capacity worldwide. >From the amount of wind generation being developed, recent talk by market analysts of an industry decline looks as if it could be way off mark. Start your subscription with the October issue for an instant and authoritative market overview in this quarter's The Windicator.

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Fighting for fair terms in California
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The California Wind Energy Association (CalWEA) has found itself in the unusual position of opposing a utility request for more megawatt of renewable energy. The request is so stacked against wind that CalWEA wants it fundamentally changed or nullified. Read the October issue of Windpower Monthly to find out why an earlier request for renewables this year by Southern California Edison yielded no wind projects -- and why the recent request by the same utility is not likely to either.

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Keeping Nantucket Sound pristine
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Emissions from hundreds of gallons of fuel were loosed into the environment off Cape Cod when protestors set out to sea, mostly in motor boats, to campaign against the perceived industrialisation of Nantucket Sound off the New England coast. They had chosen to spend their Sunday burning fuel to circle and hiss at a meteorological tower erected by the wind project's developer. Windpower Monthly was there, complete with camera, on a small sailboat with an engine for back-up run on bio-fuel. Read about the oil mogul among the protestors -- and why we got hungry for spring rolls and stir fry -- in the current issue of the magazine.

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Preliminary prices cause concern
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After many months of delay, Brazil's government has finally published preliminary prices to be paid under its Proinfa renewable energy program. Investors are giving the prices a mixed response. While some see the move as a commitment to renewables from new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, others remain concerned that a series of conditions attached to the tariff will introduce market distortions and confuse potential investors. Windpower Monthly reports on these concerns -- and how the new energy minister is reacting to them -- in its October issue.

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Heat goes out of threat in Germany
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Flames of political controversy that flared up over the summer and threatened to consumer Germany's renewable energy law in a conflagration with the fossil fuel lobby are subsiding to no more than a warning glow. Matters cooled further following a high level energy meeting last month between the government and representatives from the major utilities. Read about a possible reconciliation, which makes room in the market for both fossil fuel and wind generators, in the current issue of Windpower Monthly.

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WindTech Notes
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Our irregular column of technical news notes this month takes a look at research into making blades cheaper and better protected from hits by lightning, gear box testing in Germany, two new offshore foundation concepts and adding low voltage ride through capability to wind turbines. We also report, among other things, on the high capacity factors that well sited wind plant can reach and improvements in software for wind farm control. WindTech Notes. You'll find them in October's Windpower Monthly.

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