A couple of interesting pieces coming in on Alternative Power Digest on Yahoo groups:

Subject: GE's giant's shadow

GE's giant's shadow

National ads use wind energy to project a new image
for the old-line company - and perhaps the local wind
farm debate

By ETHAN ZINDLER
STAFF WRITER
Under ominous skies, a scraggly crew of medieval
oarsmen struggles to row a galley across the ocean.

Suddenly, an apparition.

A vessel carrying a happy and relaxed group of
medieval partyers cruises by. The sun is now visible.
Strains of steel drum music fill the air.

Lo and behold, the boat is traveling under sail.

Trailing off the back is a water-skier who turns,
flashes a smile, and gives the miserable wretches back
on the rowboat a thumbs-up.

"Imagine what a pleasant surprise it must have been
when man first harvested the power of wind," a
narrator says. "At GE, we still believe in wind as a
pure, natural source of power. GE wind energy. For a
cleaner, more fuel-efficient world."

An image of GE wind turbines in action appears briefly
followed by the company's new motto: "GE, imagination
at work."

Dubbed "Galley," the commercial, aired nationally, is
one of the first in GE's new $100 million, multimedia
campaign to promote the company's role in a number of
high-technology fields.

A spokesman for GE declined to provide details about
how much the company has spent on airing the
television ad in the Boston market, other than to say
the size of the buy was no larger than in similar
sized media markets across the country. The spot is
not intended to influence public policy debates over
specific wind farm projects, he said.

But by throwing its hat into the wind-energy ring in
such a public manner, GE has injected the long
fledgling industry with a dose of credibility. And
that could bolster the prospects for proposed wind
farms in various locations along the Eastern Seaboard,
including here on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound.

Wind power advocates, including those for Cape Wind
Associates, the local company hoping to develop the
130-turbine Nantucket Sound project, say they couldn't
be more pleased. Having a company of GE's stature and
reputation is a significant feather in their cap.
Advertisements that reinforce the validity of wind
power can only boost their efforts regionally.

But opponents of the Nantucket Sound wind farm say
GE's advertising won't have any significant impact on
the local debate. The issue for Cape Codders, they
say, is not wind power's viability but whether the
region's natural resources are protected from
opportunistic developers.

Not just window dressing
GE did not enter the wind power game last year just to
make environmentally friendly commercials. Its Wind
Energy division has generated more than $1 billion in
wind-related revenues so far and has contracts worth
$2 billion more. Should the Nantucket Sound project
receive regulatory approval, GE has a preliminary
contract to build the wind turbines and towers in a
contract worth $495 million, perhaps more.

Currently, the proposed $750 million project is
undergoing environmental review by various regional,
state and federal agencies. Proponents say it would
produce enough electricity to meet 75 percent of the
Cape's power needs.

For a company that produces everything from credit
cards to "Must See TV" (on its NBC network), casting
wind power as the star of its new ad campaign is an
interesting gambit - especially since sales of
wind-related products and services accounted for less
than 1 percent of its $132 billion revenues in 2002.
In fact, GE only entered the wind power game last year
when it purchased Enron's wind assets.

But the current television commercials and
accompanying print and Internet ads do not highlight
the GE of old, which boasted of being able to "bring
good things to life" such as light bulbs and
dishwashers.

"The goals of the campaign are to portray GE's
technological leadership in a number of areas," said a
company spokesman, Gary Sheffer. "(Wind power)
exemplifies one of the world-class technology
businesses that represents GE."

Is the wind spot meant to sway public opinion here,
where the debate has raged over allowing wind farms in
federal waters?

"None of this is meant to influence the debate on any
specific project," said Sheffer.

John Lister, chairman of the brand-consulting firm
Lister Butler in New York, agrees.

"Even the windfall of $400 million is a drop in the
bucket for GE," he said, referring to the revenues the
company would generate should the Nantucket Sound
project come to fruition.

But the ad, coupled with GE's entry into the wind
energy field, could affect the public's perception of
wind energy, Lister said.

"If GE makes a solid commitment to this and moves
ahead successfully it will, in fact, do wonders for
the wind power business," he said.

That buoys veteran wind-power advocates such as Bob
Thresher, director of the federal government's
National Wind Technology Center in Golden, Colo.

"The biggest hurdle (facing wind power) in 30 years
has been the perception that it's a bunch of hippies
trying to change the world," said Thresher who has
working been in the field for that long. "It's not,
it's a business."

"To see GE say, 'yeah this technology is ready to be
implemented' is absolutely great."

But one of the Cape's leading wind farm opponents
discounts the impact GE's advertisements or presence
in the wind energy field will have on the Nantucket
Sound project or others that have been proposed for
the region.

"Wind power is credible and the more that large
companies like GE get involved the more viability wind
power has," acknowledges Isaac Rosen, executive
director of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.

But he says that's beside the point to Cape Codders
who are more concerned about "the utter gold rush
that's taking place along our coast."

"What generally congeals people on this issue is not
wind power but how we regulate our public resources,"
he said.

Rosen also questions whether GE's wind ad is an
accurate portrayal of the company, given its
environmental track record.

"There's a reason why they're not spending $100
million advertising the pollution that they've
caused," he said.

Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
ruled that GE must pay to dredge 150,000 pounds of
harmful PCBs from a 40-mile stretch of the Hudson
River in New York. The company expects to spend
between $120 million and $170 million on environmental
remediation projects annually for the next two years,
according to its 2002 annual report.

Via an e-mail, GE's Sheffer dismissed Rosen's
criticism.

"It's unfortunate that Mr. Rosen finds it necessary to
engage in these kinds of attacks rather than limiting
his comments to the relative merits of the project,"
he said.

"We have an excellent environmental compliance program
and record. We also meet our responsibilities to
address environmental contamination that occurred
decades before the advent of modern environmental
laws."

One local homeowner bound to be affected by the
construction of a wind farm on Horseshoe Shoal is GE's
former CEO Jack Welch, who has owned a Nantucket
vacation home for more than a decade. A spokesperson
for Welch said it is his policy not to comment on
ongoing projects where GE is involved.

Cape project could help GE
Last year, Cape Wind Associates signed a preliminary
agreement with GE's Power Systems division. Under the
deal, GE would build the wind turbines and towers that
support them.

Construction of both would take place somewhere in
southern New England but not on the Cape because the
region does not have a deep enough port, according to
Mark Rodgers, a spokesman for Cape Wind Associates.
The project would create 600 to 1,000 construction
jobs. GE could get the contract to oversee
installation.

Neither Cape Wind nor GE is willing to attach a dollar
figure to the current deal to build the materials for
the turbines, but if previous offshore projects in
Europe are any guide, it could range between 48 and 66
percent of the project's overall cost. Cape Wind
estimates total cost at $750 million, meaning GE's
contract could be valued between $360 million and $495
million.

But Glenn Watley, an advisor to the Alliance to
Protect Nantucket Sound, a nonprofit group that has
taken the lead in opposing the Nantucket Sound
project, said the overall cost will be closer to $823
million. That could put the price tag on GE's contract
closer to $540 million.

Furthermore, publicity generated by GE's involvement
with the nation's first offshore wind farm could be
substantial.

Mere debate over the project has garnered national
media attention in The New York Times Magazine and
elsewhere. Should it get the go-ahead, all eyes will
be on the Cape.

Indeed, GE's association with the project might
deliver the "Imagination at Work" message more
powerfully than any spot Madison Avenue could dream
up.

"I think all large companies ... are looking for ways
to say they're out front, they're ahead of the game,"
said Lister. "This certainly would be a feather in
their cap if they can pull it off without having to
put barbed wire around every installation."

Despite all GE has to gain if the local project is
approved, there is no clear indication that the wind
advertisements are aimed at swaying public opinion or
public policy leaders who have not taken firm
positions on the issue - although the ads do run
during "Meet the Press" and "The McLaughlin Group,"
two popular programs with the Washington, D.C., crowd.

(Published: July 13, 2003)


=====
¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

All-Energy News and Discussion
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/All-Energy

¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

__________________________________

Message: 2
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 15:30:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: Green Bean
Subject: Wind farm panel OK'd in Mass. Senate

July 12, 2003

Wind farm panel OK'd in Senate

By DAVID KIBBE
TIMES BOSTON BUREAU
BOSTON - The state Senate this week approved a study
commission on wind farms, marking the Legislature's
first debate in a controversy that has roiled the Cape
and islands.

The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Robert
O'Leary, D-Barnstable, passed the Senate
overwhelmingly on Thursday. But the issue triggered a
confrontation between O'Leary and a ranking Senate
Republican which could be the first salvo in a Beacon
Hill fight over the merits of offshore wind farms.

The bill largely duplicates action already taken on
Beacon Hill in the contentious battle over proposed
wind farms.

O'Leary's legislation would require Gov. Mitt Romney
to appoint a study commission on wind farms -
something the governor did earlier this summer when he
named a task force on ocean management.

Developers Cape Wind Associates are seeking to build
130 wind turbines on a 24-quare-mile area of Nantucket
Sound. The development would be the first offshore
wind farm in the U.S.

Part of the wind farm debate has centered on the lack
of regulatory oversight, particularly at the federal
level.

Since Cape Wind's proposal was first aired, several
other developers have proposed wind farms of varying
sizes.

O'Leary, a Cape Wind skeptic, viewed the study
commission as a precursor to zoning of state waters.
He said it would not affect the Cape Wind proposal,
because it would be located in federal waters outside
of state jurisdiction.

"It's not about snob zoning," O'Leary said when his
bill was introduced on the Senate floor. "It's about
environmental protection, and it's about a very
complicated and difficult issue that has truly divided
my community, and I concede that. There are good
people on both sides, people who don't live along the
coastline, who don't have big 'McMansions,' who have
real deep concerns about the impact of that project on
the Cape."

Although passing 30 to 6, the legislation triggered an
intense debate on wind farms between O'Leary and
Senate Minority Leader Brian Lees, R-East Longmeadow.

Lees accused O'Leary of trying to use the legislation
to delay the Cape Wind proposal in Nantucket Sound.

Lees branded it a "NIMBY" issue - Not in My Back Yard
- and accused wind farm opponents of being snobs. Lees
contrasted the wind farm controversy to the creation
of the Quabbin Reservoir.

In an aside, he implied that U.S. Sen. John Kerry had
hedged his position on the wind farm to rake in more
money from the Cape and islands.

"This is as NIMBY a thing as I have ever seen," Lees
said. "There are four communities in western
Massachusetts that are underwater today to provide
(drinking) water for Boston. But you're afraid that a
little view from a $5 million house may be impinged by
some wind farm way, way out. Give me a break.

"We need ways of finding efficient energy. We need
ways of finding clean energy."

State Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, also objected to
the bill, saying it duplicated Romney's ocean task
force.

Also from ENS, attempts are afoot to try to make environmental policy a boon to poor regions in: New Fund Uses Kyoto Protocol to Aid Poor Communities

From ENS, there is an effort underway to help clean up the Great Lakes...

Also from ENN, researchers in Illinois (Champaign_Urbana) are researching the effects of increased CO2 and ozone on crops on a large scale. Read more in: Researchers test climate change's impact on crops

From ENN, more on the British wind farm initiative, including opposition by conservatives who have been out-voted. (I wonder if they own stocks in Halli...naaaaw. Couldn't be.)

Also from ENS,

Healing Our World: Weekly Comment

By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.

Why Is Defending the Earth Considered Extremist?

From ENS, The British are introducing massive new off shore wind energy projects, enough to power 15% of British households when completed. Read all about it in:

Windy Britain Powers Up More Offshore Windfarms

LONDON, United Kingdom, July 14, 2003 (ENS) - Offshore windfarms with the potential to power one in every six UK households were given the green light for development today by Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) released proposals for the next generation of offshore windfarms to provide up to six gigawatts of new energy generation by 2010, enough to power 15 percent of all households in the United Kingdom.

Hewitt said, "This announcement is good for the environment, good for Britain's energy needs and good for jobs. The expansion will create around 20,000 new jobs in manufacturing, installing and maintaining the windfarms. ...Read More

From the Alternative Power digest Yahoo group:

Japan To Launch Major Field Tests For Home Fuel Cell
Systems
Tuesday July 15, 1:01 am ET

TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- A group of Japanese firms,
organizations and local governments will join forces
this year to carry out large-scale field tests of
home-use fuel cell systems, as Japan seeks to lead the
world in the lucrative next-generation energy market.

Japanese companies are shaping up as pioneers of the
new technology and hope to commercially launch in 2005
a stand-alone fuel cell co-generator that provides
power and hot water to the home. Fuel cells generate
electricity, without pollutants, via an
electrochemical reaction that uses oxygen and
hydrogen.

By using such co-generators, homeowners can cut their
power and gas costs, as well as cut carbon dioxide
emissions. The market for the cleaner fuel cell
systems - dubbed mini home power plants - is widely
expected to take off by 2010.

"We started field-testing from last October in 12
sites mainly in major metropolitan areas. This year we
will add 31 new sites throughout the country," an
official at the New Energy Foundation said Tuesday.

The government-backed foundation is leading the
subsidized project. The next round of testing will
commence around September, he said.

The number of companies providing fuel cell systems
will also increase to 11 from last year's six, he
said.

New entrants include Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy
Industries Co. (J.ISH or 7013), Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries Ltd. (J.MHI or 7011) and Hitachi Ltd. (HIT
or 6501). Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (MC or
6752), Sanyo Electric Co. (SANYY or 6764) and Toyota
Motor Corp. (TM or 7203) were among the original
providers.

Firms and organizations, which will cooperate by
installing the systems and conducting on-site testing,
include major power suppliers Tokyo Electric Power Co.
(J.TER or 9501) and Kansai Electric Power Co. (J.KEP
or 9503), oil refiners Japan Energy Corp. and Idemitsu
Kosan Co. , and the Japan Gas Association, an industry
body representing city gas suppliers.

Before the commercial launch of the systems, "we need
to accumulate field data under various working
environments, including cold regions," the official
said. Most of necessary field testing will probably be
completed in the annual project starting this year, he
added.

The fuel cell co-generators will use city gas,
liquefied petroleum gas, naphtha and kerosene to
extract hydrogen.

The domestic market for such co-generators is forecast
to grow to about Y290 billion in 2010 - Y180 billion
in the home-use market and Y110 billion in the
business-use market, Osamu Tajima, general manager at
Sanyo's fuel cell research department, told Dow Jones
Newswires in April.

Sanyo expects that by 2010 fuel cell co-generators
will replace about one third of Japan's annual
gas-powered water heater shipments of about 1.2
million units.

But to make that happen, Sanyo and other makers will
have to overcome a daunting task - reducing the price
of the state-of-the-art device to an affordable level.

"We don't expect users to start feeling they are
reaping benefits unless the unit price is lowered to
Y500,000 or so," Tajima said. His view seems to be an
industry consensus.

With that price, and based on current power and gas
rates, the combined cost of initial investments and
running costs for fuel cell systems will fall below
those for conventional full-automatic water heaters
about five years after installation, Sanyo estimates.

Five other system providers in the project are Ebara
Corp. (J.EBA or 6361), Kurita Water Industries Ltd.
(J.KUW or 6370), Nippon Oil Corp. (J.NPO or 5001),
Marubeni Corp. (J.MRB or 8002) and Toshiba
International Fuel Cells - a joint venture between
Toshiba Corp. (J.TOS or 6502) and International Fuel
Cells Llc. of the U.S., according to the New Energy
Foundation.

ENS has an article stating that U.S. C02 Emissions Will Rise Absent Strong Policy, indicating that voluntary efforts won't be enough to drop U.S. emissions due to market forces absent legislative solutions.

From the Interstate Renewable Energy Council we have a few Great Lakes region news items:

1. OHIO - Wind Energy at Agricultural Education Center

2. OHIO Funds Available for Distributed Energy Resources

3. July 2003 IREC Interconnection Newsletter (Indiana & Michigan grid interconnection issues.)

The following is the text of an interesting debate I'm having with Ross Donald of the Renewable News Network via altpower digest at Yahoo Groups:

Dear Ross,

I'm leaving the rest of this thread here for quick reference.

In a case of solar power vs. oil, coal, or nuclear power, solar would get my vote every time.
In a case of solar power vs. wind energy, I would vote for whichever made economic sense, regardless. Now, before you say "ha! He just said that wind energy makes more sense economically and therefore does not support solar power!" I would like you to reference the context of the conversation. This is about ramping up renewable energy sources to alleviate the very immediate natural gas shortages faced by the USA. There are several points I want to make here, so I will reference them as "bullet items".

1. Both forms of clean renewable power are as far as I can tell, equally attractive from the standpoint of an unlimited, essentially free, renewable power source. The only limits I am aware of are those imposed by availability of geographic locations suitable to collection. I have not done any digging to see which form has more surface area on the planet available suitable to that mode of power production, outside the United States. Within the U.S. and it's coastal waters, it appears to me to be roughly even.

2. Given equal viability for the power source, wind power is currently, given the state of current technology, cheaper to utilize for power production, to the best of my ability to determine.

3. The need for alleviation of energy shortages caused by natural gas availability shortages is very immediate. This type of situation calls for the lowest cost / highest speed replacement of energy supply. We need to ramp up electricity production through another resource that is competitive economically, environmentally, and in terms of scalability with natural gas powered generation.

4. Wind energy is generally more available in winter. Solar energy is generally more available in summer. Natural gas usage is peaking in winter, when it is being tapped as an energy source both for heating of living and working space and as a source of energy for electricity production at the same time. (Granted, if natural gas were to become a large enough contributor to electricity production, air conditioning demand could outstrip heating for peaking demand, but I do not believe we're there yet.)

5. Wind energy has been growing at an average global rate of nearly 30% annually for just these reasons, so the manufacturing capacity mostly exists and could readily be scaled up quickly.

This was the general reasoning I used in making my earlier statement. In order to alleviate the looming natural gas shortage was the context of the topic.

Given a more long term view, the picture is somewhat different. Recently the Earth Policy Institute released an article stating that wind power could meet the total world demand for electricity and transportation needs if coupled with hydrogen could meet projected demand through year 2020 if only ten percent of the Earth's surface with viable wind conditions were available. See "Wind Power Set to Become World's Leading Energy Source" at: http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release-m.asp?objid=||D1D1364B000000F5FFB5EC17C0EFE1B4

What about beyond year 2020? Solar power could conceivably add more generation capacity and take the scope of renewables much further. It makes sense for those who live in areas where solar power is abundant to develop it. The energy economy picture looks to remain very regionalized through the foreseeable future as far as energy sources are concerned. It makes sense from a security standpoint for solar -rich regions to build local generation capacity to offset the need for energy imports in the short term. In the long term, solar power capacity adds will make even more sense globally as the effects of global warming become more and more pronounced and obvious, and the true costs of fossil fuel use are shoved under our noses like a hot potato.

Also, at some point, geographically acceptable terrestrial resources will become saturated for energy production, and the we must leave the planet for any increases in in renewable energy sources, and at that point, solar energy becomes the only easily-reached game in town.

Therefore, in the context of urgency, it makes more sense to lead with wind / hydrogen, and follow through with solar, at least when speaking of utility-scale generation capacity. In terms of individual plants that reduce grid dependency, the picture is far more dominated by which power source is locally available, and solar will make more sense to those in areas where wind is not so available, especially since the cost of production increases dramatically for wind power in smaller plants.

The end result?

Utility scale = wind first, then solar.
Individual independence = whichever is economically feasible in your area, and preferably both due to seasonal availability, especially the further from the equator you live. You will also need a battery string or other energy storage technology to buffer the intermittent nature of either.

I do support solar power, in the sense that it is environmentally sound technology, and in proper perspective for a long term comprehensive plan to transition to renewable power globally. If it had made more sense to me in the context given, I would have suggested it over wind energy. Given the information I have currently, it does not make greater sense to me in that context.

Sincerely,

Dan Stafford

Renewable News Network wrote:

Dear Dan,

Why can't you support solar energy?

You will be tempted to reply, I'm sure, that, you do support solar, but
your words betray you.

You talk about using both solar and wind, but then argue against this,
in trying to promote wind versus solar, when the arguement should be and
is, in fact, that 1) solar is better than natural gas, and 2) wind is
better than natural gas, too, where ever and whenever, the alternatives
can be shown to be preferable.

Wind energy may be cheaper than solar in some instances, and may
as abundant as solar energy in places, and may be able to be ramped
up to meet the same and/or other needs; but all this, in no way,
means that the same cannot be said regarding solar energy, in other
instances.

Its a matter of logic and strategy. Essentially, it makes no sense to
put solar down, in order to build wind up. We don't need a zero sum
perspective, when a synergystic approach is better.

Whatever you may want to say in favor of wind energy is certainly
worth considering. And solar energy advocates welcome most all
support for anyone's particular favorite mode of renewable energy, but
for you to support one resource at the expense of another form of
renewable energy, is counter-productive in many ways.

As to the facts, to state that "Solar is a much more expensive solution"
(than wind) is simply not true, in all instances, without going into
greater detail, in terms of place, price, and technological application.

Let the oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, and utility industries say
that solar is expensive, so that we can argue against that proposition,
together. If you're trying to cozy up to the anti-solar interests, in
order to gain support for wind, by putting solar energy down, you will
hurt both wind and solar.

Yours truly,
Ross Donald


"Wise up." -John Belushi


On 6 Jul 2003 Dan Stafford wrote:

From: Dan Stafford
Subject: Re: Solar Power Cure for Natural Gas Shortage





From: (Tom Waters)
Subject: Solar Power Cure for Natural Gas Shortage

WASHINGTON, DC, July 3, 2003 (ENS) - The Solar Energy Industries Association released an analysis that shows that clean, renewable solar power could replace nearly one-third of the natural gas supply shortage in 2005, if the federal government took steps this year to promote solar expansion.
The news comes amid growing concern that the current shortage of three to four billion cubic feet of natural gas per day cannot be alleviated for several years, at a minimum.
Much of the problem stems from the growing use of natural gas to generate electricity.
"If Congress included a solar power stimulus section as part of its pending energy bill, we could mitigate nearly a third of the natural gas shortfall with clean, renewable power from the sun in 2005," said Glenn Hamer, executive director of the Solar Energy Industries Association, the national trade organization representing solar electric and solar thermal manufacturers, component suppliers, and distributors. The association proposed steps that would allow the U.S. solar industry to meet these goals. First, a federal solar electric rebate pegged at $4 a watt, which would phase out over time. This would be modeled on successful state rebates, or "buy downs." Another proposed step is a 25 percent tax credit on solar system purchases by homeowners, businesses, farms, and government entities. The group wants to extend the wind energy production tax credit to solar, including a temporary triple multiplier for the first 1,000 megawatts of solar to come on line.
The association also urges passage of the other solar provisions pending in the House and Senate energy bills.
"As the President and Congress recognize, the tax code is the fastest way to jumpstart the economy. It's also the fastest way to stimulate new clean energy production to alleviate the natural gas shortage," Hamer said.
________________________________________


Dan Stafford wrote:

Wind energy is far cheaper, every bit as abundant, and could easily be
ramped up to meet the same needs. Considering solar is most available in
summer and wind in winter, a combination of the two would be a much
better solution. Wind power costs are now ranging from 3.5 - 6 cents /
kwh, and could conceivably drop to 1.5-2 cents / kwh if demand fueled
mass-production lines and dropped equipment costs. and the U.S. has the
best wind potential on the planet. Solar is a much more expensive solution.

The latest headlines (Encouraged to be forwarded) from Windpower Monthly relate the state of wind worldwide:

WIND.ALERT FOR JULY 2003 FROM WINDPOWER MONTHLY

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


-------------------------
Australia practising what Europe is preaching
--------------------------
Leading politicians in Australia's states are fighting hard for not only
retention of the federal government's mandated market for green
power certificates, but also for a tougher target for renewables. It is
an interesting sign of the times. Australia is not a country known for
the environmental aspirations of its leaders, particularly when it
comes to clean energy production. To see a diverse range of political
leaders individually taking the same strong action on green power is
a surprising turnabout. But, as our special report from Australia this
month makes clear, it is not concern for the environment that is
driving unanimous support for the national mandate. What Australia's
state leaders have realised is that... (Go to http://www.windpower-
monthly.com/current,#focus to read more about this article)


-------------------------
Australia's business agenda for wind
-------------------------
It's crunch time in Australia. Energy policy is being revamped. The
Mandated Renewable Energy Target (MRET), hugely successful in
giving birth to Australia's wind industry, is up for revision. And the
battle is well and truly on for wind energy to take its rightful place as a
competitive, mainstream power source. Read the entire leader...go to
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/currentleader


-------------------------
Signs of German wind market decline confirmed
-------------------------
The world’s wind energy workhorse is showing signs of exhaustion.
Preliminary reports from developers for the first five months indicate
that Germany is bowing out of its role as a guaranteed market for
thousands of megawatts of wind power each year. Although about
560 MW of new wind capacity was installed, it is nearly 230 MW less
than during the same period last year. If political discussions about
reducing wind energy payments develop into an amendment to
Germany’s renewable energy law, the slow market exit could be
accelerated. We take a close look at the downward trend and the
market prospects ahead.


-------------------------
British development rush under way as Renewables Obligation bites
home
-------------------------
The number of applications to site renewable energy projects in
Britain has accelerated sharply since the UK’s Renewables
Obligation was introduced a year ago. From a steady rise in
applications for siting permits since the mid-1990s, the annual rate of
applications has dramatically shot up, from around 1400 MW of
capacity to over 2500 MW in 2003 for all renewables, reports the
Renewable Power Association (RPA). As we report, wind power is
leading the rush with 1360 MW of permitted projects.


-------------------------
European patent office rules on prior art and GE challenged in
America
-------------------------
After a two day hearing last month, the European Patent Office
(EPO) has ruled on the controversial patent on variable speed wind
turbine electronics held by General Electric Power Systems. The
decision can be appealed, however, a process which can drag the
long running case out for another three years. Meantime, in a bold
change of strategy, world market leader Vestas is challenging GE's
North American version of the patent by launching its brand new
variable speed 3 MW turbine right under the nose of its powerful
American competitor. Read about the EPO decision and what Vestas
has up its sleeve in the July issue of Windpower Monthly.


-------------------------
Controversial transmission policy good news for wind power
developers
-------------------------
The Canadian province of Alberta has decided to build new
transmission where and when it is needed. It is good news for the
wind power producers whose plans have been hindered by crowded
power lines coming out of the province's windy southwest. We report
on how energy minister Murray Smith's plans will create new
opportunities for wind power, including the potential development of
870 MW of new wind capacity to add to the state's current total of
170 MW.


-------------------------
Minnesota mandates masses of megawatt but with nasty nuclear
edge
-------------------------
In exchange for a guarantee that it can continue to operate two
nuclear power plants unimpeded, Xcel Energy is being required by
law to buy as much as 1400 MW more wind generation by 2015. The
change in state law converts a renewable energy objective into a
wind requirement. But while renewables advocates are declaring the
legislation a victory, they also point out that the law has a series of
nasty edges -- none of which are good for the environment nor the
pocket's of electricity ratepayers.


-------------------------
European conference delegates witness emergence of pragmatic
new business agenda for wind development
-------------------------
At last month's European Wind Energy Conference in Madrid, it
became increasingly clear that with the falling price of wind power,
the economic imperative is succeeding the environmental imperative
as the industry's main market driver. Despite this move into the
mainstream, debate was heated on whether European policy for wind
energy growth should be based on mandated premium purchase
prices or a market for trade in green power tags. Windpower Monthly
had a four-strong reporting team on the spot in Madrid. Read our
entertaining overview of the highlights and the lowlights of a busy
conference week last month.


-------------------------
Remote communities seek larger voice
-------------------------
Whitehorse, capital of Canada's Yukon Territory, was a fitting
location for the Cold Climate Opportunities international wind power
conference. With a decade of experience operating two wind turbines
in an area where temperatures can drop to -45 Centigrade, dedicated
individuals have shown what can be achieved when commercial,
utility and government sectors work together. This need to combine
forces and create a larger voice for medium-sized wind in small,
isolated community applications was a strong message during the
conference. Read our special report from Whitehorse in this month's
issue.



-------------------------------------------------------------

As a subscriber to this free Wind.Alert service you get
access to summaries of some of the articles in the current
issue of Windpower Monthly. For the full picture, including
exclusive access to our extensive on-line article archives,
why not try a subscription? As a truly independent news
magazine Windpower Monthly is widely recognised as the
leading title on the international wind power market. It
has long been essential reading for market players and
policy makers in the global wind arena. To subscribe go to
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/subs or visit http://www.windpower-monthly.com to find out more.

For further information on how your company can benefit by
advertising your products or services via Wind.Alert or any
of the other services provided by WindPower Monthly contact
advertising@windpower-monthly.com

For wind power technology facts and figures check out WindStats Newsletter, an unrivalled source of information available to all Windpower Monthly subscribers. http://www.windstats.com


-------------------------------------------------------------

If you like our Wind.Alert service, please feel free to
forward this email to anybody you believe would benefit from
it or find it useful.

If this email has been forwarded to you, subscribing to this
free service will take just a few seconds. Just go to
http://www.windpower-monthly.com/alert and follow the
instructions on screen.

To unsubscribe go to http://windpower-monthly.com/alert,
enter your email address then click the Unsubscribe button.
(Or send a blank email to Wind.Alert@windpower-monthly.com
with Unsubscribe in the Subject line.)

To modify your details, Unsubscribe as above using your old
email address then Subscribe again using your new one.

All contents © Windpower Monthly 1985-2003

==========================================
Windpower Monthly News Magazine
news@windpower-monthly.com
http://www.windpower-monthly.com

My son & I took a swing by the wind farm between Cobb & Montfort, Wisconsin on our way down to my home in the Chicago area. The turbines are located immediately South of the roadway off U.S. highway 18, and there is a wide gravel shoulder, so it's very easy to pull over and snap a few photos, and watch the turbines run for awhile. The things are huge, true giants. They must stand nearly three hundred feet tall from ground to fully rotated-up turbine blade tip. The towers and nacelles must be two hundred feet or so. What amazed my son & I both, was how utterly quiet it was there. There wasn't much wind, and only a few turbines had de-feathered their prop and started spinning, but the ones that were you couldn't hear at all. The only sound I heard was the vehicles passing by on the two lane highway. To me, the turbines were a beautiful sight, adding to the scenery. At some point I'll have pictures, but I'm using 35mm and need to finsh the roll, get it developed, and scan the pics. If I were the farmer across the street, I'd be opening up a tourist stop with a restaurant, viewing tower, camera sales, posters, etc. That extra wide shoulder must be on that stretch of road for a reason, and wind farms often bring tourists from the surrounding region...

From ENN, an evaluation of the Bush Administration's plan for a hydrogen economy is a mixed bag in: Bush's plan for hydrogen-powered transportation will pollute.

I'd also like to point out that ENN has an "Environmental Marketplace" on the rigtht hand side halfway down their home page, subdivided by type of needs met. If you're looking for green solutions to your product or investment needs, you may well find them there.

I'm currently looking into the New Alternatives Fund as a way to invest in the future of clean renewable energy, which they state they focus on. I do not know enough at this point to endorse them, but I would love to hear from anyone with knowledge or experience about investing in this fund.

See General Electric's pages on their wind turbine offerings at: GE Imagination At Work - Wind Energy. It's pretty cool!

From ENN, how to greatly reduce energy wasted by your water heating systems: The ABCs of saving energy and cutting water heater bills.

In another article from ENN, the ACEEE has urged the Bush Administration to include efficiency and conservation as weapons in the battle against natural gas shortages.

Researchers in Wisconsin say they've found a viable and much less expensive way of using a catalyst to produce hydrogen from organic waste in this ENN article entitled Researchers find new metal combination for cheaper production of hydrogen as fuel. (One of the things they want to do is clean up and make money off of wastes from cheese processing plants!)

FRom ENS, a private foundation outlines why it will grant $8.1 Million in funds ti projects in states including Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin: McKnight Foundation Invests $8 Million in Renewables .

Another from ENS, the League of Conservative Voters has issued it's "Report Card" for the Bush Administration's environmental performance. Read all about it in: League of Conservation Voters Slams Bush Record

From ENS, reports that the EPA's recent "State of the Environment" report are in a state of artistic fiction via omission crafting - read about it in-depth at: Doctored EPA Environment Report Raises Questions

Another from ENN, France is modifying their constitution to give the environment as much importance as human rights. Read about it at: French Cabinet approves plan for a new environmental charter.

From Changing World Technologies, a way to take the waste stream and convert almost anything other than spent nuclear rods into ~ gasp! ~ oil. The thing is, this oil is using carbon that is already above the ground, rather than sequestered in ancient underground oil reserves. Imagine flushing your toilet into an oil refinery pipeline...and your drainline, and your plastic containers, used tires, old computers, yard waste, spoiled food, etc, etc, etc...and using non-polluting wind to feed the energy input into the process that creates this oil. Oil which can be refined into gasoline, diesel, heating oil, plastics, etc. OH, and by the way? The process also creates extremely pure water and industrial grade minerals...

Also from ENN, the British are moving fast to take advantage of their huge wind potential - and plannning on moving even faster. Looks like the investment environment in Britain is very good for wind energy investors, too. Check it all out in this article: Gusty Britain is boosting wind power to fight global warming.

From ENN and the Earth Policy Institute, an article to light up our pages - Wind Power Set to Become World's Leading Energy Source.

Some bullet quotes from the above article:

*
"In 1991, a national wind resource inventory taken by the U.S. Department of Energy startled the world when it reported that the three most wind-rich states--North Dakota, Kansas, and Texas--had enough harnessable wind energy to satisfy national electricity needs. Now a new study by a team of engineers at Stanford reports that the wind energy potential is actually substantially greater than that estimated in 1991.

Advances in wind turbine design since 1991 allow turbines to operate at lower wind speeds, to harness more of the wind's energy, and to harvest it at greater heights--dramatically expanding the harnessable wind resource. Add to this the recent bullish assessments of offshore wind potential, and the enormity of the wind resource becomes apparent. Wind power can meet not only all U.S. electricity needs, but all U.S. energy needs."

*
"If the huge offshore potential is added , it seems likely that wind power could satisfy not only world electricity needs but perhaps even total energy needs."

*
"Wind is popular because it is abundant, cheap, inexhaustible, widely distributed, climate-benign, and clean--attributes that no other energy source can match. The cost of wind-generated electricity has dropped from 38¢ a kilowatt-hour in the early 1980s to roughly 4¢ a kilowatt-hour today on prime wind sites. Some recently signed U.S. and U.K. long-term supply contracts are providing electricity at 3¢ a kilowatt-hour. Wind Force 12 projected that the average cost per kilowatt hour of wind-generated electricity will drop to 2.6¢ by 2010 and to 2.1¢ by 2020. U.S. energy consultant Harry Braun says that if wind turbines are mass-produced on assembly lines like automobiles, the cost of wind-generated electricity could drop to 1-2¢ per kilowatt hour."

*
"Although wind-generated electricity is already cheap, its cost continues to fall. In contrast with oil, there is no OPEC to set prices for wind."

*
"Cheap electricity from wind makes it economical to electrolyze water and produce hydrogen."

*
"With the wind industry's engineering know-how and manufacturing experience, it would be relatively easy to scale up the size of the industry, even doubling it annually for several years".

*
"For energy investors, growth in the future lies with wind and the hydrogen produced with cheap wind-generated electricity."

*
"If the need arises to shift quickly to hydrogen-fueled automobiles, this can be done by converting gasoline-burning internal combustion engines to hydrogen with inexpensive conversion kits."

*
"The energy future belongs to wind. The world energy economy became progressively more global during the twentieth century as the world turned to oil. It promises to reverse direction and become more local during the twenty-first century as the world turns to wind, wind-generated hydrogen, and solar cells. Wind and wind-generated hydrogen will shape not only the energy sector of the global economy but the global economy itself."

And from us here at the Great Lakes Zephyr:

"The breeze always blows in the Windy City,
And all her sisters along the shores,
Could they but blow closed eyelids open,
How rich we'd see we are..."

Looks like it's starting to happen. I strongly recommend reading this article - it's telling us something we need to know and jump on. G.W.B. - take note and find a better place to invest your time and energy.

Also from ENS, the latest on the state of carbon sequestration initiatives, in: Carbon Sequestration Focus of Leadership Forum.

From ENS, Brazil and the U.S have signed an expansive agreement on energy cooperation and collaboration, including developing President Bush's proposed hydrogen economy, and cooperation on new nukes and carbon sequestration. Brazil is the first Latin American country to sign up. Read all about it at: United States, Brazil Forge Closer Energy Ties

A group devoted to renewable energy in Wisconsin: Renew Wisconsin.org. They have a wide range of renewable energy project listings and information on the state.

From the AWEA, a listing of the wind energy projects in Wisconsin.

There are some things I'd love to write here in this space, but I don't think it's time just yet. I don't want to rob the idea of it's power by disclosing it too soon. There are things that could be done in this region to help drive making it a premier area for support and manufacturing for this industry, and I need to contact certain parties to put the wheels in motion before I talk much on it. Anyone that's read through from the early pages knows my resoning for why this area should be a leader in the field of renewable energy. There are many things that add to the bottom line potential of the Great Lakes region as a power-house of renewable energy. But how to get from point A to point Z?

That question could be debated for centuries, I suppose, but the opportunity is now, while the industry is still in it's infancy. First and foremost, the regional governments involved need to form an "Energy Union" to develope policy to move the region into position in the energy industry. That council needs to have real say over energy statutes in member states - and while that might give up some control, it would also create a powerhouse energy production entity that could drive the industry in the area, given the right talent and drive.

A question that needs to be answered, how much authority would such a body have to negotiate an international treaty? Canada also borders on these bodies of water, and the Canadian provincial governments in the region should rightfully be involved. That would not only avoid friction with our Northern neighbors, it would add to the ability of such a body to attract industry players to the region and generate local economic activity in renewable energy on a much grander scale. But how to get such a commission or union truly going?

One can't help but look at the example of the European Union for ideas. They're managing to drive governments that have been at odds for centuries to work together to achieve economies of scale in industry and commerce. If the Americas do not follow suit, they will be in time left behind by Europe and Asia. Already Europe and especially the Netherlands are taking a significant lead in energy independence by strong investment in developement of wind energy. They are running a nearly continuous 25% annual growth in wind power, and starting to get seriously involved in offshore wind farming. So what happens if the United States and it's neighbors do not follow this example, or better yet, take the lead?

Our national security is seriously jeopardized by continued reliance on Mid-Eastern oil. Our lines of supply are long and vulnerable to attack. Never forget the past colonial drives of European nations building empires, or the vast asian empires of the past. If we remain reliant on a power source that is produced halfway around the world, those who do not rely on it will have the ability to destroy it and crush our industry without suffering the same fate - and may in fact feel compelled to do so because the environmental impact of our continued use of such fuels is global in nature, and a threat to them as much as to us. This reliance is driven largely by a political coup pulled off by big oil interests in the U.S. executive branch and years of huge public utilities playing ball with oil companies because that's where the money is. Greed could literally destroy this nation, for no matter how powerful our military, it won't stand up to a world united against an environmentally monstrous bully. I have to wonder just exactly how much cross-ownership there is between oil companies and power utilities? Personally, I feel that any fuel suppliers should be forbidden to have ownership in utility companies. I believe that utility companies should be owned by the non-corporate residential customers they serve through stock ownership that is divvied up amongst the population in the area the Utility serves - and that every share should have the right to electronically vote on every issue. It would be interesting to see the results of the energy policy poll that would be...

This is not likely to happen in this country, however. There is far too little organization by the common man in the United States for the power base to be created, although internet based political action groups are making some strides in that direction. I still believe too many make their political decisions through either the inaction of a sense of hoplessness, or raw emotion rather than logic and candiates' voting records. It also is not easy enough to see who stands where on what issues and compare those statements with past voting records for career politicians.

Nevertheless, we are facing serious climate issues, and we MUST take immediate action to redeem our technology and align it with the natural processes that support life on this planet, or face global devastation, and even possibly render the planet lifeless through rapid and catastrophic climate change. In the face of that, it seems every nation on Earth but ours will make an attempt to address the issue. However, the time frames being looked at are in the range of better than a century to completely remove fossil fuels from energy production. This is not fast enough. We've ALREADY poured enough greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere to push the Earth's climate to the edge of habitability over the long term. And we're still turning the burner up on the stove.

We need several things to happen:

1. All taxes should be taken off of energy and equipment that is produced anywhere in the worldfrom renewable sources or for them. This should include any corporate income taxes on infome derived from renwable energy production, servicing, or equipment manufacturing. Tarrifs on such energy or equipment should not be alliowed to exist.

2. All income paid out by individuals in every country for energy from a renewable resource should be 100% tax deductible. So should donations to projects or groups that support or install renewable energy generation equipment.

3. All laws restricting the construction of renewable energy producing equipment other than for protection of endangered species should be rendered unlawful at a federal or global level.

4. Every utility customer should have the right to choose a renewable energy source if it's available, and all utility profits should be required to go into constructing renewable energy power plants until such time as their power plants are 100% non-reliant on fossil fuels.

5. NO utility should be allowed to deny transmission network access by a renewable energy producer, provided their equipment can meet the same network safety standards that current generation technology is held to. The renewable power producer should be required to split the cost of new transmission facilities with the utility company 50/50 and visa versa.

Put these policies in place, and our national security and domestic economic activity will surge, even as the environmental impact of our energy supply will plummet. There would be a huge domestic job market created at a very rapid rate - because the renwable resources are mostly local in nature - and it's cheaper to transfer the power or hydrogen produced than the intial energy source for power production. This would be a godsend for our battered workers and farmers.

From ENS, the Healing Our World - Weekly Comment: The Earth Is Heating Up Despite the Lies

Illinois Wind Energy is working on Illinois' first wind farm, Crescent Ridge in Bureau County. Read all the press so far at their Project News Page.

Native Energy has a program called Windbuilders that allows you to help fund construction of wind farms on Native American reservations and small family farms for a very modest yearly contribution. It's early in the game on this project, they're still putting up their first turbine on the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota, but it looks like a family-owned farm in South Dakota will be next. The company that is handling the farm-based mills specializes in wind farming on small family farms in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa. The first Minnesota project will make this an official Great Lakes region story, but joining is something you can do now to help. The grid that the South Dakota mills are being connected is the heaviest relier on coal in the nation, making the environmental impact of the wind turbines maximized in benefit.

ENS also has an article on a pact on hydrogen economy developement recently signed by the U.S. and the E.U. at: Trans-Atlantic Fuel Cell Development Pact Signed

ENS has noted the lack of renewable and conservation groups at the upcoming Natural Gas Summit, with these groups sending a lwetter requesting representation at the summit in order to put some of their potential solutions on the table. Read about it HERE.

We're up to five mp3 recorded wind poems now at Our Wind Poetry Page, and there are several others viewable in text only format that will be recorded in time.

Couldn't help myself, I was inspired to a new poem by the way I feel about all this:

Becoming Druid:

You walk under the stars and changing skies,
The scent of the Mother slowly invades your heart,
Reaching in with tears and whispers and dreams,
Aspirations for cleaner lives flash burn in the heat of intuition,
And in that moment of inner light you feel her cry,
Saviors operating in bits and pieces,
Like ants we are many dispersed,
Like leaves we feel the wind and sun and they are good,
Working always to bury the detritus that beetles dig up,
This amazing awe in each place untouched,
Poetry is life and life has verses of it's own,
Hearing the whispers in a rainbow will tell you,
But when your un-trained inevitable vision quest comes on you,
There are no other choices because it's your nature,
Our nature but only so many achieve it,
Once the light shines down on you,
Learning to live it in some form of harmony,
Only on that path will the spells and whispers and words,
Add to the bones being shaken,
Bring the wave to crescendo and harmonic force,
Plant a bare foot upon the Earth and you are caressed,
Child and clan open your ears,
The green and the blue and the sky are in your eyes,
Crisp and clean is the common goal,
And the Mother is giving warning the undermind slowly hears,
The trees of her lungs are huffing loud,
Heat on the nape of every neck,
And the few first to notice are a named clan,
The Mother is calling them back home,
Under the stars the children with ancient souls,
Fast are becoming Druid,
And the stars in their eyes best we pray,
May save us all.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 06/19/2003

Author's Comments:
More and more I find that I want to learn how I can help
heal the Earth - and every day that I read about others
who sense the same urgent beat of time I do,
I realize that this is what my idea of Druid is. Were we
called to these births in this time by God? I hope the sum
adds up in time.

Also from ENS, Presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt is embracing wind, solar, and hydrogen: Gephardt Vows to End U.S. Foreign Oil Addiction

From ENS, an article on a new and broadly bipartisan coalition to move US energy policy in a direction more compatible with oil independence and renewable energy: Group Aims to Take Politics Out of Energy Policy

An in-depth series of articles and essays on Global Warming, the how's, why's, what will happen's, and what you can do to help reduce impacts and effects from ENN: http://www.enn.com/indepth/warming/index.asp

Senator John Kerry on energy independence: Kerry Touts Security Through Energy Independence from ENS.

A good reference on the geology, origin, history, and climate of the Great Lakes from the EPA...

An interesting article from a Canadian who cares... Tapping into wind turbines By Bob Hunter on EYE Weekly

From ENN, a Cal Tech study indicates there is potential for destruction of up to 8% of stratospheric ozone if an emerging hydrogen energy economy is not cautiously developed to eliminate hydrogen leaks. Read about it at: Ballyhooed hydrogen fuel cells may have environmental drawback. Even with ozone depletion a possibility, hydrogen is still far less impactive on the environment than fossil fuels.

An interesting discussion of issues with offshore wind plants, including some specific to such plants in the Great Lakes. Read it HERE.

How to buy green power certificates online and directly help increase renewable source energy production no matter where you live: Renewable Choice Energy.

October 2002 Energy Tidbits From the state government of Michigan outlining good energy news around the Great Lakes region. Well worth checking out.

Cargill Dow LLC, a Minnetonka, Minnesota company, is quietly building a green revolution in packaging and bedding materials made out of corn byproducts. How about a clear wrap that looks like the petroleum based plastics currently used for most products, and acts like plastic, but that composts into organic fertilizer in six weeks and is made from corn byproducts? Or bedding for your home that feels like cotton or silk but can be composted after it's worn out? Made right here in the Great Lakes region, and already marketed globally, read all about this fast-growing boon to the environment and our farmers at: In "green" container, corn replaces petroleum from Planet Ark.

It appears that Chicago Tribune commentary writer Molly Ivins feels the breeze; read her 06/12/2003 opinion letter: Here's How the Wind is Blowing.

From EcoISP: Great Lakes shoreline developement protection fund...

An internet service provider that helps: EcoISP - donates 50% profits to ecocauses & shares econews...this is a great resource for dial-up. I'm still investigating if they have a broadband offering.

The Irish are building the world's largest offshore wind farm, 520 MW and when complete, THREE TIMES the current capacity of every existing offshore wind plant on the planet combined. Check it out! "Phase 1 of the project, when operational, will replace some €330 million of imported fossil fuels. The social benefit of avoided pollution is estimated at €25 million ($22.3 million). " We could be doing this.....

An excellent series of average annual wind resource maps well subdivided by region and state. From the looks of it so far, Minnesota has the best wind resource on land, followed by Michigan, then Illinois, then Wisconsin, then Indiana. This is not counting out on the lakes. Take a look-see for yourself.

Green Nature's pages on The Great Lakes' environmental issues and ecology is interesting and a good solid basis for understanding the natural surroundings of these lakes and their environmental challenges.

From ENN & The Green House Network: US Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL) to be Honorary Chair as Green House Network, in Partnership with The Field Museum, adds Chicago to its Environmental Awareness Raising Series of Runs/Walks. Check it out.

The Nuclear Free Green Energy Task Force - a Great Lakes region environmental group dedicated to energy conservation and clean renewable energy source developement in the Great Lakes region. Check them out!

Interesting and more interesting - a New York wind farm developement near the shore of Lake Eerie, with a wind developer considering putting turbines on the lake itself, and of course, mis-informed controversy over the project. Read all about it in the Great Lakes Environmental Directory article from January 2003...

Just an early FYI, but I am working on a possible project to document the stories of renewable energy suppliers in the region. I will so note any entries that become available.

Michigan residents - the benefits of purchasing green power from Bay Windpower - Equal to taking one car off the road and planting an acre & 1/2 of trees for every year you purchase it, keeps jobs and economic activity local, decreases foreign oil dependence, lessens economic support to potentially hostile foreign nations, and promotes further spending on renewable energy equipment installations. Check it out...

An interesting take on Great Lakes wind energy potential and current status from the Energy Star program. (Appliance efficiency and conservation certifiers.)
How much power can be produced?

The 2004 American Wind Energy association's expo is coming to CHICAGO !!!!!

Find details:

"The World of Wind Energy is coming together at
Global WINDPOWER 2004
Chicago, Illinois, USA
March 28-31, 2004
http://www.awea.org/global04.html"

Other briefs from Windletter:

The wind Production Tax Credit is still under debate on the Senate floor, and a nation-wide RPS that would have required 10% of the nation's energy to come from renewable energy sources by 2020 was defeated entirely along party lines, with all Republicans voting against, all Democrats for. The AWEA is still actively lobbying both issues. (These are really important and huge drivers of renewable energy source generating capacity installation. If you feel renewables are good for our nation, PLEASE write your congresspersons in support of these measures.)

----------- Quote ----------------
"Thirteen business, environmental, and energy policy organizations, including AWEA, all members of the Sustainable Energy Coalition delivered a list of renewable energy priorities for the 108th Congress to the Majority and Minority leaders of the U.S. Senate as well as the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Committees on Finance and Energy and Natural Resources.

The organizations called upon the Senate, as it takes up consideration of national energy legislation, to support "a dramatic expansion of renewable energy production from our biomass, geothermal, incremental hydropower, solar, and wind resources." Such an approach, they argued, would "immediately benefit the economy and the environment as well as our energy and homeland security."

The priorities list includes production and investment tax credits for renewable energy sources, uniform interconnection and net metering standards, fair transmission access, a renewable fuels standard and a renewable portfolio standard, and a doubling of funding over the next five years for renewable energy research, development, and deployment activities.

The Sustainable Energy Coalition is a coalition of business, environmental, consumer, and energy policy organizations founded in 1992 to promote increased use of renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies.

For more information, contact Ken Bossong, e-mail kbossong614@yahoo.com , or go to the CoalitionWeb site at http://www.sustainableenergy.org ."

------------- End Quote ------------------------

The presence of commercial-scale wind turbines does not appear to harm property values, according to a study the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) presented at WINDPOWER 2003, AWEA’s annual Conference and Exhibition held May 19-21 in Austin, Tex. (Next one's in CHICAGO!!)

They used properties located within five miles of wind plants of 10 MW capacity or greater installed between 1998-current for the study. They found property values actually ROSE quickly after the projects came on line, and that property values in the areas near the wind farms outperformed those further away over the long term as well.

New projects:

------------ Quote ------------------------------

"AWEA reported at the end of the second quarter of 2003 that the U.S. wind energy industry is on track to install 1,100-1,400 MW of new capacity this year, despite the power generation industry's generally poor outlook. The growth that is underway across the country is expected to increase U.S. installed wind power capacity from current levels of close to 4,700 MW to approximately 6,000 MW (enough to serve 1.5 million homes)."

------------ End Quote ------------------------

In the Great Lakes region:

State Project / Total cap / Developer / Utility / Manufacturer / # turbines / Per turbine cap.

Illinois Crescent Ridge / 48 / Illinois Wind Energy / Com Ed / NEG Micon / 32 / 1.5MW
Minn. Chanarambie / 85.5 / enXco / Xcel Energy / GE Wind / 57 / 1.5-MW
Minn. Moraine Wind Power Project / 51 / PPM Energy / Xcel Energy / GE Wind / 34 / 1.5-MW
Minn. Farmers’ Cooperatives / 24 / DanMar & Associates / Xcel Energy / Great River Energy / Suzlon Energy / 24 / 1-MW
Minn. McNeilus Wind Farm / 22.8 / Garwin McNeilus / Xcel Energy / NEG Micon / 24 / 950-kW
Minn. Viking / 12 / enXco / Xcel Energy

------------------------------

Students at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn drove the installation of a 10kw Bergey turbine at the college. Siting is not the best due to a prominent urban setting and the associated chaotic airflow from surrounding buildings, but they are setting an example.


SOURCE: AWEA Windletter

Quoting This month's AWEA Windletter on how the cost of electricity is derived from operational figures for a utility scale wind plant:

"The main drivers that impact the cost of electricity from a wind plant are the following: the yearly amortized cost of building and maintaining the plant, divided by the amount of electricity produced.

This can be expressed through the following formula:
cents/kWh = (capital recovery cost + operations and maintenance cost)/ (kWh/year)).

Additional revenue streams, such as the production tax credit and a 'green' credit where available, further reduce the cost to the consumer that the wind farm owner must charge to gain a good return on investment.

Money In

In order to determine how much electricity a wind farm could produce, the first place to start is to get a good idea of the wind resource available. Since the energy in the wind is related to the cube of the wind speed [Power in the Wind (W/m2)= (wind speed)3 x ½(air density) x swept rotor area], small variations in the wind speed can lead to large changes in power output. For example, according to industry estimates from a couple of years ago, a wind farm at a site with wind speeds of 7.15 m/s (16 mph) would cost 4.8 cents per kWh, where one at a site with wind at 8.08 m/s (18.07) would cost 3.6 cents per kWh, a 25% reduction in cost.

In general, utility-scale wind farm developers look for wind speeds of greater than 7 meters per second (m/s, 15.66 miles per hour) at the height the generator will be placed. Wind speed measurement technology is improving, which helps developers more clearly define what the potential energy resource at specific sites and different hub heights will be.

Electricity production is also related to the swept rotor area, which is a factor of the square of the length of one blade. Since energy production is exponentially related to size, but the cost of the turbine is related linearly to size, the drive toward larger turbines has been one of the main factors behind wind power's dramatic reduction in costs.

Another main element in determining how much electricity a wind farm can produce is the reliability of the technology how much of the time the wind farm is available to operate. Where some of the early wind turbines that were installed in California were available to produce electricity less than a third of the time, today's technology is available to take advantage of good winds more than 98% of the time.

Money Out

After determining how much electricity a wind farm could produce, the next question is how much it will cost to build and maintain.

The benchmark figure that the wind industry uses to calculate costs for installing a wind plant is $1 million per megawatt of installed capacity. According to Gates, about 70% of a project's cost is the turbine itself. Other industry analysts confirm that about 10% goes toward legal and financing fees, and about 20% goes toward construction. In addition to the economies of scale related to turbine size discussed earlier, larger wind farms also bring economies of scale in construction and transaction costs. Assuming the same wind speed of 8.08 m/s, the same wind energy analysis as above estimates that a 3-MW wind farm would produce electricity that cost 5.9 cents per kWh, whereas a 51-MW wind farm would produce power for 3.6 cents per kWh, a nearly 40% drop.

A rule of thumb for operations and maintenance costs is about one-half to two-thirds of one cent per kWh generated.

The other main cost factor that must be put into the final cost of energy calculation is the capital recovery cost, or how much money needs to be returned to the debt and equity providers. For debt, the longer the term of the loan and the more secure the power purchase agreement, the lower the interest rates will be. For equity, returns vary with risk. According to Gates, because the technology is a relative newcomer, the perceived risk of a wind farm may be higher than the actual risks, which leads to higher requirements for returns on investment.

After calculating how much electricity the wind farm is likely to produce and how much it will cost to finance, build, and maintain it, one can get a good idea of what the electricity will cost to produce. Other revenue streams such as the value of the production tax credit and "green credits" help to provide an adequate after-tax income to the owner, while keeping the price of electricity low enough to compete with other resources.

In the best wind resource areas with the value of the production tax credit taken into account, wind has been reportedly selling on the wholesale market for prices less than three to four cents per kWh, a level that compares well with the cost of power from new coal or gas-fired facilities. "

--------- END QUOTE -----------------

Clearly proper siting is imperative in being cost-competitive with fossil fuel and nuclear, but also clearly, there are plenty of sites within the U.S. that meet the siting requirements for energy density of wind power - including the Great Lakes.

This is excellent - the Environmental Yellow Pages has a page on Canadian groups and firms. This is good to know, as we share this great resource with our Northern neigbors. See their listings for further info.

Another from ENN, this should really be helpful to the economy in our area, and also replace the use of approximately 250,000 barrels of foreign oil a day by 2015: Senate approves measure to double use of ethanol in gasoline.

From ENN, more on the fresh water issue, one in six people on the face of the Earth lack regular access to safe drinking water and a child dies every eight minutes due to foul water or dehydration. Here's what they want to do about it, for starters: "Dying for water," world marks environment day.

ENN just came out today with an excellent in-depth look at the ins and outs of political lobbyism for the environment, including limitations on non-profit environmental groups with various types of incorporation, where to get information on voting records, what groups are involved, and much, much more. This is an excellent information source, I highly recommend anyone who cares for the environment to read it at: With polluters in power in Congress, a green electoral strategy is gaining traction

From Windpower Monthly: This month's focus: Fighting fear in the finance sector with the
lure of green tag trade; The wind sector should be overrun by financial institutions stumbling over themselves to get in. The fundamentals of the sector are strong, wind is moving to the mainstream and alternative investment opportunities lack appeal. But arranging finance for a wind project has become difficult, if not impossible. Why? Wind is... (Go to http://www.windpower-monthly.com/current,#focus to read more about this article)

Also from ENN, a massive, $21 million effort by 500 scientists in over 70 countries: Upcoming Reports Link Human Well-being and Nature This is a global scale effort to assess the issues we face and attempt to find solutions. Interesting reading, indeed. They sure need what we could be doing...

Yet another from ENN today: Commission's 3-year study cites dire need for new approach to U.S. oceans It seems at least as much oil is running off the land into the oceans every eight months as was released by the Exxon Valdez tanker spill. Renewable energy combined with a hydrogen economy could also mitigate that problem. And we have a huge piece of the answer right here, sitting under our noses, waiting to make our local economy jump leaps and bounds if we open our eyes to it. Even as we help save the environment and people's very lives by doing it. If that isn't a win-wind proposition, I don't know what is. Go check out the article...

ENN also has another very important article: World's water supplies under threat from irrigation, says United Nations. This is no surprise to me, it's been going on for many years, but it's reaching critical stages that will begin to have huge impacts world-wide very soon. One thing before you go in, offshore wind plants producing hydrogen on the oceans could help offset this trend by increasing the world's fresh water supplies after the hydrogen is burned. Think about it - millions of tailpipes outputting steam instead of smog. Household fuel cells outputting distilled-quality water for residential use after they use their fuel to produce electricity to provide energy. These are some of the things renewable energy resources combined with a hydrogen economy can do for us all. And remember, the Great Lakes hold one fifth of the ENTIRE WORLD's supply of fresh water. Where are they going to look when they run the underground aquifiers dry if we don't make some moves, hmm? Considering we're talking millions of peoples' lives here, things could actually get very...aggressive.

Interesting article here, ENN is reporting that Three States Are Suing The EPA over failing to enforce carbon dioxide emissions laws, and others are acting on their own to reduce emissions.

Back to Kettler Ecological Design - there is a very brief background on their renewable energy posters, which were designed and published in 1984. Also pricing and purchase information. I also found out that Alan Kettler is an alumnus of the University of Michigan in Geology. That makes it an official Great Lakes story. You can find out more about the posters at his page: http://www.kettler.com/posters.html There are four posters covering solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal. If possible, we may have more on Alan Kettler's story in the future. These posters would look wonderful in any collection, and they remind me of the style used in the Southshore Line rail posters. Almost art deco, almost. Beautiful work here.

From the AWEA Small Wind News & Alerts Yahoo group today:

Subscribe: awea-smallwind-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awea-smallwind

USDA EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR $23 MILLION IN RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANTS

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2003-USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development
Thomas Dorr today announced that the deadline for applying for grants
under the Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements
program has been extended from the original date of June 6, 2003 to June
27, 2003.

The deadline was extended to allow additional time for applications to
be developed and submitted for the $23 million in grant funds. The
notice extending the deadline for applications will appear in the
Federal Register on Monday, May 19, 2003. Also included in the Federal
Register notice will be information clarifying financial and other
requirements for the grants along with information on how to access
useful resources to assist in the applicant's preparation of the
application. Such resources include the Department of Energy and the
Agriculture Market Resource Center, funded by USDA Rural Development in
July of 2001. Resource information will be also be available on USDA
Rural Development website at www.rurdev.usda.gov

The grant program is available to eligible rural small businesses,
farmers, and ranchers to develop renewable energy systems and make
energy efficiency improvements to their operations. Applicants must be
U.S. citizens or legal residents and have demonstrated financial need.

Grant funds may be used to pay up to 25 percent of the project costs.
Eligible projects include those that derive energy from wind, solar,
biomass, or geothermal sources. Projects using energy from those sources
to produce hydrogen derived from biomass or water are also eligible.
The program was authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill, and is conducted in
collaboration with the Department of Energy.

The original Notice of Funding Availability for the grant program,
including detailed information about program requirements and how to
apply, was posted in the Federal Register on April 8, 2003.

USDA Rural Development's mission is to deliver programs in a way that
will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of
life of rural residents. As a venture capital entity, Rural Development
provides equity, liquidity, and technical assistance to finance and
foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical
community and technology infrastructure. Further information on rural
programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by
visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.

Link to NOFA:
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/nofas/2003/rep040803.pdf

Instructions & template:
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ok/

There's not much time left for this year.....and I strongly urge you to subscribe to this group. Many states have programs as well.

An excellent article on some happenings in wind energy in Michigan. It seems Bay Windpower has been collaborating on the low speed turbine project with the DOE and others and they also have a manufacturing plant (since the 1980's) located in MIchigan for utility scale turbines. See the article for further details. (This one is really good.)

Borrowed from the alternatepower Yahoo group -

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2003 08:20:10 -0000
From: "saunderj"
Subject: OT: Amory Lovins interview 8:00 PM, Tuesday June 3, KQED radio

http://www.kqed.org/programs/program-landing.jsp?progID=RD13

http://www.cityarts.net/n.lovins.html

This is a great interview, with lots of interesting perspective
on energy efficiency.

From the City Arts web site:

Amory Lovins is renowned for his wide-ranging intellect and unique
problem-solving approach, which he has applied to make breakthroughs
in fields ranging from automobiles to energy. His work has
consistently focused on harnessing market forces to promote resource
efficiency as a solution to a variety of economic, social, and
environmental problems. Trained as an experimental physicist, Lovins
rose to prominence during the oil crises of the 1970s when, still in
his 20s, he challenged conventional supply-side dogma by urging that
the United States instead follow a "soft energy path."

In 1982, Lovins co-founded the Rocky Mountain Institute, a Colorado-
based applied research center that fosters the efficient and
restorative use of resources to create a more secure, prosperous, and
life-sustaining world. The institute has grown to include a 50-member
research staff that is working to protect and enhance natural and
human resources. He has authored or co-authored 28 books and hundreds
of papers, among them Natural Capitalism and Small is Profitable. The
recipient of numerous awards including a MacArthur Fellowship, Lovins
was named a "Hero for the Planet" by Time magazine in 2000.

Listen online at www.kqed.org, or listen in the San Francisco
Bay Area at 88.5 FM.

These are some ideas that sound interesting and possibly could be of use to those in our region as well.

An interesting site - Kettler Ecological Design - these folk use artwork to promote ecological tourism ("Ecotourism"). Here is their page on wind energy, and their home page.

This is wonderful - the State of Michigan's Consumer & Industry Sevices (CSI) website page on renewable energy gives links to several specific projects' websites within Michigan, as well as a basic description of the most common sources of renewable energy. Well worth looking at further!

Please do not get the idea that this site is promoting any given religion - these reports are simply because those of faith I've recognized here bear common cause in their activities with this journal. My personal beliefs are very private and I feel strongly are a matter of personal choice that I am unqualified to direct anyone else on. My readers' relationship to the force or being that is behind our universe is their own business, not mine.

Remember I was mentioning inter-faith movements towards helping steward the Earth's biosphere with renewables and conservation in our region? (If you don't, simply look at yesterday's posts...) Here is an excellent site on just that from Minnesota: Environmental Stewardship Commission - Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota

The battle over ethanol's impact on the environment when blended with gasoline continues. Read all about at: Senate begins debate on increasing amount of ethanol in gasoline, ENN's latest article on the subject. This is important because it impacts farmers in Great Lakes states directly. The sad part is that at the end, they haven't realized they could eliminate half the criticisms by using wind energy and solar power to implement ethanol's production at several stages of the cycle - a move that would give an advantage to Great Lakes region farmers in ethanol crop production - and encourage ethanol producers to locate in the Great Lakes region where such clean power sources are available abundantly, and so are people all over the area that have seen other manufacturing jobs go to Mexico, South America, and China. But of course, that's my opinion on another drop in the regional economic impact bucket that still hasn't fallen from the tap yet...yet...come on, girls and boys, let's all make some noise - to bring those jobs home. Oh, and farmers - increase demand for local energy after they move here by migrating your farm equipment to ethanol and biodiesel fuels rather than oil...every such move pulls the economic activity closer to home...

One last item: ENN article on the Green House Network's upcoming workshop in Boston to combat Global Warming.

And on that note, it's time to say good night. Thank you for stopping by, and remember: Win-Wind!

An excellent article on the Great Lakes weather patterns and seasonal variations and what drives them.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's National Wind Technology Center is working hard to develope utility scale turbines that can market wind energy in the $0.03/kwh range in a class four wind environment at ten meters above ground level, instead of the current $0.05-0.06/kwh. This type of wind environment exists in great abundance along the shorelines of the Great Lakes as stated in the article. (Father off-shore on the lakes the wind resource goes up to class six...) See the article at: Low Speed Wind Turbine Project

Now, this is cool. There appears to be an interfaith cooperative of religious groups including several major single-deity faiths, such as Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, and others working together to help combat global warming through installing energy conserving equipment and renewable energy source equipment such as rooftop windmills and solar panels. From Thomaspaine.com: An Energy-Saving Mission For U.S. Churches By Rebecca Williams of the Great Lakes Radio Consortium. Awesome!

'Night, all...

The Ontario (Canada) Ministry of Energy page on wind power...

An interesting assesment of wind resources domestically by a teacher: Wind Page

Interesting - the 2002 tax rules for wind power production in Minnesota: Tax Rules MN.

On that note, it's time for me to take a break for the night. I hope I've given you readers ample information to review and consider. So far, my primary activity is to bring content from multiple sources and concentrate region-specific articles, sources, theories, and data in one place for you. Being a new start up, we do not yet have the resources to travel the region extensively in search of local stories - so we rely on you, our readers to alert us to news and history about our region. Please, if you know anyone with a related story or experience, or site to share, remember us. Thank you for reading, and good night...

Dan

You have GOT to see this web page! It's published by the Union of Concerned Scientists at: UCS Article on Great Lakes States impact and opportunities on global power. According to this group, "Illinois has the potential to produce 83% of it's electricity from wind power and 35% from biomass sources." These guys aren't even speaking about the potential ON THE LAKES and it exceeds current power generation in the state! It also has some serious news about the other Great Lakes states - such as 12,000 wind energy jobs and counting in Minnesota - the current Great Lakes area leader in Wind Energy.

Traverse City, MI had the first utility scale windmill installed through a utility company-charged premium on power opted for by the utility's customers. See the July, 1996 story: Here. It was also installed on land leased from a family farm owner by Traverse City Light & Power...

An interesting ecological / geophysical study on the Great Lakes - wind and wave energy versus wetland protection. It sounds like the overall outlook is good, and conflict is minimal. Their findings seem to indicate wind and wave power intensive areas are not conducive to most wetland ecologies, and areas where these energy sources do not naturally exist in abundance typically are. God's Country, indeed... See the study page.