November 23, 2010

The wind industry is putting on a brave face. It says that the results midterm election translate into support for renewable energy. At the federal level, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is pushing for an extension of tax incentives.

Denise Bode, CEO of AWEA, is still hopeful the industry can maintain policies that are in place and even expand on its legislative priority, a national standard for the procurement and sale of clean electricity.

MUSKEGON - October 24, 2010 - The latest Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center tenant in Muskegon is a developer of vertical wind turbines and wireless energy management systems.

McKenzie Bay International Ltd. has set up shop as the fourth alternative energy incubator company at the Grand Valley State University energy center. McKenzie Bay relocated its headquarters from Brighton.

"The high-profile facility will provide more than just an office for (McKenzie Bay)," company President Kevin Cook wrote investors this month. "It is a living laboratory featuring on-site distributed generation sources with ample space for public gatherings. It is a perfect location for (McKenzie Bay) to host meetings, seminars and conferences."

October 26, 2010 - Bureau Valley schools are scheduled to host a town-hall meeting tonight to drum up support for what could become Illinois' biggest commercial wind farm.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the North Junior High School, 323 S. Main St. in Walnut.

The district's board of education has unanimously passed a resolution supporting the proposed Green River wind farm, which would place about 190 industrial wind turbines across the Bureau-Lee-LaSalle county region over the next 4 to 5 years.

October 20, 2010

Google is kicking up quite a wind storm. It is doing it along with some co-investors that would eventually ante up a total of $5 billion to build a 350 mile under-water transmission off the Atlantic coastline to harness the wind there.

Boosting the country's off-shore wind potential is the central issue here. To that end, this project, which would take place over at least 10 years, would have the potential of delivering 6,000 megawatts of wind energy to residents along the East coast while possibly displacing some of the region's fossil-fuel usage. That would increase the venture's attraction despite being more expensive than on-land generation.

October 11, 2010

The fast-track review of large renewable energy projects is starting to break the approval logjam. The California Energy Commission just approved the largest concentrated solar power project in the world, though a final sign-off by federal officials is pending.

The clock is ticking for federal stimulus money to jump-start renewable energy projects before key deadlines pass. But state and federal agencies have to sign off on these very same projects without short-circuiting their own processes or public involvement.