As lawmakers battle over the budget and Obamacare, the wind production tax credit could also come under fire. This blog posting from the political paper, The Hill, says House Republicans today are taking aim at the credits at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. “With the federal government currently at a standstill over budget negotiations, it is imperative …
West Coast Offshore Wind Energy Site Evaluated
The federal government is considering leasing an area off the shore of Oregon for a floating wind energy project. This story from North American Windpower says the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will determine the competitive interest in leasing the area for the proposed Principle Power Inc. project. According to BOEM, Principle Power’s proposed WindFloat Pacific Project, which would …
Boston Wind Company to Start Solar Project
A Boston-based wind company is breaking ground on a series of solar projects in Massachusetts. First Wind announced the beginning of the 17-megawatt total projects in Warren and Millbury, the first renewable energy projects in its home state and its first solar development. “It is exciting that we are able to develop and build our very first solar projects in …
Wisconsin Wind Farm Gets Commission Green Light
A Wisconsin wind farm gets the approval to move forward after the developer convinces regulators it can reduce noise levels. This article from reNews.com says the 44-turbine, 102.5MW Highland Wind Farm in St. Croix, being developed by Emerging Energies, got a 2-to-1 vote in its favor from the state’s Public Utilities Commission. The Hubertus-based developer fine-tuned operating plans to comply …
Google Purchases More Wind Power in Texas
Search engine giant Google has increased the amount of wind energy it will use to offset power used in its operations. On the company’s green blog, Google is touting a purchase of 240 MW from the Happy Hereford wind farm outside of Amarillo, Texas. This agreement represents our fifth long-term agreement and our largest commitment yet; we’ve now contracted for …
World’s Largest Community Wind Farm to be in Texas
Everything’s bigger in Texas, right? Well, that certainly seems to be the case for a massive wind farm slated for West Texas. Tri Global Energy, LLC has created Hale Community Energy, LLC (HCE) to be the managing company for a wind farm exceeding 122,000 acres owned by more than 340 landowners and having more than 450 shareholders. As the world’s …
Siemens Unveils Plan for Wind Training Facility
Siemens has unveiled plans to build a new, state-of-the-art wind service training facility in Orlando, Florida. The facility will offer comprehensive skills and safety training to its service technicians and engineers worldwide. The 40,000 square foot center will be located close to the the company’s global Energy Service Division in Orlando and is expected to be one of the most …
European Wind Industry Unites for Growth
CEOs of 13 national wind energy associations from across Europe recently met in Spain to put out a united call for a binding 2030 renewable energy target. Binding EU targets for renewables have driven the wind energy sector to become a mainstream energy technology. “By giving investors certainty, a compulsory 2030 renewables target will allow the wind energy sector to …
Natural Power Expands Operations
Rt Hon Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, recently opened Natural Power’s newly expanded ControlCentre at their global headquarters, The Green House, located in the foothills of Rhinns of Kells in rural Dumfries and Galloway. The company’s NP/ControlCentre (previously known as WindCentre) is a 24/7/365 operational control room, providing site management services round the clock for …
Airborne Wind Energy Systems See Advancements
According to Airborne Wind Energy Labs, a major problem stalling the advance of renewable energy is that electrical energy cannot be stored economically. However, the company says that an airborne wind conversion system, directly charging thermal energy storage, could become the first economical energy storage technology not dependent on specific and rare location features. The proposed system converts wind energy …