A decision by the Kansas Corporation Commission could stymie some wind energy development plans in that state. Westar Energy Inc., Kansas’ largest electric company, had asked commissioners to allow the company to earn higher profits because Westar had invested in 295 megawatts of generating capacity from wind farms in three counties, enough to light up more than 80,000 homes.
This story from the Kansas City Star says regulators have denied the request, and that could keep Westar from pushing for more wind energy projects:
The Kansas Corporation Commission said that the Topeka-based utility’s plans were prudent and that it would be allowed to recover up to $282 million in construction costs through its rates once the wind power starts flowing next year. But the commission refused to increase the profits Westar can earn as a regulated monopoly.
Westar had said it would pursue projects for an additional 200 megawatts of wind-generated capacity. But Bill Moore, the utility’s president and chief executive officer, said Friday that those plans were on hold indefinitely.
“We are concerned about the uncertainty introduced by the commission’s decision,” Moore said. “We don’t see the order encouraging the future development of wind energy in Kansas.”
Westar had wanted to get an additional one percent higher return because of the risk involved in the venture. Ironically, the decision comes after last May’s announcement by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to have wind and other renewable resources account for 10 percent of the state’s generating capacity by 2010 and 20 percent by 2020. In addition, Sebelius’ administration had denied construction permits for two coal-fired plants in southwest Kansas because of the emissions.
So it seems the question for Kansas seems to be: if wind energy is not good enough to give power companies a little more incentive to take that risk, what is?
Among the stories seen as significant to the American Farm Bureau in 2007, renewable energy ranked right up there with the new Farm Bill and issues with migrant workers in the fruit and vegetable crop fields.
Houston-based Nova Biosource is opening up its biodiesel plant at Seneca, Illinois for a financial analyst and institutional investor forum as well as a tour of the new facility on Friday, January 25th, 2008. The new facility will be mechanically complete right after the start of the new year and substantially completed this summer.
Check out this drawing of the facility (on the right). 
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will get the new year underway with a burst of renewable fuels. 
“The great advantage is for the country to have an alternative fuel that helps in the reduction of carbon gas emissions, that reduces pollution,” Mines and Energy Minister Nelson Hubner said at a press conference in Brasilia, the country’s capital.
The National Biodiesel Board says the U.S. is not making near what it could be when it comes to biodiesel. 
International Financier Deutsche Bank (based in Germany, of course) says U.S. wind energy production will grow by 15 percent a year until 2015.
Oakland, California-based Blue Sky Bio-Fuels, Inc. has sent out its first shipment of biodiesel.
History will be made at the 2008 Indianapolis 500 when not one, but two distinctive vehicles will serve as the official pace cars.