WIND ENERGY CENTRAL

[nlightn]

Buyer Beware As (publicly traded) Companies Move To Exploit Hype Around Ontario FIT Program
CleanBreak.com
March 24, 2010
Tyler Hamilton

On January 7 I wrote a post about Burnaby, B.C.-based solar manufacturer Day4 Energy and its sale of 5.1 megawatts of solar modules to Ontario’s Hybridyne Power Systems Canada, which designs and constructs utility-scale solar parks and — according to my post – ”is 47.5 per cent owned by Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc.” I also wrote that “Atlantic and Hybridyne plan to use the panels for a 2 MW energy park in Newcastle, about an hour east of Toronto, and Atlantic will use the rest for a variety of rooftop solar installations, part of its plan to take advantage of Ontario’s new feed-in tariff program.”

The information about Atlantic Wind & Solar was taken right out of Day4 Energy’s press release, in which it said:

Since AWSL’s June 2009 acquisition of Hybridyne Power Systems Canada, the Company has been actively pursuing a number of exciting renewable energy projects that portend a successful 2010 with the achievement of several corporate milestones. The Hybridyne acquisition, followed by the revolutionary Green Energy Act introduced by Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, has led to a strong focus by Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc. on the exciting potential for growth in the rooftop solar business across Ontario, and has quickened the pace of its province-wide marketing efforts in that regard.

Day4’s confusion is understandable, given that Atlantic Wind has been indicating to everyone that the deal with Hybridyne was a done deal. Take the following Dec. 9, 2009, press release from Atlantic Wind, which begins as follows:

Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc. is pleased to report that its 47.5%-owned Canadian affiliate Hybridyne Power Systems Canada Inc. (HPSC) has commissioned the first Hybrid Renewable Energy Supplemented Data center in North America. The groundbreaking system was constructed over the past 6 months for Pizza Pizza Limited.

So you can imagine the confusion among investors in publicly traded (pink sheets) Atlantic Wind when they saw, buried low, this comment in a news release last week about how the acquisition that appeared a done deal is now suddenly “null and void”: “The cancellation of this transaction will be reflected in the upcoming restatement of the company’s quarterly and annual filings.”

Gotta say, this stinks — and regulators should be all over it. I mean, when the acquisition was first announced in March 2009 the company’s stock was trading at just 14 cents. It climbed as high as $4.22 a share by Dec. 11, and is now half that amount and falling. After a year — after repeated statements indicating this is a done deal — suddenly the transaction is null and void? Give me a break.

I raise this for three reasons: 1) I’ve had a couple of readers point it out, and they’re angry as hell; 2) Companies that do this need to be called out; 3) To point out that Ontario’s Green Energy Act and FIT program are going to lure many different folks to the market, some more professional than others, some more interested in talking than doing.

http://www.cleanbreak.ca/2010/03/24/buyer-beware-as-publicly-traded-companies-move-to-exploit-hype-around-ontario-fit-program/

[nlightn]

Has Atlantic Wind and Solar Been Fueled by Hot Air ?
The Street Sweeper
Melissa Davis
3/31/2010

Atlantic Wind and Solar (OTC: AWSL.PK) is suspected of blowing a lot of hot air in an effort to inflate the company’s stock price.

A year ago, AWSL supposedly acquired a 47.5% stake in Hybridyne Power Systems – later touting Hybridyne’s “best-in-class” technology and its access to an expansive research team – for $2 million worth of its own stock. After publicizing a string of stock-boosting projects secured by Hybridyne, however, AWSL suddenly announced this month that it had canceled its acquisition of the company due to an “unfortunate default by the vendor” that rendered the transaction “null and void.”

Notably, Hybridyne itself now claims that the acquisition never took place at all.

To be fair, Hybridyne says, AWSL did offer to purchase the Hybridyne stock owned by some of the company’s original investors. However, Hybridine says, AWSL never actually paid for that Hybridyne stake and wound up defaulting on the entire deal.

“There was an offer to purchase, which was never completed,” says Richard Leverton, chief of media relations for Hybridyne. “They (AWSL) were just pretending to buy the company.”

For its part, AWSL offers a far different version of that story. The company insists that it did in fact purchase Hybridyne – delivering stock and cash to the company as promised – but that Hybridyne failed to uphold its end of the deal.

Yet Hybridyne maintains that it never received any legitimate AWSL shares.

“Every time a date came up when they were supposed to forward some money or shares, they defaulted on everything,” Leverton says. “When they did send some stock certificates, the broker looked at them and said, ‘Are you kidding?’

“The shares were from another company with a sticky label on them … The broker wanted to confirm that they were legitimate shares. We finally asked them to send one share (as opposed to all of them), and they refused to even do that.”

Meanwhile, AWSL’s stock had already taken off. Before AWSL announced its acquisition of Hybridyne – and its appointment of Hybridyne CEO Thomas Cleland as its own chief technology officer – the company’s stock fetched less than 25 cents a share. After AWSL began touting a series of Hybridyne solar projects, however, the company’s stock began to rocket and ultimately peaked last fall near $5 a share.

AWSL’s stock has since lost more than half of its value amidst mounting scrutiny of its business practices. It slipped another nickel, falling to just $2 a share, on Tuesday. But it would have never rallied in the first place, Leverton suspects, without help from the misleading Hybridyne deal.

“Everything they claim on their website is stuff we actually did,” Leverton declares. “If it weren’t for us, their stock would still be 22 cents.”

The Blame Game

AWSL flatly blames Hybridyne for the failed acquisition, however.

When announcing the aborted deal earlier this month, AWSL indicated that it had originally sought to acquire Hybridyne so that it could gain access to valuable technology manufactured by another company with close ties to Hybridyne itself. When Hybridyne allegedly failed to fulfill its obligations, however, AWSL said that it decided to purchase a 60% stake in the actual maker of that technology – identified as Aim Global Energy – instead.

Brent O’Connor, a spokesman for AWSL, reiterated that stand when a respected Toronto-based energy reporter raised concerns about the developments last week.

“When we originally proceeded to acquire Hybridyne, Mr. Thomas Cleland of Hybridyne indicated that they had the ‘exclusive rights’ to this product,” O’Connor stated in response to a recent blog written by Tyler Hamilton, a veteran energy reporter for The Toronto Star. “After realizing that these exclusive rights claims were in jeopardy, in the best interest of its shareholders, and to secure its corporate objectives, AWSL elected to take advantage of Hybridyne’s breach and aborted the acquisition … AWSL made good on its prior (promises) – and actually exceeded its original obligation to shareholders – by acquiring a majority interest in the owner of the technology.”

But Leverton has raised questions about the company that AWSL actually acquired. He portrays Aim Energy (as opposed to Aim Global Energy) as a “solid, real, reliable actual technology company” that’s owned by the co-inventor of its technology – and that’s also “not for sale.” He says that AWSL instead purchased Aim Global Energy, a company “formed within the last month” in an effort to secure control of technology that’s jointly owned by Aim Energy and Hybridyne itself.

“Aside from that,” Leverton says, “Aim Global is a shell company composed of two guys who know nothing about the technology beyond the fact that they can hope to cash in on it by colluding with AWSL.”

Hybridyne has already indicated that it will fight back – in the courtroom if necessary – to retain the rights to technology that the company helped create. But AWSL has suggested that, through its purchase of Aim Global, it has secured control over that technology already.

Moreover, AWSL insists that it negotiated most of the Hybridyne deals itself and will now move forward with those projects on its own.

“All of those projects (except for one) were initiated by AWSL,” the company said on Tuesday. “We were hiring Hybridyne to do the design and integration.

“We’re now working with AIM, the engineering people behind Hybridyne,” the company added. “We don’t need Hybridyne” any more.

Magnet for Controversy

Gilles Trahan, the chairman of AWSL, runs another penny-stock company that has sparked some controversy as well. He doubles as chairman and CEO of MSE Enviro-Tech (OTC: MEVT.PK), which – like AWSL – has come under attack from its former allies.

“I met Gilles in July of 2006,” recalls Megola (OTC: MGON.BB) CEO Joel Gardner. “He had emailed me and said that he was a shareholder in my company and that he could help raise awareness” with investors.

“He had a big place and a Jaguar with $26,000 rims,” Gardner continued. “He seemed like he could help. It worked very well, except that Gilles kept saying we needed more press releases – and I didn’t know what we could say.”

Over time, Gardner says, MGON grew increasingly concerned about MEVT’s business practices as well. As a supplier to MEVT, he says, MGON worried about the company’s lack of insurance – or even a real office -- in particular.

As it turns out, Gardner says, MEVT was sharing a post office box with AWSL and calling that its headquarters.

“We started pressing them to be compliant,” Gardner says. “We said, ‘You have to get business insurance and a real address – like our other clients – or we can’t even do business with you.’”

After that, Gardner says, Gilles retaliated by threatening to hurt MGON. Meanwhile, Gardner says, Gilles somehow arranged for MEVT to sell property rights – which it allegedly didn’t own – to yet another penny-stock company.

In many respects, Gardner’s story sounds eerily similar to Hybridyne’s own.

“All of the sudden, I get a couple of faxes from Gilles in November saying that everything was in default (so) everything was null and void,” Gardner says. “Then a month later, he sells rights that he doesn’t even have.”

Gardner has since contacted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to share his mounting concerns. With the controversies escalating, Gardner hopes that the agency will finally step forward and take some action.

In his recent blog, Hamilton suggested the need for government scrutiny as well.

“The bottom line is that AWSL said it owned a large share of Hybridyne – and continued to say so for several months – and then suddenly said the deal fell through,” Hamilton wrote last week. “I’ve been covering the industry and publicly traded companies for 12 years, and no company makes such claims unless the deal is truly done …

“Gotta say, this stinks,” he declared. “And regulators should be all over it.”

Peter Cohan, a Massachusetts-based investment strategist and frequent stock commentator on CNBC, tends to agree. In fact, he questions why AWSL shares even trade at all.

“I don’t know if this company has anything going for it besides its press releases,” says Cohan, who has no position in AWSL or any other penny stocks. “It has a negative net worth of $1.2 million. It doesn’t seem to have any filings with the SEC.

“So why is this thing even allowed to trade on a U.S. stock exchange?”

http://www.thestreetsweeper.org/undersurveillance.html?i=446

[Mr. Zen]

CFO Martin Baldwin of AWSL gets some good press:

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&id=4509

"A former resident of Stephenville is a key player in a company involved internationally in the wind and solar industry. Martin Baldwin is an executive with Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc. He currently resides in Nassau, but has business interests in a number of companies. Martin is a former money trader with Scotia Bank having worked in places like Singapore, London, New York, Toronto and Jakarta, Indonesia during the currency crisis. Baldwin says Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc is working on a number of potential multi-million dollar projects in Ontario, but is also very hot on Newfoundland and Labrador when it comes to wind power. He pointed out Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc is focused on bringing leading edge technologies to the rapidly changing paradigm of global energy, and the opportunities worldwide are limitless."

Click the link and listen to the audio.

[Mr. Zen]

AWSL Rooftop Solar Division to Focus On Ontario, Seeking Property Management /Real Estate Developers

MIAMI, Aug. 26, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc. (Pink Sheets:AWSL) is pleased to announce the launch of its Rooftop Solar Division that will enable property management/owners/real estate developers to capture new long term revenue/profit streams by selling solar-produced electricity into the Ontario grid at the generous feed-in tariffs (FIT) introduced by the Ontario Government to encourage the use of Renewable Energy (RE.) Ontario's trend setting FIT, also known as "standard offer contract" represents a compelling incentive for all manner of commercial, industrial and institutional buildings to avail themselves of the new revenues and profits made available through Renewable Energy programs.

The Rooftop Opportunity

The Government of Ontario has scheduled the closing of coal-fired generating stations and is limiting the growth and/or refurbishment of nuclear generating facilities, favoring Renewable Energy to meet much of the Province's future electricity demand. Accordingly, the Ontario Power Authority has instituted the FIT Program which offers to buy (at the highest price) electricity generated by rooftop PV solar arrays through contracts running approximately 20 years. Studies confirm an abundance of solar energy available in Ontario -- superior, in fact, to Germany, a world-leading producer of solar energy as a portion of its total produced electricity. Tens of thousands of suitable rooftops are presently underutilized in Ontario, representing a huge target market for AWSL's advanced Micro Energy Park(tm) rooftop solar systems.

Distinct Advantages of AWSL's Micro Energy Park(tm) Rooftop Solar Systems

The Company's Rooftop Solar Division will apply superior technology to maximize power generation and profits under the new Ontario FIT incentives for expanding Renewable Energy use. It will use and exclusively benefit from the technological advancements, close strategic corporate relationships, and IP technology licenses offered and afforded by associate Hybridyne Group of Companies. With its high-efficiency inverter/converter technology and other leading edge technologies, Atlantic will build the most efficient Solar Photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation facilities designed for those rooftops.

The leading edge technology embedded in AWSL Micro Energy Park(tm) rooftop systems will provide enhanced electricity generation and commensurate higher profits. The resultant return on investment (ROI) is maximized, prompting ever-cost-conscious real estate owners and developers to investigate this exciting "new" long term revenue stream.

The Relevance of Ontario's Aggressive Promotion of Renewable Energy

"When the Ontario Government passed legislation of the Green Energy Act on May 15, 2009, with its advanced FIT program to promote Wind & Solar Energy, accolades were heard across the global Renewable Energy industry. This RE milestone is especially relevant to Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc.," said Atlantic Wind and Solar I.R Director, Mr. Brent O'Connor.

"Today's adoption of the Green Energy Act by the Ontario Legislature represents an historic paradigm-shifting legal milestone in the imperative transition to a renewable energy system in North America," said Dr. Hermann Scheer, General Chair of the World Council for Renewable Energy and Member of the National Parliament of Germany.

"Today's passing of the Ontario Green Energy Act represents an historic international milestone as the Act promises to be the most advanced piece of renewable energy legislation in North America," said Stefan Gsanger, Secretary General of the World Wind Energy Association.

About Atlantic Wind and Solar Inc:

Through focused management, strong R&D, state-of-the-art proprietary technology, exclusive licenses, and joint ventures, Atlantic Wind & Solar Inc. is poised for rapid growth at the forefront of the massive global shift towards environmentally friendly, economical renewable energy. The Company is positioned to achieve significant inroads into key sectors of the annual $200 billion renewable energy boom that is accelerating across North America and around the world.

Disclaimer:

Shareholders and investors are strongly cautioned against placing undue reliance on information set forth in these communications in making any investment decisions concerning our securities.

The matters set forth in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These risks are detailed from time to time in the company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission including the company's Annual Report, Quarterly Reports and other periodic filings. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

CONTACT: Geneva Bancorp.
Investor Relations:
Mr. Brent O'Connor
[phone]
[e-mail]



Link to Post:
http://www.globenewswire.com/news.html?d=172105

[buffalobillsgone]

Deep-water turbine farms

Could the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm become obsolete before it is even built?

Aesthetic concerns have stalled the Cape Wind project, which would erect 130 turbines 5 to 13 miles from Cape Cod and Nantucket. But technological advances in recent years are allowing developers elsewhere to consider building wind turbines farther from shore, where they would be less visible.

Last month, the US Department of the Interior granted the nation’s first ocean leases for exploring the feasibility of large wind farms, with most of the sites 12 to 18 miles off New Jersey and Delaware. New York power companies are exploring the possibility of a vast wind farm 13 miles off the Rockaways. And a 120-turbine farm has been proposed 48 miles off New Bedford.

If these and similar projects prove viable, some wind energy specialists and developers say, they could leapfrog closer-to-shore projects like Cape Wind. Winds are often stronger and more sustained farther from shore.

Yet these proposed wind farms face enormous hurdles. Most will require new, unproven structural designs to withstand fiercer seas and deeper water. They are farther from the onshore electrical grid and more expensive to build. Only one deep-water project exists in the world - a two-turbine test farm 12 miles off the east coast of Scotland in about 150 feet of water.

“People do take Cape Wind into account and try to avoid the same kind of controversy,’’ said Walt Musial, principal engineer of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, part of the US Department of Energy. “But the trade-off is that the deeper the project is, the greater the technical risk in terms of reliability, survivability, and . . . payback.’’

The Cape Wind project is proposed in what wind energy specialists say is probably the best place on the East Coast to build the nation’s first wind farm: in protected shallow waters close to shore. That allows developers to use technology already proven for land-based wind turbines, driving an enormous single steel pole into the seabed and placing a turbine on top.

But in water 100 to 200 feet deep, that same structure loses stability and can cost too much. So a race is now on to construct wind turbines using much the same technology as used for oil rigs. This method would involve driving pilings into the seabed and mounting a structure on top. The turbines are built on land, carried by barges, and then placed on the structure.

In even deeper water, such as on the West Coast, or in the Gulf of Maine, scientists envision floating turbines anchored to the seabed, although most acknowledge the technology is still years away from being economically viable. Blue H, the company proposing a project off New Bedford, hopes to test its design for floating turbines in US waters by 2011.

“Projects in shallow waters visible from shore have been proposed in the US and many have had public support but others have had some resistance,’’ said Habib Dagher, director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, which wants to host a deep-water wind research center at the university and test designs in deep state waters 3 miles from shore. “In Maine, our goal for large-scale commercial development is to go about 20 miles offshore so you don’t see the structures from land, and to capture the best winds. But it’s a big learning curve for that depth.’’

Wind turbines need to be about 20 miles offshore to be invisible from land, many wind researchers say, although those that are at least 13 miles offshore are barely visible most of the time.

There is no rule about how far away an offshore wind park must be to win public support, said Willett Kempton, professor of marine policy at the University of Delaware. Yet surveys he conducted of thousands of coastal residents show there is little opposition to projects at least 8 miles offshore. Yet with no turbines built offshore in the United States, he added, it is hard to gauge public reaction.

Given the opposition to Cape Wind, developers are acutely sensitive to public perceptions. Deepwater Wind, which is hoping to build a two-phase project in partnership with Rhode Island, moved most of the proposed turbines farther offshore than the state had requested to improve aesthetics, wind power, and safety for birds. The company wants to construct up to eight turbines near Block Island, using a structure anchored to the seabed. Then it plans to build an additional 110 turbines about 15 to 18 miles out in federal waters to generate power for sale to the electrical grid. The company also received two of the federal exploratory leases 12 to 18 miles off New Jersey.

“Our philosophy is as far from the coastline as possible,’’ said Jim Lanard, managing director of Deepwater. “We think wind parks are a beautiful sight, but we understand some people don’t like them. The turbines can look - even though they are not - chaotically placed near shore because they are spinning at different times and speeds.’’

Bluewater Wind LLC, which also won two exploratory federal leases, is using technology similar to Cape Wind’s for two large projects 14 to 18 miles off New Jersey and Delaware. Founder and president Peter Mandelstam said the relatively shallow water, strong winds, and proven technology will make it faster and easier to build and maintain a wind farm.

Musial, of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said it makes more sense to build nearer-to-shore projects first, to work out technical problems, before jumping ahead to more challenging conditions farther out at sea.

Closer-to-shore wind turbines are certainly not being abandoned.

The Cape Wind project is waiting for a final federal sign-off. And Massachusetts recently unveiled a draft ocean zoning plan that designates six areas within 3 miles of shore where up to 10 wind turbines could be built in each, but only if most communities want them. The state also set aside two areas for large-scale wind farms offshore from two nearly empty islands.

Ian Bowles, Massachusetts secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said a suite of wind farms - onshore and those at varying distances offshore - are needed to meet ambitious national and state renewable energy goals.

“We are going to need all this and a lot more,’’ he said.

Beth Daley can be reached at [e-mail].

[mick]

the new forum should do well.

[buffalobillsgone]

Oh I set up this board before I took over as moderator for the GREEN STOCK BOARDS.. I really happen to like Wind Energy. I am not going to separate out each alternative energy, if GREEN STOCK BOARDS becomes big enough this board may not be as necessary, but for now i like it.

[mick]

so are you sorting each alternative energy solutions?

[buffalobillsgone]

This article is particularly interesting because it discusses a facet of wind energy that I have written recently about: intermittency. The need to balance out minimum wind hours with maximum wind hours has been one of the major points of contention in regards to ramping up our efforts to integrate wind energy.

This article suggests the possibility of wind power storage.. a very interesting idea that would possibly cut down the need for so many transmission lines. Wind energy storage could have its share of issues as well.. but if it came to fruition any company that takes part in the storage facilities could be among the first of its kind and would be well worth investing in (assuming they are publicly traded of course).

Just something to keep an eye on IMO

[buffalobillsgone]

Ill Wind Blows Over Storage Market

By John Gartner

When it comes to discussing the "need" for storage to supplement intermittent wind energy, industry professionals are of two very different minds.

The majority of wind energy development companies we've spoken with say there's no need for storage; any limitations in the ability to distribute wind power are due to a lack of transmission infrastructure. By contrast, many energy insiders say storage could make the business case for wind even stronger. Objective analysis indicates that while need may be too strong of a word, in many cases storage would greatly benefit wind.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), has taken a firm position against storage, especially onsite at wind generation facilities. According to the recent Pike Research report by David Link entitled Energy Storage Technology Markets, "...The association's official position is that storage systems are not required to integrate wind energy into electric power systems.... AWEA's reticence comes down to simple economics, as developers do not want to bear the additional cost of storage, on top of the cost they are already bearing to deploy core wind generation assets.

This posture is understandable, if not exactly correct. After decades of development, wind power is now approaching the cost of fossil fuel energy in many locations (grid parity), so wind developers don't want to scare investors or lending institutions into thinking that storage is required. That much is true in some cases, especially if you don't care about unutilized power generation that's well, gone with the wind.

At the Storage Week conference, we heard many stories about wind projects that are only harnessing a fraction of the available wind because of low demand at night or insufficient transmission capabilities. Brett Perlman, a former Commissioner from the Texas PUC and now Vice President of Strategy and Development at Atreides Capital, said wind farms in West Texas have a 9 gigawatt capacity, but 4 gigawatts of the wind can't get back to the grid. Just imagine all that energy being wasted, while during the day natural gas and coal plants are in full effect to meet peak demand.

An analogy that springs to mind since it's July -- you don't "need" a bathing suit to cool off in a fountain on the way home from work, but isn't it preferable to walking or riding the rest of the way in a soggy suit?

Perlman says the problem in Texas is insufficient transmission -- an easy argument to make because while sometimes true, power producers usually don't foot the bill and have a strong aversion to even mouthing the world "storage" when they are looking for project funding. Negotations often require transmission commitments to match the wind project before going forward.

Conversely, Dr. Imre Gyuk the DOE's Program Manager for Energy Storage Research (hence a self interest in promoting storage) told of Japanese wind farms that don't put any of their power on the grid at night, instead storing it all and selling the power during peak hours. And they're profitable.

Stephen Byrd, the Chief Economic Officer of Energy Storage and Power, gave another indirect example of why wind companies may be down on storage: its growth could also help to delay the end of some coal power production. Byrd cited instances that in places where wind energy is plentiful during off-peak hours, coal plants (because of CO2 emissions) are being spun down or even mothballed at great cost to their operators so that the maximum amount of wind power is consumed. If storage were available, then the excess energy could be stored and used at peak, with a very low CO2 footprint.

Rather than looking for a yes or no answer, it's best to ask the economic questions to see if they add up. What is the model for cheap and abundant off-peak wind to be stored and sold during peak times? What can be paid per megawatt of storage capacity to turn a profit?

An even more challenging question is: at what point is it better to invest in storage as an alternative to adding transmission lines? In simplistic terms, if you build the transmission line to meet the maximum wind output, you've overbuilt for what you need during the vast majority of the day. But if you build smaller lines and add some storage, you might get greater efficiency.

The biggest related question of them all has yet to be studied: how does the cost per megawatt of storage equate to cost per megawatt per mile of transmission lines, and what's the relative energy efficiency when including losses? Several attendees of the conference asked questions around the periphery, and all agreed that no one -- EPRI, DOE, AWEA, etc, has tried to tackle it, partially because of the complexity of the model due to a plethora of variables.

I spoke with Gary Tarplee, Managing Director of Edison Mission Energy, which develops wind and solar projects around the country. He admitted that "Wind needs storage... but developers don't want to pay for it. They don't want its cost to be associated with their cost."

So if the wind industry is afraid to ask the question, perhaps third party storage companies will. Tarplee agreed that there may be a business case for third-party companies to buy excess wind at night, store it, and sell it during the day. Which leads to questions for another day: Where should the storage be located? At the wind farm? At substations? Closer to the edge?

[buffalobillsgone]

Study Suggests Wind Power Potential Is Much Higher Than Current Estimates

By John Lorinc

Global wind energy potential is considerably higher than previous estimates by both wind industry groups and government agencies, according to a Harvard University study published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.

The new research surfaced just weeks after T. Boone Pickens, citing rising financing costs, scaled back his plans for the world’s largest wind farm in west Texas.

Using data from thousands of meteorological stations, the Harvard team estimated the world wind power potential to be 40 times greater than total current power consumption. A previous study cited in the paper put that multiple at about 7 times.

In the lower 48 states, the potential from wind power is 16 times more than total electricity demand in the United States, the researchers suggested – significantly greater than a 2008 Department of Energy study that projected wind could supply a fifth of all electricity in the country by 2030.


While remote regions of Russia and Canada have the greatest theoretical potential, the Harvard study pointed out that there are real gains to be made in high-emission nations, especially China, which has been rapidly constructing coal plants. “Large-scale development of wind power in China could allow for an 18-fold increase in electricity supply relative to consumption reported for 2005,” the Harvard study said.

The findings are “further validation of what we’ve been saying – that the United States is the Saudi Arabia of wind,” said Michael Goggin, an electricity industry analyst for the American Wind Energy Association.

The authors based their calculations on the deployment of 2.5- to 3-megawatt wind turbines situated either in accessible rural areas that are neither frozen nor forested, or relatively shallow offshore locations. They also used a conservative 20 percent estimate for capacity factor, a measure of how much energy a given turbine actually produces.

In an example of how renewable energy potential can be a moving target, Mr. Goggin explained that the growth in the forecasts can be attributed to the increasingly common use of very large turbines that rise to almost 100 meters.

Wind speeds are greater at higher elevations. Previous wind studies were based on the deployment of 50- to 80-meter turbines.

“As turbines start to get taller,” predicts Mr. Goggin, “we’ll see a lot more capitalization of the resource.”

[buffalobillsgone]

Government Invests in Wind Energy

Dan Shapley

The Department of Energy is starting a new partnership with the nation's six largest wind turbine manufacturers, in an effort to promote research, development and building of new wind farms. The ultimate goal is to provide 20% of the nation's energy from wind by 2030, a goal the DOE says is within reach.

The companies partnering with the government are GE Energy, Siemens Power Generation, Vestas Wind Systems, Clipper Turbine Works, Suzlon Energy, and Gamesa Corporation.

The goal embodies a strategy more often associated with Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who often talk about enacting new wind energy investments to scale up the industry, creating new jobs and reducing the demand for fossil fuel energy in the process. This policy comes courtesy of the Bush Administration, though.

The partnership includes improving wind turbine technology, figuring out where to put turbines so they don't slaughter birds and bats, and developing job training programs.

Wind is the second-fastest growing source of energy, next to natural gas. In 2007, the nation's wind energy capacity grew by more than 40%.

[buffalobillsgone]

JUHL is definitely on my list, thanks!

[nlightn]

take a look at JUHL also,...

basic d/d

- went public in july '08
- focused on *community based energy development*
- over $200 Million in wind farms
- 23 major wind projects
- 11 completed wind farm projects
- 400 megawatts in development


http://www.juhlwind.com/

[buffalobillsgone]

"The Treasury will be launching the web-based application system in the coming weeks and begin making direct payments within 60 days after projects are submitted."

This is in regards to the $3 billion in grant money that the Obama administration is going to hand out to renewable energy companies. What I am going to do is send out a bunch of emails to wind energy companies asking if they are going to be applying for the grant, staying on top of this is important because recipients of the grant money should move ahead a lot faster with wind turbine / farm projects than other companies.. By around early autumn we should start seeing a lot more PR's regarding green energy companies and it means that NOW is a great time to begin accumulating stock.

In addition to wind energy, biofuel and solar power are two other significant renewable energies which should get plenty of grant money.

[buffalobillsgone]

Wind energy news has been a bit sour over the past few days.. it mostly has to do with the rising cost of steel/copper to build turbines and the lack of investors willing to throw down money to help wind power companies construct transmission lines to connect to the electricity power grid. HOWEVER, the Obama administration announced $3 billion in grants for renewable energy just a couple of days ago which is sure to have a serious impact on some major wind projects that have been held up due to a lack of funds.. the big question is: who will these companies be? I am going to do some major DD on that to try and uncover what I can.

You will notice that I posted a chart of SYNJ underneath DUK on the ihub box. SYNJ is going to be going ahead with their PINNACLE ENERGY project which will be incorporating wind energy. For a penny stock, I think the company has some serious potential and should be listed here. Could SYNJ be one of the companies to receive a grant for renewable energy from the Obama administration? We will find out soon!

I have been a bit busy the past couple of days, but I WILL be posting a list soon of some of the big wind energy players to keep an eye on (both penny stocks and big boards).

The future of renewable energy is undeniable -- getting its feet off the ground will take some work, but in a few years the entire alternative energy industry should totally boom if not sooner.. I am still relatively new at investing and I am trying to learn as much as I can, but I hope you take the ride with me, lets make some serious $$$

[pay in cash]

I like the chart on Duke Energy,

the one negative I see is the overall chart for the DOW and NAS are bearish.

The penny stocks don't seem affected when the DOW and NAS are bearish.

SYNJ seems to be forming a handle from the cup and handle formation. This is bullish

[pay in cash]

Nice, I am also learning the charting.

I have decided that I am going to mostly trade alt energy stocks and biotect stocks.

I have your WIND ENERGY CENTRAL on bookmark, and hope I can discuss alt. energy stocks with you and others.

Have a good weekend

[buffalobillsgone]

I use charts to decide the best times to get a POS, but I don't really use them to flip, I'm more of an investor on alt. energy stocks.. I will profit take on the way up, but I really feel many of these green/alt energy companies could become big time players in the coming years. I'm still learning the ins and outs of charting -- I have a candle stick book right near me as I write this lol I am big into DD right now, but I may make charting a more prominent part of my game in the near future, I really want to excel at both.

[pay in cash]

Are you mostly chart player on these alt energy stocks?

[buffalobillsgone]

Added a chart of DUKE ENERGY to the ihub box for us to keep track of.. they are one of the big players right now and should have plenty of room to go up (i.e. Colorado wind farm). However, one of my big goals right now is really to identify the best penny plays for wind energy. I like SYNJ a lot and their PINNACLE ENERGY project should be incorporating wind power. Disclaimer: I have money invested in SYNJ. I will be posting more DD and wind energy companies in the next day or two. I have an extensive spread sheet where I track all companies I am watching with the price per share / industry e.t.c.. I will be pulling out the wind energy companies and posting them here. If anybody has any other alternative energy plays they like just PM me, I am super into GREEN companies, this is the future IMO. Have a good evening everyone!

[buffalobillsgone]

Wind power lotto play -- RSGR is at .0001

This news was from mid-June

Resource Group International, Inc. Has Signed an Agreement to Develop Several Wind Energy Projects
40 minutes ago - Market Wire

Related Companies
Symbol Last %Chg
RSOGE 0.00 0.00%
IDVI 0.0002 0.00%

As of 12:00 AM ET 6/16/09
Resource Group International, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: RSGR), today announced that the Company has signed an agreement to develop several wind energy projects in South America beginning with Chile.

Resource Group is partnering with ANPL G.P., through its Chilean subsidiary ANPL Latin America Limited, and has signed a "beneficial" agreement to construct several wind farms for a total capacity of 850 MW.

At first, they plan to install seven wind farms, each with a capacity of between 60 and 150 MW.

It was also established that each of these farms, once operational, will provide its production to the Interconnected System of Norte Grande (SING) and the Central Interconnected System (SIC) of the country.

This agreement enables Resource Group to have exclusive access to projects that ANPL is currently developing, while allowing the company to acquire them, once they obtain the permits from the Chilean authorities.

Thus, Resource Group begins to make a strong and true presence in Latin American markets, and specifically in the area of wind energy production in the region.

"Green energy is a focus of Resource Group and looking for opportunities around the world has been our goal since the company was established," Gregory J. Curry, CEO and President of Resource Group, commented. "Developing partnerships with established companies in regions around the world enables Resource Group to leverage its ability to participate in these opportunities. The future is green and the future is bright for the Company. We are very proud of our ability to identify and capitalize on this growing sector and we are continuously looking for opportunities around the globe."

About Resource Group International, Inc.

Resource Group International is a multi-faceted corporation that is developing businesses in the energy, power and food sectors around the world. Resource Group specialized in the research, discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary technologies that will enhance the production and efficiency of business in the energy and food sectors. Resource Group's goal and vision is to become a major player and the world's leading developer of breakthrough products in the energy, power and food businesses.

Forward-Looking Statements

Please be advised that statements made herein, other than historical data, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, potential volatility in the company's stock price, increased competition, customer acceptance of new products and services offered by the company, and uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and fluctuations in its quarterly operating results. Please also be advised that the company's stock is not currently registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:

Investor Relations
E-mail: [e-mail]
URL: http://www.resourcegroupinternational.com


SOURCE: Resource Group International Inc.

mailto:[e-mail]
http://www.resourcegroupinternational.com

[buffalobillsgone]

What can we take from Pickens?

Well, I am gonna give it a go. One of the major factors that Pickens mentioned during his announcement to suspend operations on his mega-wind farm was the lowering cost of natural gas. The issue here is intermittency. Wind power by its very nature is a rather inconsistent energy source. Naturally, there will be periods of low wind (even in areas such as the Texas Panhandle that are wide open).

Natural gas on the other hand will always be consistent in its ability to produce energy. If you have the gas, you have the energy, wind is not as sure a bet.

The other issue I gathered from Pickens was the construction of transmission lines. I am hardly an expert in this field, but it obviously costs time and money to get the transmission lines connected to a larger energy grid to dispense the electricity produced by wind turbines. In fact, it seems that transmission lines can take a lot more time than I realized to create.. in the case of the Texas Panhandle, possibly years.

So, is the decision by Pickens to create smaller wind farms versus his original vision a bad thing for the wind energy industry? IMO, definitely not.

Ultimately, wind energy is not predicated upon market conditions and fluctuating costs of oil barrels and gas. There will ALWAYS be wind and while it costs initial money to harness its power and maintain the running capabilities of wind turbines, it is essentially free. The future growth of wind turbines and wind farms is imminent. Pickens chose an avenue he felt was more economically feasible to suit his own personal agenda, not necessarily what might best benefit the environment and the long term goals of the country.

Intermittency will gradually become less of an issue as more diverse wind farms are constructed and the transmission lines gain the electric power from a multitude of wind turbines versus a single wind farm that is largely subject to very similar wind conditions.

This is all IMHO of course.. I just wanted to provide a little commentary on this bit of news today as T. Boone Pickens is obviously a well respected figure in the energy industry. I am sure this information will catch the attention of many people, I just don't feel it will have long term negative effects on the long term growth of wind energy as a whole.

ALSO, if you are looking for two great alternative energy plays that both correlate to Pickens plan to focus more on domestic energy harvesting.. look into MGLG (Magellan Energy) and SYNJ (Syndication) as each of these companies have some very interesting prospects for success and are at affordable prices (in the sub-penny range).

GLTA!

[buffalobillsgone]

Pickens Scales Back Ambitious Wind Farm

The land in the Texas Panhandle where the billionaire T. Boone Pickens had planned to build the world’s largest wind farm. Instead, he said he would build three or four smaller wind farms.

In a sign of the difficulties facing the development of wind energy, the legendary Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens is suspending plans to build the world’s largest wind farm.

Mr. Pickens said although his project had been slowed, he was not quitting the business.

Over the near term, Mr. Pickens instead plans to build three or four smaller wind farms, at a cost of some $2 billion. He said that he was unsure whether he would ever revive the giant wind project in the Texas Panhandle that has been on the drawing board for years.

“I think at this point anything’s possible,” he said in an interview.

Mr. Pickens cited several factors that caused him to alter his plans, including lack of transmission lines and a fall-off in the price of natural gas, with which wind competes as a power source. The project was also hurt by the financial turmoil that has stymied activity across the once-popular renewable energy industry. “Everything kind of slowed us down,” Mr. Pickens said.

Mr. Pickens’s struggles are symptomatic of a broader reversal of fortune for wind developers. This year, Emerging Energy Research, a consulting firm, expects a drop of nearly 25 percent in the amount of new wind power installed compared with last year. Two crucial provisions to aid renewable energy in the stimulus package passed in February have yet to be introduced, Keith Martin, a tax and project finance specialist with the law firm Chadbourne & Parke, said.

“People expect that once supply of capital picks up and stimulus rolls out, that things will improve in the second half of the year,” Mr. Martin said. “But they’re waiting.”

Mr. Pickens’s situation is of particular interest because he has spent much of the last year advocating an energy plan that includes increasing to 20 percent the amount of the nation’s electricity that is supplied by wind power. In his vision, that would free up natural gas now used to generate power so that it could be used in cars, reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. (Currently, wind accounts for just 1 percent of the nation’s electricity.)

For the huge wind farm he had planned in Texas, Mr. Pickens had already ordered 687 large wind turbines from General Electric, to be delivered starting in 2011. But transmission lines being built by the state were unlikely to reach the location he has leased until 2013, so he needed to put the turbines elsewhere. Mr. Pickens had once planned to build his own transmission lines, but difficulty in finding financing amid the credit crisis forced him to shelve that plan.

Possible locations for the 687 turbines include Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Alberta, Canada, Mr. Pickens said. Collectively, at a capacity of 1,000 megawatts — about the size of a nuclear plant — his project would still amount to a substantial investment in wind power. He had planned his Panhandle wind farm at 4,000 megawatts.

“We’re going to be active in the business,” Mr. Pickens said. “It’s not that we’ve gotten out of the business or anything like that.”

[buffalobillsgone]

This is a bit of old news, but SYNJ could turn into a serious wind power player once PINNACLE ENERGY gets going at full force..


Syndication Inc. Announces 'PINNACLE ENERGY' a New Alternative Energy Subsidiary


Syndication Inc. (Pink Sheets: SYNJ.PK), reports that Pinnacle Energy Inc. was established by Syndication as a wholly owned subsidiary on September 19th of 2008. For 6 months the Company has been un-officially working to set up the new subsidiary for the purpose of exploiting the opportunities fostered by the recent birth of the Alternative Energy Industry. "It's time to make it official. Over the next couple of weeks I will be asking the BOD to authorize me to take the necessary actions to staff and propose the budget requirements for the new division. We now need professionals in the fields of alternative energy engineering and government finance, and it's time to hire them," said Sorrentino, the CEO of Syndication Inc. Among other specifics, the Company indicates that it will seek professionals with expertise in the areas of wind turbine energy, bio-diesel fuel production, solar power and microwave plasma physics.

[buffalobillsgone]

The China Shenhua Group and the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group are two of the domestic Chinese companies that have started wind power projects overseas.

[buffalobillsgone]

[buffalobillsgone]

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China will begin construction of a 120-billion yuan ($17.6 billion) wind power project in about two weeks in Gansu province as part of a major push to boost renewable energy and cut the nation's reliance on coal, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The project, also called "the Three Gorges Dam on the land" could be China's biggest wind power station, with an installed capacity of 20 GigaWatts (GW) by 2020, the report said, citing Wu Shengxue, deputy head of the Jiuquan Municipal Development and Reform Commission.

The wind project will be constructed in Jiuquan city, which has wind resources that could support wind farms with installed capacity of 40 GW.

Beijing is poised to raise its wind power capacity to 100 GW by 2020, or eight times the current level, as part of a stimulus package aimed at boosting renewable energy.

The threat of climate change is driving China -- a top greenhouse gas polluter -- to boost the use of renewable energy and restrain greenhouse gas emissions by power plants.

China relies on cheap but dirty coal for 80 percent of its power output.

($1=6.82 yuan)

(Reporting by Leonora Walet; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

[buffalobillsgone]

Duke Energy has been very active in the wind energy sector and is one to keep a close eye on..

[buffalobillsgone]

Tri-State to buy power from new Colo wind farm

By COLLEEN SLEVIN

DENVER (AP) — A company that supplies power to rural electric cooperatives in four Western states announced Monday that it will buy electricity from a new wind farm on Colorado's Eastern Plains.

The wind farm — to be built near Burlington — will supply enough electricity to power up to 14,000 households served by Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc. A subsidiary of Duke Energy, one of the nation's largest power generators, will build the farm and then sell the power to Tri-State for 20 years.

It's the first large wind power deal for Tri-State, based in suburban Denver, which supplies power to 44 electric cooperatives in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. The co-ops provide power to about one million people who live on farms and ranches as well as towns and suburban neighborhoods.

The 51-megawatt wind farm, expected to be completed by the end of 2010, will have 34 turbines spread across 6,000 acres. Tri-State said about 150 people will be needed to build it and four to eight full-time technicians will maintain it.

Terms of the deal between the two companies weren't disclosed, although Wouter T. Van Kempen, president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy Generation Services, said the construction costs were "north of $100 million."

Tri-State, a partner in a controversial plan to build a new coal-fired power plant in Kansas, has come under criticism for not moving quickly enough to expand its supply of renewable energy. Colorado regulators are also considering increasing oversight over Tri-State's plans for future power generation.

Currently only 1 percent of Tri-State's power comes from wind and solar. Power from the new wind farm and a solar plant planned for Cimarron, N.M. will take it to 3 percent. By contrast, the state's largest utility, Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy, gets 10 percent of its power from renewable resources. It started buying wind energy a decade ago using voluntary contributions from customers.

A law passed by voters and later toughened by lawmakers will require Tri-State to get 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2010. Xcel will need to increase its portfolio to 20 percent.

Tri-State executive vice president and general manager Ken Anderson the company is also looking at adding geothermal sources of energy and producing solar energy on its existing coal plants. He said the company has moved carefully into renewable energy to avoid making expensive mistakes that would have to be paid for by its member co-ops.

"A little bit of patience by everyone is appreciated when you're talking about making investments like this," Anderson said after signing the contract with Duke at a ceremony at the state Capitol. Gov. Bill Ritter, who has promoted renewable energy in the state, stood next to the table at the base of the West Steps.

Colorado already has 12 wind farms, most of which produce power for Xcel. Together, existing turbines produce enough power for 400,000 homes, said Craig Cox, executive director of Colorado-based Interwest Energy Alliance, a trade and advocacy group. The group says there are over 30 wind farms of various sizes in Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah as well as Colorado.

Cox said Tri-State serves some of windiest states and has the opportunity to sell its wind energy in both the eastern and western sides of the national grid.

"It's good to see that they're starting to look at their great wind potential," he said.

Anderson said tax breaks included in the federal stimulus package reduced the cost to Duke and helped make it easier for Tri-State to move ahead with the wind farm now. The project will also save money by using Tri-State's existing transmission lines to move the power to customers.

Duke Energy also announced Monday that it was closing on the purchase of its first commercial wind farm in the East, the 70-megawatt North Allegheny Windpower Project about 95 miles east of Pittsburgh. It said the farm will produce enough energy to power 18,000 homes.

In the West, Duke also owns two wind farms in Cheyenne, Wyo. and one near Casper.

[buffalobillsgone]

great post, thanks!

[nlightn]

WIND ENERGY NEWS


Wind Energy News is the most comprehensive source of news about wind power issues and projects from media sources from around the world. It is also an international marketplace of people, companies, products and services connected with the wind energy industry.


http://www.windenergynews.com/

[buffalobillsgone]

Western Gas Partners (WES) should be a company to keep an eye on as increased wind turbines will obviously mean higher demand to have them repaired as problems arise..

[buffalobillsgone]

Wind Energy Service Company keeps turbines spinning
Monday, July 6, 2009

Launch of third strategic operation propelled by growth of on-demand composite turbine repair

INDEPENDENCE, KS - A vital sector of the booming wind power industry is in wind repair as many older turbines that have been in service for more than two decades are beginning to wear out.

Reflecting this air of progression, Wind Energy Services Company (WES) marks the inception of its FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) wind energy service and repair operations in Independence, Kansas and Sweetwater, Texas by announcing the opening of its third strategically located operation in Worthington, Minnesota.



Slated for a grand opening in May, 2009 WES's new 5,000 square foot facility is located in the concentrated sweet spot for wind energy in the Midwest in Southwestern Minnesota; approximately 45 minutes from Sioux Falls and near the corner of Northwestern Iowa and South Dakota.

According to AWEA's annual wind energy industry rankings report, Minnesota is the third-largest wind energy producer in America; generating over 7% of their electricity from wind with 1,754 MW. In addition to Minnesota, WES's close proximity to second ranking Iowa (2,791 MW) positions it to fulfill the ensuing demand for responsive on-site wind energy composite engineering expertise-- assessing and repairing on-tower damages running the gamut of blades, nacelles, spinners and associated structural and surface components.

According to WES General Manager Ricardo Arellano, "With power generation in this region investing heavily in wind power, the need for trained wind turbine maintenance and repair experts is also growing steadily as everyone is looking for much faster service than sending parts to be repaired off-site or overseas."



With the addition of the Worthington operation, WES now employs over 100 trained and certified composite wind repair technicians who conduct approximately 90% of repairs onsite. According to Arellano, "The key is to decrease the logistical costs of blade & nacelle repair.

Since it costs between $10-15.00 per mile to move these huge blades, WES' goal is to deliver rapid, efficient execution on repairs and retrofits on-site--wherever they need us. Ultimately, this allows us to limit downtime and cultivate a culture of manageable service in response to the growth the market continues to experience."

The company's mobile response service teams are trained and equipped to quickly assess and repair comprehensive repair issues which arise due to lightning strikes, shipping and installation damage, structural cracking, leading edge erosion and coating failure, blade balancing, and cosmetic/general warranty repair. These are handled prior to erection (shipping and handling damage), up-tower, on-site with the blade removed, and off-site for more extensive factory repairs when necessary.

As WES continues to expand, Arellano noted that training is paramount to ensuring rapid and reliable execution in the field because of the extreme conditions and hazards inherent to the job. Potential factors of endangerment include; electrical hazards, 300-foot heights, rotating mechanical equipment, extreme weather conditions, lightening storms, falling ice from a turbine during an ice storm, and high winds, etc.

All WES technicians are required to complete a comprehensive 2-3 week training and certification program covering a myriad of safety and technical disciplines including: sky-climbing, fall prevention and tower rescue, First Aid, CPR, defibrillator training along with electrical and metering safety courses.



Since reacting to a failure or repair is typically more costly than scheduling through preventive actions, WES also provides routine/preventative inspections. Arellano emphasized that this is key to help reduce some of the maintenance cost since expensive repairs can be scheduled in advance rather than reacted upon as is typically done now in the industry.

Since new and existing wind sites have varying levels of service and repair need, WES offers flexible, need-based service programs that emphasize customer communications and cost-and-quality control service for remote locations.

According to Glenn Thuringer, Manager of the Worthington Regional Economic Development Corporation, "This is significant progression for the region for advancing renewable energy to the next level of economic development.

The region is booming renewable energy investments with towers which give farmers another income on their land, etc. With WES's composite wind repair services, it makes it a fully realized industry." Thuringer also noted the WES operation will occupy the first of three incubator facilities Worthington's new Bioscience Park's Bioscience Training and Testing Center. With funding supported by State legislators, WES's investment in the development will support its continued growth.

Currently, the University of Minnesota is considering locating there and WES is exploring the possibility of developing a composites testing facility down the road. With established relationships with all major wind farms in the area, WES' strategic Mid-West expansion will provide rapid repair team response at critical stages including; shipping new blades, inspection, serial type and warranty repairs, etc.

According to Arellano, "Continually improving response time is essential as we can respond to a wind farm within 200 miles of our location and be there the same day; typically completing the repairs the next day. We also have the ability to do most repairs without a crane--saving clients time and money."

[buffalobillsgone]

Duke Energy trades on the NYSE under DUK. It currently stands at $14.40 per share. At the end of 2006 DUK was trading at near $35 a share.. if they keep on pushing wind farms and turbines at their current rate, they could absolutely become a valuable company in the coming years.

[buffalobillsgone]

Duke Energy is quickly becoming key player in wind energy

Commercial power unit to announce its seventh wind-farm deal next week
Charlotte Business Journal - by John Downey Senior staff writer

Next week, Duke Energy Generation Services will announce its seventh wind-farm construction project in less than two years.

By year end, the Duke Energy Corp. subsidiary will have gone from no wind assets in 2006 to being among the nation’s top 10 wind-power producers.

And next week’s announcement keeps DEGS on pace to add at least 250 megawatts of capacity in 2010, says President Wouter van Kempen.

“We will have 700 to 800 megawatts of capacity by the end of this year,” he says. “We have about $1.25 billion by now in wind assets. We will easily have $5 billion within a few years.”

[buffalobillsgone]

Wind power gathers speed

More communities look at adopting rules for turbines

Christina Stolarz / The Detroit News
West Bloomfield Township -- Michael Fogel is not a newcomer to the renewable energy initiative. In fact, his West Virginia home has been fitted with the green-friendly gadgets since the 1990s, with more on the way.

But the same cannot be said for his West Bloomfield Township home. Fogel, 67, is hoping township officials will soon implement a wind turbine ordinance so property owners can offset the increasing costs of electricity and heat supplied by fossil fuels.

"It's better late than never," he said. "If everybody would try to do a little bit, we'd contribute to the national energy problem in a great way. It's exciting to harness free energy."

Advertisement
Although Metro Detroit isn't identified by the Wind Energy Resource Zone Board, which was created by a 2008 state law, as a region with the most potential to harvest wind and create energy, a growing number of communities are trying to stay ahead of the "green movement" curve by developing wind turbine ordinances. Port Huron implemented a wind turbine ordinance in August 2007, followed by officials in Taylor and Ray Township, who adopted ordinances last year.

An ordinance will go before the Canton Township Board of Trustees in July; Waterford Township officials have created a rough draft that will likely be ready for a vote by the end of the year, and Howell officials are revising its ordinance regulations. Officials in Commerce, Harrison and West Bloomfield townships are researching wind turbines.

Those property owners in communities that don't yet have a wind turbine ordinance on the books may still be able to get one by seeking a variance from the zoning board of appeals, experts say.

"I think what we're seeing is the beginning of a wave of change," said Chuck Hersey, manager of environmental programs at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. "As we're trying to move toward a cleaner economy and a more sustainable environment, these various changes in how we produce and use energy ... make all kinds of sense. It's going to require some revisiting of how (governments) do things."

Hersey said the aim of a wind turbine ordinance, like all ordinances, is to set parameters to protect neighbors and a community's character. While every community will set its own guidelines, most will regulate height, noise frequency and maximum wind speed.

Despite some communities' efforts to adopt such ordinances, many say few residents have taken advantage because the structures are expensive. They start at around $6,000, but costs could come down as new systems come out on the market and advances are made to the technology, said Wayne Beyea, associate director of citizen education with the Michigan State University Land Policy Institute.

"It's an innovation explosion right now," he said.

That's why Port Huron city planners adopted their wind turbine ordinance that allows for structures in any zone with a special approval use permit as long as the property is at least 2 acres. The structures must have an automatic braking system.

They are researching rooftop-mounted wind turbines to determine if those should be included in their ordinance, which allows only for ground-standing towers, said Kimberly Harmer, planning and community development director. Those may be better suited for residential homes instead of the towers, she said.

Only one wind turbine has been installed in Port Huron: St. Clair County Community College installed a 65-foot tower in September, Harmer said. Still, she said city officials are happy to be ahead of the curve since wind turbines are a fairly new concept.

Canton Township resident Jim Demarest hopes the township will adopt an ordinance. The manufacturing representative who sells heat-treating equipment said he would like to purchase one within the next five years.

"Hopefully, in the next five years, GM will have a nice electric vehicle," said Demarest, 37. "I could be charging my batteries when the car is parked here rather than being on the grid. It makes good sense to have wind and solar energy charging my battery."

In Ray Township, officials adopted their ordinance last fall after receiving a lot of inquiries from residents, Supervisor Charles Bohm said. While they stand behind the ordinance -- which allows turbines as a special land use to stand at a maximum height of 150 feet -- the problem lies with the economy.

Bohm said no one has applied to install a wind turbine because they are expensive. The city of Taylor has already seen benefits from its 45-foot-tall, 2.8-kilowatt wind turbine at Heritage Park Petting Farm on Pardee. Not only has it educated children, but it has also cut the electric bill by about 40 percent to 50 percent combined with the solar panels, said Bob Mach, superintendent of building maintenance, vehicle, compost and alternative energy. "Energy costs are so high, everyone is trying to jump on the bandwagon. It's the right thing to do," Mach said.

[mthead]

Wind Energy ETF symbol FAN
Inverse Wind Energy Index ETF SUCKS (just kidding)

[*MARINE 1*]

interesting board

[lookoverthere0]

Sounds like a good idea for a forum.

[buffalobillsgone]

Hey guys, just thought I would start this group up to get some other view points on the best wind energy plays out there.. there seems to be enormous potential here, as wind energy will only be further integrated into both American society and countless foreign countries in the very near future. I did a little research and GSAE seems intriguing. I'm just starting to do DD in this arena, so feel free to join in!