News 
Market Data 
Discover
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
WWEI - Welwind Energy
Welwind Energy (OTC:WWEI) - operates wind farms in China. set to pop.
Wind farms sprout in western New York
Matthew Daneman • Staff writer • May 4, 2008
Wyoming County has 43,000 people, 46,000 dairy cows and a lot of wind.
Planted among the wide fields in the southern part of the county are numerous towering wind turbines — giant white windmills which at their highest stand about as tall as Kodak Tower. The whooshing whine of the long blades, sounding vaguely like a far-off jetliner, is occasionally drowned out by a passing pickup truck.
Noble Environmental Power http://www.noblepower.com , a Connecticut-based wind energy company, last year put up 67 turbines in the town of Eagle, about 60 miles southwest of Rochester. The turbines — standing 265 feet tall, with blades extending an additional 123 feet — turn out 100 megawatts of electricity that is fed into the national power grid and then sold to businesses and homes.
Noble plans to erect 84 more turbines this year in Eagle and the adjacent town of Wethersfield. Combined, the two projects will represent a $450 million investment.
Wind energy companies see potential gold in New York's hills.
Aside from Wyoming County, there are 62 other wind energy projects proposed across the state, according to the New York Independent System Operator. They include plans by Massachusetts-based First Wind for two projects in Ontario County and one in Genesee County; a 120-megawatt wind farm in Orleans County by Airtricity Inc. of Ireland; and a 75-megawatt wind farm in Genesee County by Tonawanda Creek Wind LLC.
First Wind, which last week changed its name from UPC Wind, also is planning a wind farm in Prattsburgh, Yates County, and has a pair of wind farms under development in Steuben County.
And Noble is planning 67 more turbines in the Southern Tier, primarily in Allegany County. It also has wind farms under development in Cattaraugus, Franklin and Clinton counties.
Iberdrola's presence
Noble's Wethersfield towers will be a short distance from the small Wethersfield Wind farm of 10 towers owned by a Pennsylvania subsidiary of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola SA, the company that seeks to acquire the parent of Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. and New York State Electric and Gas Corp. In all, Wyoming is home to two of the six wind farms currently operating in the state. The others are in Lewis, Madison and Erie counties.
According to paperwork filed with the New York Independent System Operator, the nonprofit organization that oversees the state's electricity transmission grid, Chicago-based Invenergy LLC and Texas-based Horizon Wind Energy both have proposals for wind farms in Wyoming County.
Wyoming has "really, really great wind — probably the best overall in New York state," said Sherry Grugel, Noble's western New York community outreach associate.
Fanning all this wind farm activity is the federal government's renewable energy production tax credit of about 2 cents per kilowatt-hour, said Thomas Drennen, a professor of economics and environmental studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva. Combined with increased turbine efficiency and growing consumer demand for wind power, the tax credit makes wind energy a viable business despite its large capital investment requirements, Drennen said.
According to research by Drennen, the cost of wind power is 6.37 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with 5.57 cents for nuclear power, 4.94 cents for coal and more than 7 cents for natural gas.
Along with the tax credit, "It doesn't hurt that the price at which we can sell our power in New York is reasonable," said Bob Maxwell, Noble's vice president of development for the state.
Electricity costs in New York traditionally are well above national averages.
Wyoming County has not had to market itself to wind energy companies, said county Planning and Development Director Drew Shapiro.
"They find you," Shapiro said. "They know the areas that are fertile."
Noble has signed easement rights agreements with the owners of 10,000 acres in Wyoming County, giving the company the right to go in and build turbines and access roads in exchange for payments of about $7,000 a year per turbine.
"Some of these farmers are doing really, really well having these," Grugel said.
While Noble's office in Eagle employs 30, the rural town isn't expecting to see big economic development from the turbines going up across its landscape, said town Supervisor Joseph R. Kushner. But payments Noble has made have let the town eliminate its town tax altogether, Kushner said, which seems to have led to a small housing construction boom.
Low density
Aside from the obvious — having lots of wind — Noble also looks for areas that have a low population density.
"You couldn't do one of these in Long Island," Maxwell said as he sat in one of the portable buildings that make up Noble's Wyoming County offices. "Here we have large parcels of open land. We don't have steep hills, we don't have rock outcroppings."
Cattle rancher Anthony George has one Noble wind turbine on his 75-acre farm in Eagle. The turbine sits about 1,500 feet from his home, and the noise is minor, George said.
"Today I can't hear it at all," he said, then added, "I don't know if I'd want one sitting 1,000 feet from the house."
But as they graze in the tower's shadow on warm days, George said, "The cattle actually seem to like it."
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080504/BUSINESS/805040307/1001
Solar Stocks #board-11148
Peak Oil #board-6609
Coal #board-2809
Real Estate Bubble #board-7285
Lender Implosion #board-10076
HomeBuilders #board-1680
Your Economy #board-1948
Global Warming #board-11877
IBOX Backup
Sister Boards
Oil and Gas Charts
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.aspx?board_id=8567
Alternative Energy Charts
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.aspx?board_id=12687
MMGW watch here for the Breakout!
Wind power could make Norway "Europe's battery"
Mon May 26, 2008 12:45pm EDT
By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent
A windmill stands next to the ocean in Utsira, a North Sea island of just 6 square kilometres (2.3 square miles) and home to 210 people who already get most of their power from two onshore windmills, in this photo taken April 22, 2008. Norway could become "Europe's battery" by developing huge sea-based wind parks costing up to $44 billion by 2025, Norway's Oil and Energy Minister said on Monday.
OSLO (Reuters) - Norway could become "Europe's battery" by developing huge sea-based wind parks costing up to $44 billion by 2025, Norway's Oil and Energy Minister said on Monday.
Norway's Energy Council, comprising business leaders and officials, said green exports could help the European Union reach a goal of getting 20 percent of its electricity by 2020 from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro or wave power.
"Norway could be Europe's battery," Oil and Energy Minister Aaslaug Haga told Reuters after she was handed the report, which will be considered by the centre-left government in coming months.
"The thinking is that Norway is blessed, is lucky, to have big energy resources. There is undoubtedly a large potential for wind power," she said. Norway says it has the longest coastline in Europe, from the North Sea to the Arctic Barents Sea.
The 30-page report, mapping out a big shift for the world's number 5 oil exporter, said: "Norway ought to have access to up to 40 terrawatt hours of renewable energy in 2020-2025, of which about half would come from offshore wind power."
Sufficient wind parks -- totaling 5,000 to 8,000 megawatts installed capacity -- would cost between 100 billion Norwegian and 220 billion Norwegian crowns ($43.89 billion) assuming prices of 20-28 million crowns per installed megawatt.
The energy would be equivalent to up to about eight nuclear power plants. Norway pumps about 2.2 million barrels of oil per day -- $44 billion represents the value of about half a year's output.
Haga said offshore wind parks -- which would stop on calm days -- could be supplemented by hydro-power reservoirs which can be turned on and off to turn them into a battery storing power. Norway has about half Europe's reservoir capacity.
"We can deliver a product whether the wind is blowing or not," she said. Haga will meet EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs in Brussels on Thursday, partly to discuss the report.
It said Norway still needed new laws, competitive subsidies and more infrastructure. Norway sometimes has problems supplying even its own electricity needs with its existing hydro-power.
And it said that Denmark, Germany and Britain had done much more to develop wind power, both on land and in shallow waters. Norway's advantage was wide experience from deeper offshore oil and gas installations.
StatoilHydro said last week that it will invest $80 million to build the world's first full-scale floating wind turbine to start up in 2009. Power from such installations is likely to be more costly than on land.
The report said that Norway would have to agree long-term wind supply contracts with EU countries, including access to EU subsidies. But Haga also said: "I don't expect Europe to subsidize Norwegian wind power production."
"It's not a first choice to import power," said Steinar Bysveen, who led the report. He said EU nations such as Germany might need imports because of a lack of space to build wind parks at home and plans to phase out nuclear power.
The Energy Council report said that 40 terrawatt hours of electricity from wind could cut 20 million tonnes of heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, blamed for stoking global warming. Norway's 2007 emissions were 55 million tonnes.
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2636460820080526?pageNumber=1
Solar Stocks #board-11148
Peak Oil #board-6609
Coal #board-2809
Real Estate Bubble #board-7285
Lender Implosion #board-10076
HomeBuilders #board-1680
Your Economy #board-1948
Global Warming #board-11877
Windpower 2008
Just discovered we got a big wind conference going on this week. That never hurts on the share price front
)
http://www.windpowerexpo.org/
CPTC Composite Technology and TECO-Westinghouse Expand Manufacturing Agreement
Long Term Agreement Defines Turn-Key Production
Jun 2, 2008 8:00:00 AM
IRVINE, CA and ROUND ROCK, TX -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/02/08 -- Composite Technology Corporation (CTC) (OTCBB: CPTC) and TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company (TWMC) are pleased to announce the execution of an expanded Commercial Manufacturing Agreement between the two companies. The definitive Agreement signed with CTC's DeWind subsidiary extends the manufacturing relationship between CTC and TWMC for ten years and sets the guidelines for production, supply chain management and commercial terms or turn-key manufacturing of DeWind turbines. CTC and TWMC signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement in November 2006 that defined the intentions of the companies in the areas of manufacture, research and development, and future service and maintenance activities within North America.
"The turn-key manufacturing agreement provides stability and security for DeWind customers. With long term manufacturing established, including supply chain management by TWMC, DeWind can proceed with extended turbine supply contracts contemplated with utilities and developers around the world," commented Marvin Sepe, President of DeWind and COO of CTC. "The strength of TWMC and the quality of their manufacturing capabilities is also an important component of the comprehensive warranty program that DeWind offers to its customers," Mr. Sepe added. The agreement covers the manufacture of DeWind D8.2 and D8.0 two megawatt turbines as well as advanced turbines under development.
"This important agreement reinforces the commitment that CTC and TWMC have made to the wind turbine market and specifically to the manufacturing of utility scale wind turbines in Texas," stated Dr. H. C. Meng, President of TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company. The manufacturing line is established in the TWMC facility located in Round Rock, Texas, and is currently designed for a capacity of 400 turbines per year. The line can be expanded as needed to meet market demand. DeWind is committed to the Texas wind industry and operates its D8.2 turbine test site in Sweetwater, Texas.
About CTC:
Composite Technology Corporation, based in Irvine, California, USA, develops, manufactures and sells innovative high performance electrical transmission and renewable energy generation products through its subsidiaries:
-- CTC Cable Corporation produces composite rod for use in its patented
ACCC* (Aluminum Conductor Composite Core) conductors, which are "high
efficiency conductors" for use in electrical transmission grid systems.
ACCC conductors demonstrate less electricity line losses when compared with
conventional conductors and when deployed in place of conventional
conductors on existing systems, the higher efficiency of ACCC conductors
enables power generators to reduce the amount of power they must generate
while still delivering the same power to the customers. They have also
demonstrated significant savings in upgrade capital costs and operating
expenses when substituted in grid systems for other conductors. ACCC
conductors enable grid operators to reduce blackouts and brownouts,
providing a 'reserve electrical capacity' by operating at higher
temperatures without significant thermal sag of the lines. ACCC conductors
are an innovative economical solution for reconductoring power lines,
constructing new lines and crossing large spans. ACCC composite core is
delivered to qualified conductor manufacturers worldwide for local ACCC
conductor production and resale into local markets.
-- DeWind Inc. designs, produces, and sells the DeWind series of wind
energy turbines, including the new 2 megawatt (MW) D8.2 model available in
both 60Hz and 50Hz; the 2MW D8 model in 50Hz; and the 1.25MW D6 model in
50Hz. The new D8.2 has been operating since early 2007 at Cuxhaven,
Germany, and utilizes the advanced WinDrive® hydrodynamic torque
converter developed by Voith AG in combination with a synchronous AC
generator with high voltage output that is connected directly to the grid
without the use of power conversion electronics. The first 60Hz D8.2 is now
operating at Sweetwater, Texas, where it will initially be used for
demonstration to North American customers. DeWind D8.2 turbines are now
being assembled at TECO Westinghouse Motor Co., in Texas for our North and
South American customers.
You should take a peek at what happened to WND.V in the last half hour)
|
Followers
|
15
|
Posters
|
|
|
Posts (Today)
|
0
|
Posts (Total)
|
169
|
|
Created
|
05/22/08
|
Type
|
Free
|
| Moderators | |||
Sister Boards
Oil and Gas Charts
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.aspx?board_id=8567
Alternative Energy Charts
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.aspx?board_id=12687
AI
