Wind News

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Other than our 15 or so wind energy stories from the past week, here’s some more top wind energy news from around:

Wind Power Projects

• EDF Energies Nouvelles and Mitsui of Japanhave announced a 150-MW wind power project in northern Morocco. Morocco intends to have 2 GW of wind power and 2 GW of solar power up by 2020.
• Iberdrola has commissioned the 178-MW Messina-Agrigento wind power complex on the island of Sicily in Italy. “This project, developed jointly (50/50) with Italy’s API Nova Energía, part of the API business group, encompasses four wind farms: Nebrodi (64.6 MW), Alcántara (47.6 MW), Lago Arancio (44 MW) and Rocca Ficuzza (22.1 MW).”

• Polish utility Enea has bought a 50-MW wind farm in northwestern Poland from leading wind power company Vestas. The capacity of the wind farm is supposed to expand to 60 MW.
• First Wind “has obtained $76 million in construction financing for its 34 megawatt (MW) Bull Hill Wind project in Hancock County, Maine.”
• Chinese subsidiary Jade Werke is “outsourcing wind production to Germany” — it will begin production of steel fundaments for offshore wind farms at a €50-million production plant in Germany as early as 2013. Construction of the new plant is expected to begin this summer. “Germany’s decision to abandon nuclear power is having profound effects on the wind energy industry. Growth rates in the onshore segment were strong last year, the policy framework has been improved, and the offshore market ready to take off,” said Anne Braeutigam, wind energy expert at Berlin-based Germany Trade & Invest.
• The largest wind farm in the US, the Alta Wind Energy Center (“AWEC”) located in Tehachapi, CA, is projected to reach a capacity of 1,320 MW (wow, that’s big) with $650 million of financing now secured for the 168-MW Alta Wind VII and 132-MW Alta Wind IX projects. Other news related to the project is that “Terra-Gen recently sold the Alta Wind VIII (150 MW) phase to Brookfield and has entered into an agreement to sell the Alta Wind VI phase (150 MW) to Everpower.”

Wind Power Market Trends

• Asia is expected to drive the global wind market forward in coming years, yet another report finds. “Danish consulting firms BTM and Make have published analyses on global wind power market trends. In 2011, nearly 42 gigawatts – some 23,640 turbines in 50 countries – was installed, bringing the global total up to around 241 gigawatts. Vestas managed to defend its market leadership…. Asia now makes up 52.1 percent of the global wind power pie, growing by 34.1 percent from 63.6 gigawatts in 2010 to 85.3 gigawatts last year.”

Other Wind News

• Illinois students of 6 middle and senior high schools will soon learn about wind energy as part of their curriculum, under a new Illinois Wind for Schools program.
• TriEagle Energy and Citizen Power have teamed up “to offer a 100% renewable wind electricity plan to residential customers in the Duquesne Light service territory, which covers most of Allegheny and Beaver counties” in Pennsylvania, with similar plans now also being offered in the PECO and PPL service territories. “According to Executive Director Titus North, Citizen Power knew that wind power generation technology had developed to the point where it had become competitive in price, but saw that there were no low-priced wind alternatives available to consumers. Citizen Power has a long history of fighting on behalf of electricity consumers and the environment, and felt that it was well positioned to present a low-cost wind product to the public. TriEagle Energy agreed to create a product that would be 100% backed by certified wind RECs (renewable energy certificates) from Pennsylvania and neighboring states, and by utilizing Citizen Power’s marketing services, offered the lowest price for customers.”

• Scottish people love or like wind power, well 7 out of 10 of them do. A recent YouGov survey commissioned by the trade group Scottish Renewables “found that 39 per cent of respondents ‘strongly agreed’ with the statement ‘I support the continuing development of wind power as part of a mix of renewables and conventional forms of electricity generation’, while a further 33 per cent ‘tended to agree’.”
• In the UK as a whole, approximately 66% of people support wind energy and only 8% are against it when asked “to what extent are you in favour of or opposed to the use of wind power in the UK?#8221; according to a recent Ipsos Mori poll, commissioned by wind trade body RenewableUK.

• The UK’s Guardian has a new, short video on Denmark’s wonderful wind leadership. “[Over] 28% of the country’s energy is now provided by wind, with an aim of 50% by 2020 – and 100% renewable energy provision by 2050.”
• In Ontario, a couple claiming that their home’s value has been devalued from nearby wind turbines has had the claim rejected by MPAC, the Municipal Property Assessment Corp.