Making electricity from wind turbines in the middle of Lake Michigan is technologically feasible but would cost up to twice as much as land-based wind farms, a state study released Friday says. The study found there are "significant technological challenges" that would have to be overcome to build wind-power projects in deeper sections of the lake, where wind speeds are greater and more power could be generated. But more research is needed, particularly to get better data on wind speeds in the middle of Lake Michigan and also to track bird migration patterns over the lake.

As Wisconsin harnesses more energy from wind, American Transmission Co. LLC admits it still doesn't know how to spread out that power. ...The question then becomes whether local municipalities, some of which are reluctant to allow wind farms, will approve a project that not only brings turbines, but also new power lines. "I think that will be addressed with landowners before it would be with a town," said David Olsen, a supervisor for the town of Magnolia, which recently passed an ordinance with half-mile setback rules for wind farms. "But if it's something that adds onto the cost of the project, and that cost is then passed on to the consumer, it could make these projects very expensive," Olsen said.

Despite local opposition and a moratorium on wind farm development, the town of Union might approve construction of a wind-measurement tower. "It doesn't make any sense to me," said Lynda Barry-Kawula, who lives near Magnolia in Spring Valley. She is against wind farm development in Rock County. "The point of a moratorium is to stop development," she said, "and it's not like this tower could lead to anything else." The town's Plan Commission on Thursday night was scheduled to discuss approving Elgin, Ill.-based EcoEnergy Engineering LLC's application to build the almost 200-foot tower.

Manitowoc County planners voted 6-1 Monday to support changes in the county's small wind turbine ordinance, which some property owners say is unnecessarily strict. The Planning and Park Commission vote would eliminate a 1,000-foot setback requirement and designate areas where the turbines would be allowed. The proposed revisions now go to the Manitowoc County Board at a yet-to-be-determined date for discussion and a possible vote, said Mike Demske, Planning and Park Commission director.

EcoEnergy wants to erect a wind measurement tower in Union Township despite a town ordinance in the works that would eliminate nearly all suitable locations for wind turbines. "We're very interested in putting up this wind measure to evaluate wind resources in that area," said Curt Bjurlin, EcoEnergy project developer. EcoEnergy has proposed building three turbines in the township with Wisconsin Public Power Inc. to supply power to Evansville Water and Light customers.

Lynda Kawula never expected she'd end up with a second job as a wind farm researcher, publishing a Web site opposing wind farm plans in Rock County. She's now expanding her site, "Better Plan, Rock County," at www.betterplan.squarespace.com, to include video interviews with residents who live among Wisconsin's newest wind farms in the Fond du Lac area. ..."It's turbines all the time in our house," she jokes.

Today Governor Jim Doyle and four other Midwest Governors announced the creation of a regional transmission planning effort that will promote regional electric transmission investment and cost sharing. The Upper Midwest Transmission Development Initiative will identify wind generation resources, transmission projects and infrastructure needed to support those resources in a cost-effective manner.

The village of Cambria is about two miles south, and downhill, from the nearest wind turbines proposed as part of the WE Energies Randolph Wind Farm. ...because the northeast Columbia County location of the proposed wind farm is not far from Cambria, WE officials are making the rounds of communities and towns in the vicinity to answer residents' questions about the project, said Walter "Doc" Musekamp, WE Energies local affairs representative.

Although the 400-foot turbines can sometimes delay air medical rescues, emergency personnel are trained to cope artfully with such situations, said Claire Rayford, spokesperson for Flight for Life ...The pilot decides what is safe and makes a decision based on many different factors at the time of the incident, Rayford said.

While Randolph's chairman is optimistic about a 145-megawatt wind farm development, he's bothered by how much money - or rather how little - the town will get in the deal. ...Under the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's shared revenue utility payment guidelines, $2,000 per megawatt of power generated is split between the county and town. The county gets two-thirds, while the town gets one-third. For a 145-megawatt project, that would provide roughly $96,667 per year to be split between the towns of Randolph and Scott, which also would house some We Energies' turbines, while the county would take in about $193,332.

Property owners in Manitowoc County installing small wind turbines likely won't be required to own large lots of land to locate their energy-generating systems, according to proposed county ordinance revisions supported by members of a county commission. The Manitowoc County Planning and Park Commission voted unanimously at its Monday meeting in favor of the proposed revisions, said Mike Demske, commission director.

For several years, wind energy production has been an issue of debate in Monroe County. In 2006, the county passed an ordinance on wind turbines, but for some, the ordinance wasn't enough. Several townships in Monroe County have passed wind energy ordinances of their own this summer to create more specific guidelines on the location and decibel levels of wind turbines. ...While the issue of wind power in Monroe County will likely continue, the option of wind farms is a possibility. Now, in several townships, there will be increased regulation.

Milwaukee-based WE Energies wants to build a 90-turbine, 234-megawatt wind farm located between the Columbia County villages of Cambria and Friesland. ... The project would gather power from up to 90 turbines, each with a half-acre footprint, by using up to 50 miles of 50-foot-wide corridors for collector cables. Twenty miles of permanent roads would be used to access the turbine sites, according to the application.

It's a plan, not everyone is thrilled about. On a stretch of land, just southwest of Fond du Lac, Curt Kindschuh lives near a windmill farm. It's an area where Flight for Life and Theda Star say landing could be extremely tough, and that's why pilots are being told to avoid it, even if there's an emergency.

The modern windmills may create clean energy but they are a clear and present danger to air ambulances. Milwaukee-based Flight for Life has notified first responders in Fond du Lac County that air ambulances will not land near the windmill clusters here. "They are up in the air," said Flight for Life's Claire Rayford. "We have to be aware of them. Depending on how high they are, they may not be lit."

The state Legislature will try again to establish statewide wind farm standards, but the one-size-fits-all approach faces the same opposition. ..."It's a scary prospect to put (turbines) in here among all the homes," said Mike Luethe, chairman of the town of Ridgeville, which last week joined the town of Wilton in passing an ordinance establishing half-mile setbacks for wind farms. "Local governments should still have a say in the matter."

County officials in 2006 enacted two ordinances - one for turbines 170 feet or shorter and another for turbines taller than 170 feet - after residents voiced concerns about potential public health and safety issues with turbines located near their backyards, Demske said. Navitas Energy Inc. had proposed to build a 49-turbine wind farm in Two Rivers, Mishicot and Two Creeks, dubbed the Twin Creeks Wind Park. ...Bauhs said the county "overreacted" in drafting regulations for the small turbines because of public criticism of the Twin Creeks wind farm project.

State Rep. Ken Tschumper, DFL-La Crescent, hosted a community forum last week featuring a panel of environmentalists. Tschumper and others question whether the project's estimates of demand are accurate. He also is concerned that ratepayers could end up financing a project that could harm the area's environment. Other worries include possible health effects and what the potentially 150-foot-high transmission towers would do to the region's scenery. "There are decisions being made here with this high-voltage transmission line ... that are going to impact people's lives for the next 30 or 40 years," Tschumper said.

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle said Friday that his support for exploring nuclear power is in line with the position of presidential candidate Barack Obama and not a reversal from his previous stance. But state Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said Doyle told him in 2003 he would veto any bill that lifted a moratorium on building new power plants. Huebsch said Doyle's position had "thawed" by 2007, when the governor said he'd be open to studying nuclear power as an option. The change in Doyle's position comes as he's been actively campaigning for Obama. Both presidential candidates spent this week talking about energy, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest issues of the race.