http://www.windaction.org/ facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts en-us Windaction hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.windaction.org/articles/20389 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:30:57 GMT Two major wind energy projects in New Brunswick have been put on hold indefinitely, putting a wrench in NB Power's plans to use significantly more wind energy by 2010. ..."It has made liquidity for capital projects scarce," said Eric Schneider, a spokesman for the company. Schneider said that it's "far more expensive to build and get financing in the market situation we're dealing with right now." http://www.windaction.org/articles/20389 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17571 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 12:50:40 GMT The two farms, Bartlett reported, represent a $250 million SUEZ Renewable Energy investment. SUEZ will receive incentives of up to $2.8 million over 10 years from its Norway wind farm, based on a one cent per kilowatt hour rate. The provincial government's 30-megawatt wind farm at East Point qualifies for up to $9 million in federal funds over 10 years. How much government incentive SUEZ Renewable Energy NA will receive for energy generated at West Cape wind farm was not disclosed. Bartlett noted only power sold into the domestic market qualifies. Much of the electricity generated at West Cape is destined for the export market. http://www.windaction.org/articles/17571 http://www.windaction.org/articles/14011 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:13:15 GMT Atlantic Canada's largest wind farm is up for sale. Creststreet Power and Income Fund LP of Toronto, a significant owner of the $50-million wind farm in Pubnico Point, Yarmouth County, wants to sell its share of the development in response to the federal government's decision to eliminate the tax benefits of trusts. ...Creststreet's recent quarterly results show that for the first nine months of 2007, Pubnico Point's production was eight per cent below the independent engineer's projection, compared with seven per cent the previous year. The lower production is being blamed on lower wind speeds, according to the Creststreet report. http://www.windaction.org/articles/14011 http://www.windaction.org/articles/12578 Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:08:30 GMT The Prince Wind Energy Farm, situated on 20,000 acres of land northwest of Sault Ste. Marie, qualified for the one cent per kilowatt-hour incentive under the ecoENERGY for Renewable Power initiative. The wind farm's 126 turbines are capable of generating up to 189 megawatts of clean, renewable power ...Over ten years, this ecoENERGY program will provide about $53 million to the wind project and ensure that renewable energy generated at the wind farm can be delivered at competitive prices for Canadian consumers. http://www.windaction.org/articles/12578 http://www.windaction.org/articles/12354 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:43:02 GMT Canadian investors looking for exposure to the booming alternative energy sector have a handful of domestic players to choose from, but the local pickings are pretty slim and most of the companies are small. So why not look overseas, to one of the green behemoths that has sprung up on the international scene? ...The fast-growing U.S. wind power industry, driven by favourable government tax policy, is Vestas' largest current market. ...Some analysts are also urging caution over Vestas' high price. "We find the shares are fundamentally overvalued," said analyst Christian Nagstrup of Jyske Bank, a Danish financial institution. The biggest risk he sees at Vestas is a bottleneck in getting parts to build the turbines. Subcontractors have been slow in delivering key components, and that could slow delivery of complete turbines, Mr. Nagstrup said in a recent report. http://www.windaction.org/articles/12354 http://www.windaction.org/articles/12247 Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:54:46 GMT Following several weeks of dramatic price increases where the stock of the Bromont, Que.-based company more than quadrupled on the TSX Venture Exchange to above $1.60, the shares have plunged in the past three days below $1.18. The start of AAER's runup coincided with the Sept. 19 announcement of the bids for Hydro-Québec's latest call for tenders to build wind farms connected to the province's power grid. ..."The fact that so many [developers] specified [AAER] is what really drove the stock up," said MacMurray Whale, an analyst who follows the alternative energy scene for Cormark Securities Inc. in Toronto. ...In the past few days, however, some investors clearly decided the stock had overshot its true value, and there may also be concerns over the company's untested turbines http://www.windaction.org/articles/12247 http://www.windaction.org/articles/11526 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:18:00 GMT Ventus Energy, which is building a new wind farm in West Cape near O'Leary, is trying to negotiate a longer-term share of green credits, but P.E.I. isn't willing to give them up. There's no market for green credits yet, but when that market becomes a reality it could generate another $10 million a year for the West Cape wind farm. "We're just not giving up on benefits that help P.E. Islanders down the road build their roads, build their highways and build their schools and hospitals," said Environment Minister George Webster Thursday. "We're just not giving that away." http://www.windaction.org/articles/11526 http://www.windaction.org/articles/10738 Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:51:24 GMT It appears that the federal government is determined to prove that its stated commitment to alternative energy was not just hot air. A local wind farm project recently became the first company in Canada to receive $16.5 million of support from the government under the ecoENERGY for Renewable Power Initiative, introduced in January. The recipient of the money, Kettles Hill Wind Energy Inc. is currently finishing construction of a 63-megawatt wind-power facility located five kilometres east of Pincher Creek. http://www.windaction.org/articles/10738 http://www.windaction.org/articles/10569 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:00:46 GMT A wind farm near Pincher Creek yesterday became the first company to receive funding under the feds' ecoENERGY for Renewable Power initiative. http://www.windaction.org/articles/10569 http://www.windaction.org/articles/10633 Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:49:12 GMT Atlantic Wind Power Corp had participated in the Wind Power Production Incentive (WIPPI) which is a grant of $10 million (of tax payer's money) over a period of nine years. Natural Resources Canada (NRC) has asked AWPC to produce a proposal as to how they can mitigate the excessive noise at Pubnico. If they cannot produce a proposal (and act on it) to NRC's liking they can cancel the grant. Last May, NRC retained Howe Gastmeier Chapnik Limited (HGC Ltd) to conduct a noise study (again, tax payer's money) of the Pubnico wind farm. This was in response to noise complaints by Daniel d'Entremont and his family. http://www.windaction.org/articles/10633 http://www.windaction.org/articles/10163 Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:41:53 GMT Melancthon Township Council has accepted an "amenities agreement" with Canadian Hydro Developers, and has voted to support the company's position on the Melancthon II wind farm project at the Ontario Municipal Board pre-hearings and main event. The double-barrelled motion carried in an unrecorded vote at the last meeting of the council. The decision does not affect zoning, as that issue is before the OMB. http://www.windaction.org/articles/10163 http://www.windaction.org/articles/9185 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:44:57 GMT One of the world's largest solar farms will soon rise on Sarnia's outskirts, and other sun-reliant green energy ventures are in the works for sunny Southwestern Ontario. The Ontario government has approved an energy deal with OptiSolar Farms Canada to build a 400-hectare mass of solar panels that will produce 40 megawatts of electricity -- enough to supply 6,000 homes. A key to the project was the government's deal to pay 42 cents a kilowatt-hour -- nearly four times what's paid for other green-generated electricity, such as from wind turbines -- to the solar company. http://www.windaction.org/articles/9185 http://www.windaction.org/articles/8624 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:51:35 GMT
The Municipal Property Assessment Corp., a non-profit organization responsible for assessing municipal property taxes in Ontario, has asked the finance ministry to clarify rules that could prove a major setback for renewable energy projects in the province. At issue is whether wind turbines and solar panels add enough value to a property to trigger an increase in annual property taxes. The concern is that the tax increase would offset energy savings or the revenues from clean electricity sold into the grid, reducing the incentive to embrace renewable-energy technologies. ]]> Assessment agency looking to finance ministry for answers on renewable-energy technologies and property tax increases. The Municipal Property Assessment Corp., a non-profit organization responsible for assessing municipal property taxes in Ontario, has asked the finance ministry to clarify rules that could prove a major setback for renewable energy projects in the province. At issue is whether wind turbines and solar panels add enough value to a property to trigger an increase in annual property taxes. The concern is that the tax increase would offset energy savings or the revenues from clean electricity sold into the grid, reducing the incentive to embrace renewable-energy technologies. http://www.windaction.org/articles/8624 http://www.windaction.org/articles/7655 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 13:07:48 GMT St. Lawrence Mayor Wayde Rowsell has announced his town council has reached a 20-year tax agreement with NeWind Group Inc. The deal, expected to generate tax revenues in excess of $2 million for the community over the life of the contract, was reached Jan. 19 after a week of negotiations between the two parties. NeWind was awarded a contract by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro in November to operate a commercial wind farm near the town, which will produce 27 megawatts (MW) of power to the island. Mayor Rowsell indicated the town approached the negotiations with the philosophy a good deal would be one mutually beneficial to both the company and the community, an objective he felt was accomplished. “We’re quite pleased with what we negotiated with the company.” http://www.windaction.org/articles/7655 http://www.windaction.org/articles/7654 Tue, 30 Jan 2007 13:05:03 GMT Ontario’s energy minister pledged yesterday to do what he can to solve the issues that led an Alberta company to shelve a $300-million Huron County wind turbine project. “We were obviously disappointed to hear it is being shelved,” said Energy Minister Dwight Duncan. Citing uncertainties about government approvals, Edmonton-based Epcor Utilities Inc., announced last week it would indefinitely delay plans for Kingsbridge II, a project that would have seen construction of 69 wind turbines in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Township. http://www.windaction.org/articles/7654 http://www.windaction.org/articles/7462 Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:13:04 GMT The federal Conservative government is to announce today a subsidy for electricity generated by wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy. The aid – called the EcoEnergy Renewable Power Initiative – will amount to less than a similar Liberal plan the Conservatives scrapped nearly a year ago, the Toronto Star has learned. On Sunday, sources say, the federal government will unveil a revised version of the program that paid part of the cost when homeowners make their house more energy efficient. Today’s announcement on renewable energy is to be made in British Columbia by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn. The program will pay 1 cent per kilowatt-hour for electricity from large-scale renewable sources. A kilowatt-hour is enough to run ten 100-watt light bulbs for an hour. The subsidy will be available for generation that goes into operation during the next four years. The government is budgeting $300 million for that period – enough to support projects with a total generating capacity of 4,000 megawatts. http://www.windaction.org/articles/7462 http://www.windaction.org/articles/7008 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:19:02 GMT A cancelled wind-power project from last week will not affect Nova Scotia Power Inc.’s newest plan, the utility said yesterday. NSPI wants to hook up another 40,000 homes with renewable energy and is calling for bidders. The company is confident it will meet renewable-energy targets, despite previously missing its own targets and attacking the province’s as being unrealistic. On Friday, a major wind-energy project in Amherst was put on ice, largely because Ottawa withdrew its wind-power incentive program. http://www.windaction.org/articles/7008 http://www.windaction.org/articles/6993 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 12:20:05 GMT Nova Scotia Power is pledging to generate more green electricity after failing to meet its own voluntary targets this year. The province’s largest electrical utility is promising to add 130 megawatts of additional renewable energy by the end of 2009, enough to supply the power needs of 40,000 homes. But this latest commitment, announced Tuesday in Halifax by NSP president Ralph Tedesco, comes after the utility admitted it has been unable to meet its year-end target of producing 100 megawatts of energy through sources such as the wind, sun, tides and biomass. NSP is blaming the shortfall on a stalled wind project in Amherst that announced Friday it was unable to proceed with its 19-tower wind farm because of the rising cost of turbines and the end of a federal subsidy program. http://www.windaction.org/articles/6993 http://www.windaction.org/articles/6590 Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:49:50 GMT Wind power turbines generate much bigger profits for Ontario's farmers than for Quebec's — typically two or three times bigger, an investigative report by CBC's French-language service has found. http://www.windaction.org/articles/6590 http://www.windaction.org/articles/6471 Thu, 23 Nov 2006 13:03:46 GMT HIGGINS MOUNTAIN — The Nova Scotia government’s recently released targets for producing renewable energy are achievable, but incentives might be needed to make them a reality, says the president of Nova Scotia Power. Developers, some of whom are under-capitalized, must make an enormous investment, Ralph Tedesco said Tuesday. "I think it will take a variety of incentives," he said. "Ultimately it becomes a public policy issue." http://www.windaction.org/articles/6471