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/19166 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:24:33 GMT A 262 foot wind tower northwest of Bloomfield Nebraska burst into flames. Officials say three men were injured in the fire. One was sent by Life Flight to Sioux City with extensive burns. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19166 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19165 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:20:46 GMT A 262 foot wind tower northwest of Bloomfield Nebraska burst into flames. Officials say three men were injured in the fire. One was sent by Life Flight to Sioux City with extensive burns. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19165 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24217 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:20:07 GMT People listening to policymakers debate the nation's energy future might think: Just erect a lot of wind turbines, and problem solved. Or install a bunch of solar panels, and let the sun do the work. But renewable energy alternatives present costs and challenges just like traditional energy sources - coal, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower. http://www.windaction.org/articles/24217 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24039 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:40:14 GMT Two 197-foot tall ‘meteorological towers' erected recently on the Nebraska-South Dakota border northwest of Chadron could be the harbingers of a wind energy boom for Dawes County, but one landowner involved with the development says not to expect to see big turbines going up anytime soon. "One thing they told us-'If you are in a hurry, forget it," Dawes County Zoning Commissioner Ed Perrine said at a zoning meeting last week. "It can take up to five years after they set a met tower (before a wind generating installation is complete)." http://www.windaction.org/articles/24039 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24014 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:35:37 GMT The future of an 80-megawatt wind farm near Broken Bow depends on the Nebraska Public Power District's ability to find buyers for half of the energy it would generate. NPPD Renewable Energy Development Manager David Rich of Columbus said at Monday's "Wind Power 2009" conference in Kearney that NPPD-approved projects at Petersburg, north of Albion in Boone County, and Broken Bow in central Nebraska would generate a total of 160 megawatts of electricity. http://www.windaction.org/articles/24014 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23598 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:06:33 GMT Two agriculture heavyweights, the Nebraska Farm Bureau and Nebraska Cattlemen, are joining the fight for increased development of wind energy in the state. ...State Sen. Chris Langemeier of Schuyler, said one key issue is who would pay the estimated $20 billion needed to build the transmission lines needed to export wind power to major population centers in the East and South. Right now, Langemeier said, Nebraska ratepayers would be on the hook for building those lines "for someone else to profit from wind energy". http://www.windaction.org/articles/23598 http://www.windaction.org/articles/22930 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:52:20 GMT It's coming. Wind energy is making it's way across the country and throughout Nebraska. Now, there's a good chance it will be coming to Hamilton County. While there aren't any large wind farms in the area to date, there are some individuals in the area looking to make use of the renewable energy resource. http://www.windaction.org/articles/22930 http://www.windaction.org/articles/22915 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:59:26 GMT When Congress adopted higher standards for the use of corn-based ethanol, a gold rush of ethanol plant construction in Nebraska and the Great Plains resulted. A similar decision concerning wind energy, which will soon face federal lawmakers ...Shelley Sahling-Zart, a lobbyist for the Nebraska Power Association, said utilities have varying abilities to meet such mandates. She said they should be free to pursue renewables as "they make economic sense for our customers." http://www.windaction.org/articles/22915 http://www.windaction.org/articles/22135 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:09:58 GMT A landowners association in this community has set its sights on doing whatever needs to be done to establish a wind farm in Banner County. The Banner County Wind Energy Association held its first membership meeting Wednesday night, filling the Banner County Fire Hall with people interested in plans by two companies to establish a wind farm in the rural county. http://www.windaction.org/articles/22135 http://www.windaction.org/articles/21546 Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:58:49 GMT City council members want to take some time to think about allowing wind energy in the community. Following a 20-minute public hearing on June 2 about zoning and subdivision regulations which included wind energy systems, the council decided to introduce the proposal and amend language at the June 16 meeting. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21546 http://www.windaction.org/articles/21287 Wed, 20 May 2009 03:24:55 GMT The bill would allow Nebraska's public power districts to waive their eminent-domain power when signing a contract with a private, wind-farm developer, which proponents say was a roadblock to some wind projects. It also allows the state's public power districts to build wind farms larger than 80 megawatts to take advantage of economies of scale. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21287 http://www.windaction.org/articles/21278 Tue, 19 May 2009 14:36:38 GMT Entrepreneurs who dream of building small-scale wind, solar, methane or other renewable energy projects could sell their power to the Nebraska Public Power District. The Columbus-based utility is interested in receiving request for proposals for projects of fewer than 10 megawatts that meet Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act guidelines. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21278 http://www.windaction.org/articles/21183 Tue, 12 May 2009 08:03:47 GMT Nebraska Public Power District's goal of providing 10 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010 will be met in part through wind generated power, a company representative said Monday. But, in a presentation to the Chadron City Council, account representative Terry Rajwich emphasized the challenges involved in creating and using electricity from wind, and concluded that customers can find more savings by conserving power than by erecting small scale wind generators. http://www.windaction.org/articles/21183 http://www.windaction.org/articles/20881 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:48:25 GMT Asche discussed challenges that face the public power industry from the current push toward wind for export. ...He said the current public power model is based on the concept that power generated is for Nebraska customers with any excess power then made available for sale to other markets. Under the "wind for export" model, power would be generated for the sole purpose of selling it outside the state. http://www.windaction.org/articles/20881 http://www.windaction.org/articles/20798 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:51:31 GMT The Nebraska Public Power District has received 18 proposals to build wind farms in central and northeast Nebraska. Nine developers submitted the proposals in time for Wednesday's deadline. http://www.windaction.org/articles/20798 http://www.windaction.org/articles/20738 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:39:45 GMT Not everyone is thrilled with a proposed wind farm project for land in Knox and Cedar counties. Because of the large initial investment needed to get such a wind farm off the ground, Midwest Energy is partnering with Edison Mission and also a third-party funding source on this project. It would not qualify as what's known as a C-BED project, which makes it possible for landowners involved in the project to be investors in it, too. http://www.windaction.org/articles/20738 http://www.windaction.org/articles/20524 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:28:56 GMT A plan is in the air to harness the wind that blows across Northeast Nebraska in Knox and Cedar Counties. Close to 250 people showed up at a meeting in Wausa Thursday to learn about a proposed mega wind farm that could be located in eastern Knox and southwest Cedar counties. ...The proposal is for a state-of-the-art 1,200 mega watt wind farm. http://www.windaction.org/articles/20524 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19597 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:57:09 GMT At a time when renewable energy is all the rage, one of the windiest states in the nation seems unlikely to spur new projects because of a tight budget with little wiggle room. ...And Sen. Abbie Cornett of Bellevue, who leads the legislative committee that sets tax policy, said while wind energy incentives and the like are important, "I don't think we're going to be able to do much this year." http://www.windaction.org/articles/19597 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19489 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:21:03 GMT More than 70 Saline county residents gathered in the Saline Center Hall to hear a pitch from RES - a company interested in setting up shop in the county. ...A windy money well would still be two to three years away - if landowners give it a chance to fly. Landowners have the opportunity to hear from three other companies interested in developing wind farms in Saline county. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19489 http://www.windaction.org/articles/20257 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:02:31 GMT Custer County officials hope to have regulations in place by May that will govern the development of wind generation facilities in the county. The county's planning commission will have its first meeting regarding the topic Wednesday, Jan. 14. "We're just getting started," said the county's zoning administrator, Larry Gibbons. http://www.windaction.org/articles/20257