Wind energy on the Pacific Northwest’s electricity grid has increased substantially. Often overlooked are the impacts of increasing wind generation on the reliability and affordability of electricity that very well might outweigh any of the promised environmental benefits. Todd Wynn and Eric Lowe explain how in Oregon wind power simply replaces a clean, reliable and affordable source of energy: hydroelectricity while inviting increased price volatility, increased rates, and the prospect of more greenhouse gas-emitting facilities.

Meeting future world energy needs while addressing climate change requires large-scale deployment of low or zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission technologies such as wind energy. The widespread availability of wind power has fueled substantial interest in this renewable energy source as one of the needed technologies. For very large-scale utilization of this resource, there are however potential environmental impacts, and also problems arising from its inherent intermittency, in addition to the present need to lower unit costs.

Plaintiff, Patricia A. Muscarello, by and through her attorney, Oliver Close LLC, filed 10 counts against the Winnebago County Board, Navitas Energy, Inc. and others including Count VI, denial of due process under Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and Count VII, Denial of Due Process under Section 2 of Article I of the Constitution of the State of Illinois. The briefs in this case were filed with the United States District Court in the Northern District of Illinois. The briefs can be downloaded in their entirety by clicking on the links at the bottom of this page.

Five options for cutting CO2 emissions from electricity generation in Australia are compared with a "Business as Usual" option over the period 2010 to 2050. The six options comprise combinations of coal, gas, nuclear, wind and solar thermal technologies. The conclusions: The nuclear option reduces CO2 emissions the most, is the only option that can be built quickly enough to make the deep emissions cuts required, and is the least cost of the options that can cut emissions sustainably. Solar thermal and wind power are the highest cost of the options considered. The cost of avoiding emissions is lowest with nuclear and highest with solar and wind power.

Wind generated electricity requires back up capacity of conventional power stations. This capacity is required to deliver electricity to consumers when wind supply is falling short. To have the non-wind power stations ramp up or down to compensate for the stochastic wind variations causes extra efficiency loss for such power stations. How much efficiency is lost in this way and how much extra fuel is required for this extra balancing of supply and demand is unknown. In this article we attempt to make an educated guess. The extra fuel required for the efficiency loss must be added to the fuel required building and installing the wind turbines and the additions to the power cable network. While these extra requirements may be too small to notice when the installed wind power is a small fraction of the total capacity, matters change when wind capacity becomes significant. Based on the German situation with 23 GW installed wind power we show that it becomes doubtful whether wind energy results in any fuel saving and CO2 emission reduction. What remains are the extra investments in wind energy. The authors are formerly with Shell & STW of the Netherlands. They can be reached by e-mail at these addresses: kenjdegroot@mac.com and clepair@casema.nl

The Friends of Lincoln Lakes has filed its brief in their appeal of the August decision of the Board of Environmental Protection (BEP). At that time, the BEP affirmed the April 2009 Order of the Department of Environmental Protection, granting a license to First Wind for the construction of the Rollins Ridge Industrial Wind Farm in Lincoln and surrounding towns.

This document includes two separate agreements executed between the landowner and Wind Power Pty Ltd. The Stockyard Hills facility is proposed to include 242 turbines for an installed capacity of 484 megawatts. Origin Energy Ltd has since acquired Wind Power Pty. The Mt. Fyans wind proposal is no longer under consideration. Origin is still pursuing the Stockyard Hills project.

Jacques Whitford Stantec, by its successor in interest, Stantec Consulting LTD., filed construction liens in the amount of $242,296.58. A total of 150 landowners were cited in the claim.

This impacting order by New York's Public Service Commission requires renewable energy developers to quantify and qualify whether their proposed project, if built, will displace other renewable energy and in what amounts. (Case Number 09-E-0497)

Abstract: The allure of an environmentally benign, abundant, and cost-effective energy source has led an increasing number of industrialized countries to back public financing of renewable energies. Germany’s experience with renewable energy promotion is often cited as a model to be replicated elsewhere, being based on a combination of far-reaching energy and environmental laws that stretch back nearly two decades. This paper critically reviews the current centerpiece of this effort, the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), focusing on its costs and the associated implications for job creation and climate protection. We argue that German renewable energy policy, and in particular the adopted feed-in tariff scheme, has failed to harness the market incentives needed to ensure a viable and cost-effective introduction of renewable energies into the country’s energy portfolio. To the contrary, the government’s support mechanisms have in many respects subverted these incentives, resulting in massive expenditures that show little long-term promise for stimulating the economy, protecting the environment, or increasing energy security. In the case of photovoltaics, Germany’s subsidization regime has reached a level that by far exceeds average wages, with per-worker subsidies as high as 175,000 € (US $ 240,000)