The head of the American Wind Energy Association announced her resignation today. Denise Bode will be leaving her post as president and CEO of AWEA on Dec. 31 to return to private practice as a tax attorney ahead of next year's expected debate on Capitol Hill over comprehensive tax reform.

Mudge advised industry representatives present that there are advantages of doing projects on private lands instead of public lands-since there is a higher chance of litigation over public lands and tribal lands. Case in point: the Ocotillo project on federal Bureau of Land Management property has thus far resulted in at least five lawsuits.

The overarching goal is to determine "what does the industry need to stay alive, basically," said one industry lobbyist familiar with the meeting ...Congress is expected to address the immediate fate of the PTC during a lame-duck session, although the future of the credit and myriad other issues largely hinge on the outcome of the elections.

Under the old PTC rules, beginning construction meant starting work "of a significant nature," which could include steps like building access roads and foundations. ...However, the previous guidance was less clear about whether construction had to be continuous in order for the project to qualify for the PTC. ...the same changes were not made to the requirements for bonus depreciation.

On Thursday, AWEA submitted testimony to the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy & Water Development calling for a substantial boost in wind energy research and development (R&D) funding to $70 million next year.

AWEA claims the guidance could delay the construction of projects by up to three years and require operating projects to retroactively conduct post-construction wildlife studies for a minimum of two years and as much as five years, adding unforeseen costs to the operating budgets of these facilities.

AWEA and Wind on the Wires (WOW) filed protests with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), asking it to reject out of hand the Midwest Independent System Operator's (MISO) proposed changes to the rule's pro forma low voltage ride-through (LVRT) and reactive power provisions for wind generators.

State power company Genesis has decided against developing a small wind farm in South Auckland because of soaring wind turbine costs, it was reported today. Developers of wind farms are reviewing the costs of projects amid hot international demand for turbines, which is driving up the costs of the machinery, The Dominion Post said.

A proposal to build a $2 billion wind farm on a South Island range should be rejected, a report to the Central Otago District Council recommends. In a report released yesterday, council-contracted planner David Whitney said the negative impacts locally of Meridian Energy's 176-turbine project outweighed the national benefits, and he recommended it should not be given resource consent.

THE Prime Minister has welcomed a report which estimates it would cost tens of billions of dollars to meet targets on climate change, saying it backs his policy on endorsing a move towards nuclear power. Australia’s energy generation industry commissioned independent research to find the cheapest way to achieve substantial cuts to greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. The report predicts a 30 per cent cut in emissions by 2030 - the amount necessary to meet scientists’ calls for reductions to combat climate change - would cost $75 billion in new infrastructure and could double the cost of electricity generation. “The answer is a greater emphasis on clean coal and nuclear power,” Mr Howard has said.

More than 600 people have objected to plans to build a windfarm at Hellrigg near Silloth. NPower applied again in January for a windfarm at Park Head Farm, as it is also known, which was refused two years ago. The four turbines planned would stand 121m high and would cost around £10 million. Eighty-five people attended a meeting arranged by Holme Low parish council on February 26 at the Golf Hotel in Silloth, with all but one declaring themselves against the plans.

Plans for a controversial wind farm behind Greenock have been blown away. And protesters hailed the knock-back as victory for local people. The Scottish Executive has rejected Airtricity's £40 million proposal to erect 22 turbines at Corlic Hill behind Strone. Protest group Keep Corlic Wild waged a four-year battle against the 55-megawatt project ..................

Thousands of Lincolnshire residents spoke out against wind farms when over 90 per cent voted in opposition in a survey by the County Council. Now, local opposition groups say that they hope this ‘sends a clear message to West Lindsey District Council' regarding plans to build wind farms at Hemswell Cliff and Corringham, near Gainsborough.

People will be able to cash in on controversial plans for a wind farm by buying shares in it. Coronation Power is planning to create five 125-metre high turbines on Todmorden Moor capable of generating enough electricity for 10,000 homes. The £10 million development at Flower Scarr Moor has attracted opposition from councillors and villagers. And last month a Government planning inspector refused even to allow the firm to build a 60-metre wind gauge because of the effect it might have on Rossendale Valley Model Flying Club which has used the moor since the end of World War Two. But now Coronation Power hopes a project to allow the community to profit from the wind farm will change people’s minds

BRITAIN’S coalmines could be revived and become a primary source of fuel for generating electricity.

Sen. Chap Petersen’s (D-34) Clean Energy Future bill was wiped from the 2008 legislative agenda last week when the proposal calling for renewable energy sources and reductions in energy consumption was killed in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on a 3-12 vote. Senate Bill 446 would have required energy providers to produce 20 percent of their power through renewable resources by 2020. Petersen had touted the initiative heavily during his campaign for the Senate last year.

An alternative energy company was accused yesterday of “bullying” local people and showing “contempt and disregard for the planning system” as a five-year wrangle over new wind turbines took another twist.

The North-east countryside could be "hijacked" to help meet renewable energy targets, an expert has warned. Ecologist Dr John Etherington said the Government would require armies of turbines - and that the open spaces of the North-east could be a prime site. He said: "Rural land is being hijacked as the renewable power generating areas for the cities and big towns.

Blue H USA this week gave Cape Codders their first serious taste of a proposed deep-water wind farm project. ...The so-called floating turbine is, in fact, a tension-legged platform similar to those already used by the oil industry for some offshore drilling rigs, and that platform may be installed in seas 30 to 300 meters deep. The bulk of the platform is below sea level and is anchored to the sea floor, which keeps the unit stable even in high seas.