The district may need to repair a wind turbine it owns at the Joice wind farm. The turbine, purchased in about 2005, "trips out" - turns off and on - frequently, Nugent said. "It trips out far more than it should be," he said. ...Engineers from Denmark are scheduled to come in the fall for annual maintenance, but the district may have to fly them in earlier than that, Nugent said.

National Grid has appealed to the R.I. Supreme Court a ruling by the R.I. Public Utilities Commission (PUC) ordering Grid to sign long-term contracts for the purchase of renewable energy. The utility argues that current law does not allow it to do what the commission wants. In its ruling on March 16, the PUC unanimously rejected National Grid's electricity supply plans for 2010, writing that "contrary to the plain language" of the commission's rulings on the subject, "the plan did not contain any long-term contracts for renewable energy resources."

National Grid is willing to return to the negotiating table with offshore wind farm developer Deepwater Wind, the state's largest utility said in a filing with the R.I. Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The Wednesday filing, actually a copy of a letter sent to Deepwater, came six days after National Grid rejected the developer's renewable energy contract offer, saying that electricity from Deepwater's proposed offshore wind farm would be too expensive.

National Grid late Thursday rejected Deepwater Wind LLC's initial proposal to supply electricity from a planned wind farm off Block Island, throwing a monkey wrench into the Carcieri administration's efforts to boost renewable energy in Rhode Island. Both the governor and the R.I. Economic Development Corporation (EDC) have urged the Grid and Deepwater to keep talking.

The town Planning Commission Thursday night declined to rule on a revised application for a controversial wind turbine at Stamp Farm until it knows who the manufacturer will be.

The Town Council Monday night extended its moratorium on new wind turbine applications for another 90 days while it considers a new ordinance governing wind energy. The original moratorium, passed Jan. 10, was due to expire July 10.

The town has revoked the building permit for a 427-foot wind turbine slated to be constructed at the North Kingstown Green housing development on Ten Rod Road.

On Jan. 10, the Town Council passed a six-month moratorium on new wind turbines to allow time for North Kingstown to create a new wind-energy ordinance. The move came after two proposals for large turbines stirred vigorous opposition in town. Town Manager Michael Embury said local officials were meeting to discuss the ordinance when they decided it made more sense to wait for uniform standards for wind turbines.

Wind is always available and it doesn't pollute the planet. But as wonderful as it sounds, using the resource for energy could come with a hefty price tag. ...But there's a big problem. The Texas Public Utility Commission [PUC] hasn't approved a way to funnel all the power from the wind farms in West Texas and eventually the panhandle, into the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Ross points out, "The only impediment we have right now is the construction of transmission lines. We've got to construct the wires to move the power back to Dallas/Fort Worth." According to the PUC, that could cost at least $1 million per mile to get the power into the local area.

North Union Township may join other regional municipalities that have created or are creating wind turbine ordinances. At a supervisors' meeting this week, North Union Township Supervisor Gary Croll said a group from St. Francis University, Loretto, is interested in testing wind capacity with a meteorological tower in North Union. That group is investigating the potential for a commercial wind farm. ...The supervisors asked township solicitor Paul Domalakes to review turbine information further. Croll said he didn't want to discourage alternative energy but he doesn't want it to harm residents' quality of life either.

Yves Gagnon hopes to see the development of community-based wind power projects that will provide both a sustainable source of energy and economically benefit New Brunswickers. Gagnon, the K.C. Irving Chair in Sustainable Development at l'Unversité de Moncton, said the government's recent launch of a community wind energy initiative shows they recognize the importance of this potential source of energy. ...By community wind, Gagnon means smaller-based wind projects that are locally owned and operated by any number of different types of groups.

Even before Hydro-Quebec tentatively acquired NB Power, it turns out the Quebec government-owned utility was already taking up all the export capacity in NB Power's transmission system, leaving no room for anyone else to export electricity to New England. But New Brunswick Energy Minister Jack Keir says that doesn't prevent Nova Scotia or Newfoundland or anyone else from building a transmission line across New Brunswick.

The 25-kilometre stretch of wind turbines, located 70 kilometres northwest of Bathurst, has been completely shut down for several weeks due to heavy ice covering their blades. GDF SUEZ Energy, the company that owns and operates the site, is working to return the windmills to working order, a spokesperson says. "We can't control the weather," Julie Vitek said.

New Brunswick's first commercial wind farm will lose several weeks of electricity output from one of its 32 turbines after a major fire damaged the towering structure on the weekend. The blackened shell of the wind turbine, much of its white coating peeled away, was obscured by fog and clouds at the TransAlta wind farm in Albert County on Monday.

Saint John-based Irving Oil Ltd. is studying the potential construction of a 500- to 600-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant to sell into the energy-hungry New England market. The project was revealed as New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham and Maine Gov. John Baldacci were in Saint John announcing their governments' intention to explore the development of an energy corridor to move electricity and natural gas between the Maritimes and New England.

Near the town of Bettie in Carteret County, the Pauls plan to build a wind farm of three turbines that would generate enough power for about 900 homes, or about 4.5 megawatts. The 464-foot-high windmills would begin generating power in 2010. "This project, as small as it is, is 90 times larger than the largest wind generation facility currently operating in North Carolina," Nelson Paul wrote in an e-mail. Before the project can begin, the North Carolina Utilities Commission must approve the project and the couple must withstand opposition from neighbors who worry that the turbines will ruin the scenery, Paul said.

Property owners, including Wood, have talked with Iberdrola Renewables officials and have visited similar projects in other states, he said. Tall wind towers, even in the Bull Yard, could obstruct an airfield in Hales Lake. The two tracts are separated only by swampy woodlands, Wood said. Invenergy, a Chicago-based energy company, has also expressed interest in Hales Lake, he said.

It was a substantial platform on 16 pilings in the Pamlico Sound, built by a collaborative of North Carolina academic research scientists. A fiberglass instrument house was bolted to the platform, a wireless communication system and an antenna were in place, and a wind turbine and high-efficiency solar panels had just been installed. A product of a state initiative to spur innovative research, the 18- by-18-foot structure was ready for the installation of cutting-edge data collection instruments. That is, until a 71-foot steel trawler plowed it all down.

The North Carolina House continues to consider a bill that would ban all commercial-sized wind turbines in Western North Carolina. Introduced in March 2009, Senate Bill 1068 and House Bill 809 were originally designed to set up a statewide permit process for the construction of wind turbines in Western North Carolina.

A proposed wind farm in Ashe County should not be allowed because it violates the state’s Ridge Law, the public staff of the N.C. Utilities Commission said yesterday. Also yesterday, State Attorney General Roy Cooper filed a notice he intends to intervene in the issue.