Mike Newman from First Southwest Company in Dallas, an investment banking firm that specializes in public finance, told commissioners at their special meeting earlier this month wind farms in northern areas of the county appears to be on horizon. He explained the advantages of an ordinance, the use of industrial revenue bonds for financing a project and providing tax breaks, and the dollar savings of coordinating with a neighboring county.

Under state regulations, utility companies in New Mexico must produce 20 percent of total energy needs from renewable resources by 2020, at least 20 percent of that from wind. For all the support of wind energy, some people still worry about the impact of a string of massive wind farms across New Mexico. They believe the rules governing wind farm placement need to carefully consider the impacts.

Two wind-testing towers came down this week after Taos County threatened to prosecute Taos Wind Power if it did not remove them. One located on private property approximately 8.2 miles southeast of Tres Piedras and another 3.5 miles north of Tres Piedras, the towers were approved by the county Dec. 4, 2007.

The Labs' Wind Energy Technology Department and the U.S. Department of Energy Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program have embarked on a project to determine if a roughly 30-megawatt plant is viable, the base and labs said in a news release. A private company would design, build, and operate the farm, and DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration, Sandia and Kirtland would buy the electricity, Sandia said.

It's round two for green power in Farmington today, with utility customers attending another City Council work session to protest a recommended $40 renewable energy fee. "A bunch of us are going to turn up again," said Mike Eisenfeld, New Mexico staff organizer for the San Juan Citizen's Alliance. "I think the city needs to do the right thing and shuck the recommended policy." ..."All I can do is present the information and they will make a decision." "Customers who choose to utilize renewable energy should do so because they believe it is the right' thing to do, but should also understand that these options are more expensive than traditional carbon-based resources," the report reads.

Gov. Bill Richardson approved all items in the capital outlay bill, including about $1.9 million to develop the site for and plan, design, construct, equip and furnish the North American Wind Research and Training Center at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari. Going into the legislative session, Mesalands officials had expressed hope for a larger appropriation because costs of wind turbines escalate with the rising costs of fuel, metals and manufacturing. Mesalands has been on spring break for the past week and Phillip Barry, college president, could not be reached for comment. The college wants to install a single wind turbine that could be used for maintenace and operational training of technicians and research on wind energy.

Governor Richardson has signed into law two bills he says make New Mexico what he calls the “clean energy state.” One measure quadruples the use of clean electricity. It requires that by the year 2020, utilities must be getting 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. The other bill creates a transmission authority that will help the state export solar, wind and other renewable energy. The governor says the measures not only will help keep New Mexico’s air clean, but will create new high-tech jobs in the state.

New Mexico State University has launched a project to track wind speeds in Eastern New Mexico to determine potential locations for commercial wind turbines. NMSU's Agricultural Science center at Clovis erected a 50-meter meteorological tower in November at a site 13 miles north of Clovis to gather wind data. The science center will work with NMSU's Institute for Energy and the Environment and the College of Engineering to process the data, calculate potential to power wind turbines, and make the information available to the public.

Santa Fe city government wants to start buying its electricity from a new wind power company, but it may run into opposition from Public Service Co. of New Mexico, the state regulated power monopoly. Delaware-based Patriot Wind, in cooperation with Santa Fe-based Windforce Inc., has plans to build a 20-turbine wind ranch in eastern New Mexico. The ranch is to be built on 640 acres of state-owned land about 30 miles southeast of Springer. But before Patriot Wind can get financing for the project, according to a memo from Santa Fe City Attorney Frank Katz, it needs to get commitments from potential customers to buy the electricity -- a prospect that could prove daunting, considering PNM's monopoly..........PNM already has a program in place called Sky Blue that allows customers to purchase energy generated from a wind farm in southern New Mexico. Customers pay 22 percent more for their electricity after enrolling in the program.

New Mexico State University researchers and students are advancing the development of wind energy technology along the U.S.-Mexico border, with the ultimate goal of wind energy commercialization.

Bingaman said he had supported tax credits aimed at developing wind power plants. With those credits ending in 2007, he said companies developing those operations were getting wary about starting new projects. The senator said he would propose extending those credits.

But it's not perfect, since windy periods don't necessarily match the peak demand for electricity. "It's not just that you can turn on a light as a customer, but that you can turn it on when you want," he said. Utilities have to plan electrical generation around highest demand, he said. "We have to cope with the wind blowing when the wind blows and maybe not necessarily when we need it," he said. "That's just the reality."

SANTA FE The state land commissioner has signed a lease agreement with a Santa Fe company that plans to develop a wind energy ranch in Colfax County.

The wind that whips through eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle sends dust dancing through the streets. It rattles doors and windows, unravels neatly pinned hair, and leaves residents stumbling in its path.

AMARILLO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2006--Xcel Energy has issued a request for proposals for about 40,500 megawatt-hours of annual renewable energy or renewable energy certificates to be generated from renewable technologies other than wind turbines.

ALBANY — To some upstate residents, massive windmills are "a blight on the landscape." To environmentalists and energy companies, they are a low-cost energy source that can reduce society's dependence on oil and gas.