Geothermal wells, solar panels and maybe a wind turbine, too. Indian River Central School District's use of alternative energy sources to cut costs was a big topic of discussion at Thursday night's Board of Education meeting. The district is conducting a solar energy feasibility study, Business Manager James R. Koch announced. The board also committed $2,500 to pursue a wind energy feasibility study.

Angered by a Town Board vote in Italy, Yates County, to kill a turbine proposal, a wind-energy company is asking a judge to override the elected board members and allow the project to go forward. Ecogen Wind LLC, which had been seeking permission to erect 17 wind turbines, each standing 415 feet, said in court papers filed Wednesday that town leaders had dodged and delayed a decision on the proposal since 2002.

In a Oct. 22 letter from Nixon Peabody LLP, Rochester, which represents developer United Wind Energy, Mahwah, N.J., the law firm told the town they were pulling out of the development. "Based on the town's serial re-enactments of a moratorium prohibiting wind energy projects, stony wind has decided to direct its resources to other prospective projects elsewhere in the state," the letter states.

After attending his share of town meetings, Steven Moultrup felt the need to serve its residents. ...Among other issues, he cited how the town's comprehensive plan addresses wind turbines. "It was very clear in the comprehensive plan that the town board would specify the locations of wind turbines," he said. "But what's specified in the comprehensive plan was never done, and I question that. I had some concerns about that."

This week, developer Upstate NY Power Corp. submitted the site plan application for the wind farm to the town of Hounsfield Planning Board. Before the site plan can be approved, the state environmental quality review process must be completed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Earlier this month, Upstate NY Power Corp. received approval from the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency for a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement separate from the uniform tax-exempt policy in development for wind projects across the county.

Could there be a lawsuit in the tea leaves over a proposed wind law in Hartsville? For the second meeting in a row, discussions at Wednesday night's town board meeting focused on a newly-unveiled wind regulatory law. And again, discussions of legal action by those benefiting from the project have been discussed. This time, the reference came from the developer. According to Jackie Murray, an attorney for German-owned E.ON Climate and Renewables - the company planning to build around 51 megawatts worth of industrial wind turbines in the town - a proposed law would block wind development because of overly-strict guidelines in the legislation, and could cause problems for the town.

Iberdrola Renewables Inc., the wind company developing the Stone Church Wind Farm Project, has released a list of municipal officers and their relatives the company is paying to use their property. The four people named in the public notice are Hammond Town Councilman James C. Pitcher; John Mitchell, whose wife, Ann, was Hammond town clerk from 1988 to 2005; Hammond Planning Board member Steven S. Demick; and town of Oswegatchie Councilman Kenneth A. Wilson. The public notice was in compliance with state Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo's Wind Energy Ethics Code.

The 39-turbine Roaring Brook wind farm project in the town of Martinsburg received little public comment Wednesday. And the four people who did speak at the town Planning Board public hearing on the project expressed mixed opinions. "There is insufficient evidence to suggest that birds won't be displaced by Roaring Brook Wind Farm," said Chris K. Lajewski, the Northern New York land steward for the Nature Conservancy.

A memo from a lobbying company has some lawmakers concerned that Niagara County's lawsuit against the New York State Power Authority may be impacting its ability to secure the rights to assist in the development of a new wind energy project in Western New York.

Opponents of the proposed industrial wind development in the town have formed a group called Heart of Henderson. The group, which has more than a dozen members so far, is made up of both seasonal and full-time residents of the town. They have become more vocal as the details of the possible Stony Point Wind Farm become clear. ...Deborah L. Fargo started the group a few weeks ago after receiving a letter saying a meteorological test tower would be erected on a neighboring property.

Horizon Wind Energy has put its plans for a commercial windmill farm in Perry on hold, Town Supervisor Jim Brick said this morning. Brick said he wasn't sure why. "They didn't come right out and say specifically," he said. ...Asked if this mean the project has been definitely abandoned, Brick said that was not the case. "We kind of agreed it's gone to sleep for awhile," he said.

Horizon Wind Energy has suspended its plans for a windmill farm in Perry, Town Clerk Sarah Ballinger said Thursday morning. "We just made the announcement yesterday," she said, referring to Wednesday night's Town Board meeting. Ballinger did not have any other details about Horizon's decision.

No parking and no turbines. Lyme's Town Council extended the moratorium on wind energy development for a year and enacted a parking ban along County Route 125 at its meeting Wednesday night. The moratorium, which was proposed as a three-month period, was passed through Oct. 15, 2010. An appeals court decision on a lawsuit against the zoning law passed May 6 will be announced in January or February. Then the law would be "tweaked," Supervisor Scott G. Aubertine said.

The Denmark Town Council on Monday night heard further comments on a proposed wind power zoning law but postponed any action until the full board could discuss it. "It'll be up for discussion when our supervisor is back," Deputy Supervisor David W. Thoma said. ...The Town Council has held previous public hearings on the proposed law but was required to hold another one due to several changes to the draft.

Wind farms in upstate New York are interfering with National Weather Service Doppler radars, making it more difficult to detect and assess approaching lake effect snow storms. The spinning blades on the towering turbines can cause problems by reflecting some of the radar's signal, which can be falsely interpreted as wind or precipitation. The reflections can make storms coming off lakes Erie and Ontario look stronger than they actually are, but the structures can also act like a wall and hide a storm from forecasters.

Town of Allegany board members were told that they will have to put more zoning laws into effect if they are going to have control over wind-turbine companies that may try to move into the community. During a special meeting Monday at Allegany Town Hall, board members heard comments from Dan Spitzer, an attorney with Hodgson Russ LLP in Buffalo who is advising the town board on wind-turbine issues. The small town-hall meeting room was filled with residents who were concerned with the possibility of a wind-turbine farm moving into the Chipmonk area. ..."It's a very complicated topic and the one thing I say, whether I'm representing the community or representing the developer, is that it will change your community for a generation, at least," Mr. Spitzer said of a wind-turbine farm.

Supervisor Patrick Eaton said a recent ban on wind turbine farms by the Yorkshire Town Board has caused Allegany Town Board members to rethink its position regarding proposed wind turbines in the Chipmunk area. Another issue expected to have an impact on the proposed 32-turbine Everpower wind farm in the Chipmunk area in the southwest portion of the town of Allegany is the town's portion of PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) payments negotiated by the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency (IDA).

The Italy Town Board voted last night to deny an application from a company that wanted to build an 18-turbine wind farm in the picturesque Yates County town. "We're all very pleased, and surprised. All of us who have been fighting for so long - our jaws were on the floor. We couldn't believe what we were hearing from our town board," said Kathy Johnstone, a town resident and a vice president of the Finger Lakes Preservation Association, which opposes the project.

The Italy Town Board took three actions Monday night to stop the development of a wind farm in the town. Ecogen LLC applied to develop up to 24 turbines in 2007. Since then, the project was adjusted to 18 turbines ...As a group of steadfast town residents watched, the board carefully reviewed and made minor revisions to a six-page resolution denying the application for a special use permit to build and operate a wind farm on Emerson Road. The board agreed unanimously to adopt the resolution denying the application.

The Indian River Central School District is looking into putting a wind turbine on one of its campuses to decrease the district's energy costs and carbon footprint. ..."We are proposing a study to assess the wind we have," district Business Manager James R. Koch said, at the Board of Education meeting on Thursday night.