The South Washington County School District has abandoned its interest in a large wind turbine as Woodbury officials are near prohibiting that type of project. East Ridge High School will not be the site of a utility-scale wind turbine ...The decision was influenced by a pending alternative energy ordinance that would restrict the size and location of wind turbines in Woodbury.

Currently, there are no wind turbines generating electricity in Grand Ledge, and there are none planned. But, when and if someone decides to build one, the city plans to be ready. "The primary reason the Planning Commission wanted to proceed was to have something in place to protect the public should somebody choose to put in a wind conversion device," said Grand Ledge Mayor Kalmin Smith.

Officials in Union and Magnolia townships consider moratoriums on wind turbines to be the temporary answer in response to a new state law. Wind developer EcoEnergy has proposed projects in both communities. Local residents are concerned the new process on siting wind energy systems signed into law this week will erase their work to protect themselves from negative effects.

Light breezes and low elevations make Baltimore County uninviting territory for big wind farms, but the terrain could be more promising for residents hoping to trim electric bills and their "carbon footprint" with a home turbine. The outlook could hinge on deliberations going on now, as the county revises the zoning code to cover such projects. Meanwhile, one homeowner's plan for the county's first electricity-generating wind turbine remains on hold as neighbors who say they support alternative energy have lined up against it.

"We thought we found our Shangri-La," Schulte, a rural Goodhue landowner, told about 90 people gathered Wednesday for an informational wind energy meeting. "If I would have known the (wind) project was in the works, I would not have bought this property." Schulte bought land four miles west of Goodhue more than two years ago. He said many landowners like himself - those who don't own enough property to house wind turbines but will live directly in their shadows.

It took a St. Clair County jury less than an hour last month to find Wetzel guilty on four counts of forgery for falsifying a building permit on a 120-foot wind turbine he wanted to construct at his business, which sits near Illinois Route 157 and Interstate 64. Village attorney Duane Clarke, who did not prosecute the case, said each of the forgery charges resulted when Wetzel presented a demolition permit to the police and zoning departments to make it appear he also had permission to build the structure.

The Afton City Council continued its wind turbine talk during a work session last month. During a Sept. 8 work session two experts in the field, Brian Ross from CR Planning and Sean Wagner from the architecture firm Meyer, Schere & Rockcastle, spoke to the council about wind turbines and turbine ordinances. “We need to hear how the community feels about this issue,” Afton City Council member Bill Palmquist said.

The Antrim Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) unanimously voted on Tuesday to close the public hearing on the height variance for a meteorological (met) tower on Tuttle Hill, and begin deliberations at their next meeting on the issue, which will be Oct. 13. ...Including three company officials from Eolian Renewable Energy, the parent company of Antrim Wind Power LLC, those attending the meeting numbered thirty. The majority of opinions heard by the board were against giving the height variance for the met tower.

Officials with a Houston-based wind-energy company have applied for a special-use permit to make way for the first phase of a massive wind farm spanning from Gibson City to Sibley to near Elliott. The Ford Ridge Wind Farm is targeted for construction late next year or in early 2011, said Roger Brown, business developer for BP Wind Energy North America Inc.

York officials have taken the first steps toward crafting wind turbine regulations. At a Wednesday night Planning Commission work session, the five commissioners in attendance were unanimous in their support for regulations that would permit the use of wind turbines for generating electricity. During the lengthy discussion, commissioners differed on how regulations should be applied.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment says it needs more information before approving a variance that would allow for the construction of a small wind energy turbine on a property bordering Lake Winnipesaukee. Members of the Zoning Board voted to continue the application made by Richard Lavalliere and in the mean time, have the applicant hire an independent licensed engineer ascertain potential noise level and the amount of energy production that will be done on the site.

The McLean County Zoning Board of Appeals will have a public hearing Oct. 19 on a request for a special-use permit that would allow Twin Groves Wind Farm to expand by as many as 333 turbines. Horizon Wind Energy LLC and its affiliates want to generate 500 megawatts of power with the turbines that would be located on 38,248 acres in Towanda, Blue Mound, Martin and Anchor townships.

The West Roxbury Neighborhood Council supported the placement of a temporary 200-foot meteorological tower at a site on the Roxbury Latin school campus Monday night ...Discussion was heated among residents in attendance, with both supporters and challengers to the proposal voicing their opinions. Ultimately, however, the 6-2 vote in favor of the MET tower left many residents at the meeting feeling their thoughts on the matter were not seriously considered by the board.

Two Derbyshire councils are formally objecting against plans for a wind farm on the edge of the Peak District. Derbyshire Wind Energy, a subsidiary of West Coast Energy, wants to build three 126-metre turbines on Matlock Moor, overlooking the Derwent Valley close to Chatsworth House and the national park boundary. Opponents fear it will harm the landscape and deter tourists from the area.

An inspector was due to hear an appeal against the rejection by North Lincolnshire Council for a seven turbine plan for Flixborough Grange on Tuesday. But the planning inspectorate has said the matter now needs to go to a full public inquiry because of complicated issues and the number of people who were likely to come along. No date has been set.

A draft Renewable Energy Source ordinance submitted to the City Planning Commission at its meeting Aug. 4, is on the planners' agenda on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. ...Helmlinger said the city is concerned about the safety and aesthetics of wind turbines and solar panels mounted on roofs of homes. The ordinance will control design and installation of wind turbines, including visual appearance, and will limit its height. The noise level is limited, and shadow flicker from the turbine blades must be minimized.

If Monaca resident Chuck Thomas had been able to get his windmill up and running over the weekend, he would have been able to take advantage of Monday's stiff breezes. ..."One problem is that there is no provision for small wind turbines in his zone," Leone said Monday. "He has to get a variance for that, and his hearing isn't scheduled until Oct. 19."

The Planning Commission will consider during a work session next week whether York County should create a zoning ordinance allowing wind turbines in neighborhoods. ...Planning staff suggest proceeding slowly. "The lack of any first-hand, real-world experience with wind turbines anywhere in the region probably calls for a cautious approach," one document cautions.

Residents will have a chance Monday to learn about and ask questions on a proposed moratorium ordinance on potential wind farm development. ...The proposed ordinance was prompted by a tentative proposal by Patriot Renewables LLC of Quincy, Mass., to construct eight to 20 wind turbines along the ridge that includes Colonel Holman Mountain.

Well over 100 people attended the public hearing called to receive feedback on the Oceans Management Plan, billed by the state government as a first-in-the-nation attempt to manage all development in Massachusetts waters. But just one issue dominated proceedings: wind generation. ...Overwhelmingly, the dozens who rose to speak were opposed to the plan, either outright or in part - although most also asserted their support in principle for alternative power generation.