Fallago Rig wind farm developers, North British Windpower, have hit back at what they call "emotional media posturing" by those opposed to the development.

Thousands of wind turbines could be "planted" in hedgerows on farmers' land in a new £200m energy scheme. Proven Energy, a Scottish wind turbine manufacturer, claims that the miniature turbines - at 14.9m tall - will be less obtrusive than the much taller, traditional machines.

As eco-friendly energy becomes more cost-efficient, convenient, and feasible, the time may be right for a growth spurt

VANCOUVER, CANADA, July 23 /CNW/ - The United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced a proposal to shorten the permitting process for pilot ocean energy projects to as little as six months. As part of its proposal, FERC will convene a public hearing on licensing pilot projects in Portland, Oregon on Oct. 2, 2007. Finavera Renewables (TSX VENTURE:FVR) CEO Jason Bak said, "We look forward to the hearing in October and want to extend our thanks to the FERC commissioners and staff for the tremendous commitment they've shown to offshore wave energy development. This decision shows strong leadership in promoting a clean, environmentally friendly renewable energy source that has the potential to satisfy a significant portion of the total energy demand in the United States."

In some parts of the state, from Cape Cod to the Berkshires, wind turbines are springing up to power municipal offices, homes, and businesses as a push for cheap alternatives to fossil-fuel energy continues to mount. But in the suburbs west of Boston, where green sentiments often run deep, one major hurdle stands in the way of environmental advocates and energy cost cutters - insufficient wind speeds. ...The Stow Board of Selectmen has discussed building a wind turbine on town property, but its chairman, Stephen Dungan, said the panel found local wind speeds were simply not high enough to make it pay off. "Basically, the option wasn't there," he said.

LINDSBORG — Three opponents of large-scale wind farms explained their reasons Tuesday night in Lindsborg to a group of about 50 people.

Energy Northwest this week submitted an application to build a $1 billion coal gasification power plant at the Port of Kalama, kicking off a review by state regulators that could take more than a year. "This is a new technology," Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council manager Allen Fiksdal said Wednesday. "It's a big project, and it's complex." The 600-megawatt Pacific Mountain Energy Center would be the first power plant of its kind in Washington and the first required to comply with a state law that calls on new power plants that use fossil fuels to curb greenhouse gases.

We're a windy state, and getting windier Illinois' more than fivefold increase in wind power capacity last year all came from wind farms in rural areas. "They're going to be placed in rural settings. It's just not feasible to put a wind farm in an urban area because of the land use. The buildings themselves also cause some issues," said Roger Brown, program manager for Western Illinois University's Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs. ...However, Bil Becker of a Chicago firm called Aerotecture is among those banking on a change in thinking. Becker said wind power does not have to mean a wind farm. He says wind power can be generated in cities.

The installation of a 1.5 MW wind turbine marks the first of five turbines slated for Atlantic City, New Jersey. While not an offshore project, this is the first multi-MW wind farm located in a coastal area of the U.S.

...huge turbines in development at General Electric could make battles with coastal residents a thing of the past. Researchers say the turbines could be placed on floating platforms, far at sea and invisible from the shore.

The world's first floating wind turbine could be generating electricity in the North Sea in 2009 under a research pact between Norwegian energy group Norsk Hydro and German engineering firm Siemens. Floating wind turbines would represent a technological breakthrough for offshore power generation, which has had to rely on shallow sites for turbines installed on the seabed.

Researchers from the University of Southampton have successfully built an electric motor which is powered by flowing water.

AWS Truewind, a Latham firm, will forecast winds 48 hours in advance under a two-year contract with the New York Independent System Operator to make it easier for turbine companies to offer more guaranteed power in advance. Forecasting also will make it easier to manage the grid by giving a clearer picture of how much wind power will be coming, which in turn should reduce the amount of power supplied from polluting sources like coal- and oil-fired power plants.

FPL Group Inc., the largest U.S. producer of wind power, said second-quarter profits fell 48 percent on a drop in the valuation of energy contracts. Its net income declined to $209 million, or 52 cents a share, from $405 million, or $1.01, a year earlier. Revenue fell 8.8 percent to $3.59 billion. FPL Energy, the alternative energy arm of the company, reported a decrease in net income of 98.5 percent to $3 million in the second quarter from $203 million last year. The net income of Florida Power & Light Co., which provides electricity for 4.5 million customers in Florida, increased by 2.8 percent to $217 million from $211 million.

Ten months after the St. Lucie County Commission denied Florida Power & Light an opportunity to build a coal power plant, the Glades County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the project. If the state signs off on the deal, the coal power plant would be the first of its kind in the country, FPL said, because it would use new, more environmentally friendly technology that would emit fewer pollutants......FPL said the plant is needed in a state where almost 1,000 new residents move in every day, and where the cost of natural gas, another source of electricity, continues to rise. The plant would also make service more reliable, FPL officials said.

With windmills a big topic of discussion among many Herkimer County municipalities, Frankfort Board of Trustee members want the public to know there is not yet a project under way in the village. "I've been approached by many people who are under the impression that we have already started a project," said board member John Spina. "We are in the middle of studies about the feasibility of such a project and either party can back out of the project at any time." The village of Frankfort Board of Trustees began discussions about a possible wind mill project last March.