Skeptics in the crowd scanned visuals of wind farms proposed for Prince Edward County on display last night and said the only thing green about them is the money the proponent stands to make. Others came to a public meeting at the Crystal Palace eager to learn more ...Gilead Power Corp. unveiled more details of its plans to erect up to 12 turbines in an area west of Ostrander Point Road. Gilead is one of several companies exploring the county for wind turbine potential.

A breeding pair of wedge-tailed eagles has been killed at Roaring 40s' Woolnorth Bluff Point windfarm in the state's north-west. A spokesman for Roaring 40s said the company "gets as upset as anybody when there is a collision", but urged people to keep the deaths in perspective. The first eagle was killed on August 17 and a few days later its mate was also struck. ..."But every death of an endangered species is one step closer to the extinction of that species," Dr Woehler said.

The Tasmanian Greens today said the deaths of a breeding pair of Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagles, a critically endangered species, at the Roaring Forties Woolnorth Bluff Point wind farm during the last fortnight, is deeply disturbing. They have called on the responsible Minister to investigate the deaths and ensure the public are informed of the outcome of that investigation.

The wind farm proposed for Amherst Island could approach the size of one of the largest such facilities in Canada, now under construction on Wolfe Island. Kingston-based Gaia Power Inc. is developing the Amherst Island wind-power project, called Windlectric, in conjunction with Oakville-based Algonquin Power Management Inc. The project is expected to produce a maximum of 200 megawatts ...The Wolfe Island project, slated for 198 megawatts, includes 86 turbines.

Bats are dying as they fly into low-pressure zones around wind turbines. The sudden low pressure causes the air in their lungs to expand and cause tissue damage, called barotrauma. Low-pressure area: most severe immediately out from the blades and decreases as it gets closer to the centre of the turbine. There is also a low-pressure area down the shaft.

Sudden air pressure changes around wind turbines is likely behind the large numbers of migratory bats found dead in southern Alberta, according to a new University of Calgary study. The two-year study found 90 per cent of the studied bats found dead below turbines near Pincher Creek suffered severe injuries to their respiratory systems consistent with a sudden drop in air pressure that occurs near the turbine blades.

"Beware: exploding lungs" is not a sign one would expect to see at a wind farm. But a new study suggests this is the main reason bats die in large numbers around wind turbines. ...Why bats - who echolocate moving objects - are killed by turbines has remained a mystery until now. The research council thought the high-frequency noise from the turbines' gears and blades could be disrupting the bats' echolocation systems. In fact, a new study shows that the moving blades cause a drop in pressure that makes the delicate lungs of bats suddenly expand, bursting the tissue's blood vessels. This is known as a barotrauma, and is well-known to scuba divers.

Maritime Electric wants to increase its capital budget by $13.9 million to construct a wind energy transmission line along the Confederation Trail, but the company says it won't mean rate increases for Islanders. Maritime Electric has applied to the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission for the budget increase. ..."This line is paid for (by) Suez (Energy North America) and the government of P.E.I. so it has no effect on the customers of P.E.I. in terms of cost or risk.''

Canadian researchers have found wind turbines can kill bats without them actually flying into the blades. ..."An atmospheric drop in pressure at wind-turbine blades is an undetectable - and potentially unforeseeable - hazard for bats, thus partially explaining the large number of bat fatalities at these specific structures," said Baerwald.

Experts suggest as many as 200 proposals could result from a call for clean energy projects issued last June by B.C. Hydro, the province's Crown-owned power utility. Energy proponents have until Nov. 25 to register their plans with the utility. The Crown corporation will announce its choices in June 2009. ..."The dilemma with this field is there is a lot of hyperbole and a lot of dramatic positioning driven sometimes by very real ecological concerns, sometimes by other factors," he said. Dauncey said the power issue in British Columbia has always been locked in an environmental debate between builders and preservationists.

The two farms, Bartlett reported, represent a $250 million SUEZ Renewable Energy investment. SUEZ will receive incentives of up to $2.8 million over 10 years from its Norway wind farm, based on a one cent per kilowatt hour rate. The provincial government's 30-megawatt wind farm at East Point qualifies for up to $9 million in federal funds over 10 years. How much government incentive SUEZ Renewable Energy NA will receive for energy generated at West Cape wind farm was not disclosed. Bartlett noted only power sold into the domestic market qualifies. Much of the electricity generated at West Cape is destined for the export market.

Despite failing to secure a contract with Nova Scotia Power, a controversial wind farm project proposed for the Pugwash area is not dead. "We have not abandoned our plans to pursue that project," Atlantic Wind Power Corporation president Charles Demond said Monday. "We're still interested in building a wind farm there. It may be scaled back a bit from what we were proposing, but it will still be a very good wind farm."

One of Canada's up-and-coming wind power developers, EarthFirst Canada Inc., has called in consultants to look for "strategic alternatives" after its key project in British Columbia was hit with cost overruns and a lowered estimate of potential energy production. EarthFirst's predicament underlines the precarious economics of the wind business - especially for small developers - even at a time of booming growth for the industry. ...EarthFirst has seen its stock price plunge to less than 50 cents in the past few months ...after the announcement in early July that the projected capital cost of building its initial Dokie 1 wind project in northeastern British Columbia had risen by $35-million, to $360-million.

Jim Vanden Hoek, the mayor of the Township of Frontenac Islands, may not have realized how his words would be taken when referring to the centre of wind turbines development on Wolfe Island as "ground zero" at the public wind energy meeting at the Picton Arena Wednesday night. "I'm seeing a lot of shaking of heads, just bear with me," he said as he presented to a crowd of over 200 people who, judging by their comments and questions, appeared largely against wind farm development in Prince Edward. He pointed to a green map of Wolfe Island dotted with red.

A crowd of more than 200 people filled the Prince Edward Community Centre Wednesday evening to hear first hand about a large wind farm on Wolfe Island scheduled to start any day. Frontenac Islands (which includes Wolfe Island) Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek was on hand to talk about the process his municipality went through to see construction about to begin.

Prince Edward County Mayor Leo Finnegan is adamant a public information session on windmills this week won't turn into a debate. "That's not what this is about," he said. "We have people coming to give information about windmills because it is a very important issue here right now. The presenters will take about half an hour each and then there will be a question period but it won't turn into a debate.

It is a debate gradually becoming more polarized. A calm beginning at Thursday's public meeting about the proposed wind farm project in Norwich, turned into a heated, yet respectful discussion among frustrated community members and representatives from ProWind Canada and MK Ince and Associates, the hired environmental consultant company.

New Brunswick is a rural province, and has low population densities. "So it's possible to locate wind generating facilities without intruding on residential areas," Howe said. "That's a key advantage over New England in terms of being able to locate a wind generator without having concerns on the part of resident who don't want a wind generator in their backyard."

Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. was granted a permit from the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board on Tuesday to construct the Canadian stretch of a 215-mile electrical transmission line between Great Falls and Lethbridge. The line is expected to spur wind farm construction in northcentral Montana. The EUB permit was the final OK needed for the Alberta portion, which makes up about 40 percent of the entire project, said Bob Curran, an EUB spokesman. Canada's National Energy Board previously approved the plan. "It means they can construct and operate the line now," Curran said.

It was a full house in Norwich council chambers Tuesday morning as concerned community members and a representative from Prowind Canada addressed council about the controversial and potential Gunn's Hill wind farm. Council was asked to weigh both sides of the debate, with the opposition requesting a moratorium on any further development until a decision is reached. They were also reminded municipalities have the right to enforce the setback distance of their choice.