Opponents of a proposed four-turbine wind farm in North St. Eleanors have received the support of the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island to delay the project pending a health investigation. In a letter to the city's mayor and council, long-time Summerside physician Paul Kelly made formal application to city officials that they delay the project calling for four wind turbines on the former landfill site in St. Eleanors. ..."The Medical Society of Prince Edward Island has been asked to address the issue of setback distances associated with wind turbines," he said.

Scotian Windfields and Skypower have already revamped the map that was released at the municipality's council meeting on Nov. 10-showing the proposed locations of 20 wind turbines on Digby Neck. The new improved version shows the turbines originally planned for Red Head re-situated north of Highway 217 on properties owned by Fred and Sharon Ross and Jerry Schofield. The remaining 18 turbines are also north of the highway, as they were on the original version of the map.

That summer in Delaware, Bluewater Wind finalized its contract to build a wind farm of 70, 130-meter-tall turbines 13 miles off the coast of Delaware. After a 59 percent rate hike in state energy prices, state legislators passed House Bill 6. This consumer retail act mandated the creation of a new power plant within the state of Delaware. ...According to the [Bluewater] Web site, "There were no significant negative impacts found on fish, flora and fauna." Delaware Audubon Society Conservation Group is showcased in supporting the project, saying it's safe for birds. ...[Thomas Kunz] says there is evidence suggesting that the offshore wind turbines Bluewater proposed to build would attract bats, causing them to die.

Last month, about 50 St. Eleanors residents turned out at a city council meeting raising concerns surrounding the minimal setback regulations of the turbines from residences, noise and health implications and the impact the wind farm will have on property values. City council voted unanimously to table the rezoning until Monday night. That success was short-lived as council voted unanimously to approve the zoning change. Coun. Brent Gallant did not vote because of a conflict of interest issue.

Details of a wind farm on rugged hills southwest of Brooklyn have been made public. The 28-turbine proposal for Long Gully will be discussed at public meetings in Wellington this week before a resource consent application is lodged with the city council in mid-December. State-owned Mighty River Power would own and operate the farm and Windflow Technology, a Christchurch turbine manufacturer, would construct it.

Canada is the biggest exporter of oil to the United States, and one might expect environmentalists to cheer the prospect of exchanging a little of our dependence on foreign oil for dependence on foreign wind. But some fear that a flood of clean power from Canada will undercut New England's efforts to become a national leader in green energy and technology. Jobs could be lost, they caution, and local utilities may have less incentive to reduce their use of coal and other fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. Concerns also exist that the construction of expensive transmission lines to bring renewable energy from Canada could drive up the region's electricity rates, already among the highest in the country.

Independent wind producers are facing big hikes in debt costs, raising doubt on whether ambitious construction goals will be met over the next few years, say financing experts. Chris Gifford, a vice president with Allied Irish Banks in Toronto, says worrisome signs for the industry came recently when EarthFirst Canada Inc. (TSX:EF) - the proponent of a major wind farm in British Columbia - declared it was seeking creditor protection. "I think it's a warning sign, what happened to them (EarthFirst) could happen to other people," he said in a telephone interview.

Wind farms could be having a radical impact on North Sea wildlife, a new study warns. ...In a paper published this month in the Journal of Marine Systems, Goran Brostrom, of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, warns that generating power at sea threatens marine life.

The global financial crisis has forced the Dokie wind energy project in northeast B.C. to seek court protection, in order to hold off creditors who are looking to recover $131 million in debt. EarthFirst Canada Inc. announced recently that it obtained creditor protection. A press release stated that the crisis in global financial markets hindered the company's ability to develop alternatives for financing or completing the sale of the company.

Scotian Windfields and Skypower have released the proposed locations for the 20 wind turbines to be built in the Rossway area-and their map shows 12 of the towers will be built on properties owned by Americans. The Digby Neck Wind Farm, scheduled for construction in 2009, was the subject of a presentation made by Barry Zwicker, CEO of Scotian Windfields, Nov. 10 at the Municipality of Digby's meeting.

It wasn't the wind testing towers that worried residents - it was the industrial wind turbines that could follow. Several south Innisfil residents asked council last Wednesday to deny a bid by Skypower, an alternative energy company, to erect two meteorological towers near Conc. 14 and Yonge Street to test wind patterns. ...Speaker after speaker told council they feared the test towers would be the first step on the road to a wind turbine farm in the area.

Dave Colling regrets having leased some of his farm near Ripley to a wind energy developer. Colling is part of a group of neighbours who signed a three-year lease in return for a fixed amount of money a year, plus a percentage of the profits once the project is underway. "If I knew then what I know now, I never would have signed up," said Colling, whose farm will have wind turbines as part of the second stage of development near Ripley. ...Colling urged anyone thinking of signing up with a wind development company to find out as much as possible.

The government's recently announced $1-billion plan for wind energy development came under fire during the opening question period of the fall sitting Wednesday when the Opposition accused the province of protecting Maritime Electric's bottom line over the interests of Islanders. The government's 10-point plan for wind energy development was announced a few weeks ago with much ado. It seeks to grow the Island's wind energy production to 500 megawatts by 2013 and sets out a framework for wind energy projects, establishing ground rules for developers.

A Toronto company called Sky- Power Corporation wants to rezone an area near Highway 11 and Line 14 for a meteorological tower to study wind data. The tower would collect information to see if the area is suitable for wind turbines. ..."We are concerned that there has been little communication of this public meeting and its potential impact on people within the vicinity of the proposed site and Fennels Corners residents," said Gaye Trombley, of Innisfil Windwatchers.

When Dawn and Dean Wallace moved to Wolfe Island 17 years ago, they fell in love with the peaceful, slow pace of life in the rural community. It quickly became home and they planned to retire on the island. That has all changed. The couple feels that construction of one of Canada's largest wind-power projects has forced them out of the community and they're in the process of moving off the island ...The noise and dust from dozens of trucks and heavy pieces of equipment moving past their property, at times starting as early as 4 a. m., made life almost unbearable.

Extracting energy from wind changes regional air currents, which can in turn affect how the nearby ocean circulates, according to Goran Brostrom of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute in Oslo. In a paper published this month in Journal of Marine Systems, Brostrom shows in a model that winds swirling at 11 to 22 miles per hour downwind of large farms are uneven. As they blow over the ocean they can roil the waters, causing upwelling. ...the effect is enough to bring nutrient-rich waters up from the depths, which marine life can thrive on.

Brothers started the evening presentation with about 75 people in the room; he finished after another 100 entered en masse, and most of them clearly opposed to a development that could bring 30 or 40 wind turbines to the Anglo area. Opponents raised concerns about health risks from windmills which Brothers attempted to refute. He said he is not aware of credible evidence that wind turbines and transmission lines have ill health affects.

The last significant planning barrier to Canada's biggest wind energy project is expected to be removed in little more than a week. Brookfield Renewable Power hopes its $600-million commercial wind farm in Lakeshore and Kingsville will get underway early next year. County council expects to pass final changes to its alternative energy zoning regulations at its next meeting. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs is promising approval the day after.

The province's newest wind farm near St. Joseph has been delayed, and rural politicians are getting frustrated with what they say is Manitoba Hydro's foot-dragging. Meanwhile, the Australian company that's backing construction of the new wind farm has been plagued by financial problems, and a Manitoba wind powerhouse snubbed by Hydro earlier this year has taken their business south of the border. ..."A Manitoba company is building a wind farm three miles south of the border and we can't get one built here. It's too bad."

Just after Thanksgiving, specialists from countries including Canada, Norway, and Australia laid approximately 8,000 metres of submarine electrical cable to connect Ontario's Wolfe Island Wind Farm Project to the mainland. The installation of the cable, believed to be the world's first designed to carry 230 kilovolts under water, is a significant step in the activation of 86 wind turbines on the island, located directly opposite the City of Kingston at the entrance to the St. Lawrence River.