A fire that started in an area above the windmills near Maalaea on Maui had burned approximately 95 acres as of this morning, according to state Department of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) officials. ...The fire burned portions of a threatened and endangered species habitat, but it is unknown if any species were affected. ...Wind farm workers used a 4,000-gallon water tanker to shuttle water to the scene. ...The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A farmer has described the shocking moment a 16-foot wind turbine blade smashed through the roof of his home as his family slept inside. "It was like a bomb hitting the roof of the house. It shattered the tiles and the blade disintegrated itself," David Campbell told the Belfast Telegraph. The turbine was one of a batch of 11 defective machines installed on farms in Northern Ireland with the help of European funding provided by the Department of Agriculture. All 11 of the Chinese-built turbines, sourced from the same supplier, have broken down but the farmers have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket and they complain that no-one is doing anything to help.

Energy companies and the Ministry of Defence have agreed a deal to jointly fund costly radar equipment upgrades, breaking an impasse that threatened to stop several major offshore wind projects in their tracks and blow the Government's highly ambitious renewable energy goals off course. The framework agreement will be unveiled "imminently", according to sources close to the situation. Forged after energy executives infuriated by several MoD objections took their case directly to the Prime Minister ... It is understood that the sides reached the agreement after Gordon Brown stepped in. His administration has made green energy a centrepiece issue.

The lives of young pilots based in Shropshire could be put at risk if controversial plans to build a wind farm get the go ahead, north Shropshire's MP has warned. Owen Paterson MP has written to defence secretary Des Browne calling on him to support objections to the proposed wind farm at Norton-in-Hales, near Market Drayton. In his letter, Mr Paterson expresses concern that the lives of young pilots based at RAF Shawbury could be put at risk by "unnecessary extra dangers" on what is already a demanding course.

According to fire chief John Garmer, the wind turbine had a "ball of flame" on top when firefighters arrived at the scene. ...The fire was located at the six-turbine Ewington Wind Farm, the same site where a wind generator burned two months ago.

High winds are making it difficult to repair wind turbines at East Point in Prince Edward Island. Six of 10 turbines on the site were shut down recently when problems developed in their gearboxes. One turbine has been repaired, but strong winds are making it difficult to work on the other five. The axis of the turbine is about 50 metres above ground, and a special crane had to be transported to the site to assist the work. ..."Once in a while you get a component failure, and we've obviously got six of them. The Vestas company that builds these are a very reliable company."

The plane crash that killed two people and injured two more Saturday was the second fatal accident in less than a week involving researchers studying the effects that off-shore wind turbines might have on the environment. On May 12, a crewmember of a Flemington-based research vessel, studying the effects of a planned wind farm off the coast of Rehoboth Beach, Del., was killed when the vessel broke apart and washed ashore during a northeaster.

The issue of wind turbines in Chatham-Kent continues to linger. Council put off the issue of setbacks at its May 5 meeting and asked the health unit for more information about the devices. Council has already approved a wind turbine project in the Port Alma area, but is looking to establish a policy in anticipation of future applications for turbines. The municipality has the potential to be host to 250 turbines.

Villagers opposing a wind farm near their homes today expressed fears over air traffic safety. Residents of Hilton village near Yarm believe the turbines could cause problems for aircraft flying in and out of Durham Tees Valley and RAF Leeming. ...The Government's policy statement on renewable energy with regard to air safeguarding states: "Any large structure is likely to show up on radar, but wind turbines can present a particular problem as they can be interpreted as a moving object, which is only intermittently seen."

Fire caused an estimated $750,000 in damage to a windmill on Thursday, the Palm Springs Fire Deparment said today. ...The top portion of the windmill was on fire and several small spot fires happened because of falling debris. The fire is under investigation.

It's going to be a longer commute for people heading out of town Friday evening. A truck carrying part of a large wind turbine damaged some girders at the Highway 60 and 65 interchange around ten Friday morning. It was traveling westbound on Highway 60 and cleared the first overpass on 65. But it hit the southbound bridge because the clearance is slightly lower on that side.

The Sac County, Iowa Sheriff's office says they're investigating what caused a semi to start a chain reaction accident that sent a utility pole into an Early, Iowa restaurant. Authorities say 38 year-old Glen Forbes was driving a trailer loaded with wind turbine blades when the rear steering malfunctioned.

West Norfolk planners yesterday turned down plans for a wind turbine at Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. ...Cllr Bill Daws felt there had been insufficient liaison with the Ministry of Defence and the Air Ambulance before the application was submitted. He also felt the site was too close to the busy Al49. He added: "You have got a 240-feet-high thing sticking out of the ground with a helicopter buzzing around. I don't think that's safe." Fears about the effect of noise on hospital staff and patients were raised by Cllr Roy Groom, who was also concerned about what would happen if the hospital relocated and homes were built on the site.

Essex OPP Insp. Rick Derus says it's too dangerous and contrary to Ontario Ministry of Transportation regulations to wait until the evening to move the oversized trucks carrying wind turbine parts to Port Alma. ...He was responding to a request initiated Monday by Town of Essex Coun. Randy Voakes, who wants the MTO to authorize shifting the truck movements to the evening, as a way of avoiding daytime traffic jams.

Military and air ambulance objections could outweigh the green energy advantages of a proposed wind turbine at Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The turbine could save the hospital £20,000 a year on its electricity bill but there are fears it would interfere with radar equipment at RAF Marham and endanger landings on the helipad paid for by Lynn News readers. ...Defence Estates, part of the MoD, said: "Following trials in 2005, it was concluded that wind turbines can affect the detection of aircraft flying over or in the vicinity of wind turbines." The RAF could be unable to provide a full air traffic radar service in the area of the wind turbine.

After watching and learning from the year-long process of approving new wind turbines in the Montezuma Hills, one county supervisor will ask Tuesday for a temporary ban on such projects. Supervisor Barbara Kondylis will present the issue at Tuesday's Solano County supervisors meeting. The discussion comes after the Planning Commission recently approved 75 new wind turbines in an area east of Travis Air Force Base. ...Now, Kondylis wants to see the approval of similar projects stopped until the kinks of the new radar system are worked out. "I really think it's time for us to stop and give Travis a chance to get their radar in place," she said. "Hopefully they will be able to resolve the problem.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia issued a ruling Friday upholding Clark County's challenge of an FAA finding that 83 electricity-generating turbines atop Table Mountain wouldn't obstruct air space or disrupt radar systems. Clark County alleged the FAA failed to follow proper administrative procedures, didn't conduct open hearings, and disregarded a county consultant's study that the 400-foot tall turbines might threaten aviation safety.

A 29-year-old contractor for Global Windpower Services fell 50 to 60 feet inside the shaft of a wind turbine on Wednesday, breaking ribs and a leg, rescue officials said. His fall was broken by a metal deck about 12 feet above the ground, according to Lt. Greg Goettsch, spokesman for the Abilene Fire Department. The man was conscious when rescuers arrived. ...Global Windpower Services is contracting with FPL Energy to work on the turbines, Stengel said. The Elm Creek Community Association and Buffalo Gap volunteer fire departments, South Taylor County EMS, the Abilene Fire Department, the Taylor County Sheriff's Office and MetroCare responded to the scene of the accident, Goettsch said.

Wind turbine maker Siemens Power Generation will try to convince Oregon regulators today that adequate safety measures were in place when a 230-foot tower collapsed and crashed to the ground in a Sherman County wheat field last summer. Technician Chadd Mitchell, who was working high in the nacelle, the structure that houses the turbine's generating components, died in the Aug. 25 incident at the Klondike III wind farm. Another technician, William Trossen, was injured. A third employee, Dustin Ervin, sitting in a truck nearby, gunned the engine to avoid the falling wreckage and escaped unharmed, according to a state report. ...Siemens hasn't refuted the sequence of events that led to the collapse, but it objects to the division's findings of safety violations. "The employees demonstrated they could do the work they were trained to do safely," Siemens spokeswoman Melanie Forbrick said. "The actions that led to the incident were not actions that were related to the work they were performing." Siemens appealed the findings March 21.

Working on an object nearly 30 stories high can be a harrowing experience for anyone. For the crews that maintain the wind turbines in southeastern Colorado maintaining a safe working environment is paramount. ...He said one of the prevailing themes from the tour was the necessity of emergency personnel to be in top physical condition when attempting a rescue from a turbine tower. Cook said the rescue personnel have to climb over two hundred feet of stairs with equipment to reach the top of the towers, an exercise that can tire many rescuers and potentially detract from their ability to adequately perform their duties.