Meridian Energy's boss has given Martinborough hints of a company backdown over a proposed wind farm. More than 150 residents met this week as opposition mounts to the company's proposal for a 45-turbine wind farm near a protected hill range. Chief executive Tim Lusk, who lives in Martinborough with wife Lesley, joined residents as the concerns were aired this week.

More than 150 Martinborough residents have vowed to fight against Meridian Energy's plan to build a wind farm near a protected ridge of hills after attending a public meeting in their town hall on Tuesday night. ...Residents living near existing or proposed wind farms in Makara, Ashurst and Taihape said the reality of living by wind farms was vastly different and worse than what they were told to expect during the consultation processes.

A renewable energy entrepreneur says he will be forced to cut 150 staff from his company unless the Federal Government can deliver more assistance to wind power equipment manufacturers. The threat comes as the Government's rebate for solar hot water has created huge demand, forcing down prices for renewable energy credits and stifling demand for other forms of alternative energy.

A group of Waikato land owners say Contact Energy's behaviour has been disgraceful over the handling of its proposed $1 billion wind farm planned for the region. Contact Energy is holdings its annual meeting in Wellington today, and a group of land owners plan to tell the directors of the company about their outrage over the Hauauru ma raki wind farm.

Protest is mounting against Meridian Energy's push for a big wind farm near Martinborough. Residents, fired up since Meridian made public its plan for a 50-turbine farm near a ridge known as Nga Waka O Kupe, have called a public meeting next week. Vineyard owners and local iwi are among those opposed. ...With opposition growing and calls for a united front to shut down the plan, Meridian is now urging opponents against "knee- jerk reactions".

A Tamworth public inquiry into wind farms in the northern tablelands has heard the developments do not comply with local planning guidelines. The New South Wales Planning Department has bypassed local government controls to push the projects through. A number of residents told the inquiry that noise and vibrations from the turbines will force them to move if the projects go ahead in their current form.

A proposal to classify the Tararua Ranges behind Horowhenua as an outstanding natural landscape is opening up a wind farm debate among landowners. Under the Horowhenua District Council's proposed District Plan change, 22 wind turbines, each about 65 metres tall, would not get resource consent to be built in the ranges. If the changes go through, buildings and network utilities taller than three metres would be classed as non-complying activities.

Over the seven weeks, commissioners, lawyers, court staff, noise experts, landscape architects, ecological experts, social researchers, engineers and even the press were paid to be in the room. Submitters, on the other hand, were spending time away from work, some of them using up annual leave – something they pointed out when Mighty River Power effectively extended the process by embarking on its redesign. The power company's concession – one of the most significant developments from the hearing so far – followed stinging criticism of the planned farm's visual impact.

State-owned power company Meridian is going ahead with construction of a $200 million, 64 megawatt wind farm near Raglan, in partnership with Waikato's lines company WEL Networks. The new wind farm construction is starting just as Meridian is finishing its 62-turbine project at West Wind, near Wellington. The Raglan project was first announced by WEL 3½ years ago, when it was expected to cost about $140m and involve a 72MW wind farm which it expected to have running last year.

An Allendale East dairy farmer says he is not prepared to pull his blinds down to keep flashing lights out at night, nor will he put up with the endless noise of humming wind turbines if the proposed Allendale Wind Farm goes ahead on his doorstep. Richard Paltridge told The Border Watch he strongly objects to the multi-million dollar green power project with 49 turbines, which is currently awaiting approval before construction can start next year. "I love this area, it's beautiful and I don't want the scenery spoiled by high towers when I am going to have 13 turbines within close view," he said.

The Victorian Government will examine claims that Waubra's 128-turbine wind farm is harming the health of nearby residents. Finance, WorkCover and Transport Accident Commission Minister, Tim Holding, wrote to Western Victoria MLC Peter Kavanagh earlier this week to confirm that three government departments would examine "potential hazards" caused by sub-audible noise emitted by the turbines.

The State Government will investigate the health concerns of Victorians who live near wind farms. Last month, the Democratic Labor Party Member for Western Victorian, Peter Kavanagh, asked the Government to investigate whether workers near wind farms faced health hazards. Some landholders near the Waubra wind farm, west of Ballarat, say a low frequency hum from the turbines is making them sick.

The timing of hearings on the planned Turitea wind farm and an extension of Te Rere Hau means neither farm is required to consider the other, Tararua-Aokautere Guardians president Kevin Low says. Mr Low told the Te Rere Hau hearing that it was hasty. The two hearings are being conducted simultaneously. There was also potential for the Te Rere Hau extension to "leapfrog" Turitea, he said.

The State Government will investigate what health effects the wind farms in Waubra, near Ballarat, will have on locals. Western Victoria Democratic Labor Party MP Peter Kavanagh said residents were concerned about the effects of sub-audible noise produced by wind farm generators.

Environmentalists and residents have vowed to stop a 25-turbine wind farm from going ahead and are considering an appeal to the Environment Court. Wellington City Council granted Windflow Technology consent yesterday to build the 30-metre-high turbines at Long Gully Station, south of Karori and to the west of Brooklyn. However, opponents of the project said the council failed to adequately consider adverse impacts of turbine noise and vibrations on recreational users at Long Gully.

Christchurch-based Windflow Technology Ltd is a step closer to securing a second buyer for its pioneering two-bladed turbines with approval of a resource consent for the Long Gully windfarm proposal behind Wellington. MightyRiverPower, which recently took a 20 percent share in Windflow, would own and operate the 25 turbine, 12.5 Megawatt project, using Windflow 500 turbines, for which the Wellington City Council has now granted consent after relatively straightforward hearings.

The price of certificates fell more than 15 per cent last week to $28, its lowest in almost three years, extending a steady slide since reaching a peak of $51 in May and taking the fall since the renewable energy target legislation was passed in August to 30 per cent. Certificates, each representing 1MW hour of renewable energy produced ...But the market is being swamped by certificates generated by domestic solar hot water and heat pump systems, and some industry analysts say if this continues it could last for several years and may cause the delay or cancellation of wind power and other renewable projects because the price signal will simply not be strong enough to make the projects viable.

The fact wind farm noise can be heard by neighbours does not necessarily make that noise unacceptable or significant, a hearing has been told. ...The company wants to build 56 more turbines on the eastern side of the Tararua Ranges, but is running into opposition from neighbours annoyed about noise.

An energy company looks to be fighting an uphill battle in its bid to build a wind farm on land near Martinborough, linked to the legendary Kupe. ...The proposal has been bandied about for well over a year but, as yet, no official moves have been taken to secure consent for the wind farm to be built and the plan is already facing opposition in the district. Farmer Richard Riddiford said most people in Martinborough know very little about what the power company proposes to do and for that reason wants to see a public meeting organised.

Meridian Energy is looking to carry out a survey in the next few weeks of the community near a possible wind farm site in South Wairarapa. Meridian spokesman Alan Seay said the company had been monitoring a site for a number of years in the Nga Waka a Kupe range about 8-9km southeast of Martinborough.