The wind turbine controversy in Huron East blew over to West Perth Thursday night at a public meeting on proposed turbine development in Logan ward. More than 100 people packed the Brodhagen Community Hall to hear representatives from Renewable Energy Systems Americas (RES) introduce their company and their proposal for a wind farm between Perth Lines 55 and 44.

Plans to build a wind farm in the rural area near Trochu and Huxley face objections from residents who are worried about effects on their health. Ontario-based FPLE Canadian Wind, a subsidiary of Florida-based FPL Energy, is in the early stages of planning the Ghost Pine Windfarm. It would include 54 wind turbines generating 81 megawatts.

About five company representatives circulated through the dense crowd at an open house Wednesday in a Grafton church hall. They were bombarded with questions related to information sheets on the walls extolling the virtues of wind power, together with a small map of the area being considered for five to 10 towers, according to one sign. A newspaper advertisement, however, said up to 20 were being considered.

Thurber said the municipality began work on the bylaw just before the SkyPower wind farm was proposed near Gulliver's Cove, and he noted the public is concerned about possible effects. Councils main concern is that the proposed bylaw is too difficult to understand and too vague, Thurber said. He does not want to see developers come into the area and not know if they can go ahead with a project. "So we want them to be able to know what the rules are," he said.

Regulators have put a big question mark over the province's strategy to tap run-of-river hydroelectric and wind power projects to meet growing electricity demand while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. A complex 236-page ruling by the B.C. Utilities Commission found B.C. Hydro overestimated future demand and rejected the basis for its call for independent power projects under its Clean Power initiative.

Kingsville council has approved the sites for 19 wind turbines east of Cottam but delayed a decision on three others because of concerns over two nearby air strips. Council agreed Monday to 19 site-specific bylaws for turbines as the public got to see Brookfield Power Corporation's location for 22 wind turbines. ..."Flying by these would be dangerous," Ronald Bell said Tuesday. Turbulence is the concern.

Upwards of 50 curious property owners from Zorra Township attended an information session at the Pyramid Centre Monday to learn about a proposed wind farm that could see up to 15 turbines erected in the northwest end of the municipality. The exact location of where the wind turbines would be built is yet to be determined, though the two companies heading the proposal for Stonetown Wind Farm are studying the area south of Highway 7 and north of Road 96 between Cobble Hills Road and Line 23.

Shares in a bunch of Canadian green energy companies slumped on Tuesday after a surprise regulatory decision created uncertainty about the future of dozens of clean power projects being developed in the West Coast province of British Columbia.

The possibility of installing up to 20 wind turbines on agriculture land in Alnwick/Haldimand is the subject of a public open house in Grafton tomorrow evening. The study area lies west of Eddystone between County Road 22 in the north and Telephone Road in the south. The project name is Clean Breeze Wind Park.

Two of the turbines at P.E.I.'s $47-million wind farm in East Point are under repairs for the second time in just over a year. The V-90 turbines - named for their 90-metre blade span - are having problems with their gear boxes, the same thing that took them down last spring. ...MacQuarrie said Vestas, the manufacturer of the turbines, is still refining the gearboxes.

The Oxford County Federation of Agriculture is adding its voice to those calling for a freeze on wind-farm developments in this county. The federation voted to forward the request to the county at its monthly meeting in Woodstock Thursday. The requested interim control bylaw would prevent any wind farms from being built within the county. There are two currently being proposed in the county ..."We didn't initially support the (not-in-my-backyard) people, but maybe there's a valid reason why they don't want it in their backyards."

Huron East Against Turbines (HEAT) is asking Huron East council to pass motions that will require wind farm developers to bury power lines on municipal roadsides. HEAT is also asking for a motion that requires wind farm developers to post a bond of several million dollars that would be used to pay for any necessary clean-up of roads, bridges and culverts caused by the development.

The number of people in Ontario reporting adverse health affects due to wind turbines continues to rise. The new total is now 86 which is an additional 33 new victims. This is a disturbing 62% increase from 53 as reported in the first WCO [Wind Concerns Ontario) community-based self reporting survey earlier this year. That survey was made public on April 22, 2009 by Dr. Robert McMurtry at the Standing Committee for the Green Energy Act.

"You're not going to have wind turbines in downtown Ottawa."Ottawa city council has approved a motion that asks the province to study the health effect of wind turbines. However, a motion asking for a 18-month moratorium was defeated. This all stems from Prowind Canada wanting to build eight to 10 wind turbines in the North Gower area.

Art installation or environmental protest? No one is sure what the 90 or so plaster hands, each holding a rock, that appeared on a Wolfe Island sideroad this week are meant to symbolize. Nor does anyone know who created them and placed them beside the 2nd Line Road on the west end of the island, but it just so happens that they are situated on a contentious piece of ground.

Researchers at nearby Queen's University have embarked on the first study to probe whether wind turbines built over communities can cause adverse health effects. The study measures residents' health and well-being before the turbines arrived on the island, again when the turbines were built but not yet operational and again after they'd been operating for a few months.

A Charlottetown-based wind turbine maker that stopped paying its employees two months ago will be in receivership by the end of the week. But all hope may not be lost for Entegrity Wind Systems. The provincial government plans to offer some financial assistance to the company.

Oxford wants to ensure it still has a say in the development of alternative and renewable energy projects, such as the two wind farms proposed within its borders. Council gave its consent to community and strategic planning office staff to submit its comments to the Ministry of the Environment on the Green Energy and Green Economy Act regulations.

A committee consisting of most Municipality of Bluewater councillors voted Monday to support the notion of a study into the health impacts of wind energy developments. The decision was made at Bluewater's July 13 planning committee meeting, and was a response to a request from the Huron County Federation of Agriculture (HCFA) that Bluewater and other municipal councils support two resolutions passed June 22 by the HCFA board of directors.

Bruce County's warden wants municipalities to be higher on the list when it comes to consultation about wind farms. Bill Goetz said his municipality of South Bruce hasn't been approached about plans for a six-turbine wind farm near Formosa. Wind farms have been contentious in other areas ...Goetz wants consultation to avoid similar problems in new developments.