According to Tyler Fairbank, CEO of EOS Ventures, a renewable energy development company based in Hancock, four criteria must be acceptable before a wind project can move ahead: wind resource, electrical grid connectivity, community acceptance, and a sound financial structure. "If there is a big red flag in any of these four areas, there is a pretty low probability that anything is going to happen," Fairbank said. "You can very easily have a project that makes sense from a wind resource and electrical environment perspective, but the community is not going to accept it. That is a key evaluation that really needs to be looked at."

The lure of wind powered electric generation in Groton has spurred town planners to prepare an amendment to the zoning bylaws to regulate the location, construction and use of such devices in the future. ..."Instead of attempting to deal with the ramifications of wind-energy conversion devices and facilities after installations have occurred," the Planning Board stated in its presentation, "Groton will be best served by having zoning in place before such devices and facilities are installed."

Newburyport has its own laser light show, or an equivalent thereof, from an unlikely source: the new industrial-sized wind turbine that recently was turned on in the industrial park. At night, from the middle of the northbound lane of Route 1, the twirling blades catch the red beacon light atop the massive structure, and the light shoots out along the blades. It's pretty spectacular, but not if the light is shooting right into the window of your home.

The suit, filed by the anti-Cape Wind group, Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound on Feb. 20 in Barnstable Superior Court, contends the agency's determination violates the law, according to a press release issued today by the Alliance. "In its decision on Cape Wind's impacts, CZM has clearly violated the law and abandoned its own mission to protect our coastal environment," Glenn Wattley, alliance president and CEO, said in a prepared statement.

A new report out by the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs shows just how much renewable power could be generated on state properties - especially wind farms in forests that are already being used to harvest trees or frequented by snowmobilers. Some 946 megawatts of power - enough to power some 300,000 homes - could potentially be built on ridges and windy regions on state lands across the state, including October Mountain State Forest in Lee.

The waters around Cape Cod and the Islands are crowded with big ideas and confused seas. In addition to the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm, there are at least two other major renewable energy projects and a myriad of smaller ones proposed for the ocean off Massachusetts, most within a short sail of local shores. But even though other developers are trying to avoid some of the political hurdles Cape Wind has faced, the outlook is hazy on how quickly their projects will be able to move forward.

The Federal Aviation Administration is saying "not yet" on the proposed wind farm project for Nantucket Sound, issuing a "Notice of Presumed Hazard" Feb 13. "Initial findings of this study indicate that the structure as described exceeds obstruction standards and/or would have an adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect upon navigable airspace or air navigation facilities," the FAA notice issued Feb. 13 reads. "Pending resolution of the issues described below, the structure is presumed to be a hazard to air navigation."

After more than a month hiatus, the Planning Board will continue its public hearing on the proposed Cohasset Heights wind turbine project on Monday, Feb. 23 at 7:30p.m. ...The application is a landmark project as it is the first for the town and the first application under the Wind Energy Conversion Facility bylaw passed at the 2008 Annual Town Meeting.

Ward 2 Councilor Greg Earls will once again ask his fellow city councilors to take another look at the new wind turbine ordinance, now that a lawsuit against the city has been resolved. Earls submitted a notice to the City Council for Monday's meeting, stating that large, industrial-size turbines present "a public safety concern affecting the health and welfare" of citizens. He proposed a review of the ordinance, such as setbacks and density.

The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) has extended by one month the public comment period on its final environmental report for the Cape Wind energy project. MMS, the lead federal agency to review Cape Wind's proposal to build 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, released its largely favorable final environmental report on the project last month.

With Steve Pitney of Alternative Energy LLC in the audience, selectmen once again refused to extend his contract for the Town Hall wind turbine. ...Asked later whether he is planning to sue, Pitney said, "I hadn't thought of it, but it is always a possibility."

The FAA's "Notice of Presumed Hazard" warns that the 130 proposed turbines could have an "adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect upon navigable airspace or air navigation facilities." The report warns the rotating blades of the turbines could cause unwanted "clutter" in radar systems. To correct the problem, the FAA study recommends an upgrade of the radar system located at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, where regional air traffic control is conducted.

HYANNIS, Mass. -- After five years of strong objections by the Barnstable, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket airports and others on the safety of the 400,000 flights per year over Nantucket Sound, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today formally issued a Notice of Presumed Hazard for the Cape Wind project. Cape Wind is proposing a 44 story, 25 square mile wind project centered under the flight paths between Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. The project would affect FAA radar sites in North Truro, Nantucket, and Otis Air Force Base that provide detection of aircraft for Air Traffic Control (ATC).

A group of town residents and state environmentalists has lost a legal challenge against the Hoosac Wind Project, a 30-megawatt turbine venture planned for Bakke Mountain in Florida and Crum Hill in Monroe. Their case - which hinged on permitting - attempted to reverse the state Department of Environmental Protection's June 2007 decision to grant a wetlands permit for the estimated $45 million project. Eleanor Tillinghast, president of Green Berkshires, a plaintiff in the case, said an appeal is being considered.

For the first time since the wind turbine at Mark Richey Woodworking went up a few weeks ago, its enormous blades have begun to turn. Although the city's tallest structure - at 292 feet tall - is now set up and functioning, it still needs to be connected to the electrical grid. The company is organizing an event in March to celebrate the first spin of the 600-kilowatt Elecon TurboWinds turbine as it starts to generate power. Final tests are continuing.

Federal aviation officials issued a report today finding that the Cape Wind project, which calls for erecting 130 wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, would pose a "presumed hazard" for airplanes because of interference with air traffic control radar systems. "Initial findings of this study indicate that the structure as described exceeds obstruction standards and/or would have an adverse physical or electromagnetic interference effect," the Federal Aviation Administration said in the report.

The lagging economy has hit businesses and government projects hard so far, but it has actually helped speed up the proposed five-turbine wind farm planned in Savoy. Don McCauly, president of Minuteman Wind LLC., said the economic downturn hasn't hindered the company's attempts to obtain five of the expensive, hard-to-find turbines, in fact, he said, it's quite the opposite. ...McCauly said the company is in "active discussion" with many neighbors in key locations on the site to get access.

The Barnstable Town Council will draft a letter restating its opposition to the wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound by Cape Wind Associates. The federal Minerals Management Service is accepting comments on its report, which found that the Project could go forward. Barnstable Village councilor Ann Canedy has supported such opposition letters in the past, but wondered whether a drafting a new one made sense.

The Federal Aviation Administration is amenable to altering a flight path onto Otis Air National Guard Base that would allow two wind turbines to be erected in Falmouth. The turbines, one public and another private, had initially been approved by the FAA last year, but after a secondary review were deemed to pose a risk to flights landing on Runway 5 at the base. On Christmas Eve, the FAA notified the two applicants in an e-mail that their projects were deemed a hazard to air navigation.

The continuation hearing on a proposal to construct wind turbines on the Graham Waste Services property off Route 3A was postponed by Planning Board members to Feb. 23 because some requested paperwork on the project had come in too late for the board's review.