Evelyn Hayden has already lost a lot of sleep over the Digby Neck Wind Farm-and she expects to lose some more. Hayden, whose home is just 600 metres from the proposed location of one of the 20 turbines that will be built this year, was the first speaker at a March 24 roundtable that focused on the wind park. ...Hayden set the tone for the evening: "This meeting means council will finally listen to our side of the wind park fiasco."

After killing nuclear energy and coal-fired power plants, Germany is now taking aim at its own green policies, says the Wall Street Journal. After building nearly 20,000 windmills, Germans are now regulating them well beyond economical sense:

NORTHEAST KINGDOM -- The wind energy projects proposed for the Northeast Kingdom have raised questions about the state's permitting process. Some claim that Section 248, which deals with energy production, is not as rigorous as Act 250, the state's land development law.

BELVIDERE — Sparks flew Wednesday night as the Boone County Board voted to postpone action on a proposed wind farm that has left the board sharply divided.

Campaigners in north Northumberland have hit out at Berwick borough planners, who want to decide up to three controversial wind farm applications at the same meeting. Members of Moorsyde Action Group say it "beggars belief" that Berwick Borough Council would consider determining Moorsyde and Barmoor, and possibly even Wandylaw, at its planning committee on May 29. The three developments - all by different companies - each have their own complex histories and planning issues. Together, they total 29 turbines.

The Bismarck Planning and Zoning Commission this week tabled action for a draft wind turbine ordinance in city limits and its extra-territorial zone. City planner Gregg Greenquist, tasked with creating the ordinance with a committee, said the new draft was conservative in terms of sound levels and aesthetics. He expects as technology evolved, it would be amended.

Opponents of Florida Power & Light Co.'s plan to put wind turbines on South Hutchinson Island still hope to have a large crowd at tonight's St. Lucie County Commission meeting even though a majority of commissioners have said they oppose building the turbines on public land. "We're trying to get our people out, but many have the impression we've already prevailed," said Julie Zahniser of the Save St. Lucie Alliance. ...Tonight's vote deals only with FPL's request for three wind turbines on the public conservation lands. FPL also wants to build six wind turbines on its own property at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.

ACUSHNET - Loranger Power Co. has interested selectmen in the idea of capturing the wind as a way to generate revenue for the community and defray monthly electricity costs. Will Acushnet go green in energy circles? Christain Loranger said the Acushnet Valley Golf Course off Main Street - or the area adjacent to it - might prove suitable for a data recovery turbine and perhaps, in time, for three or four wind turbines measuring 200 feet tall.

An end is in sight for the Wind Turbine issue in Ashfield-Colbourne-Wawanosh Council last night passed a resolution on how far away new homes must be built from the wind turbines, and vice versa. This resolution is simply to amend the by-law that is being made on distances and noise allowances from the turbines. Currently, turbines and new homes must be built 400 metres away from each other. The resolution is asking for the by-law to be amended to a distance of 450 metres away. ...Millian says council is also guided by the MOE in terms of how many decibels the turbines can project, which is currently at 40 decibels.

Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Township council is not pleased that EPCOR is not responding to the public’s concerns. “EPCOR is not coming through with the information we have asked for,” said Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek, following council’s Jan. 16 meeting. Van Diepenbeek said the public continues to address concerns to council of noise and of EPCOR not responding to their concerns. He said township resident Ross Brindley has also expressed concerns of stray voltage in his barn which he says were not there until after the wind turbines were built.

EASTHAM - It seems the dream of the former Eastham Energy Committee, to site four 460-foot tall wind turbines on town-owned property in North Eastham, was just that - a dream. There is little likelihood any commercial wind turbine will be erected in Eastham, due to noise and setback concerns. Tom Reilly, chairman of the Wind Turbine Ad Hoc Committee, told selectmen Monday that after five meetings, "a majority of the ad hoc committee feels that there are significant hurdles to siting commercial-scale wind turbines in a residentially zoned area in such a way that the noise impact does not negatively impact nearby residences."

ORIENT - Landowners in Adair County may be better equipped to understand MidAmerican Energy's efforts to install wind turbines on their land. An informational meeting at Orient-Macksburg High School Thursday evening included presentations from Wind Turbine Specialist Tom Wind; Iowa State University Agriculture Law Professor Roger McEowen and MidAmerican Energy General Manager of Wind Development Tom Budler. Budler said there are five meteorological towers up in the area, which are being used to study the feasibility of installing wind turbines in Adair County. He said the studies, which began this month, should conclude by mid-August.

"Once the siting of the turbines has been done people will finally realize what we've been trying to tell them, and people will start to realize how close they're going to be to their homes," he said. "Based on what we were hearing from the DeKalb people, they're at 1,400 feet, and they've got noise and shadow flicker problems.

The debate of wind energy in Adams County is not over, as communities look at the options they have to control developments around them. There will also be siting hearings before any construction were to begin.

About 30 wind turbines will be coming to the hills over Dunlo after Adams Township supervisors approved the Krayn Wind Corp.'s request for the Highland Wind Farm. The approval Tuesday at the supervisors' regular meeting followed a final public hearing on Krayn's conditional use application under the township's zoning ordinance. ...The quiet meeting was in contrast to the first Sept. 17 hearing - when a line of residents spoke of their concerns about the wind farm. Most expressed concerns about reduced values for their property near the proposed turbines, but Barbin noted the supervisors only can apply the existing regulations on the project.

Arkwright Landowners’ Association president Chris Cannon is concerned about the increased requirements the Arkwright Town Board approved for the draft local law on industrial wind turbines. “The revisions to the proposed local law have increased setbacks from 1,200 to 1,400 feet from the nearest off-site residence and 750 feet from the nearest site boundary property line or nearest public road. (They) are the most stringent in New York State,” Cannon said. He said these restrictions have placed Arkwright’s industrial wind turbine development project in jeopardy.

MINI wind turbines are being installed on major buildings in central Adelaide as part of the State Government's push for renewable energy. Five have been commissioned with the first already in place on top of the State Administration Centre, which includes the office of Premier Mike Rann. They will be trialled over the next 12 months and if successful the State Government will approve another 20 for government buildings.

Armed with books, studies, facts and figures, several proponents of windmill projects addressed members of the county legislature during last night’s meeting. Fairfield resident Dennis Kaczeroski urged the county to accept Community Energy’s reported offer of $7,500 per megawatt for the 136-megawatt Jordanville Wind Farm for a payment in lieu of taxes agreement. The money would be split among the taxing entities involved - the county, the towns, and school district. The county has been seeking a higher figure, based on a consultant’s estimate of $40,000 per megawatt that they said the county should be able to expect. “Get what you can get; the market is the market. Don’t be short-sighted and derail this,” said Kaczeroski. “Your responsibility is to get the best deal for all of us.”

A CONTROVERSIAL proposal for a windfarm to be built near Talgarreg has collapsed after Ceredigion planners rejected the application after nearly three hours of heated debate. The development would have seen 10 wind turbines standing 100 metres high at Rhosygarn but members of the county council’s develop-ment committee rejected the scheme because they felt there were too many windfarms in Ceredigion. They decided to refuse the application despite officers raising no objections and claims by the developers and landowners involved that it would benefit the local community. Cllr Fred Williams said: “We have all done our bit for renewable energy and I think we must come to a stop. “We have done enough for wind energy in Ceredigion I wonder if the government would accept wind turbines on the white cliffs of Dover.”

After more than three hours of heated testimony on Tuesday, San Diego Supervisors opted to delay a decision on a controversial wind ordinance and changes to plans for two backcountry communities until May 15. The postponement came after a lawyer representing rural residents sent a last-minute letter claiming that approval of the project would be illegal.