The Ohio Power Siting Board has rescheduled dates for hearings on the proposed Buckeye Wind Project, as requested by parent company Everpower Renewables after a July 31 OPSB order that required Everpower to file additional financial data, projected population estimates and ecological impact studies as part of the application to install a power-generating facility with 70 turbines scattered over approximately 9,000 acres in Champaign County.

Although they were silent on the prohibitions against building turbines deemed as aviation hazards to Grimes Field pilots, attorneys for Buckeye Wind filed an appeal Wednesday arguing that nine turbines near the privately-owned Weller Airport should be approved for construction by the Ohio Power Siting Board. The company's motion for a re-hearing on the OPSB decision also raised the issue of construction and decommissioning.

Construction of the first commercial-scale wind-powered electric generation facility in Ohio could begin as early as next summer in Champaign County if the Ohio Power Siting Board approves the proposal submitted in April by Buckeye Wind, LLC., a subsidiary of Everpower Wind Holdings Inc. which recently finished construction of its first project, located in Pennsylvania. As the first, the decisions made by officials likely will set precedent for future applications and preview the process for any possible future applications in Logan County.

California's renewable power boom is off to a slower start than planned. Delays have hit more than half of the big solar, wind and geothermal energy projects under development throughout the state, according to a recent government report. They're still moving forward, but not at the pace their developers expected. As a result, California probably won't meet its goal of getting 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of 2010.

EverPower Renewables Project Manager Mike Speerschneider answered questions of Wayne Township citizens at a meeting Wednesday night, addressing wind turbines and the possibility of turbines in Wayne Township. Speerschneider touched on issues concerning electricity, road damage, local labor and the health of citizens living near the turbines. He said the turbines will not generate a decrease in the cost of electricity for Wayne Township because there is "no way to definitively say what it's (turbines) going to do to the electric."

California is weighing how to avoid a looming electricity crisis that could be brought on by its growing reliance on wind and solar power. ...the surplus generating capacity doesn't guarantee steady power flow. Even though California has a lot of plants, it doesn't have the right mix: Many of the solar and wind sources added in recent years have actually made the system more fragile, because they provide power intermittently.

San Diego Gas & Electric signed an agreement with developer NaturEner USA to purchase 309 megawatts of power from the $800 million Rim Rock wind farm in Glacier and Toole counties, said Jennifer Ramp, a spokeswoman for SDG & E. In a July 15 filing to the California Public Utilities Commission, SDG & E asked for permission to amend the original power purchase agreement to allow the $600 million equity investment in Rim Rock.

Living close to wind turbines can hurt your peace of mind, job performance and health, according to some health experts and researchers. "If you're within a mile, you're asking for trouble," said Alex Salt, an otolaryngology professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

The problem, Russell notes as does the energy department, is that winds tend to calm during the summer for much of the continent. "This morning when I left, it was up there standing still," he said. At a savings rate of $500 annually, someone who spends $25,000 to outfit a home for wind energy will need patience to see that investment bear financial fruit. Fifty years of patience, to be exact.

Wind developers in Montana are counting on the trans-border transmission line to build their projects, which would connect the electricity grids of the two countries at Great Falls and Lethbridge. The line's construction has been slowed by disputes with landowners and construction contractors.

Dunn said Friday that TransCanada was turning its focus to a similar-sized transmission line called the Zephyr, which is planned to run from southeastern Wyoming to south of Las Vegas. The company successfully solicited bids from wind developers to ship 3,000 megawatts on the Zephyr line.

The president for Canadian energy giant TransCanada Corp. said last week he still hopes to develop a major power line to transport wind power out of Montana, although so far it has failed to get enough bids to finance the line.

A Canadian transmission company and an Irish wind developer said Friday they are teaming up to pursue a central Montana power project that could result in at least $1 billion worth of new wind energy in the Great Falls area. If the project succeeds, it would give Montana's burgeoning wind energy industry room to grow - an expansion that to date has been limited by a lack of lines to move power out of the state.

While state legislators have no real say in whether wind developers can come into the state, the three candidates for the 83rd House District seat offered their opinions Thursday on what should be done to help improve the situation. ..."The issue arises because of how township zoning works," said Mr. Burke, a pharmacy owner and former Marysville councilman. "That's its weakness and it's why a lot of big corporations pick townships rather than municipalities to do business with. I think the state needs to help townships fill in the gaps. "Working with large developers to design and review plans is not the forte of township officials," he said. "All across the state, it's costing money and headaches and the state needs to aid townships in those kinds of issues."

The administration of Gov. Deval Patrick has been pushing for a tougher standard of review for the proposed merger, saying the utilities should have to prove the merger would help the state's clean energy goals. NStar has been criticized by administration officials for its lack of interest in the Cape Wind project and its decision to focus instead on bringing Canadian hydropower to New England.

Case Western Reserve University wants to head up research for the proposed wind-energy center, which would feature wind turbines on Lake Erie. As part of its proposal to run the research center, the university has offered $200,000 toward an $800,000 study of a local task force's bold vision - up to 10 wind turbines in the lake and a world-class research center. Although Case was late in entering the project, it is likely to have a "leading role" if the research center is built, said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, chairman of the Cuyahoga Regional Energy Development Task Force.

The "Bluff Creek to Brown" transmission line - a major transmission project for wind energy that terminates just south of Abilene - originally would have sliced through 10 private rural ranches and farms owned by members of the Heart of Texas Landowner's Coalition. But the PUC ordered a new route after the coalition and others presented evidence to protect their interests.

Current transmission costing schemes are geared toward reliability of the power grid - not public policy - so unless power systems need more lines to balance loads and demand, proponents have to shell out the huge sums of money to build transmission to get their clean power to market.

Adding 70 wind turbines to the landscape in Champaign County would be the first step toward energy independence, supporters say, but some critics argue the plan could disrupt quality of life. A company called Everpower wants to put the turbines in Union Township, located southeast of Urbana, 10TV's Kevin Landers reported on Tuesday.

The Champaign County Commissioners voted to support state and local wind energy projects Tuesday. The commissioners unanimously passed a resolution backing renewable energy development in the state and urging Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland to set a requirement for 20 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025.