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- Wind, solar get drawn into campaign rhetoric
Clean technology has been a prominent part of campaign rhetoric, with President Barack Obama supporting tax incentives for the industry and Republican candidate Mitt Romney pointing to concerns over such investments as solar power company Solyndra. Meanwhile, the wind energy industry is already shedding jobs as a result of the uncertainty over the wind-energy Production Tax Credit, observers said. "They literally have scarcely any orders for next year. That means we could see not just layoffs but plant closures," said Peter Kelley, vice president of public affairs for the American Wind Energy Association. San Francisco Chronicle
(11/3)     
- Developer to address aesthetic concerns about N.H. wind project
Iberdrola Renewables will hold public meetings Nov. 13-15 to address aesthetic concerns about its proposed Meadows Wind project in the Newfound Lake-Mount Cardigan area of New Hampshire. The notion that the project's 37 turbines would be lined up on the ridgeline overlooking the lake is not accurate, said Edward Cherian, Iberdola's project manager in New Hampshire. "I can guarantee you that these towers will not be looming over Newfound Lake," Cherian said. The Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.)
(11/4)
- Merkel: Germany's renewables push needs policy coordination
German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to improve coordination between federal and state governments to achieve the country's goal of obtaining 40% of its power from renewable sources by 2020, up from 25% today. Differences among federal and state laws have led to delays in transmitting offshore wind power from the country's north to high-demand areas in the south, a situation that could worsen when Germany closes its nuclear plants by 2022. Reuters
(11/2)
- China OKs 1.4-GW wind power project in Inner Mongolia
China's government has signed off on a 1.4-gigawatt wind project in Inner Mongolia. The Damaobayin wind project will feature seven wind farms to be developed by different companies. Construction on the $2.18-billion project is slated to begin by the end of 2013, with completion due by 2014, the local government said. RechargeNews.com (tiered subscription model)
(11/2)
- Brazil's WEG gets first wind-turbine supply contract
Brazilian industrial-engineering firm WEG Industries has received the first order for its wind turbines from an unnamed developer of a 90-megawatt project slated to be built in northeast Brazil by 2016. WEG, which has a joint venture with Spain's M. Torres Olvega Industrial, will build the nacelles at a factory in the Brazilian state of Catarina. "This first contract shows we have a very competitive offer with good technology, made locally, that we can finance in local currency," says Luis Fernando Oliveira, WEG's investor relations manager. RechargeNews.com (tiered subscription model)
(11/2)
| Project Focus | | |
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- Minn. PUC seeks clarifications from new owner of wind project
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission sent a set of questions to Peter Mastic, who bought the proposed New Era wind project near Zumbrota, Minn., from a company backed by magnate T. Boone Pickens. The questions cover a range of topics, including the status of the project's power purchase agreement with Xcel Energy and whether it needs a site permit transfer after its name was changed from AWA Goodhue. Mastic must submit his answers to the PUC by Nov. 15. The Post-Bulletin (Rochester, Minn.)
(11/1)
- Court gives Fagen sole ownership of Minn. wind project
U.S. District Judge Michael Davis has awarded Fagen the sole ownership of the Big Blue Wind Farm that is under construction near Blue Earth, Minn., after original developer Exergy Development Group agreed to stop contesting ownership of the project. Fagen had asked the court to give it sole ownership of the project under the terms of a deal between the companies after Exergy failed to repay a sum that Fagen advanced to help fund the wind project. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.)
(11/2)
| Economy, Energy & Trends | | |
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- Maine wind farm would bring hundreds of jobs, firm says
First Wind's proposed Bowers Mountain wind project in Maine has "the potential to put nearly 100 Maine companies and hundreds of Mainers to work during the construction phase, with several permanent positions for the life of the project," said Matt Kearns, the company's vice president of business development in the northeastern U.S. First Wind recently submitted a scaled-down version of the project proposal after its initial plan was voted down by state regulators this past spring. Mass High Tech (Boston)
(11/2)
- Lawmaker: Neb. falling behind neighbors in developing wind power
Nebraska has enough wind-power potential to supply up to 120 times the state's electricity needs, but the state is lagging behind its neighbors in wind-power development. Nebraska's current wind power capacity stands at 337 megawatts, compared to Iowa's 4,536 MW, Wyoming's 1,410 MW and Colorado's approximately 1,800 MW, according to the American Wind Energy Association. "Not only is Nebraska behind our neighbors, but we're losing ground," said state Sen. Ken Haar. KHGI-TV/KWNB-TV/KHGI-CA (Kearney, Neb.)
(11/4)
| AWEA News | | |
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Fact Check: Exelon-Funded Report Inflates Wind Integration Costs
A so-called economic study on wind power being circulated by Exelon contains some serious errors, writes AWEA expert Michael Goggin.
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Election Makes Fall Symposium All the More Important
Year after year, the Fall Symposium serves as the industry's annual "think tank" event. Senior leaders from across the industry meet at this stimulating and thought-provoking event once a year to aid them in setting strategies. But this year the Fall Symposium is even more important, given the election implications and current challenges. Be there Nov. 14 and 15. Learn more.
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These stories were selected and summarized by independent editors at SmartBrief Inc., not by AWEA's staff, and do not represent AWEA positions. They reflect the variety of daily coverage of American wind power.
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