wind

Updated at 2:30 p.m. PT with corrected time line.

Ken Salazar, secretary of the Department of the Interior, on Wednesday said a final decision on the controversial Cape Wind proposal will be made by the end of April.

Salazar met with interested parties on Wednesday in Washington to hear arguments for and against the offshore wind project, which would be first offshore wind installation in the U.S. Following the three meetings, there is now a formal process for deciding whether the Cape Wind project will be approved or rejected, which will include public comments until February 13, … Read more

The U.S. Interior Department hopes to reach an agreement by March 1 over the controversial and long-delayed Cape Wind power project that would be located in federal waters off Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Approval of the offshore wind farm would be a big boost to the Obama administration's plan to increase U.S. renewable energy production and create advance-technology jobs, while a defeat of the project could undermine White House efforts to develop a clean energy economy.

The Interior Department wants to meet with representatives of the Massachusetts historic preservation office, which is siding with the Native American … Read more

A new Chinese law requires power grid operators to buy all the electricity produced by renewable energy generators, in a move that will increase the proportion of energy that comes from renewable sources in coal-dependent China.

The amendment to the 2006 renewable energy law was adopted on Saturday by the standing committee of the National People's Congress, China's legislature, the Xinhua news agency said.

The amendment also gives authority to the State Council energy department, together with the State Council finance department and the state power authority, to "determine the proportion of renewable energy power generation to … Read more

The tiniest state in the nation may build the first U.S. offshore wind farm, after privately held Deepwater Wind on Thursday landed a deal to sell power from the first phase of a Rhode Island project that eventually could supply 15 percent of the state's electricity.

Under a 20-year power purchase agreement, developer Deepwater Wind will sell electricity from up to 8 turbines producing 28 megawatts to National Grid.

Earlier this year Rhode Island set a target to obtain 20 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2015.

Many states and their utilities have looked to solar … Read more

Power company Caithness Energy has given General Electric a $1.4 billion contract to supply wind turbines and 10 years' worth of maintenance for an Oregon wind farm, GE announced Thursday.

The massive 845-megawatt wind farm, Shepherds Flat, will be located near Arlington, Oregon, but span approximately 30 square miles and cover parts of Oregon's Gilliam and Morrow Counties.

GE estimates that it will supply 338 of its 2.5-megawatt wind turbine models to be installed between 2011 and 2012. Although they have been used in Europe and Asia, the company says the Shepherds Flat project will include the … Read more

Individuals and commercial businesses around the world are increasingly drawn to small wind turbines to supplement energy consumption, according to a report released Wednesday by Pike Research.

The niche industry of small wind turbines, which saw $165 million in revenue in 2008 and $203 million in 2009, will grow to $412 million by 2013, according to Pike's "Small Wind Power" report.

It can be attributed to the fact that on a cost-per-watt basis many are finding small wind turbines to be less expensive than solar panels, David Link, senior analyst at Pike Research, said in his report.… Read more

German conglomerate Siemens, the world's market leader in offshore wind turbines, is aiming to become one of the top three suppliers to the wind power market by 2012, the head of its Wind Power unit said.

"The global wind power market will grow from about 30 billion euros ($44.43 billion) annually today to more than 200 billion euros by 2030. We anticipate especially robust growth in the Asia-Pacific region," Siemens Wind Power CEO Andreas Nauen told reporters Wednesday.

"The market growth in North America and Europe, however, will also be significant," he added.

Siemens, … Read more

Outdoorsy types are sure to love mobile solar chargers, but what about those who rarely see sunlight? (No, we're not referring to "Twilight.")

Easy Energy will launch the YoGen, a mobile charger that solely relies on hand power. The pocket-size charger lets you generates energy by repeatedly pulling a ripcord, similar to the way a lawnmower is started.

The Las Vegas-based company created this product as a part of its mission to "satisfy the enormous worldwide demand for practical, compact, 'green energy producing' manpowered chargers." Easy Energy is also in the process of launching YoGen … Read more

NEW YORK--New York State is looking for developers to build wind farms on its Great Lakes that could generate 120 to 500 megawatts of power to boost the amount of electricity that comes from renewable sources by 2015.

The New York Power Authority would buy all the power generated from the offshore projects, which could be located in either Lake Erie or Lake Ontario.

Offshore wind power costs about twice as much as land-based wind projects, according to industry estimates. Offshore wind farms cost about $4 million per megawatt if no interest accrued during construction.

However, typically offshore wind farms … Read more