World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

December 15, 2002 – Vol.7 No.38

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has recommended that the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) approve two wind farms for the state’s western panhandle. A 67 turbine project to be built by Clipper Windpower and the 25 turbine Savage Mountain project to be built by U.S. Wind Force could be complete by the end of 2003 if the PSC, after public hearings, gives approval. The projects need to be completed by the end of 2003 to take advantage of the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress has the vision, and Bush the smarts, to extend it.

Because bird mortality is always an issue with wind turbines, the DNR is recommending that in lieu of further bird migration studies (that would push the construction completion date beyond the end of next year) that the turbines be shut down for brief periods of time if bird kills become a problem. One developer has agreed, the other in talks on the idea. Visit Clipper Wind at http://www.clipperwind.com/ and U.S Wind Force at http://www.uswindforce.com/ .

The German maritime planning agency BSH has given the go-ahead for that country’s second offshore wind farm. To be built about 34 kilometers (21 miles) off the north-west German coast, near the border with Denmark, Buerger Windpark Butendiek will have 80 three-megawatt turbines.

This project is the second offshore wind farm approved by the government. The first, Borkum-West, 45 kilometers (28 miles) off the German coast, will be a 1000-megawatt project. Construction of that project is set to begin next year. Germany would like to have 25,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and currently has 30 applications for offshore projects under review. Visit Butendiek at http://www.butendiek.de/ .

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) is proud to announce that 525 megawatts of new wind energy for the U.K. have received planning permission in 2002 - almost exactly the same capacity built during the previous eleven years combined. The U.K. saw a 20 percent increase in wind power generation in 2002, and the BWEA expects 300 megawatts of wind capacity to be built in 2003, another 600 megawatts in ‘04 with hopes of a national total of 3200 megawatts by ‘06 - six times the current wind capacity. Visit the BWEA at http://www.bwea.com/ .