World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

November 9, 2003 – Vol.8 No.33

WORLD WIND WATCH.

According to a new report from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) wind energy could be a $ 1.18 billion (EUR 1 billion) per year industry in the country in as little as seven years. By 2010 a million homes could be supplied with over 1600 megawatts generated. More than 1000 jobs in the Emerald Isle would be directly related to wind.

This prediction seems reasonable, especially if the Arklow Bank offshore project by Airtricity and GE Wind Energy is fully completed by then. That project alone, which could be more than 500 megawatts, would supply almost a third of the wind power predicted.

Also according to SEI, 80 percent of the population support wind energy. Visit SEI at: http://www.irish-energy.ie/

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has announced $32 million in funding for five renewable energy projects that will yield almost 100 megawatts of new green energy for the New England grid.

Two of projects are for wind energy; a 28.8-megawatt project by enXco in the Towns of Florida and Monroe, and a 13.5-megawatt project in the Town of Hancock.

The Hancock project of 9, 1.5-megawatt turbines holds particular interest because of its MTC financing. MTC has agreed to purchase 100 percent of the project’s Renewable Energy Certificates (Green Tags) for years 6 through 15 of its operation.

This agreement allows Berkshire Wind, the developer, certainty about future revenues which will make it easier to secure financing for the project today.

Other funding went to a 3.1-megawatt landfill gas project, a 1.9- megawatt hydro project and a 47-megawatt biomass project in neighboring New Hampshire. Visit the MTC at http://www.masstech.org/