World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

March 26, 2006 – Vol.11 No.1

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Spanish wind turbine maker Gamesa is building its U.S. operations in the state of Pennsylvania because of the expected opportunities for new wind projects there as well as in neighboring New York, and West Virginia. The governments of Pennsylvania and New York are encouraging wind development. All three states have good wind resources with mountain ridges, rolling farmland or both.

Gamesa is developing its own wind projects, in part, to keep its new wind turbine production facilities busy. One of those projects is the 80-megawatt Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm being developed near Altoona, Pennsylvania. First Energy, headquartered in Akron, Ohio has announced it will buy all the power from Allegheny Ridge which is expected to be operational by early 2007. Visit Gamesa at http://www.gamesa.es/

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has a goal of 800 MW of community-based energy development (C-BED) to be built in his state by 2010. C-BED is part of the state’s energy goal to have 25 percent of the state’s energy needs come from renewable resources, especially homegrown resources, by 2025. C-BED projects must be locally owned by Minnesota residents, and projects must have support of the county government in which the project is located.

Xcel Energy has agreed to the C-BED plan and has announced an accelerated commitment to securing community-based wind energy projects. The company has announced up to 500 MW of new wind capacity in the state by the governor’s proposed deadline. Xcel already has 300 megawatts of those projects underdevelopment in the state. Visit Xcel at http://www.xcelenergy.com/