Items of interest:

1-“The company’s problems raise questions about the federal government’s wisdom in giving $535 million to a company with an unproven technology.”

Uh! Half a billion dollars – $535,000,000.00?  Yep … that raises a lot of questions!

Fremont solar panel maker Solyndra scales back expansion plans – Oakland Tribune

2-“To be sure, low emissions from coal-fired plants isn’t a technology problem, it’s a political problem.”

Real Clean Coal: Japan’s Unit #2 Isogo Plant – MasterResource

3-“The post-construction studies are too late for the bat and avian population. We need to address pre-construction studies.”  (How about it, University of Maryland?)

APOV: What you don’t know … – The Daily News Online

4-“bankrolling green dreams“

The Willis Report video – Gerri Willis Two Cents

5-Lucky for us, it doesn’t get cold in the Allegheny Mountains

Coping with the cold: A report from Finland – Windpower Engineering

Items of interest:

1-“A different wind energy developer with a project under construction nearby is trying to head off similar problems. That company reportedly is writing $5000 checks to neighbors who agree not to complain about turbine noise. Caithness Energy declined to say how many households took them up on the deal. Caithness’ Shepherd Flats project will be the nation’s biggest wind farm when it is completed in about two years.”

Wind developer “reportedly writing $5000 checks to neighbors who agree not to complain about turbine noise” – Wind Turbine Syndrome

2-“… the oldest infant-industry in the history of the world: Wind power” – (I wish I’d thought of that line!)

Voting against the Wind? – The American

3-“As opposition (to industrial wind) continues to grow across Ontario, another community group has been formed …”

109 attended Amaranth meeting on wind turbines – Wind Concerns Ontario

4-“this year has been a journey from hope to anger and disgust. Fox Islands Wind continues to misrepresent and mislead our community while using its authority to bully state regulators on the issue of violating noise standards.”

Wind Farm Neighbor: From Hope to Anger and Disgust – The Free Press

5-Now this is some hope and change:  “President Obama’s top advisers recommended cutting off funding for a federal loan-guarantee program meant to spur the construction of wind and solar farms and other alternative energy projects, saying taxpayer dollars might be better spent elsewhere.”

Oh, but then there’s the politics of it all:  “But the advisers, including Mr. Obama’s outgoing National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers, energy policy czar Carol Browner and Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, warned Mr. Obama that pulling money from the program would risk antagonizing powerful allies in Congress, and would “signal the failure of a Recovery Act program that has been featured prominently by the administration,” according to an Oct. 25 memorandum viewed by The Wall Street Journal.”

These people act as though it’s their money they’re tossing around.  Let’s demand the new congress shut down the free flow of money we don’t have into poor performing contraptions we don’t need.

U.S. Weighs Funding for Renewable Energy Projects – Wall Street Journal

Items of interest:

1-Move over Windy!

Wind farms could be forced out by oil rigs– Telegraph

2-“Is Germany helping to show the way to a more effective approach to the expansion of carbon-neutral energy production?”

Germany’s Nuclear Bridge to Tomorrow’s Energy Supply – Roger Pielke Jr.’s Blog

3-“It seems so simple to let the wind just blow the propeller blades of a windmill generator to produce free electric power. As an alternate source of energy it is wonderful because it does not produce any “toxic” waste or unfriendly elements to the ecology. Right? Well, not so fast.”

Wind Power | Electric Power From Wind Generators – Public 88

4-A word to the wise for all:

Tom Pyle (IER) on the Election Results and Energy Policy (beware of ‘all of the above’ Republicans) – MasterResource

5-“There is little question why natural gas is considered the best energy investment due to its growing demand, environmental advantages, and supply breakthrough that has radically changed the outlook for cleaner energy.”

Natural Gas, America’s Best Bet – Energy Tribune

Items of interest:

1-Excellent piece at WCO – “Ontario government knew early on that shutting the coal plants would not make a significant improvement in the air quality.  Despite having this information, they stifled the report and claimed otherwise. ~ Ross McKitrick, PhD, Professor of Economics, University of Guelph“

The case against the case against conventional energy – Wind Concerns Ontario

2-The first international symposium on The Global Wind Industry and Adverse Health Effects put on by The Society For Wind Vigilance was solid and powerful.

International symposium on The Global Wind Industry and Adverse Health Effects – Wind Concerns Ontario

3-“shame on all the other wind projects that are changing the face of Maine for the profit of a few ex-governors, ex-Public Utility Chairmen and ex-Harvard Professors.“

An Islander’s Perspective on Industrial Wind – Grumbles and Grins

4-I favor option one – “But there is evidence that mortality rates can be reduced relatively simply: for example, by not siting wind farms in areas of high concentrations of bats or on migratory bird pathways, or by using more modern turbines with larger, slower-turning blades.”

Fewer Turbine Turns Means Fewer Bat Deaths – Discovery News

5-Sad to see, but not unexpected if the business relies on handouts for its “profits.”  “Wind-turbine maker Suzlon Group will idle its Pipestone, Minn., plant, putting 110 workers out of jobs, because the once-booming U.S. wind energy market has lost headway.”

Pipestone wind-turbine factory idled; 110 layoffs – Star Tribune

Items of interest:

1-I know, for some of you, this is getting old … but I’ll pose the thought again – And the US is building windmills?  “This summer China surpassed the United States as the world’s largest producer of energy. What was noteworthy, however, is not what China has accomplished over the past 10 years — doubling its energy capacity — but what it is planning for its future.“

Nuclear Renaissance Blossoms—Without the USA – American Spectator

2-“Wind turbine noise has a unique and visceral sound character, which may be perceived as being twice as loud as measured.”

Wind turbine noise: noise complaints predictable – Wind Concerns Ontario

3-”’Great River Energy officials say 61 turbines at the Prairie Star Wind Farm near Austin stopped operating for a time because of the powerful gusts.”

High winds too much for wind turbines – Minnesota Public Radio

4-“Despite the inefficiency, unreliability and poor economics of wind energy, even the biggest skeptic would acknowledge the appeal of the Bird Cuisinart* to anyone interested in the elusive goal of Energy Independence. After all, the wind is free, right?”

Energy Policy Outrage, Part II: ‘Windmills Are Pretty!’ – Red Sate

5-“Remember when the “windys” got all buzzy about how generous Google was for offering to toss a couple of billion into the East Coast backbone grid to enable offshore wind?  They’re just so generous!”

Google uses profit shuffle to cut taxes – Columbus Dispatch

6-And don’t forget …

VOTE TOMORROW

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Items of interest:

1-And the US is building windmills!  “Under the deal, Russia will initially build two power units in Vietnam with a capacity of 1.2 GW each. Overall, Vietnam plans to build eight nuclear power plants in five provinces by 2030“

Russia’s Medvedev signs nuclear power deal with Vietnam – Ria Novosti

2–Michigan to build new clunkers!  And it takes taxpayer cash to be competitive?  Here we go again! “Granholm said the tax incentives means Michigan can, “lead the nation in producing competitive, beating the China-price wind turbine.”

Granholm hails first Michigan-built wind turbine – Connect Mid Michigan

3-Remember our little post from a few days ago? – All else being equal, vote for the skeptic of industrial wind. Seems other folks are concerned, as well:

“Aubertine has a contract with a wind developer and has been receiving money from them. He sits on the Senate Energy Committee.“

Ritchie isn’t beholden to the wind companies – Watertown Daily Times

and:

“Or, of course, we could vote for the other candidate. He is more open to considering the harmful health effects of industries.“

Don’t Let Us Get Sick, Oregon, and the Election of 2010 – Kansas Free Press

4:More industrial wind cart before horse logic:  “One thing appears certain: If plans don’t gel relatively soon on ways to move wind energy across state lines, the slowdown in building wind farms in Iowa will turn into a complete halt.”

Wind energy producers face wall in moving power east – Des Moines Register

5-Now here’s a 180 move that deserves a 10 – “Environmentalists did harm by being ignorant and ideological and unwilling to change their mind based on actual evidence. As a result we have done harm and I regret it.”

Leading environmental campaigners support nuclear and GM – Telegraph

6-Missing the obvious solution, which is not to install the high cost low production contraptions in the first place, over at the North American bat convention, “biologists seek ways to reduce bat deaths at wind farms.“

Increasing Wind Turbine Turn-On Speeds Could Help Reduce Bat Deaths, New Study Says – POPSCI

7-“Trick or Treat”