why cant other states get with the Green Program???
this one really SURPRISES me to have 30% Required by 2020
‘
Xcel is required to produce 30 percent of the power it delivers to Minnesota from renewable source by 2020 under a law passed by the Legislature last year.
Minnesota is the third-largest producer of wind power in the country, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

dhamlin@bizjournals.com | (612) 288-2109

I am so glad she has nothing to hide………..
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A campaign spokesman says Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin won’t speak with an investigator hired by lawmakers to look into the firing of her public safety commissioner.

McCain campaign spokesman Ed O’Callaghan told a news conference Monday that the governor, the Republican nominee for vice president, will not cooperate as long as the investigation “remains tainted.” He said he doesn’t know whether Palin’s husband would challenge a subpoena issued to compel his cooperation.

The campaign insists the investigation has been hijacked by Democrats. It says it can prove Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan was fired because of insubordination on budget issues — not because he refused to fire a state trooper who had divorced Palin’s sister

By Clara Peterson , Minnesota 2020
August 27, 2008
Minnesota is around the ninth windiest state in the country. While there is more to wind power than just the wind, our state can boast a number of favorable conditions.

There is good reason for anyone to choose wind power over other renewable technologies when possible; wind power emits no pollutants or greenhouse gasses during electricity generation. There are environmental impacts from building and transporting wind turbines, but these impacts are certainly no greater than any negative effects of other renewable technologies. While many people worry about turbine interference with avian migration patterns, studies show that bird collision levels are negligible when quantified. It seems, then, that Minnesota is on the right track. Wind power already provides 4.6% of the energy for our state, second only to Iowa but still below our full potential.

The most efficient way to harness wind power on a large scale is through wind farms, or concentrated groups of large wind turbines. In order to benefit from economies of scale, these farms should be big enough to generate at least 20 megawatts of energy, and 50 MW wind farms are not uncommon. Although such utility-scale wind farms require about 60 acres per megawatt of generating capacity, only about five percent of that area is actually occupied by turbines. The other ninety-five percent can be put to use for farming or ranching. In fact, “in California, Minnesota, Texas, and elsewhere, wind energy provides rural landowners and farmers with a supplementary source of income through…arrangements with wind power developers.” The need to make such arrangements is one reason establishing a wind farm can be a complex undertaking.

While wind farms can be built in eighteen months to two years, it only takes about six months to actually install the turbines. The rest of the time is likely to be spent obtaining construction permits, navigating zoning laws and measuring the area’s wind flows. Site selection is a delicate matter and requires working with (or around) local regulations that are designed to protect a range of environmental and social interests including wildlife health and noise levels for local communities. Considerations like turbine interference with airplane routes are also important. Additionally, before building a wind farm, the developer must identify a utility willing to purchase (and able to access) the electricity generated. Wind power can deliver a significant amount of electricity to existing power grids, but due to its high variability it cannot stand alone.

why wont the US Govt give Wind Energy and Wind electricity some grant money since they are trying to build the ”Bridge to Nowhere”’ and now ”’study Mars”” at CU ??? When will the US Govt have an energy Policy for the Green Folks?

Investing in Solar Companies
Investing in Solar Companies
By Nick Hodge
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

I don’t get it.

Solarfun (NASDAQ: SOLF) had two great announcements this morning.

First, they announced a deal to supply Q-Cells (XETRA: QCE) with 100 MW of solar modules per year, for three years—making it a 300 MW deal. The deal is in effect from 2009 through 2011.

This is huge. Q-Cells is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar cells, and tipping their hat to a small Chinese manufacturer serves to validate Solarfun’s position in the market.

Second, Solarfun reported stellar 2Q earnings today, beating earnings estimates by $0.13, beating revenue estimates, raising 2008 shipment guidance and tripling its second quarter profit.

The result?

Solarfun fell 10% in premarket and remained about that low throughout the day.

This is crazy.

We’re talking about a company that just recently began rebuilding momentum, climbing 71% since August 11th.

One would think that when a great company has two great announcements in one day that the stock would pop nicely.

But such is the state of the current overall market.

Similar plights have occurred with Renesola (NYSE: SOL), Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ), and Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL).

Each had decent earnings announcements in the last few weeks, only to receive a nice bump and then head south.

Same for GT Solar (NASDAQ: SOLR).

As of early 2008, wind power in New Zealand has an installed capacity of 321 MW, nearly double the 2006 capacity. Wind power now provides enough electricity to meet the needs of 145,000 New Zealand households, and supplies approximately 2.5% of the country’s electricity demand. A further 172.6 MW of wind farms is under construction, with approval being sought for another 1985 MW.