AWEA Blog has some really interesting "Fact Check" Lies we should all be aware of.

Comment

Comment by John F. Hussey on January 21, 2018 at 11:50am

They are playing a game of smoke and mirrors!   

Present a "whiz bang" new concept, talk a great game with fluffed up numbers in their favor, con in a bunch of suckers, start build wind projects, run out of money, file for bankruptcy, the top guys have already make their money and everyone is left holding the bag. 

Remember, the wind doesn't always blow and nobody can make the wind blow!

Comment by Barbara Durkin on January 21, 2018 at 10:28am

It would be great to see the AWEA held accountable under the False Claims Act.  

AWEA from 1997 mentions Brian Caffyn and IVPC, Enron Zond manufactured Searsburg Wind with state of the art turbines.  I’ll note FloWind was later resurrected with Director Ian Bowles AKA MA energy chief AKA Founding Chairman of MassCEC that granted Flo $3 million. The feds kicked in another $8 mil., but more likely $16 mil as there were two grants of $8 mil to two versions of Flo in two different Congressional districts totaling $16 mil.  Flo changed their name to Ogin and took another bite of the public Apple, then disappeared with intellectual property we funded.    

Enjoy one of my favorite saves-

!  
Subject: Wind Energy Weekly #754
Sent: 10/3/97 12:47 PM
Received: 10/4/97 7:54 AM
From: Tom Gray, tomgray@igc.apc.org
To: Recipients of conference, mlist.windnews@conf.igc.apc.org

The following is the electronic edition of WIND ENERGY
WEEKLY, Vol. 16, #754, 7 July 1997, published by the
American Wind Energy Association. The full text of the
WEEKLY is available in hardcopy form for $595/year and is
recommended for those with a serious commercial interest in
wind energy (the electronic edition is lagged by several
weeks and contains only excerpts). A monthly hardcopy
publication, the WINDLETTER, more suitable for those
interested in residential wind systems is included with a
$50/year contribution to the Association. AWEA's
goal is to promote wind energy as a clean and
environmentally-superior source of electricity--please
help us with this critical environmental issue. For more
information on the Association, contact
AWEA, 122 C Street, NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20001,
USA, phone (202) 383-2500, fax (202) 383-2505, e-mail
<windmail@mcimail.com>. Or visit our World Wide Web
site at a href="http://www.econet.org/awea%3E" target="_blank">http://www.econet.org/awea>;.

ENERGY OUTLOOK

Karas outlines potential for wind growth

TRADE NEWS

GMP makes news in VT and CA
FloWind Corp. seeks protection from creditors
David Freeman named new head of LADWP
NSP receives permission to build outside MN
Italian Vento plans 170-plus MW in Italy


GREEN MOUNTAIN OPENS WIND
FARM, FILES IN CALIFORNIA

Green Mountain Power Co. (GMP), of South Burlington,
Vt., had a busy week in support of renewables, announcing
the commercial opening of its first wind farm and
registering a subsidiary with the California Public
Utilities Commission as an electricity provider under the
state's new retail competition law.

The 11-turbine wind generating station in Searsburg,
Vt., formally began commercial operations June 30, producing
enough clean energy to supply approximately 2,000 homes. The
6-MW facility is the largest commercial wind generating
station in the eastern United States.

"We've been looking forward to this moment for almost
20 years," said Douglas G. Hyde, President and Chief
Executive Officer of GMP. GMP has researched the potential
of wind energy in harsh northern climates since the late
1970s. "It has been clear to us for a long time that
Vermonters want clean energy, and they appreciate the
investment in indigenous resources. This facility is one of
the most cost-effective ways of generating clean energy
right here in Vermont," Mr. Hyde said.

The facility also serves an important research role,
GMP said in a news release. The utility received a $3.5
million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and
the Electric Power Research Institute of Palo Alto, Calif.,
under DOE's Turbine Verification Project (TVP) to help
develop the wind plant. As a condition of the TVP program,
GMP committed to share research and operating results with
others in the industry, which will help further the
development of wind energy in other areas with harsh weather
conditions.

The total cost of the project is approximately $11
million. With the award from DOE and EPRI, GMP projects that
the cost of the power generated from the turbines will be
comparable to other potential options over the 25-year life
of the plant.

"The Searsburg wind facility is the product of careful
site selection, years of wind resource assessments, and the
involvement of the local community and environmental
organizations early on in the planning process," Mr. Hyde
said.

Prior to construction, GMP studied the possible effects
on black bear habitat and migrating and breeding birds, and
also researched public acceptance of wind power and
conducted other environmental studies. Research will
continue for some time after initial operation to create a
significant base of knowledge on the fit of this technology
in the New England climate.

The 11 state-of-the-art 550-kW wind turbines were
manufactured by Zond Corp. (now Enron Wind Corp.) of
Tehachapi, Calif., and are designed to withstand the rigors
of the Vermont environment. The wind machines are
three-bladed, horizontal axis turbines with upwind rotors
and are mounted on 132-foot tubular towers built on 36-
square-foot foundations. Each rotor blade is 60 feet long
and weighs about 4,250 pounds.

The wind farm's opening date was delayed this spring
after some mechanical problems were discovered during the
utility's acceptance testing of the machines. According to
John Zimmerman of Vermont Environmental Research Associates,
a consultant who has overseen GMP's wind program, the
problems involved a missing part in the turbines' braking
system, which resulted in some slipped gears, and fretting
corrosion of some gear teeth, which occurred while the
turbine rotors were locked down before electrical lines were
extended to the site. The problems were corrected and
acceptance tests were completed before the facility went
into operation.

GMP recently received AWEA's 1997 Utility Award in
recognition of the company's contribution to the advancement
of wind energy.

To celebrate the opening of its new facility, GMP is
hosting Wind Energy Day on Saturday, August 16, at the
Deerfield Valley Farmers Fair on School Street in
Wilmington, Vermont. Families will be able to participate in
many activities including tours of the wind facility,
renewable energy and environmental exhibits, rides in
electric vehicles and building wind-related projects. An
image of the new wind farm is available on the World Wide
Web at a href="http://www.gmpvt.com/gifs/windturb.gif%3E" target="_blank">http://www.gmpvt.com/gifs/windturb.gif>;.

In other news, Green Mountain Energy (GME) registered
with the California Public Utilities Commission July 1 to be
an electricity provider when the state's utility market
opens to competition in January 1998. Julie Blunden, the
company's California regional director, said GME is a "new
kind of power company."

Added company spokesman Kevin Hartley, "We can be
thought of as the un-utility(SM). As the un-utility(SM), we
want to change both the way power is made and how people
feel about buying it."

"Our goal," he said, "is to unleash the demand for
renewable energy from natural sources like the sun, wind,
and rivers. If more people demand cleaner power
alternatives, eventually we can turn more renewable power
plants on and turn off some of the most environmentally
damaging ones."

GME said it plans to reward customers for using less
power and helping the environment through its innovative
EcoCredits(SM) program. The EcoCredits(SM) program rewards
customers who consume less power over time or help the
environment, whether they host a candlelight dinner, plant a
tree or garden, or quit smoking. Customers are rewarded with
EcoCredits(SM) that can be redeemed in a number of ways. "We
want to encourage our customers to have fun and take an
active part in helping the environment," Hartley said.


KARAS SEES STRONG GROWTH
FOR WIND: COST CRITICAL

Wind energy is poised for very strong growth over the
next two decades, provided ways can be found to reduce its
cost still further, according to Kenneth Karas, Chairman and
CEO of Enron Wind Corp. Karas outlined his perspective on
the wind industry's prospects at the opening session of
Windpower '97 June 16.

The market for renewable energy, both in the U.S. and
worldwide, is likely headed for expansion, Karas said.
Enron expects that in the next 20 years, renewables will
increase in the U.S. from 0.6 quads [quadrillion BTUs-
-one quad is equal to about 180 million barrels of oil or
100 billion kWh of electricity] to two quads, for a growth
rate of 8% per year; worldwide, from 29 quads to 57 quads,
or about 3.6% annual growth.

Enron Wind Corp., Karas said, is a newly-formed
subsidiary of Enron Renewable Energy Corp. (EREC), which in
turn is one of five top-level business divisions of Enron.
The parent company's power marketing division is the largest
unregulated power marketer in the U.S., while its gas
division is one of the largest gas producers in the world.

In contrast to the past few years, during which wind
has been in a downdraft in the U.S. due to utility
deregulation, Karas said the near-term outlook is more
promising: "Wind sales in 1996 were essentially flat from
1995, due to declines [from 1995 levels] in India and
Germany. We expect them to increase in 1997 and 1998, and
to be largely driven by the U.S. market. Last year 10 MW
were installed in the U.S. This year it will be more like
100 MW and next year several hundred--it's one of the more
robust markets, frankly to our surprise and also our
delight."

Enron Wind forecasts that a total of 9,465 MW of new
wind capacity will be installed worldwide through the year
2001, Karas said, with regional totals as follows: Europe
5,860 MW ("could be a bit lower"), Asia 1,775 MW ("most in
China and India, probably mostly indigenous manufacturing
through licensing arrangements"), U.S. and Canada 1,050 MW,
Africa 355 MW, Latin America 325 MW, and Australia and New
Zealand 100 MW.

Key market drivers will be environmental concerns and
wind's cost of energy (COE), Karas said. "It's hard to say
which is most important. Concern for the environment has
been a major factor, but also, cost of energy is critical.
In our view, wind plants can generate for about 4-5
cents/kWh at better sites (8 m/s [18 mph]).

"The federal wind program goal is to get that down to
2.5 cents/kWh. It's a great goal and a great challenge--I
think it's exactly right, and where we need to go. The
total cost of our power has to be equal to the variable cost
of fossil fuels for our industry to achieve its maximum
potential."

Deregulation of the electric utility industry, Karas
said, presents a series of both opportunities and threats
for wind. "Green power," the concept of utilities or power
marketers selling power from wind and solar at a premium, he
said, is "a two-edged sword--we want to make sure that
regulators don't feel they can satisfy their environmental
responsibility by letting the market take over." The
Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) approach, which would
require suppliers to obtain a minimum percentage of
their electricity from renewables, is a "major breakout
opportunity," Karas said.

Threats, he said, include transmission costs (if wind
were required to pay for full transmission capacity when
wind plants only deliver about 35% of full capacity on
average) and pool scheduling requirements (if wind plant
operators were required to specify 24 hours in advance how
much power they would deliver to the system). "There are
ways to deal with these problems," Karas said, "but it's a
lot better if we can address them in the initial structure."

Success in the wind energy market of the future will
"increasingly be based upon non-technical factors," Karas
said. "The ability to access customers directly; the
ability to enhance or overcome the intermittent nature of
wind through firming or other approaches; the ability to
initiate or assist in project development; and the ability
to assist in project financing."


FLOWIND CORP. FILES FOR
BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION

FloWind Corp., a major wind plant operator based in San
Rafael, Calif., said in a statement that it has filed for
protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy
Code due to "difficulties in liquidating its wind turbine
inventories or repowering or selling its wind power plants
in a timely fashion."

The company said it had accumulated an inventory of
components for the AWT-27 wind turbine (designed and
produced by a subsidiary, Advanced Wind Turbines, Inc.)
after receiving an order from customers in India, but that
the customers subsequently proved "unable to make required
payments.

"Subsequent attempts to sell this inventory to
alternative buyers have been frustrated by the absence of
international trade financing competitive with the
concessionary financing and trade support offered by foreign
competitors," the company said, adding, "Approximately 20
AWT turbines are operating in India and two in China. The
wind turbines are operating as warranted and are considered
reliable and cost-effective."

FloWind said it expects to use the balance of the AWT
inventory to supply turbines for the 25-MW wind project
planned by the Conservation and Renewable Energy System
(CARES), a consortium of several public utilities, in
Washington.

The company said it has attempted to sell its Tehachapi
wind plant in recent months, but has been unable to finalize
a sale.

It added, "Immediately prior to the Chapter 11 filing,
FloWind entered into a codevelopment arrangement with a
European turbine manufacturer and its construction partner
to fully develop its Altamont and Tehachapi wind power
plants. This arrangement is expected to be finalized over
the next 18 months.

"The repowering and sale of its existing California
wind power plants, with the aid and credibility of its
codevelopment partner, will allow FloWind to emerge as a
vital contributor to the international wind energy
community."


NSP GETS PERMISSION TO
BUILD OUTSIDE MINN.

Minnesota-based utility Northern States Power (NSP) has
received permission from the Minnesota Public Utilities
Commission to build the last two phases of its wind energy
requirement outside the state if that approach is more cost-
effective.

The St. Paul Pioneer-Press reported the decision July
1. NSP is required to contract for energy from or build 425
MW of wind capacity by the year 2002 in return for
permission to store nuclear waste at its Prairie Island
nuclear power plant. To date, the utility has contracted
for power from 154 MW of capacity, and it is currently
evaluating bids for another 100 MW in Phase III of its wind
program, all of which is already built or planned for
Buffalo Ridge in southwestern Minnesota.


DAVID FREEMAN TO HEAD
LOS ANGELES UTILITY

David Freeman, former head of the Sacramento Municipal
Utility District (SMUD) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
and a strong proponent of renewable energy, is in line to
become general manager of the Los Angeles Department of
Water and Power (LADWP), the nation's largest municipal
utility, September 1.

The trade newsletter Energy Daily reported July 1 that
Freeman has been nominated by Los Angeles Mayor Richard
Riordan to head the giant utility, which is facing a variety
of stresses as it struggles to prepare for the advent of
retail competition in California beginning January 1, 1998.
LADWP's residential electricity rates are currently
subsidized by its large industrial customers and will have
to increase, which may make it vulnerable to competitors in
the power marketing industry. Also, talks with power
marketer Duke-Louis Dreyfus about a possible merger, which
might have given LADWP greater competitive leverage, have
thus far been unsuccessful.

During his tenure at SMUD, Freeman successfully
developed a plan to replace generation from that utility's
troubled Rancho Seco nuclear plant, which ultimately was
shut down, with power from wind, solar, biomass, and
gas combined with an aggressive conservation program.


ITALIAN VENTO POWER DETAILS
WIND DEVELOPMENT PLANS

Italian Vento Power Corp. (IVPC), a company that is
jointly owned by Tomen Power Corp. (UK), a subsidiary of a
major Japanese trading firm, and IVPC Energy BV (IEBV), said
it is currently developing wind energy projects totalling
more than 170 MW in southern Italy.

Brian Caffyn of International Energy, Inc., and Akira
Amano of Tomen Corp., the Japanese parent of Tomen UK, said
in a letter that IVPC has already completed a 37.8-MW
project using Vestas V42 turbines at three separate sites,
and that it recently completed financing for another 21.6-MW
wind farm. The second facility, the two said, will be
finished by November, and will use Vestas V44 units: "When
these additional turbines are installed and connected with
the existing 27.6 MW of Phase 1 at the
Monteleone/Anzano/Sant Agata site in one interconnection
point, [the entire wind farm] will comprise the largest
operating project in Europe with a total capacity of 49.2
MW."

Caffyn and Amano said IVPC is seeking term financing to
replace the construction financing provided by Tomen Corp.,
and added, "This is expected to be accomplished in a joint
financing with an additional 110 MW of projects to be
constructed for a total 170-MW project financing." One
54-MW plant is planned for completion in 1998, they said,
and the entire 110 MW is expected to be finished by 1999.

Development financing, turbine selection, and wind
plant operations are managed by Oreste Vigorito of IVPC, who
is the firm's managing director, with assistance from
International Energy, a firm headed by Caffyn. According to
a trade bulletin from the U.S. Department of Commerce,
which reported recently on IVPC's activities, electricity
from the projects is being sold to ENEL, Italy's state
utility, under a 15-year contract.

http://www.txses.org/wew/wew_754.txt