Wind energy coming soon to Indiana
Submitted by Progressive WC on October 26, 2006 - 11:06am.
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Local blogger Paul Retherford has some thoughts on reports that Wind energy is coming soon to Indiana. He cites a South Bend Tribune article that notes Indiana Michigan power will be placing test sites in East-central Indiana soon. Paul is excited about this.
This announcement comes on the heals of two others by companies planning wind farms in Benton and Allen counties...RP&L has sponsored a meteorological study of wind in northern Wayne county by placing wind measuring equipment on the Kicks96 towers on Tingler Rd. This is great news. The genie is out of the bottle. Will this push Indiana lawmakers to enact a Renewable Energy Portfolio?
Related article in the Pal-Item
Here's a related article in the Pal-Item today:
Blowing in the wind? Utility sees potential energy harnessed by wind farm
Wind Power
This is a great story and I am glad you are broadcasting it.
I am sure you all caught the recent treehugger piece (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10/michigan_elemen.php) on a school in Michigan that was forced to shut down its windmills, or disconnect from the net by the local power company (Detroit Edison) until such time as they expended $180,000 in equipment upgrades.
This is indicative of the type of roadblocks that traditional power companies use to keep the grid (paid for by rate payers) to themselves.
My father worked for years in the chemical industry and led an effort in Houston to start up a "cogeneration" plant using steam produced by several local chemical plants to generate electricity: enough to power the plants and sell on the grid. The local power company (one of the biggest in the country) refused to let them hook into the grid, and blocked efforts at the Texas state house to force the issue.