'ATC files plan for $31 million Wisconsin-Illinois power line' Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

American Transmission Co. on Thursday applied for state approval for a high-voltage power line that would cross into Illinois from Kenosha County.

The Pleasant Prairie-Zion Energy Center project would cost about $31 million and be built by 2014, under the utility’s plan.

The project, announced earlier this year, was one of several high-voltage power lines that company included in a $3.8 billion to $4.4 billion 10-year planning document it released last week.  

Depending on the route selected, the 345,000-volt line would extend 5.3 to 5.8 miles between the Pleasant Prairie Power Plant and the substation at the Zion Energy Center, a natural gas-fired power plant built by Calpine Corp. in Zion, Ill.

Read the entire article on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's web site.

Michael Best & Friedrich LLP to Host: 'Intellectual Property Protection in the Emerging Offshore Wind Energy Sector'

Alliance member Michael Best & Friedrich will host an upcoming session on Intellectual Property Protection during the upcoming AWEA Offshore Windpower Conference and Exhibit on Oct. 11-13th in Baltimore, MD.  The session will be held at the Hilton Baltimore in the Key Ballroom 9-10 on Oct. 12th in the West (Main) Building, 401 West Pratt Street, Second Floor, Baltimore, MD. 

Citing the recent claims from American Superconductor (AMSC) against Sinovel Wind Group Co. for "stolen intellectual property", IP protection is a timely subject for those in the wind market.  The emerging offshore opportunities in the United States will generate greater competition within the market as future sites are determined and incentives are organized around offshore wind PPA's, making it more and more important for those within the wind market to focus on IP protection. 

Also during the conference, Michael Best & Friedrich will host a poster presentation on 'Offshore Wind PPA's, the Ontario Feed-In Tariff, and the New Jersey OREC Program: Strong Government Support to Key Success'. 

To RSVP for the sessions and find out more information, contact Jocelyn Gomez of Michael Best & Friedrich at jagomez@michaelbest.com or 414-225.4964. 

ABB Hosts 'Five Key Characteristics to Make Wind Farms More Profitable'

Wisconsin Wind Works Alliance member ABB is joining with North American Windpower to host an upcoming free webinar on 'Five Key Characteristics to Make Wind Farms More Profitable' on Wednesday September 21st at 11:00am EST.  

Guest speakers for the webinar include Dennis McKinley, head of ABB's Wind Power business in North America and Dan Shreve, Director of MAKE Consulting and former Wind Energy Market & Competitive Intelligence Leader at General Electric Energy. 

The webinar will offer key strategies around effective Wind Farm maintenance to improve profitability, including: 

1. Delivery – How to improve the speed and logistics process of the installation

2. Efficiency – How to increase the efficiency of the electrical equipment and of personnel after the site is up and running

3. Reliability – How to select the appropriate amount of reliability and keep things running

4. Maintenance – How to effectively maintain the farm

5. Safety – How to keep people safe. Equipment selection through the ongoing day-to-day operations 

Find out more information on the webinar and register to participate today.

'How does Wind Affect Coal..." From the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

A recent presentation of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shares insight to how the wind market offsets the cycling, emissions, and costs of coal production in the United States market.

 
Review the full presentation and share your comments below.

'10 (Short) Reasons to be Excited about Wind Power'

An article from National Geographic highlights the 10 quick reasons to be excited about Wind Power shared by Keynote Speaker Lester Brown, founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute:  

• It is abundant. China, for example, has enough harnessable wind to increase its electricity consumption 16-fold 
• It is carbon-free. Reducing carbon emissions is a key part of any plan to transition from fossil fuels. 
• It is non-depletable. What we use today doesn’t affect how much we have tomorrow
• It does not require any water. This is in contrast to other water-intensive energy sources, such as nuclear and natural gas
• It does not use any fuel. Wind farm developers are ready to sign 20-year fixed-price contracts, Brown said, because the main cost associated with wind is building the farm.
• Wind turbines don’t use a lot of land. It’s true that wind farms take up a lot of land. But the turbines themselves only occupy 1 percent of a wind farm’s land area, which leads to the next point…   

See all the reasons offered by Brown at the recent American Renewable Energy Day in Aspen, Colorado at NationalGeographic.com

Upcoming Event: 'Turbines, Towers, and Vessels 2011' Hosted by Michael Best & Friedrich

Wisconsin Wind Works Alliance Member Michael Best & Friedrich LLP announce 'Turbines, Towers, & Vessels 2011: For Northeastern Offshore Wind Projects' conference Sept. 7-9th at The Biltmore in Providence, RI.

The only event focused on securing a
place in the supply chain for the
Northeastern Offshore Wind projects

Featuring A Special Opening Address

Governor of Rhode Island:  Lincoln D. Chafee 

View the Agenda, see the keynote speakers, and register for this great conference today at http://www.infocastinc.com/index.php/conference/windturbines 

'Where to Get a Green Job' - Apollo Group

A recent blog article shared an analysis on 'Where to Get a Green Job' including analysis of green job markets, locations, funding, and more.  Wisconsin and greater Chicago area are specifically targeted as high green job centers.

See the full green jobs report at: 'Infographic: Where to Get a Green Job'