[en] In the last ten years we have seen an impressive growth of electrical generation by wind power. However this increase cannot be explained by an advance of the technology or by the improvement of the economic factors. The explanation of the boom is based mostly on environmental aspects instead of strategic considerations on energy supply. In Argentina wind power is promoted as a kind of economically viable panacea based on four myths: the explosive growth of wind power, the decrease of costs as a function of the power increase, the wind power potential of Patagonia, the analogy with conventional technologies. The analysis of these myths shows that the global wind power production is very low and it is concentrated in few developed countries, it is supported by environmental interests and protected by important subsidies. In Argentina this support cannot be justified neither by environmental considerations nor by economic reasons

[en] The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) submitted a plan of wind energy industry development to the Regie de l'energie of Quebec at its May wind set-aside hearings. According to the plan, CanWEA wants to see Hydro-Quebec buy 10 MW of wind power a year starting in 2001, progressively increasing to 50 MW power per year in four years. According to CanWEA the size of the set-aside must be large enough to foster competition in the turbine manufacturing sector, as well as put a downward pressure on wind energy prices. In 1996, Hydro-Quebec pledged to buy 10 MW of wind power per year over 10 years. It raised the target to 20 MW per year over 10 years in 1997, which was raised to 30 MW per year by a parliamentary commission in the spring of 1998. Hydro-Quebec contends that it cannot buy more than 30 MW, given that some of the utility's large industrial customers won't want to pay the increased cost of wind energy, and before buying any wind power there will have to be a decision about who will pay the additional cost. The Regie de l'energie has the power to decide whether Hydro-Quebec should spread the cost over the entire customer base, or just charge those customers willing to pay. According to the Regie, the wind set-aside is not simply an energy supply question, it is also a matter of developing a wind turbine manufacturing industry. It is this larger objective and other key issues, such as the economic spin-offs from developing wind energy, its role in regional development and its environmental impacts that will determine the the size of the set-aside and the price to be paid for wind power by Hydro-Quebec

[en] The experience of the European countries in the wind electric power production convincingly proves, that this is an economically profitable business. Germany, Spain, Holland, Great Britain and Ireland are following this way beside Denmark. However in 2000 the wind power engineering found itself in the crisis: no wind facility was sold at the internal market for the whole year. The wind power technology export was considered. The experience of Germany was taken into the account

[en] The potential, the capability of wind technologies, the technical basics, and the activities of the l'UQAR Wind Energy Team are discussed. (author)

[en] The result of the study carried out under the scope of the ATYCA project Test Plant of Wind Systems for Isolated Applications, about the state of art of the small wind turbine technology (wind turbines with swept area smaller than 40 m²) is presented. The study analyzes the collected information on 60 models of wind turbines from 23 manufacturers in the worldwide market. Data from Chinese manufacturers, that have a large participation in the total number of small wind turbines in operation, are not included, due to the unavailability of the technical information. (Author) 15 refs

[en] This report review the institutional and legal framework of wind energy in Spain as well as the current market situation, considering the geographical distribution of power, its past evolution, what are the Spanish foreseen wind power.... A review of main actor within the wind market: suppliers, promoters, administrative bodies, is also performed. The second part of the report carries out a comparison of the Spanish wind energy situation with the current conditions in Portugal and The Netherlands. These two countries present different levels of wind development with also different approaches to wind energy integration. Finally, the report states some differences and weak points comparing their wind energy situation with the Spanish one. (Author) 12 refs

[en] The wind energy or eolic energy is a consequence of solar energy, the one which is absorbed by the atmosphere and is transformed into energy of movement of large bulks of air. In this process the atmosphere acts as the filter to the solar radiation and demotes the ultraviolet beams that result fatal to life in the Earth. The ionosphere is the most external cap and this is ionized by means of absorption process of ultraviolet radiation arising to the Sun. The atmosphere also acts as a trap to the infrared radiation, it that results from the continual process of energetic degradation. In this way, the interaction between Earth - Atmospheres, is behaved as a great greenhouse, maintaining the constant temperatures, including in the dark nights. Processes as the natural convection (that occur by the thermodynamic phenomenon), equatorial calmness, trade winds and against trade winds and global distribution of the air currents are described. The other hand, techniques as the transformation of the wind into energy and its parameters also are shown

[en] The globalization of wind energy is on the move. Installed wind power worldwide raced past the symbolic threshold of 100000 MW in the course of the year with an installed capacity estimated at 120823,5 MW. The world has never known an energy sector develop so quickly. Although growth in the European Union market fell slightly in 2008, growth was spectacular in the United States and in China. Many statistical data are provided on the capacity, the installed power, breakdown of worldwide wind power, top ten of suppliers. (A.L.B.)

[en] This paper looks at what banks need to know to enable them to consider a wind energy project. The major experiences of banks in financing wind energy have been in the US where governmentally inspired long term sales contracts (PURPA Contracts) have given a security to sponsors and banks not available elsewhere. (Author)

[en] At the first of January 2006, the installed farms in 2005 totalize 756 MW. To these farms we can add 1943 MW of permits which will be operated in less than 2 years. The installations are presented by regions with the situation and the capacity. (A.L.B.)