----- forwarded message ----- Subject: [windenergyweekly] Wind Energy Weekly #956 Date: Sun, 07 Oct 2001 08:53:48 -0400 From: "Tom Gray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The following is the time-lagged electronic edition of WIND ENERGY WEEKLY, Vol. 20, #956, 3 August 2001, published by the American Wind Energy Association. The currently-dated electronic edition of the WEEKLY is available for $595/year and is recommended for those with a serious commercial interest in wind (the time-lagged edition contains only excerpts). A monthly publication, the WINDLETTER, more suitable for those interested in residential wind systems is available for a $50/year individual contribution to the Association. For more information on the Association, contact AWEA, 122 C Street, NW, Suite #380, Washington, DC 20001, USA, phone (202) 383-2500, fax (202) 383-2505, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Or visit our Web site at http://www.awea.org . ___________________________________________ WIND ENERGY WEEKLY ___________________________________________ Vol. 20, #956 3 August 2001 [rest clipped - not relevant - Will] ___________________________________________ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY CAN BE FOUND AT http://www.awea.org/. ___________________________________________ [rest clipped - not relevant - Will] __________________________________________ CORN GROWERS' SURVEY SHOWS STRONG SUPPORT FOR WIND POWER ___________________________________________ In a survey of the nation's corn growers, the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) found overwhelming support for wind power development and its positive impact on production agriculture. At the same time, the survey shows farmers continue to question the seriousness of the global warming debate and any detrimental effects it would have on farm productivity. The survey was conducted by Robinson and Muenster Associates, Inc., of Sioux Falls, S.D., as part of the ACGA's "Wealth From the Wind" Program. In all, 509 farmers were surveyed, making the poll's margin of error +/- 4.5%. "Corn producers recognize that wind power generation can be a positive force in diversifying farm income and making land more productive if proper governmental incentives are offered," said Larry Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of the ACGA. "While 88% of those surveyed support the development of wind power, 49.5% believe that wind power can provide additional farm income and . . . 47% would be willing to invest in wind power projects." While wind programs drew a positive response, 62.3% of corn growers believe the debate over global climate change is either overblown or imaginary, 53.6% don't take the threat of climate change seriously, and 64.6% do not believe the productivity of their farms are threatened by a changing climate. "Although farmers have a negative response to concerns about climate change, 56.4% believe that carbon sequestration can reduce greenhouse gas emission. [Also,] 85.1% said that wind power should be promoted if it helps reduce emissions and helps reduce the threat of global warming," said Dan McGuire, Policy Committee Chairman of the ACGA. "Even though farmers may be skeptical about global climate change, they recognize that positive and proactive measures by production agriculture, including wind power generation and ethanol utilization, can help clean the environment and reduce harmful emissions." The Wealth From the Wind Program, developed by the American Corn Growers Foundation, recognizes the economic and environmental benefits of wind power generation for America's farmers and rural communities and unites production agriculture in the promotion and development of farmer-owned wind cooperatives and other wind projects all across the Midwest. The complete survey can be found on the ACGA Web site at http://www.acga.org or http://www.acgf.org . ___________________________________________ NEW STUDY SEES LIKELY WARMING OF 3-9 DEGREES F ___________________________________________ There is a 90% chance that the global mean temperature will rise between 3.1 and 8.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1.7-4.9 Celsius) during the next century, according to a new analysis based on projections made by the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC report projected that the world would warm by 2.5 to 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit (1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius) by 2100, but does not indicate where in that broad range the warming is most likely to occur. To fill that information gap, Tom Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., and Sarah Raper of the University of East Anglia in the U.K. interpreted the IPCC's projected range of warming in probabilistic terms. They found that the probability of warming at the low and high ends of the IPCC's projected range is low. Although the study produces a narrower range than that projected by the IPCC, the authors caution that the rate of warming is still likely to be "very large" compared with that of the past century. The study was published in the July 20, 2001, issue of the journal Science.
