Wind Energy’s Viability Trumpeted In Volatile Market

English: Taken by Neutronic (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pennsylvania’s 700 commercial wind turbines loom large along ridges, but their number and size belie their contribution to electricity generation.

Despite government subsidies, technological advancements that improved the turbines’ efficiency, and environmental advantages over burning fossil fuels, wind energy provided just 1.5 percent of the state’s electricity last year and less than 4 percent of the nation’s.

“In Pennsylvania it’s pretty anemic,” said Gregory Reed, a University of Pittsburgh professor who directs the Electric Power Initiative and is associate director of the school’s Center for Energy.

State law requires 18 percent of electricity must come from alternative fuel sources and renewables such as wind, solar and hydropower by 2021.

Read more: http://triblive.com/business/headlines/5415886-74/wind-pennsylvania-energy#ixzz2w5Fb48vJ
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Costco, Whole Foods Complex’s Tax Break Could Proceed Despite Lehigh County’s Rejection

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lehigh County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When Lehigh County Commissioners rejected a tax incentive plan last summer for a $140 million Costco, Target and Whole Foods complex in Lower Macungie Township, it appeared the project was dead on arrival.

The developer and local government officials had long maintained that if the county, township and East Penn School Board did not each sign off on a tax increment financing plan, the project could not move forward.

But now, the entity proposing the TIF says it can be approved even if one or more of the taxing bodies opts out, and they intend to press forward with it despite the county’s rejection.

“The TIF can legally proceed without the participation of the county,” said John Lushis Jr., solicitor for the Lehigh County Industrial Development Authority. “If their understanding was otherwise, then that’s not correct.”

Read more: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/lehigh-county/index.ssf/2014/03/costco_whole_foods_complex_cou.html

Bolaris: Models Align For A Brush With Snow

It looks like the storm we have been watching for days will take on a similar track as the one two weeks ago, when most of the snow fell across southeast New Jersey and Delaware. This storm should generally follow the same path.

Computer models for the last several days have differed largely on the outcome for this storm. Ranging from the North American model blasting us with heavy snow, the global forecasting model ejecting the storm off the Florida coast and the European and Canadian models painting a swath of heavy snow just east of Philly.

Then a wild swing with the global models put Philly back into the heavy snow as the North American model completely went the other way – with no snow for Philly.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Bolaris_Models_align_for_a_brush_with_snow.html#LLxlhBm6vi7G5wU7.99