From AWEA's Wind Energy Weekly (back in Feb.)

COLORADO GROUP PROPOSES LARGE 'COMMUNITY WIND'
PROJECT IN COOPERATION WITH PPM ENERGY
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Quixote Wind, Inc., a new group formed to pursue community wind power projects, is partnering with PPM Energy to develop a 20-MW project in southeastern Colorado. The site and the power purchasers have not been finalized, but the developers have apparently received interest from the City of Boulder, Boulder Community Hospital, and local businesses. The stakeholders expect the project to be completed by the end of 2005 or by early 2006.

PPM Energy will do much of the development work, the permitting, and the construction. Quixote Wind will then buy a portion of the wind farm from PPM Energy when it is built.

"We took pieces of the various structures that have been done by others and put them together into one package that we believe can be competitively priced with other projects" stated Mona Newton, consultant to Quixote Wind. "Many minds have helped to create a structure that will support community wind farms."

Boulder Community Hospital has been a long-time supporter of environmental initiatives and it says a wind project would be a natural next step. "Wind makes sense to us. It supports our desire to support a healthy environment, healthy residents, and a healthy economy," said Joe McDonald, chief financial officer for Boulder Community Hospital.

The City of Boulder is considering several approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the city. Boulder has adopted the guidelines of the Kyoto Protocol, and has made a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012. "A wind farm will help us achieve our reduction goal," says Mark Ruzzin, Mayor of the City of Boulder. "New wind projects will also help create jobs in Colorado and offer cost-effective electricity to our residents."