Approximately 40% of the total 2012 wind capacity additions (12,620 MW) came online in December, just before the scheduled expiration of the wind production tax credit (PTC). During December 2012, 59 new wind projects totaling 5,253 MW began commercial operation, the largest-ever single-month capacity increase for U.S. wind energy. About … [continued]
It’s an easily forgotten necessity of energy production: the billions of cubic meters (BCM) of freshwater that is necessary for cooling, irrigating, fracking, and other uses. This is water that is not returned to the water basin for future use — it’s temporarily lost to evaporation, consumption, or pollution. The … [continued]
The residential and business energy-supply company EON intends to construct hundreds of megawatts of wind power generation capacity in Norway and Sweden, where development costs are lower than that of other European countries. EON has proposals to set up 1,500 MW of wind turbines in Norway, as the country’s low population … [continued]
A $7 billion project that will send wind power from remote areas in West Texas to Dallas, Houston and other big cities is on the verge of completion, and that could pound yet another nail into the coffin for U.S. nuclear power and, for that matter, coal. The new Texas … [continued]
Below is a beautiful video by an “Astronomy Photographer of the Year.” While there is one clip that I find very much not beautiful, the rest of the video is of several beautiful things. Wind turbines, incidentally, are featured in a few parts of the video. And, let’s be honest, … [continued]
Imagine this: your national and local economies are benefiting from a shift to renewable energy, your air and water are getting cleaner, your electric grid is becoming more democratized, you and your neighbors are benefiting financially from becoming solar power producers, you get to cast of the shackles of guilt … [continued]
Here’s some more fun with numbers from one of our readers that we thought was worth sharing. The topic is: “if we all drove EVs and got 100% of our EV electricity needs from wind.” First, some key assumptions: Average miles driven per US car in 2010 was 13,476. EVs use … [continued]
Here’s some number fun from one of our readers that we thought was worth sharing. The topic is: “how much land we would need for a massive wind program to power 40% of the US.” The footprint of a wind turbine is typically around 0.25 acres. This includes the tower … [continued]
A lightweight car called the Wind Explorer recently traveled a whopping 3,000 miles across Australia with the assistance of wind power at a cost of only $15. The electric vehicle was built by Evonik as a demonstration of its battery and lightweight materials technologies. The vehicle is currently on display … [continued]
About a week ago, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) released the Sustainable Energy in America 2013 Factbook (a report commissioned by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy). At the press conference, Rhone Resch, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Dave McCurdy, President and CEO of the American Gas Association, and Ethan Zindler, … [continued]
