Given the long term slide in U.S. manufacturing, it’s no surprise that the domestic wind turbine industry has some catching up to do. In fact, right around this time last year, a bit of a brouhaha erupted when Recovery Act funding was made available to build U.S. wind farms using … [continued]
In many parts of the world, onshore wind power is now completely cost-competitive with coal.
[Updated correction: Per GC, this can ramp-up in under 6 seconds!] One of the success stories at the recent Department of Energy ARPA-E summit held to highlight innovators funded under the $400 million to find renewable energy innovations in the Recovery Act, is General Compression (GC). The start-up is developing … [continued]
Agribiz giant Cargill is planning to test a giant kite on a “handysize” shipping vessel later this year, making it the largest kite-powered ship in the world. The use of wind power is expected to cut the ship’s use of low grade bunker fuel by up to 35%, depending on … [continued]
Denmark gets 20% of its energy from wind power, and plans to get to 50% by 2025. So it is frequently debunked by the opponents of wind power (the extractive energy industry) as “having to export most” of its wind power across its borders. Others claim the export figure is … [continued]
With the latest change in the US policy environment, Iberdrola now plans to install only 350 MW over the next two years in the US, NAW reports. Investment banking consultants for Jeffries, say that due to the inconsistency of its renewable policy, the US no longer provides a stable investment … [continued]
Wind and solar power are surging these days, but with great power comes a great problem: how to guarantee a steady stream of energy when the source comes and goes. The solution, of course, is to find more efficient ways of storing energy. Among the new developments is a light-as-air … [continued]
Sailing ships once carried much of the world’s cargo across the seas, until canvas sheets were replaced by low-grade “bunker” oil. Now it appears that wind power is about to make a comeback, in the form of rigid “sails” that double as solar panels. The patent-pending technology, called the Aquarius … [continued]
Floating wind turbines really seem to grab our attention. I imagine this is for three reasons: 1) they break through the clear limits other technologies cannot, 2) they greatly expand wind energy potential, and 3) we like things that float (OK, maybe it’s mostly the first two reasons..). Now, … [continued]
As if it wasn’t already hard enough to run an independent, family owned ski business, rising energy prices can put a chokehold on the whole operation. One ski family in Massachusetts has found a way to survive. The Berkshire East Ski Area has apparently become the first ski area in … [continued]
