Robot Ranchers Could Maintain Future Wind Farms

We all know that the need of the hour is alternative energy so that future generations can still breathe fresh air and have enough energy for their industrial purposes and domestic use. Many states and countries are promoting wind energy as a clean and green energy. We all know the advantages and disadvantages of Posted in: Inventions , Wind Farms , Wind Power

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Robot Ranchers Could Maintain Future Wind Farms

Alternative Energy From Wind Power

Although it is much less expensive to initially get hooked into the local electric company’s grid than it is to set up and hook into wind turbines, in the long run one saves money by utilizing the wind for one’s energy needswhile also becoming more independent. Not receiving an electric bill while enjoying the advantages of the modern electrically-driven lifestyle is a wondrous feeling.

Electric bills and fuel bills are rising steadilybut the cost of wind turbine energy is zero, and the cost of installing and hooking up a turbine is steadily coming down as demand rises and more commercial success is realized by various companies producing the turbines and researching technologies to make them ever more efficient. In addition, people are moving away from the traditional electric grids and the fossil fuels for personal reasons including desire for greater independence, the desire to live remotely or rurally without having to go primitive, political concerns such as fears of terrorist strikes on oil fields or power grids, or concerns about the environment. Again, this motivation to get away from the traditional energy sources is the same one that causes people to seek the power of the wind for their energy, giving more business opportunities to profit from wind turbine production and maintenance, which drives their costs down for the consumers. In nearly thirty states at the time of this writing, homeowners who remain on the grid but who still choose to use wind energy (or other alternative forms) are eligible for rebates or tax breaks from the state governments that end up paying for as much as 50% of their total green energy systems’ costs. In addition, there are 35 states at the time of this writing where these homeowners are allowed to sell their excess energy back to the power company under what are called net metering laws. The rates that they are being paid by the local power companies for this energy are standard retail ratesin other words, the homeowners are actually profiting from their own energy production.

Some federal lawmakers are pushing to get the federal government to mandate these tax breaks and other wind power incentives in all 50 states. Japan and Germany already have national incentive programs in place. However, A lot of this is handled regionally by state law. There wouldn’t really be a role for the federal government, the Energy Department’s Craig Stevens says. And as might be imagined, there are power companies who feel that it’s unfair that they should have to pay retail rates to private individuals. We should [only have to] pay you the wholesale rate for … your electricity, according to Bruce Bowen, Pacific Gas & Electric’s director of regulatory policy. However, the companies seem to be more worried about losing short term profits than about the benefits, especially in the long run, of the increased use of wind turbines or wind farms. Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies of California V. John White points out, It’s quality power that strengthens the grid.

Bringing wind turbines to ordinary rooftops

The New York Times has an interesting article on some of the latest wind turbines available for home use. They specifically mention Cascade International’s Swift Wind Turbine and Home Energy’s Energy Ball. In the article, they mention that you can check out the average wind speed for your locality at the Swift Web

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Bringing wind turbines to ordinary rooftops

Wind power forecasting in the US

As the prevalance of wind power increases, so does the importance of being able to answer the question, “Is the wind going to blow?” As this article on wind power forecasting points out: An unexpected lack of wind in the US can cause blackouts. This is one problem that many regions in the United States of America may face on the short and medium term as a consequence of the country’s growing dependence on renewable energies, particularly wind power. With that in mind, a project is underway to make wind power forecasting more accurate. With this project, it will be possible to achieve more precise wind power forecasting in a timeline that can go up to three days. Errors in wind power predictions “can have more severe consequences in the USA than in any European country” due to the country’s temperate and subtropical climate and local geography… It is expected that a less uncertain wind forecasting in a given location will have a considerable impact on the North-American electricity industry, thus allowing a reduction of wind power prices in the United States. —

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Wind power forecasting in the US

The latest on the Cape Wind Nantucket Sound project

It’s been in the works for seven plus years, but in one of the Bush Administration’s last official acts, the Cape Wind offshore wind turbine project was given the go-ahead. The project, consisting of 130 wind turbines, could generate up to 75% of the region’s electricity needs. But there’s been furious behind

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The latest on the Cape Wind Nantucket Sound project

How wind farms work

Here’s an interesting interactive page on the National Geographic site on how wind farms work . —

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How wind farms work

Wind power capacity growth strong in 2006

This post is brought to you by ? Curt Rosengren ~ Passion Catalyst TM ? ? “Love your work. Change your world.” Wind power grew by leaps and bounds last year, according to the Worldwatch Institute: The 15,200 megawatts of new wind turbines installed worldwide last year will generate enough clean electricity annually to offset the carbon dioxide emissions of 23 average-sized U.S. coal-fired power plants, according to a new Vital Signs Update from the Worldwatch Institute. The 43 million tons of carbon dioxide displaced in 2006 is equivalent to the emissions of 7,200 megawatts of coal-fired power plants, or nearly 8 million passenger cars. Global wind power capacity increased almost 26 percent in 2006, exceeding 74,200 megawatts by years end. Global investment in wind power was roughly $22 billion in 2006, and in Europe and North America, the power industry added more capacity in wind than it did in coal and nuclear combined. The global market for wind equipment has risen 74 percent in the past two years, leading to long backorders for wind turbine equipment in much of the world. [via the CNET Tech news blog ] —

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Wind power capacity growth strong in 2006

$4b Investment in Wind Power by BP Alternative Energy

BP is making its first major investment in wind power with a joint venture that will lead to a major expansion of its generating capacity. The oil company announced it had entered a five-year supply and development agreement involving five wind power projects in the US with Clipper Windpower. The news sent Clipper shares up 80p, or 28 per cent, to 362.5p in London. The projects, with an anticipated total generating capacity of 2,015 megawatts, are situated in New York, Texas and South Dakota. BP has also secured a mix of firm and contingent orders of up to 2,250 megawatts of additional Clipper wind turbines in its global wind energy portfolio, the companies said. BP launched BP Alternative Energy to focus on solar, hydrogen and wind power but its wind operation has up to now been confined to two projects with a combined output of only 31 megawatts. Steve Westwell, the chief executive of BP Alternative Energy, said: “We believe the Clipper turbine is a breakthrough in reducing the total cost of renewable energy and we are pleased to be the first large customers for this innovative technology.” This is thought to be the biggest single investment in wind power estimated at $4 billion US dollars. The announcement, came in the same week that the British government published its energy review and a telephone poll found that 79% of respondents thought solar power and 76% wind power were the best investments in electricity generation for the UK.

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$4b Investment in Wind Power by BP Alternative Energy