www.windaction.orgfacts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impactsWindactionhttp://www.windaction.org/articles/c61+35?theme=atomXarayar2006-06-12T02:16:27Z
Wind Energy's Shadow: Turbines Drag Down Power Potential.383712013-05-16T21:02:12Z2013-05-16T21:02:12ZIn several recent published studies, Adams and other researchers have explored the issue of turbines stealing energy from the wind, creating drag or a "wind shadow" of air slowed by the spinning blades. Each turbine added to a particular landscape captures less energy. "You reach a point that if you add any more turbines, you get no more energy," Adams said.Rethinking wind power as the latest, greatest thing.375052013-02-25T04:23:44Z2013-02-25T04:23:44ZClaims that there is no upper bound for wind power, that it is scalable because gusts and breezes don't seem likely to "run out" on a global scale, are not based on reality. And neither are claims that the generating capacity of large-scale wind farms is unlimited. The generating capacity of very large wind power installations ...may peak at between 0.5 and 1 watts per square meter. Previous estimates put that figure at between 2 and 7 watts per square meter.Electric cars letting off too much steam.362442012-10-09T12:49:45Z2012-10-09T12:49:45ZThe analysis, penned by academics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, expounds by saying that the toxic materials employed to build such cars exceeds traditional ones. Furthermore, fuels used to create the electricity are also important considerations, noting that if is coal then it may not be worth the environmental and economic costs. Wind energy industry significantly vulnerable to hurricanes.343252012-02-16T15:13:22Z2012-02-16T15:13:22ZThe Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study was led by engineer Stephen Rose, who said turbines can currently withstand a top wind speed of 111mph about 300ft above the ground.
This is only equal to a strong Category 2 hurricane.Extreme weather causes floating wind turbine prototype to sink .337562011-12-02T14:12:10Z2011-12-02T14:12:10ZThis extreme wave height, combined with a storm surge, caused water to enter into the tower through the inlet pipe for the power cable (the J-tube), causing the tower to fill with water, SWAY explains. Market risks are seen in energy innovations.330482011-09-16T11:57:54Z2011-09-16T11:57:54Z"I think we have other Solyndras out there," said Representative Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican and chairman of the oversight and investigations committee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which held the hearing on Solyndra.
"The government should not be picking winners and losers - that's what they're doing with Nissan, Tesla and Fisker," he said in an interview.
American Superconductor sues Sinovel for IP theft; Shares off.330182011-09-15T19:02:37Z2011-09-15T19:02:37Z"AMSC believes that Sinovel illegally obtained and used AMSC's intellectual property to upgrade its 1.5 megawatt wind turbines in the field to meet proposed Chinese grid codes and to potentially allow for the use of core electrical components from other manufacturers."
Acciona to introduce concrete towers for wind turbines.328022011-08-18T23:19:53Z2011-08-18T23:19:53ZIindustry publication Recharge in May reported on the height advantage of the 120-meter all-concrete towers Acciona plans to offer. It said the higher tower height and an enormous 116-meter rotor would extend the reach of Acciona's new turbine.Taller, more powerful wind turbines sprout.326312011-07-31T11:58:44Z2011-07-31T11:58:44Z"The wind industry's central tenet now is that bigger is better," said John O. Dabiri, an aeronautics professor who runs Caltech's Center for Bioinspired Engineering. "It certainly goes against conventional wisdom, but we're taking the opposite perspective."
Iowa wind energy storage project scrapped.325992011-07-29T14:39:24Z2011-07-29T14:39:24ZIowa Stored Energy Park Agency director Bob Schulte said that geology tests found the storage reservoir wasn't suitable for the scale of project officials envisioned. Essentially, the quality of the storage rock, which would have been sandstone, wasn't as good as officials were looking for.
Renewable energy not for ‘faint of heart,' expert says .326242011-07-28T16:22:31Z2011-07-28T16:22:31ZIndeed, the expense involved in developing renewable energy continues to be a concern ...Wind, solar and other alternative forms of energy just aren't yet competitive with traditional power sources and don't generate enough energy compared to the investment involved.Opportunity has power industry scrambling.300632010-11-22T20:45:06Z2010-11-22T20:45:06ZPlugged into a socket, an electric car can draw as much power as a small house.
The surge in demand could knock out power to a home, or even a neighborhood. That has utilities in parts of California, Texas and North Carolina scrambling to upgrade transformers and other equipment in neighborhoods where the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt are expected to be in high demand.
University of Maine adviser: Small wind turbines not economically viable solution.293932010-10-07T11:03:44Z2010-10-07T11:03:44ZCalculations by LaBrecque and his team of students found a typical $16,500 windmill only produces between 200 and 500 kilowatt hours of electricity per year - not enough to keep a 100-watt light bulb running for a year.
This amounts to a $30 to $80 cost savings per year - meaning the windmill, if saving $80 a year, would pay for itself only after 206 years.
The challenge of storing energy on a large scale.293112010-09-29T20:07:20Z2010-09-29T20:07:20Z"Well-meaning voters and legislators come up with things like 33 percent renewables in California by 2020," said Maurice Gunderson, senior partner at the venture capital firm CMEA Capital in San Francisco. "Well, it sounds like a good idea, but you really have to be a utility geek to get into the details and realize that it simply cannot be done without storage."
Mike Gravely, an energy research manager at the California Energy Commission, agreed.
GE asks judge to block Mitsubishi suit over wind turbine patents.286782010-08-09T09:18:03Z2010-08-09T09:18:03ZMitsubishi lawyer Filibero Agusti said other companies own similar technology that that Mitsubishi would show that at least one of GE's patents is invalid. He contended that a patent GE acquired from now-defunct Enron Corp. was purchased to pursue "sham litigation" intended to maintain its monopoly of the wind turbine market. Wind Drives Growing Use of Batteries.285182010-07-28T14:34:46Z2010-07-28T14:34:46ZAs the wind installations multiply, companies have found themselves dumping energy late at night, adjusting the blades so they do not catch the wind, because there is no demand for the power. And grid operators, accustomed to meeting demand by adjusting supplies, are now struggling to maintain stability as supplies fluctuate. Wyoming aims to save the next generation of coal with carbon sequestration.275462010-05-27T12:17:00Z2010-05-27T12:17:00Z"The general consensus is we will be living in a carbon-constrained world, so it's best to prepare for it," said Rob Hurless, Freudenthal's energy adviser. "If you want to provide power to the California market, there's a clear standard there."
Until there's a quantum leap forward in carbon capture for pulverized coal-fired power plants, America's existing fleet seems destined for a gradual retirement. Just how gradually the plants come off line will depend on how federal climate legislation is crafted.
Predicting wind power's growth -- an art that needs more science.270342010-04-28T18:10:34Z2010-04-28T18:10:34ZWind generators now deliver about 2 percent of the nation's electric power. That could grow to 20 percent in 15 or 20 years, according to government studies -- but not without a substantial improvement in the speed and quality of weather and wind forecasting, experts agree.
None of the current computer models of the atmosphere is up to the task, according to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "Current practices will not be adequate" as wind and solar generation expands.Harnessing the sun to store the wind.248302009-12-28T13:47:39Z2009-12-28T13:47:39ZElectricity from renewable sources can be like a perfect luncheon served at 4 a.m., a nice thing but far more appreciated at a different hour. Electricity is hard to store, though, which is why nearly all of it is consumed at the instant it is generated, and energy storage is still in its infancy.
