Wind Power

Google aimed for a while now at reducing the amount of carbon its operations pump into the atmosphere. As the world’s largest search engine that also boasts a sprawling empire of cloud-based software the company certainly has steep power needs. While Google already has some of the most efficient data centers, it’s further affirming a commitment to going carbon neutral by purchasing 20 years worth of wind power from NextEra Energy Resources Story County II facility in Story and Hardin counties in Iowa.

While it isn’t a direct innovation in the renewable energy space, Google is pumping cash into an industry that’s struggling to get financing right now amid the lukewarm economy. That means NextEra will be able to focus on its core competency instead of hunting for new business, and with an established contract spanning 2 decades they should have time to build many other new renewable energy projects.

The UK is already the world leader in offshore wind power with 600 megawatts of wind capacity and an industry that employs five thousand people. A new partnership with Mitsubishi will add to their clout and has the potential to create thousands of green jobs.

Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe (MPSE) announced plans this week to invest £100m  in a new research and development facility for offshore wind power in Britain. The government made it clear to MPSE that they were dead serious about promoting corporate investment in green energy by kicking in a £30m grant to help them get started. The money comes from a fund dedicated to industrial innovation, job creation, and growth.

Green cell phones seem to be the rage among manufacturers these days with phones like Sprint’s Reclaim hitting the market. But how can cell phone users and service providers go green in other ways than offering online manuals or an emerald paint job? One answer may clean or green energy.

Wind energy has immense potential to offset carbon emissions by generating electricity from a renewable source. But it also comes with its own set of ecological and safety risks. Case in point? Recently in Sweden two turbines spun out of control in the span of a week, flinging out some of their deadly blades.

Luckily in one instance the blade hit the ground and in the other a nearby power transformer, but the risk is obvious. Without proper installations and maintenance wind turbines can pose a safety threat for nearby residents. Bats also suffer in some instances because of the rapid drop in air pressure wind turbines cause.

As election losses piled up in recent years, Britain’s Conservative party was in desperate need of a makeover. David Cameron emerged from their ranks with the idea of a kinder and greener Conservative party. With a near lock on next May’s election, are Conservatives actually living or selling green?

The revamp began in 2006 with the slogan, “go green, vote blue.” Cameron amped up his public appearances handing out recycling boxes  and began riding his bike to work. His shoes and briefcase, however, traveled in a separate car. The party got back on track working with Labour legislation like the Climate Change Act that legally calls for an 80% cut in carbon emissions by 2050.

Wind turbines popping up in various parts of the globe are a big part of the overall renewable energy movement, but at the same time they’re a deadly problem for nearby bat populations. Bats typically travel at altitudes where wind turbine blades spin and the immediate difference in air pressure is fatal for them.

Solving the problem is deceptively simple, and requires slowing down the turbine blades to a near standstill during low wind periods. Bats would then be able to dodge the blades like they do any other obstacle using sonar and wouldn’t suffer from air pressure differences. Making that single change could amount to a reduction of bat killings by about 60% according to a preliminary study, but what about the energy lost because of those slowdowns?

Many communities struggle with building too many wind farms near residential areas because of the eyesore it creates in an otherwise beautiful view. For South Carolina addressing that concern meant taking wind turbines offshore to a location they’ve been monitoring with sensor buoys since earlier this year. Not to mention the state has fairly low wind speeds on land at an average of less than 10mph.

Data from the buoys isn’t conclusive yet. However South Carolina claims the location is close enough to shore for easy access to maintain the wind turbines, but far enough out to be inside a strong wind belt arcing in from the ocean. The buoys are a preliminary measure and if data from their measurements pans out, the state will invest in another, taller platform to take additional wind measurements.

One thing the UK has plenty of is wind, and Vestas Wind Systems planned to harness that energy source by manufacturing turbines. Recently that changed though when the company announced it would be closing a factory on the Isle of Wight because of a lackluster market and not in my back yard (NIMBY) battles.

Workers are fighting the factory closure and asking the government to intervene. They were joined by protesters fighting for climate change and together the two groups hope to convince the government that the growing wind energy industry deserves as much aid as the ailing auto industry.

A buzz is building in the US and UK about the potential impact wind turbines might have on climates in and around the spinning blades. Initially, a resounding support backed many initiatives to get wind turbines out into the fields generating renewable energy, but now, many fear the outcome of a dependency on them that could change weather patterns and ultimately be an unreliable source of energy. So, are they wrong to be pessimistic?

Many say no. The issue, however, is that the underlying cons are being overshadowed by the overwhelming pros of a renewable source that offers zero emissions.

Recently, an article was published by the Washington Post that highlighted a study done by the University of Maryland. The study demonstrated how massive wind farms, on average, lowered wind speed by 5.5-6.7 MPH downwind of the turbines.

Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has given up on plans to build a massive wind farm because of a lack of transmission lines, a bad capital market and the “steep downturn in natural gas prices.”

The much-heralded “Pickens Plan” to reduce the U.S.’s reliance on foreign oil is celebrating it’s one year anniversary, but this likely isn’t how Pickens – or wind energy advocates, for that matter – probably imagined it.

Pickens’ Web site said his goal is for the U.S. to produce 22 percent of its energy via wind. He still plans to go forward with smaller wind farms, but if Pickens isn’t willing to go head first into wind energy, many will follow the man known for taking calculated risks to acquire large companies and enter new industries.