You can now add WindFloat Pacific, in Oregon, to the list of innovative, U.S. Department of Energy-backed offshore wind projects struggling to get built. A year ago, the feds whittled their way from seven proposed projects, each of which had received $4 million in design and planning support, to a trio that would get as… Keep reading →
We’ve heard a lot about wind power in Brazil, but there’s another South American country swooping in to take the leadership role with this renewable energy resource: Uruguay. According to Bloomberg, a $2.6 billion wind power spending spree is set to transform Brazil’s neighbor to the south into a veritable Denmark of wind, tripling the country’s use… Keep reading →
The development of offshore wind projects in the U.S. has been a story of high hopes and many setbacks.
Insight for Industry – Breakthroughs in Battery Storage Technologies Carry Impacts for Wind and Solar On April 30, 2015, Tesla Motors unveiled its Powerwall and Powerpack lithium ion batteries for homes and utility-scale applications, which could facilitate an increased role for wind and solar energy resources that have so far been limited by a need… Keep reading →
It gets more than its share of dramatic weather, but the U.S. South is generally not windy, at least not over land. As a result, wind power isn’t a thing there. East of Texas and south of parallel 36°30′ north – the Missouri Compromise line – the only wind farm in the entire region is… Keep reading →
Wind is an important source of clean, affordable American energy. Wind power supplies nearly 5 percent of our nation’s electricity demand across 39 states, and it’s getting cheaper every year thanks to new strides in wind technology and policy. Since the 1980s, the cost of deploying wind energy has dropped by 90 percent. Meanwhile,… Keep reading →
Ahead of a crowdfunding campaign, the Spanish company Vortex Bladeless is reaping publicity for a fascinating new concept for capturing wind energy. As the company name implies, their device would do away with the bladed turbine, instead using a flared tower alone to take advantage of oscillating wind turbulence. It’s said to be quieter, cheaper,… Keep reading →
MidAmerican Energy this week has announced $1.5 billion in planned new wind power investment, including $900 million to build 552 megawatts of new capacity in Iowa. And that state’s Republican governor, Terry Branstad, couldn’t be more pleased. “Iowa derives a greater percentage of its electricity from wind than any other state, and we’re second in the… Keep reading →
Duke Energy has agreed to provide families in North Caroline with bottled water after state testing found private wells near where the company stores coal waste contaminated with potentially toxic chemicals. “Over the last week, the state’s department of environment and natural resources mailed out 87 letters to residents who live near sites where Duke has stored… Keep reading →
It’s microscopic compared to the massive offshore wind farms that have been going up in European waters over the past decade, but Deepwater Wind’s Block Island project, 18 miles from mainland Rhode Island, is under construction. In the United States, that’s a first, and Jeffrey Grybowski believes the importance can’t be overstated. “This is what offshore… Keep reading →
