OilPrice.com | Alternative Energy | Wind Power

OilPrice.com | Alternative Energy | Wind Power Research and analysis on wind power and new technologies in the wind energy sector. We look at wind turbines and also wind energy's effect on the environment. http://oilprice.com/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 6:58:52 GMT Oilprice.com (info@oilprice.com) Global Wind Power Capacity up 21% in 2011 http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Global-Wind-Power-Capacity-up-21-in-2011.html On Tuesday the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) released statistics that claim a total of over 41 gigawatts of new wind power were installed around the world in 2011. This represents an increase of 21% to a global capacity of 238 gigawatts. 75 countries can now boast wind power installations, with 22 countries having more than 1000 megawatts (1 gigawatt). Steve Sawyer, GWEC Secretary General, said that “Despite the state of the global economy, wind power continues to be the renewable generation technology of choice. 2011 was a tough year,…

]]> burgessj@oilprice.com (James Burgess) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:06:48 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Global-Wind-Power-Capacity-up-21-in-2011.html Forget Wind Turbines - a Completely New Type of Wind Farm is in Development http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Forget-Wind-Turbines-a-Completely-New-Type-of-Wind-Farm-is-in-Development.html A design firm from New York, Atelier DNA, has developed a concept that uses cattail like stalks instead of traditional turbine blades for harnessing the power of wind. Planned for the city of Masdar, being built just outside of Abu Dhabi, the “Windstalk” project came in second in the Land Art Generator competition, generating renewable energy in an artistic way from a plethora of international submissions. Traditional wind turbines' biggest downfalls include noise pollution, inadvertent bird death trapping and general difficulties in…

]]> energydigital@oilprice.com (Energy Digital) Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:52:26 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Forget-Wind-Turbines-a-Completely-New-Type-of-Wind-Farm-is-in-Development.html U.S. - China Energy Trade War Imminent? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/U.S.-China-Energy-Trade-War-Imminent.html Washington loves free trade – if it produces a surplus for the U.S. In an election year, with a modest economic recovery underway, American politicians are trumpeting their credentials in saving and creating jobs and protectionism sentiment against foreign products is rising. And the number one target? China. Hardly surprising, as during the period January-November China’s surplus balance of trade with the U.S. reached $272 billion, almost 8 percent higher than that registered during the corresponding period in the…

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]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:40:18 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/U.S.-China-Energy-Trade-War-Imminent.html Why Wind Power Doesn’t Live up to its Environmental Promises http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Why-Wind-Power-Doesnt-Live-up-to-its-Environmental-Promises.html “I cannot abide the suggestion that we must sacrifice our environment in order to save it. This is an absurd argument enabling this energy imposter’s invasion of delicate habitat with little return. … Environmentalists must consider the possibility that industrial wind, by its failure to perform to stated goals, does not then qualify for this sacred consideration.” The heavily funded and admittedly effective U.S. industrial wind lobby portrays its product as descending from old-world windmills. Close your eyes and you’ll…

]]> MasterResource@oilprice.com (MasterResource ) Wed, 18 Jan 2012 1:33:48 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Why-Wind-Power-Doesnt-Live-up-to-its-Environmental-Promises.html Uruguay Seeks Investments in Wind Power - With Price Caps http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Uruguay-Seeks-Investments-In-Wind-Power-With-Price-Caps.html The good news for potential investors in Uruguay is that two months ago Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining Ramon Mendez, commented that by 2015 Uruguay could have $1.3 billion dollars of wind farms if developers provided less expensive electricity than that generated by conventional fuel powered plants. Mednez added that Uruguay's state owned national power company Administracion Nacional de Usinas y Trasmisiones Electricas (National Administration of Power Plants and Electric Transmissions, or UTE) could purchase up to 600 megawatts of electricity…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Tue, 17 Jan 2012 3:59:48 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Uruguay-Seeks-Investments-In-Wind-Power-With-Price-Caps.html China Wind Power - Good Time to Invest? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/China-Wind-Power-Good-Time-To-Invest.html With the ongoing financial turmoil in western markets nervous investors are looking more and more to overseas opportunities in order to protect their capital and few markets are more alluring than China. A potential consumer base of 1.4 billion consumers, all of whom would like their lights to be on 24/7, what's not to like, as the economy booms along despite the global recessional that began in 2008. Accordingly, investors look to the Celestial Empire as a potential safe haven. Given the turmoil in international markets, there are a number of…

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]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Tue, 17 Jan 2012 3:54:41 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/China-Wind-Power-Good-Time-To-Invest.html Canada's Wind Future Take a Tumble http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Canadas-Wind-Future-Take-A-Tumble.html Edgy energy investors seeking to diversify their portfolio away from Big Oil and nuclear have taken a revived interest in renewables, especially projects in investor-friendly countries with progressive governments. At the top of the list would be Canada, right? Stable, largely English-speaking, progressive and environmentally friendly, right? Therein hangs a tale, proving the timeless value of the adage, "caveat emptor." Trillium Power Wind Corp., according to its website, is "a privately owned company headquartered in Toronto committed to the…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Tue, 17 Jan 2012 3:50:44 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Canadas-Wind-Future-Take-A-Tumble.html Are Offshore Wind Farms a Feasible Option for the Future? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Are-Offshore-Wind-Farms-A-Feasible-Option-For-The-Future.html Britain is the pioneer in offshore wind energy, with more turbines placed out at sea than by any other nation. However, constructing such offshore wind farms is far tougher and more expensive than land based wind energy. In the dockyards at Belfast in Northern Ireland, where the Titanic was built, are blades longer than the entire wingspan of a Jumbo jet at 61.5 metres and weighing 22 tonnes. The blades are made of fibreglass and become thicker toward their point of attachment where they are fixed by 128 massive bolts in a ring to the rotor hub…

]]> profs@oilprice.com (Professor Chris Rhodes) Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:30:01 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Are-Offshore-Wind-Farms-A-Feasible-Option-For-The-Future.html A Look at Some of the Obstacles Facing Wind Energy in the U.S. http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/A-Look-At-Some-Of-The-Obstacles-Facing-Wind-Energy-In-The-U.S.html In the United States, we have been working on scaling up wind energy but not getting very far. In 2010, wind energy supplied only 2.3% of electricity purchased. Such slow progress seems strange for a product that seems to have such great promise. It can reduce CO2 emissions. It doesn’t require fuel. It is at least partly US made. The popular view is that it could eventually replace gasoline, but that view is very optimistic because electricity is very different from gasoline, and because of the scalability issue.Figure 1. Wind energy (dark…

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]]> tverberg@oilprice.com (Gail Tverberg) Fri, 06 Jan 2012 0:05:20 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/A-Look-At-Some-Of-The-Obstacles-Facing-Wind-Energy-In-The-U.S.html Brazil Bets Big on Wind Power http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Brazil-Bets-Big-On-Wind-Power.html Looking towards the future, one of the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China) is seriously investing in wind power. According to the Brazilian Association of Wind Energy ABEEolica, Brazil is already Latin America's leading wind energy market, with a current wind power capacity sector of roughly 1,400 megawatts, which is projected to grow within the next three years nearly eight-fold by 2014. Supporting ABEEolica statistics, a study by IHS Emerging Energy Research states that Brazil is expected to have 31.6 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2025,…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Fri, 16 Dec 2011 2:00:15 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Brazil-Bets-Big-On-Wind-Power.html Wind Energy Breakthrough: Japan Designs New Wind Turbine With Triple the Output of Traditional Models http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Wind-Energy-Breakthrough-Japan-Designs-New-Wind-Turbine-With-Triple-The-Output-Of-Traditional-Models.html In light of recent events, Japan has been urged to pay more attention to renewable energy sources. Coincidently, in the same month as one of the world's worst nuclear crises devastated Fukushima, an incredibly innovative wind turbine system revealed itself on Kyushu University's campus for field testing. With a promise to generate two to three times the power of traditional models, the new turbine designs exemplify the potential for a cleaner energy future in Japan and around the world, removed from the dangers of nuclear power plants. While energy…

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]]> energydigital@oilprice.com (Energy Digital) Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:32:06 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Wind-Energy-Breakthrough-Japan-Designs-New-Wind-Turbine-With-Triple-The-Output-Of-Traditional-Models.html The Windscraper - New Building Design Harvests the Environment for Energy http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/The-Windscraper-New-Building-Design-Harvests-The-Environment-For-Energy.html Designed by HollwichKushner (HWKN), the Windscraper is the winning entry for the Piraeus Tower competition (held in 2010) to complete and modernize the Piraeus Tower in Greece. Called the Sleeping Giant because of its 40 year old construction hiatus, the Piraeus Tower is a 22 story office building. HWKN’s Windscraper proposes finishing the existing structure with a multi functional wind harvesting facade made up of ‘leaf’ panels coated in Alesta Eco Coating which would create an ethereal glow. The concept integrates wind harvesting…

]]> sinclairp@oilprice.com (Peter Sinclair) Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:13:51 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/The-Windscraper-New-Building-Design-Harvests-The-Environment-For-Energy.html The Changing face of Wind Power - New Turbine Designs http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/The-Changing-Face-Of-Wind-Power-New-Turbine-Designs.html There was a time not so long ago that seeing a single wind turbine spinning in the distance was a novel experience for most people. Not so much any more. There are now hundreds of wind turbines scattered across the province, representing 1,700 megawatts of wind capacity in Ontario alone — or just over a third of all capacity in Canada. Hundreds more are in the queue waiting to be installed. Most are large turbines, about 2 megawatts or more in size, and between 80 and 100 metres high. All look pretty much the same: a big tall white tower with…

]]> tylerhamilton@oilprice.com (Tyler Hamilton) Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:45:57 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/The-Changing-Face-Of-Wind-Power-New-Turbine-Designs.html Wind Power to be Competitive with Natural Gas by 2016 http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Wind-Power-To-Be-Competitive-With-Natural-Gas-By-2016.html Falling costs mean that the average onshore wind farm will be competitive with natural gas-fired power generation by 2016, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The London-based analysis company says that the levelised cost of energy from onshore wind farms – that is, the cost without subsidies or support mechanisms – has fallen by 14% for every doubling of capacity. Between 1984 and 2011, that cost has dropped from €200 ($271)/MWh to €52/MWh, in 2011 terms – just €6/MWh more expensive than the average…

]]> nicholls@oilprice.com (Mark Nicholls) Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:42:42 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Wind-Power-To-Be-Competitive-With-Natural-Gas-By-2016.html Texas Wind Power - Good Money After Bad? http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Texas-Wind-Power-Good-Money-After-Bad.html The cost of building transmission for expensive wind power in Texas is coming in nearly 40 percent higher than initially promised. Instead of $4.9 billion, as estimated in 2008, the transmission lines are now expected to cost $6.8 billion, according to a report prepared by the RS&H infrastructure consulting firm for the Texas Public Utility Commission. This amounts to approximately $800 per household in the state, or at least $5 per month per ratepayer. Cost Gaming The report states several factors caused the initial underestimate of…

]]> MasterResource@oilprice.com (MasterResource ) Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:44:03 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Texas-Wind-Power-Good-Money-After-Bad.html Sunny Egypt Interested in... Wind Power http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Sunny-Egypt-Interested-In...-Wind-Power.html Egypt currently has a total electricity capacity of about 23,500 megawatts, which the government hopes to increase to 58,000 megawatts by 2027. A prime potential element in increasing this electrical output? Renewables. One might think, given Egypt’s climate, solar? Wrong again – wind power, which currently contributes less than 1 percent to Egypt’s energy mix. In 2003 Egypt had its wind potential assessed and published a wind atlas, which found that with wind speeds of 7-10 meters per second, almost the entire nation was ideal for wind power…

]]> admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:59:07 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Sunny-Egypt-Interested-In...-Wind-Power.html Soaring U.S. Wind Power Sector Growing Nervous Over Tax Incentives http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Soaring-U.S.-Wind-Power-Sector-Growing-Nervous-Over-Tax-Incentives.html The US wind power sector is soaring thanks in large part to a tax policy that makes it attractive to investors, but the uncertainty surrounding those very incentives is casting a cloud over the future, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). In the quarter to the end of September, a total of 1,204MW of wind capacity was installed across the US, taking new capacity installations for the year to date to 3,360MW – up 74% percent year on year – and the industry total to 43,461 MW, representing some 20% percent of global…

]]> envfinan@oilprice.com (Environmental Finance) Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:32:38 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Soaring-U.S.-Wind-Power-Sector-Growing-Nervous-Over-Tax-Incentives.html Turkey: Betting on Wind Power, One Village at a Time http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Turkey-Betting-On-Wind-Power-One-Village-At-A-Time.html Akbiyik, a village with 365 residents in Turkey’s western Bursa province, has a head start on the country’s plans to increase domestic energy production. The reason is simple -- it has a wind turbine and villagers eager to capitalize on a government push toward alternative energies. Four years ago, Akbiyik villagers stopped paying the electricity bill for a pump that brought water from deep underground to a reservoir they’d built to store water for their homes and fields. The price was exorbitant, they say. With the pump shut…

]]> Eurasianet@oilprice.com (Eurasianet ) Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:26:12 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Turkey-Betting-On-Wind-Power-One-Village-At-A-Time.html Wind Energy Lies and Turbine Noise Pollution http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Wind-Energy-Lies-And-Turbine-Noise-Pollution.html “When will the environmentalist community writ large wake up to the unintended micro consequences of their increasingly futile macro policy of forced energy transformation?” Herkimer County, New York, is the latest location to register wind turbine noise complaints. The source? Iberdrola’s Hardscrabble wind facility (37 turbines) that went online earlier this year. Studies are underway to determine if the project is operating outside legal sound limits, but the larger question is “Why?” Why, with over 1,300 MW of wind…

]]> MasterResource@oilprice.com (MasterResource ) Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:46:28 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Wind-Energy-Lies-And-Turbine-Noise-Pollution.html Race to Build America’s First Offshore Windfarms http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Race-To-Build-Americas-First-Offshore-Windfarms.html Plans for large commercial-scale wind farms have been on the table for years, but constantly held up by environmental permitting issues, financing concerns, or local objections based on aesthetics. States like New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Massachusetts all have offshore wind projects that have yet to commence. At the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference last week, two major offshore wind developers have announced progress in their attempts to build America's first offshore wind farms. Those two companies, Providence,…

]]> gabeli@oilprice.com (David Gabel) Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:54:15 GMT http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Wind-Power/Race-To-Build-Americas-First-Offshore-Windfarms.html