The United States is the Saudi Arabia of Wind Power

[Guest Pickens Plan]

Studies from around the world show that the Great Plains states are home to the greatest wind energy potential in the world — by far.

 

The Department of Energy reports that 20% of America's electricity can come from wind. North Dakota alone has the potential to provide power for more than a quarter of the country.

 

Today's wind turbines stand up to 410 feet tall, with blades that stretch 148 feet in length. The blades collect the wind's kinetic energy. In one year, a 3-megawatt wind turbine produces as much energy as 12,000 barrels of imported oil.

 

Wind power currently accounts for 48 billion kWh of electricity a year in the United States — enough to serve more than 4.5 million households. That is still only about 1% of current demand, but the potential of wind is much greater.

 

A 2005 Stanford University study found that there is enough wind power worldwide to satisfy global demand 7 times over — even if only 20% of wind power could be captured.

 

Building wind facilities in the corridor that stretches from the Texas panhandle to North Dakota could produce 20% of the electricity for the United States at a cost of $1 trillion. It would take another $200 billion to build the capacity to transmit that energy to cities and towns.

 

That's a lot of money, but it's a one-time cost. And compared to the $700 billion we spend on foreign oil every year, it's a bargain.

 

You can start changing America's future today by supporting the Pickens Plan.

 

http://push.pickensplan.com/

[Guest Human Events]

Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is set to attend the Evans-Novak Political Forum to talk about his exciting plan to shift American's dependency of Middle Eastern oil to domestic renewable natural resources. This is your chance to have a private conversation with the man whose energy plan could save the American economy.

 

This year's Forum will take place on Thursday, September 25, at an exclusive private club in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the White House.

 

To keep the interaction intimate and meaningful, attendance is strictly limited to just 70 people. More than half of the spaces are already taken, but it isn't too late for you if you sign up now.

 

I make final speaker invitations based on breaking news and national events, so no one knows the final lineup until shortly before the meeting.

 

But to give you an idea of the caliber of other speakers who will join us, here is a partial list of recent Forum participants:

 

Dick Cheney, Vice President

Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State

Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader

Karl Rove, former Deputy White House Chief of Staff

Bill Frist, former Senate Majority Leader

Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader

Colin Powell, former Secretary of State

Al Gore, former Vice President

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House

Ken Mehlman, former RNC Chairman

Steve Forbes, President & CEO, Forbes, Inc.

Charles Schumer, U.S. Senator from New York

George Tenet, former Director of the CIA

John Bolton, former Ambassador to the United Nations

Each guest speaks briefly about key issues of the day, then opens the floor to questions -- any question. The answers are frank and open because there are no reporters. This meeting is 100 percent off the record.

 

The topics to be discussed may include the economy, the 2008 presidential campaign, pending legislation on Capitol Hill, and anything else you wish to bring up.

 

This is the only event of its kind in Washington, D.C. If you want to participate, I urge you to sign up now.

 

Just how valuable are these Forums for the lucky few who attend? Read what these past attendees have to say:

 

"I was amazed by the power that was in that room. I was only a few feet away from the Vice President of the United States... and he answered my question directly. There is nowhere else I would have ever been able to do that. I'll see you at the next Forum."

- J. Smith, Topeka, Kansas

 

"I was able to get the straight scoop on the economic forecast... With that guidance, I was able to make the correct business decisions in the following months -- saving my company millions."

- Fred Jones, former President, Citicorp

 

"Better than a White House pass; a great way to know what's really going on inside Washington."

- Michael E. Murphy, Chairman, The Murphy Pintak Gautier Hudome Agency

 

"After 26 years of conferences, seminars, and soirees on every conceivable aspect of American politics, I find none on a par with Bob Novak's Evans-Novak Political Forum in terms of offering the insider story of public policy. Bob's Forum is as current and insightful as tomorrow's headlines."

- John Gizzi, Political Editor, Human Events

 

Reserve Your Seat Today!

 

Call 800-789-5367

[Guest American for Progress]

Today, Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens will testify on "Energy Security" before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. A lifelong oilman, Pickens is in the process of building the world's largest wind farm in Texas, "a $10 billion behemoth that could power a small city by itself." The power from the 4,000 megawatt farm is set to go online by 2011, just three years from now. (By contrast, oil produced through new offshore drilling -- conservatives' panacea to the energy crisis -- would take close to 10 years to reach the market.) "I have the same feelings about wind, as I had about the best oil field I ever found," Pickens told the New York Times. Earlier this month, Pickens released the "Pickens Plan," which advocates expanding wind power and the use of natural gas. "It's our crisis," Pickens says at the end of his first TV spot promoting his plan, "and we can solve it." John Podesta, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, praised Pickens' plan: "It is time to believe in America's ability to solve problems again. With clean energy, we can finally break our dependence on oil."

[Guest T. Boone Pickens]

The response to the Pickens Plan over the last two weeks has been incredible.

 

So far, more than 70,000 people have joined our effort. Another 80,000 people have signed up to get email updates. More than one million Americans have gone to our website.

 

But major change is never easy and we need all the help we can get.

 

That's why today I'm issuing a Call to Action and asking people to hold a Pickens Plan House Party this weekend, July 25-27.

 

I would appreciate it if you'd invite your friends, family, and neighbors into your home for a conversation about the Pickens Plan, and for you to lead a discussion about what steps we can take to encourage our nation's leaders to take action in breaking our addiction to foreign oil.

 

The House Parties are an opportunity to:

 

- Introduce more people to the problem of foreign oil

- Learn about solutions like the Pickens Plan

- Show the Pickens Plan video

- Start planning regular meetings and events

- Brainstorm ways to sign up more people

- Identify opportunities to speak to larger groups such as church groups, business associations, service clubs, etc.

 

Even if you can get just 5 friends together for a half-hour chat and get them to sign-up for Push.PickensPlan.com, that's a big victory for the campaign. And if you need to host your house party another night, or would like to host it at a restaurant or some other location, that's fine too.

 

For further instructions and ideas on how to throw a successful house party, visit http://push.pickensplan.com/group/houseparties

 

I want to see first hand the great work you're doing, so be sure to take pictures and video of your event and send them to Boone@PickensPlan.com, and post them on your page at Push.PickensPlan.com for everyone else to see.

 

If we work together, we can create a movement that the politicians can't ignore. Then, and only then, can we bring about real change in America's energy policy.

 

Let's get started today.

[Luke_Wilbur]

It looks like T. Boone Pickens is going to be the Al Gore of the Republicans. That might be a good idea.

[Guest AH]

On Tuesday, T. Boone Pickens testified about America's energy problems before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

 

T. Boone Pickens, in the first portion of the hearing, suggested that he government invest in building an infrastructure for wind power generation and provide incentives to private business to operate wind power generation facilities. He said the move could potentially reduce consumption of natural gas that could be used for transportation purposes.

 

 

Last week, we scored our first major victory when the state of Texas approved a massive new wind power project.

[Guest Damon Withrow]

Texas Public Utility Commission Approves Wind Transmission Plan

 

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) selected a transmission scenario that will eventually transmit a total of 18,456 megawatts of wind power from West Texas and the Panhandle to metropolitan areas of the state.

 

The PUC selected scenario 2, which is estimated to cost $4.93 billion, or approximately $4.00 per month per residential customer once construction is complete and costs are reflected in rates. It is expected that the new lines will be in service within four to five years.

 

Earlier this year, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the agency which oversees the state’s electric grid, responded to a PUC order to provide several scenarios to the commission. The four scenarios contained a total of 12,053, 18,456, 24,859, and 24,419 MW of installed wind generation distributed among five Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZs) in West Texas and the Texas Panhandle.

 

Senate Bill 20, which the state legislature passed in 2005, directed the PUC to select the most productive wind zones in the state and devise a transmission plan to move power generated from these zones to various populated areas in the state.

 

Public Utility Commission of Texas

1701 N. Congress, P.O. Box 13326, Austin, TX 78711-3326

Contact: Damon Withrow 512-936-7048

[Guest Wind Now]

Delaware Clears the way for becoming the "First State" to have Off-Shore Wind

 

Concerned about rising electricity rates, the Delaware General Assembly passed House Bill 6, directing local utility Delmarva Power, to contract with new power resources that will guarantee stable prices for electricity. In addition, the legislature passed Senate Bill 74, a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requiring that 20% of the state's electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2019.

 

The Delaware Energy Act

 

The Governor’s Energy Advisory Council has been charged with spearheading the updating of the Delaware Energy Plan every five years. The plan also includes a process for public input and measures for progress in attaining goals identified in the Energy Plan. The previous report developed by the Governor's Energy Task Force was released in fall of 2003, while the new plan is expected to be developed and completed by spring of 2009.

 

Delaware Offshore Wind Park

 

Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC, has signed a 25 year Power Purchase Agreement with Delmarva Power to purchase up to 200 Megawatts of power from an offshore wind farm that will be built 11.5 miles off the coast of Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.

 

Hunter Armistead, Vice President of Babcock & Brown Power Operating Partners says, "This contract is a significant step toward developing Delaware's first offshore wind farm, which will almost certainly be the first offshore wind farm in the country. This offshore wind farm will harness the strong winds off the coast of Delaware to bring clean and renewable energy, stable power rates and new jobs to the area."

 

On November 1st, 2006 Delmarva Power issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the construction of a new power plant in Delaware. Bluewater Wind submitted a proposal in response to Delmarva Power's RFP.

 

Proposals were evaluated by Delmarva Power along with four state agencies: the Delaware Public Service Commission (PSC), the Delaware Energy Office, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Controller General's office.

[Guest Jeanne Schieffer]

Edison Mission Group (EMG), a subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE:EIX), and Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) announced that EMG’s Elkhorn Ridge wind project near Bloomfield, Neb., is now providing electricity to NPPD. The project is majority-owned by EMG, with one-third owned by Nebraska employee-owners of Tenaska, a privately held energy company headquartered in Omaha.

 

The largest wind energy facility in the state, Elkhorn Ridge can generate up to 80 megawatts (MW) of power, enough energy on an annual basis to meet the needs of approximately 25,000 homes. The project is powered by 27 wind turbines, each capable of generating nearly 3 megawatts of electricity at full capacity. All of the output is sold to NPPD under a long-term power purchase agreement.

 

With this project, EMG’s nationwide wind generation portfolio has surpassed 1,000 megawatts of installed capacity at 23 projects in nine states. The company currently has two other wind projects under construction in Texas and New Mexico; has completed pre-construction work for its largest wind project to date, a 240MW facility in Illinois, and has approximately 5,000 MW of potential, additional projects in its development pipeline.

 

“Elkhorn Ridge marks an important milestone both for our wind development efforts and for providing the residents and businesses of Nebraska with clean, renewable energy," said Ron Litzinger, chief executive officer of EMG.

 

“This is another major step forward in NPPD’s strategic goal of having 10 percent of our energy mix by 2020 coming from renewable energy sources,” said Ron Asche, President and CEO of Nebraska Public Power District. NPPD will retain half of the electrical output, or 40 MWs, from Elkhorn Ridge and will resell the other 40 MWs to Omaha Public Power District, the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, Lincoln Electric System and Grand Island Utilities.

 

Gov. Dave Heineman attended groundbreaking ceremonies last spring for the facility, which is the first wind project developed under Nebraska's Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED) legislation. C-BED provides benefits to rural communities through investment in development and construction, jobs, property taxes, annual lease payments, revenues paid to Nebraska owners of the project, and diversity of fuel sources for Nebraskans. C-BED requires that one-third of project revenues be returned to qualified Nebraska owners.

 

"This C-Bed bill is all about economic development here in rural Nebraska," said state Sen. M.L. "Cap" Dierks, who introduced and worked to see the bill become a law and also attended the groundbreaking event. "It's a win-win situation for everyone, farmers, ranchers and residents." Dierks said Nebraska needs to live up to its ranking as the state with the sixth-highest potential for wind energy. Rural Nebraska is dealing with dwindling population and there is no better place than Knox County to bring the prospect of sound economic development.

 

The $140 million project was permitted and developed for EMG by Midwest Wind Energy of Chicago. In its first five years of operation the project is estimated to provide over $7 million in local taxes and lease payments to landowners.

[JT Allen]

Posters to this topic - please keep everyone updated; this is great (and crucial) information!

Thanks!

[Guest Aeronautica]

Aeronautica Windpower is a manufacturing and marketing company that builds mid-scale commercial and industrial (65 to 750 Kw) wind turbines.

 

We offer both new and refurbished machines.

 

New Turbines are made in the USA! Our new Norwin brand 225 and 750 kW turbines are manufactured in the United States. The result will be shorter shipping times and costs in North America for American-manufactured turbines, combined with a Danish turbine design that has been proven around the world since the 1970's.

 

Our 'Queen-Size' machines are larger and much more cost effective than residential-scale turbines, but smaller than the multi-megawatt 'King-Size' turbines used in large, expansive wind farms. They are the perfect size for supplying clean electricity to farms, ranches, industrial parks, commercial complexes and small neighborhoods, or smaller wind 'parks' of between 2 and 5 Megawatts in size.

 

We sell to both end users and the wind energy industry. Through our network of dealers, engineers and service contractors we can assist with a full range of engineering, feasibility and support services in order to provide turnkey projects where needed. If you have the land and the wind, we can supply everything else you want.

 

Our R&D efforts in powertrain and blade technologies are at the cutting edge of wind power technology, helping to insure our long term growth in this exploding market. Our corporate philosophy is not only green in nature, but we actively reinvest a portion of our earnings each year to worthwhile causes.

 

Aeronautica Windpower, LLC

11 Resnik Road

Plymouth, MA 02360

or email us at:

info@aeronauticawind.com

 

Call Toll Free: 800.360.0132

[Luke_Wilbur]

AWEA ANNUAL WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY REPORT REFLECTS STRONG GROWTH IN 2008, DRAMATIC INCREASE

IN MANUFACTURING

 

Washington, D.C. (April 13) – Wind energy leaders in several categories maintained their #1 positions even as other leaders emerged in new categories, while 24 states saw new wind turbine and component manufacturing facilities opened, expanded or announced in 2008, according to the annual wind energy industry rankings report released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

 

The new listings, based on 2008 year-end numbers, show Texas leading in wind capacity and largest wind farms installed, Minnesota and Iowa both generating over 7% of their electricity from wind, and Indiana as the state with the fastest growth in wind on a percentage basis.

 

 

In company rankings, NextEra Energy Resources (formerly FPL Energy) continues to lead in wind farm ownership; GE Energy remained the wind turbine maker with the largest amount of new capacity installed, and Xcel Energy again leads investor-owned utilities in wind power. Wind power’s recent growth has also accelerated investment in manufacturing: wind turbine and turbine component manufacturers announced, added or expanded more than 55 facilities in 2008 alone, spanning 24 states from Alabama to Wisconsin.

 

"The wind energy industry today generates not only clean energy for our economy, but also hope and opportunity for American workers and businesses,” said AWEA CEO Denise Bode. “Whether it is building or maintaining a wind project, or producing wind turbine components, you’ll find people employed in wind power in nearly all 50 states today,” Bode said.

 

“But we cannot rest on past achievements. We need the right policies in place for our industry to maintain its momentum. A national Renewable Electricity Standard, requiring utilities to generate 25 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025, is vital to provide the long-term, U.S.-wide commitment businesses need to invest tens of billions of dollars in clean energy installations and manufacturing facilities, and create hundreds of thousands of American jobs,” Bode said.

 

Highlights from AWEA’s new report include:

 

•Iowa, with 2,791 MW installed, surpassed California (2,517 MW) for the No. 2 position in wind power generating capacity.

•The top five states in terms of capacity installed are:

◦Texas, with 7,118 MW

◦Iowa, with 2,791 MW

◦California, with 2,517 MW

◦Minnesota , with 1,754 MW

◦Washington, with 1,447 MW

•Oregon moved into the 1,000-MW club, which now counts seven states, including Texas, Iowa, California, Minnesota, Washington and Colorado.

•Indiana ranked as the state with the fastest growth rate, expanding installations from zero to 131 MW, followed by Michigan (48%), Utah (21%), New Hampshire (17%) and Wisconsin (6%).

•Two states – Minnesota and Iowa – now get over 7% of their electricity needs from wind. Minnesota ranks first in this list (7.48%), followed closely by Iowa (7.1%). The rest of the top five are Colorado, North Dakota, and New Mexico.

•Ten new manufacturing facilities came online, 17 were expanded, and 30 were announced in 2008, according to AWEA estimates. These investments and announcements span 24 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Tennessee, Wisconsin, South Carolina, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Illinois, Alabama, Ohio, Indiana, Montana, Texas, Minnesota, Idaho, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Massachusetts.

•Approximately 85,000 people are employed in the wind industry today—a 70% increase from 50,000 a year ago—and hold jobs in areas as varied as turbine component manufacturing, construction and installation of wind turbines, wind turbine operations and maintenance, legal and marketing services, and more.

•NextEra Energy Resources remains atop the list of project owners, with 6,290 MW of wind power assets, roughly 25% of the total installed in the U.S. The three companies that make up the next 25% are Iberdrola Renewables, MidAmerican Energy (including PacifiCorp), and Horizon-Energia de Portugal.

•GE Energy turbines accounted for 43% of all new capacity installed in the U.S. in 2008. The rest of the top five include Vestas, which accounted for 13%, Siemens and Suzlon at 9% each, and Gamesa at 7%. Several new companies--Acciona, REPower, Fuhrlander, DeWind and AWE--entered the U.S. market in 2008.

•The wind power generating fleet of over 25,300 MW in place as of December 31,2008 will generate an estimated 73 billion kWh in 2009, enough to serve the equivalent of close to 7 million average U.S. homes.

[Luke_Wilbur]

Iowa Governor Chet Culver and local community leaders joined officials of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, the largest wind and solar energy producer in North America, to break ground on NextEra Energy Resources’ Generation Repair and Service (GRS) facility.

 

The GRS facility will be used to overhaul and repair wind turbine electric generation equipment operated by subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources. GRS will also be used to warehouse and store parts and supplies to support renewable and other energy-related operations throughout the Midwest.

 

“Renewable energy is a key not only to long term issues, such as the environment and national security, but for our immediate need to create jobs in Iowa,” said Governor Culver. “NextEra Energy’s groundbreaking represents a positive step in moving Iowa’s economic growth forward by a company that has been a leader in generating wind power across the nation. The jobs created here are going to be jobs of the future, and they’re coming to Iowa.”

 

NextEra Energy Resources expects to invest approximately $20 million to expand an existing building located in the I35 Business Park east of Story City and about 40 miles north of Des Moines. Construction on the project is expected to begin immediately and be completed by the end of 2009.

 

The facility will provide significant economic benefits including more than 75 jobs during peak construction and, once operational, 20 to 25 full-time positions. In addition, by the end of the second year of operation, the facility is expected to generate total tax revenue of approximately $500,000 based on current projections.

 

“We are committed to clean energy generation and expanding our industry-leading wind generation portfolio in North America,” said NextEra Energy Resources President and CEO Mitch Davidson. “By having what amounts to our own in-house maintenance facility for certain wind turbine components, we will be able to reduce our equipment down time, allowing us to generate even more emission-free energy for our customers. We appreciate all the support we’ve received from state and local authorities and look forward to expanding our presence in Iowa.”

 

This project would not have been possible without the support of Governor Culver, Iowa Department of Economic Development and the Story City Economic Development Corporation. The teams collaborated with GRS to provide incentives involving land grants, direct financial assistance, new employee training, sales tax refunds and tax credits for inventory, equipment and property.

 

NextEra Energy Resources is no stranger to Iowa. The company and its affiliates currently own and operate seven wind energy centers with a combined generating capacity of nearly 780 megawatts, or enough renewable energy to power more than 190,000 average Iowa homes. In addition, the company owns a 70 percent interest in and operates the only nuclear plant in Iowa, the Duane Arnold Energy Center.

 

About NextEra Energy Resources

NextEra Energy Resources is a clean energy leader and one of the largest competitive energy suppliers in North America. A subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group (NYSE: FPL), NextEra Energy Resources is the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun. It operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the FPL Group nuclear fleet, which is the third largest in the U.S. FPL Group had 2008 revenues of more than $16 billion, approximately 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and more than 15,000 employees in 27 states and Canada. For more information, visit these Web sites:

 

http://www.NextEraEnergyResources.com

 

http://www.FPLGroup.com.

[Guest Laura Stevens]

RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY STANDARD WON’T CREATE JOBS UNLESS STRENGTHENED

 

Energy legislation needs stronger near-term targets to build up domestic manufacturing base, keep U.S. in lead, say wind industry leaders

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This morning, members of America’s wind power industry laid out a compelling case to strengthen the proposed Congressional renewable electricity standard (RES) in order to protect American jobs and maintain America’s leadership status in the increasingly competitive global wind power industry.

 

Testifying before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, G.E. Vice Chair and Energy Infrastructure President and CEO John Krenicki called for any federal RES passed this year to be significantly stronger than proposals now on the table.

 

Legislation passed by the House and a Senate committee last month, Krenicki said, fall far short of what is needed and would have “disastrous” consequences for the domestic wind industry in the near term. Current proposals, due to carve-outs in definitions and calculations of the standard, do not drive new renewable energy deployment in the near term.

 

“While the U.S. struggles to determine the future of clean energy, other countries around the world are setting aggressive near-term and long-term standards and incentives to create large domestic markets for renewable energy,” Krenicki said. “Both the RES passed by the House of Representatives and the RES approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last month are far too weak to drive growth. The current RES proposals for 2012 – anywhere from 3 to 6 percent of total U.S. electricity generation – are essentially equal to or below the status quo.”

 

“Massive new investments in manufacturing will not be made in the U.S. today based on the hope of a strong carbon price signal 10 years from now,” explained Krenicki. “It would take a 12% renewable electricity standard by 2012, with reasonable percentages to be satisfied by energy efficiency measures, to enable U.S. wind deployments to continue on the current growth trajectory,” Krenicki said. “Such a standard would also help drive dollars to small companies and developers waiting for stimulus checks to begin rolling out, and help sustain a domestic industry that cannot wait for longer term carbon legislation to come into effect.”

 

The Senate is currently holding hearings on climate and energy legislation and is expected to mark up legislation in September. The House passed its version of the bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, late last month. Leading voices in the wind industry echoed Krenicki’s call for more robust U.S. policy to support renewable energy.

 

“The U.S. wind industry is on the cusp of either expanding upon the rapid gains made in recent years or giving up those gains to foreign competitors, and national energy policy – namely, a strong RES – will make the difference,” said Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “Unfortunately, the current RES proposals do not seize the historic opportunity we have today to build up the nation’s manufacturing base and revitalize our economy.”

 

AWEA last week released its annual “20% Wind Report Card,” which showed that while wind accounted for 40% of the nation’s new energy generating capacity in 2008, wind farm development in 2009 is expected to slow as a result of the economic downturn, leading to a drop in wind turbine and wind turbine component orders. Meanwhile, strong RES targets have the ability to produce hundreds of thousands of jobs in the near and long term, according to a recent study by the Blue-Green Alliance. The U.S. wind power industry added or expanded more than 70 manufacturing facilities in the past two years (2007-2008), including over 55 in 2008 alone, according to AWEA.

 

“We are at an extraordinary point in the U.S. wind energy industry today, with the U.S. having pulled into #1 position last year and invested in a record number of manufacturing facilities,” said Sampson A. Brown, President/CEO of Knight & Carver Wind Group, a blade manufacturing and repair company with facilities in California and South Dakota. “Congress needs to lock in the industry’s momentum with a strong RES. Now is the time for decisive action – not only for our company and our industry, but for the nation’s energy future.”

 

Both Europe and China have publicly committed to strong renewable energy policies in the near term. The EU’s Renewable Energy Directive commits member nations to an average of 25% renewables between 2011 and 2012. China has doubled its wind power capacity in each of the last four years, and expects to have 30,000 megawatts of wind installed by the end of 2010 – 10 years ahead of a target set last year. The U.S. currently has over 28,000 megawatts of wind power capacity.

 

“A strong RES is a pro-jobs policy that we can’t afford to pass up,” said Parthiv Amin, President of Winergy, a company based in Illinois that manufactures gearboxes for wind turbines. “A robust RES would send a clear signal in the US market, and would unleash a wave of investment and job creation in our domestic manufacturing base.”

[Guest wiki]

The US government today approved plans for a controversial wind power project off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, which, if built, would be the nation's first offshore wind farm.

 

The company responsible for the project, Cape Wind, received a permit from the federal government to commence construction of the wind farm, which was announced by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in Boston. Salazar said in statements at the event that he was "approving the Cape Wind project," which would "be the first of many projects up and down the Atlantic coast." Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick said that "America needs offshore wind power, and with this project, Massachusetts will lead the nation." He also commented that "Cape Wind is good for our environment and good for our energy needs," despite opposition from some groups.

 

Construction of the wind farm in the near future is not certain, as there are additional regulatory procedures the company must complete, and opponents have threatened to take the project to court. According to the leader of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, a group opposed to the wind farm's construction, numerous permits related to the project were being appealed, and close to a dozen parties intend to sue the project, claiming it violates environmental regulations.

 

Supporters of the project say that it will provide up to 75% of the power for the region, and will benefit the environment by providing a clean and renewable source of power, as well as providing hundreds of new jobs in the area during construction of the wind farm. Opponents, which included deceased US Senator Ted Kennedy, claim it will destroy the natural beauty of the region, and will raise the costs of electricity in the area.

 

[Guest greenzen]

Wind Power Everywhere!

 

Magenn Power draws on over 31 years of research and development in advance materials and structure. It all began with designing the Magnus Spherical Airship starting in 1978. Fred Ferguson (founder of Magenn Power) patented the Magnus Airship in the 1980s. This unique airship utilized the Magnus effect for the first time in lighter-than-air craft. This Magnus Airship was a large spherical envelope filled with helium to achieve static, buoyant lift. As the sphere rotated during forward motion, Magnus lift was generated proportional to the airspeed flowing over the sphere; the faster the vehicle, the higher the Magnus lift.

 

The patented Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS) is a new generation of "high altitude wind" turbines with cost and performance advantages over existing systems.

 

MARS™ is a lighter-than-air tethered wind turbine that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, generating electrical energy. This electrical energy is transferred down the tether for consumption, or to a set of batteries or the power grid. Helium sustains the Magenn Air Rotor System, which ascends to an altitude as selected by the operator for the best winds.

 

 

http://www.magenn.com

[Guest Ron]

Maybe we just let the Chinese take over everything.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/business/global/16wind.html

 

China’s Push Into Wind Worries U.S. Industry

By TOM ZELLER Jr. and KEITH BRADSHER

 

PIPESTONE, Minn. — Finishing the 20-story climb up a ladder inside a wind-turbine tower, Scott Rowland opened the top hatch to reveal a panorama of flat farmland dotted with dozens of other turbines.

 

Two of the closest, like the tower he was standing on here, were built by Goldwind USA, where Mr. Rowland is vice president for engineering. “These are very sophisticated machines,” he said.

 

They are also the only three Chinese-made wind turbines operating in the United States.

 

That could soon change, though, as Goldwind and other Chinese-owned companies plan a big push into the American wind power market in coming months.

 

While proponents say the Chinese manufacturers should be welcomed as an engine for creating more green jobs and speeding the adoption of renewable energy in this country, others see a threat to workers and profits in the still-embryonic American wind industry.

 

“We cannot sit idly by while China races to the forefront of clean energy production at the expense of U.S. manufacturing,” Senator Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, said during a debate this year over federal subsidies for wind energy.

 

Such sentiments help explain why Goldwind is putting a distinctly American face on its efforts — and is diligently highlighting plans to do more than simply import low-cost equipment from China.

 

“Goldwind was approaching this as, ‘We’re going to build an organic, North American organization,’ ” said Mr. Rowland, a Texas native and former engineer at the Boston-based wind farm developer First Wind. “So the opportunity to work with them — and with folks I’ve known for a long time — was really attractive.”

 

By entering the United States, the Chinese industry is coming to a world leader in wind energy capacity: roughly 41 gigawatts, or enough to power the equivalent of 10 million American homes. Only China itself, which recently passed American output, generates more wind power — 43 gigawatts — although that is spread over a population more than four times the size of the population of the United States.

[Guest Bedazzled]

I can't see how having Chinese made wind turbines is going to be good for anyone else but the Chinese.