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Author Topic: Wind Power  (Read 26739 times)

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AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #75 on: February 19, 2015, 03:16:47 pm »
Wind Intermittency Is a Myth, says AWEA 


SustainableBusiness.com News

The Achilles Heal for wind energy is intermittency, or that's what we have been told.

 We need coal, nuclear and gas for reliable, baseload power, is the common refrain, but that's a myth, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Instead, wind contributes to the stability of the grid, they say, and can be more reliable than conventional energy sources. Fluctuating supply and demand is fundamental to the grid - with or without wind power.

Fluctuations from any given power source are not what's important to grid operators, they care about the total supply and demand at any given moment. Variations in wind energy happen slowly and can be easily smoothed out - they are actually less problematic than fluctuations in conventional energy sources because they can be predicted in advance. And the more wind energy that's added to the grid, the less variable the resource as a whole becomes.

 When conventional energy sources go down, they tend to drop suddenly and by a lot.

This means less - not more - reserve capacity is needed as a backup for intermittent wind. In Texas, grid operator ERCOT, for example, shows back-up for wind adds four cents to utility bills, compared to 76 cents for hedges against power plant outages, according to AWEA.

Out of 10 gigawatts of capacity, only 50 megawatts of fast-acting reserves must be ready to compensate for wind variations, says ERCOT. MISO, the grid operator in the Midwest, needs "little to no" fast-acting reserves.

AWEA notes that wind variability does increase the need for more slower-acting reserves, but those are less expensive sources of power.

"Conventional power-plant failures most often happen in a fraction of a second with no warning; the variability of wind is both gradual and predictable," Michael Goggin, AWEA's Research Director told Midwest Energy News. "Gradual changes in wind output are relatively easy for grid operators to accommodate. On the other hand, rapid changes in electricity supply caused by traditional power plant failures require very fast-acting reserve generation. 24/7, you don't know when a traditional power plant will go down. With wind you can do forecasting, you know tomorrow between 2 or 3 p.m. there will be a reduction."   

Therefore, AWEA says the focus on the need for large amounts of "baseload" power is misleading, as is the need for lots of energy storage. The combination of power sources on the grid serves that function. 

 In fact, this is an argument for a diverse, balanced grid that runs on many energy sources. Wind energy helps build a more reliable and balanced electricity portfolio.

More than a dozen studies by US grid operators and the Department of Energy show that wind energy can reliably supply at least 20-30% of our electricity, and some say, 40%. 

Read our article, Wind Energy Rescues Much of US During Polar Vortex.  

Read AWEA's report, Wind Energy Helps Build a More Reliable and Balanced Electricity Portfolio:

 
Website: http://awea.files.cms-plus.com/AWEA%20Reliability%20White%20Paper%20-%202-12-15.pdf

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26155
« Last Edit: February 28, 2015, 10:54:38 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #76 on: February 28, 2015, 10:41:29 pm »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6QyBdPGbFE&feature=player_embedded
The Archimedes F1 is small but extremely efficient.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #77 on: March 03, 2015, 06:04:43 pm »
03/03/2015 02:02 PM     

World Wind Industry Grows 44% in 2014  ;D

SustainableBusiness.com News


2014 was a record-breaking year for the wind industry as it grew 44% worldwide, says the Global Wind Energy Council.

The industry added 51.5 gigawatts (GW) bringing the world cumulative total to 369.6 GW.

China, still the leader, set its own record by installing 23.4 GW - almost half the world's new capacity, and more than any country has added in one year. China has 115 GW of wind farms.

 Europe added 12.8 GW, and Germany installed almost half of that with 5.3 GW of new wind, growing 58% from 2013. Germany now has 38 GW of onshore wind and 2.4 GW of offshore wind. Renewable energy currently supplies 25.8% of the country's electricity.

European countries are now connected to nearly 2,500 turbines as part of 74 different offshore wind farms, reports the European Wind Energy Association. Total installed capacity there reached 8,045.3 MW in 2014.

Other notable additions:
•US added 4.9 GW
•Latin America added 3.7 GW, mostly in Brazil (2.8 GW) - the significant newcomer
•India added 2.3 GW


Denmark had a watershed year, with wind producing 39% of its electricity, as did Scotland at 32%, and the UK, Spain, Portugal, and Germany get at least 10% from wind.


 Wind energy now accounts for about 5% of global electricity demand.
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26180

Renewable energy=                                 =Fossil Fuelers
 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #78 on: March 19, 2015, 03:03:18 pm »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #79 on: April 28, 2015, 11:29:44 pm »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RT5qQDZjnQ&feature=player_embedded
Wind is every bit as reliable as coal and gas!
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #80 on: April 30, 2015, 02:25:30 pm »
Palloy said,
Quote
I think he meant the reliability systems are every bit as good as those used for coal and gas, not that wind was a reliable source of energy.

I think you are totally mistaken. Wind ENERGY IS AT LEAST as reliable as coal and gas.

Believe whatever you wish. I know I won't convince you. :emthdown:  But if you really are serious about knowing the TRUTH, just go to Cleantechnica and they will calmly, and with LOSTS of mathematics and hard data, explain AND PROVE to you that wind IS MORE reliable than coal and gas.  I get just a little tired of people like you assuming I post stuff here without GOBS of background and research to back up what I say BEFORE I say it.  :emthdown:


October 28th, 2014
Wind Power Is Cheaper, More Reliable, Than Natural Gas

The above is just ONE of many articles and nuts and bolts take downs of the MYTH that Coal (which is LESS RELIABLE THAN gas, by the way) and gas are more reliable than wind ENERGY. Amory Lovins has published peer reviewed articles in regard to wind energy reliability above and beyond coal, gas and nuclear.

Coal and gas are not cheaper than Wind energy either. And THAT is BEFORE any of the ENERGY costs of cleaning up the environment are Subtracted from COAL AND GAS EROEI.   

Don't bother to apologize. I know that isn't your thing.  ;)

Interesting quote from the article, which is essentially about wind in Oz:
Quote
“The whole point of putting renewables in, is to replace fossil fuel generation,” he said. “And obviously, the more generation you put into the system, more supply, always leads to lower cost of supply.”

In the case of South Australia, the added wind capacity has actually meant less reliance on back-up generation, demonstrating that grid volatility is not really increased when more renewables are added to the mix.

Needless to say, all this seems to be lost on the wind turbine hating Abbott government, and its mainstream media supporters.

Have been going up to Pennsylvania much lately, as my mother is not well. On the way I've often seen a billboard helpfully supplied by the local coal bund:


Part of the criticism of wind seems to be that it's intermittent. Whereas the point of the article is the contrast between models: a small amount of large generators as opposed to a large number of small generators. The article makes the point that the latter is more resilient.  The fossil fuel crowd hates this, of course.

Thank you Surly and Eddie for showing objectivity (that Palloy REFUSES to show) in this issue of Wind Energy Reliability.

On another thread today you said you agreed with me 100%, and I agree with you 100% sometimes too.  I have no problem with you being a Christian.  I disagree with your ideas on evolution, and tried to discover some common ground on that, however small, but you didn't want to pursue that.

This seems to cover what Lovins says:

He is talking about:
1.  making changes to the overall demand, to lower it by about 44% at peak
2.  making changes to the sub-daily variation in demand, to smooth it out by about 66%
3.  using wind, solar and dispatchable geothermal, hydro and feedlot biogas
4.  storing excess in high-storage air-conditioning and EV batteries
5. "unobtrusively flexible demand" for load matching

The unreliability of coal is deemed to be that "they break sometimes".  (And wind turbines don't?)  ::)

The changes he talks about as being so easy are massively complicated to achieve in practice. 

You have boiled all that down to "wind is more reliable than coal", which is why the statement in isolation looks so odd.

I think you ought to take stock of why you are so hostile to anyone who questions the things you say, when those things are so obviously wrong - the pent up aggression will give you a heart attack in the end.    :evil4:


Thank you for posting some of Amory's points. I agree with all of them. NO, he is NOT saying that the unreliability of fossil fuel power plants is strictly a function of an occasional breakdown. That is a deliberate misinterpretation of the data on your part.

Oh, yes, the "You are too sensitive" accusation.  ::) I'm "hostile" to incorrect interpretations, sloppy biosphere math and biased defenses of dirty energy because they are not objective.

YOU are the one who wouldn't let it go when I said I disagreed with you. You could have, but you didn't. I heard you the first time you said you disagreed with my "interpretation" of the video. But you had to push it. when somebody pushes me, I roll over if I'm wrong. But if I'm right, I pack a sandwich and dive into the fray. I'm right, so just like Uncle Sam, I say, KNOCK KNOCK, HERE I AM!

ALL of your arguments, when you aren't going for psychological manipulation or snark ad hominem, are based on a cherry picked type of math that factors out ENERGY costs not directly involved in the operation of a power source BEFORE it is built, WHILE it is being built and AFTER the damage it has done to the environment MUST be dealt with in decommissioning and health care costs. I don't think you are being mathematically myopic because you don't know any better.

IF you were an ignoramus, I would not come at you like a freight train when you play these games. But you are a smart man and you influence people to believe status quo EROEI myths (see Charles Hall and fossil fuel friends  :evil4:). I had the same problem with Roamer. You guys are SUCKERED into the BIG POWERFUL INTERNAL COMBUSTION CONCENTRALIZED ENERGY BULLSHIT. It was taught to you in schools. You are biased. You are wrong. Your "view" of energy CFS is helping DESTROY LIFE ON EARTH. That is, to put it mildly, something I resent.

Your snarky rejoinder to Amory, "And wind turbines don't? (break down as often as fossil fuel power plants) CONVENIENTLY ignores the MASSIVE redundancy factor (ABSENT FROM LARGE CENTRALIZED FOSSIL FUEL POWER PLANTS) inherent in having MULTIPLE wind turbines with 24/7 VARYING wind loads that TRANSLATE, using modern technology, to MORE RELIABLITY. Now it's my turn for snark! Mathematicans really should learn to count power plants! FOR EXAMPLE ONLY, 10,000 or more wind turbines, with 50 breaking down per year, versus 2 or three fossil fuel power plants, with one breaking down per year. DO THE RELIABILITY MATH, MATHEMATICIAN.  8)

Palloy, I, unlike you, will jump out there and say I agree with you 100% when I applaud what you write. Much of what you write is good stuff.  :emthup: Don't pretend you didn't WALK AWAY form the DNA degraded wolf = dog debate that YOU asked me to engage in, SPECIFICALLY because you thought you could trounce me with your knowledge of dog breeding  ;). I consider walking away from a debate, where one party has posted irrefutable research to defend his position  ;D, behavior typical of a sore loser.  :emthdown:

You consider that the behavior of someone who plays to win and leaves the game before the score is "settled". Maybe that's okay for someone who's religion is the "apex predators are all sneaky = highly evolved status" CHURCH OF EVOLUTION DOGMA. But that is a questionable moral calculus, Mr. Mathematician.

But thanks anyway, for admitting that you DO agree with me sometimes, even if it was for the specific purpose of defending your biased view that wind energy is less reliable than fossil and nuclear piggery.  ;) Any port in the storm and all that. :emthup:

Now for today's Renewable Energy News:04/28/2015 03:54 PM       

Stanford Leads With Massive Renewable Energy System


SustainableBusiness.com News

Stanford University announced a massive upgrade to its energy system that makes it a world leader among universities, while saving $420 million on energy costs over the next 35 years.

There are two components - an extremely efficient combined heat and power system (CHP) and lots of solar energy.  

SunPower is installing 5 megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar on campus and a 68 MW project on 300 acres of land - a commitment only exceeded by University of California.  Combined with purchases of renewable energy from the grid, the projects will generate 65% of Stanford's electricity. 

On the efficiency side, Stanford will cut emissions 68% and conserve 15% of potable water through its CHP plant, Stanford Energy Systems Innovations (SESI). An amazing 90% of campus heat will be supplied by recovering waste heat from the system that chills water on campus.

 22 miles of underground pipes had to be replaced and 155 buildings were retrofitted to convert from the old steam cogeneration system that ran on natural gas. Stanford essentially created a District Energy system, common in Europe, but rare in North America.

 Construction started in 2012 and the $438 million project began operating in March.

Stanford patented the software that optimizes the system. It continuously monitors plant equipment, predicts campus energy loads and grid electricity prices, and steers the system to using energy at the most economical times. It also continuously reviews its own performance.

 Stanford says:

"SESI is designed to take advantage of Northern California's temperate climate, although the system is adaptable to nearly any environment. As with most modern large commercial facilities, university buildings are being cooled and heated at the same time throughout the year to supply different room-temperature requirements.

"In other words, the cooling process can be seen as a collection of unwanted heat. Some modern facilities take advantage of this heat overlap on a stand-alone building basis. SESI, however, takes this approach to an entirely new scale, encompassing a 15-million-square-foot campus with a population of more than 30,000.

"By significantly reducing natural gas usage and electrifying the campus heating and cooling system, we enabled the university's energy supply to be substantially transitioned from fossil fuels with volatile and unpredictable long-term prices to clean renewable electricity sources with affordable costs fixed for a very long time," says Joseph Stagner, executive director of Sustainability and Energy Management at Stanford.

knocking

Under Stanford's ongoing Energy and Climate Action Plan, new buildings must be 30% more efficient than state code - which already leads the nation. Existing buildings are getting major retrofits and campus programs teach students, faculty and staff how to cut back on their energy use.

Last year, Stanford announced it would divest from coal, the first major university to do so.   ;D

For another innovative use of waste heat, read our article, London Homes Heated By Subway Waste Heat.

Learn more about Stanford's system:

 
Website: http://sustainable.stanford.edu/campus-action/stanford-energy-system-innovations-sesi

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26268

Renewable energy=                                 =Fossil Fuelers
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #81 on: May 20, 2015, 08:22:21 pm »

The Future of Wind Turbines? No Blades


Caption:  The company designing the machine says its turbine is cheaper to manufacture, silent and doesn't pose a thread to birds. Vortex Bladeless   

It’s no longer surprising to encounter 100-foot pinwheels spinning in the breeze as you drive down the highway. But don’t get too comfortable with that view. A Spanish company called Vortex Bladeless is proposing a radical new way to generate wind energy that will once again upend what you see outside your car window.

Their idea is the Vortex, a bladeless wind turbine that looks like a giant rolled joint shooting into the sky. The Vortex has the same goals as conventional wind turbines: To turn breezes into kinetic energy that can be used as electricity. But it goes about it in an entirely different way.

Instead of capturing energy via the circular motion of a propeller, the Vortex takes advantage of what’s known as vorticity, an aerodynamic effect that produces a pattern of spinning vortices. Vorticity has long been considered the enemy of architects and engineers, who actively try to design their way around these whirlpools of wind. And for good reason: With enough wind, vorticity can lead to an oscillating motion in structures, which, in some cases, like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, can cause their eventual collapse.

Where designers see danger, Vortex Bladeless’s founders—David Suriol, David Yáñez, and Raul Martín—sees opportunity. “We said, ‘Why don’t we try to use this energy, not avoid it,’” Suriol says. The team started Vortex Bladeless in 2010 as a way to turn this vibrating energy into something productive.


A prototype of the Vortex. Vortex Bladeless

The Vortex’s shape was developed computationally to ensure the spinning wind (vortices) occurs synchronously along the entirety of the mast. “The swirls have to work together to achieve good performance,” Villarreal explains. In its current prototype, the elongated cone is made from a composite of fiberglass and carbon fiber, which allows the mast to vibrate as much as possible (an increase in mass reduces natural frequency). At the base of the cone are two rings of repelling magnets, which act as a sort of nonelectrical motor. When the cone oscillates one way, the repelling magnets pull it in the other direction, like a slight nudge to boost the mast’s movement regardless of wind speed. This kinetic energy is then converted into electricity via an alternator that multiplies the frequency of the mast’s oscillation to improve the energy-gathering efficiency.

Its makers boast the fact that there are no gears, bolts, or mechanically moving parts, which they say makes the Vortex cheaper to manufacture and maintain. The founders claim their Vortex Mini, which stands at around 41 feet tall, can capture up to 40 percent of the wind’s power during ideal conditions (this is when the wind is blowing at around 26 miles per hour). Based on field testing, the Mini ultimately captures 30 percent less than conventional wind turbines, but that shortcoming is compensated by the fact that you can put double the Vortex turbines into the same space as a propeller turbine.

The Vortex team says there are some clear advantages to their model: It’s less expensive to manufacture, totally silent, and safer for birds since there are no blades to fly into. Vortex Bladeless says its turbine would cost around 51 percent less than a traditional turbine whose major costs come from the blades and support system. Plus, Suriol says, it’s pretty cool-looking. “It looks like asparagus,” he says. “It’s much more natural.”

The company has already raised $1 million from private capital and government funding in Spain, and they have plans to close a round in the United States soon. There’s enough interest, Suriol says, that he fields upward of 200 emails a day from people inquiring about the turbine. Of course, the technology still has a ways to go. They’re hoping to have their first product, a 9-foot, 100-watt turbine that will be used in developing countries, ready before the end of the year. The Mini, it’s 41-foot counterpart, will be ready in a year.

For the time being, you’ll continue seeing pinwheels dotting the landscape, which Suriol is actually happy about. “We can’t say anything bad about conventional wind turbines; they’re great machines,” he says. “We’re just proposing a new way, a different way.”


http://www.wired.com/2015/05/future-wind-turbines-no-blades/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #82 on: May 22, 2015, 03:50:28 pm »
MAP: Energy Dept. finds there can be wind energy in every state
Carl Levesque


The U.S. wind industry can virtually rewrite America’s wind resource map with its advancing technology so that wind energy development eventually comes to every state in the nation.

That was the news delivered directly to WINDPOWER attendees by U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and detailed in a report titled “Enabling Wind Power Nationwide” that featured several new wind potential maps. This follow-up report to the Department of Energy’s Wind Vision was released in conjunction with the WINDPOWER 2015 Conference & Exhibition.

“By producing the next generation of larger and more efficient wind turbines, we can create thousands of new jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as we fully unlock wind power as a critical national resource,” Moniz said in a statement upon release of the report.

In his WINDPOWER General Session address, Moniz expressed the need for investment in high-voltage transmission development, which he pointed out is achievable as it “is in no way out of bounds with current investment levels.” He pointed out DOE is also involved in aiding with industry-specific challenges—for example, the logistics of moving ever-larger wind components to project sites.

He pointed out DOE is also involved in aiding with industry-specific challenges—for example, the logistics of moving ever-larger wind components to project sites.

He stated that international climate commitments align with the numbers the wind industry can contribute as detailed in the Wind Vision, which outlines how America can double its wind energy penetration to 10 percent by 2020, double it again to 20 percent by 2030, and then reach 35 percent by 2050.

“If you do that arithmetic, you can see how this fits into the [Wind Vision] in terms of robust deployment of wind to 2020,” he said. “But, because those targets we laid out actually call for doubling the pace of carbon reductions beyond 2020, that idea of wind deployments for example, upping the ante after 2020 just fits hand in glove with those kinds of targets that we laid out.”

Moniz spoke both near- and long term, urging extension of the federal Production Tax Credit and setting sights on wind energy contributing 1 trillion kilowatt-hours a year, which he called “a nice target—a nice, round number” to pursue, even though it may take a decade or more to get there.

AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan spoke earlier in the session about the Wind Vision, likening pursuit of its benchmarks to the challenges and ultimate success of the 1990 Clean Air Act, which he worked on under the George H.W. Bush administration. Kiernan initiated what became a theme of the General Session—a clear call to action for members of the industry to let their voices be heard at a decibel level matching the size and importance of the industry. He urged the men and women working in wind energy to join AWEA (membership@awea.org), join powerofwind.com, speak publicly on behalf of the industry by becoming a Wind Ambassador, and donate to a wind-related political action committee.

“The future of our industry, I believe the future of America, is dependent upon what we do now,” said Kiernan

Wind’s contribution to America was evident across the entire General Session. Lisa Davis of Siemens AG shared the contribution of veterans in Siemens’ wind operations all around the country, from its North American headquarters in Orlando to its facilities in Hutchinson, Kan., Ft. Madison, Iowa and elsewhere. She also highlighted wind’s arrival as a mainstream energy source that’s making a difference in so many ways.

“Ladies and gentlemen, wind power is now in the United States,” she said.


The General Session got down to business with an industry panel that built off of the news coming from Moniz and DOE as well as other speakers. Providing the DOE perspective to the otherwise all-industry panel was Jose Zayas, the Director for Wind & Water Power Technologies Office who has been at the center of the Wind Vision initiative. Echoing Moniz on a few issues, such as transmission infrastructure, Zayas reiterated the latest report’s finding, saying, “I hope one day we can sit here and talk about having wind in every state.”

Paul Gaynor, the Executive Vice President at SunEdison who helped grow a wind energy company based largely on a strategy of developing high-value projects near load, appropriately spoke to the notion of the expanding geographic potential for wind highlighted by the DOE report. “To me, it’s an opportunity to think about the country a little bit differently,” he said.

Panelists also touched on the broader wind energy market going forward and the impact of various factors such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s pending Clean Power Plan to cut carbon emissions in the electric sector. Karen Conover, Vice President at DNV GL, observed that wind is “most economic” in many of the places where carbon reductions may be most needed.

RES Americas President Susan Reilly addressed the advocacy dimension of the Clean Power Plan as the implementation details get worked out. She urged that the industry convey how “wind energy can be a very competitive compliance measure” for meeting the Clean Power Plan requirements.

Technology advancement was a major topic of the General Session, and the comments of Anne McEntee, Vice President for Renewables at GE Power & Water, epitomized the theme. “We are right now, through the industrial internet, going through a massive transformation,” said McEntee. She discussed GE’s “Digital Wind Farm,” announced today, which maximizes turbine efficiency at a project site by using the power of big data and real-time information to change hub heights and perform other measures.

Doug Greenholz, President of IKEA Property Inc., closed out the session with some firsthand information from the ever-growing number of companies buying wind. “Wind is limitless, renewable, and free, and it helps keep costs down,” he said.

And, Greenholz said, wind energy is in sync with the company’s core value of having a positive impact on people’s lives—in this case by incorporating sustainable practices.

IKEA’s plan is to produce more renewable energy than it uses in its operations by 2020, according to Greenholz

http://www.aweablog.org/map-energy-dept-finds-there-can-be-wind-energy-in-every-state/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #83 on: June 23, 2015, 10:21:51 pm »


What makes owls deadly could make wind turbines silent

By Suzanne Jacobs  on 22 Jun 2015 

Owls — those whimsical and deadly hunting machines that crafty people love and Harry Potter characters employ as postal workers — have the unusual ability to fly in (virtual) silence.  That’s bad news if you’re a delicious-looking rodent minding your own business, but it’s good news if you’re a scientist looking for a way to silence noisy wind turbines.

Nigel Peake, a professor of applied mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge, happens to be one of those scientists. And by using a 3D-printed material meant to mimic the surface of owl wings, he and his colleagues were able to lower the noise level of a wind turbine blade by about 10 decibels. (For comparison: The typical wind turbine a few hundred yards from a house will come in around 40 decibels, about as loud as the in-house refrigerator, according to GE.)

Here’s more from a press release out of the University of Cambridge:

Peake and his collaborators at Virginia Tech, Lehigh and Florida Atlantic Universities used high resolution microscopy to examine owl feathers in fine detail. They observed that the flight feathers on an owl’s wing have a downy covering, which resembles a forest canopy when viewed from above. In addition to this fluffy canopy, owl wings also have a flexible comb of evenly-spaced bristles along their leading edge, and a porous and elastic fringe on the trailing edge.

“No other bird has this sort of intricate wing structure,” said Peake. “Much of the noise caused by a wing – whether it’s attached to a bird, a plane or a fan – originates at the trailing edge where the air passing over the wing surface is turbulent. The structure of an owl’s wing serves to reduce noise by smoothing the passage of air as it passes over the wing – scattering the sound so their prey can’t hear them coming.”

Peake and his collaborators first experimented with a wedding veil-like material, which they found could reduce the noise level of a turbine blade by up to 30 decibels. But that material wasn’t practical for real-world applications, so they turned to 3D-printed plastic:


Early tests of the material, which mimics the intricate structure of an owl’s wing, have demonstrated that it could significantly reduce the amount of noise produced by wind turbines and other types of fan blades, such as those in computers or planes. Since wind turbines are heavily braked in order to minimize noise, the addition of this new surface would mean that they could be run at much higher speeds – producing more energy while making less noise. For an average-sized wind farm, this could mean several additional megawatts worth of electricity. 

The silence of owl flight (good movie title?) is not a revelation, but how owls manage it is. And if you don’t believe that they do, just check out this PBS video  , where Kensa the owl squares off against Smudge the “urban opportunist” pigeon and Moses the “king of speed” peregrine in a quiet fly-off:

Owl, pigeon and falcon flight sounds compare Video at link;

http://grist.org/news/what-makes-owls-deadly-could-make-wind-turbines-silent/

Agelbert NOTE: For those concerned that more birds will be killed if the wind turbine blades make less noise, I think you are right. I also think that putting self wind powered led lights along the leading edge of the blades at reasonable intervals (every ten feet or so) will PERMANENTLY drop bird deaths day and night to near zero. The led lights, WITHOUT any batteries whatsoever for low maintenance costs and high longevity, would NOT light up when the wind is dead. They would get brighter as the velocity of the wind over the blades increased. The birds would quickly learn to interpret the brightness as a danger signal. Eyesight is the most developed sense in a bird. We should help them use it to avoid danger.

Self powered tiny wind generators are old technology. I flew planes that you could pop out a six inch diameter propeller for emergency electricity for onboard systems in the event of electrical failure. It's child's play to put really cheap versions of these things (all they have run is their LED!) on wind turbines cheaply!   
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #84 on: July 07, 2015, 11:22:20 pm »
Wind Power In Scotland Continues To Astound
Published on July 7th, 2015 | by Joshua S Hill
14 comments
Scotland’s wind energy industry continues to astound observers, with the most recent figures from June showing that wind generated more than double the outputs, compared to a year earlier. According to data provided and analysed by WeatherEnergy, ... Read More →
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/07/wind-power-scotland-continues-astound/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #85 on: July 07, 2015, 11:24:11 pm »
Billionaire On Way To Building Largest Wind Farm In North America… And It’s Not Warren Buffett
Published on July 7th, 2015 | by Tina Casey
27 comments
If you guessed Warren Buffett you're wrong -- another US billionaire is building the largest wind farm in North America, partly on his own property... Read More →
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/07/billionaire-way-building-largest-wind-farm-north-america-not-warren-buffett/

Quote
Bob_Wallace Top Commenter  • 12 hours ago 

There's an interesting back story to this...

"In 2006, Bill Miller was about to sell his boss’ cattle ranch, a 500-square-mile high-desert expanse in south-central Wyoming. A buyer was prepared to pay roughly $50 million for it. But something was gnawing at Miller. Every time he visited the place, called the Overland Trail Ranch, the wind there blew so fiercely he had to brace against it just to stay upright.

Miller’s boss, Philip Anschutz, had become one of the richest men in America—with a fortune of nearly $12 billion—by figuring out an abundance of ways to churn wealth out of real estate, from oil wells and railroads to sports arenas and cattle ranches.

One morning in 2006, as Miller stood on the barren bluffs of the Overland Trail Ranch, thinking about the sale of the property, he sensed an opportunity.

....

Miller was soon sitting in Anschutz’s 24th-floor office, which has a sweeping view of Denver, the high desert, and the Rocky Mountains beyond. The two of them knew that the market for wind energy was growing, and that other oil and gas companies had been poking around Wyoming’s windy corners. “I know we’re trying to sell this ranch,” Miller told his boss, “but we may have something here. So why don’t we peel this orange and see what we get?”

Anschutz, who reads widely about energy markets, seized on the idea at once. Though the pair didn’t realize it at the time, they were about to hatch plans for the largest single onshore wind farm in the world.

....

The winds of West Texas, home to some of the nation’s largest wind farms, are Class 4. Most wind power in these places is generated at night, when the winds blow the hardest; that’s the time, of course, when people need it the least.

But along the ridges of the Overland Trail Ranch are some of the only Class 7 winds in the nation. What’s more, the wind on the ranch starts up in the morning and gains force throughout the day, just when people are firing up their air conditioners and dishwashers. “We looked at the data and said, ‘I’ll be damned,’” Miller recalls. The property was like the Saudi Arabia of wind."    
http://www.psmag.com/nature-an...

Might want to give this piece a read and learn more about the two main players. Both far from being concerned about climate change. This is purely profits at work.
--

eta: Tip of the banged up straw hat to ven for bringing attention to this massive project.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #86 on: July 07, 2015, 11:38:52 pm »
Siemens Awarded Possible $1.2 Billion Wind Turbine Order
Published on July 7th, 2015 | by Joshua S Hill
2 comments
Siemens has been awarded a wind turbine order for 580 MW by DONG Energy for the Race Bank wind power plant which could be worth up to $1.2 billion. Siemens will provide 91 of its 6 ... Read More →
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/07/07/siemens-awarded-possible-1-2-billion-wind-turbine-order/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Solar Wind Energy Tower, Inc. Provides Update on Mexico Tower Project

Published: July 7, 2015 8:30 a.m. ET

Tower Development and Water Permits Formally Extended to June 30, 2016

ANNAPOLIS, MD , Jul 7, 2015 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Solar Wind Energy Tower, Inc. (otcqb:SWET) (the "Company"), the inventor of large Solar Wind Downdraft Tower structures capable of producing abundant, inexpensive electricity, today announced that its operating subsidiary, Solar Wind Energy, Inc. has executed an extension of its right to purchase a site in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, which will support up to two energy Towers. The Mexico site is located approximately 6 miles from the Tower site in San Luis, Arizona and experiences identical climate conditions allowing both to use the same development plans and equipment.

In order for the Tower(s) to be developed in Mexico, the national utility "Comision Federal de Electricidad" must sign a long term Power Purchase Agreement with the Company. Solar Wind Energy formally introduced the project to the commission and presented preliminary project data and specifications to the commission earlier this year. The seller of the land, anticipating an upcoming meeting to discuss the specifics of the project, offered a free contract extension through June 30, 2016 to close on the sale.

On June 30, 2015, the City of San Luis Rio Colorado supplied a support letter that extended their previous approvals to permit the project and supply the necessary water to the project for 50 years. The previous approvals were set to expire June 30, 2015 and have now been formally extended to June 30, 2016.


Ron Pickett, CEO of Solar Wind Energy Tower, commented, "On June 24th I personally met with the government liaison for the San Luis Rio Colorado project. In our meeting I was provided with a thorough project status update and an explanation that recent delays were unavoidably related to new energy policies and elections. After that meeting, it was clear that the Tower project remains viable in San Luis Rio Colorado. We're pleased to continue to move forward after receiving formal extensions from the property owner and local government. The date set for ground breaking if the utility decides to move forward is now June 30, 2016. We are encouraged by the cooperation of all concerned parties and look forward to securing the PPA needed to support the financing of this project."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/solar-wind-energy-tower-inc-provides-update-on-mexico-tower-project-2015-07-07

Renewable energy=                                 =Fossil Fuelers

Agelbert NOTE: For those who will wail, moan and knash their teeth over the "wasteful use of water" by this Renewable Energy Giant, I suggest you study the technology a bit before you insert your water scarcity crocodile tears into the discussion.

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #88 on: July 09, 2015, 07:44:02 pm »
 

Siemens Plans To Construct a New Wind Turbine Assembly Plant in Germany
   

June 30, 2015

By Alex Webb, Bloomberg

Siemens AG’s plan to build a wind turbine assembly plant in Germany means that Europe’s largest engineering company will have expanded headcount at its wind and renewables division by as much as a third since 2013.

Siemens will pick a location for the 1,000-employee factory by the end of September, spokesman Philipp Encz said by telephone. Earlier announcements of new capacity in Egypt, England and Serbia will bring the total new employees to 3,539, according to Bloomberg News calculations.

“If they’re expanding for offshore, it does imply they have a view of a strong pipeline in future, which is good for the industry, because there’s a lot of uncertainty post-2020,” said Tom Harries, a London-based Bloomberg New Energy Finance analyst.

Given the Munich-based company said its wind division had 10,900 employees in November 2013, it will have added a further 32 percent to that worker base by the time all the new facilities are completed. While the expansion is part of Chief Executive Officer Joe Kaeser’s move to bring production closer to customers, some employees at existing sites will not be replaced should they leave or retire, Encz said.

Orders at the wind business jumped by 57 percent between September 2012 and September 2014 to 7.7 billion euros ($8.6 billion).

The new capacity comes as Kaeser slashes 13,100 jobs elsewhere, with the power and gas division, which makes gas turbines, bearing the brunt of the manufacturing cuts.

Siemens currently has seven production sites making onshore and offshore wind turbines, stretching from Shanghai to Iowa via Denmark and Canada. Kaeser first announced plans for the German plant in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

©2015 Bloomberg News
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/news/2015/06/siemens-plans-to-construct-a-new-wind-turbine-assembly-plant-in-germany.html
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #89 on: July 14, 2015, 12:48:42 am »

Fri Jul 10, 2015 at 01:32 PM PDT.

Denmark's wind power just exceeded their energy demand

by Walter Einenke for weinenkel.
 
Yesterday, Denmark's wind farms were able to produce 116% of the nation's electricity needs.

By 3am on Friday, when electricity demand dropped, that figure had risen to 140%.
Interconnectors allowed 80% of the power surplus to be shared equally between Germany and Norway, which can store it in hydropower systems for use later. Sweden took the remaining fifth of excess power.

“It shows that a world powered 100% by renewable energy is no fantasy,” said Oliver Joy, a spokesman for trade body the European Wind Energy Association. “Wind energy and renewables can be a solution to decarbonisation – and also security of supply at times of high demand.”

Wow. Very cool. Very windy.
  ;D

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/10/1401167/-Denmark-s-wind-power-just-exceeded-their-energy-demand
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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