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Contest
- DIY
Wind Generator Contest - GotWind.org
has posed a design contest. The complete wind generator must
cost under $175 (£100) in readily-available components, and produce a
minimum of 20 watts at 12 volts. (TreeHugger; Apr. 17, 2006)
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- Wind
May Generate 30 Percent of Electricity by 2030 - Wind power is
growing faster than any other clean energy source, such as solar, geothermal
or tidal power in a shift from fossil fuels. Nations now generating
most wind power are Germany, Spain, the United States, India and Denmark. (Reuters;
Sept. 21, 2006)
- U.S.
Wind Power Reaches 10-Gigawatt Milestone - As the U.S. wind
energy industry stayed on pace for another record year, Texas for the
first time supplanted historic leader California as the top state in
cumulative wind power capacity, according to the American Wind Energy
Association's (AWEA) Second Quarter Market Report. (RenewableEnergyAccess;
Aug. 14, 2006)
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-
Offshore
wind could power entire U.S. - There is as much wind power
potential (900,000 megawatts) off the United States' coasts as the
current capacity of all power plants in the country combined,
according to a report
(pdf) entitled "A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development
in the United States". (TreeHugger; July 11, 2006)
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- National
Renewable Energy Laboratory says "At some depth, fixed bottom
foundations will be replaced by floating systems that have a high
potential for site independence, mass production and wide-ranging wind
turbine innovation" (Refocus Weekly; May 17, 2006)
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- Wind
Cheaper than Conventional - A newly published report says that
wind power is now cheaper than conventional sources in at least two
areas of the US: Austin, Texas and the state of Colorado, and that
this is a trend that will be seen elsewhere. (Earth Policy
Institute; Mar. 22, 2006)
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- Record
Year for Global Wind Energy - According to figures released by
the Global Wind Energy Council for 2005, the installation of 11,769
megawatts (MW), which represents a 43.4% increase in annual additions
to the global market, was up from 8,207 MW in the previous year. (Renewable
Energy Access; Feb. 27, 2006)
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- Wind
Power 2005 in Review, Outlook for 2006 and Beyond - The North
American wind power market is at last entering a period of sustained
growth. Both the US and Canada achieved record installations of wind
power projects in 2005, and both are poised for steady growth moving
forward. (Renewable Energy Access; Jan. 6, 2006)
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- Assessment
of Integration of Wind into Utility Power Systems - The
Utility Wind Integration Group report says "we don't see any
fundamental technical barriers at the present time to wind
penetrations of up to 20 percent of system peak demand, which is far
beyond where we are today." (BusinessWire; May 22, 2006)
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- As of March 26, 2005, there are 47,317 megawatts of installed wind power
capacity worldwide. (Global
Wind Energy Council; March 27, 2005)
- "Wind power is the world's fastest-growing energy source." (ABC;
March 31, 2005)
- Global
wind map identifies wind power potential - Stanford University
researchers conclude from more than 8,000 wind speed measurements analyzed
worldwide that wind alone could answer world's energy needs inexpensively. (PhysOrg;
May 16, 2005)
 Map
pinpoints wind-power centers - In putting together a global and
U.S. map, researchers found that wind power could provide 40 times more
electricity than is needed worldwide. Data collected from about 8,000
locations on the planet. Detailed in May issue of The Journal of
Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. (MSNBC; May 23, 2005) Captain,
we need more power! - Interview with Christina Archer, the
Standford researcher who helped generate recent map of potential
feasible wind farms at 80 meters high. (DiscoveryChannel.ca;
May 25, 2005)- Global
Wind Power - Researchers at Stanford University have
estimated the global potential for wind power at 80 meters above the
ground (the approximate height of today's wind turbines). Synopsis by
MIT Technology Review. (August 2005)
- Scotland is the windiest country in Europe with an average windspeed of
more than 7.5 metres per second (at 50 metres altitude) (Ref)
- Wind
power becomes fastest growing energy source - Industry growing at an
annual rate 20 to 30 per cent. Cost has gone from 40 cents per kW-h down to
between 4 and 6 cents per kW-h, putting it in a competitive range with
some conventional technologies. (Team India,
California; April 23, 2005)
 Small
Wind Turbines Experiencing Strong Growth - List of US stats. Average
generator size has doubled from 500 W in 1990 to 1 kW in 2004. Sales growth
not as fast as solar PV, which are favored by government incentives. (Renewable
Energy Access; May 23, 2005)- Sterling Quotient > Assessing
the Life Cycle of Wind Turbine Production - Denmark team determines
a 6.8-month "payback" time, taking into consideration the
production costs, transport and erection costs, operating and maintenance
costs, disposal costs. (Renewable Energy Access; April 19, 2005) (see
also)
- GE's
2005 wind revenue up 4-fold from 2002, when they started - GE's
revenue estimated to come in at $2 billion this year, with 1,600
installations worldwide. They hold 65% of U.S. wind market. Wind
power is fastest growing clean energy solution. (BusinessWire; May
16, 2005)
- UK
Govt. Debunks Top Ten Myths for Wind Power - Windfarms
in the United Kingdom have not been associated with any major adverse
effects on birds, according to a new government internet site. (Refocus
Weekly; Aug. 24, 2005)
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- Poor
Man's Guide to Wind Power and Battery Systems - Downloadable
book tells you how to make a 1 kilowatt machine using off-the shelf
scraps for only $150, including the tower. Tells how to find and
refurbish batteries for free; and how to source a good generator.
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 All-Wooden
Wind Generator - Full set of plans to build a functional
device, as published in Home Power magazine. (Forcefield)
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- Bubble
Mill - Simple craft for a child. Use wind power to
propel a bubble-making machine. Start 'em early on free energy.
(Family Fun)
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- Video >
| GE Wind
Turbine Installation (600 kb download) - quicktime time-lapse
presentation of assembly of one of 108 turbines recently installed in
Colorado; which combined are capable of generating 160 MW on a windy
day. (submitted by engineer who worked on project.) |
~Jan. 2004
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- Top
100:
TMA
> Will
TMA Wind Blow Away the Competition? - Vertical axis wind
turbine technology with concentrating air foils enables TMA to compete
with the best horizontal turbine costs at lower wind speeds, while the
return on investment is even greater at higher wind speeds, where the
horizontal turbines have to shut down. Other advantages are many. (PESN
exclusive; Feb. 1, 2007)
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- Vertical
axis wind turbine bucks horizontal trend - Construction is
currently under way this month on a rare wind energy project, a 200
kilowatt (kW) vertical-axis wind turbine outside a large residential
complex in Michigan. (Renewable Energy Access; July 10,
2006)
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- Turby vertical-axis
wind turbines nearing market - Vertical axis wind turbine
especially developed for roof tops on high buildings. Small,
transparent, low noise, vibration-free, low maintenance, installs
without need for crane. (Nov. 2005)
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- Oy Windside
Production Ltd - Vertical-axis turbines by Finish company work
in hurricanes and light breezes, producing electricity at least 50%
more in a year than traditional propeller models.....and they look
like art. Low price tag, long-enduring.
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Windaus
Vertical Axis Wind Turbine
Windaus Energy Inc. has developed prototypes of a vertical-axis wind
turbine.. (OSEN; Nov. 2005) "We have sold a turbine which is
up and running. we are building 6 more for a farm in Barrie" (Feb.
27, 2006) |
- Carbon
Concepts Develops Silent Vertical Axis Turbine - Applying
their experience with aerodynamics and composite construction from
carbon fibre technology in a variety of industries and applications,
Carbon Concepts has now designed a vertical axis turbine which claims
to offer an almost silent operation, even at high speed and load. (NetComposites;
Oct. 8, 2005)
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- Wyndpower
Group - is developing a wind turbine system that can be mounted on
a rooftop and that will respond to winds as low as 3.8 mph. Presently
still in R&D. (PESWiki)
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Off-Shore
- Wind
power project floating out to North Sea - Norwegian utility
will anchor floating 660-foot-tall post, 200-foot-long blades.
Expected 2007. If the concept works, Norsk Hydro envisions parks of
perhaps 200 windmills, in waters 700-2,200 feet deep. (PESN;
Nov. 2, 2005)
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Wind Farms
- Two
oil giants plunge into the wind business - Two of the world's
leading oil producers, Shell and BP, have almost overnight joined some
of the biggest players in wind power in the United States,
accelerating a trend of large corporations investing in the rapidly
growing alternative-energy field. (Boston Globe; March 2, 2007)
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High-Altitude
- KiteShip
(,com) - Very Large Free Flying Sails (VLFFS) for boats and
ships provide up to 10,000 horsepower of controlled, inexpensive power
from wind energy, to reduce ship owners' fuel costs by up to 25
percent, and vastly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and
pollutants.
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Other
- Top
100:
MagLev
Wind Power Generator Unveiled in China - World's first
permanent magnetic levitation wind power generator is expected to
boost generation capacity by as much as 20% over traditional wind
turbines, dropping operational costs by as much as 50%. (PESWiki;
July 16, 2006)
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- SkyBuilt
aims to be the Dell of renewable energy systems - If you have
a unique power need that is off grid, and you want something that can
deploy quickly, is rugged, and will last for a long time, SkyBuilt is
who you call. The CIA shouldn't be the only one to benefit. (PESN;
Oct. 20, 2005)
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- New
Wind Turbine Harnesses Aerodynamics of Buildings - Aero
Vironment, which engineered GM's
EV-1, has unveiled a compact wind turbine that sits on the
parapets of a building rather than the roof, catching the wind as it
travels up the side of a building, resulting in as much as 30%
increase in energy production. It requires only a 7 mph (3.1 m/s)
breeze to start up, and produces roughly 55kWh per month per unit. (TreeHugger;
Oct. 2, 2006)
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- Bergey
Windpower Co. - "the world's leading supplier of small wind
turbines for homes, businesses, and off-grid."
- American
Wind Energy Association
- Pristine-Power
- Providing wind power solutions for homes and businesses; includes referral
incentives.
- REPower:
World's Largest Wind Turbine - 5 Megawatt output comes from three 18-ton
blades. (SlashDot; Oct. 2, 2004)
 
- TechLine Power
- U.S. company focuses on the design, development, and management of small
and large-scale wind and photovoltaic renewable energy systems. Able
to monitor systems remotely. Train operational staff. Founded
1975.
- Deere
Creates Unit Focused on Wind Energy - Deere & Co. has
created a unit to focus on developing and funding wind energy
projects, which could help farmers generate needed electricity. (Reuters;
July 29, 2005)
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- U.S. Wind Farming (Inc?) > Retrofit
Motors Improve Wind Turbine Performance - New motor from Apache
Electric, in association with Boeing, will improve wind turbine efficiency
by 31%, enabling U.S. Wind Farming, of Illinois to update older turbines. (Renewable
Energy Access; April. 26, 2005)
- Clean
Patagonian Energy from Wind and Hydrogen - A laboratory situated in
the southern Patagonia region of Argentina is producing hydrogen from wind
energy to supply power to a village -- and prove that it is possible to
replace the polluting fuels derived from petroleum. (Sustain
Online; May 13, 2005)
 Sun
and wind bring power to Navajos for the first time - The systems are
portable, running on both solar and wind power, and composed of an 800 watt
photovoltaic cell, 400 watt wind turbine, 10,000 watt hour batteries and an
AC inverter. Added to the package is a high efficiency refrigerator and
energy efficient light bulbs. (Salt Lake Tribune;
June 27, 2005) Wal-Mart
Deploys Solar, Wind, Sustainable Design - New store outside of
Dallas, Texas could revolutionize how leading world retailer builds and
powers their stores. Experimental design combines a host of renewable energy
technologies including numerous solar PV arrays, two, small wind turbines, a
bio-fuel boiler to recycle and burn recovered oil from store operations and
a nearly endless list of energy-saving and sustainable design principles. (Renewable
Energy Access; July 22, 2005)
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UK
wind research blows away myths
The most extensive study yet of the UKs wind resource has found it to
be the best in Europe. Research analysed hourly wind speed records
collected by the Met Office at 66 locations across the U... (PhysOrg;
Nov. 2005) |
- Spain
Becomes World-leader in Wind Power - Spain has overtaken
Germany as the world's leader in the most installed wind power
capacity, at 8.3 gigawatts, growing 30% annually since 1997. (Renewable
Energy Access; Aug. 24, 2005)
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- UK's
Largest Offshore Wind Farm Now Operational - The UK's largest
offshore wind farm at Scroby Sands, off Caister, Norfolk, is now officially
inaugurated and generating power for as many as 41,000 homes. (Renewable
Energy Access; March 28, 2005)
- UK
Offshore Wind Plans Blown Off Course - Obstacles
range from the discovery of flocks of seabirds at sites in the Irish Sea
to uncertainty about funding costs of new grid connections and
difficulties getting finance. (Reuters; April 13, 2005)
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- Wind
Turbines for the Shores of Lake Huron - The winds whipping up speed
along lake Huron's flat expanse may soon be harnessed for power on the
Canadian shores. (SolarAccess.com; June 23, 2004)
 Unveiled:
The Clean Queen Of The Sea - Orcelle to be the first cargo ship in
modern times to be run completely by sun, wind, and waves. Unveiling
of first 820-foot long vessel, with cruise speed of 15 knots, expected next
month. (Rense / The Telegraph, UK; March 13, 2005)- Largest
Wind Turbine Blade Unvieled - LM Glasfiber blade measures 126 meters
in diameter. At less than 18 tons, the turbine weighs less less than
smaller blades due to new design and materials composition. (SolarAccess.com;
June 21, 2004)
- New
Calif. Wind Farm Seen as Model for Wind Energy - Stand 300 feet
high. 90 turbines will generate 162 MW, enough to power about 75,000
homes. (AZCentral) (submitted by Frank R.)
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 Hybrid
Boats and Ships - SkySails is testing a high-tech kite to pull ship
along, designed to be a retrofit for existing vessels. Copenhagen
group trying airfoils on cargo ships. Danish group implementing
aerospace tech for airfoils on ships. SolarSalor implements movable
wing-like solar panels that double as sails. (Alt-Energy-Blog; Feb.
24, 2005)
- Lets
go fly a kite...across the sea - Wind
can be a powerful source of energy - so powerful that it could one day
power large sea-liners. Click to take a look at how something as
simple as a parafoil could soon help propel some really large ships
across the ocean. (SkySail) (DiscoveryChannel.ca; March 30,
2005)
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- Wind
walkers (video) - Animari are animals that can walk without
having to eat. One engineer has
designed a light-weight robot that can walk along the beach, powered
only by the wind... (Discovery.ca; Oct. 18, 2005)
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- Project
to Produce Hydrogen from Wind Power - Corporacion Energia
Hidroelectrica de Navarra (EHN) of Spain is investigating ways of
obtaining hydrogen from water through electricity generated from wind
power. (Solar Access; Aug. 20, 2004)
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- Pocket-Sized
Wind Generator for Cell Phone - Small device generates 3-4 watts of
electricity from wind. Hand crank option a probable add-on. Once
commercialized would cost around $4.00. (Slashdot; Rediff;
Feb. 24, 2005)
- ??Wind
Power "Laddermills": High Altitude Kites to Replace Turbines???
- Concept of 5-mile-into-the-sky cable with chain of
controllable wing-like kites attached to a looped cable, generating 100 MW.
Developers at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands hope to build a
working model in the next four years. (Alt Eng News; Dec. 19, 2004)
- Top
100:
Max
Whisson's Gust Water Trap Apparatus - The Whisson vertical
windmill cools the air passing through the whirling blades. As it does
so, a proprietary process collects condensate, yielding fresh water
from the air. (PESWiki)
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- Wind
Power Goes Global - The Global Wind Energy Council, launched
Wednesday, is the new global forum for the wind energy sector, uniting the
wind industry and its representative associates. Members represent all
the worlds major wind turbine manufacturers and 99 per cent of the worlds
47,317 megawatts of installed wind power capacity. (H2O Power; March
27, 2005)
- Device
determines how well wind turbines operate - Accurate
Time Linked data Acquisition System (ATLAS II) can provide a great
deal of the information necessary to understand how well a turbine is
performing, capable of sampling a large number of signals at once to
characterize the inflow, the operational state, and the structural
response of a wind turbine. (PhysOrg;
July 26, 2006)
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- Wound
Up Over Windmills - Gov. George Pataki has taken drastic
measures to help combat energy-supply problems and decrease the Empire
State's ecological footprint; but many residents are not happy about
widespread plans to install wind farms. (Wired; Jan. 6, 2006)
(See Slashdot
discussion.)
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- Lightning
at wind farms 'could start fires'
- Direct lightning strikes on wind farms could create power surges that
damage the electricity network and start forest fires, according to
campaigners against the proliferation of turbines in Scotland. (Scotsman;
Aug. 20, 2004)
- Reply: "Think of how many
hits the electric grid take each year. There are miles upon miles of
electric wires strung around that lightning can hit - and has." --
Sheldon
- A
Campaign That's For The Birds - Environmental activists, once
reluctant to take on an industry that provides an eco-friendly alternative
to fossil fuels, are suing nine wind farm operators. The reason: migrating
birds are being killed by the fast-rotating turbine blades. (CBSNews;
July 6, 2005)
- Wind
companies sued over bird deaths - California environmental group
seeks to force the operators of one of North America's largest windmill
farms to take steps to reduce the number of birds killed in the turbines'
propellers. (Reuters; Nov. 4, 2004)
- Will
Wind Power Change Earth's Climate? - Recent wind power study models
the effects of introducing massive amounts of wind farms into North America.
According to their results, while still having only 1/5th the impact of
fossil fuels, wind power will still adjust the earth's climate with the
equatorial regions warmed while the arctic grows colder. (Slashdot;
Nov. 10, 2004)
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Wind often flows briskly and smoothly over
water since there are no obstructions. The large and slow turning
turbines of this offshore wind farm near Copenhagen take advantage of
the moderate yet constant breezes at this location. (source) |
Page posted by Sterling
D. Allan, Jan. 11, 2004
Last updated April 21, 2008
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Community
Sees First Savings from Wind Power - Scottish island community of
Gigha expects to cover a third of its energy needs from three turbines, each
producing 225 kW. (Renewable Energy Access; Feb. 7, 2005)
Floating
offshore wind energy and hydrogen fuel generating company tipping to
Europe or Asia
