Previous Posts
- Endurance Featured on MSNBC and CNN
- Government outlines wind farm expansion plans
- Home-made power? It's a breeze
- China: Nation's Wind Power capacity is set to trip...
- Quebec oks wind-power proposal
- Research finds wind power poses least risk to wild...
- Global wind installations pass 100 GW, and are pre...
- Pure Power on the Horizon-More than one third of t...
- Tens of thousands of high skill jobs to be filled ...
- Update 2-Wind power could make Norway "Europe's Ba...
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Endurance Wind Power Blog
Endurance Featured on MSNBC and CNN
Monday, July 7, 2008
Endurance Wind Power was featured on May 5th on CNN and MSNBC. Almost a year ago, the town of Greenberg Kansas suffered a devastating, record-breaking tornado. Winds of over 200 miles per hour wiped out 60 business and most homes leaving two-thirds of the population homeless. Now, faced with the daunting task of rebuilding their city, the residents have decided to not only rebuild their town, but to renew it. The community is committed to taking a low-impact development approach to recreating their town with the installments of geothermal heating and cooling systems, LCD stop lights and wind turbines making Greensburg "The Greenest City in America".
Endurance Wind Power is honored to be a part of this innovative and inspiring development. We will be providing a portion of the energy in Greensburg, with the installments of several wind turbines. The John Deere dealership will be partly powered by wind and will also use floor hydronic heat that relies on corn oil and waste fuel. We support Greensburg's commitment to becoming an environmentally sustainable town and are proud to be providing the community with wind turbines.
Click the image to view the video clip
Click the image to view the video clip
© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpower.com
Endurance Featured on MSNBC and CNN
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Monday, July 07, 2008
Government outlines wind farm expansion plans
Thursday, July 3, 2008
LONDON (AFP) - Thousands of new wind turbines could be built across Britain by 2020 as part of multi-billion pound plans to switch to more sustainable energy sources, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday.
Setting out the London government's plans for greater investment in and reliance on renewables, Brown envisaged Britain's coastal waters being turned "into the equivalent for wind power of what the Gulf of Arabia is for the oil industry".
This year, Britain would pass Denmark as the country with the world's highest operating offshore wind capacity of more than 400 megawatts, he told a low carbon economy summit in London.
"By 2020 we will have installed around 14 gigawatts -- that is around 3,000 offshore wind turbines, meeting up to 50 percent of our renewable electricity," he added, stating he wanted Britain to be a leader in "clean energy."
"The North Sea has now passed its peak of oil and gas supply -- but it will now embark on a new transformation into the global centre of the offshore wind industry," he added.
There will have to be more windfarms onshore too, despite criticism including from those who say they blight the landscape, he said.
A government blueprint announced later set out plans for 7,000 new wind turbines -- 4,000 onshore and 3,000 offshore -- greater support for "green" energy and allowing renewables into the national power grid.
Brown also renewed his commitment to greater use of wind, wave and nuclear power to move Britain away from its reliance on oil and fossil fuels, amid spiralling prices, in order to secure its future energy supplies and meet carbon reduction targets.
Currently about eight percent of Britain's total energy supply comes from low carbon sources -- two percent from renewables and six percent from nuclear.
Britain has a European Union-imposed target to produce 15 percent of its energy supply from renewables by 2020. Brown said to do so would require 100 billion pounds (126 billion euros, 198 billion dollars) of investment.
The measures would see Britain generate up to a third of its energy supply from renewables to meet the target, Brown added.
As posted on Thu Jun 26
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/
080626/world/britain_energy_climate_environment_1
© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpower.com
Government outlines wind farm expansion plans
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Thursday, July 03, 2008
Home-made power? It's a breeze
Thursday, June 12, 2008
New Zealand (The New Zealand Herald) With hydro lakes at their lowest levels in years and talk of a looming power crisis, some New Zealanders are turning to alternative energy sources - really big ones.
Graham Purchas, who is considering buying a 4m-high wind turbine for his farm north of Wellington, was among the thousands who yesterday poured through the gates for the opening day of the 40th Fieldays at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton.
The four-day event is the biggest agricultural show in the Southern Hemisphere and last year had a turnover of $300 million.
More than 1000 exhibitions over the show's 94ha are displaying farming innovations and new technology, ranging from smart phone systems which can oversee any aspect of farm management to recycled pieces of plastic which dry the insides of your gumboots overnight with the right wind conditions.
"You'd probably be surprised at how many people have shown an interest in these things," said Jonathan Prince, a co-creator of a wind-driven gumboot dryer he calls "Windry".
But Mr Purchas, a 48-year-old software developer, had his eyes firmly on the wind turbine.
"Given how windy it gets down in Wellington, it's probably ideal," he said. . And with the cost of electricity these days and all the other problems we've had lately, it's probably the way to go."
With a 20km/h wind, the 2.4kW wind turbine, which works in conjunction with a grid-tied power situation, can generate enough power to keep a four-bedroom home powered.
"A lot of people are freaked out by the cost of energy, so we are getting people who are hedging their bets against rising energy prices," said Hamish Littin, general manager of Elemental Energy. He said the turbines were environmentally-friendly and economically sound.
"If we are generating more than the home is consuming, then we export energy back out to the grid and the energy companies credit you back at retail rates."
By James Ihaka
To view the complete site
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/
story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10515883
© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpower.com
Home-made power? It's a breeze
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Thursday, June 12, 2008
China: Nation's Wind Power capacity is set to triple in 2 years
Monday, June 9, 2008
MANILA, Philippines, Jun 9, 2008, 2008 (IPS/GIN via COMTEX) -- China plans to triple its wind power capacity over the next two years, according to a senior policy development official.
The plan is in line with the central government's more general goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in the country's total energy mix and thus reducing the country's greenhouse gas emissions.
China's total wind power capacity now stands at 6,000 megawatts, but by end 2008 this will have reached 10,000 megawatts. And by 2010, the central government will have boosted wind power production to 20,000 megawatts, said Song Yanqin, deputy director of the research management and international collaboration division of China's Energy Research Institute.
The institute is part of the Beijing-based National Development and Report Commission, the agency tasked with implementation of energy conservation and emissions reduction programs.
"An increase in wind power capacity will help meet growing local demand and also ensure environmental protection," Song said on the sidelines of the Asian Clean Energy Forum, which was held here last week by the Asian Development Bank and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
China's rapidly expanding economy has made it a major energy consumer: Its average annual GDP growth has been surging at around 10 percent over the past five years.
China depends primarily on coal, an abundant and cheap indigenous energy resource. In the next 20 years, as China's economy continues to rise, the Energy Information Administration forecasts that the demand for coal will grow at an annual rate of 3.5 percent.
But coal-fired power plants boost carbon emissions that hasten global warming. The World Bank reports that China has 20 of the world's 30 most polluted cities, largely due to high coal use.
Global warming and consequent climate change are taken seriously by the Chinese government. Already, the melting of glaciers in Tibet and Xinjiang and increased temperatures in western China are threatening to reduce the rain-fed rice yields. China's coastal areas have also suffered from extreme storm surges in the past few years that have been attributed to climate change.
"China is seeking a new development path," said Yu Cong, director of the Energy Research Institute's energy efficiency center. Yu, who also participated in the Asian Development Bank forum, added that the Chinese government prefers a more sustainable economic development model and is striving to reduce its energy consumption. Development of renewable energy sources such as wind power is a key measure, he said.
Renewable energy accounts for only a quarter of China's total installed capacity of over 700,000 megawatts. In 2007, China consumed 2.65 million tons of coal equivalent, only 7.5 percent of which was renewable. The government hopes that by 2010 wind, hydro and solar energy will account for 10 percent of total consumption.
Compared to leading wind energy producers and consumers such as Germany, Spain and the United States, China's installed capacity is still low. But Song is confident that this will change over the next few years and that China may even emerge as the world's biggest wind power producer. "We have the resources. Our coastlines are longer than Spain," he said.
"Although China still lags many countries in terms of total wind power installations, its recent growth rates have far exceeded the world average. An increasingly strong policy environment and a growing local manufacturing base has contributed to China's more than doubling of its wind power capacity in 2006," said Joanna Lewis, senior international fellow at the U.S.-based Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
In a study released in July 2007, Lewis made a comparative study of wind power development strategies in China, India and Spain. She enumerated several programs to encourage local wind turbine manufacturing and increase the number of wind farms. These include tax breaks, concessions, competitive bidding process for wind farm development, promotion of technology transfer and subsidies on wind energy research.
Such measures will continue to support not only China's wind power program but also its renewable energy development plan. Subsidies, tax incentives and more funding for research can help create a "stable, predictable and sustainable market demand" for renewable energy, Song said.
Copyright (c) 2008 IPS-Inter Press Service. All Rights Reserved.
As published by Power Engineering International
http://pepei.pennnet.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=
HOME&NewsID=162892
© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpower.com
China: Nation's Wind Power capacity is set to triple in 2 years
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Monday, June 09, 2008
Quebec oks wind-power proposal
Monday, May 5, 2008
Quebec (CBC News) Hydro-Quebec has accepted 15 bids to provide a total of 2,004 megawatts of wind-generated electricity, which will come on stream between 2011 and 2015.
The government-owned utility said Monday the average price is 10.5 cents per kilowatt-hour and the projects involve estimated capital outlays spending totalling $5.5 billion, including $1.1 billion for transmission infrastructure and transportation costs.
The contracts arise from a call for tenders issued in October 2005 seeking Quebec-generated wind power.
The outcome "ensures a supply of renewable energy at a highly competitive cost for wind power," stated Hydro-Quebec chief executive officer Thierry Vandal.
The majority of farms will be built outside of Quebec's urban areas for the most part, will spur local economies in eight regions, the power corporation said.
Quebec will triple its wind power production over the next decade.Quebec will triple its wind power production over the next decade. (Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)
All the winning bidders have promised that at least 60 per cent of the cost of each wind warm will be incurred in Quebec, and at least 30 per cent of the cost of the wind turbines must be incurred in Matane in Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine.
Hydro-Quebec will now draw up firm contracts with the project proponents, which must arrange environmental and municipal permits.
The projects will undergo environmental impact assessments and will be submitted to the province's environmental public hearing board (BAPE).
The 66 bids totalled more than 7724 MW, about four times what the province was seeking.
* Monteregie: 2 proposals from Kruger energie et Venterre for 150 MW.
* Central Quebec: 1 proposal from Enerfin Sociedad de Energia for 100 MW.
* Chaudiere-Appalaches: 2 proposals from 3CI and St-Laurent energies for 306 MW.
* Greater Quebec City region: 3 proposals from Consortium Boralex and Societe en commandite Gaz Metro (2), St-Laurent energies (1) for 345.9 MW.
* Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean: 1 proposal from St-Laurent energies for 350 MW.
* Lower St-Lawrence: 4 proposals from Invenergy Wind Canada, Kruger Energie, St-Laurent energies and B&B VDK Holdings for 606.6 MW.
* Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine: 1 proposal from Venterre for 66 MW.
* Cote-Nord/Mingamie: 1 proposal from St-Laurent energies for 80 MW.
Many of the wind farms will be built in outlying regions.Many of the wind farms will be built in outlying regions.
Hydro-Quebec could take more risks, but gamble is good
The projects will make Quebec a leader in Canada in clean energy, environmental groups said.
"Coupled with energy efficiency, wind power, one of the cleanest forms of energy, is without a doubt the most responsible way to respond to [energy demands]," said Steven Guilbeault, a spokesman for equiterre, in a written statement.
"When wind energy replaces another source of energy, it can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gases, whether it's used domestically, or is exported."
Hydro-Quebec could have taken more risks, but decided to play it safe with its winning bids, said wind energy expert Jean-Louis Chaumel.
"[They are] clearly focusing on very credible, stable and safe companies and promoters, rather than on innovative or community approaches," he said Monday. "It's a political choice."
The huge cost involved makes established companies with stable financing more appealing, Chaumel said.
One of the main promoters picked - St-Laurent energies - is associated with France's public utility.
St-Laurent energies will produce nearly half of the megawatts up for tender. Projects closer to Montreal and in the Charlevoix region weren't chosen.
As published by CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/05/05/qc-windpowerbidresults0505.html
© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpower.com
Quebec oks wind-power proposal
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Monday, May 05, 2008
Research finds wind power poses least risk to wildlife
Sunday, May 4, 2008
(Houston Chronicle)Wind and nuclear power plants have the lowest potential impact on wildlife among the major U.S. electricity sources, according to a report examining several decades of research.
Taking into account the entire life cycle of a power project " from extraction of the fuel through plant construction, operation and shutdown" the risks to wildlife ranged from low to medium for wind and nuclear, according to Christian Newman, president of Florida-based Pandion Systems.
Newman's firm did the study for New York state officials this year and discussed the findings at the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference, which concluded Wednesday at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Coal power had the highest risk level, in large part because of the impact of smokestack emissions and habitat destruction related to coal mining methods such as mountain top removal.
Oil, which is declining in use as a power plant fuel, was given the next-highest risk rating based on emissions and transportation risks. Natural gas-fired plants followed, with only emissions raising their risk rating.
"All energy sources affect wildlife, but no one has looked at all the sources from cradle to grave for their impact," Newman said.
Answering concerns
The study can help answer concerns about the safety of wind power projects to birds, Newman said. Typically the wind industry responds by pointing to studies that say more birds are killed by cats or by running into cars and buildings than by collisions with wind turbines, he said.
"Unfortunately these arguments aren't comparing apples to apples and they don't fix the problem," Newman said. "Wind advocates now have a platform to start talking about the issue without having to point to cats or buildings."
Concern about wind power's effect on bird populations is based in large part on projects at Altamont Pass in California, which have been blamed for thousands of bird deaths since being installed in the 1970s. Those turbines are located on bluffs where hawks and eagles soar and hunt.
While bird kills on the scale of Altamont have not been reported at other wind farms, a pair of projects on the Texas coast along major bird migratory routes are raising new concerns.
A group including the King Ranch, the American Bird Conservancy, the Lower Laguna Madre Foundation and the Coastal Bend Audubon Society has filed suit in federal court to stop the projects being built by Babcock & Brown and Iberdrola Renewables.
The plaintiffs question the accuracy of the pre-construction bird studies the companies did and are worried roads being built to bring in the hundreds of turbines will impede the flow of freshwater into the Laguna Madre, a unique coastal habitat.
These critics also say the projects should have been subject to state review as required by a federal coastal management program that provides the state with millions of dollars in grants every year.
"With no regulation and all of this happening on private land, there's no avenue for anybody to express their concerns on these projects," said David Newstead, head of the Coastal Bend Audubon Society in Corpus Christi, in an earlier interview with the Chronicle.
Radar ornithology
Sidney Gauthreaux, a pioneer in so-called radar ornithology, said during the conference that pre-construction bird and bat surveys are not particularly useful for determining potential dangers to the wildlife. That's why he and colleagues studied historic radar weather data to develop what he says is a better way of assessing and managing the threats.
They found bird deaths are more likely during certain weather conditions, particularly low visibility and shifting wind patterns during the times of night when migrating birds are most active.
Those conditions are relatively rare, however, occurring on fewer than two nights per year at sites in Gauthreaux's study" one in Amarillo and three in New York state.
That means wind farms that are properly equipped can shut down to avoid possible bird kills without losing too much valuable power generation time.
John Calaway, chief development officer for Babcock & Brown, said the project south of Corpus Christi will use on-site radar and other weather-monitoring equipment to match bird migrations with weather conditions that create the greatest risk of bird deaths. Iberdrola said it may do likewise.
"The company realizes the importance of this and will shut in our production whenever visibility is lower than one-half mile during peak migratory times," Calaway said during the conference. But he said the likelihood the project would kill birds is low.
By TOM FOWLER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
As published on
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5819709.html
© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpower.com
Research finds wind power poses least risk to wildlife
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Sunday, May 04, 2008
Global wind installations pass 100 GW, and are predicted to rise to 240 GW by 2012
Thursday, May 1, 2008
European Wind Energy Associaton
Wind energy is booming worldwide. Following another record year in 2007 with over 20 GW of new wind capacity, and additional installations at the beginning of 2008, the global wind market has now passed 100 GW. On the second day of the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Brussels, the opportunities and challenges facing the world's leading wind energy markets, plus the huge potential for the future, were discussed.
Steve Sawyer, Chief Executive of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), opened the session by presenting GWEC's new publication, Global Wind Energy Report 2007, which provides an overview of the situation worldwide and its impressive recent expansion.
"Due above all to the stronger than anticipated growth in the US and China in recent years, and China's emerging manufacturers, which are helping ease global supply, there has been an unexpectedly strong increase in wind deployment all round the world," he explained. "As a result, GWEC now foresees the global wind power market growing by over 155% to reach 240 GW of total installed capacity by 2012".
Birger T Madsen, from BTM Consult, explained that his company forecasts 140,000 MW of annual installations over the next thirteen years, which will give a cumulative installed capacity of nearly 1 million MW (1,000 GW) by 2020.
"1,000 GW of capacity will enable wind power to provide 7–8% of the world's electricity demand by 2020," he added.
There are many markets worldwide whose development will help ensure this wind energy expansion. Senior Energy Specialist from the World Bank, Søren Krohn, looked at some of those with the most potential. Mexico is a "fully developed market for independent power producers", but has transmission issues and supply bottlenecks to overcome. Turkey has a "feed-in tariff system, which gives access to a wholesale market". Meanwhile in Morocco "there is a strong government commitment to wind energy, with a target of 1,000 MW of installed capacity by 2012, up from the current total of 124 MW".
One country which has already started installing significant amounts of wind energy is the US, which in 2007 added a record 5.2 GW of capacity to reach 16.8 GW. This accounted for about 30% of the country's new power-producing capacity in 2007. In Europe, wind energy made up 40% of new energy installations last year.
Rob Gramlich, from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), presented a new draft report, entitled 20% wind vision – a collaborative technical report. The document shows that it is technically and economically possible for 20% of US electricity to come from wind by 2030, up from just over 1% today.
Rob Gramlich stated that "we need to install over 16 GW annually in order to reach the 300 GW by 2030 that will give us the 20% of electricity from wind. We need to change people's perceptions so that they see that benefits such as jobs and a stronger economy are closely linked to our choice of power-generating technology."
While the North American wind industry is booming, South America has been slower taking off. Despite its vast natural resources, there is only 530 MW of wind capacity currently installed there. Christian Grütte from Leonardo Venablers in Spain presented the South American wind market. He outlined the reasons for the continent's slow start, citing political instability, lack of attractive incentives, limited grid access and restricted turbine supply as the major barriers.
He concluded that "South America has a potential wind energy capacity of more than 300 GW. In the coming years, governments should start introducing the reliable investor incentives and objectives the region's industry needs, in order to begin to fulfil this potential".
One of the South American countries with the best wind resources is Chile. Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro from Centinel presented the development of wind energy in Chile. Initially dependent on gas from Argentina, the country was left stranded when its neighbour cut off supplies in 2004. This eventually led to discussions on a renewable energy law, which came into force in March 2007. The law obliges generators with over 200 MW of installed capacity to meet a 10% renewables target.
Chile's first ever wind farm began operations in December 2007. Currently at just 18 MW, an additional 70 MW should come on line soon, and a second wind farm project is under development.
The chairman of the session, Peter Brun from Vestas, concluded by underlining, as all the speakers had done, the strong worldwide potential of wind energy.
He said, "Globally, we can see strong market trends, but there are still a lot of unclear areas and obstacles. The trends alone are not enough. We need policy stability and transmission planning. In this way, we can show policy-makers that wind is not a niche or ‘alternative' form of energy, but a mainstream source of power."
In a later session, various awards were presented. Four Poster Awards went to Rene Cattin, Florian Bertsch, Simon Watson and Gabriele Michalke for their innovative and interesting designs.
The Scientific Award was presented to Stig Oye for his outstanding work in wind energy technology. The Excellent Young Wind Doctor award, given for the first time at this year's EWEC, aims to bring recognition to recently graduated PhD students. It was won by Dr. Jason M. Jonkman and Dr. Tonis Sant.
As published on
http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=60&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]
=1311&tx_ttnews[backPid]=259&cHash=cde5d628f4
© 2008, Endurance Windpower.
www.endurancewindpower.com
Global wind installations pass 100 GW, and are predicted to rise to 240 GW by 2012
Posted by Endurance Windpower on Thursday, May 01, 2008
