Wind Power

SuperStation Grid Connecting Project Moves Forward in New Mexico

Megan Treacy

When we first wrote about the Tres Amigas SuperStation back in 2009, it was a well thought-out concept that seemed far off from becoming a reality, but an influx of new investments has pushed it forward and the project is set to break ground this summer with the transmission hub being operational in 2015.

The SuperStation will connect the three major grids in the country: the east, west and Texas grids. It will cover 22 square miles near Clovis, New Mexico and open the door for transferring renewable energy from one part of the country to another. Now wind power generated in Texas and the Great Plains can be sold to markets on the East Coast and solar power generated in California can make it to Texas.

Getting that renewable energy from the remote areas where large projects are often located to population centers has been one of the main hurdles to really powering this country with renewables. Tres Amigas could create a nationwide market for the power generated by renewable energy projects, boosting demand and helping the industry to grow.

Beyond just helping fuel renewable energy, the hub could also make the nation's power system more reliable if all the major grids are interconnected, though smart grid technologies will also be necessary to really modernize and secure our power system.

Tres Amigas will initially only be able to transfer 750 MW between the eastern and western grids, but that starting point is better than we what we have now.

via Huffington Post

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Enclosed Rooftop Wind Turbines from Australia

Philip Proefrock

A new, small-scale wind turbine suitable for rooftop use is under development in Australia. The Windpod looks more like a cylindrical, vertical-axis wind turbine, than a 'pinwheel' horizontal-axis turbine, but is deployed on its side.

The Windpod G1 has a diameter of 450mm and a length of 2200mm (about 18 inches by 86.5 inches) and can produce up to 1 kilowatt of power. However, the cut-in wind speed seems to be around 4 meters/second (about 9 mph), and full power is not reached until a wind speed of 12.5 meters/second (nearly 28 mph). Locations with strongly directional prevailing winds would be suitable for this system, but with the high wind speeds necessary, it's unlikely this approach will replace other types of wind turbines.

We've seen other rooftop turbines that aim to use the slope of a residential roof as a wing to help drive more air through the turbine and increase its power output. The Windpod is also proposed for installation at the ridge of a sloped roof or at the roof or corner edge of a larger building, where increased wind effects are strongest. Unlike some other roof-edge turbines we've seen, the Windpod seems particularly well suited for this kind of application, although it's a fairly limited and specialized use.

Installed cost for the Windpod in Australia is estimated to be AU$7,000-7,500/kW (At current rates, the US and Australian dollar are almost on par with one another).

via: Treehugger

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Portable, High-Altitude Wind Power

Philip Proefrock

High altitude wind power systems continue to be explored with new systems and new approaches. The latest comes from Altaeros Energies, who recently tested the Altaeros Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT), a prototype 35-foot diameter, helium-filled, tethered structure with an onboard turbine. The prototype turbine is able to be transported and deployed from a trailer, which makes it potentially very useful for use at remote locations.

Using a Southwest Skystream turbine, the test model of the AWT was flown to an altitude of 350 feet where it produced more than twice the power as what is generated at a conventional tower height. The company is interested in developing high-altitude wind resources at elevations over 1,000 feet (over 300 meters) above the ground, where the winds are stronger and more regular.

According to the company, "The Altaeros AWT will displace expensive fuel used to power diesel generators at remote industrial, military, and village sites. In the long term, Altaeros plans to scale up the technology to reduce costs in the offshore wind market."

link: Altaeros Energies Press Release (PDF)

via: Ubergizmo

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Great Lakes States Streamline Offshore Wind

Philip Proefrock

The governors of several US states adjacent to the Great Lakes have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (PDF) along with the federal government in order to streamline the development of offshore wind power generation in the Great Lakes. The governors of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as ten different federal agencies have all signed the Memorandum. This agreement has created the new Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Consortium which will serve to "support the efficient, expeditious, orderly and responsible review of proposed offshore wind energy projects in the Great Lakes."

Most of the Great Lakes area offers some of the best wind potential in the country, although there is not yet any offshore wind power generation installed. With this Memorandum, future development of wind energy in the Great Lakes should be less encumbered with bureaucratic difficulties and encounter fewer interdepartmental coordination problems.

According to the Department of Energy press release, the Great Lakes offer "the potential to produce more than 700 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind, about one fifth of the total offshore wind potential in the U.S." Wind power generation in this region would also be well positioned to serve the more densely populated Midwest.

image: CC BY 2.0 by Phault

via: EERE Network News

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Live, Interactive Wind Energy Map is a Thing of Beauty

Megan Treacy

Two of Google's finest, Fernanda B. Viégas and Martin Wattenberg, have created an interactive map of the country's wind energy that is both hypnotic and hopeful. The map uses data from the National Digital Forecast Database to provide hourly visual updates of wind patterns and speed across the U.S.

The creators made the map to illustrate that "an invisible, ancient source of energy surrounds us—energy that powered the first explorations of the world, and that may be a key to the future." That's the hopeful part. Looking at all of the wind energy churning around the country is enough to make anyone excited about installing wind turbines wherever we can.

Viégas and Wattenberg would like to eventually map more regions and even the entire globe if they can find suitable sources of live wind data. Click here to see the map in real time.

via CleanTechnica

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