Wind Power

U.S. Could Get 20% of Energy from Offshore Wind by 2030

Megan Treacy

nrel-wind
A new report from NREL says that the U.S. could get 20 percent of its electricity from offshore wind energy by 2030 if wind farms are developed along the coasts and in the Great Lakes.

The report states that by 2030, under conservative assumptions, the country could be generating 54 GW of energy from offshore wind and that the development of those wind farms would create 43,000 permanent jobs and result in an influx of $200 billion in the economy. The study says that every megawatt of wind energy will directly create more than 20 jobs. This news comes out alongside two other great developments in offshore wind news.

First, as reported yesterday, is that Google and others are investing in a major offshore wind transmission corridor on the East Coast that will allow the delivery of 6,000 MW of wind energy when it's completed.

Second is that the Cape Wind project - the nation's first offshore wind project - has received a 28-year lease from the Interior Department for its development and operation in federal waters, making offshore wind in the U.S. even closer to reality. Beyond Cape Wind, the report states that 20 projects equalling about 2,000 MW are in the planning and permitting process.

NREL calculated that the total gross offshore wind resource in the country (not accounting for environmental or socioeconomic constraints) is more than 4,000 GW, which is four times the current national energy capacity. To read the executive summary of the report, click here (PDF).

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Google Investing Big in $5 Billion Offshore Wind Corridor

Megan Treacy

google-awc
Google is investing big in offshore wind development along a large chunk of the East Coast. The proposed project will cost about $5 billion over 10 years to build a string of deepwater transmission lines that would run up to 20 miles offshore from Virginia to New Jersey.

Often one of the most expensive parts of renewable energy projects, transmission lines are crucial to the growth of clean energy in the country. After all, there's no benefit to a wind farm until that energy is delivered to our homes.

The 350-mile Atlantic Wind Connection will start construction in 2013. It will be able to transmit 6,000 MW of energy from offshore wind farms, enough to power about 1.9 million homes.

The first phase, which will run 150 miles from New Jersey to Delaware in federal waters will be capable of delivering 2,000 MW of wind energy. It will be completed by 2016 and will cost about $1.8 billion.

The entire transmission system will tie into PJM's electrical grid that serves 13 states, plus Washington, D.C.

Google will be one-third owner of the project, while investment firm Good Energies, Japanese company Marubeni and Maryland transmission company Trans-Elect are splitting the rest. The combined initial investment in the project runs in the tens of milions of dollars.

via Huffington Post

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Kodiak Island Ditches Diesel, Digs Wind

Megan Treacy

pillar-mountain
Kodiak Island, Alaska is an isolated island off the south coast of the state and gets no power from the state's main grid. Like other isolated islands, Kodiak has relied upon diesel generators to provide a large chunk of their energy needs, but the island is starting to ditch the diesel and harness the wind.

Up until recently, the island got 80 percent of its energy from a two-unit hydroelectric plant and the other 20 percent from seven diesel generators. The island installed three 1.5-MW wind turbines atop Pillar Mountain last year and as of this past August, those wind turbines have replaced most of their need for diesel, with the oil only accounting for 7.7 percent of their energy.

The Pillar Mountain Wind Project will save over a million gallons of fuel a year. The Kodiak Electric Associaton (PDF) hopes to produce 95 percent of their energy through renewable sources by 2020 and they're already most of the way there.

While Kodiak Island only has a population of 12,000, it seems places like this are leading the way to a clean energy future.

via Earth Techling

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Portable Wind Turbines Can Follow the Wind

Megan Treacy

Before a wind farm is built, a long time - often years - goes into figuring out exactly where to place the turbines so that they harness an optimal amount of wind energy. But what if you had the ability to move a wind turbine to a different spot whenever the wind changes?

That's the idea behind the Mobile Wind Turbine concept designed by Pope Design. The turbine is mounted to hybrid truck that runs off energy supplied by the turbine or a diesel generator when the batteries completely drain. When the truck is parked, the turbine can be erected and start producing electricity.

It's unlikely that an entire wind farm would be made up of these, but for places like military bases, schools or businesses where only one or a few would be used, they might be ideal for maximizing the amount of clean energy that's generated. Also, a mobile wind energy generator would be a perfect solution for emergency disaster relief operations.

via Inhabitat

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Denmark Could be Fossil Fuel-Free by 2050

Megan Treacy

A new report by the Denmark government's climate commission says that the country could by fossil fuel-free by 2050. The majority of the nation's energy requirements would be met by wind and biomass energy.

Denmark is already a world leader in wind, with about 20 percent of its energy coming from wind, so compared to other countries, they don't have quite as far to go, but going completely fossil fuel-free will still be quite an overhaul.

The report says that the government will actually save money through this transition to renewables and it has a clear-cut plan for the government to follow. The committee says by investing 0.5 percent of the annual GDP every year in renewable energy, the country could easily meet the 2050 goal. The total investment would total about $2.5 billion.

The government is releasing an official climate strategy in November and will be taking this report into account.

via Guardian

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