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Clean energy could meet our country's energy needs
Wind power's clean energy has the potential of meeting the country's needs within 10 years. One big hurdle still exists - moving wind energy from where it blows to where it needs to go. Wind power's clean energy has the potential of meeting the country's needs within 10 years. One big hurdle still exists - mo... more
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Wind farms put pressure on bats
Bats are at risk from wind turbines, researchers have found, because the rotating blades produce a change in air pressure that can kill the mammals.
Canadian scientists examined bats found dead at a wind farm, and concluded that most had internal injuries consistent with sudden loss of air pressure.
Bats use echo-location to avoid hitting the blades but cannot detect the sharp pressure changes around the turbine.
The scientists say wind farms are more of an issue for bats than for birds.
"An atmospheric pressure drop at wind turbine blades is an undetectable - and potentially unforseeable - hazard for bats, thus partially explaining the large number of bat fatalities at these specific structures," said Erin Baerwald, who led the research team at the University of Calgary.
Route cause
Bat deaths around wind farms have been widely documented across Europe and North America.
Two years ago, EU nations formally agreed to make developers aware of the risks, and find ways of monitoring bat migration routes.
Earlier this year, a bid to build a wind farm near Bideford in north Devon was turned down because of the potential impact on the mammals.
A pipistrelle bat (Pic: Martin Hind)
Research is underway to find ways of scaring bats from wind farms
But among all this, understanding of how turbines affect bats has been lacking.
The Calgary team collected carcasses of hoary and silver-haired bats killed at a wind farm in south-western Alberta.
Examinations showed that fewer than half had external injuries that could have been caused by collision.
But about 90% had internal haemorrhaging, most notably in the chest cavity, a condition that puts pressure on the lung and can be fatal.
The idea is that the pressure around a rotating turbine blade is lower than in the surrounding air. A bat flying into the low-pressure zone finds its lungs suddenly expanding, bursting capillaries in the surrounding tissue which then becomes flooded with blood.
Birds, which have more rigid and robust lungs, do not undergo the same trauma from a sudden drop in pressure.
"Given that bats are far more susceptible to barotrauma than birds, and that bat fatalities at wind turbines far outnumber bird fatalities at most sites, wildlife fatalities at wind turbines are now a bat issue, not a bird issue," said Ms Baerwald.
Some research groups are investigating ways to keep bats away from wind farms, and a University of Aberdeen group recently suggested radar emissions might act as a "bat-scarer". Bats are at risk from wind turbines, researchers have found, because the rotating blades produce a change in air pressure that can kil... more -
Denmark approves 400 MW offshore wind farm
Denmark's parliament on Monday approved the construction of a 400 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine park in the Kattegat arm of the North Sea between Jutland and the island of Anholt in 2012.
"The park will be the biggest offshore park in Denmark and provide electricity for about 400.000 homes," the Danish climate and energy ministry said in a statement.
Denmark is home to Vestas, the world's biggest supplier of wind turbines. With German competitor Siemens Wind Power they are the leading manufacturers of large offshore wind turbines.
"Requests for proposals for the construction of the offshore park will be announced as soon as possible," the ministry said. Denmark's parliament on Monday approved the construction of a 400 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine park in the Kattegat arm of... more -
NYC Mayor Presents Green Vision For City’s Future
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s vision for the city includes wind turbines atop the Big Apple’s skyscrapers and bridges along with innovative methods of harnessing energy from the Hudson and East Rivers.
Bloomberg presented his green vision of the city’s future on Tuesday. He added that geothermal plants and rooftop solar panels are also options.
"I think it would be a thing of beauty if, when Lady Liberty looks out on the horizon, she not only welcomes new immigrants, but lights their way with a torch powered by an ocean windfarm," Bloomberg said in a copy of a speech he will give in Las Vegas at the 2008 National Clean Energy Summit.
Mayor Bloomberg’s second and final term will end in January 2010. He gave companies a September 19 deadline to submit innovative proposals toward the mayor's broad goal of making the city greener by 2030.
He faulted politicians for "treating us to a political silly season" and "pandering" to voters instead of solving the energy crisis, which he called the nation's top issue.
Bloomberg said a carbon tax would be the only “corruption free” option, adding: "Some want a cap-and-trade system, which is like taking three right turns instead of one left."
Last week marked the fifth anniversary of the black-out that deprived 50 million people in the Northeast and Canada of electricity, Bloomberg noted. The country must play "catch-up" he said, citing estimates that producing 20 percent of U.S. electricity by 2030 with wind power will require $60 billion of spending on transmission infrastructure.
New York City also will soon push private building owners into conserving electricity. New laws and regulations will require energy users to receive more information about the "real value" of conservation. "And they'll also require cost-effective retrofits of our existing larger buildings," he added. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s vision for the city includes wind turbines atop the Big Apple’s skyscrapers and bridges along ... more -
Windmills split town and families
LOWVILLE, N.Y. (AP) -- "Listen," John Yancey says, leaning against his truck in a field outside his home.
The rhythmic whoosh, whoosh, whoosh of wind turbines echoes through the air. Sleek and white, their long propeller blades rotate in formation, like some otherworldly dance of spindly-armed aliens swaying across the land.
Yancey stares at them, his face contorted in anger and pain.
He knows the futuristic towers are pumping clean electricity into the grid, knows they have been largely embraced by his community.
But Yancey hates them.
He hates the sight and he hates the sound. He says they disrupt his sleep, invade his house, his consciousness. He can't stand the gigantic flickering shadows the blades cast at certain points in the day.
But what this brawny 48-year-old farmer's son hates most about the windmills is that his father, who owns much of the property, signed a deal with the wind company to allow seven turbines on Yancey land.
"I was sold out by my own father," he sputters.
Yancey lives in a pine-studded home on Yancey Road, which he shares with his wife, Marilyn, and three children. The house is perched on the edge of the Tug Hill plateau, half a mile from the old white farmhouse in which Yancey and his seven siblings were raised.
Signs for fresh raspberries are propped against a fence. Horses graze in a lower field. Amish buggies clatter down a nearby road. From the back porch are sweeping views of the distant Adirondacks.
But the view changed dramatically in 2006. Now Yancey Road is surrounded by windmills.
Yancey and some of his brothers begged Ed Yancey to leave the family land untouched. But the elder Yancey pointed to the money - a minimum of $6,600 a year for every turbine. This is your legacy, he told them. LOWVILLE, N.Y. (AP) -- "Listen," John Yancey says, leaning against his truck in a field outside his home. ... more -
United Kingdom Talk Thursday 7th August 2008
Thursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Fun times.
Changing lives.
Ice cream anyone ?
Skegness.
What do you now call a disco ?
Too many chip shops.
Caravans everywhere.
I wish I was an American teen in the 50's.
Goldfish noises.
Looking for something to eat.
Help others.
Decomposing quickly.
Check your route.
Boating.
I hear Mei Mei singing.
Gary's bought a motor bike.
Donkeys.
We moan about stupid things.
A new place for Bingay in September.
You need to be up to date.
Helping people in Peru.
Tommy wants the rest of the story !
Email :
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UK Thursday's edition of my three times a week talk show.Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats. ... more -
Truth About T. Boone Pickens' Plan
Have you seen the tv commercial where a millionaire who got rich from oil is saying that he wants to build a wind farm? Sound funny? Here's the real expectation.
(Ignore the ads at the end of this video.) Have you seen the tv commercial where a millionaire who got rich from oil is saying that he wants to build a wind farm? Sound funny? H... more -
100 MW wind farm tp power 30,000 homes, Kansas.
In Barber County Kansas, Westar Energy and BP Alternate Energy have started construction on the Flat Rige Wind Farm, celebrated on june 24th with a groundbreaking ceremony for the site. Fourty Clipper 2.5 MW C-29 wind turbine generators will produce 100 MW of renewable energy, with RMT Windconnect working to lay the transmission lines and transfer this energy to the power grid.
"We are proud to be a part of Westar Energy's and BP Alternative Energy's efforts to invest in wind energy as a way of making the state of Kansas more energy independent."
The project is aimed to be producing commercial energy by the end of the year, off setting 240,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions to the atmospher anually. In Barber County Kansas, Westar Energy and BP Alternate Energy have started construction on the Flat Rige Wind Farm, celebrated on jun... more -
Scotland to build largest windfarm
A proposal to build Europe's largest onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, have been approved.
152 turbines will be constructed in Clyde, and should be capable of powering up to 320,000 homes. A proposal to build Europe's largest onshore wind farm in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, have been approved. ... more -
New Texas wind power project is massive
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas, headquarters of America's oil industry, is about to stake a fortune on wind power.
In what experts say is the biggest investment in the clean and renewable energy in U.S. history, utility officials in the Lone Star State gave preliminary approval Thursday to a $4.9 billion plan to build new transmission lines to carry wind-generated electricity from gusty West Texas to urban areas like Dallas.
"People think about oil wells and football in Texas, but in 10 years they'll look back and say this was a brilliant thing to do," said Patrick Woodson, vice president of E.On Climate & Renewables North America, which has about 1,200 megawatts of wind projects already in use or on the drawing board in Texas.
Texas is already the national leader in wind power, generating about 5,000 megawatts. But wind-energy advocates say the lack of transmission lines has kept a lot of that power from being put to use and has hindered the building of more turbines.
Supporters say Thursday's 2-1 vote by the Texas Public Utility Commission is critical to getting that energy to more people.
"We will add more wind than the 14 states following Texas combined," said PUC Commissioner Paul Hudson. "I think that's a very extraordinary achievement. Some think we haven't gone far enough, some think we've pushed too far." AUSTIN, Texas — Texas, headquarters of America's oil industry, is about to stake a fortune on wind power. ... more -
2 Billion Dollars - On Wind Farm!
An interview with billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens who is sinking billions of dollars into a new wind farm in Texas. It is likely to become the biggest in the world, producing enough power for the equivalent of 1.3 million homes (600 turbines). CNN's Ali Velshi asked the oil legend why he thinks wind could be the answer to this country's energy problems. An interview with billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens who is sinking billions of dollars into a new wind farm in Texas. It is likely t... more
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What's in YOUR future?
Visit this link and watch it on full speed!!
According to Edf.org, The United States is the top global warming polluter in the world. They also state that the U.S. fire season has increased by 78 days over the last 20 years. According to many sites with information on global warming, 2006 was recorded as the hottest year ever.
Despite all this information, there are still some people out there who say that global warming is a myth- my question is this: when people are presented with the cold hard facts, straight to their faces, how will they propose to solve the problem with our beloved earth?
This art speaks volumes- what are YOUR thoughts?
(Art courtesy of Anna Leychenko)
Speak your mind!!!
-Emily Visit this link and watch it on full speed!! ... more -
Giant British wind farm plans rejected
The Scottish government has rejected plans to build one of Europe's biggest onshore wind farms due what it said was the "significant adverse impacts" on the local environment.
Ministers in Edinburgh decided that the 500-million-pound (one-billion-dollar, 625-million-euro) project would have threatened rare and endangered bird populations and damaged peatland on the remote Isle of Lewis, northwest of the Scottish mainland.
The proposals were turned down on the grounds that they did not comply with European Union law protecting sensitive environments. The Scottish government has rejected plans to build one of Europe's biggest onshore wind farms due what it said was the "sig... more -
Britain's proposed wind farms ‘a threat to national security’
Britain has to greatly reduce it's carbon emissions by 2020. But it also has to provide energy for it's people. So why not clean energy like harnessing the wind? Well, apparently the ambitious offshore wind farms are now in jeopardy because the MoD is saying that they 'interfere with its radar.' In the last-minute, the MoD has lodged objections to at least four of the farms in line of sight of its stations saying they create a hole in the radar coverage and make it impossible to spot aircraft. Britain has to greatly reduce it's carbon emissions by 2020. But it also has to provide energy for it's people. So why not c... more
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Nationwide Wind Power Plan Blows Into Britain
Every home in Britain could run on wind power by 2020 if the new expansion plan takes effect. Currently, just 2% of Britain's energy comes from renewables, but that number could increase by 30-fold if the 7,000 off-shore wind turbines are put into place. There are some concerns about changing the aesthetic of Britain's shores. But I say I'd prefer wind turbines to the alternative of being slowly baked and poisoned by CO2 emissions. And I think wind turbines look kinda cool. Much cooler than big power plants spewing pollution into the air. Every home in Britain could run on wind power by 2020 if the new expansion plan takes effect. Currently, just 2% of Britain's ene... more
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New Zealand Aims to be Worlds First Carbon Neutral Nation
New Zealand has declared its aim to be carbon neutral in electrical energy by 2025, in stationary manufacturing energy in 2030 and in transport energy by 2040.
The New Zealand government has a history of leadership in sustainable energy planning already signaled its intention to be a leader in carbon neutrality when it announced its Emissions Trading Scheme in September. The October launch of the New Zealand Energy Strategy to 2050, titled Powering our Future: Towards a sustainable low emissions energy system, has provided further detail of the steps.
The strategy includes plans for substantial reductions in emissions, along with carbon offsetting projects such as increasing national forest area by 250,000 hectares by 2020. By 2025, the goal is to obtain 90 percent of all electricity from renewable sources. Is this achievable? We think so: Provision of renewable electricity is cheaper in New Zealand compared to other countries due to abundant renewable energy resources. Around 70 percent of New Zealand energy production is already from renewable sources, and a number of large scale wind farm proposals have recently been approved.
I love New Zealand. New Zealand has declared its aim to be carbon neutral in electrical energy by 2025, in stationary manufacturing energy in 2030 and in ... more
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