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NJ Looks to Lead in Wind Power
Gov. Jon Corzine wants the Garden State to triple the amount of wind power it plans to use by 2020 to 3,000 megawatts. That would be 13 percent of New Jersey's total energy, enough to power between 800,000 to just under 1 million homes. Gov. Jon Corzine wants the Garden State to triple the amount of wind power it plans to use by 2020 to 3,000 megawatts. That would be 1... more
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Researchers Developing Floating Power Plant
Researchers at Kyushu University in Japan are developing a large-scale at-sea power plant combining photovoltaics and windmills designed to match the output of a nuclear power reactor.
The planned plant will measure two kilometers by 800 meters and will be equipped with light-emitting diodes that shine light into the sea to promote seaweed growth, which in turn will absorb carbon dioxide and attract fish. The plant will comprise hexagonal floating units that support a length of netting on which wind-power generators and photovoltaic generators measuring six square meters will be placed.
About 200,000 photovoltaic generator units are to be placed about a meter apart on the netting, with the hexagonal units positioned at both ends. The units have a channel running through them to allow seawater to pass through. Each group of units will generate about 300,000 kilowatts of electricity, which means the generating capacity of the three planned sets will be equal to that of a nuclear power reactor.
The researchers project that the cost-to-power generation rate of the plant is between ¥70,000 to ¥140,000 per kW (US$643-US$1,287), compared to the ¥200,000 per kW (US$1,838) for constructing a nuclear power plant.
-Yomiuri Shimbun Researchers at Kyushu University in Japan are developing a large-scale at-sea power plant combining photovoltaics and windmills design... more -
Windmill Power Plan for New York City
In a plan that would drastically remake New York City’s skyline and shores, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is seeking to put wind turbines on the city’s bridges and skyscrapers and in its waters as part of a wide-ranging push to develop renewable energy.
The plan, while still in its early stages, appears to be the boldest environmental proposal to date from the mayor, who has made energy efficiency a cornerstone of his administration.
Mr. Bloomberg said he would ask private companies and investors to study how windmills can be built across the city, with the aim of weaning it off the nation’s overtaxed power grid, which has produced several crippling blackouts in New York over the last decade.
Mr. Bloomberg did not specify which skyscrapers and bridges would be candidates for windmills, and city officials would need to work with property owners to identify the buildings that would best be able to hold the equipment.
But aides said that for offshore locations, the city was eyeing the generally windy coast off Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island for turbines that could generate 10 percent of the city’s electricity needs within 10 years.
“When it comes to producing clean power, we’re determined to make New York the No. 1 city in the nation,” Mr. Bloomberg said as he outlined his plans in a speech Tuesday night in Las Vegas, where a major conference on alternative energy is under way.
He later evoked the image of the Statue of Liberty’s torch, saying he imagined it one day “powered by an ocean wind farm.”
But the mayor’s proposal for wind power faces several serious obstacles: People are likely to oppose technologies that alter the appearance of their neighborhoods; wind-harnessing technology can be exceedingly expensive; and Mr. Bloomberg has less than 18 months left in office to put a plan into place.
Turning New York City into a major source of wind power would likely take years, if not decades, and could require a thicket of permits from state and federal agencies. Parts of New York’s coastline, for example, are controlled by the federal government, from which private companies must lease access.
Mr. Bloomberg is known for introducing ambitious proposals that later collapse, as did his congestion-pricing plan for Manhattan.
But aides said he was committed to developing alternative energy sources in the city, and wanted to jump-start the discussion now.
“In New York,” he said in his speech, “we don’t think of alternative power as something that we just import from other parts of the nation.” In a plan that would drastically remake New York City’s skyline and shores, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is seeking to put wind turbines... more -
Windmills on NYC Skscrapers?
A new proposal from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could put electricity-generating windmills on the city's skyscrapers and bridges. A new proposal from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could put electricity-generating windmills on the city's skyscrapers an... more
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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 -
Chinese Lanterns brighten worn Fantasy
By the time they finish, more than 50 massive lanterns - some as tall as 25 metres and one as long as 450 metres - will be painstakingly constructed and lit up at night all summer long. By the time they finish, more than 50 massive lanterns - some as tall as 25 metres and one as long as 450 metres - will be painstaking... 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 -
A Windmill goes awol
It's feast or famine when it comes to wind power and it seems like this windmill in Denmark was struggling to keep up with the power being generated by a storm. It's "brakes" failed leading to manic spinning and finally the inevitable...
She was a good windmill that one...she'll be missed. It's feast or famine when it comes to wind power and it seems like this windmill in Denmark was struggling to keep up with the po... more
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