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  #21  
Old Posted Oct 30, 2009, 5:02 PM
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Testing Cheap Wind Power


Thursday, October 29, 2009

By Peter Fairley

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/23823/

Quote:
Federal stimulus funds awarded to a wind-energy research consortium led by Illinois Institute of Technology will accelerate testing of small wind turbines that could point the way towards more efficient utility-scale machines. The eight-kilowatt turbines, the product of Cedar Park, TX-based Viryd Technologies, use a mechanical approach--continuously variable transmission (CVT) technology--to convert fluctuating wind speeds into the precise stream of alternating current required by power grids. If it can replace the pricey power electronics that regulate power in most turbines today, the same technology could cut the cost of wind-power generation at any scale.
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  #22  
Old Posted Oct 30, 2009, 5:06 PM
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Stealthy wind turbines aim to disappear from radar screens


23 October 2009

by Colin Barras

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...r-screens.html

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For all their environmental appeal, wind turbines have few fans in the military or among air traffic controllers. Strange as it might seem, radar systems easily confuse the turbines' rotating blades with passing aircraft. Now a company has developed a "stealthy", radar-invisible blade that could see many more wind farms springing up across the UK and elsewhere.
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  #23  
Old Posted Oct 31, 2009, 3:30 PM
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Chinese-Made Turbines to Fill U.S. Wind Farm

Chinese-Made Turbines to Fill U.S. Wind Farm


OCTOBER 30, 2009

By REBECCA SMITH

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125683832677216475.html

Quote:
A Chinese wind-turbine company, with financing help from Beijing, has struck a deal to be the exclusive supplier to one of the largest wind-farm developments in the U.S., a sign of how Chinese firms are aggressively capitalizing on America's clean-energy push.

The 36,000-acre development in West Texas would receive $1.5 billion in financing through Export-Import Bank of China. Shenyang Power Group, a five-month-old alliance, would supply the project with 240 of its 2.5-megawatt wind turbines, among the biggest made in the world.
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  #24  
Old Posted Nov 5, 2009, 12:32 AM
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Next Generation Wind Turbine Produces 3 Times the Power

Next Generation Wind Turbine Produces 3 Times the Power


by Derek Markham in Wind Energy

http://greenlivingideas.com/topics/a...-3-times-power

Quote:
A radical new design in wind turbines takes a page from the design of jet turbine technology to generate three times the amount of power as a standard wind generator using propellers. The Dragonfly Wind Turbine uses three sub chambers working in line to speed up the airflow inside the turbine, which may have far-reaching potential in the wind energy field.



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  #25  
Old Posted Nov 5, 2009, 5:36 AM
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Stealthy wind turbines aim to disappear from radar screens


23 October 2009

by Colin Barras

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...r-screens.html
I've always wondered if wind turbines caused enough turbulence to do any harm to an airplane going over it.
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  #26  
Old Posted Nov 7, 2009, 7:27 PM
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Family Wind Turbines Gain Momentum in Denmark


November 4, 2009

© 2009 National Geographic

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...video-vin.html

Quote:
Part of a growing trend, a Danish family of seven has installed its own wind turbine to produce all the electricity the family needs while reducing its carbon footprint.

***

- But this family is part of a growing trend of folks who have vowed to decrease their carbon footprint. They create their electricity with a wind turbine.
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  #27  
Old Posted Nov 9, 2009, 3:15 PM
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If you ever drive along I-80 in Iowa you're going to see probably 25-50 trucks with wind turbine propelers on the interstate or at rest stops.

Interesting little (and older) article on Iowa and wind power -

http://www.arounddesmoines.com/the-c...wind-turbines/

Chosen highlights:

Iowa has 2862 MW of capacity (with our population of 3 million that’s about 1 kW/person)

California has 2868 MW with their population of 36 million.

In Iowa we’re producing 10% of the nation’s wind power.

One more article from the power company -

http://www.midamericanenergy.com/html/aboutus3c.asp

Good video explaining wind power -

http://www.midamericanenergy.com/htm...es=high&tour=8
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  #28  
Old Posted Nov 10, 2009, 3:42 PM
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Question: What are the major producers of wind turbines and towers in the United States? Are we winning or losing the battle to turn this into a domestic industry like airplanes or cars?
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  #29  
Old Posted Nov 10, 2009, 4:58 PM
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Spain's windfarms set new national record for electricity generation


9 November 2009

Giles Tremlett

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...ower-windfarms

Quote:
High winds over the weekend supplied 53% of Spain's electricity – equivalent to the power output of 11 nuclear plants.

- The massive output of wind turbines meant the Spanish grid had more electricity than was needed over the weekend. In previous years similar weather has forced windfarms to turn turbines off but now the spare electricity is exported or used by hydroelectric plants to pump water back into their dams — effectively storing the electricity for future use.
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  #30  
Old Posted Nov 20, 2009, 1:09 AM
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Advancement in wind energy technology


November 16, 2009

By Lawrence Baker

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/...logy?cmpid=rss

Quote:
The Baker Wind Turbine is a major breakthrough in wind energy technology. The super quiet, Low Pressure Turbine is enclosed and 100% bird and people safe which allows the turbine to be installed and operated in close proximity to people. This eliminates the need for long transmission lines because the electricity is consumed close to where the electricity is generated. The 12 feet in diameter Model #3 Baker Wind Turbine is mounted on a car trailer and the unit is easily transported. Set-up is easy. The outriggers lift the turbine foundation and stabilize the turbine so that it can rotate 360 degrees. The fenders and tires are removed. No tower is needed; all that is necessary is a 6’ by 6’ wind flow. More efficient and powerful than a single dimension propeller driven windmill, this multidimensional wind energy turbine dynamic has never been seen before. Of course, the multidimensional turbine dynamic does not even resemble a single dimension propeller driven windmill. Google Baker Wind Turbine and two videos will appear; the longer video demonstrates the Low Pressure Turbine Dynamic.

First, the maximum amount of energy in the wind is directly in front of the wind. This is the basic and simple premise and is easily proven to anyone logically. (Aristotelian logic is the foundation of all science.) While standing in the wind, face the full force of the wind which is directly in front of the wind. Now, form both hands into a cup which represents a ½ round, cupped turbine vane with volume. Now, cross over your hands and form a blade with no volume representing a propeller driven wind mill. Which of the two forms catch more wind and has full thrust from the wind?

The first part of the equation is solved: The maximum amount of energy in the wind is directly in front of the wind and the best surface form to catch the wind and consequently, has more thrust and power, is a ½ round aluminum turbine vane with volume.

The second part of the equation is as logical. Which direction will the maximum wind catch area turbine vane turn? Naturally, the turbine vanes and rotor turn harmoniously in the same direction as the wind is blowing. This eliminates wind noise caused by turbulence. A propeller blade rotates sideways to the wind energy airstream which results in less power produced, noise from propeller turbulence and high stress on bearings and blades creating high maintenance cost. Propellers are so big; birds can’t see them and they have devastated wild bird populations. Check out the out of control wind propeller explosions on You Tube.

The third part of the equation is that the more cupped wind catch surface area that is directly in front of the wind, the more powerful the turbine. A single dimension propeller can only expand in size and power by increasing its’ diameter. The multidimensional Baker Wind Turbine can not only increase its’ power by increasing its’ diameter but can expand horizontally and add exponentially more wind catch surface area and power.
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  #31  
Old Posted Nov 22, 2009, 2:35 PM
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The wind may carry a solution for Kenya


Saturday, November 21, 2009

By Christopher Vourlias

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...112004313.html

Quote:
NAIROBI -- Kenya's Chalbi Desert is a bleak, forbidding stretch of coarse sand and ash-gray ridges broken by clusters of tiny huts. It is also one of the windiest places on Earth, experts say, and it soon will be the site of Africa's largest wind farm.

-In January, a consortium of Dutch and Kenyan investors will begin construction on the $760 million project, which envisions more than 350 wind turbines towering over desert expanses near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. When completed in 2012, the wind farm is expected to boost the power supply in this nation by almost 30 percent.



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  #32  
Old Posted Nov 24, 2009, 2:06 AM
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Scottish invention promises power revolution


November 23, 2009

Peter Jones

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6927695.ece

Quote:
A radical new design of electrical generator that solves an engineering quandary and promises to be cheaper, lighter and more reliable than anything currently available has been unveiled by scientists at the University of Edinburgh. The work by Markus Mueller and Alasdair McDonald at the university’s Institute of Energy Systems has solved one of the fundamental engineering problems faced by builders of offshore wind turbines.

- The blades of conventional turbines are connected to a generator via a gearbox. In harsh conditions at sea, this is prone to breakdown, leading to costly repairs which themselves are at the mercy of the weather. The alternative is to dispense with the gearbox and connect the blades directly to a generator via an axle.

- The institute’s design — through a novel arrangement of the magnets inside the generator and the copper coils that produce electricity as they pass the magnets — has succeeded in cutting the weight of direct-drive generators by up to half and made assembly much easier. A prototype installed on a wind turbine has proved that the design works.
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  #33  
Old Posted Nov 25, 2009, 8:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280 View Post
Question: What are the major producers of wind turbines and towers in the United States? Are we winning or losing the battle to turn this into a domestic industry like airplanes or cars?
For the US.. GE is the biggest.

"GE is one of the world's leading wind turbine suppliers. With over 11,600 worldwide wind turbine installations comprising more than 18,000 MW of capacity"

for 2008..

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  #34  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2009, 12:16 AM
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Europe's first offshore wind grid


By Dan Jones | 12/11/09 - 15:22

http://www.euinfrastructure.com/news...ore-wind-grid/

Quote:
In order to utilise wind power and cut down on carbon emissions, nine countries including the UK have signed up to develop an integrated offshore grid in the North and Irish Seas.

The agreement - entitled the "The North Seas Countries' Offshore Grid Initiative" - was signed by UK energy and climate change minister Lord Hunt along with ministers from Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland. The declaration highlights the role offshore wind energy can play in meeting the EU's 2020 targets and the benefits an integrated offshore grid can bring in terms of security of supply and market integration.
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  #35  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2009, 3:09 AM
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BUSINESS
DECEMBER 11, 2009
GE Wins Big Wind-Farm Job
By JOAN E. SOLSMAN And STEVE GELSI

General Electric Co. won a $1.4 billion contract to supply giant turbines to Oregon's Shepherds Flat wind farm, set to be among the world's largest once it is running.

GE will supply and maintain for 10 years 338 turbines to be installed in 2011 and 2012 for the wind farm, which is owned by closely held Caithness Energy LLC. The deal, carrying a total price of about $2 billion . . . .

Spanning 30 square miles in north-central Oregon, near the town of Arlington, the Shepherds Flat project will operate under three 20-year power-purchase agreements between Caithness Energy and Southern California Edison, a unit of Edison International . . . .

Shepherds Flat will generate enough electricity for more than 230,000 households with its 845 megawatts of capacity.

The largest wind farm in the world is the Roscoe Wind Complex in Texas, built by a unit of Germany's E.ON AG, with a generating capacity of 782 megawatts, according to rankings from the American Wind Energy Association. FPL Group Inc.'s 736-megawatt Horse Hollow wind farm in Texas ranks next.

To put these generation figures in perspective, a typical nuclear-power plant generates about 1,000 megawatts . . . .
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB2000...s_us_section_b
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  #36  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2009, 3:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280 View Post
Question: What are the major producers of wind turbines and towers in the United States? Are we winning or losing the battle to turn this into a domestic industry like airplanes or cars?
Generators: GE (however the next 5 companies by installed capacity are all foreign: Vestas of Denmark, Siemens of Germany, Mitsubishi of Japan, Suzlon of India and Gamesa of Spain)

Towers: Trinity Industries (best known as a maker of rail cars, Mississippi River barges and highway guard rails) is a maker of large towers. There are a huge number of small firms that make towers for local and regional markets. I couldn't even begin to list them all. In the US, the towers are more likely to be locally made than what goes on them and I suspect that's true internationally as well since transporting a 300 ft tower is no small thing.

Vestas and Gamesa probably have the first mover advantage because their countries have been subsidizing wind power the longest and they got going as local businesses benefitting from the subsidy. Suzlon, as an Indian company, benefits from low costs however they have had problems recently with their blades cracking and they've had to replace a large part of their installed base. Siemens and Mitsubishi are huge companies, of course, but, like GE, seem to be slightly late to this niche.

GE does seem to be very serious about this market and will compete strongly in the US and internationally.
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  #37  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2009, 7:30 PM
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Everyone, thanks for all the information you are contributing to this thread. Its becoming a great resource.


Quote:
The largest wind farm in the world is the Roscoe Wind Complex in Texas, built by a unit of Germany's E.ON AG, with a generating capacity of 782 megawatts, according to rankings from the American Wind Energy Association.
I drove through this area one year ago, and this farm is MASSIVE! It spans some 20 miles along I-20 and is centered around Sweetwater, TX which now bills itself as the "wind capitol of the world". Turbines were still being constructed in December 2008.


Some pictures from November 2008, this is a Wind Farm near Paw Paw, IL; one of the largest installations in Illinois.





Last edited by Chicago Shawn; Dec 12, 2009 at 8:19 PM.
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  #38  
Old Posted Dec 12, 2009, 9:44 PM
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This is Tehachapi Pass, which I have to drive past twice a year--one of the older windpower installations in the US but being enlarged and modernized periodically:


Source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CBIQ9QEwBA

To give you an idea of where this is:


Source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CBAQ9QEwAw
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  #39  
Old Posted Jan 7, 2010, 2:27 AM
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New Danish Smart Wind Turbine Sees the Wind, Adjusts Itself for Optimum Power Generation


01. 5.10

by Matthew McDermott

Read More: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010...sts-itself.php

Quote:
Here's a tantalizing, if brief, glimpse at the future of wind turbine optimization: Physorg passes on the news that Denmark's Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy have announced the world's first successful test of a wind turbine that uses a built-in anemometer to adjust itself to the oncoming wind for optimum power generation:

The system works by using a laser ("wind LIDAR") to essentially see the wind before it reaches the turbine blades and adjust to what the conditions are going to be a moment later. By doing so electricity production can be increased by 5%, translating into increased revenue of DKr 200,000 ($39,000) per year for a 4 MW turbine.

In its press release Risø DTU says, "The LIDAR system can be used to increase blade reliability by making the blades cope better with the irregularities of the wind. Subsequently it is possible to produce larger blades. This increase energy production, and power from wind energy energy becomes more competitive."
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Old Posted Jan 25, 2010, 8:26 PM
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Europe's wind turbine city


By Timon Singh | 01/25/10

Read More: http://www.euinfrastructure.com/news...-turbine-city/

Quote:
While European countries such as the UK, France and Germany are perusing wind power projects by planning vast off-shore farms, Norway has gone one step further by possibly having a 'wind turbine city'.

Norway is considered to have the best conditions in the world for utilizing offshore wind power and the Stavanger coastline is said to be the longest and windiest in Europe. As such, design firm On Office feel that a turbine city would be able to take advantage of the country's weather, geography, resources and available technology to harness this infinite source of power.



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