Will the Cheap Natural Gas Bonanza Postpone a Clean Energy Future?
by bill squadron

Thanks to breakthroughs in seismic imaging, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, in 2012 the US reduced its reliance on much dirtier coal by shifting to gas-fired power plants. This trend is expected to continue, spurred by low gas prices and increased regulation on coal.

The move to shale gas is being heralded as a key to economic prosperity and a clean energy future. But there are other options for displacing baseload electricity from retired coal plants, the principals being nuclear, renewables and energy efficiency. Will the gas bonanza enable or postpone the transition to these cleaner options?

While natural gas produces half the CO2 emissions of coal and emits relatively smaller amounts of nitrogen oxides, it is more polluting than nuclear power, which provides nearly carbon-free energy, and it is more polluting than most renewables as well as the cleanest source—energy efficiency. A glut of cheap gas could shelve investments in these alternatives and could encourage consumers to use more energy, slowing the conversion to more efficient appliances, motors, and energy-smart equipment.

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first published week of:   04/01/2013

Wind Energy Nothing More Than A Fraudulent Scheme
by tony elliott

When it comes to wind farms and their supposed generation of renewable electricity, one must examine the definition of the word “fraud”. Dictionaries define it as deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.

The fact that we are told that wind energy is helping in any way to lower our use of fossil fuel-based electricity fits well within the definition of fraud. In reality, in the United States, we have thousands of wind turbines currently in operation; yet the official estimate of actual electricity produced is 1% or less nationwide (and as high as 2% in some states.) California can be used as a prime example of fraudulent estimations of actual wind generated electricity. Here, it is said that wind-generated electricity makes up about 1.5 percent of the overall state usage of electricity. However, this estimate is nothing more than an outrageous lie. California has a population of 40 million, as well as the most wind farms in operation. Thus, the state should be able to be used as an example for the whole US, as far as actual electricity generated by wind, if you consider the total number of turbines in operation along with the overall population. So, both California and the US should have the same percentage when it comes to the actual amount of wind-generated electricity. However, California is estimated to have half of a percentage more than the rest of the country. This is because the wind farm industry simply does not really know what percentage of electricity wind farms generate because they do not meter the production of electricity or the amount of grid power used to maintain the turbines.

What this essentially means is that no one in the wind energy industry really has an idea of what is produced or used. continued…

first published week of:   06/03/2013

Wind power gets boost in budget deal
by lauren lawley head editor- dallas business journal

The Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit was among those spared in the federal budget deal, welcome news to Texas' sizable wind energy industry.

According to the public media project StateImpact, Texas -- the largest wind energy producing state -- set a record for wind power generation Dec. 25, when more than 25 percent of the state's power came from wind.

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first published week of:   01/07/2013

Wind Turbine-DYI style
by netzeroguide.com

Is it possible to make a wind turbine yourself to generate electricity, or do you have to buy one from a manufacturer or retailer?

Yes, it is possible and not even all that difficult to make a wind turbine. It's not likely to be as efficient as one that is precision manufactured. That is, it won't generate the same amount of power in any given wind, or in the range of winds you're likely to receive. Also, while making the turbine itself is relatively simple, mounting it in a way that puts your turbine where it can receive the best winds is more difficult and requires more equipment and a bit of engineering skill. Finally, there are issues relating to building codes, utility net metering policies, and homeowners insurance that should be looked into and considered before trying to use home-made wind turbines to generate your own electricity for home use. continued…

first published week of:   05/20/2013

Wishing Away Nuclear Energy Won't Work
by ferdinand e banks

Lets start with the bottom line, or what I usually call 'The Message:'

While Germany might temporarily abandon nuclear facilities located in Germany, they will never abandon electricity generated in nuclear reactors -- at least as long as German voters prefer a higher to a lower standard of living. Put another way, for every kilowatt of nuclear-based power lost because of temporary nuclear closures that might take place in the largest economy in Europe, another will probably be obtained from somewhere else in Europe, sooner or later.

Notice the two words temporarily and probably in the above paragraph. "Temporarily" means that in the long-run the massive disinformation campaign that Chancellor Merkel and others have launched -- or will launch -- to influence voters in her country, will eventually cease to generate politically acceptable results.

As for "probably", this has to do with some logic taught in Economics 101, because an increase in electricity/energy imports by Germany will likely bring about a welfare loss in all of Europe, with the catalyst for this misfortune being a general rise in energy prices.

I look forward to the day when Chancellor Merkel provides modest teachers of economics like myself with a description of how her energy ambitions were thwarted by impatient voters, who will eventually reject her absurd intentions to find a replacement for nuclear-based electricity. continued…

first published week of:   05/06/2013

World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Could Power 1 Million Homes in Scotland
by timon singh

The title of ‘world’s largest offshore wind farm‘ has been batted about many times in the past few years – from the 100-turbine Thanet Wind Farm in the North Sea to the 175-turbine London Array. However Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd is planning to top both by constructing three offshore wind farms located 22km (13.5 miles) from the Caithness coast that will contain a total of 339 turbines. The £4.5bn project has the potential to power up to one million households in Scotland.

The project has been divided into two distinctive parts – the offshore generating station and the transmission infrastructure. This system will send the electrical power from the outer Moray Firth to the mainland, where it can be used by residential and industrial customers.

The wind farm is expected to generate 1,500 MW (1.5 GW), with each site (Telford, Stevenson and MacColl) producing 500 MW each. In a statement, Moray Offshore Renewables said: “As a country, we require to dedicate some of our land and water resources to the construction of new electricity generation infrastructure, and there are many positive reasons why the proposed site in the Outer Moray Firth is a good use of this space for the development of offshore wind energy.”

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first published week of:   03/25/2013

Wozniak wants windmills in forest
source:  renewablesbiz.com

Legislation by state Sen. John Wozniak, D-Westmont, could open land in Gallitzin State Forest for construction of a wind turbine farm and open the door for similar renewable energy companies to develop on other state-owned forests.

The legislation, which received unanimous support in the State Government Committee last week, now goes to the full Senate for consideration. The measure would open the door for EverPower Wind Holdings Inc. to construct 20 to 25 turbines on a 300-acre tract in Adams Township.

The land was previously a strip mine and now supports little vegetation or tree growth, Wozniak aide John Myers said.

The senator said the farm will generate clean energy, jobs and millions of dollars in revenue.

"We're always looking for more sustainable ways to power Pennsylvania," Wozniak said. "This is the perfect site to use state land for clean, renewable energy." continued…

first published week of:   07/08/2013

Xcel Loses Bid To Recoup $16.5M For Smart Grid
by associated press

A judge has rejected a request from Xcel Energy to recover $16.6 million from the company’s completed SmartGridCity project in Boulder by charging Colorado ratepayers.

The city of Boulder, the Colorado Consumer Counsel and two of Xcel’s industrial customers opposed the request, which was rejected Thursday.

PUC officials ruled Xcel could recoup about $30 million of its costs but that $16.6 million more could not be recovered until the utility showed it had completed the project and that the project would help all of its Colorado customers.

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first published week of:   01/28/2013