Alternative Energy Links

From an article by Kayla Bunge in the Janesville Gazette:

LAKE GENEVA — John Kivlin despises the word “sustainability” for all the political and social stereotypes it stirs up.

But he can find few other words that accurately describe his philosophy on renewable energy and its ability to create local jobs and fuel the state economy, he said.

“(Investing in renewable energy) is sort of like buying locally,” he said. “You buy food from the producer, and you keep that cash here. This is the same. You produce the energy here and you keep the jobs and money here.”

Kivlin and his Lake Geneva-based company, Convergence Energy, a solar energy design and installation company, are poised to reap the benefits of the growing popularity of renewable energy among consumers, businesses and utilities.

“We’re buying almost all of our energy from out-of-state sources at best and from countries that really don’t like us, like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, at worst,” he said. “The more that we can wean ourselves off that and become self-sufficient, the better. We’ll keep cash in the state, and it can be reinvested to create more jobs, and we’ll reduce the amount of carbon that’s emitted at the same time.”

Convergence Energy designs, integrates and installs solar electric, solar hot water and geothermal systems in homes and small businesses. The company also is starting a solar farm so consumers who can’t afford a solar energy system can invest in renewable energy and make money off the power sold to the electric company.

Kivlin said the company has installed systems at dozens of homes and businesses since it started in 2008. But he said the company stands to grow as more people look to renewable energy as a way to reduce their energy costs and their carbon footprint and if the proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act takes hold in the state.

The legislation calls for state-regulated utilities to increase to 25 percent by 2025 the amount of energy they get from renewable energy sources. The bill also calls for the state to reduce energy consumption.

The proposal could create 15,000 jobs in Wisconsin by 2025.

Opponents of the legislation say utilities will have to invest billions of dollars in renewable energy to comply with the aggressive mandates. Supporters say the state stands to lose billions of dollars if it continues to rely on coal.

Kivlin said the Clean Energy Jobs Act is forcing demand among utilities and fuels interest among homeowners and business owners.

“It’s driving more businesses like mine to start up and create jobs,” he said. “This could grow the industry in the state and the nation. The seeds are planted.”

Check out this story of mine in MIT Technology Review about Sundrop Fuels, a Colorado startup that's trying to commercialize a process that uses the sun to gasify biomass, instead of burning a portion of the biomass itself to drive the gasification process. The technology is based on research carried out at the University of Colorado, Boulder, with help from NREL. The company believes the syngas from its process can be produced affordably in high enough quanity and quality that it could be refined into gasoline for less than $2 a gallon. One obvious hitch is the fact that the best place to harness and concentrate solar heat is in the U.S. Southwest — not exactly the place you'd go to look for surplus biomass resources. BTW: Sundrop is operating largely in stealth mode, and counts Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as one of its venture backers.

On the topic of solar, Ontario's feed-in-tariff program is gaining momentum. On Wednesday the province's power authority announced the latest batch of projects to be approved under the program — these ones in the 10 kw to 500 kw range. A few surprises: Loblaw Group of Companies, the grocery giant, has applied to have 136 of its stores across Ontario rigged with solar PV systems. If all go ahead, it would amount to 21 megawatts just for this one grocery chain. Loblaw is starting with four pilot projects and will move forward from there depending on the results. Surprisingly, Northland Power Income Fund will be doing the installations. I say “surprising” because I typically associate this company with natural gas and CHP plants.

There also appears to be quite a few schools putting solar on their rooftops, most of the projects being handled by Ameresco. The other big player in this initial round is OZZ International Inc., which has been approved to move forward on several dozen projects across the province.

All this momentum continues to lure foreign manufacturers  and new business models to Ontario. Most recently SMA Solar Technology AG of Germany said it was establishing a 500-megawatt a year solar inverter production facility in the province that would serve the Canadian market. They join Korean's Samsung, India's Solar Semiconductor, Germany's Bosch and potentially Denmark's Vestas.

Ethanol is taking a bite out of crude oil, this according to a recent OPEC report. An article published in The National, says that rising ethanol use in the United States is dampening demand for petroleum based fuels and this will be felt even more during the next few months.

Next week, OPEC ministers are getting ready to meet in Vienna, and last month OPEC participated in a preliminary report that estimates that $500 billion a year could be spent yer year on fossil-fuel based subsidies. In its latest monthly oil market report issued two days ago, the organization's secretariat drew attention to an eight-fold increase in U.S. ethanol consumption since 2000. This use should grow as the E15 waiver, which allows consumers the choice to use up to 15 percent ethanol in conventional cars is expected to pass by late summer.

“With the continued rise in US [petrol] stocks and surging ethanol volumes in the [petrol] pool, as well as ample idle refinery capacity, any seasonal upwards movement in the [petrol] market is likely to be limited,” the OPEC report said as quoted by The National.

OPEC also noted in its report that its projected demand for crude oil continues to be less than production leading to an oversupply situation that amounts to around 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd). Typically, stocks begin to dwindle after the first of the year but this year, stocks actually increased. Regardless of the current surplus, OPEC raised its prediction of global oil demand by 100,000 bpd from last month's report. On Wednesday, a barrel of oil sold just shy of $80.

Each day, cellulosic gets closer to becoming commercially viable in the marketplace. Two weeks ago, a major hurdle was overcome with the announcement that Novozymes' enzyme Cellic® CTec2, used for cellulosic ethanol production with feedstocks such as corn stover and corn cobs, is now 50 cents per gallon. I had the opportunity to learn more about this breakthrough when I sat down with Thomas Videbaek, Executive President of Novozymes BioBusiness, at Commodity Classic.

Videbaek explained that Cellic is the first commercial product for cellulosic ethanol. With Cellic, you'll be able to produce cellulosic ethanol using an enzyme cost of about 50 cents per gallon. “With this, we think that the enzyme part of producing cellulosic ethanol has been cracked,” said Videbaek. “Now we need to get out and starting producing it and we're really, really excited about that.”

Novozymes is a partner with POET's Project Liberty which will produce ethanol from corn cobs. I asked Videbaek for an update and he believes that with the enzyme breakthrough they will be able to produce cellulosic ethanol for around $2.35 per gallon. However, the expectation is that once Project Liberty is up and running, the cost will be reduced to around $1.90 per gallon. This will be monumental in that it will break the $2.00 per gallon barrier challenge of producing cellulosic ethanol.

This was a massive project for Novozymes who has been working on it for more than five years. “It's the biggest project we've ever carried out,” said Videbaek. There were more than 150 people working on it in the past year alone.

In addition to corn stover and cobs as a feedstock, they are also working with wheat in Europe and have an operational pilot plant in Denmark. In addition, they are working with Brazilian ethanol producers to develop an enzyme to break down the bagasse.

You can learn more about Cellic by listening to my full interview with Thomas below.

“Some people believe that corn ethanol is an old technology. We believe just the opposite,” said John Caupert, the Director for the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) during an interview with me at Commodity Classic. “We feel the corn ethanol industry is still in its infancy and through technological advancements, there's much more to learn and prove in corn ethanol production.”

In the last two-to-three years, Caupert noted that there has been a major emphasis on technological improvements such as corn fractionation, and aneorbic digestion, things that would incorporate capital upgrades or capital investments in the ethanol plant. In terms of corn ethanol production, a lot of focus has been dedicated to advancements in fermentation ingredients such as enzymes and various strains of yeast.

The NCERC has also played a role in the debate over indirect land use. Caupert explained that they have done a lot of research that focuses on the value of how co-products improve the greenhouse gas footprint of fuel ethanol production.

“I think more often than not, we forget about the fact a corn ethanol plant in addition to producing fuel ethanol, also produces this high value livestock feed called distillers grains,” said Caupert.

They will continue to look at this data and make recommendation about how the co-products should add value to corn ethanol in the indirect land use arena.

Listen below to hear my entire interview with John.

Growth Energy's Market Development team is now offering funding to retailers to assist in ethanol blender pump infrastructure. Grants of $2,500 and $5,000 are now available on a first come, first serve basis to vendors who wish to install new or convert existing equipment for ethanol fueling. These grants are in addition to any Federal or state grants or incentives a retailer may be eligible.

“There are over 8 million flexible fuel vehicles across the country with more being produced in each model year. Unfortunately, of the 161,000 gasoline stations in the U.S. only 2,200 offer E85 where FFVs may fuel up with a high level blend of domestic, renewable fuel such at 85% ethanol……….another 132 offer mid-level blends,” said Growth Energy Market Development VP, Phil Lampert. “Growth Energy is pleased to offer this assistance to retailers across the nation and we hope that they avail themselves of this unique opportunity.”

Growth Energy can also offer pump imaging and technical assistance along with the grants. You can find the two page outline of the Infrastructure Development Program by clicking here. To apply for the funding, click here.

The world's largest ethanol producer plans to decrease water use in the production of ethanol by 22 percent over the next five years, which would result in a savings of one billion gallons of water per year.

In a presentation to employees today, POET CEO Jeff Broin said the company is committed to producing ethanol as sustainably as possible and minimizing its impact on natural resources.

Water reduction is the first goal of Ingreenuity, POET’s new initiative to improve the environmental performance of ethanol. The reductions will come primarily through installing a proprietary process developed by POET engineers that recycles cooling water rather than discharging it. The process has recently been installed in three POET Biorefining locations which now average 2 to 2.5 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol.

To kick off the initiative, Broin announced that the POET Foundation has committed more than $420,000 to the non-profit Global Health Ministries (GHM) over the same five-year period as POET’s water reduction goal. A portion of the funds will help GHM repair, construct and maintain 90 wells in Nigeria that that will give more than 300,000 people access to pure water.

Filed under: Biodiesel, Diesel, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

2011 GMC Sierra HD features unique diesel exhaust fluid refill reminders originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Would you believe a car powered by coffee grounds?

Forget the electric vehicle revolution--this car is juiced up by the same stuff that powers you in the morning. The "Carpuccino" car was built by a team from the BBC science show Bang Goes The Theory to prove the viability of cars powered by fuels other than conventional gasoline and diesel. The car, built from a converted 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco, was used by the show because it looks like the DeLorean from Back to the Future.

Interesting story of a car that runs on coffee, not very practical, but a great reminder that almost any fuel can be harnessed for the use of transportation. Makes biodiesel seem simple, this is a contraption. 

An experiment: can you grow jatropha in space? Biodiesel reaches for the sky

Fruits of J. curcas. Fruits are produced terminally in the branches, and each fruit contains three seeds. Image credit: Dr. Wagner A Vendrame, University of Florida at Homestead

What if space held the key to producing alternative energy crops on Earth? That's what researchers are hoping to find in a new experiment on the International Space Station.

The experiment, National Lab Pathfinder-Cells 3, is aimed at learning whether microgravity can help jatropha curcas plant cells grow faster to produce biofuel, or renewable fuel derived from biological matter. Jatropha is known to produce high quality oil that can be converted into an alternative energy fuel, or biofuel.

By studying the effects of microgravity on jatropha cells, researchers hope to accelerate the cultivation of the plant for commercial use by improving characteristics such as cell structure, growth and development. This is the first study to assess the effects of microgravity on cells of a biofuel plant.

$1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive clears Senate as part of jobs bill, on to the House

As expected, the federal $1-a-gallon biodiesel tax incentive has cleared the U.S. Senate on the back of the current jobs bill.

The 62-36 vote now moves the measure into a reconciliation phase with the House’s version of the bill.

I caught up with Michael Frohlich, the director of federal communications for the National Biodiesel Board’s office in Washington, D.C. earlier this evening. He says final passage of this important measure can’t come soon enough.

“It’s an immediate need for the industry at this point,” says Frohlich, pointing out that biodiesel has been without the credit since the beginning of the year. Fortunately, if the bill does pass and is signed into law, it will be retroactive back to January 1, 2010.

It looks like a sure thing at this point, the politics of biodiesel wins the moment, but if this young industry has to go through this much trauma each year, there will be big losses. Let’s at least get a five year plan for biodiesel in America.

3 months after explosion, Imperium restarts Grays Harbor biodiesel plant

The Imperium Grays Harbor biodiesel refinery has resumed production. Photograph: Imperium Renewables

Imperium’s refinery in Grays Harbor, Washington, suffered damage on 2 December when a 10,000-gallon, heated glycerine tank ruptured due to over-pressurization, damaging nearby pipes and storage tanks.

On Tuesday, the plant received its first shipment of vegetable oil and has restored biodiesel production. While the market is improving, the huge plant will operate at less than full capacity for the time being.

Imperium founder and chief executive John Plaza states: “We are thrilled to be producing again. We have replaced the damaged equipment and re-designed the glycerin neutralization system to ensure such a rupture won’t happen again.”

Glycerine, a dark liquid, is a co-product of biodiesel production.

In addition to the plant repairs, the biodiesel market appears to be on the mend.

Here’s a blast from the past. I want to take you back to 1999 when the Gillette Mach 3 Challenger motorcycle broke the land speed record running on hydrogen peroxide and aluminum and hit the record mark of 365 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

In the past, I’ve talked many times about the merits of hydrogen peroxide or H2O2 as a potential future fuel for cars. It is already being used in race cars, race motorcycles, rocket ships, jetpacks and for some batteries.

Recently I’ve talked about the merits of water or H2O plus aluminum creating hydrogen for cars. In fact, many times over the past 4 years I’ve talked about this same subject. But, the last time I had talked about H2O2 plus aluminum creating hydrogen for vehicles was 2007.

Now, high purity hydrogen peroxide (90-percent plus) as opposed to low purity (10-percent) that you buy at the pharmacy, can be corrosive and unstable and must be handled with extreme care. In fact, some would argue that H2O2 is not safe enough to put directly into a vehicle other than a race car, rocket ship or jetpack. Tell that though to the Chinese who produced a prototype called the Habo No. 1 which did use hydrogen peroxide for fuel.

But, what if instead, hydrogen peroxide and aluminum (instead of silver or platinum) were used at the fueling pump to create hydrogen on demand for cars? Or at least it could be produced nearby and the resulting hydrogen could be piped or trucked only short distances.

In this regard, the people who handle the hydrogen peroxide would be the trained professionals who deliver it to the fueling stations or at the nearby off-site production locations. As in splitting H2O, the only byproduct of splitting H2O2 is a little steam and heat.

Anyway, I keep coming back to this point because I see potential in the idea but not a whole lot of development. Any hydrogen fuel producers want to take me up on this challenge?

The Melbourne Taxi 2020 Concept was created by Damian Lucaciu, a student designer from the RMIT University, Australia. The project involved the computer design of a green alternative fuel vehicle that would help clean up the streets of Melbourne.

The eco-friendly Taxi 2020 Concept was designed to be both green, (using hydrogen fuel cell, lithium ion batteries and electric motors), and passenger and driver friendly. This plug-in hybrid would not only run on hydrogen but could be plugged in and recharged using a traditional wall socket or at special recharging stations strategically placed around Melbourne.

As an additional bonus, the Taxi 2020 has a set of small solar panels mounted on the rooftop to recharge the vehicle using the sun’s energy. Granted this may be a bit of overkill because of the hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid capabilities already in place, but as a student design project, this gives additional options for recharging.

For the driver, the Melbourne Taxi 2020 Concept uses GPS, a SmartCard system, and night riding capabilities. For the passengers, there is an entertainment system, disability accommodations and a focus on curbside access.

For safety and fuel efficiency, the aluminum frame covered by a polycarbonate outer shell makes the vehicle lightweight, impact resistant and has high optical qualities for driver visibility. Of course, London will have their hydrogen fuel cell black taxis in place for the 2012 Olympics, which are working vehicles and not just design concepts.

But, the Melbourne Taxi 2020 lets enthusiasts, industry insiders, automotive engineers and others see the possibilities that hydrogen fuel cell cars will be playing within the next 10 years.

Filed under: Hydrogen

Gallery: Vancouver 2009: Fuel cell forklift

Continue reading Ballard gets $6.2M in DOE funding for non-automotive fuel cells

Ballard gets $6.2M in DOE funding for non-automotive fuel cells originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In April 2008, I talked about Boeing putting the first manned fuel cell powered aircraft into flight. And there have been many times in the past 4 years (yes, the blog is that old), that I’ve talked about hydrogen powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

A new liquid hydrogen-powered UAV which is also a high altitude long endurance (HALE) aircraft called the Boeing Phantom Eye is getting ready to be demonstrated. According to Boeing Phantom Works president Darryl Davis, “The essence of Phantom Eye is its propulsion system. After five years of technology development, we are now deploying rapid prototyping to bring together an unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV] with a breakthrough liquid-hydrogen propulsion system that will be ready to fly early next year.”

The important aspects of the Boeing Phantom Eye include its 150 ft. wingspan, 450 lb. payload capability, 65,000 top altitudes and the ability to stay aloft for 4 days. This makes the Phantom Eye a military aircraft that will be useful for surveillance, intelligence, reconnaissance and communication.

But, wait, there’s more (as they say on those cheesy commercials on TV). Boeing is also working on a larger HALE called the Phantom Ray, which will be able to carry a 2,000 lb payload and stay in the air for 10 days. Both the Phantom Eye and Phantom Ray will be propelled by clean hydrogen fuel, fly higher than most typical UAVs and keep military personnel out of harm’s way, while recovering critical intelligence on the ground.

When one thinks of government agencies like NASA and the U. S. military, green energy rarely comes to mind. But, this is the direction both are moving towards and this lead by example philosophy is what we need more of in order to fully realize a hydrogen-based transportation system in the near future.

With an ambitious goal of being 100-percent renewable-powered, Wal-Mart wants to be a green company — but apparently on its own terms. The company has been fighting for more than two years against a pair of lawsuits that demanded that two planned stores get greener. The Center for Biological Diversity and a handful of other groups filed lawsuits against the California cities of Yucca Valley and Perris, contending that two Wal-Mart Supercenters, if built as planned and approved by the cities, would violate California's greenhouse gas emissions standards under the California Environmental Quality Act.

After years of litigation, Wal-Mart finally decided to bury the hatchet by settling. And the settlement bodes well for environmentalists. In order to set things right, the infamous supermarket chain must add three rooftop solar power systems at least 250 kilowatts in size, install efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as LED lighting at the two new stores, and donate $120,000 to the Mojave Desert Land Trust — a group trying to expand Joshua Tree National Park.

Wal-Mart is happy that the mess is over, while the environmentalists are happy that a major retailer will, like it or lump it, set the example that a “big box” store can be built efficiently using renewable power. So, Wal-Mart has been testing new store designs and renewable energy systems that would make their “boxes” more energy efficient and hopefully totally renewable-powered. Several solar arrays have already been installed on California stores, generating 20-30 percent of each store's power needs, says Wal-Mart. The company plans to add up to 20 new systems in the next year.

All that said, it seems weird that the company would go two years without settling lawsuits that simply wanted Wal-Mart stores to meet GHG standards already in place, of which Wal-Mart must have been aware of, considering the slew of other stores in California. Whatever the reasons for the holdout, be they financial or bureaucratic, the result will benefit both Perris and Yucca Valley, as well as Joshua Tree National Park — one of the most beautiful and fun parks I've ever visited.

Sources:  The Press-Enterprise & Environmental Leader

Photo Credit: Box Turtle Bulletin & Blue Oak Energy

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SAB North America’s TR 600 Cable Tray Cables and Flexible Motor Supply Cables have achieved key UL WTTC standard for use in the design of Wind Turbines. The TR 600 series cable earned approval in accordance with UL subject 2277.

SAB North America announced that its full line of tray cables and flexible motor supply cables are approved by Underwriters Laboratories as Wind Turbine Tray Cables with 1000 volt rating and operating temperature designed to meet the UL WTTC subject 2277 standard.

DOWNLOAD TECHNICAL INFORMATION FOR THE TR 600 CABLE

SAB has a wide range of cables with insulation/jacket/shielding options that meet and exceed the WTTC standards.

For additional information contact SAB North America at 866-722-2974 or by e-mail at info@sabcable.com

by Ed Weston

Despite the push from Washington and state capitals for ‘green jobs,’ the wind industry has found them harder to create than expected.  Latest estimates of domestic content of US turbines are estimated at less than 50%.  With the help of organizations like the Great Lakes WIND Network, however, pieces are being put in place to overcome the issues and accelerate the growth of wind turbine component manufacturing jobs in America.

So why is it so difficult for American manufacturers to produce the castings, fabrications, and heavy equipment needed for large-scale wind operations?  The short answer is that several important linkages are too new to effectively bond the forces that need to combine for manufacturing growth. There are three forces at work here:

-Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) from Europe and Asia are flooding US shores, looking for good places to locate and bringing with them proven wind turbine designs and knowledge of what these units should cost to build.  Most OEMs know what they want from a supplier and how much they should have to pay.  What they don’t always know here in America is where to find them.

-Potential component suppliers, on the other hand, hear the call for diversification into wind but struggle with market entry.  It’s difficult to get the details on exactly what needs to be made, what the industry expects of suppliers, and where to get this information in the first place.

-States and other economic development groups struggle, too.  It’s their job to encourage the growth of local firms with loans and other assistance.  Their challenge is finding manufacturers capable of expanding into wind and getting them on track to do it.   New business recruitment is their other responsibility, and as part of the due diligence for plant siting projects, wind turbine companies inevitably ask them for details of the regional supply chain.  Good answers can be hard to produce.

Ideally, these forces form a system that provides the right information to drive the right investments by the right companies in the right places.  States provide initial funding, jobs are created, and all is well.  But of course, that’s not the case today. Actually, we first saw this problem back in 2006, and it’s why WIRE-Net formed the Great Lakes WIND Network, a non-profit supply chain advisory group and that has grown to some 1300 manufacturers and suppliers with a sole mission to increase the domestic content of North America’s wind turbines.

Our answer to this problem of ‘system disconnects’ was to strengthen the needed linkages between supplier firms, OEMS and economic development agencies.   To start, Great Lakes WIND Network pooled its deep knowledge of OEM requirements, practices, and specifications.  The result was customized half-day programs that are really data dumps for manufacturers wanting accurate and specific information to make an initial assessment of their fit with the utility scale wind industry.   These Supply Chain Workshops are typically sponsored by states and serve as outreach events to build regional wind supply chain.  OEMs benefit, too, from the straight talk that attracts the companies that can help them and repels the ones that probably can’t.

To combat the where-do-I-find-the-companies blues, Great Lakes WIND Network (GLWN) created an interactive website that locates its entire network of manufacturers and suppliers on an interactive GIS map.  Manufacturers can be searched by industry sector, by geography, or by whether they’ve become active in component production.  Results provide hot-links to company websites to facilitate fast connections.  Using this website, businesses can seek new customers, partners, and suppliers.  As a next step to engaging in the industry, GLWN encourages manufacturers to ‘get listed’ on its website so that they also can be found.

For those wanting further assistance, GLWN offers both telephone support and on-site assistance in the form of a WIND Capabilities Profile.  This usually takes a half day and provides manufacturers a jump start in defining their components and industry tier ‘fit,’ as well as summary information on how an OEM would view their quality system and competitiveness.

Great Lakes WIND Network records and stores information from companies that join online, as well as those that request visits, and this data comes in handy when OEMs turn to GLWN for matchmaking help in building or expanding their supply chains.  This happens quite often, and since there’s no commission involved, it’s an opportunity for GLWN to showcase the best manufacturers for the applications—and hopefully contribute to new business for domestic manufacturers.

Companies interested in learning more about the Great Lakes WIND Network and its industry-building programs can go to www.glwn.org or call 216-588-1440.

Read more information on upcoming wind power Supply Chain Workshops from the Great Lakes Wind Network.

This week’s WindEnergyUpdate news roundup includes:  RenewableUK calls for extension of UK’s Renewables Obligation; Sinovel and China’s inaugural national offshore wind project; U.S. senators call for ‘Buy America’ clause in the Clean Energy MTC; Iberdrola Renovables creates offshore wind division; U.S.

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The U.S. DOE and NREL have launched the Midsize Wind Turbine Development Project to help close the existing technology gap and facilitate development and commercialization of midsize wind turbines. The Laboratory is sponsoring workshops in Ohio and Oklahoma, facilitated by Cleveland-based Great Lakes Wind Network, to build awareness of the DOE-NREL Midsize Wind Turbine Development Project and encourage collaboration to assist U.S. manufacturers and wind turbine designers in producing near-term commercial value-engineered midsize turbine prototypes.
Wind is the fastest-growing industry in North America however the use of midsize wind turbines in the U.S. is hampered due to a lack of options and availability in the market. This growth market is a chance for or designers, manufacturers, and component suppliers to join forces to close the technology gap and at the same time build our nation’s midsize wind turbine supply chain.
Workshops will feature networking, panel presentations by turbine designers and manufacturers,
information on NREL's National Wind Technology Center, and existing and future manufacturing
opportunities.
Cost for each full day event is $95. For sponsorship details contact Mari-Elen Sammon at 216.588.1440 ext. 121. For more information, contact Ed Weston (GLWN) 216.588.1440 ext. 125 or
EWeston@glwn.org or Karin Sinclair (NREL) 303.384.6946 Karin.Sinclair@nrel.gov .
WHEN:
In Ohio, Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Doors Open at 7:30 AM
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM – Networking Reception to Follow
University of Cincinnati -College of Applied Science
2220 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45206

In Oklahoma, Thursday, April 8, 2010
Doors Open at 7:30 AM
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM – Networking Reception to Follow
Northeastern State University – Building A – Banquet Room
3100 East New Orleans, Broken Arrow, OK 74014

More about the sponsors:
A WIRE-Net initiative, Great Lakes WIND Network is an international advisory group and network of manufacturers and suppliers whose mission is to grow the wind industry supply chain and increase domestic content to meet the expansion needs of the global wind market.

Residential Wind Power is an excellent means of generating electricity. Currently solar power and wind power are becoming extremely popular all over the world due to the costs of installation being so low and how effective home made energy is.

Residential Wind Power is capable of providing results that will have your full satisfaction and it offers the possibility to easily save up to 75% off your electricity bill.  In some cases you are able to save 100% on your electricity bill, and sell the excess to the power company. It is possible to generate enough required energy needed with just a wind power system but this can also be shared with a solar energy system for even better results. The wind power system would be the better option if you live in an area with windy conditions. A solar power system will work best in sunny conditions however this could differ depending on geographical location. Sometimes the season will not matter especially if you are located close to the equator, here you are able to take advantage of the sun all year round. Other areas like in U.S in Mount Washington are known for a consistency of windy weather. If both the sun and wind are plentiful in your area, you could benefit from the combined power of the two. Assessing the overall metrological conditions of the area where you reside is a good way of determining which resource would be the most suitable.

It is not a difficult task to build a home wind power generator. Any DIY enthusiast is capable of assembling a wind generator – especially with the motivation and dedication behind you to really to steer you in the right direction to conquer this project you would need a step-by-step guide. This type of guide will guide you through the process in a comprehensive manner. The most suitable guide to help will provide details of materials and equipment you may need and step by step instructions, the procedures, and all technical aspects. Once you have the manual you will also need to get your hands on some basic power and tools.

The size of your wind power generator or wind turbine will depend mostly on the individual power requirements of your home. For example, 2000 watts and higher, then a larger wind power generator would be your best choice. But if your requirements are around 700 to 2000 watts of power then a smaller wind turbine or wind generator would be plenty.

If you are thinking about home wind power the most commonly used are the smaller generators rather than the massive industrial type. A larger generator becomes a lot more complex to build and install rather than a smaller one. However this would also depend on how much space you have and on your budget, there is nothing to specify that this couldn't be achieved at home. If you are looking at building or installing a wind power generator and only have a small amount of space, then it's advisable to go smaller, at least for the first time.

It's important with whichever size of wind turbine you choose to go with, that it is constructed properly and that it maintains a strong foundation. For a wind turbine to give great results consider the height as better winds are captured at higher altitudes. A good turbine will guarantee a constant supply of electricity, regardless of the intensity of the wind.

How can we not take advantage of the many benefits we get from using wind power at home, what could be better than clean energy that doesn't give off harmful emissions, environmentally friendly, installation is very affordable and to top it off its free. Also wind power doesn't just stop at homes. It is also becoming more common in commercial areas. Today there are lots of office buildings that are already running exclusively off wind power.

A home wind power system is very capable of producing surplus energy. In that case, you could sell that surplus quantity to various utility companies, which are eager to purchase it and earn some extra money. Imagine saving on your elecricity bill, producing clean energy and having the opportunity to sell any surplus energy just by using wind power at home. Bottom line is that there are absolutely no downsides to generating your own electricity derived from wind power. A positive outcome is without doubt what you should only expect.

Residential Wind Turbines are a great way to produce free electricity for your home. Some units can be expensive on startup costs however you must think of a wind turbine as a long term investment – you will be ahead in the long run. If you are not able to finance a wind turbine I strongly suggest that you have a good look at getting your hands on this do it yourself wind turbine kit – it is the most effective design that we have come across as well as being a simple process to build and install, not to mention at $150 the payback period may only take a few weeks!

Still not sure? Why not check out our review on the best wind turbine plans.

"The [wind energy] industry can no longer afford uneven component quality, long lead times for component replacements, and the high costs attached to catastrophic wind turbine failures” states a recent report<

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Wind EnergyUpdate goes one-to-one with Blaine Sundwall, director of wind operations and maintenance at Iberdrola Renewables USA, to run through best-in-class strategies for curtailing O&M costs and to gauge the future direction of wind energy regulation in the US.

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