Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost main island. The island recently hosted the G-8 Summit at Lake Toya. I know the place, got a speeding ticket there once, which, btw, has nothing to do with this post.

The Wakkanai Alternative and Renewable Energy Study Group and Heiren Energy Inc. are jointly testing a system that will store hydrogen that was produced through electrolysis of water.  Wakkanai sits to the extreme north of Hokkaido. What’s different is that the electricity used to run the project is coming from wind turbines that have been installed in the area. Confusion starts - “The hydrogen will be reacted with toluene to produce an organic hydride, allowing it to be stored in a liquid state at room temperature and ambient pressure, then transported safely by tank truck.”

There’s an energy summit that is going to take place in Hokkaido next week July 25-28 in Sapporo, the capital of the island. Hydrogen made from the wind turbine/electrolysis will be used to power an automobile that will be demonstrated at the summit.

Wind + hydrogen = cars on the move. Good Earth-friendly equation. No?

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Can an oil man talk America into weaning itself from its dependency on the black gold? Is there a quick fix, even partial quick fix.

Pickens thinks so. It’s wind power.

What do you think?

Wind power. There’s an obvious reason, okay, maybe not so obvious reason to some why it is such a good thing. Wind power was attributed to helping Tyson Gay run the fastest ever 100 meters in history - 9.68 at the U. S. Olympic trials in Eugene, OR. The record, however, was aided with the help of a tailwind that was deemed too strong.

In competition, winds over 2.0 meters/second cause a runner’s time to be disqualified. Gay had a tailwind of 4.1 meters/sec.  The world record is 9.72 seconds, set by Jamaica’s Usain Bolt. GP wants to point out that when the wind is at our backs, wind power, too, there is potential to set even more important records than dash. How about a record for the least amount of fossil fuels used for example.

Wind power…there’s something to it.

Japan was going great guns on adding wind power generating facilities…until last year. The number of new facilities added in ‘07 was half of what was added in ‘06. New wind turbines that started operation in Japan last year had a capacity of 185Kw. It was double that in ‘06.

There are reasons for the drop off:

1. Utilities in northern Japan which is best suited for wind turbines have restricted the construction of new sites

2. New earthquake-resistance standards are tougher even for planned facilities

3. The strong euro and high prices for steel materials make wind turbines much more expensive

4. activists fighting for protection of scenery in the area are preventing progress in use of wind turbines

5. activists fighting on behalf of animals in the areas are preventing progress as well

Japan has a goal of 3 million KW generated by 2010. As of 2007, the capacity was 1.67 million. The goal now seems unattainable. Some 40% of the country’s overall wind power capacity is generated in Hokkaido, Aomori, and Akita, all in northern Japan.

Question: Why can’t we all get along?

World’s number 5 oil exporter, Norway has big energy resources and by 2025 it could become “Europe’s battery”.

The island of Utsira, Norway - image by tualatin

A recent study talked about developing sea-based wind parks that would allow access up to 8,000 megawatts of renewable energy, equivalent to about eight nuclear power plants. Exporting green energy would actually help the European Union to attain their goal to get 20-percent of the total energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, waves or hydro power.

The investment for the wind parks would cost up to $44 billion but if we consider they pump out 2.2 million barrels of oil per day, it will probably take only 6 months to cover it.

Norway has the longest coastline in Europe and using wind power they expect to have “access to up to 40 terrawatt hours of renewable energy in 2020-2025, of which about half would come from offshore wind power.” If the authorities will consider the project and it will be built, it may cut 20 million tonnes of heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions.

Way to go Norway.