The north-east of England is soon to become the centre of an enormous wind farm industry that is being proposed to be set up because of its close proximity to the sea. Today with 3GW (a supply enough for 2m homes) of the 75GW of electricity consumed, Britain has come up to the fifth position, leaving behind Denmark in the European green league.

By the next decade 40GW of electric power will come from off-shore wind farms with a clear 50% of it coming from the British shores. Apart from this, the booming wind farm industry would attract over £50 billion in investments, provide 50,000 jobs and by the year 2010 earn UK 50% of the shares in the European market.

The British Wind Energy Authority (BWEA) is quite confident that it will be able to reach its target by 2020 but the only obstacle in their path to success is the delay on the part of the Government in sanctioning their plans. Isn’t that what Governments are for? - via Telegraph.co.uk

Image courtesy of CovLtwt

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The Ethiopian Electricity Corporation realized that they were falling short on energy resources and needed to add some extra sources to meet the demand. But instead of following the conventional method of installing huge power plants, they decided to build a wind farm instead.

Built in north Ethiopia this 120 megawatt Ashegoba wind farm would generate 15% of the nation’s power sources, and the largest of them all, in Africa.

Until recently Ethiopia had depended on its hydroelectric power generated by dams, but severe droughts have totally halted the country’s power resources to a standstill. However with this new project which shows to be a promising one this dire crisis will be resolved.

The project will cost 220 million euros and will take two and a half years to complete. Africa’s resolution to enter the green revolution will secure a brighter future for generations to come.

Press release

This story reminds me of the Chinese dude who was able to make a solar water heater for his mother-in-law out of beer bottles. A fellow in London spent all of his $37 to make a wind turbine. He used:

1. a bike frame and bearings,
2. a Vespa magneto
3. a Ford Fiesta battery

all found in a dumpster or in the skips if you are a Londoner.

The DIY wind turbine is not extremely powerful, just 11.3 watts, but at the same time the money spent are little. The creator, Max, wants developing countries to know they can build turbines, too, because he thinks they can build it for even lower.

I have a better idea. Since we in the developed countries have more junk, why don’t we use junk to make turbines and give the good stuff to the less developed countries? How about that for an idea? Secondly, can you imagine lots of car batteries in dumpsters, in a developing country? I don’t!

Why is it that the two-thirds of the world always has to make do while those of us in the, um, richer countries get to create more and more scrap? Something is wrong with this picture, no?

Vestas Wind Systems, the largest wind turbines manufacturer is going to test the world’s longest turbine blade of all times.

They’re going to do it soon, on the Island of Wight in the UK where they will build a research and development center that will play along with an existing Vestas plant which produced turbine blades since 2000.

Though they revealed plans (pdf link), the company failed to mention how long the blades are going to be. Things are clear though. It’s going to be longer than 44 meters which is what Vesta V-90 measures.

The new facility will start producing wind turbine blades starting with 2010.

via CleanTechnica

Image courtesy of kedziers

Broadstar Wind Systems has designed what is supposed to the be next generation wind turbine. Based on principles first established by the French aeronautical engineer Georges Jean Marie Darrieus who invented a wind turbine capable of operating from any direction and under adverse weather conditions, the AeroCam is capable of generating power virtually anywhere.

Though it looks a lot like a water wheel because of the horizontal axis with multiple blades, rest assured that it’s really capable of delivering energy.

Probably the most interesting feature of the AeroCam wind turbine is the fact that it has the ability to automatically and interactively adjust the pitch or angle of attack of the blades that will rotate it. Much like a bird which is changing the shape of its wing when it flies.

“It all adds up to a solution that delivers more power and more choice of location, with a lower total cost of acquisition and ownership and a faster payback period. The AeroCam has the potential to equip almost every local community, business and government building with its own renewable energy power station and it can supplement existing turbines,” said Stephen Else, president of the company.

The price is $250,000 for a 250kW AeroCam wind turbine which is $1 per watt if we do the math. It’s the lowest in the industry.

Now you understand why oil business men are switching to wind?

via Energy Daily

This is the construction timelapse of a big PYCO 1 megawatt wind turbine that was built from March 31st 2008 to April 4th 2008 in Lubbock, Texas. Sooner or later we will understand that we can live a life on renewable energies if we stop wasting and though they build bigger mills around the world this is a good step forward.

This video is copyright in whole or in part by PCCA.