Recently in Wind power Category

Renewable energy is undergoing a global transformation to cope with today's environmental, economic, health and resource scarcity challenges.  The day of assuming endless supplies of petroleum resources is over, and countries and companies are looking for "renewable" sources that happen within the earth's systems:  solar beams, winds, waves, biomass and even human energy!  Innovation and commercialization of renewable energy is in full swing, offering jobs, investment opportunities, as well as business opportunities to help create the vision and implement the solutions. 

Green buildings of all shapes and sizes will become integrated into these new energy systems for both consumption of energy and generation of energy for their own use and for uploading to the grid.

Here are some of the renewable energies and services surrounding this new shape of energies to come:

Wind
Solar photovoltaics - PV
Wave Power
Geothermal
Solar Concentrator
Solar Thermal
Passive Solar

Energy Services - O&M
Plant MRO
Contract Energy Management

Distributed Generation
Micro Turbines
Fuel Cells
Micro CHP
Gen-sets
Rental
Recip Engines
CHP - Cogeneration
Trigeneration
Waste to Energy

Add to these renewable energy sources high performance energy efficiency, and you have a pathway to net zero energy buildings.  This extreme sport -- net zero energy buildings will leap forward in the 2010 decade as building and emissions regulations require greater focus on efficient operations and distributed power generation.

By 2030, new commercial construction

in the United States will be zero-Energy.

This can be achieved by implementing

aggressive energy efficiency measures to

reduce demand by 70 - 80% and

meeting the remaining energy requirements through renewable resources.

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) will convene the Zero-Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium in order to support the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative.

NASEO is comprised of senior officials from the energy offices of both the states and territories, in addition to affiliates from the private and public sectors, and will provide leadership for the Consortium.

The Consortium will include representatives from more than 300 organizations from the following building areas:

• The design professions, including national associations of architects and professional engineers
• The development, construction, financial, and real estate industries
• Building owners and operators from the public and private sectors
• Academic and research organizations with extensive commercial building energy expertise
• Building code agencies and organizations, including a model energy code-setting organization
• Independent high-performance green building associations or councils
• Experts in indoor air quality and environmental factors
• Experts in intelligent buildings and integrated building information systems
• Utility energy efficiency programs
• Manufacturers and providers of equipment and techniques used in high-performance green buildings
• Public transportation industry experts
• Non-governmental energy efficiency organizations.

THE GOAL: Affordable and marketable net-zero energy commercial buildings in all climate zones by 2025

In turn, the Consortium will support DOE, DOE national laboratories, and the Commercial Building Energy Alliances and Commercial Building Partners in achieving affordable and marketable net-zero energy commercial buildings in all climate zones by 2025.

The Consortium will provide access to technical expertise, communicate the emergence of new technologies to the commercial building community, and promote the demonstration of high-performance building technologies. A steering committee made up of NASEO members and lighting, window, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning suppliers will outline and drive the Consortium's goals and objectives.

More information can be found at the Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative Web site. Details about the Consortium and its membership are available at the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium Web site.

RESOURCE:  http://zeroenergycbc.org/

Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing

Clemson University will receive up to $45 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for a wind energy test facility that will enhance the performance, durability, and reliability of utility-scale wind turbines.

This investment will support jobs and strengthen American leadership in wind energy technology by supporting the testing of next-generation wind turbine designs.

Clean Energy Industrial Revolution

"Wind power holds tremendous potential to help create new jobs and reduce carbon pollution," said Secretary Chu. "We are at the beginning of a new Industrial Revolution when it comes to clean energy and projects like these will help us get there faster."

Clemson Based Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility

The Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing facility will enable the United States, which leads the world in wind energy capacity, to expand development and testing of large-scale wind turbine drive-train systems domestically.

Wind turbine sizes have increased with each new generation of turbines, and have outgrown the capacity of existing U.S. drivetrain testing facilities.

The new testing capability will ultimately improve U.S. competitiveness in wind energy technology, will lower energy costs for consumers, and will maintain rapid growth in the deployment of wind energy systems.

The new facility will be located at the Charleston Naval Complex, a former Navy base in North Charleston, South Carolina, and will be a part of the Clemson University Restoration Institute campus.

The test facility will operate as a non-profit organization with a business model designed for sustainability while providing ongoing state-of-the-art testing to wind turbine manufacturers.

The Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing facility will feature power analysis equipment capable of performing highly accelerated life testing of land-based and offshore wind turbine drive systems rated at 5-15 megawatts (MW). These dynamometer tests of drivetrains are required to demonstrate compliance with wind turbine design standards, reduce wind turbine costs, secure product financing, and reduce the technical and financial risk of deploying mass-produced wind turbine models.

Learn more about DOE's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct05) authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy to issue loan guarantees to eligible projects that "avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases" and "employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued".

Early Commercial Use

Title XVII of EPAct05 provides the basis of DOE's program. This title provides broad authority for DOE to guarantee loans that support early commercial use of advanced technologies, if "there is reasonable prospect of repayment of the principal and interest on the obligation by the borrower." Loan guarantees will be another tool that DOE will use to promote commercial use of innovative technologies. This tool is targeted at early commercial use only, not energy research, development, and demonstration programs.

DOE believes that accelerated commercial use of new or improved technologies will help to sustain economic growth, yield environmental benefits, and produce a more stable and secure energy supply.

The US Department of Energy is expected to open the window in 2009 to apply for federal loan guarantees on loans to wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and other renewable energy projects that use commercially proven technologies.

In the first round, the Department evaluated loan guarantee pre-applications for projects that employed technologies in the following areas:

1. Biomass
2. Hydrogen
3. Solar
4. Wind and Hydropower
5. Advanced Fossil Energy Coal
6. Carbon Sequestration practices and technologies
7. Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
8. Alternative Fuel Vehicles
9. Industry Energy Efficiency Projects
10. Pollution Control Equipment

Financial Institution Partnership Program (FIPP)

This new program--called the "Financial Institution Partnership Program" or "FIPP" because of the key role played by private lenders-- differs substantially from the prior program that guarantees repayment of loans to projects that use innovative technologies. It will use radically different processes than those used so far to apply, evaluate, rank and award guarantees for projects.

The department will release a set of rules for the loan guarantee program at the same time it opens the window--and anyone who wants to apply is expected to have negotiated his or her loan first with a bank or insurance company and then the lender will apply to DOE for a guarantee.

Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20585
www.lgprogram.energy.gov

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct05) authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy to issue loan guarantees to eligible projects that "avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases" and "employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued".

Early Commercial Use

Title XVII of EPAct05 provides the basis of DOE's program. This title provides broad authority for DOE to guarantee loans that support early commercial use of advanced technologies, if "there is reasonable prospect of repayment of the principal and interest on the obligation by the borrower." Loan guarantees will be another tool that DOE will use to promote commercial use of innovative technologies. This tool is targeted at early commercial use only, not energy research, development, and demonstration programs.

DOE believes that accelerated commercial use of new or improved technologies will help to sustain economic growth, yield environmental benefits, and produce a more stable and secure energy supply.

The US Department of Energy is expected to open the window in 2009 to apply for federal loan guarantees on loans to wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and other renewable energy projects that use commercially proven technologies.

In the first round, the Department evaluated loan guarantee pre-applications for projects that employed technologies in the following areas:

1. Biomass
2. Hydrogen
3. Solar
4. Wind and Hydropower
5. Advanced Fossil Energy Coal
6. Carbon Sequestration practices and technologies
7. Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability
8. Alternative Fuel Vehicles
9. Industry Energy Efficiency Projects
10. Pollution Control Equipment

Financial Institution Partnership Program (FIPP)

This new program--called the "Financial Institution Partnership Program" or "FIPP" because of the key role played by private lenders-- differs substantially from the prior program that guarantees repayment of loans to projects that use innovative technologies. It will use radically different processes than those used so far to apply, evaluate, rank and award guarantees for projects.

The department will release a set of rules for the loan guarantee program at the same time it opens the window--and anyone who wants to apply is expected to have negotiated his or her loan first with a bank or insurance company and then the lender will apply to DOE for a guarantee.

Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20585
www.lgprogram.energy.gov

Artist Patrick Marold from Denver, Colorado has created 1,000 polycarbonate poles topped by three aluminum cups. When turned by the wind, each powers a small built-in generator attached to an LED that sends light down into the shaft, thereby, displaying the wind's power. This Windmill Project is featured in an exhibition ("Human=Landscape") hosted by Burlington City Arts in conjunction with the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center and the Energy Project Vermont.

 http://energyprojectvt.com/art.htm

This array of "turbines" maps the behavior of wind and allows us to visualize the resource's invisible potential.  

These tiny wind turbines highlight a huge issue that has been spinning throughout Vermont: Should the State capture the wind to generate power or should Vermont avoid building turbines because they will ruin the view of the scenic mountain ridge lines?

This exhibit will be running through November 1, 2009. You can check out (a sampling of the windmills at ECHO's "Wind: Power & Play" showcase.  Get more information at: http://www.echovermont.org/programs/cafesci-topic9.html

Catch the Wind Ltd., is a developer and manufacturer of the Vindicator(R) laser wind sensor (LWS) and other sensor products

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development and Catch the Wind are launching an evaluation of  the Vindicator(R) LWS for up to three years.

NREL will evaluate how using the Vindicator(R) LWS for forward measurement of wind speed and direction to optimally align wind turbines and turbine blades can reduce stress loads on turbines and improve energy production output.

Phil Rogers, President and CEO of Catch the Wind Ltd. says, "Working with NREL will complement our current evaluation programs and will allow us to demonstrate, on a national basis, the benefits of our forward wind measurement capabilities, including reduced turbine maintenance costs and higher energy output."

Catch the Wind expects to launch the cooperative research and development initiative in October 2009.

   

Catch the Wind Ltd. is a high-growth technology company headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. The company was founded in 2008 to develop and manufacture the Vindicator(R) laser wind sensor.

Catch the Wind serves the commercial market sector for laser based wind sensor systems, recognized for high performmance wind measurement.  For more information, visit www.catchthewindinc.com.