The wind energy industry started 2014 with a record 12GW of wind capacity under construction.
Wind power in the U.S. accounted for more than 4% of the energy on the grid last year. This is the first time this milestone has been breached. However, the distribution of wind power across states varied greatly, with some states well ahead of others.
Continue reading… “U.S. wind power accounts for 4% of energy for first time ever”
The UK is currently far ahead of countries like the US and China.
The UK doesn’t get enough credit for its pioneering work in offshore wind power. They have helped push forward the industry and everybody else will benefit from these advances, in the same way that Germany helped turbocharge the solar industry over the past decade and now everybody benefits from cheaper solar power.
Novel energy storage materials flow from the white containers into a fuel-cell like device in the foreground, where they generate electricity.
It would be great if utilities would be able to store the power that wind farms generate at night when no one wants and then be able to use it when the demand is high during the day. But conventional battery technology is so expensive that it only makes economic sense to store a few minutes of electricity, enough to smooth out a few fluctuations from gusts of wind.
Wind power could generate as much as 18 percent of global electricity by 2050.
Wind energy only accounts for a small percentage of global electricity production even though we have seen more wind farms popping up over the last few years. Wind power generates only 2.6 percent of the world’s electricity, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency, but that number is expected to grow significantly over the next few decades.
Continue reading… “Global wind power capacity expected to skyrocket”
The U.S. has massive renewable energy potential.
Transmission lines hold much of the same challenge and promise of the interstate highway system a century ago. The transmission network – the high voltage, long distance power lines that carry electricity from power facilities and into communities – is currently a patchwork system, lacking centralized organization or planning. Assuming that America cannot achieve 100% clean energy with distributed resources, the transport of renewable electric energy across state lines is a major hurdle to realizing a future without fossil fuels.
Continue reading… “The future of the energy infrastructure in the U.S.”
31 percent of South Australia’s total energy came from renewable sources in 2012 and 2013.
In South Australia, one in five houses already has a rooftop solar array. Twenty-seven percent of that region’s power is derived from wind energy. New figures released by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) predict that thanks to new sources of wind and solar power in development, the area could source half of its energy from renewables within the decade. This would make South Australia the first industrialized region to achieve such an accomplishment, surpassing other green-power giants like Denmark and Germany.
Continue reading… “South Australia to reach 50% renewable energy within 10 years”
Wind loft
Are you looking for a place where you can get away from it all? The designers at Morphocode ave come up with a futuristic-looking loft space. They have combined the age-old concept of lighthouse-style dwellings and the forward-thinking fields of offshore wind turbines. (Photos)
Continue reading… “Wind turbine loft living not for the faint of heart”
X-Wind’s vertical axis wind turbine.
Electrified railways in Britain could be powered by up to 70% by wind turbines placed alongside the tracks, if a trial getting underway is successful.
Continue reading… “The future of railways could run on wind power”
Phil Watts conducting an experiment
Working day and night in his backyard workshop, energy pioneer Phil Watts has developed a significant number of breakthrough power technologies, but none quite as significant as the “virtual battery.”
The Virtual Battery Hybrid is an aggregation of 4 technologies; Thermoelectric power generation, solar thermal, ground loops and Nanofluid heat transfer fluid. This technology is currently part of the Colorado Innovation Challenge where people can vote on their favorite energy technology.
Continue reading… “Introducing the Virtual Battery”
Wind power
The final update of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) of 2012 global wind power installation numbers has recently been published. Now Clean Technica has updated the “Top Wind Power Countries” lists. They are all about looking at relative rankings (or creating them when they don’t yet exist). That simply tells us much more about who the true clean energy leaders are than looking at total installation numbers.
Continue reading… “Top wind power countries in the world”
An innovator in high-performance, cost-efficient wind energy technology is SheerWind. Initial field-testing results have been announced which compares INVELOX commercial-grade wind energy generation with the same turbine on a traditional tower-mounted system.
Continue reading… “SheerWind wind turbine can generate 600% more energy than conventional turbines”
Lab demonstration of the group’s new lithium-polysulfide flow battery contained in a simple flask.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University scientists have developed a relatively cheap, long-life “flow” battery that can be used to mitigate power fluctuations from solar and wind energy plants, therefore enabling them to become major suppliers to the electrical grid.
Continue reading… “New battery design efficiently stores solar and wind energy”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.