|
January 2012 |
| ||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 | ||||
04 Mar 2011 | 07:40:13 pm
Despite noisy few, public favors wind
"Anti-Wind NIMBYs [Not In My Back Yarders] Are [a] Small Minority," writes Brian Keane of SmartPower in a recent Huffington Post blog, and he proceeds to back it up with evidence:
- Most compellingly, Mr. Keane cites a recent independent telephone poll of residents living within six miles of a proposed wind project in the United Kingdom, a hotbed of increasingly nasty anti-wind activity since the mid-1990s. The survey found 66% in favor of the project and 12% against it--not a "silent majority" against the project, not a close call, but overwhelming support.
- Similarly, a recent poll of rural residents in the states of Oregon, Idaho and Washington, where a number of wind farms are already in place, found only extremely strong backing, with fully 80% of those surveyed saying they would support a wind farm within sight of their homes and 50% saying they would "strongly" support it.
There is nothing new about positive polls on wind energy, of course--there have been dozens over the past two decades, with each and every one showing remarkably high levels of support for this clean, affordable, homegrown energy source. (One of the most recent was conducted by the Financial Times and Harris Interactive.) What is different about the surveys cited here is the explicit question about a wind farm located near the respondent's residence--I'm not aware of much public opinion research into that question since the early 1980s, well before the wind industry's dramatic expansion of the past 10 years.
Concludes Mr. Keane, "Wind energy will be critical to building America's clean energy economy in the long term. In the short term, it represents one of the best options for communities hoping to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels while still meeting electricity demand. Momentum is gathering behind the movement toward clean energy, including wind. It would be foolish to let this motivation fall victim to anti-wind rhetoric and NIMBYs who keep wishing for the old days."
- Most compellingly, Mr. Keane cites a recent independent telephone poll of residents living within six miles of a proposed wind project in the United Kingdom, a hotbed of increasingly nasty anti-wind activity since the mid-1990s. The survey found 66% in favor of the project and 12% against it--not a "silent majority" against the project, not a close call, but overwhelming support.
- Similarly, a recent poll of rural residents in the states of Oregon, Idaho and Washington, where a number of wind farms are already in place, found only extremely strong backing, with fully 80% of those surveyed saying they would support a wind farm within sight of their homes and 50% saying they would "strongly" support it.
There is nothing new about positive polls on wind energy, of course--there have been dozens over the past two decades, with each and every one showing remarkably high levels of support for this clean, affordable, homegrown energy source. (One of the most recent was conducted by the Financial Times and Harris Interactive.) What is different about the surveys cited here is the explicit question about a wind farm located near the respondent's residence--I'm not aware of much public opinion research into that question since the early 1980s, well before the wind industry's dramatic expansion of the past 10 years.
Concludes Mr. Keane, "Wind energy will be critical to building America's clean energy economy in the long term. In the short term, it represents one of the best options for communities hoping to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels while still meeting electricity demand. Momentum is gathering behind the movement toward clean energy, including wind. It would be foolish to let this motivation fall victim to anti-wind rhetoric and NIMBYs who keep wishing for the old days."
By : Tom Gray
02 Mar 2011 | 03:58:22 pm
Canadian wind blog: a fresh, thoughtful voice
I've been impressed during the past few days by two separate posts on a Canadian wind blog, Harvesting Wind Support, and want to recommend it to readers looking for a thoughtful analysis of anti-wind groups and their arguments.
The first post, Pro-Wind … And Proud Of It, begins as follows: "I am Pro-Wind and I’ll tell you why. I’ve spent many hours reading all the arguments for and against wind turbines. If you were to measure the issue by bulk of material and sites on the internet alone, the anti-wind groups come out on the heavy side. But quantity doesn’t equal quality. Dig deeper and read, not the rhetoric, but the facts." Anti-wind groups take some hits for their conduct (lack of due diligence in researching issues, splitting communities with "unwillingness to compromise," and more) and the author concludes with several pointers to the websites of authoritative sources on Ontario's energy supply.
The second post, Misinformation Fouls the Wind Debate, largely consists of a letter to the editor from Mike Brigham, chair of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-Operative (TREC), describing the discussion tactics of anti-wind groups. The following lengthy quote should give a general idea of Mr. Brigham's experience:
"Here are but a few statements thrown around at the meeting with no backup information:
"-The CNE [Canadian National Exhibition] wind turbine [in Toronto] broke down three years ago and was abandoned. Wrong. When asked where this information came from, the response was ‘through a friend’. It would appear that no attempt was made confirm that the 'friend' was correct or any attempt to admit that the information being shared was indeed false. In fact, in fiscal 2009 the ExPlace turbine saw the highest production ever.
"-No country in the world has seen a drop in coal-fired generation due to the addition of wind power. Wrong. The meeting was told that Denmark [is] an example where the use of coal had supposedly increased by 50% in the past 30 years, despite the addition of substantial wind power. In fact the Danish government reports that in the period between 1994 and 2007, the use of coal has declined by more than 40%. When the Danish report was presented at the meeting, again no admission of misinformation, just an attempt to switch the topic once again to the next point."
The post about Mr. Brigham's letter ends with an affirmation that while he chairs TREC, a nonprofit, "He makes his living completely outside the renewable energy field and is not supported or directed by the wind industry in any way."
It's nice to see the anti side of the wind debate being held up to the sort of scrutiny that wind project developers routinely undergo.
The first post, Pro-Wind … And Proud Of It, begins as follows: "I am Pro-Wind and I’ll tell you why. I’ve spent many hours reading all the arguments for and against wind turbines. If you were to measure the issue by bulk of material and sites on the internet alone, the anti-wind groups come out on the heavy side. But quantity doesn’t equal quality. Dig deeper and read, not the rhetoric, but the facts." Anti-wind groups take some hits for their conduct (lack of due diligence in researching issues, splitting communities with "unwillingness to compromise," and more) and the author concludes with several pointers to the websites of authoritative sources on Ontario's energy supply.
The second post, Misinformation Fouls the Wind Debate, largely consists of a letter to the editor from Mike Brigham, chair of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-Operative (TREC), describing the discussion tactics of anti-wind groups. The following lengthy quote should give a general idea of Mr. Brigham's experience:
"Here are but a few statements thrown around at the meeting with no backup information:
"-The CNE [Canadian National Exhibition] wind turbine [in Toronto] broke down three years ago and was abandoned. Wrong. When asked where this information came from, the response was ‘through a friend’. It would appear that no attempt was made confirm that the 'friend' was correct or any attempt to admit that the information being shared was indeed false. In fact, in fiscal 2009 the ExPlace turbine saw the highest production ever.
"-No country in the world has seen a drop in coal-fired generation due to the addition of wind power. Wrong. The meeting was told that Denmark [is] an example where the use of coal had supposedly increased by 50% in the past 30 years, despite the addition of substantial wind power. In fact the Danish government reports that in the period between 1994 and 2007, the use of coal has declined by more than 40%. When the Danish report was presented at the meeting, again no admission of misinformation, just an attempt to switch the topic once again to the next point."
The post about Mr. Brigham's letter ends with an affirmation that while he chairs TREC, a nonprofit, "He makes his living completely outside the renewable energy field and is not supported or directed by the wind industry in any way."
It's nice to see the anti side of the wind debate being held up to the sort of scrutiny that wind project developers routinely undergo.
By : Tom Gray
28 Feb 2011 | 02:33:36 pm
USDA’s Sarah Bittleman Discusses Her Approach to Renewables
By Andrew Seifter
I had a chance to catch up with USDA Senior Energy Advisor Sarah Bittleman at the 2011 Agricultural Outlook Forum on February 25. She talked about USDA’s efforts to help farmers and ranchers lower their electricity costs with renewable energy and the role AWEA is playing in increasing access to wind power across America. But she also spoke about how growing up on a farm in Upstate New York shaped the way she thinks about self-sustaining rural communities and renewable energy.
Bittleman was from one of the only Jewish families in her area, but that didn’t stop her family from using their land to start a thriving Christmas tree business. When she wasn’t helping sell Christmas trees, she was chopping wood for the family’s furnace, something she said gave her “a real feeling” for renewable energy “based in blisters.”
Bittleman believes USDA’s role is to create economic opportunity in rural America, and the continued development of renewable energy is a big part of that mission.
One example of USDA’s commitment to renewable energy came earlier this month, when Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced support for the PrairieWinds wind farm energy project, a public-private investment partnership that will involve the construction of over 100 wind turbines in central South Dakota. The project will be undertaken by Basin Electric Power Cooperative, which upon completion will have more than 700 megawatts of wind generation in its portfolio.
Bittleman and Vilsack recognize that these types of projects create jobs, generate increased income, improve reliability, make electricity costs more predictable and help meet rising consumer demand in rural parts of the country.
Andrew Seifter is a Washington, D.C.-based writer and researcher working for AWEA.
I had a chance to catch up with USDA Senior Energy Advisor Sarah Bittleman at the 2011 Agricultural Outlook Forum on February 25. She talked about USDA’s efforts to help farmers and ranchers lower their electricity costs with renewable energy and the role AWEA is playing in increasing access to wind power across America. But she also spoke about how growing up on a farm in Upstate New York shaped the way she thinks about self-sustaining rural communities and renewable energy.
Bittleman was from one of the only Jewish families in her area, but that didn’t stop her family from using their land to start a thriving Christmas tree business. When she wasn’t helping sell Christmas trees, she was chopping wood for the family’s furnace, something she said gave her “a real feeling” for renewable energy “based in blisters.”
Bittleman believes USDA’s role is to create economic opportunity in rural America, and the continued development of renewable energy is a big part of that mission.
One example of USDA’s commitment to renewable energy came earlier this month, when Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced support for the PrairieWinds wind farm energy project, a public-private investment partnership that will involve the construction of over 100 wind turbines in central South Dakota. The project will be undertaken by Basin Electric Power Cooperative, which upon completion will have more than 700 megawatts of wind generation in its portfolio.
Bittleman and Vilsack recognize that these types of projects create jobs, generate increased income, improve reliability, make electricity costs more predictable and help meet rising consumer demand in rural parts of the country.
Andrew Seifter is a Washington, D.C.-based writer and researcher working for AWEA.
By : Tom Gray
23 Feb 2011 | 03:09:08 pm
What About Wind and Electric Cars?
By Denise Bode, AWEA CEO
From the wind energy industry's perspective, greater electrification of the transportation sector to allow clean, affordable, homegrown wind power to directly power our vehicles would be an excellent long-term strategy to reduce America's dependence on imported oil. While wind energy is already significantly reducing air pollution and the fossil fuel dependence of our economy, those savings would be expanded even further if wind energy could directly reduce the use of oil in the transportation sector.
Our in-house statistical experts were asked recently to come up with some numbers on what it would take to provide the additional electricity if half of the U.S. auto fleet were composed of plug-in electric hybrid autos.
Here's what they told us:
If half of the U.S. car fleet were plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and were powered by clean wind energy:
- We would avoid the use of over 60 billion gallons of gasoline annually;
- We would use 3 billion fewer barrels of oil annually;
Further, accomplishing this level of oil reduction would require only 143 GW or 82,000 turbines.[1] That’s less than 2% of the total wind resource potential in the U.S.
Wind works to produce manufacturing and construction jobs, so using our nation's abundant, homegrown wind energy to power vehicles would be a win-win for our economy and the environment, while at the same time reducing our current dependence on fossil fuels. Growth in the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles would bring thousands of new manufacturing jobs both in wind and in the hard-pressed automobile industry. Additional oil savings could be realized by using natural gas that is produced in an environmentally responsible manner for long-haul trucking, a transportation application for which electric vehicles are not well suited.
Upgrading our aging electric transmission system will be critical in many scenarios, including one with high renewable and high auto electrification. This upgrade would make the entire electric utility system more reliable while also allowing lower-cost wind energy to flow from rural areas around the nation. Wind has already proven itself as a potent rural economic development tool.
In short, the combination of more and better transmission, more wind power, and plug-in electric vehicles will bolster our national security, improve electric reliability, create new manufacturing jobs, save consumers money, and revitalize rural communities. It's hard to think of a policy prescription with a greater range of favorable outcomes.
[1] Assumptions:
- Mid-size sedan PHEV uses 0.30 kWh per mile (versus 0.26 kWh per mile for small sedan)
- Average distance driven: 32 miles per day
- Current Vehicle Fleet:
234,500,000: Cars & Light Duty Vehicles (2-axel/4-wheel)
251,000,000: All vehicles
- Wind assumptions: 35% average capacity factor of new fleet
- Gasoline Consumption: Average MPG of 22.5 miles per gallon (blending car efficiency with other vehicle MPG)
- 20 gallons of gasoline are produced from 1 barrel of oil.
From the wind energy industry's perspective, greater electrification of the transportation sector to allow clean, affordable, homegrown wind power to directly power our vehicles would be an excellent long-term strategy to reduce America's dependence on imported oil. While wind energy is already significantly reducing air pollution and the fossil fuel dependence of our economy, those savings would be expanded even further if wind energy could directly reduce the use of oil in the transportation sector.
Our in-house statistical experts were asked recently to come up with some numbers on what it would take to provide the additional electricity if half of the U.S. auto fleet were composed of plug-in electric hybrid autos.
Here's what they told us:
If half of the U.S. car fleet were plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and were powered by clean wind energy:
- We would avoid the use of over 60 billion gallons of gasoline annually;
- We would use 3 billion fewer barrels of oil annually;
Further, accomplishing this level of oil reduction would require only 143 GW or 82,000 turbines.[1] That’s less than 2% of the total wind resource potential in the U.S.
Wind works to produce manufacturing and construction jobs, so using our nation's abundant, homegrown wind energy to power vehicles would be a win-win for our economy and the environment, while at the same time reducing our current dependence on fossil fuels. Growth in the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles would bring thousands of new manufacturing jobs both in wind and in the hard-pressed automobile industry. Additional oil savings could be realized by using natural gas that is produced in an environmentally responsible manner for long-haul trucking, a transportation application for which electric vehicles are not well suited.
Upgrading our aging electric transmission system will be critical in many scenarios, including one with high renewable and high auto electrification. This upgrade would make the entire electric utility system more reliable while also allowing lower-cost wind energy to flow from rural areas around the nation. Wind has already proven itself as a potent rural economic development tool.
In short, the combination of more and better transmission, more wind power, and plug-in electric vehicles will bolster our national security, improve electric reliability, create new manufacturing jobs, save consumers money, and revitalize rural communities. It's hard to think of a policy prescription with a greater range of favorable outcomes.
[1] Assumptions:
- Mid-size sedan PHEV uses 0.30 kWh per mile (versus 0.26 kWh per mile for small sedan)
- Average distance driven: 32 miles per day
- Current Vehicle Fleet:
234,500,000: Cars & Light Duty Vehicles (2-axel/4-wheel)
251,000,000: All vehicles
- Wind assumptions: 35% average capacity factor of new fleet
- Gasoline Consumption: Average MPG of 22.5 miles per gallon (blending car efficiency with other vehicle MPG)
- 20 gallons of gasoline are produced from 1 barrel of oil.
By : Tom Gray
14 Feb 2011 | 02:25:34 pm
Wind Factory Watch: Offshore Wind: Virginia
Wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa and shipbuilder Northrop Grumman officially launched the Offshore Wind Technology Center in Chesapeake, Va., last week with the aim of developing a new 5-MW offshore turbine design. The companies said their goal is to combine Gamesa's multi-megawatt turbine experience with Northrop Grumman's knowledge of the relatively harsh operating environment at sea.
The Center currently is staffed by a team of nearly 50 engineers who will be responsible for designing and testing two prototype turbines.
AWEA Chief Operating Officer Britt Theismann was on hand for the launch event, commenting: "Offshore wind development is the next big thing for the American Wind industry, and this center is a major milestone in our progress to harness these vast resources to power our economy and put people to work. Through this new center, Gamesa and Northrop Grumman are creating a new and revolutionary addition to the wind energy supply chain, right here in America. This facility is another example of the many jobs and economic benefits the wind industry is bringing to this country. Wind power is clean, affordable and homegrown."
"We needed to find the best partner for the marine environments, someone capable of meeting Gamesa's high performance standards, and we found that partner in Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding," said Dirk Matthys, Chairman and CEO of Gamesa North America. "This venture will enable Gamesa, already one the world's leading designers, manufacturers, installers and maintainers of land-based wind turbines, to put our technology to work to design the first generation of offshore wind technology that will meet the rising demand for clean, sustainable energy."
Previous posts in this series:
Wind Factory Watch: Schuff Steel: Kansas, 1/12/11
Wind Factory Watch: Vest-Fiber: Missouri, 12/29/10
Wind Factory Watch: Northern Power Systems: Michigan, 12/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Four that got away, 12/2/10
Wind Factory Watch: Draka: Kansas, 11/11/10
Wind Factory Watch: URV: Michigan, 10/22/10
Wind Factory Watch: Saertex: North Carolina, 10/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Goldwind: Montana, 10/15/10
Wind Factory Watch: Mass Tank: Massachusetts, 10/14/10
Wind Factory Watch: Vestas: Colorado, 10/13/10
Wind Factory Watch: Moventas: Oregon, 9/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Energetx: Michigan, 9/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Avanti: Wisconsin, 9/3/10
Wind Factory Watch: Second Wind: Massachusetts, 9/2/10
Wind Factory Watch: TPI Composites: Massachusetts, 8/26/10
Wind Factory Watch: Blade Dynamics: Louisiana, 8/25/10
Wind Factory Watch: Vestas: Colorado, 7/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Eagle Claw: Oklahoma, 6/30/10
Wind Factory Watch: Alstom: Texas, 5/27/10
Wind Factory Watch: Beckmann Volmer: Arkansas, 5/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Ingersoll Machine Tools, 5/15/10
Wind Factory Watch: ZF Industries: Georgia, 5/10/10
The Center currently is staffed by a team of nearly 50 engineers who will be responsible for designing and testing two prototype turbines.
AWEA Chief Operating Officer Britt Theismann was on hand for the launch event, commenting: "Offshore wind development is the next big thing for the American Wind industry, and this center is a major milestone in our progress to harness these vast resources to power our economy and put people to work. Through this new center, Gamesa and Northrop Grumman are creating a new and revolutionary addition to the wind energy supply chain, right here in America. This facility is another example of the many jobs and economic benefits the wind industry is bringing to this country. Wind power is clean, affordable and homegrown."
"We needed to find the best partner for the marine environments, someone capable of meeting Gamesa's high performance standards, and we found that partner in Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding," said Dirk Matthys, Chairman and CEO of Gamesa North America. "This venture will enable Gamesa, already one the world's leading designers, manufacturers, installers and maintainers of land-based wind turbines, to put our technology to work to design the first generation of offshore wind technology that will meet the rising demand for clean, sustainable energy."
Previous posts in this series:
Wind Factory Watch: Schuff Steel: Kansas, 1/12/11
Wind Factory Watch: Vest-Fiber: Missouri, 12/29/10
Wind Factory Watch: Northern Power Systems: Michigan, 12/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Four that got away, 12/2/10
Wind Factory Watch: Draka: Kansas, 11/11/10
Wind Factory Watch: URV: Michigan, 10/22/10
Wind Factory Watch: Saertex: North Carolina, 10/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Goldwind: Montana, 10/15/10
Wind Factory Watch: Mass Tank: Massachusetts, 10/14/10
Wind Factory Watch: Vestas: Colorado, 10/13/10
Wind Factory Watch: Moventas: Oregon, 9/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Energetx: Michigan, 9/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Avanti: Wisconsin, 9/3/10
Wind Factory Watch: Second Wind: Massachusetts, 9/2/10
Wind Factory Watch: TPI Composites: Massachusetts, 8/26/10
Wind Factory Watch: Blade Dynamics: Louisiana, 8/25/10
Wind Factory Watch: Vestas: Colorado, 7/7/10
Wind Factory Watch: Eagle Claw: Oklahoma, 6/30/10
Wind Factory Watch: Alstom: Texas, 5/27/10
Wind Factory Watch: Beckmann Volmer: Arkansas, 5/21/10
Wind Factory Watch: Ingersoll Machine Tools, 5/15/10
Wind Factory Watch: ZF Industries: Georgia, 5/10/10
By : Tom Gray