Feb 9, 2010 (3 hours ago)
Pending transmission bottlenecks in the United States make effective maintenance and performance optimization crucial. read more
Feb 8, 2010 (22 hours ago)
One of the two small turbines is visible below the front aerodynamic solar-panel. The center light detaches for use as a flashlight. In shape or not, pedaling up a steep or long hill can knock the wind out of most of us. That is one reason, says designer Chen Chun Tung, we need bikes like the Wind-Solar Energy Bike. The design, he says, converts and stores wind, solar, and shock energy, along with muscle power into electricity so it can be used during tough climbs, or when just lazy. Four devices (an adjustable solar energy plane, a spoiler, the front fork, and front and back wheels) harness energy and store it in a battery, says Tung. The adjustable solar energy plane mounts below the main frame but can be unfolded and mounted on a support over the rear wheel to expose more cells to the sun. The spoiler, fixed below the handlebars, combines a solar-cell coating and wind-driven generators. The aerodynamics of the spoiler is said to provide some lift, presumably to reduce rolling friction. And the spoiler also sports a removable headlight that can double as a flashlight. A coil and magnet in each front-fork tine generates a current as the fork compresses and extends over bumps. The..
Feb 8, 2010 (1 day ago)
This week’s WindEnergyUpdate news brief includes: Cape Wind & the MMS; EWEA; London Array, MPI & A2SEA; Siemens; AMSC; Scotland’s offshore wind manufacturing potential; Wind grant to North England; APS; GWEC; General Electric; and the UK’s small-scale FiTs. read more
Feb 8, 2010 (1 day ago)
Wind power has recently received a nice boost as one of the hottest forms of energy on the market. When comparing the recent market growth against all forms of energy, both renawables and non-renewables, wind turbines seem to be jumping to the head of the pack. While it still has a way to go [...] Posted in: Inventions , Wind Power , Wind Turbines
Feb 7, 2010 (3 days ago)
The State of California leads the method in renewable energy initiatives and offers generous rebates of 50% for choose wind power systems. The wind power systems described in this article are connected to the utility company, or grid tied, and don’t incorporate storage batteries. In California excess power generated by a wind power system will be [...]
Feb 7, 2010 (3 days ago)
In a case of thinking outside of the box an entry by TAK studio in the this years Greener Gadgets competition has put a fresh spin on the traditional street lighting. Incorporating a vertical axis wind turbine the team has come up with the brilliant idea to power highway lighting with the wind generated by passing [...]
Feb 5, 2010 (4 days ago)
The weight of wind turbine generators is a significant issue because weight translates to costs. The structural weight of a direct-drive generator, for example, can exceed 80% of the total weight on the tower. The structure is needed to overcome the force of magnetic attraction between stationary and moving parts. The attraction force, a result of the normal component of Maxwell stress, can be 10 times the torque producing shear stress. The function of the generator structure is to maintain an airgap between the rotor and stator. Ideally, a directly-driven generator should produce moderate to high shear stress while negating the effect of the magnetic attraction. A new topology has potential to meet that challenge, without resorting to exotic structural or magnetic materials such as superconductors. The concept takes the active materials in the machine – copper, magnets and steel – and changes their relative positions to minimize the normal-force effects. The result is a structure that need only support the weight of the active components, leading to a reduction of about 55% compared to conventional permanent magnet (PM) machines. Results show the weight reduction while maintainin..
Feb 5, 2010 (4 days ago)
Economic conditions don’t look good right now. Our nation is at war, businesses struggle to get sales going, and the future feels uncertain. To make matters worse, baby boomers, the most experienced people in your company, are thinking about retirement and some will take advantage of it. If there ever was a time that called for solid new leadership, this is it. The question is, how do you find leaders for your company? The answer is you don’t. You train them. A good reason for doing so comes from Jim Collins’ book “From good to great”. In it, he reports on researchers who evaluated a range of similar companies led by CEOs hired outside the firm and those run by people who rose through the ranks. The good news is that the home grown CEOs generally outperformed the hired guns. Although I’m no leadership expert, working with people over the last half century has led me to recognize several traits useful in a leader. Sooner or later you’ll be asked to head a project or department. So consider cultivating these characteristics: For goodness sakes, show some enthusiasm. Let your people know you’re glad to be there. No one enjoys working for a stoic. When a staffer does something right, ..
Feb 5, 2010 (4 days ago)
The flower, by Art Energy Design , is a renewable energy display with solar cells attached to leaves while the flower petals act as a rotor to turn a 6V generator. Both charge a battery in the base that stores enough energy to keep the display lit by LEDs at night. The Pittsburgh Power Flowers Project says it combines sustainable energy devices with a variety of artistic designs. “Power Flower public art sculptures are one example of our mission-specific design series,” says Dave Edwards, artist and spokesman for the organization. The flower is intended to demonstrate thought-provoking ways wind, solar, and recycling ideas can be built into urban landscapes. “Understand that we are artists, not engineers,” adds Edwards. “The real power of our Power Flower is the conversation it starts about sustainable energy. We have created an educational tool that uses the universal appeal of art to meet the public at all levels of understanding.” He adds that people generally understand that if future power is generated close to where it is used, then these devices might have to blend esthetically into the urban landscape.
Feb 5, 2010 (4 days ago)
Wind operators must squeeze out every watt they can when the wind is blowing. To do so, wind projects must be reliable and maintained with minimum cost. With variable winds, high costs, and slim margins, everything has to work right to make sure that wind is attractive alternative power and a sound economic investment. So if a turbine is to work 20 years or more before retiring, it better be properly designed and maintained. Standard procedures: not working Most wind turbines are maintained by a combination of traditional schedule-based preventive maintenance and threshold-based alarm systems. A problem with scheduled maintenance is that the standard six-month interval between inspections may be too long to detect an emerging problem. And fixed-threshold alerts, typically set by OEMs, activate too late to support proactive maintenance. That’s because the alerts are intended to protect equipment from catastrophic damage and can’t take into account a wide range of normal wind-turbine operating conditions and unit-to-unit manufacturing variances. As a result, typical fixed-threshold-alert systems do not detect problems until after a failure occurs. Likewise, traditional condition-mon..
Feb 5, 2010 (4 days ago)
Frost & Sullivan recently predicted an increasing involvement of Europe’s banking sector in offshore wind project financing. WindEnergyUpdate speaks to industry analyst Gouri Kumar to determine whether new finance options may soon be available to wind energy project developers. read more
Feb 1, 2010 (8 days ago)
Variable-frequency drives are reliable electronic devices that control three-phase electric motor speed The $avings Predictor application, now available on Apple iTunes for iPhone (OS 3.1.2 or later) and iPod touch, provides estimates of energy savings when using a variable frequency drive instead of conventional volume control methods. The application comes from Yaskawa Electric America , Waukegan, Ill. Variable-frequency drives are reliable electronic devices that control three-phase electric motor speed. They are used in building automation, industrial, pumping, agriculture, irrigation, and water and wastewater applications to control the speed of fans and pumps in various systems. The payback period for installing drives is usually less than three years and can be less than one year.
Feb 1, 2010 (8 days ago)
Half of U.S. oil and gas senior executives expect to increase employment this year and two-thirds believe the recession that burdened 2009 will end in 2010, according to the eighth annual Survey of Upstream U.S. Energy Companies, from Grant Thornton LLP , Houston, Texas, issued Feb 1, 2010. Reed Wood, Grant Thornton LLP’s partner-in-charge of the firm’s energy practice, detected optimism from the respondents of the 2010 survey. “It was convincingly evident in their outlooks for prices, capital expenditures, and employment.” While only a third of the respondents expect an overall increase in employment for the industry as a whole in 2010, half say their company would increase its employment levels. The 2011 numbers are more promising, with 74% of respondents saying they expect industry employment to increase and 56% expecting their own company’s employment to increase. With regards to the economy, two-thirds of senior executives at oil and gas companies believe conditions will improve enough for the U.S. economy sometime during 2010 for most business leaders to consider the current recession over: 34% said the first half of 2010 while 33% said the second half of 2010. In addition, ..
Feb 1, 2010 (8 days ago)
The software has significantly reduced weigh on aerospace structures with rapid analysis and composite optimization. In fact, HyperSizer has helped aerospace users cut weight of many structures by 20%. Increasing rotor blade length increases its swept area, thereby increasing the amount of captured energy. But larger blades add significant weight to a turbine. So reducing wind-structure weights through composite materials is essential to improving overall efficiency. HyperSizer Structural Sizing Software can assist. It is a tool for engineers who must analyze and optimize composite wind blades. The software, from Collier Research Corp ., integrates with FEA, and can update a CAD model, to help rapidly design a lightest-weight structure, provide insight into design innovation, and produce the most readily manufacturable design, all in less time than previously possible
Feb 1, 2010 (8 days ago)
This week’s WindEnergyUpdate news round-up includes the following companies and organisations: the American Wind Energy Association; Friends of the Earth, the Renewable Energy Association and the Co-operative Group; Acciona; Iberdrola Renovables; American Superconductor Corporation & XJ Group; Mabey Bridge; Moventas & Dong Fang; A-Power; and General Electric. read more
Feb 1, 2010 (8 days ago)
With all the talk of going green, the question had been thrown out many times if there will ever be a time that we can use nothing but renewable energy to power our world. A small island in Denmark is trying answer that question with a resounding yes as they power up every single [...] Posted in: Wind Farms , Wind Power , Wind Turbines
Jan 29, 2010 (11 days ago)
Two battery packs are commercially available: A 12 V, 4.2 Ah pack and a 24 V, 4.2 Ah pack. Both offerings are based on the company\'s 2.4 V, 4.2 Ah cells and include a battery management system, which ensures optimum performance and safety. Toshiba International Corp. says it has established a U.S.-based sales and support for its recent Super Charge Ion Battery, SCiB. This nano-based lithium technology is noteworthy for a rapid-charging capability of 90% in less than 5 min., according to the company, a life of more than 10 years even at a rapid charge rates, and excellent safety performance. The SCiB product line will be supported out of the Toshiba’s headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company says the SCiB design has performance advantages that make it ideal for many tough energy storage challenges. For instance, it is: • Inherently safe. The advanced lithium chemistry based on nano-technology prevents thermal runaway even under extreme physical duress. • Fast charge rates. It is capable of a full recharge in • Superior life. There is minimal capacity loss even after 6,000 rapid charge-discharge cycles. • Greater usable capacity. Up to 85% of its usable capacity comes without com..
Jan 29, 2010 (11 days ago)
The recent line of small power transformers is customized for use in municipal power substations. The utility-focused smaller power transformers, from Pacific Crest Transformers , Medford, Oregon, are rated from 5 to 15 megavolt-amperes. They are ruggedly built, using disk-wound coils with cruciform miter-cut cores and proprietary 360° cooling ducts. The design improves reliability because it increases the transformer’s capability to handle the axial and radial forces exerted on the transformer during periods of short circuits and heavy loads. “With our design, each and every turn in the windings is directly in contact with the insulating fluid, improving the transformer’s cooling characteristics, reliability, and thereby reducing its total cost of ownership,” says Pacific Crest Transformer’s VP Tom Steeber. The company welcomes plant visits for those with power-station-transformer requirements. In addition, the transformers will be on display in booth 622 at the 2010 Northwest Power Association’s Engineering & Operations Conference & Tradeshow, from March 29th to April 2nd, Hotel Murano/Marriott Courtyard in Tacoma, Washington. The company designs, constructs, and retrofits liqui..
Jan 28, 2010 (12 days ago)
WindEnergyUpdate talks to Frank-Are Steinbakk, General Manager of the Forewind consortium about the challenges embedded in the development of the 9GW offshore Dogger Bank wind project. read more
Jan 28, 2010 (12 days ago)
Jan 26, 2010 (14 days ago)
Renewable energy is one of the hottest things on the market right now but until recently, solar power has been getting most of the attention. While there are plenty of techno gadgets, like solar briefcases and solar laptop chargers, that can have solar power on the run, very few if any items exist for [...] Posted in: Inventions , Wind Power , Wind Turbines
Jan 25, 2010 (15 days ago)
WindEnergyUpdate interviews Steven Pottinger, director of the controversial Baillie windfarm in Scotland about community engagement strategy, going it alone as a developer and Scotland’s grid access issues. read more
Jan 25, 2010 (15 days ago)
This week’s WindEnergyUpdate news brief includes: EWEA; Frost & Sullivan; NREL; Riverstone & Seajacks; Enel Green Power & Padoma Wind Power; REG; Westar Energy & Infinity Wind Power; Xcel Energy; FloDesign; and REpower. read more
Jan 23, 2010 (17 days ago)
Hello every one, I hope all is going well. The Keep Turning office will be closed until February 1. Thanks for your business, Josh
Jan 6, 2010 (34 days ago)
Researchers at the Cornell University have taken inspiration from nature and tried to imitate the swaying of tree branches. So what is the difference between natural swaying of trees and energy-harvesting tree created by Cornell University researchers? The flapping leaves developed in the laboratory generate energy which can be utilized by us. They are [...] Posted in: Future Energy , Inventions , Wind Power
Jan 1, 2010 (39 days ago)
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Total 2007 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 175 225 0* 400 2008 98* 292 308 246 228 153 92 84 97 164 246 472 2,480 2009 265 348 244 371 182 86 90 84 250 100 194 131* 2,345 2010 * December, 2007 - Skystream shut down from software problem with cold and would not restart. * January, 2008 - Skystream down until the 27th. Produce 98kWh in the 5 days remaining in the month. * December, 2010 - Skystream shut down several times and would not restart on it\'s own, production very low for wind speeds.
Dec 21, 2009 (50 days ago)
It\'s an expert estimation that the total energy stored in wind is 100 times higher than actually needed by humans on this earth. The catch is that we have to learn and devise ways to trap this wind power blowing across the planet earth. Experts tell us one more thing that most of the [...] Posted in: Inventions , Wind Power , Wind Turbines
Dec 1, 2009 (70 days ago)
Of the total amount of electricity generated by all sources, about 75% is used by buildings, a major fraction of which is consumed by air conditioners. With the demand of renewable energy increasing with every passing day, inventors are trying to find the best possible means to store the generated energy during the best [...] Posted in: Inventions , Wind Power