Eco-Power - November 17, 2011

What’s in the Wind?

Exploding market, but is the U.S. botching it? Grist.org ran an article on wind power as “a growing source of green manufacturing jobs the U.S. is trying to botch” and included the graphic below. Grist’s alleges that, “Policy support for wind in America has been fragmented and inconsistent, and much of it threatens to expire completely in the next few years.”

Measuring speed: According to a news release from the Center for Maritime Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology, we’re still working on how best to measure offshore wind speeds.

Powering cars with wind: According to an article in the Calgary Herald, “A study released Thursday by the University of Calgary heralds a dramatic reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in Alberta that would result from the widespread adoption of windpowered cars.”

Those conducting the study “…envision a future provincial power grid equipped with so-called smart technology that could control the charging of an army of hybrid electric cars so they refuel while the wind is blowing.”

Small wind: Nearly 8,000 small wind turbines were sold in 2010, generating $139 million in sales, according to a report by the American Wind Energy Association.

Vestas & IBM: Vestas is one of the big wind companies; EnvironmentalLeader.com said Vestas will now use IBM software and hardware to find the right locations to put wind turbines.