The Alternative Energy blog – green renewable alternative energy


UK is the world’s biggest producer of wind energy

With the opening of the Thanet Wind Farm off the coast of England the UK is now the world’s largest producer of wind energy. The Thanet Wind Farm started sending power to the UK electric grid last week. It sits, at its closest, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) off the shore of Foreness Point, which is located at the most eastern part of Kent, England. The $1.2 billion farm has 100 V90 wind turbines that have a total capacity of 300 MW. It creates enough power for 200,000 homes. The UK’s Read more [...]

Sycamore design could revolutionise wind power

A sycamore seed design may be set to revolutionize the wind power industry. British engineers have designed a giant wind turbine called the Aerogenerator that would rotate on its axis mimicking the way sycamore seeds fly. The Aerogenerator has two arms coming out of its base to form a V-shape, with rigid "sails" mounted along their length.  The arms act like aerofoils as the wind passes over, helping to generate lift. It would measure nearly 900 feet from tip to tip and could generate Read more [...]

Wind Power on the increase

Wind power is now generating 2% of global electricity demand, according to the World Wind Energy Association. The countries with the highest shares of wind energy generated electricity: Denmark 20%, Portugal 15%, Spain 14%, Germany 9%. Wind power employed 550,000 people in 2009 and is expected to employ 1,000,000 by 2012. Globally 38,025 MW of capacity were added in 2009, bringing the total to 159,213 MW, a 31% increase. The graph shows the top 10 producers (with the exceptions of Denmark and Read more [...]

Australian wind farms suffer

Australia: Small wind-energy companies fear privatisations of power stations and retailers in New South Wales and Queensland could weaken competition in the electricity market, hindering their capacity to contribute to the federal government's 20 per cent renewable energy target. Under the renewable energy target, retailers are required to buy or create enough renewable energy certificates (RECs), each representing one megawatt-hour of emissions-free electricity, to meet an annual target. But Read more [...]

£2bn wind farm to be built off Wales

One of the largest offshore windfarms in the world, is to be built off the coast of Wales in the UK. The £2bn Gwynt y Mor windfarm will have 160 wind turbines around 10 miles off the north Wales coast near Colwyn Bay and Llandudno. Gwynt y Mor will be Wales' largest wind farm, capable of powering around 400,000 homes, and preventing the release of 1.7m tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. The RWE Innogy-led project is expected to be completed in 2014. It is claimed some 1,000 jobs could Read more [...]

Money to be made from Green Asia

Category: wind energy – Tags: , , , , , – glenn333
TAKE a trip around emerging Asia these days and you won’t just see skyscrapers and coal-fired power plants growing out of places where there were once nothing but fields. Wind turbines, solar energy plants, incinerator manufacturers, water treatment plants and microirrigation developments are just as likely to spring up before your eyes. There is now recognition in the region that sustainable growth requires tackling the environmental issues such as water scarcity and climate change that have Read more [...]

How to build your own wind turbine

Wind energy is both green and fun, so the idea of building one's own wind turbine is a good one. The following will give you an idea of what is involved. Wind energy on a large scale is now competitive with other sources of electricity on a commercial scale. However, small domestic-sized wind turbines have not yet reached this point. The wind is free, but small wind turbines are expensive in relation to what they produce, and cannot realistically compete with mains electricity. Building your own Read more [...]

China to lead world in alternative energy

In just over a decade China is expected to become  the world's largest producer and consumer of alternative energy, according to experts.  China's installed wind capacity has doubled in each of the past four years. In addition, in just a little over four years, a mix of government and foreign investment has transformed the Chinesport city of Tianjin city into the global manufacturing hub of the world's wind power industry. The country also has one third of the global solar panel market. Many Read more [...]

China’s Wind Farm Push

Category: wind energy,wind farms – Tags: , , , – glenn333
China is rushing forward with its wind energy plans with the pace surpassing even the most optimistic projections. After setting an original goal of 30 gigawatts of installed wind power by 2020, the government recently said that could be raised to 100 gigawatts as installed capacity has doubled each of the last four years. From almost nothing a few years ago, China had 12.2 gigawatts of installed wind power by the end of 2008 as power companies have rushed to meet government mandates to raise Read more [...]

Wind farm companies hit back over “dangerous” claims

The wind energy industry has vigorously rejected new research from the US suggesting some residents living close to wind farms are susceptible to a collection of health risks dubbed "Wind Turbine Syndrome". Dr Nina Pierpont, a New York paediatrician, claimed this week that the noise and vibrations caused by wind turbines could impact the health of nearby residents. But the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) accused the study of being based on an "unscientific" sample and running counter to Read more [...]