Weekly angst:

Wind power holds promise, but can’t meet demand
I first saw tall, silver wind turbines in 2002 in the Baltic Sea, in the water off Scandanavia. There were an oddity and looked futuristic. Little did I realize that they were part of the solution to the growing problem of Global Warming.

Wind power in Europe grew from 1,700 megawatts in 1994 to 40,000 mgw in 2005, according the Catalyst, the magazine of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Germany has more than 18,000 mgw and one of its states, Schleswig-Holstein, produces half its electricity from wind during some months of the year. Denmark gets 20% of its power from wind.

After rapid growth in recent years (up by 40% in 2005), the United States reached a milestone this year of 10,000 mgw, enough to power 2.5 million homes. This country has enough wind to potentially produce 11 trillion kilowatt-hours, nearly three times the total energy from all sources last year, according to Scientific American. The American Wind Energy Association, U.S. Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Lab committed last summer to a goal of 20%. But wind now generates only one half of one percent of U.S. electricity. Why so little?

Uncertainty stops production here
Uncertainty about government incentives has kept manufacturers from building assembly plants here. The federal production tax credit, which provides a 1.8 cents/kilowatt-hour incentive for the first 10 years of a wind turbine’s life, making wind competitive, was extended recently by Congress through 2008, but after that its future is uncertain.

And with worldwide generating capacity increasing more than 25 percent a year, global demand is so great that turbine manufacturers are running two years behind – they are sold out through 2008.

So even if a state, city or power company is looking to increase its reliance on wind, and can find a place to put the wind turbines where people don’t object, it can take a long time to get delivery of the equipment.

If we’re ever going to use wind to produce a substantially amount of our energy, there will need to be reliable federal incentives to encourage production here to meet the growing demand.

New technologies
Meanwhile, new technologies are being developed to increase productivity of the turbines.
• Larger blades (77 meters in diameter) are replacing those that in the ‘80s were only 15 meters wide, greatly increasing capacity. And today’s blades are mostly made of fiberglass, with carbon fibers to make them stronger. Even lighter, stronger blades could be carbon-based or carbon-glass hybrids.
• While old turbines operated at a fixed speed, variable-speed turbines allow blades to take advantage of stronger wind conditions.
• Tubular towers are better than the earlier lattice-style ones, but at 200 feet are difficult to put up and repair. “Self-erecting” poles are on the drawing board.
• Turbines that can be put in deep offshore waters to take advantage of strong winds will need advances in floating platform foundations, anchoring and transmission.


News briefs

1. Americans produce nearly half the world’s auto emissions
Americans own 30% of the vehicles but emit nearly 50% the world’s automotive C02 emissions, according to a study from Environmental Defense. General Motors vehicles on the road produce twice the carbon dioxide emissions of the nation’s largest power company, American Electric Power. Ford and Daimler Chrysler come in second and third, with AEP forth, followed by Southern Company, Toyota and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The number of workers who commute more than one hour grew by nearly 50% between 1990 and 2000, according to the Transportation Research Board. (Source: Environmental Defense’s Solutions)

2. 40 big companies plan to double renewable energy purchases
Forty Fortune 500 companies have agreed to collectively double their renewable energy purchases next year. Hewlett Packard plans to buy 25 million kwh of energy credits for wind, solar and geothermal. Staples said it will more than double its renewable energy purchases to more than 121,000 kwh to cut emissions by 7% of 2001 levels through building improvements, alternative fuels and renewable energy purchases. Cisco committed to buy 100 kwh of renewable energy credits. Starbucks will buy 180 kwh. Initially the companies are primarily buying clean energy credits, a form of investment in renewable energy elsewhere. But Staples said it hopes to eventually produce green energy for its stores. Together, in this EPA-sponsored program, the companies plan to save the equivalent of the emissions of 680,000 cars. (Source: E&E News PM)

3. New York City gets polluting garbage trucks off street
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced a plan to use barges and trains to help move garbage by 2009. A 2004 study by Environmental Defense, showed garbage trucks traveled 7 million miles a year carrying trash to collection stations outside Manhattan. The plan calls for new waterfront transfer stations throughout the city, which will cut travel by 3 million miles. The city also plans to introduce “green” trucks and barges that will emit 90% less pollution. (Source: Environmental Defense’s Solutions)

4. Global Warming now top environmental concern, poll says
Climate change beat out water pollution, overpopulation, endangered species, toxic waste and urban sprawl as the top environmental concern facing the nation, in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Internet poll this year. Nearly half the respondents named Global Warming as the biggest problem. In a similar poll in 2003, only 20% said that. Those in this year’s poll also were willing to pay more to combat Global Warming. The average respondent this fall was willing to pay $21 more per month for electricity, compared with $14 a month in 2003. And 28% said immediate action is needed, versus 17% last time. MIT is involved in carbon capture and sequestration, burying emissions deep underground. But they found fewer than 5% of those polled knew what carbon sequestration was. That compared with more than 80% who knew about hybrid cars and 60% who had heard about solar energy. (Source: E&E News PM)


Do something
I’m not going to suggest any action this week, as I know you’re all busy getting ready for the holidays and probably wouldn’t do it anyway. I’m planning to take a couple weeks off and will be back after the first of the year with new information and new ways to get involved. Cheers.