Here’s something for all you fans of high-altitude wind. There are at least a dozen variations on the theme, but the concept here, in brief, goes like this: energy is extracted from the high-velocity wind aloft as a kite, attached …
Category: Wind Energy
Despite Nay-sayers’ Claims, Renewable Energy Is a Huge Industry
I don’t have a problem with comments on the site that challenge my own bullish viewpoint on renewable energy; in most cases, they provide an interesting counterpoint from which everyone wins as a result. I DO have a problem with …
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How Can I Increase Wind Speed and Thus Maximize the Power Output of My Turbine? You Can’t
I often come across claims that wind shrouds serve to concentrate the wind’s power; I’ve seen dozens of variations on this theme over the years. The bitter truth is that this doesn’t work, for reasons explained in the article linked …
Wind Turbines Are a Danger to Birds and Bats
A reader submits an idea for a wind turbine in which birds and bats are protected by forcing the wind to blow through a screen. I respond: The power output of a wind turbine is proportional to the cube of …
Tagged with: birds are thousands of times more likely to be eaten by cats, birds are thousands of times more likely to fly into plate glass windows, birds are thousands of times more likely to get hit by cars, power output of a wind turbine proportional to the cube of the wind’s velocity, Wind Turbines Danger to Birds and Bats
Renewable Energy Is Important; The Grammar Used To Describe It Perhaps Less So
The good people at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) sent me an email just now with the subject line: “Changes is in the wind,” promoting the fall symposium. I wrote back: Sounds like a great event. Not to pick …
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New Ideas in Wind Turbines
A friend writes: Just came across this in a shared LinkedIn post … re: a wind turbine with blades shaped like a Nautilus shell. Yet another wind turbine idea … is it a good one? No, but I love stuff like …
Wind Energy ca. 1983
The other day I had a cup of coffee with a venture capitalist who echoed something we’ve all heard repeatedly through the years: the most important ingredient in the success of a start-up is market timing. Yes, good ideas, seasoned …
Opportunities in Small Wind?
Certain technologies become unfeasible below a certain scale. Concentrated solar power is one. Yes, you can take a solar cooker on a backpacking trip, but you certainly can’t set up a CSP plant on the roof of your house that …
Victory for the Wind Energy Industry in Scotland, and What I Hope To Be My Last Comment on Donald Trump
I expect to make this the last public remark I’ll ever be forced to make about Donald Trump—and I mention it only because of its relevance to the world of renewable energy: Trump has lost his court battle in Scotland, …
Brian McGowan, the Ultimate Renewable Energy DIY Guy
I keep meaning to take an extra day during one of my excursions to the East Coast and hang out with Brian McGowan, hands-on renewable energy guy extraordinaire, who lives near Philadelphia. Pictured left is a wall of his garage; …
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