All articles tagged with #wind turbines
Britain wasted over €1.6 billion last year by turning off wind turbines due to grid limitations, highlighting the need for significant investment in grid infrastructure to better utilize renewable energy and reduce costs. Europe faces similar challenges with insufficient grid capacity hindering renewable integration, requiring urgent expansion and modernization.
An Australian company is repurposing decommissioned wind turbine blades into sustainable surfboards, addressing waste and pollution issues while promoting eco-friendly products. The project uses blades from a wind farm near Victoria to create multiple surfboards, offering a creative solution to turbine blade disposal and reducing reliance on petroleum-based materials in surfboard manufacturing.
Researchers in China have developed a novel method to reuse decommissioned wind turbine blades by repurposing them into durable sand barriers, offering an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for sand control in arid regions, while addressing the challenge of wind turbine blade disposal.
Palm Springs initially faced opposition to wind turbines but has now embraced them as a vital part of its identity and renewable energy efforts.
The Shine Turbine is a portable wind generator that offers a low-power alternative to solar panels, ideal for charging small devices like smartphones and tablets, especially in cloudy or low-sunlight conditions, but it has limitations in power output and setup time.
A tornado in Greenfield, Iowa, captured by storm chaser Reed Timmer's drone, caused significant damage to a wind farm, snapping a wind turbine in half and destroying a total of 10 turbines. MidAmerican Energy and Vestas US reported no injuries, but the storm marked an unprecedented impact on their wind operations.
Tornadoes in southwest Iowa have caused significant damage to wind turbines, which are typically designed to withstand severe weather. The destruction of these turbines, some of which were bent and engulfed in flames, is considered unusual by experts.
Wind turbine repair technicians are in high demand, with an estimated 5,000 new roles by 2032, making it one of the fastest-growing jobs in the US. Technicians work in teams to maintain and repair turbines, often facing extreme weather conditions and physical challenges. The job requires a mechanical or electrical background and offers competitive wages, with opportunities for both owner-operator and traveling positions. Despite the labor-intensive nature of the work, those in the industry see great potential for career growth and are committed to advancing renewable energy.
The EU is investigating Chinese wind turbine subsidies as it struggles to compete with the low cost of China's green technology, aiming to build and maintain a competitive green tech industry in the face of low-price Chinese imports.
The EU is launching an investigation into subsidies received by Chinese suppliers of wind turbines for projects in Spain, Greece, France, Romania, and Bulgaria, in an effort to protect domestic firms from cheap clean tech products. This move comes amid increasing competition from Chinese companies in the global wind turbine market, and follows similar tensions in Europe's solar market. The investigation is part of the EU's efforts to counter state aid from foreign actors and ensure fair and open competition in the market.
Engineers are drawing inspiration from the Andean condor, the world's heaviest aerial bird, to improve wind turbine efficiency. By adding winglets to the ends of turbine blades, similar to the condor's wingtips, energy production can increase by an estimated 10 percent. The condor's aerodynamics, allowing it to glide long distances with minimal wing flapping, have influenced this bio-inspired design. This approach offers promise for more sustainable wind energy solutions and demonstrates the potential of biomimicry in engineering.
A Colorado-based energy startup has developed a colossal plane designed to transport the largest turbine blades for offshore wind farms, addressing the challenge of transporting massive structures over land and unlocking the potential for more efficient and larger wind turbines in renewable energy.
The debate over green energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels is rife with misinformation and controversy. While concerns about bird and bat fatalities, toxic materials, property values, and aesthetics persist, studies show that these issues are often exaggerated or unfounded. Additionally, efforts to preserve farmland and explore alternative locations for solar installations are underway. As the world races to transition to carbon-free energy sources, it's crucial to separate fact from fiction in the ongoing green-energy debates.
Siemens Energy has announced that it will incur charges of €2.2 billion ($2.4 billion) due to problems in its wind turbine unit, resulting in a net loss of €4.5 billion in 2023. The company's shares fell by 5.6% following the disclosure. The issues include faults in rotor blades and gears in newer onshore turbines. While the charges are lower than the worst-case estimate of over €5 billion, it raises doubts about the future of the struggling business. Siemens Energy has also revised its sales and profit outlook and is currently reviewing its wind strategy, with all options on the table, including potential sales or winding down of parts of the wind business.
The head of the Druze community in Israel, Sheikh Muafak Tarif, has warned the government to stop the work to construct wind turbines in the Golan Heights, or face “a reaction the country has hitherto not seen.” The Druze community sees the project as a threat to their agrarian way of life, an encroachment on ancestral lands, and a solidification of what they view as Israel’s occupation of the territory. Tarif also urged Israel’s leaders to annul laws that discriminate against the Druze, which he said included the controversial 2018 nation-state law and the so-called Kaminitz Law of 2017.