Alternative Energy Wind

  

Eolic energy is becoming more and more popular. Wind farms do not hurt the environment and they reduce America’s dependence on oil coming from unstable areas of the globe. Increasing numbers of investors are paying attention to this resource for renewable energy and have been looking for the best investment.

Alternative energy analysts who monitor the latest energy trends agree that eolic power is one of the most exciting new growth industries. During the past seven years, the installed energy capacity around the world has grown from 14,604 MW in 2000 to 84,934 MW in 2007. That’s a total growth of 482%, or a compounded annual growth rate of 28.6%.

What about projections for the future? By 2012, total installed capacity is expected to reach 267,837 MW. That’s an impressive expected growth of 25.8% per year and thanks to Barack Obama’s alternative energy initiative, the wind industry could grow even faster than projected.

How can you as an individual investor participate in this boom and find the best wind power investment?

All you have to do is identify and analyze the companies that generate some or all of their revenue from eolic activities. That includes energy installers like Western Wind (TSX.V: WND), energy infrastructure companies such as ABB (NYSE: ABB), and turbine manufactures like Nordex (FRANKFURT: NDX1).

This investment list would not be complete without GE Energy (NYSE: GE) and Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), two of the largest wind turbine manufacturers. However, even though these companies are giants among other companies in this industry, they obtain only a relatively small part of their revenue from eolic activities. That could change as overall investment in this renewable energy source continues to grow over the coming years and decades. For more articles like this bookmark www.AlternativeEnergyWind.info

Author: Max Appleton

Alternative energy wind sources have actually been in use for quite some time, in fact, we have been using wind power for over 900 years!  As we continue to drive for more and more alternative energy sources, we will see incredible development in wind power helping to drive our economy and create jobs.

There is a general push in recent years to research and develop alternative energy sources. Two of the main options are solar and wind power. Both are effective as renewable energy sources. This article focuses on wind power and gives 10 quick facts about wind-generated electricity.

1. The utilization of wind power has been around for over 900 years. Ruins of vertical wind tower bases were found in France that dated back to 1150.

2. Large wind turbines can generate enough electricity to supply around 600 homes. These types of windmills are usually placed in areas of high wind activity usually tens but sometimes hundreds at a time.

3. A small windmill can generate enough electricity to supply a single home or small business. The amount of power generated depends on wind activity and the length of the blades, but at the very least a windmill can help to reduce power costs.

4. Vertical windmills generate 50% more electricity than horizontal windmills. This is because vertical wind turbines are able to catch wind in any direction, not just in the one that the windmill is pointed at.

5. A complaint about windmills is that the blades kill birds and other flying animals, but more animals die from running into cars, power lines, and high-rise buildings than from getting caught in a wind turbine.

6. From 2000 to 2006, the number windmills has quadrupled across the world. Globally, countries had the capacity to generate more than 70,000 megawatts last year. To put this into perspective, a single megawatt is enough to power approximately 250 homes.

7. Germany is the most wind-powered country. Following Germany, is Spain, the US, India, and Denmark.

8. California generates the most wind power in the United States. America as a hole generates around 17 billion kilowatts of electricity every year.

9. Generating enough wind power for your home can make you money. A typical residential home uses around 10,000 kilowatts every year. If your windmill generates excess electricity, the power company will buy that electricity from you. This only works if your windmill is tied to your main power line.

10. Wind power is actually a type of solar power. Wind is generated as the atmosphere of the earth is heated and cooled. As these hot and cold regions meet, it causes air to move.

Wind power is mainstay in terms of renewable energy alternatives. As more research is done and it becomes cheaper to install a windmill, it will become imperative for residences and businesses to implement this technology to become more environmentally friendly, but also economically more sound.

Author: Dean L.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dean_L.

There are many ways to support alternative energy wind sources and other alternative energy sources from the very comfort of your home!  We can all make a difference in the future of our earth and our ability to preserve our natural wonders!

Is it possible to help and preserve the natural world, without setting a toe outside your door? Perhaps you have some time, Internet access, and a burning desire to make a difference in the world, but your “spare” time is late at night, or you just can’t factor travel into the equation. Many organizations are [...]
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Alternative energy wind sources are on the rise around the world, and GE will be taking over a wind project in Canada.   With a tough global economy, it is important and inspiring to see that alternative energy businesesses are finding ways to continue to develop wind power and other alternative power sources.

GE, through its energy financial services arm, struck a tentative deal to take over a partly completed, 145-megawatt wind project in northeastern British Columbia. The deal is with upstart EarthFirst Inc., which is under court protection from creditors.

If conditions such as renegotiating several existing contracts are met, GE will be joined in the project by Plutonic Power Corp. (PCC-T) a small Vancouver run-of-river hydro power developer. Plutonic and GE are working together on several run-of-river projects north of Vancouver. (A run-of-river system does not require a large reservoir to provide power.)

About $100-million has been sunk into the EarthFirst wind project. An earlier EarthFirst budget suggested it will cost another $250-million to complete.

GE has been looking at the EarthFirst project since late last year, after Calgary-based EarthFirst filed for creditor protection.

“We are seeking ourselves to grow in Canada, in the renewable energy category especially,” said Andy Katell, a spokesman for GE Energy Financial Services.

GE and Plutonic would be 50-50 equity partners, while mostly funding the completion of the project with debt financing. There is a second phase of the project that has been submitted as a bid for a new call for green power from BC Hydro, in which GE-Plutonic have put in a massive bid for a $4-billion run-of-river project.

“Plutonic is very much a growth-orientated company,” Donald McInnes, chief executive officer of the firm, told investors and analysts yesterday.

“We’re always looking for other opportunities.”

Plutonic shares jumped 19 per cent yesterday.

Investors were excited because the wind deal shows Plutonic’s connection with GE is “very strong” and diversifies Plutonic’s potential revenues, according to analyst Tania Maciver of Haywood Securities in Toronto.

B.C. is the only province in Canada without any installed wind power. The country has about 2,600 megawatts of wind capacity, enough to power 750,000 homes, about 1 per cent of Canada’s electricity demand.

The first B.C. wind power project, backed by AltaGas Income Trust, is expected to be ready later this year.

GE also has a partnership with another Vancouver upstart, Finavera Renewables Inc., which has four projects totalling 295 megawatts proposed to BC Hydro.

Results of BC Hydro’s call for green power are expected in the next month or two.

The GE move comes several months after Eddie O’Connor, an Irishman who is one of the world’s successful wind entrepreneurs, joined forces with privately owned Alberta Wind Energy Corp. on an $850-million project in Alberta’s southwest.

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Alternative energy wind sources are being developed the world over.  It is interesting to hear of this project in Argentina, and hope that this is just a beginning for other South American countries to develop wind sources, and develop jobs and investment  opportunities.

The wind power plant will produce between 600 and 900 megawatts. The plant will be twice the size of the largest plant operating in Europe, according to the state news agency Telam reported, which cited Guascor President Joseba Grajales.

Grajales said the project will take around three years to complete and will boost the percentage of power generated by windmills to 5% of Argentina’s energy matrix.

The Planning Ministry official said the wind park will be producing 300MW by the end of 2010 and the rest will be operational by the end of 2011.

“Private Spanish funds will be responsible for 100% of the investment,” the Ministry official said.

The power will be sold to local industry, Grajales said, adding that funding will come from local and international investors, including 30% from Guascor itself.

The project would entail a sudden and remarkable turnaround in the fortunes not just of the wind power industry in Argentina, but of the wider power sector, which has been beset by unfriendly pricing structures, excessive bureaucracy and a lack of access to credit.

Argentina has about 29MW of wind power capacity, equivalent to about 1% of the grid. Guascor could not be reached for comment.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez was expected to sign the authorization documents to purchase the land for the wind farm later Monday, according to Telam.

The plant will be built in the wind-swept Santa Cruz province, where the political career of the president and her husband, Nestor Kirchner, began.

Initial permits are being sought and construction could begin in 12 months time, Grajales said.

President Fernandez on Monday also authorized construction of a 500 kilowatt power line, without which, said Grajales, the wind farm couldn’t be built.

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To explore floating, offshore wind power stations and continue to develop alternative energy wind power sources sounds exciting and a possibility for an area like Southern California where land can be at a serious premium, or even in short supply in many areas due to sprawl. 

Alexandra Beck Gjorv of the Norwegian-based energy concern Statoil told reporters this weekend that the new floating wind power station, known as the Hywind, “should help move offshore wind farms out of sight”.

If it proves successful, explained Gjorv, it could spur an industry-wide shift to relocate wind farms to locations several miles offshore where they would no longer cause disruptions on land.

Moving windfarms with thousands of giant turbines from their current locations on land into the northern Atlantic could potentially benefit military radar operations, the shipping industry, fisheries, bird life and tourism, Gjorv explained.

But there are also benefits for the energy industry itself.

“Taking wind turbines to sea presents new opportunities,” said Ms Gjorv.  “The wind is stronger and more consistent [and] areas are large.”

Statoil says that the floating turbines will be connected to mainland power grids by cables stretched across the ocean floor.  The use of long, high-voltage cables places practical limits on just how far offshore the company can place its turbines. Because the durable, high-capacity cables are so expensive, the distance from land is not unlimited, explained Ms Gjorv.

The Hywind turbine was designed and built by German engineering conglomerate Siemens AG, combining the newest wind power technologies with those from the oil and gas industry. The 2.3 megawatt floating power generator is set for a two year trial run off the coast of Norway before Statoil will make a decision on large-scale commercial viability
of the devices.

In addition to the 65-meter-tall above ground portion of the turbine, the Hywind is also equipped with a flotation element that stretches 100 meters beneath the surface of the sea.  The submerged segment, known as a draft, will be anchored to the sea bed by three cables that can be up to 700 meters in length. Thus, the turbine can potentially be moored in waters nearly a kilometer deep.

Particularly in their early phases, offshore wind farms will cost significantly more than the more common terrestrial-based ones. In the long-run, however, Ms Gjorv maintains that there is no reason why the floating wind farms should cost more than static ones.

She added that Statoil intends to initially push their product in markets where there is both
the ability to pay as well as a rapidly growing demand for energy.

Gjorv
insists that the floating turbines could eventually be installed off both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America as well as off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, Norway and the United Kingdom.

Floating wind farms could prove a practical and beneficial energy source for countries with little available land or who have very little wind, Ms Gjorv added.

“The global market for such turbines is potentially enormous, depending on how low we can press costs,” she said, though she was unable to offer specifics on when or at what cost
the turbines would be commercially available.
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Alternative Energy Wind presents this fascinating article about Turbine Wind Energy as well as great Wind Energy stock tips.  I hope that you find it equally interesting (and hopefully lucrative, should you choose any of the stocks as an investment!).

In particular, the U.S. small wind turbine market grew over 20% and deployed over 9.7 megawatts (MW) of new capacity in 2008. Numerous new start-up manufacturers entered the market and small wind media inquiries were at an all-time high, reflecting this growth. Federal small wind energy, tax-credits are available at 30% of the cost, with no upper limit through 2016 (for existing homes and new construction).

Based on research data analysis, we project small residential wind turbines and solar PV are examples of technologies moving the U.S. toward realizing the new administration’s vision for a renewable energy future combined with creating thousands of new manufacturing and dealer jobs across the country.

This past fall, Congress passed a small-wind tax credit that gives an average $4,000 investment tax credit for the purchase of turbines. President Obama’s economic stimulus package could breathe new life into the emerging industry: small wind turbines. Specifically the bill provides a 30 percent investment tax credit to consumers who buy wind turbines, which are typically used to help power homes or small businesses.

The U.S. small wind industry projects that the enactment of the tax credit, combined with a forthcoming equipment certification program, will provide thousands of new green collar jobs and contribute to an estimated 40%-50% annual growth for the industry

Wind Energy Companies To Watch

Companies leading the high growth wind energy industry include; VESTA Wind Systems (VWSYF.PK - Copenhagen, Denmark) with a 23% global market share, GE Energy Financial Services (NYSE: GE), StatoilHydro (NYSE:STO), Siemens Wind Power (NYSE: SI), Danotek Motion Technologies - turbine generators, Owens Corning composite turbine blades (NYSE: OC), Dewind - Composite Technologies Corporation (CPTC.OB), and Kaydon Corporation (NYSE: KDN) and BP Alternative Energy (NYSE: BP).

Emerging market small turbine wind energy companies to watch include; Mariah Power - Windspire , Tangarie Alternative Power LLC, , Urban Green Energy , Wind Energy 7 , Windmax Green Energy , Bergey Windpower Company , Wind Turbine Industries Corporation , Abundant Renewable Energy , Atlantic Orient Corporation , TechnoSpin , Swift Wind Turbines , Qingdao Zicheng Wind Power Generator Co , Aerofortis Energy Solutions , and Wind Energy Solutions BV among many rapidly growing companies.

The U.S. still leads worldwide in small wind production, but global market opportunities, and the resulting clean, renewable energy production, may also involve foreign states where favorable policies exist specifically Europe, South America and Asian countries.

Industry challenges to meeting its full potential continue to be political, financial, and regulatory in nature, not technological. A continued progression of favorable domestic policies will help maintain the United States’ long-standing dominance in the global small wind market. U.S. manufacturers still claim a domestic stronghold, but foreign markets, expanded by a host of incentive policies, have also become fertile and new opportunities abroad being filled by U.S. and foreign manufacturers alike.

The industry has made steady progress toward overcoming market barriers by challenging unfavorable zoning regulations, pursuing certification programs for equipment and installers, and securing private external investment. It is expected that political leaders at the local, state, and federal levels will take a greater role and further encourage growth in this segment of the U.S. economy.

Micro Turbine’s Visual Appearance

Many types of turbines exist but the traditional horizontal micro wind turbine typically consists of a tail, a body housing the generator, and a number of aerodynamic blades.

How does a Micro Wind Turbine operate?

A wind turbines aerodynamic blades are turned by the wind’s lift forces. This in turn rotates, what is effectively a copper coil through a magnetic field, generating an electrical current. In a micro wind turbine scenario, DC current is then transported away from the generator, with it’s destination either being a bank of storage batteries or an inverter , so that the power can be imported into a mains electricity circuit (such as a House’s power grid). These two usage options are explored later in this document.

Micro Wind Turbines Output

Micro wind turbines are typically rated by their power output at a wind speed of 12.5 m/s. This has fast become the industry standard. However there can still be massive differences in performance between two turbines rated at 1kw. For example, some models of turbine will have to ‘cut out’ when the wind speeds are slightly above the 12.5 m/s mark. The reason being that they will have been produced to only be able to reliably cope with the rotational speed, and power output that a wind of 12.5 m/s produces. A cut out on such a unit will typically mean the unit brakes itself to a standstill for a period of time, before allowing itself to start rotating once more. This puts a turbine that cut itself out at slightly above it’s rated power at a disadvantage to a turbine, which whilst also rated at 1 kw at 12.5 m/s, can also continue to produce 2kw at 20 m/s, 2.5 at 23 m/s etc. Turbines with a capacity to do this are often more expensive and therefore wisely utilized in areas of higher average wind speed. An alternative solution is to incorporate electromagnetic braking into the turbine, so that once it exceeds it’s capacity, it uses any excess to slow itself down slightly. Thus ensuring that at no point does it need to stop generating power.

Reliability - Although the wind industry has achieved high levels of wind turbine availability and reliability, any potential unpredictable or unreliable performance would threaten the credibility of this emerging technology in the eyes of financial institutions. The consequences of real or perceived reliability problems would extend beyond the direct cost to the plant owners. The public’s confidence in the technology is crucial. Without public support, partnerships working toward a new wind industry future cannot be successful.

Basic Principles - Wind energy is still a largely untapped renewable energy resource, particularly in the United States. For example, the UK receives 40% of Europe’s total wind energy (1), and yet only 0.5% of our electricity requirements are generated by wind turbines. The most basic principle of capturing Wind power is the conversion of the wind’s kinetic energy into mechanical energy. This mechanical energy can then be utilized in two possible ways; it can be used to create electricity in applications that are called Wind Turbines, or it is used directly to pump or grind, which falls under the generic bracket of ‘Windmills’. This briefing notes document will concentrate on ‘Micro Wind Turbines’, in particular turbines which have a full load output of under 4 kilo watts. These are turbines which will practical for domestic property and small industrial installations.

As a nation, the United States has made much progress recently in developing its wind resources. However, advancements in wind technologies and the projected increasing demand for electricity will provide significant opportunities to further develop this domestic renewable resource. Actions toward this goal, offer residents and businesses in the rural and urban United States potential for economic development opportunities and potential for employment.

The United States is a prime location for developing wind resources and new wind manufacturing facilities. At the same time, relocating or expanding existing industries can give businesses opportunities to meet many of the material needs associated with wind technology manufacturing, installation, and facility operation.

In many areas of the country, renewable resources provide an opportunity to boost the local economy significantly. Wind plants offer employment during construction and continue to support permanent jobs during operation. Today, tax revenues from wind plants help to fund local schools, hospitals, and government services.

Conclusion / Summary Analysis

Based on the research data contained in this report, a new and expanding wind manufacturing industry can meet 25% of U.S. domestic electricity needs through 2030 with a steady 30% annual industry growth rate thru 2016. The complete Wind Energy Report is available for purchase.

Alternative Energy Wind presents the following article about how to generate electricity from wind.  Alternative energy sources will continue to grow in importance and necessity, and we will need to generate more power from wind sources.

If you are like many Americans, you are probably scared to receive the utility bills at the end of the month. This is normal in this uncertain economy.

Did you know that you can save more than 70% on your utility bill by switching to alternative sources of power?

If you want, you can choose to live off the grid and say goodbye to your energy bills for good. Thousands of people are already doing it, and you can to by creating their own homemade wind generators.

How can you create alternative energy and save money?

You can create alternative energy by using the power of three natural elements.

1. Sun power

2. Wind power

3. Hydro power

In this article, we are going to talk about using wind power to create electricity. To make your own energy with wind power, you are going to create your own homemade wind generators.

Before you consider building your own wind generators, make sure that there is enough wind in your area. If there is not enough wind, you will not be able to produce the amount of kinetic energy you need to convert the wind into electricity.

Once you installed your own windmill, you will not have many things to do since they don’t require a lot of maintenance. The only problems I can see would be when a bird is is made prisoner by your windmill, or a major storm in your area. In this case, your tower will probably suffer.

Be aware that installing your own home made wind generators can cost you from a few hundreds dollars to a few thousands. You need to conduct your project seriously and learn about all the option available to you before you start. If you really want to do it yourself, you may want to invest in a good guide like Earth4energy manual for example. You will save a lot of money.

The benefits of installing your own windmill generator beside saving money is that you will contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide reducing emissions.

By: FranckSilver

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