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After all that fire and brimstone over the impending phase-out of incandescent light bulbs, lighting giant Philips has stepped in to pour oil on troubled waters. The company has just launched a new energy efficient light bulb that looks and acts just like an incandescent light bulb. At a 28 percent energy savings, the company’s new EcoVantage light bulb is designed to satisfy 21st century federal energy efficiency standards while preserving the  classic 19th century styling

Now that the dust has settled, it looks like certain light bulb loving politicians are due for their Emily Litella moment, as in, “Never mind.”

Europe’s UpWind project is delivering on its promise of developing a 20 MW (megawatt) wind turbine, using only current technology and materials. The largest wind turbines in use today are only about 6-10 MW, so the 20 MW Upwind turbine — conceived as a offshore installation located in the North Sea — represents a quantum leap forward for grid-connected wind power.

Obstacles to a 20 MW Wind Turbine

In a North Sea location, a single wind turbine could power up to 20,000 homes, more than enough to provide all the residential energy use of many small towns and cities. The big sticking point is money. Given the goal of using only current technology, UpWind researchers found that a 20 MW wind turbine would be up to 20 percent more expensive than the smaller turbines in use today.

Solutions for a 20 MW Wind Turbine

The UpWind collaboration includes about 40 private an public sector partners, and the resulting solution (piloted by the Technical University of Denmark) is a “smart” turbine blade with an edge that acts like the flaps on airplane wings. It moves up and down to adjust to turbulence, reducing fatigue and preventing extreme loads from interfering with the efficiency of the turbine. Instead of using anemometers to measure wind speed at individual points, DTU adapted a laser-based technology used in research, that can measure wind speed over distance. The next step is to adapt the laser measuring system, called LIDAR, to fit in the hub of the turbine.

What Good is a 20 MW Wind Turbine?

The U.S. wind industry has had to adapt quickly to emerging issues such as noise, aesthetics, and impacts on wildlife (to say nothing of political issues), and at first glance it would seem that a 20 megawatt turbine would add to the headaches. However, a super-large turbine could actually resolve some of these conflicts by opening up the opportunity to install more megawatts at appropriate sites where these issues are not in play, for example in brownfields and other remote sites that are inhospitable to wildlife due to previous development.

Related Articles:

• Spanish Looking to Build Largest Wind Turbine in World
• Energy Bags Under the Sea to be Tested to Store Off-Shore Wind
• Offshore Wind Power around the World
• Extreme Wind Turbines Mean Extreme Testing
• Projected Wind Power Growth (Worldwide)

Image: Giant wind turbines by clogzm

Europe’s UpWind project is delivering on its promise of developing a 20 MW (megawatt) wind turbine, using only current technology and materials. The largest wind turbines in use today are only about 6-10 MW, so the 20 MW Upwind turbine – conceived as a offshore installation located in the North Sea – located represents a quantum leap forward for grid-connected wind power.

Obstacles to a 20 MW Wind Turbine

In a North Sea location, a single wind turbine could power up to 20,000 homes, more than enough to provide all the residential energy use of many small towns and cities. The big sticking point is money. Given the goal of using only current technology, UpWind researchers found that a 20 MW wind turbine would be up to 20 percent more expensive than the smaller turbines in use today.

Solutions for a 20 MW Wind Turbine

The UpWind collaboration includes about 40 private an public sector partners, and the resulting solution (piloted by the Technical University of Denmark) is a “smart” turbine blade with an edge that acts like the flaps on airplane wings. It moves up and down to adjust to turbulence, reducing fatigue and preventing extreme loads from interfering with the efficiency of the turbine. Instead of using anemometers to measure wind speed at individual points, DTU adapted a laser-based technology used in research, that can measure wind speed over distance. The next step is to adapt the laser measuring system, called LIDAR, to fit in the hub of the turbine.

What Good is a 20 MW Wind Turbine?

The U.S. wind industry has had to adapt quickly to emerging issues such as noise, aesthetics, and impacts on wildlife (to say nothing of political issues), and at first glance it would seem that a 20 megawatt turbine would add to the headaches. However, a super-large turbine could actually resolve some of these conflicts by opening up the opportunity to install more megawatts at appropriate sites where these issues are not in play, for example in brownfields and other remote sites that are inhospitable to wildlife due to previous development.

Image: Giant wind turbines by clogzm on flickr.com.

Related articles

• Energy Bags Under the Sea to be Tested to Store Off-Shore Wind (cleantechnica.com)
• Offshore Wind Power around the World (cleantechnica.com)
• Extreme Wind Turbines Mean Extreme Testing (cleantechnica.com)
• Wind Turbines with Solar Panels Coming Soon? (cleantechnica.com)
• Projected Wind Power Growth (Worldwide) (cleantechnica.com)

This has been a rather unfortunate week for proponents of fracking, the drilling operation that involves pumping chemical brine underground to loosen deposits of natural gas from shale formations. First, Cornell University released a study indicating that natural gas from fracking is not a cleaner alternative to coal. Then over the weekend, word leaked out of a forthcoming report on fracking from the House of Representatives, which lists all of the known ingredients in fracking brine. Suffice to say, it ain’t a pretty picture.

Why Isn’t Natural Gas from Fracking Cleaner than Coal?

To those of you familiar with fracking issues, the first thing that comes to mind may be the millions of gallons of brine that can be needed in a typical fracking operation. It’s all got to be pumped into trucks, and trucked onto drilling sites, many of which are pretty remote. Then the wastewater has to be disposed somehow, and it all adds up to one big carbon footprint – but that’s not the problem. The problem, according to Cornell’s research, is the amount of methane gas that escapes during the fracking operation. If the Cornell report bears out, it means that coal-fired power plants have no incentive to switch to natural gas, at least not gas sourced from fracking operations.

Fracking and Water Supply

On its face, pumping a chemical brine underground does not sound like a very good idea, at least not in areas where drinking water supplies could be affected. The new fracking report (pdf), issued by the minority party in the House of Representatives, concludes that from 2005 to 2009, 14 companies used fracking products containing 750 different compounds. Of the 2,500 products reported, 650 contained chemicals that are “known or possible human carcinogens…or listed as hazardous air pollutants.” The kicker is that some of the fracking companies themselves don’t even know what they’re pumping into the ground, because they use off-the-shelf products for which the ingredients are proprietary (and they can do that because fracking is exempt from basic federal water protection laws).

Fracking and the Marcellus

Fracking is not a new practice, but it has largely taken place in sparsely populated areas. Still, reports of drinking water contamination have been emerging . What is new is the discovery of a gas-rich shale formation called the Marcellus, which affects large populations in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other states. The alarm has already been raised over potential threats to New York City’s water supply from fracking, and it is among several states that have begun to take action to limit or ban the practice.

Fracking and National Security

Access to clean, safe drinking water is a no-brainer for us civilians, and it’s also a national security issue. In its Army Strategy for the Environment (pdf), the U.S. Army puts forth a long term plan asserting that “To sustain the future Army we must implement effective policies and practices that safeguard the environment and our quality of life in a manner that our nation expects of us.” As the U.S. military transitions to a sustainability mission, it’s not too much to expect that the civilian world offers its support.

Image: Natural gas by stevendepolo on flickr.com.

Related articles

• Department of Justice to Water Polluter: Frack You! (cleantechnica.com)
• BREAKING: NJ Senate Passes First Bill to Ban Controversial Hydraulic Gas Fracturing (Fracking) (cleantechnica.com)

With its vast stock of vehicles, ships, planes, buildings, lands, and other facilities, the U.S. Department of Defense could foment a green revolution all by itself – and that seems to be just what it intends on doing, starting with the Army. Working quietly for the past couple of years, DoD has been nudging closer to developing an ambitious net zero  program for a group of U.S. Army bases. That applies not only to energy production and consumption, but also to water resources and waste disposal as well.

National Defense and Sustainability

You can go all the way back to General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1948 book about World War II, Crusade in Europe, to find evidence that senior military officials have long recognized the limitations of a modern national defense strategy that depends on fossil fuels. More recently, the Department of Defense has adopted a broader sustainability goal, which recognizes that environmental security is a key element in national security. In other words, the U.S. military has adopted sustainability as a national defense strategy. It’s not going to happen overnight but when you look at military bases around the country, they’re a buzz of new sustainability projects from geothermal, solar, and water conservation to biofuels and green roofs.

Net Zero Bases for the U.S. Army

The Army has been working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on the program, officially dubbed “Army Vision for Net Zero.” With a few tweaks, its mission statement could be applied to just about any green-minded organization or business: “We are creating a culture that recognizes the value of sustainability measured not just in terms of financial benefits, but benefits to maintaining mission capability, quality of life, relationships with local communities, and the preservation of options for the Army’s future.” One standout example is Fort Bliss, which among other programs is looking at taking in waste from nearby El Paso as part of a hybrid solar power/waste-to-energy operation.

Net Zero Water and Waste

A 2008 Defense Science Board report asserted that under the current energy landscape, some bases face “unacceptable risks from extended power losses,” so net zero energy is a priority for the program. However, water resource protection and waste disposal are also critical elements. In the case of waste disposal, part of an individual base’s success will depend on another recently ramped up DoD priority, to reduce or eliminate its use of hazardous or toxic materials such as paints and other coatings, and replace them with safer alternatives.

Leading by Example

The idea now is to focus on a small group of bases that are the most likely candidates for achieving net zero in energy, water, and/or waste, and the selections will be announced shortly.  They will be used as learning tools by other bases and by the civilian world as well. It will be a big advantage for companies seeking to invest in sustainability, and for local governments seeking public support for sustainability initiatives, to use major military installations as living examples of success. Unfortunately, it appears that not everyone is as interested in environmental security as the Department of Defense is…oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Image: Fort Bliss courtesy of U.S. Army on flickr.com.