Harvest the Wind
The forecast calls for increasing wind power production in the near future. As a ridge of high pressure builds over cash strapped municipalities, utilities look for answers in gusty conditions out on the open prairie.
Expect some low grade disturbances as the dig it up and burn it crowd urges us to turn our backs to the wind. But for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy a refreshing breeze, tomorrow looks like a good day for sailing.
Big Wind
General Electric understands the changing political climate and has invested in a variety of wind harvesting projects. The company recently announced its intention to spend $141 million on a wind farm along North Dakota’s border with South Dakota. The wind blows relentlessly on the Great Plains of North America.
New wind turbines rising up in West Virginia will supply electricity to Columbus, Ohio over a period of at least twenty years. Now that meteorologists have been tracking wind speeds for decades, scientists can accurately predict how much power a turbine will produce over the course of its lifetime. There’s no chance of the well running dry. Purchasers of energy love predictability.
Small Wind
Wind turbines designed for homes, farms and small communities are also gaining popularity in the US. Small turbines benefit the entire country by allowing individuals to lower their energy bills, take stress off the electrical grid and reduce greenhouse gases.
Isolated hamlets on the Alaskan frontier typically get by without incoming power lines. These towns rely on fuel shipments to survive in the winter. Small wind turbines give remote villages a level of autonomy which they have never enjoyed in the past. Wind works for America.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:33 am
[...] the park. The world slows down on a well worn bench under an old Oak tree. The energy I feel is in the wind, in the bright sunshine and right here under my feet. Often overlooked, grass has proven its worth [...]
October 20th, 2008 at 7:31 am
[...] turbines generate no toxic waste. If a wind turbine were to have a catastrophic failure, at the most it might topple over and injure someone standing [...]
November 10th, 2008 at 7:31 am
[...] more investment in industries that reduce American dependence on foreign oil. Solar and wind energy producers will benefit. Congress may either require American automakers to build more fuel [...]
November 16th, 2008 at 7:48 am
[...] massive new turbines popping up in windy regions all around the world look cold and imposing. A few candy stripes and [...]