photo by Portland General Electric (portland general on Flickr CC)

With over 37 million inhabitants, California is by far the most populated state in the US. Despite its enormous physical area of 160,000 miles (414,000 square km) California still has 6 times the population density of its northern neighbor, Oregon.

Oregon is lush, diverse and wild, with mountains, rugged coastline, forests and desert. Long known as a state with strong environmental policies, Oregon is increasingly becoming a large supplier of renewable energy to California. An area that spans parts of Oregon and Washington State is soon to become home the largest wind farm in the world.

Who will buy all this wind power? The residents of Southern California.

But in recent weeks it has been hydroelectric power that has been muscling in on Oregon’s already operational wind turbines. This spring’s unexpectedly high flows have made sure that hydro turbines are generating plenty of electricity in Oregon’s rivers, meeting demands and prompting the federal power authority for the region, BPA (Bonneville Power Administration), to order the shut down wind power generation for several hours a day.

There is another reason for keeping hydro plants flowing – salmon. Turning back the flow would harm migrating juvenile fish.

Elliot Mainzer of the Bonneville Power Administration is quoted in the L.A. Times:

We’ve now got a situation where we’re protecting our customers and we’re protecting fish, but obviously the wind community is very upset about it.

Some wind power providers are skeptical of the salmon reason. But when different state and federal laws, quotas and contracts collide with Mother Nature, things don’t always go according to plan.

From a Reuters report:

While Bonneville supplies hydro power to replace the curtailed power, wind generators can lose money in other ways, including the value of federal production tax credits (PTCs) and state renewable energy credits (RECs).

While America and the world transitions from fossil fuels towards renewables, it is a shame to see wind turbines turned off in some areas, while coal plants are still running in others. Smart grids and technology for better power storage capacity should bring answers to these types of problems in the future.

Read more on the story in the LA Times.

photo by byronv2 (Flickr CC)

Europe’s largest onshore wind farm, located south of Glasgow, Scotland, is set to get a lot bigger.

Whitelee wind farm on Eaglesham Moor will add 75 new turbines by 2012, for a total of 215, enabling it to power an impressive 300,000 homes.

From a BBC News report:

Whitelee wind farm is already the largest onshore wind farm in Europe and this extension pushing the overall capacity to 539MW will make it one of the largest in the world.

–Simon Christian, UK director of ScottishPower Renewables

The new turbines will be supplied by the firm Alstom, a multinational specializing in rail transport and energy infrastructure including gas, coal, hydro, tidal and geothermal projects as well as wind power.

From renewableenergyfocus.com:

Additionally, Alstom and Iberdrola Renovables have reached an agreement to install 100 MW of wind power in Spain – consisting of 60 ECO 80 wind turbines, each with an output of 1.67 MW in 2011, and a further 49 MW – consisting of 29 ECO 80 machines with an output of 1.67 MW in 2012.

Additional resources:

European Wind Energy Association – ALSTOM : Wins Order Worth over €200 Million with Iberdrola to Add 217 MW Extension to Whitelee Wind Farm

photo by herbrm (source: Flickr Creative Commons)

The buzz around London’s new Strata SE1 skyscraper isn’t coming from the 3 wind turbines that crown its razor-like pinnacle, but from the attention this futuristic piece of architecture is garnering.

The tower is part of a project to regenerate the central London neighborhood of Elephant and Castle. The rejuvenation project has been praised by a former U.S. president as an example of ‘sustainable growth’. No need for any obvious Clinton jokes there, I think.

From an article in the Guardian:

While wind speeds in the concrete jungle at the tower’s base would render a wind turbine pointless, at 42 storeys up they are capable of 35mph gusts – a serious challenge for the workers who created the complex steel structure – and are projected to generate 8% of the building’s electricity needs.

The Strata SE1 definitely looks cool and I’m glad it has some wind turbines. These will generate money via that feed-in tariff scheme that George Monbiot hates. After all, rich people who live in luxury skyscrapers need all the clean energy subsides they can get.

by Graham Land

Additional resources:

Guardian slideshow – The Strata ‘Razor’ tower: the cutting-edge of eco-construction

Building – First images: Brookfield’s Elephant & Castle tower takes shape

photo by nosha (source: Flickr Creative Commons)

The energy crisis of the 1970s kick started an energy revolution in Denmark. Previously dependent on foreign oil, the Scandinavian country ‘learned the hard way’ about the importance of diversifying its power sources.

Government subsidies for wind power, a carbon tax and energy efficiency investments – as well as the discovery of North Sea oil, it must be said – all lead to Denmark’s successful endeavor for energy independence.

Denmark is home to the largest offshore wind farm in the world and gets the highest proportion of its energy from wind turbines. Wind power in Denmark is sourced not only from large corporations like DONG Energy, but also from small cooperatives and individual or family-owned turbines.

Check out this video on Danish wind energy from CNN’s Earth’s Frontiers:

Denmark’s wind power

Additional resources:

CNN – Earth’s Frontiers

The Copenhagen Post – Scientists blast thinktank claims on wind power

Mojave Desert at the sight of the famous Joshua tree from the U2 album of the same name. Photo by Theschmallfella (source: wikimedia commons)

Being a conservationist and an environmentalist may not always be the same thing; and definitions of both terms are clearly open to interpretation. Indeed, sometimes environmental or ‘Green’ interests may compete or clash. For example, Sting’s recent resurgence in campaigning to protect indigenous lands in Brazil has fallen foul of those in favor of building a massive hydro-electric dam, which would be a significant source of renewable energy for the country. According to an article in the New York Times, U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein has more or less successfully opposed the development of solar energy plants and wind farms in California’s Mojave Desert. Her argument: “The Catellus lands were purchased with nearly $45 million in private funds and $18 million in federal funds and donated to the federal government for the purpose of conservation, and that commitment must be upheld. Period.”

I cannot deny that Senator Feinstein is upholding the intention of the environmentalists who purchased the lands, but in practical terms the spirit of environmentalism could well be open to a different interpretation. Ultimately renewable energy sources could conceivably do more for conservation than simply marking off certain tracks of land while the country continues to depend on foreign fossil fuels. This case may be more complex than the ‘Green energy vs. nice views’ debate that is going on in Cape Cod Massachusetts where opposition to wind turbines there included the now deceased Edward Kennedy. Interestingly enough, another member of the clan, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is all for the development of solar and wind plants in the Mojave, as quoted in the Times: “This is arguably the best solar land in the world, and Senator Feinstein shouldn’t be allowed to take this land off the table without a proper and scientific environmental review”.

Is this just a case of “not in my backyard” politics? Are nice views and the preservation of natural landscapes for human enjoyment more important than sustainable development and the responsible use of resources? Personally, I like the way wind turbines and solar panels look. Besides, the stakes these days are higher and more complex than preserving what some people arbitrarily consider nice views. It’s not exactly a case of “drill baby, drill” now is it?

by Graham Land

Additional resources:

Wind turbines spoil views of rising seas and toxic sunsets

Tilting at Windmills: Are Wind Turbines the Answer to Sustainable Energy?