Europe’s energy transition is gathering speed but even with record new wind farms in 2023, EU still not on track to meet 2030 goals

In a news article on the Euractiv website, recent data from the industry association WindEurope shows solid progress but much more needed. EU built record new wind farms last year but lags green energy goal European Union countries built 17 gigawatts of new wind power farms in 2023, the most for any year so … Continue reading Europe’s energy transition is gathering speed but even with record new wind farms in 2023, EU still not on track to meet 2030 goals →

The potential for pairing wind turbines with technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the air and stores it in natural reservoirs under the ocean

The marine geophysicist David Goldberg, Lamont Research Professor at Columbia University writes on The Conversation website about how wind farms could help capture carbon and store it long-term. What are your views? Offshore wind farms could help capture carbon from air and store it long-term – using energy that would otherwise go to waste … Continue reading The potential for pairing wind turbines with technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the air and stores it in natural reservoirs under the ocean →

New technology removes humans from offshore wind turbine repairs, helping reduce overall costs to consumers

Alan Tovey writes on The Telegraph website about six-legged robotic “bugs” being used to repair offshore wind farms. Flying robot bugs deployed to fix wind farms Six-legged robotic “bugs” could soon be repairing offshore wind farms, putting an end to humans doing risky maintenance and potentially lowering energy bills in the process. Engineers have … Continue reading New technology removes humans from offshore wind turbine repairs, helping reduce overall costs to consumers →

Concerns have been raised in Scotland about finding a balance between green energy and sustaining forests

Many windfarms have been built in Scotland in place of trees. It’s not all concern because the Scottish Government has pledged to cover more than one fifth of Scotland’s land area with trees by 2032 in a bid to help tackle the clime emergency. It is difficult, however, to find the right balance. Tom Gordon … Continue reading Concerns have been raised in Scotland about finding a balance between green energy and sustaining forests →

Understanding public reaction to wind farms

It has been an on-going debate for many years. Many in the public do not like the visual effects of on-shore wind farms. Jeremy Firestone, Professor, and Director of the Center for Carbon-free Power Integration (CCPI) at the University of Delaware together with Ben Hoen and Joseph Rand of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, write … Continue reading Understanding public reaction to wind farms →

New floating windfarm coming to Scotland

While Scotland’s offshore fossil fuel industry is having major problems due to low reserves and poor oil prices, its renewable energy industry continues to push forward. Ian Johnston writes in The Independent about the world’s largest floating windfarm to be built off the north-east coast of Scotland. 'World's largest floating windfarm' to be built … Continue reading New floating windfarm coming to Scotland →

Total economic benefits from windfarms assessed in Illinois

Lenore Sobota Isobota writes a good article on The Pantagraph website about a recent assessment of the economic benefits for landowners in Illinois who lease their land to wind farm developers. These are important to have documented. Study outlines economic impact of wind farms The state's 25 largest wind farms generate $30.4 million in … Continue reading Total economic benefits from windfarms assessed in Illinois →

New floating wind turbines potentially cheaper to install and easier to maintain than regular offshore wind farms

The Investor website provides an interesting article on new developments in off shore wind farms. The Norwegian company Statoil has been granted permission to build the world’s first floating wind farm off the coast of Scotland. Floating wind farms: the future of offshore energy investment? A stretch of water off the coast of Scotland … Continue reading New floating wind turbines potentially cheaper to install and easier to maintain than regular offshore wind farms →

Impact of the energy transition in Wyoming

When a country or a region has been highly dependent on fossil fuel industries as a major economic driver, it is difficult to evolve into a sustainable energy approach. But, as we know, it is necessary and, really, essential if we are to achieve a low carbon transition. Coral Davenport writes a good post in … Continue reading Impact of the energy transition in Wyoming →

China is world’s top wind installer but “it just is not able to use it to the max”

Curiously, while it holds the record as the world’s top wind installer, it still does not generate as much electricity as the US. Chelsea Harvey explains why in the Washington Post. Why China is having so many problems ramping up wind power China holds the record as the world’s top wind installer, accounting for … Continue reading China is world’s top wind installer but “it just is not able to use it to the max” →