Alstom and Andrade Gutierrez have inaugurated an industrial joint venture dedicated to the production of steel towers for wind turbines, Torres Eólicas do Nordeste (TEN). The unit is located in Jacobina, Bahia, 350 km from Salvador. The joint venture, 51% owned by Andrade Gutierrez and 49% by Alstom, received investment of around 30 million euros last year. The plant occupies …
Book Review: Fractured Land
When is the last time you filled up your tank with a gallon of gas that was less than $2? For me, today. As oil prices have plummeted with gas prices falling suit, many people are attributing all the extra oil to fracking. But what is the cost, financially and environmentally speaking, of oil drilled in this manner? A new …
BioEnergy Bytes
Readers and editors of the international online publication, Biofuels Digest, for the fifth consecutive year, recognized Advanced Biofuels USA executive director Joanne Ivancic as one of the Top 125 People in the Advanced Bioeconomy. Secretary Castro, of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Governor Brown of California have announced a number of actions to expand financing …
Alt Electricity Surpasses Natural Gas
According to the latest “Energy Infrastructure Update” report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Office of Energy Projects, new renewable energy sources generated more capacity than natural gas in 2014. Sources including biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind provided 49.81 percent (7,663 MW) of new electrical generation brought into service. Natural gas accounted for 48.65 percent (7,485 MW). By …
Blossman Develops Bi-Fuel Propane Cop Car
Blossman Services is developing a Bi-Fuel Propane Autogas Ford Interceptor for use for the law enforcement community. The company also offers other propane autogas vehicles including EPA emissions certifications for the Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Crown Victoria, F150 and now the Interceptor. According to Blossman, the bi-fuel system conversion on the Interceptor is precedent setting in that no intake …
Offshore Wind Installations Stable
The European offshore wind industry has stabilized with new capacity installations declining by 84 MW in 2014 as compared to 2013 according to the new report, “The European offshore wind industry-key trends and statistics 2014“. During 2014, 408 new offshore turbines were fully grid connected, adding 1,483 MW to the European system. The total installed capacity for Europe now stands …
BioEnergy Bytes
Whirlpool Corporation is using wind energy to power its manufacturing facility located in Findlay, Ohio. The Findlay Wind Farm is an $18 million “Wind for Industry” project, financed by One Energy. The wind farm will have five wind turbines with Whirlpool utilizing two and nearby Ball Company using three. The turbines are expected to offset an estimated 22% of the …
GEA Rolling Out Industry Assesment
The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) is rolling out an industry assessment and early results show that there were 3,150 permanent, onsite employees, or 1.17 permanent jobs per megawatt installed, at geothermal power plants in California and the West. According to GEA, this is 19 times that of reported onsite employment of wind projects and 5 times reported onsite employment for …
BioEnergy Bytes
In a new white paper, Evolution of the Grid Edge: Pathways to Transformation, GTM Research identifies three pathways that different states will follow in their transition to the emerging grid-edge and distributed electricity system. To get there, they will follow one of three pathways: “The Advanced Energy Consumer,” “The Innovative Regulator,” and the “Proactive Energy Provider.” A new report by …
American Wind Rebounds
According to a new report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the American wind industry is rebounding. During 2014, there was four times more new wind energy installed or coming online than in 2013. There was 4,850 MW in generating capacity installed with total installed capacity increasing by eight percent to 65,875. However, AWEA notes that this amount still …