A new study says the potential of wind energy around the world is much higher than what either wind industry groups or government agencies have been estimating.
This story in the New York Times says a Harvard University study shows that the U.S. could end up being the big leader in wind power:
Using data from thousands of meteorological stations, the Harvard team estimated the world wind power potential to be 40 times greater than total current power consumption. A previous study cited in the paper put that multiple at about 7 times.
In the lower 48 states, the potential from wind power is 16 times more than total electricity demand in the United States, the researchers suggested – significantly greater than a 2008 Department of Energy study that projected wind could supply a fifth of all electricity in the country by 2030.
While remote regions of Russia and Canada have the greatest theoretical potential, the Harvard study pointed out that there are real gains to be made in high-emission nations, especially China, which has been rapidly constructing coal plants. “Large-scale development of wind power in China could allow for an 18-fold increase in electricity supply relative to consumption reported for 2005,” the Harvard study said.
The findings are “further validation of what we’ve been saying – that the United States is the Saudi Arabia of wind,” said Michael Goggin, an electricity industry analyst for the American Wind Energy Association.
The authors based their calculations on the deployment of 2.5- to 3-megawatt wind turbines situated either in accessible rural areas that are neither frozen nor forested, or relatively shallow offshore locations. They also used a conservative 20 percent estimate for capacity factor, a measure of how much energy a given turbine actually produces.
Study authors point out that other wind energy forecasts were based on 50- to 80-meter turbines. They say that turbines could be as large as 100 meters and based their estimates on the larger possible generators.
One of the leaders in lodging is working on becoming a leader in sustainable green energy.
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A car maker that plans to build the world’s first police car designed from the ground up specifically for law enforcement officers and that will happen run on biodiesel has narrowed its choices to three states for its factory.
Just as the European Union was extending for five years the temporary duties the EU has slapped on American biodiesel, you would think would be the time the U.S. Trade Representative would want to talk about the protectionist tariffs with his European counterpart. Nope. Ambassador Ron Kirk had bigger fish to fry when he met with European Union Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton in Washington this week. Like a dispute over playing Irish music in American commercial establishments. I kind you not. While what could be a lifesaver for the U.S. economy and the world’s environment is being shut out of one of the biggest markets on earth, Kirk wanted to beat his sheleighly over whether Danny Boy should be sung in pubs (I’m not sure if that’s EXACTLY what the musical dispute is all about, but you get the idea).
There is less than one week left for you and other clean fuel proponents to actively support one of the most important issues in the ethanol industry today: increasing the allowed ethanol blend to E15.
It’s not too late to get your early bird discount when you register by August 4th for the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Ethanol Land Use Conference. This two-day event will be held in St. Louis on August 25-26 and will discuss the 
Congress is being urged to make more money available for wind-energy research.
Legislation introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) could get more natural gas-powered vehicles on the road.
“In 2005, as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, I was able to get the CLEAR Act enacted into law,” Hatch said. “That legislation has promoted the purchase of alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles, alternative-fuel infrastructure and the use of alternative fuels in vehicles. I have been very pleased with the growth in the use of hybrid-electric vehicles in this country since the passage of the CLEAR Act, but I have been less pleased with the growth in natural gas as a transportation fuel. I believe strongly an extra push is needed to spur the greater use of natural gas and to get more natural gas vehicles on our roads.”