Wind Energy News: Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center Completes 662 MW
Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center Completes 662 MW
September 14, 2006
Juno Beach, Florida [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] FPL Energy completed 662 megawatts (MW) of the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Texas in the end of August. When the last phase of the project is complete later this month, the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center will have a total capacity of 735 MW, making it the largest wind farm in the U.S.
“Because of the strong support we have received in Texas, this year alone we have invested more than $1 billion to expand our wind business in the state and bring the benefits of this clean, renewable energy source to tens of thousands of Texans.”
Posted in 
The Energy Blog: Cold Storage for Wind Power
TES Thermal storage increases the efficiency of the generator, the efficiency of the transmission lines and the efficiency of the end usera AC or refrigeration equipment.
It’s the ony time proven solution to building more coal fired power plants.
Even without the environmental issues, economics demand no new power plants.
UK’s Electricity Needs
Wow Chris, reading your post, you’ve managed to read BS material without learning anything about the material you were reading. You were wrong on ever point you tried to make.
Batteries……. The windmills referenced in the article are wind generation farm windmills. There is no battery that exists to store that sort of power. More, even if one did, the conversion loss is so much that it wouldn’t be worth the effort, or money. Check AC vs DC and conversion costs.
Average wind speeds have little to do with anything. Bearing in mind, THAT ONE CAN’T STORE AC POWER, the pertinent wind speed is the speed of the wind when it is necessary to have energy. “Average” doesn’t have squat to do with it. If the wind is still, then no energy is generated. If the wind is in excess of 50mph, then no energy is generated. Energy is most required in extreme weather conditions.
Texas wind doesn’t work
Texas wind doesn’t work
Author: No Free Wind
The American Wind Energy Association makes the claim that Texas is ranked second in the US as a wind power resource. Number one is North Dakota and you can see their recent weekly output under the Wind Output Now link in upper right corner of the blog and on this youtube video.
Global warming won’t harm wind energy production, climate models predict
Public release date: 2-May-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David Brickerbrickerd@indiana.edu 812-856-9035Indiana University
Global warming won’t harm wind energy production, climate models predict 
IMAGE: Results from the Canadian regional climate model show the difference in energy density (power in the wind) between 2041-2062 and 1979-2000. If the grid cell is red the future energy…
Click here for more information.
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About The Gail Wind Farm: Two Perspectives
Duke Energy, which last month merged with Progress Energy to become the nation’s largest electric utility, proposes to build a 112-turbine, $360 million wind farm in four rural townships in Benzie and Manistee counties. The company, in its public statements, says it hopes to begin construction in the spring of 2012. Duke also says it has reached binding leasing agreements with landowners who own 10,000 to 11,000 acres of the 16,000 acres in Duke’s wind development zone.
The proposal has stirred strong emotions here, prompting two townships to issue wind construction moratoriums, and leading two citizen opposition groups to form. Support or opposition to the Duke proposal transcends politics, income levels, residency, age, or any other conventional means to measure public opinion.
My own view is that the project, carefully and intelligently sited, is a good thing for the region. That’s an easy call for me to make given that I just spent three years as communications director for the Apollo Alliance, a proponent of “clean energy, good jobs,” and the U.S. Climate Action Network, which is convinced about the science of climate change. It’s clear to me that wind, solar, nuclear and other non-fossil fueled energy sources represent a sound response to the warming earth. I also am convinced that the new public and private revenue that the project generates is a plus for families, job growth, and local governments.
Wind Turbine Syndrome meets Wall Street Wind Turbine Syndrome Articles
“The Brewing Tempest Over Wind Power”
—Robert Bryce, Wall Street Journal (3/2/10)
Imagine this scenario: The oil and gas industry launches an aggressive global drilling program with a new type of well. Thousands of these new wells, once operational, emit a noxious odor so offensive that many of the people living within a mile of them are kept awake at night. Some are even forced to move out of their homes. It’s easy to predict the reaction: denunciations of the industry, countless lawsuits, and congressional investigations.
Why Wisconsin’s ham-handed anti-wind power crusade blows
Regulatory snafus have halted the production of two wind farms in Wisconsin that would have generated more than 98 megawatts of power from a renewable energy source. It’s an unnecessary jab against the wind power industry, which has been viewed as one of the most attractive options for renewable energy — and it’s for all the wrong reasons.
Wisconsin legislators are arguing that current laws that dictate how far a wind turbine can be placed from someone’s property are not strict enough — that companies can place them too close to the homes of everyday citizens. The legislators argue that the turbines will affect local property and home sale values because they are an eyesore. They are also arguing that there is a chance of injury in having a massive piece of machinery nearby — though they don’t specify how they can cause injury.
The claim that planting wind farms near a home can decrease its sale value is completely bogus. The reasons for trying to alter the regulations and force wind companies to build wind farms further from homes are not well-supported and are an unnecessary obstacle to the progress of wind energy. Any change in regulations after a turbine is built could prove to be disastrous. The injury argument makes sense — but that’s because a massive machine with many moving parts of any kind nearby can be a hazard. This comes after another company dropped plans to build wind energy farms in an area in Wisconsin over concerns about the regulatory environment.
Vestas Wind Systems (OTC: VWSYF) to Co
Vestas Wind Systems (OTC: VWSYF, VWSYF message board), a Danish force in the realms of global wind energy, and The Boeing company (NYSE: BA), a reputable American aircraft manufacturer, said they intend to identify overlapping areas of proficiency as a starting point to mutual research projects in pursuit of advanced eco-friendly aeromechanics. Confirmed at the just ended International Scientific Congress on Climate Change hosted in Copenhagen, Denmark, the plan also seeks to explore the possibility of combined studies in structural health monitoring, and composite material fabrication, processes, design and analysis.
The start date of the collaboration was not defined, but Vestas and Boeing, through its Boeing Research and Technology organisation said it will be in the current year that researchers from both firms should start determining the projects. While this is expected to bring about a reduction of energy use, carbon dioxide discharges and waste material, Vestas would probably benefit from its partner’s high-ranking expertise in materials science and engineering which could come in handy in enhancing the power capacity of its wind turbines. On the other hand Boeing expects to incorporate the research findings in its quest to build “environmentally progressive” and fuel efficient aircrafts.
“There’s a strong correlation between new technologies needed in the aerospace industry and new technologies needed in the wind energy business, and by pooling our research and development efforts on specific projects both Boeing and Vestas will benefit, as well as the environment that we live in”, reiterated Jan Narlinge, President of Boeing in Northern Europe.
Wind Energy
In the world of wind energy, you’re not really going to be able to do much with $10 or less. You could, if you did all the work yourself, install a nice Southwest Wind Power Whisper 500 on a small-ish tower. This produces 3,000 watts of power – maximum. That’s a lot for a wind generator. But now you’ll need a number of other things, such as a battery bank. Our battery bank alone, which lasts us 2-days, was $12k. You’ll also need something like a Midnight E-panel, and all the wiring. If you are on-grid and live in a high wind zone, then the tower, converters and switchers will cost about $12k.
3,000 watts is not really very much, once you start using your fridge, freezer, etc. And forget about a 220-volt air conditioner, for example. We have nothing that is 220-volt. When any motors kick in – even 110-volt, they suck the batteries down fast. Many large 110-volt shop tools won’t get enough power for their surge needs. You could augment an on-grid system with this, but your payback will take forever.