Field Trip to Atlantic City, 11/03/07:
We went to see New Jersey's only Large Wind Turbines...
...plus Solar Energy, Geothermal, Biodiesel...
Go to:   timelapse/music   |   video clip   |   news   |   windy humor   |   articles

This was our chance to get up close and personal with some large wind turbines in the delightful setting of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and we grabbed it. We visited two Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) sites: the AC Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Solid Waste Facility. The Wastewater Treatment Plant has the only (relatively) large-scale wind power facility in New Jersey as well as a Solar power project. Click to see web-cam video of New Jersey's only wind farm. This is the first coastal wind farm in the US and also the location of the second largest solar array in New Jersey. The wind farm has a total of 5 turbines with a combined output of 7.5 Megawatts. The Solid Waste Facility has a landfill gas to electricity plant, biodiesel distribution, geothermal heating and cooling, recycling and composting facilities, and a small fleet of hybrid vehicles.

Brief report: The view of the wind farm from Rte 30 on the approach to Atlantic City was stunning. Getting close up to the turbines allowed us to see that even in rather strong winds they make very little noise except for the slight "whoosh" when standing right underneath a turbine. The single bird accident in two years of operation shows a very low impact on wildfowl and also reflects the care that went into the development of the farm. It was not lost on the group that this is truly green power: these GE turbines will provide about 30 years of clean, emissions-free energy. Seeing a working wind farm up close and talking with the operator is one of the best ways to understand the potential of wind power and to see how little environmental impact the turbines have when properly sited. Hopefully the billions in subsidies and tax breaks currently afforded to the fossil fuel industry will at some point be transferred at least in part to renewable energy sources such as wind. While anyone in New Jersey can purchase power from the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm there is a (small) price increase that must be borne by the consumer -- this is in contrast to the choice offered to customers in the UK, who can purchase wind power at no additional cost. Let's hope the change is made soon.


Stuff I found lying around
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Visit PickensPlan

Coal. River. Wind. An alternative to blowing the tops of off mountains. here. 

April-June 2008:


NUMEROUS ARTICLES ON THE PRICE/SUPPLY OF OIL/NEED FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY. STOP. 


ALSO ON PROFLIGACY OF & PLUNGE IN DEMAND FOR SUVS/TRUCKS (GM CLOSING 4 PLANTS). STOP. 


FOOD SUPPLIES DOWN & PRICES THROUGH THE ROOF. STOP. 


CONCERN OVER RESULTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE (DROUGHT, EXTREME WEATHER) 
     NOW BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY EVERYONE EXCEPT IDEOLOGUES. STOP.


TOO MANY ARTICLES TO LINK TO: JUST LOOK IN THE NEWPAPERS/BLOGS. STOP.


WE COULDA/SHOULDA BEEN ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES SEVEN YEARS AGO: 
     WHAT A WASTE OF TIME. STOP.

June 2008: The Brits are at it again (but they've got some catching up to do with Spain -- see next).

Spain gets huge percentage from wind power. Hmmmmm, wonder if the Spanish had anything to do with the ACUA turbines... . . . . . . (yes, they did).

ABC News MAy 19 2008: Inside the First Wind-Powered City in America Note that these turbines are from SUZLON! America: where are your turbine manufacturers? GE? Is that IT?

Large offshore farm off Lincolnshire, UK (BBC video). See also the next item.

STORING WIND: The problem with wind power is a fairly basic one: it works only when the wind blows. But a new project called the Iowa Stored Energy Park is tackling this problem by acting like a giant battery, essentially storing wind for later use. When the wind is blowing, the park's windmills generate up to a total of 200 megawatts of energy -- powering a compressor that forces air into an aquifer. When the air is released, it drives two 134-megawatt turbines, producing enough power for 80,000 homes. CLIVE THOMPSON NYT Earth Day article, April 22, 2008

Wind = Fresh Water for Australians (slide 17) (stop the music first!)

March 4, 2008. The E-126: World's Largest Turbine...

March 3, 2008: Thanks a lot...

February 28, 2008: House Passes Renewable Energy Credits... (...tax burden on oil companies? What tax burden? They get huge subsidies! Give me a break)

February 23, 2008: Way to go, Texas!

February 21, 2008: Portugal invests in renewables Related: (Foreign) Wind Farms Dotting the U.S. (Nov 2007)... and Israel to Use Electric Cars... Way to go guys.

Wind = Fresh Water for Australians (slide 17) (stop the music first!)

February 2008: OIL ABOVE $100 / BARREL

February 2008: Wind warrior

January 2008: Leapfrogging: China To Be #1 Wind Turbine Maker in '09...

November 14, 2007: Friedman: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

November 14, 2007: NYT Editorial: Where's That Energy Bill?

November 9, 2007: Rising Global Demand for Oil Provoking New Energy Crisis

November 8, 2007: U.S. wind power installations to rise 63 pct in 2007

November 7, 2007: (Foreign) Wind Farms Dotting the U.S.

November 7, 2007: US Oil Price at $98...

November 7, 2007: Alternatives soon less alternative (I prefer "renewables").

October 23, 2007: GE Energy wind turbine orders top $1 billion

October 5, 2007: World's Largest Windfarm Gets Approval (UK)
(jump to the British connection...)



GE promotes its turbines in the Emerald Isle (stop the video first!):

GE commercials screened recently in the US (stop the video first!):



~ Wind Energy ~

Why Wind?     Reason #1...     Reason #2...     Reason #3...

People say things like "wind power currently accounts for only 1% of US energy needs". To that you might say: "so all we need are 100 times more wind turbines? How difficult is that?". Plus: newer turbines are larger and more efficient, so fewer are needed.


Jobs... But perhaps you would prefer working here?

Go to Ecotricity's UK site

Wind power is only one part of the solution to our climate disruption and national security problems. Scientists (from Princeton University right here in NJ) have come up with a WEDGE STRATEGY that shows how we could address the threats of climate disruption and national security using current technologies. Wind energy = 1 wedge.

Articles/Links:


Visit PickensPlan
  • NYT Editorial: Where's That Energy Bill?
  • Reuters videos: Big wind ...and... Small wind in New Jersey
  • Wind vs. Coal in the West... -- wind makes sense for ranchers and conservatives, as well as environmentalists.
  • See this report from Environment New Jersey.
  • New Jersey Audubon Society Position Paper on Wind Power Energy
  • New Jersey gets into Big Wind... maybe (Star-Ledger, August 26, 2007)
  • American Wind Energy Association
  • China could be top wind market in three years. In China "the industry is still booming. Most analysts think Beijing's target of 30 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity by 2020 is too modest, as China is already nearing its 2010 goal". Update January 2008: Leapfrogging: China To Be #1 Wind Turbine Maker in '09...
  • 2005 National Geographic article on renewable energy -- wind section
  • U.S. Continues to Lead the World in Wind Power Growth


  • TXU to double investment in wind....

    The British Connection

    Click To Play

    This is the one Dr. C. went up in August '07. Video from NewConsumer.TV This report could have been better: it's not noisy (the drone is from C130s) and speeding up the film might frighten some folks.


    Windy Humor:

    NIMBO = Not In My Back Ocean?

    I was always misunderstood...

    Toast the Earth...

    • Green Jobs:

    Black, White, and Green

    EAES Jobs & Opportunities



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