First Offshore Wind Farm in the United States Begins Construction
In July, American offshore wind developer, Deepwater Wind, installed the first foundation for what is expected to be the first offshore wind farm in the United States. The project will be located three miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island.
With five turbines totaling 30 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity, the Block Island Wind Farm is expected to come online in 2016 and would be the initial, and smallest, of three offshore projects that Deepwater Wind is planning along the Atlantic Coast.
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US wind prices hit all-time low in 2014, DOE report says
The U.S. long-term contracted wind prices reached an all-time low in 2014 of around 2.35 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) nationwide; according to the Department of Energy’s 2014 Wind Technologies Market Report released Monday.
The Energy Department released two new reports showcasing record growth across the U.S. wind market which continues to be one of the world’s largest and fastest growing wind markets. The report shows that the U.S. has an increased share of clean, renewable energy while supporting tens of thousands of jobs nationwide.
Wind energy in the U.S. has created and supports more than 50,000 industry-related jobs in manufacturing, construction, operations and maintenance, and supporting services, all the while improving the environment and strengthening the economy, the report said.
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New Modular Blade Dynamics Wind Turbine Blade Begins Testing In Blyth
The D78 blade is the only modular offshore wind turbine blade in the world, and contains a number of new technologies — including a lightweight and high dimensional accuracy blade tip, with built-in leading edge protection. Blade Dynamics, the UK-based wind tubine blade developer and manufacturer, shipped the D78 to the UK from its US-based operations at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility, so that it can now be tested at Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult facility, the UK’s flagship technology innovation and research centre for offshore wind, wave, and tidal energy.
The modular design is intended to minimise variation in blade construction, and to simplify blade manufacture and transportation.
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UK Solar Generation Surged 153% Over Last Year
Solar energy generation surged by around 153% over the last year in the UK, based on the most recent figures from the analyst company EnAppSys — with average daily electricity generation being around 1.37 gigawatts (GW) during the second quarter of 2015.
The new report also notes that, while solar photovoltaic (PV) generation accounts for only 4% of the UK’s electricity supply (as of the second quarter of 2015), that growth in the industry was already causing “oversupply” to the grid — thus contributing to negative market prices during some periods.
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JUWI - 100+% RENEWABLE OFFICE BUILDING
100% Renewable Energy Office Building, With Plans to Support the Whole Town In Becoming 100% Renewable
Location:
juwi's headquarters in Woerrstadt, Germany
Summary:
juwi's headquarters is a model of sustainable building that has garnered many awards, including the 2008 German Climate Protection Award from the German environmental organization “Deutsche Umwelthilfe.” It is plus energy building, meaning that it produces more energy than it consumes.
The first construction period lasted only six months, due to the highly efficient and ecological timber methods used and quickly became the work place to more than 300 people. Having created 350 new jobs in 2009, juwi will soon exceed the limit of 1,000 employees. With more than 700 people in Woerrstadt, the company is one of the largest employers in the region. Due to that extensive growth the headquarters were expanded again 2010.
For ventilation, heating and cooling, Juwi designed an efficient supply system entirely based on renewable energy sources. The energy cabin supplies the building complex with heat using CO2-neutral wood delivered through a radiant floor heating system.
A sprinkler tank which holds 114,000 litres provides a dual function of fire protection and cooling of the building, using water cooled by the night time air that is pump chilled temperatures into the building on hot days.
Numerous photovoltaic modules and cell technologoies on a total area of 3,150 square meters of roofs, south facades and a car park transform sunlight into clean energy.
Solar carports constructed in December 2009 on 920 m2 produce 97,000 kilowatt-hours annually and protect parked cars from the elements.
Along with these, solar charging stations and a test program for electric cars, bikes, and scooters are part of the company's methods of supporting future mobility based on electricity powered by renewables.