The Answer is Blowing in the Wind

I happen to live in an area that has a good amount of "green living" potential. Bowling Green has made a financial commitment to reducing its impact on global climate change and is home to Ohio’s first utility-sized wind farm. There are four turbines that are 391 feet tall, which can generate up to 7.2 megawatts of power (enough to supply electricity for some 3,000 residents.) Located about six miles from the city, the turbines can be seen for miles and have become somewhat of a local attraction... I've visited the area and couldn't believe how surreal they seemed. They were very futuristic, without any noise, and with a very slow-moving rotation. Way cool.

At the site, a solar-powered kiosk provides information for visitors including current information on wind speeds and the amount of energy being produced by the turbines... and get this: through the city of Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, residents can request that their power come from green energy! I'm going to have to look into this! The current "power cost adjustment" is $.009 per KWH.





Over the past 15 years, Bowling Green, has gone somewhat greener, installing solar panels on schools, building the wind farm, investing in hydroelectric projects and even generating power off landfill gases.Today, the city of 29,000 residents gets somewhere between 16 percent and 20 percent of its electricity from renewable resources (which could be augmented even further.) Yet, I find it interesting that it does not necessarily stack up to the intiatives of other MidWestern states, nor does it compare to other regions within the US. Take a look at a graph that displays the varying degrees of current installed wind power facilities across the country here.

To what extent is your own state addressing alternative energy sources such as wind energy?

Until next Wednesday! -BA

The Future Is Looking Windy

I found this article on the AP news today about states that have wind power technology. It gave some interesting and encouraging numbers.

U.S. wind farms, with a combined capacity of 25,300 megawatts at the end of last year, should be able to generate some 73 billion kilowatt hours of power in 2009, enough to serve nearly 7 million homes, the association said. The association estimates that 10 new manufacturing facilities started up in 2008, while 17 were expanded and 30 new plants were announced.

Note that Michigan was included in the article (Yay Michigan)!

The association estimates that 10 new manufacturing facilities started up in 2008, while 17 were expanded and 30 new plants were announced.
Indiana added its first utility-scale wind project. Michigan, Utah, New Hampshire and Wisconsin grew at the fastest clip.

This is encouraging that our power companies are going into this field. Though I think we can do better than this!

Though I would like to say GOOD JOB TEXAS AND IOWA!

Link: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20090413/D97HAPIG0.html