Energy Storage – Essential to Renewable Energy

Electric energy storage has becoming a more dominant topic of the overall energy management discussion primarily because of the: Increased production of electric vehicles being plugged into outlets for recharging every evening, Advent of net-zero homes, and Expansion of intermittent solar and wind generation into the mainstream of energy supply options. As these factors begin to take on greater...

Impact of Renewable Energy on Electric Transmission

Renewable Energy Impacts Transmission Grid Wind Power - Alternative/Renewable Energy The anticipated increase in renewable electric power generation (particularly wind power) will most likely be satisfied by the trend toward non-utility companies building only transmission facilities.  These trends are: Largely driven by the advent of independent power producers (IPPs), vertically integrated...

Wind Turbine Syndrome – The Newest Objection

Wind Turbine Farms Never underestimate our ability to raise objections to change, be it technology or societal driven. Wind power, which currently accounts for 1 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S., has traditionally wrestled with four issues in achieving its ambition of representing 20 percent of the energy produced in the U.S. annually. These objections view wind power...

Basics of Wind Power in the U.S.

Current and Potential Usage According to American Wind Energy Association, there is more than 9,000 MW of generating capacity attributed to wind power. These units provide 25 billion kWh of electricity or one percent of the power generated in the U.S. each year. They also estimate that wind power could potentially account for 10.8 trillion kWh per year – equal to the amount of energy in 20...

Distributed Electric Power Storage

Distributed Electric Power Storage The storage of electrical power has been an age-old challenge facing the electricity industry. A number of electric utilities are now in the process of placing equipment in residential areas that is capable of storing several hours of electricity supply. These localized or distributed technologies include lithium ion batteries and underground compressed air...

Green Energy Sources

Environmentally friendly and non-polluting sources of energy are gaining a foothold in the international community’s efforts to plan for future electricity needs. Typically, the focus on green energy includes creating a renewable energy portfolio (e.g. bio-fuels, geothermal, wind, hydro power and its related wave and tidal technologies, and solar with some consideration for nuclear power) and...

Wind Turbines

What is a Wind Turbine? Wind turbines are electro-mechanical systems that convert the wind’s kinetic energy into electricity (wind power). They are generally categorized as either horizontal axis (propeller style) or vertical axis (egg beater style) turbines: The horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) is the more efficient of the two designs, but it requires tall towers that are typically hard to...

Home Wind Generators

Small wind generators, ranging in size from several hundred watts to tens of kilowatts with rotors 25 feet in diameter, can lower a residential customer’s electricity bill and/or provide backup power. Typically, they are found in rural areas with a fairly consistent wind source. Since most of these generators produce varying voltages (in terms of amplitude and frequency), they usually require...

What is Alternative Energy?

Wind Power-Alternative Energy Alternative Energy (AE) is synonymous with the term renewable energy. Recent interest in AE resources has been brought about by a desire for: Independence from traditional power sources  (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear), Decreased environmentally dangerous emissions, and Less price volatility as compared to the cost of fossil fuels (particularly...