Pecologix Political Ecology Blotter

This paper identifies the location of an “ideal” offshore wind energy (OWE) grid on the U.S. East Coast that would (1) provide the highest overall and peak-time summer capacity factor, (2) use bottom-mounted turbine foundations (depth ≤50 m), (3) connect regional transmissions grids from New England to the Mid-Atlantic, and (4) have a smoothed power [...]

The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that if the United States is to generate 20% of its electricity from wind, over 50 GW will be required from shallow offshore turbines. Hurricanes are a potential risk to these turbines. Turbine tower buckling has been observed in typhoons, but no offshore wind turbines have yet been [...]

This study investigates two methods of transforming intermittent wind electricity into firm baseload capacity: (1) using electricity from natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) power plants and (2) using electricity from compressed air energy storage (CAES) power plants. The two wind models are compared in terms of capital and electricity costs, CO2 emissions, and fuel consumption rates. [...]

The total range in transmission costs per kW of wind implicit in the study sample is vast – ranging from $0/kW to over $1500/kW. The median cost of transmission from all scenarios in the sample is $300/kW, roughly 15–20% of the cost of building a wind project. The median cost of transmission is near the [...]

Our wind turbine is a gearless wind turbine that measures just 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter, weighs 241 lbs (110 kgs) and produces up to 1500 kWh’s per year depending on height and location. Our Wind Turbine’s BTPS perimeter power system and unique design of multi-stage blades allows the system to react quickly to [...]

Twenty states plus the District of Columbia now have renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in place that requires a certain percentage of energy to come from renewable sources by a specific year. With renewable energy on the verge of massive growth, much research emphasis is put on enabling the implementation of these technologies. This paper presents [...]

Throughout the world, desalination is intensively used as a means to reduce current or future water scarcity, especially for the coastal areas. However, the dramatic increase in desalinated water supply will create a series of problems, the most significant of which are those related to energy consumption and environment impacts. Renewable energy provides an energy [...]