QUICK NEWS, 6-16: EU WIND IN 2010; TOLEDO, OHIO, CENTER OF SUN; COAL IS BETTER THAN WOOD; HIKE WITH AN ENERGY CHARGER

EU WIND IN 2010
EWEA predicts a strong European market for wind turbines in 2010

"The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA)…forecast for wind power installations in 2010… expects 10 gigawatt (GW) of new wind power capacity to be installed in the EU…taking total installed capacity by the end of 2010 to almost 85 GW - an increase of 13%.

"Last year – a record year for wind power installation – saw 10.163 GW of new wind power capacity installed, constituting 39% of all new power capacity installed in the EU that year. Total installed wind power capacity by the end of 2009 was 74.767 GW…"

Every tiny black mark is a wind project. Although the map here is difficult to read, click thru to the interactive pdf to see a remarkable document

"2010 will see more installations in offshore wind power, with up to 1 GW of new capacity expected to be installed during the year compared to 577 MW installed in 2009.

"EWEA expects France and Italy to again install around 1 GW each in 2010. The expected decline in installations in Spain will be more than compensated for by a doubling of installations in the new member states – led by Romania and Bulgaria - and significant growth in the UK, particularly offshore. Germany is expected to be the largest market this year, closely followed by the UK…"


TOLEDO, OHIO, CENTER OF SUN
Toledo reinvents itself as a solar-power innovator
Judy Keen, June 15, 2010 (USA Today)

"This city is trying to swap its Rust Belt image for a new identity as a hub of solar-energy research and production…led by an unusual partnership of business, academia and government that could be a model for other aging industrial cities…

"…Toledo has struggled with the loss of jobs and tax revenue, but it has taken pieces of its past as the glass capital to create a new future in solar energy…6,000 people work in the area's solar industry…There are more than a dozen solar-related start-up companies…The University of Toledo is home to top solar researchers and has a business incubator…Owens Community College, which had 13 students in its first solar class in 2004, has trained 255 solar installers…Toledo's solar commitment [is comparable] to that of New Mexico and California…[W]hen Toledo's per-capita income, in the nation's top 10 in the 1970s, sank to the bottom 10 by 2000…[leaders decided] the only way to revive the area's economy as manufacturing jobs in the glass and auto parts industries disappeared was to bring its major institutions together to think boldly and share responsibility…"

Ohio, like all of the Midwest, has better sun than world-leaders Germany and Spain. (click to enlarge)

"…[F]ounded in 1833 on the western edge of Lake Erie, Toledo became a crossroads for railroads and a center for factories that made furniture, carriages and glass. Owens Corning, Libbey Glass and other glass companies originated here, giving Toledo its nickname: Glass City…Glasstech Solar [was founded] in 1984, [and became] Solar Cells, which explored with University of Toledo scientists ways to produce solar energy with thin, lightweight and flexible film. The raw materials used in thin-film solar products are cheaper and more versatile than those made from silicon. In 1999, [the] company was sold and became First Solar…

"…The university has a School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy, a Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, and a team of nationally renowned researchers…The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority is spending millions of dollars to double in size, improve railroad access and buy two mobile cargo cranes to make it easier for solar manufacturers to ship their products…"

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"…The Regional Growth Partnership has a venture fund that has helped spawn 68 companies, about a third of them in solar and other alternative-energy fields…Owens Community College tailors its solar programs to meet the specific needs of new companies and retraining workers who once worked in other industries. Students range in age [between 18 and 50 or older]…

"For some people here, advancing solar technology isn't just a job — it's a moral imperative…[There is] urgency to Toledo's bid to redefine how industries mature by combining forces to shove solar to the forefront…[and transform itself from Glass City to Solar City]..."


COAL IS BETTER THAN WOOD
Mass.: Wood power emits more carbon than coal
Steve LeBlanc, June 10, 2010 (USA Today)

"Massachusetts is taking a second look at wood-burning power plants after a new study for the state found the use of the forest "biomass" releases more greenhouse gases than coal.

"Biomass has long been part of the state's portfolio of renewable energy sources, along with solar, wind and geothermal."

click to enlarge

"Massachusetts Environmental Secretary Ian Bowles said the state is now rethinking that policy…[and] taxpayer incentives for wood-burning plants.

"The [Governor Duval] Patrick administration has already invested $1 million to jump-start four proposed wood-burning plants…"

click to enlarge

"Bowles commissioned [Biomass Sustainability and Carnbon Policy Study] after environmental activists warned biomass power plants could add to global warming.

"Activists are pushing a ballot question to restrict the amount of carbon dioxide the power plants can emit."


HIKE WITH AN ENERGY CHARGER
World's First Kinetic Energy Charger for Hand-Held Electronics, The nPower® PEG is Now Available!
May 3, 2010 (nPower)

"The nPower® PEG is a light-weight, portable Personal Energy Generator that is used to recharge…hand-held electronic devices…away from the grid…[It captures and stores] the kinetic energy [from] walking, jogging, or biking and then [uses] that renewable energy to charge [a] phone, Mp3 player, or GPS…Just place the nPower® PEG vertically in [a] backpack or briefcase and carry it…

"nPower® PEG provides individuals with the security and enjoyment of knowing their mobile electronic devices can be charged anytime and anyplace…High strength polycarbonate frame and titanium casing give the nPower® PEG durability…Unique, adaptive control system automatically adjusts…to capture maximum power…Compact, recyclable lithium polymer battery stores energy…Industry standard USB 2.0 interface and universal iGo® tip system…[allows syncing with all] hand-held devices…"

The nPower® PEG ready to hit the trail. (click to enlarge)

"The nPower® PEG is Tremont Electric’s first application of the nPower® technology. Aaron LeMieux, technology inventor and Tremont Electric founder, was hiking on the Appalachian Trail when he wanted a way to recharge his radio and CD player without carrying the extra weight of disposable batteries. Several days into his three-month trip, he was inspired by the notion that the backpack he carried possessed a significant amount of kinetic energy through the up-and-down movement derived by walking. LeMieux realized that if he could convert this excess motion into usable electricity he could use this power to charge his hand-held mobile electronic devices; thus the inception of nPower® technology…

"nPower® PEG is available for purchase for $149.99 online at www.nPowerPEG.com beginning the week of May 3…[It] reduces environmental waste by eliminating the need for multiple chargers. It is compatible with over 3,000 hand-held electronic devices and is a cradle-to-cradle product made with sustainable components, which are 90% locally sourced. The nPower® PEG can be returned to Tremont Electric for recycling, refurbishing, and repurposing…"