QUICK NEWS, October 31: From Oil To New Energy In Texas; The Wind Boom In Iowa Gets Bigger; A New Look At Hawaii’s Wave Energy

From Oil To New Energy In Texas Texas oil? So dated — solar and wind energy are taking over the Longhorn State; Texas is looking to remain America's energy hub in the renewable era by pioneering wind and solar production

Matthew Rosza, October 25, 2016 (Salon)

“…[Texas, a state synonymous with Big Oil, could] wind up leading a renewable-energy revolution...[Many] wind companies have evolved to include solar and wind because solar has become so cost] competitive with not only wind, but with fossil [fuel] generation…Texas — which produces 37 percent of America’s crude oil and 28 percent of its natural gas — [already] has more than 10,000 wind turbines, allowing it to produce more power from wind than the combined power produced by 25 other states from all energy sources…[and the state] expects more than 10,000 megawatts of solar-generating capacity to be installed across the state by 2029, which is almost the size of all the operational solar farms in the United States today.” click here for more

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The Wind Boom In Iowa Gets Bigger Iowa reaches new high mark for wind energy; Alliant, MidAmerican Energy expanding major projects

Erin Murphy, October 28, 2016 (Des Moines Gazette)

“…Wind energy provided 35.8 percent of the electricity generated in Iowa in the year spanning August 2015 to July 2016…That’s the highest percentage ever for Iowa, which has the highest [percent of wind energy in its electricity mix] in the nation [and Kansas and South Dakota are next at just more than 25 percent. In 1983, Iowa approved] the first state renewable energy requirement, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, authored the federal tax credit for wind energy production…Iowa is second in the country to Texas in [total] wind energy production, with installed capacity of more than 6,000 megawatts, which is enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 1.6 million average U.S. homes…Texas’ capacity is more than 18,000 megawatts…Nearly $12 billion in capital investment on wind energy projects has been made in Iowa and the industry supports roughly 7,000 jobs, according to the [most recent market report from the American Wind Energy Association]…” click here for more

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A New Look At Hawaii’s Wave Energy Wave power still has a lot of potential

October 30, 2016 (Republican Herld)

“…Hawaii-based Navy researchers started feeding power from two experimental offshore wave energy devices into the grid on nearby Oahu, representing the first time the American public could access electricity derived from ocean waves. The trickle of energy from these experimental devices doesn’t amount to anything substantial yet, but…at least a quarter of U.S. electricity needs [could be generated] by harnessing wave power…[The obstacle is] the high costs of getting started, technical issues with maintaining offshore equipment, and the challenges of scaling up for mass consumption…[Two of the biggest wave energy endeavors in the world, Pelamis and Aquamarine,] went belly up recently…But [there are still] the experimental wave farm off Oahu, two larger projects are being built off the coast of the United Kingdom, while three additional projects are underway around Australia. Funding for these projects has come from not only the host governments but also the private sector…[including] American defense contractor Lockheed Martin…” click here for more

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