California, the state that has long symbolized the American Dream, is once again turning to wind energy and other renewables to power its future energy needs.
Earlier this week, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that requires utility companies operating in the state to get as much as 33% of their electricity from wind power, solar and other renewable energy sources by 2020.
Spain was Europe’s leading producer of wind energy last year with a total production of 42,976 gigawatt-hours, replacing Germany in the top spot, according to the Spanish Wind Energy Association AEE.
Last year some 16.4% of Spain’s electricity demand was met by wind power, AEE have declared.
Germany – where wind power covered 6.2% of the electricity demand in 2010 – still remains Europe’s number one in terms of installed wind power capacity with 27,214 megawatts, while Spain has 20,676 MW.
The world’s continued dependence on fossil fuels is threatening political stability, economic recovery and environmental sustainability, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has told a global forum on the transition to a clean energy economy.
“To break this dependency, the world needs a clean energy revolution,” Nobuo Tanaka added in a foreword to the IEA’s first Clean Energy Progress Report, which was presented last week in Abu Dhabi at the second Clean Energy Ministerial meeting.
It’s probably not what traditional wind farm developers have in mind when they are considering the many benefits of harnessing wind power, but a popular American company has come up with two new reasons to appreciate the emissions-free technology — ice cream and iced tea.
Turkey Hill Dairy, which produces the fourth largest-selling premium ice cream in the US, announced last week its use of two wind turbines that generate a combined 3.2 megawatts will now power at least one-quarter of its annual electricity needs.
A press release from the Pennsylvania company said that equals enough power to produce six million gallons of ice cream and 15 million gallons of iced tea each year. Employing 700 workers, the dairy offers 46 flavors of premium ice cream and 18 different types of iced tea.
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The simple idea behind Earth Hour, originating in Australia a few years ago, has taken off around the world. The project asks everyone to turn off their lights, for one hour, each year at the same time. The reason is to “take a stand against climate change”. This year, the date is Saturday 26 March, at 8.30, wherever you are on the planet.
This simple request has garnered massive support. In 2007, the first year of Earth Hour, 2.2 million individuals and more than 2000 businesses participated in Australia. One year later, 50 million people joined in across 35 countries. The Golden Gate Bridge and the Colosseum in Rome were among the landmarks that went dark to mark Earth Hour that year. For Earth Hour last year, 128 countries officially switched off to signify their support for the planet.
