Having witnessed first-hand the impact of rising sea levels in the south Pacific due to climate change, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called again on Wednesday for rapid international action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In a joint statement in Auckland with leaders of Pacific island nations, Ban noted that climate change is one of the greatest threats to people living in the region.

The statement “emphasized the need for an ambitious reduction of greenhouse gas emissions sufficient to enable the survival and viability of all Pacific Small Island Developing States.” It also called for the UNFCCC COP 17 meeting in Durban, South Africa in December “to deliver a comprehensive outcome persistent with this objective.” continue reading »

Last week an article was published in the Financial Times exploring the potential threat Chinese wind power technology poses to the European wind power industry. The article (published 29 August) points out that Chinese turbine manufacturers are now among the world’s top 10 turbine makers and that China is putting up wind turbines at the rate of one turbine per hour.  And it’s not just the Chinese wind power sector that is expanding on the global stage, but South Korea, Japan and others.

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When I tell people I work in wind energy, the reaction is generally one of approval. Wind energy is green, it helps the planet. People approve.

Despite this, most developers of wind farms will have had to deal at one time or other with ‘NIMBYism’ which can cause delays to projects. And any delay to a wind farm project costs time and money to a developer – and delays the environmental and economic benefits from the wind farm. Wind Directions investigates the issue of public acceptance and how it can be managed.

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Turbines at the Altamont Pass wind farm in California, one of the earliest wind farms in the United States and the largest concentration of wind turbines in the world, will soon be repowered and upgraded.

The San Jose Mercury News reported last week that a vast number of turbines at Altamont Pass east of San Francisco are to be replaced by newer, more efficient models.

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Barclays bank has launched a new £100 million investment fund for UK farmers to invest in renewable energy, the bank announced this week. The launch of the fund follows a survey of UK farmers carried out by Barclays which found that over one-third are “expecting to invest in renewable energy, with the majority doing so within the next year.”

Some 80% of the farmers questioned said they think that renewable energy can provide significant cost savings, with 60% saying that renewable energy could generate additional income for their farm business, Barclays said. Meanwhile, Barclays itself predicts that the costs of wind power will fall by up to 50% in the next three to five years. continue reading »