On 11 March this year a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the Pacific coast of Japan. Not only were over 15,000 deaths recorded, but according to Wikipedia over 4,000 people are still missing. It was Japan’s most powerful earthquake ever recorded, so powerful was it that the island of Honshu shifted eight feet to the east and the combined effect of the quake and tsunami caused the Fukushima nuclear plant to go into meltdown.
While the full consequences of the nuclear accident remain unknown – the latest reports reveal that the planned cold shutdown of the plant by the end of this year has been delayed and that 35 of the country’s 54 nuclear plants are still offline – there is one positive story for Japan’s energy infrastructure: no wind turbines were destroyed by the earthquake. continue reading »
The BBC’s science and environment page today features an interactive graphic on how an offshore wind farm is constructed. It starts with a navigable photo of the Harland and Wolff’s docks in Belfast where the turbines for a new offshore wind farm in the waters off Cumbria, UK are being assembled. Then you can watch videos on the different phases of construction, and finally there are a series of videos at the Ormonde offshore wind farm itself. continue reading »
Wind power got a huge vote of confidence earlier this week when what is often described as the most influential newspaper in the English-language world published a story saying the industry has made huge improvements in the past 15 years.
In a story headlined “Wind Power Gains as Gear Improves,” The New York Times article also said experts acknowledge that even greater improvements in wind technology are planned for the future.
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From fishing to oil and gas excavation, the sea is a hub of human activity that has far-reaching consequences on marine life. In recent years, as the green revolution kicks in, a new human activity is taking place in Europe’s seas – the construction of offshore wind farms. A new study has found that many species of marine life can benefit from the presence of an offshore wind farm once it has been constructed.
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Texas, the US leader in installed wind energy capacity, may soon be boasting offshore wind facilities as well.
Baryonyx Corporation, an Austin-based company, has ambitious plans to build three offshore wind farms near South Padre Island and Corpus Christi.
According to The Brownsville Herald, Baryonyx submitted in June its project permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which will almost certainly call for an environmental impact statement, a process that could take almost three years to complete.
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