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Yesterday, major ideological tensions flared among Senate Democrats and Republicans about what just 12 hours prior seemed to be a solid stimulus package. Despite those roadblocks, there was one clear loser in the $2 trillion relief package: the renewable energy industry. The deal for Senate Republicans taking out a $3 billion provision to buy oil […]
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The Senate was unable to agree on a bipartisan stimulus bill yesterday — negotiations apparently stalled because, among other things, the Democrats demanded that bailouts for airlines be conditioned on their lowering their emissions and that tax credits for wind and solar projects be extended.
Why This Matters: After dragging his feet on immediate economic relief and adjourning the Senate over the weekend ten days ago, now Senator McConnell seems in a big rush to give billions to corporations while leaving workers and the environment out of the deal.
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Wind energy has seen impressive growth in the United States over the past decade with offshore wind standing as the next big phase in renewable energy expansion. However, now that the first generation of wind turbines are nearing the end of their lifespan, we’re being faced with a growing sustainability concern: what to do with […]
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The American Wind Energy Association announced on Thursday that for wind power developers experienced their third-best year in 2019, adding 9,143 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity to the grid—enough to power over three million American homes.
Why This Matters: No matter how much President Trump tries to knock it, wind power is a big part of our energy future.
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Construction of the world’s largest offshore wind turbines is set to begin in 2020 in the North Sea. In 2023 when these behemoth turbines (they’re 853ft tall with blades that extend 351ft) come online they will power 4.5 million homes with renewable energy and will generate 5% of the UK’s total power supply. Why This Matters: According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), “our shores possess a power potential of more than 2,000 gigawatts (GW), nearly double the nation’s current electricity use. This potential presents an enormous opportunity to deliver large amounts of clean and reliable electricity to the country’s largest population centers, where it’s needed most.”
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While some wind turbine parts can be repurposed to be used elsewhere, as NPR reported, researchers estimate the U.S. will have more than 720,000 tons of blade material to dispose of over the next 20 years. As Living Circular explained, the rotor blades, in particular, are a problem although they are only 2% to 3% […]
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Wind energy deployment hit a snag in Kansas after a group of landowners from the central and eastern part of the state signed a petition to stop the turbines citing decreased property value and negative health effects as their reason for not wanting the project. As the Wichita Eagle reported, “after Florida-based NextEra announced plans […]
Continue Reading 457 wordsQuestion: "Do wind turbines cause cancer?" Mercedes Schlapp, White House Director of Strategic Communications: "I don't have an answer to that." pic.twitter.com/cxcZHQoov2 — The Hill (@thehill) April 3, 2019 As you saw from our story above, President Trump’s nonsensical statement about wind turbine noise causing cancer and decreasing property values raised a lot of questions […]
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While a transition to renewable energy is one of our best bets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change the lack of energy transmission lines from where renewable energy is produced to where it’s needed is a big impediment to its growth. As Greentech Media explained, our current century-old grid system presents […]
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