In a move that may be more for PR rather than energy savings, Workers installed 20 wind turbines in late December Adobe Systems. The installation is expected to produce about 50,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year which sufficient to power 6 average homes. In terms of Adobe’s consumption footprint however, it only represents 2% of the power used in their 1 million square foot corporate high rise buildings.
Wind "Turbines" at Adobe Headquarters
TVA said it has entered two contracts with Invenergy Wind affiliates to provide a total of up to 350 megawatts from wind projects at the White Oak Energy Center in McLean County, Ill., and the Bishop Hill Energy Center in Henry County, Ill., both beginning in January 2012.
GE has signed contracts to supply 88 wind turbines to HECIC New Energy, a Chinese wind energy developer, for three new projects in Hebei and Shanxi Provinces. The projects will support the growth of wind energy investments in China and the wind farms expect to add 132MW of installed wind power capacity in China. Some analysts expect China’s wind power segment to grow by 25% in 2010
Canada’s Western Wind Energy Corp (WND.V) said it received approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority for 15 turbine locations for its wind and solar energy project based in Arizona. The company also said it was in the process of finalizing a turbine supplier, engineering procurement construction contractor and solar panel provider.
The UK wind farm planned is an order of magnitude larger than the picture of a wind farm near Wales above
The UK Government announced plans to build nine giant wind parks on their coasts, taking the lead in wind energy production globally and looking to provide 25% of their total energy needs. The cost will top 110 billion euros and expected completion is in 2018. If you have ever visited the UK coasts for any measurable period, you are well aware of the turbulent seas and windy conditions in the land-locked country.
Broadwind Energy (BWEN) shares which we wrote about last week continue to be under pressure as T. Boone Pickens announced plans to cut back on domestic wind farms and concentrate on natural gas
]]>Below is a 5 day chart of WelWind which illustrates the lower trading range this stock has settled into
Offshore wind power company Bluewater Wind has announced an agreement to build America’s first offshore wind turbine park off the coast of Delaware. Each turbine will reside on a slim tower about 250 feet above the waterline. From the shore, the park will be visible only on clear winter days, and the turbines will be nearly invisible during summer months when Rehoboth Beach fills with vacationers. Each blade on the three-blade rotor is to be 150 feet long. The wind farm will power 50,000 homes in Delaware, using about half of its capacity.” The initial plan calls for about 60 large wind turbines about 11 miles east of Rehoboth Beach. Bluewater Wind LLC is a member of the Arcadia Wind Holdings LLC family of companies, which successfully developed the 181 MW Judith Gap Wind Farm in Montana. Judith Gap was developed after Arcadia won a competition among 45 bidders of all generation technology types. The first phase of this project, at 135 MW, began commercial operation in November 2005. The balance of the project is expected to be built in 2007. ]]>
Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan Securities and Credit Suisse Securities are underwriting the IPO which could be oversubscribed if the hype around wind energy continues. Noble plans to list its shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “NEPI.” ]]>
- Based on current demand they believe their new wind turbine plant will be operating at full capacity until mid-2011bringing in over 1 billion in revenues
- APWR will bring online its 180,000 square foot wind turbine assembly facility with the capacity to produce 420 of the 750kW wind turbines and 300 of the 2.5 MW wind turbines each year and expects to begin producing wind turbines at this new facility in the third quarter of this 2008
- China’s wind energy market alone is expected to grow 40 fold to 50 GW of output by 2020, up from just 1.2 GW in 2005
- Q1 2008 Revenue increased 85.0% to $32.3 million from $17.5 million in Q1 2007
- Q1 2008 Net Income increased 79.1% to $2.9 million from $1.6 million in Q1 2007
- Cash balance as of March 31, 2008 approximately $94 million, up from approximately $36 million at the end of 2007
- Bridge loan was repaid in January 2008, Company is now debt-free
- Confirms Company on-track to reach 2008 earnings guidance of $35 to $45 million, or approximately $1.04 to $1.34 per share
If APWR continues to execute and become “best of breed” it could generate 2009 earnings close to $2.00 per share. With a aggressive multiple of 40 for a growth company such as this, it could warrant an $80 pps.
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A startup named Bluenergy USA has designed a wind turbine that also doubles as a solar collector. Dubbed as a Solarwind Turbine , Plans are underway to locate a manufacturing facility in or near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The company has seemingly solved the “ugly” factor that is currently associated with both Solar Panels and Wind turbines. A comparison of the Solarwind Turbine vs traditional solar and wind in a large home or office application seems to yield favorable results for the product although the data is provided by the company itself so certain factors may be excluded. At $7 per watt, the SolarWind turbine is competitive with traditional solar and wind turbine alternatives. If you are looking to invest in this company, you are going to have to bring your checkbook. It is currently a privately held company that is looking for individual investors willing to part with at least $50,000. You can find out more by visiting theirwebsite
| TRADITIONAL SOLAR | TRADITIONAL WIND TURBINE | SOLARWIND™ TURBINE | |
| Technology | Converts sunlight to electricity in solar cells mounted in panel arrays on roofs, the ground or “tracker racks” that follow the optimal angle of the sun. Inverter delivers solar currents as 120/240 VAC | Wind turns traditional “windmill” blades on horizontal axis mounted on tower. Blades turn generator producing electricity. Inverter delivers generated electricity as 120/240 VAC | Wind turns the 5 kW Bluenergy Solarwind™ Turbine‘s “double-helix designed” curved wind vanes mounted on a vertical axis and covered with solar cells double-sealed in clear Teflon . Electricity produced by both turning generator and solar cells is merged in an enclosed inverter and delivered as 120/240 VAC. |
| Footprint | ~ 35 150-Watt solar panels cover ~ 500 square feet on the ground or roof. Installation angle determines productivity, (6’-10’ high), or if using sun tracking arrays, requires tracker rack, poles, and concrete base (12-15’ high). | Horizontal 3-blade propeller requires a 60’ to 140’ high high tower with 3-5 sets of guyed wires, requiring a dedicated 2-5,000 square-foot area. | The Solarwind™ is self-contained in only 60 square feet. The 5 kW model is 18’ tall and 6’ wide including turbine, generator and inverter. |
| Approximate cost & production | $9-10/Watt installed or $50,000. Produces 720 kWhrs/month.
(5kW x 6 hrs x 24 days/mo = 720 kWhrs/mo) |
$5-6/Watt installed or $30,000. Produces 840 kWhrs/month.
(av. mean speed 12mph @4kW x 7 hrs x 30 days/mo = 840 kWhrs/mo) |
$7/Watt installed or $35,000. Produces 1,100 kWhrs/month.
(av. mean speed 12mph @3kW x 9 hrs x 30 days/mo = 810 kWhrs/mo from wind + 2 kW x 6.5 hrs x 24 days/mo = 312 kWhrs/mo from sun) |
| Aesthetic & environmental considerations | Industrial in appearance and occupies valuable land. | Dominates physical setting, not urban-friendly, produces varying noise levels, and is potentially harmful to birds. | Dramatic, organic design is an architectural and artistic statement. Scalable size and design elegance enhance rural, residential and urban settings. Silent, harmonious and safe for plant, animal and human life. |
| Production limitations | No night or overcast production. Diminished with seasonal day-length variations. In sunny New Mexico, production averages 6 hours per clear day, about 24 days per month: ~ 22 % production time (capacity) factor. | No generation below 7-10 mph wind speed and must be shut down above 45 mph to avoid damage. In breezy New Mexico, production time averages 7 hours per day: ~ 29 % production time (capacity) factor. | Generator starts at 4 mph with no upper wind speed limit; power rated > 90 mph. Generates with no sun in a breeze, day or night, or with sun on calm sunny days. Solar and wind power is additive and cumulative 24/7: ~ 37 % production time (capacity) factor. |
| Installation & maintenance | Complex installation of arrays on ground or rooftop with added installation of separate charge controller and inverter to connect to electrical system. Periodic cleaning advised, generally maintenance free. | Complex installation at 60’ to 140’ requiring 3-5 sets of guyed wires, heavy equipment and crew for installation. Added installation of inverter. Significant, regular maintenance required at height of blades or generator, or complicated tilt-down of tower required. | Recommended installation on ground requires minimal equipment and crew (no crane), with generator and inverter mounted and sealed in a single 6’ diameter base. Ready to interconnect into building or net-meter into electrical grid. Minimal, easy maintenance. |
| Unsubsidized kilowatt hour cost projections |
Total cost: $50,000. Projected Total System Output: ~ 216,000 kWhrs. 1 kWhr cost averages: 23 ¢ / kWhr. |
Total cost (including replacing one generator): $48,000. Projected Total System Output: ~ 252,000 kWhrs. 1 kWhr cost averages: 19 ¢ / kWhr. |
Total cost (including replacing one small generator): $42,000. Projected Total System Output: ~ 330,000 kWhrs. 1 kWhr cost averages: 13 ¢ / kWhr. |
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into electricity, often using wind turbines. At the end of last year, 2007, worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 94.1 gigawatts and accounts for approximately 19% of electricity production in Denmark, 9% in Spain and Portugal and 6% in Germany and Ireland (2007 data). Globally, wind power generation increased more than 500% between 2000 and 2007 and is expected to grow to 160 gigawatts.
Most wind power is generated in the form of electricity and large scale wind farms are supply power via electrical grids. Individual turbines can provide electricity to isolated locations. Wind energy is plentiful, renewable, clean, and has a much smaller carbon footprint than traditional energy sources like oil and natural gas. Wind turbines come in a variety of sizes, depending upon the use of the electricity. The large, utility-scale turbine described above may have blades over 40 meters long, meaning the diameter of the rotor is over 80 meters which is almost as long as a football field. The turbines might be mounted on towers 80 meters tall and produce 1.8 megawatts of power (1.8 MW or 1800 kilowatts, 1800 kW), supply enough electricity for 600 homes, and cost over 1.5 million dollars! Wind turbines designed to supply part of the electricity used by a home or business are much smaller and less costly. A residential- or farm-sized turbine may have a rotor up to 15 meters (50 feet) in diameter and be mounted on a metal lattice tower up to 35 meters (120 ft) tall. These turbines may cost from as little as a few thousand dollars for very small units up to perhaps $40,000-$80,000.
WindyStocks covers public trading companies that are involved in the design, manufacture and sale of Wind Energy such as the following
A-Power Generation Systems Ltd (APWR)
Zoltek (ZOLT)
Broadwind Energy Inc (BWEI)
AES Inc (AES)
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