In keeping with the goal of becoming a green state, Texas has strived forward, establishing itself as a leader in green energy. Recently there have been several alternative energy resources that people are watching closely, among them is wind energy. To some the results are astonishing; however to Texans it is nothing new.
When a person [...]
In keeping with the goal of becoming a green state, Texas has strived forward, establishing itself as a leader in green energy. Recently there have been several alternative energy resources that people are watching closely, among them is wind energy. To some the results are astonishing; however to Texans it is nothing new.
When a person thinks about wind-generated electricity, he sees those huge windmills, the long blades whirling in the breeze. And the state that leads the way in wind-generated power is Texas. The increase of 436 megawatts in the 3rd quarter brings her total wind-power capacity to nearly 8800 Megawatts, or approximately 28% of the total U.S. wind-generated power. California, by Comparison, generates less than 3000 megawatts by wind.
The Texas wind generation plants produce enough to power 2.5 million homes. Compare that to the total U.S. of 9 million. Texas is a true leader in this field.
The production of wind turbines is down because of the recession, but Texas still pushes ahead. And it has nearly three times the turbine-power megawatts of Iowa. Taking the steps to move forward with clean energy it will not be long before the country turns to Texas once again to see what to do correctly.
The American Wind Energy Association credits the stimulus bill for helping complete energy projects and for starting new ones.
Two Kenedy County wind plants will go on, as planned, thanks to a federal judge’s dismissal of a case against them. Judge Lee Yeakal of the U.S. District Court in Austin announced on August 4th that he would be dismissing the case that was to be heard later in the month. It is unknown as [...]
Two Kenedy County wind plants will go on, as planned, thanks to a federal judge’s dismissal of a case against them. Judge Lee Yeakal of the U.S. District Court in Austin announced on August 4th that he would be dismissing the case that was to be heard later in the month. It is unknown as yet what the reasoning behind the dismissal was, but there are no approvals needed to place such plants on private land, as was the situation in this case.
The Coastal Habitat Alliance had filed the suit against PPM Energy and Texas Wind, as they felt that the companies had not done enough research and investigation as to the effects of the plants on local wildlife habitats. This suit was their second attempt to halt the building of these two plants. The first was also dismissed by a judge, but will be appealed. The alliance has not yet decided as to whether they will appeal this dismissal, as well, as the judge has yet to release a statement on his reasoning.
According to the investment group responsible for the project, Australian based Babcock & Brown, their projects are intended to help the environment by providing renewable energy and to minimize damage to habitats and natural resources. The first phase of these wind farms is under construction and slated to be completed by the end of the year, while future additional turbines will be added. The companies involved feel that they have been extremely mindful of their project’s impact and have taken necessary steps to protect the local environment.
At Dell’s headquarters in Austin, Texas, the goal is to be carbon neutral by the end of 2008. The 2.1 million square foot campus is already powered 100 percent by renewable energy sources: 40 percent landfill generated methane gas from Waste Management’s Austin Community Landfill gas to energy plant and 60 percent wind generated power [...]
At Dell’s headquarters in Austin, Texas, the goal is to be carbon neutral by the end of 2008. The 2.1 million square foot campus is already powered 100 percent by renewable energy sources: 40 percent landfill generated methane gas from Waste Management’s Austin Community Landfill gas to energy plant and 60 percent wind generated power from TXU Energy’s wind farm.
Dell is concentrating green efforts toward increasing the percentage of renewable energy use from 8 to 17 percent, replacing lighting and air conditioning with more energy efficient units, and using 100 percent renewable energy sources at their Idaho plant – 97 percent wind and 3 percent solar power.
Additional environmental efforts on Dell’s part include a Plant A Tree Program – in which they plant a tree for a small additional fee on every purchase made – a free computer recycling program, and products which are ranked among the most energy efficient lap- and desktops on the market today. The OptiPlex 755, Inspiron 531, Latitude D630, and the PowerEdge product line combine to save customers more than $2 billion and over 22 million tons of carbon dioxide.
These energy initiatives are expected to save Dell almost $2 million in annual operating costs and cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 12,000 tons per year. Renewable energy costs are also not as subjected to the whims of the market, thereby keeping the company’s energy budget under control.
Dell had announced their intention to go carbon neutral in September of 2007 and they are well on their way to meeting this goal by the end of 2008. As Paul Bell, president of Dell, says, “it’s time for our industry to take a lead role in creating a clean energy future.”
When you think of natural resources, the ones that immediately come to mind are either the ones introduced to you in elementary school or the ones constantly in the news for their depletion. You picture coal, oil, various minerals, soil and trees. You think of things that you can touch and feel, but what [...]
When you think of natural resources, the ones that immediately come to mind are either the ones introduced to you in elementary school or the ones constantly in the news for their depletion. You picture coal, oil, various minerals, soil and trees. You think of things that you can touch and feel, but what about a natural resource that is a little less tangible? What about gravity?
A man in Springfield, VA recently designed a lamp powered solely by gravity. The product, named Gravia, is lit by a mass that spins a rotor as it slowly falls. It turns on and off with weights that are moved from the top to the bottom of the device, and involves no cords, no noise and very little energy. The light emitted from it is equivalent to that of a 40-watt bulb. What makes it so amazing, however, is that if used 24 hours a day, seven days a week it would last for approximately 200 years.
That definitely gives you something to think about. The one thing we’ll never run out of is gravity. It’s a constant presence on this earth, so why not use it to light up our rooms and power our gadgets?
Of course, we can’t rely on gravity to build our homes. We’ll have to look to other natural resources for that, but if we can use gravity for electricity, what can’t we use to make four walls?
