Researchers will study the vibrations of wind turbines at a large Chilean wind farm along with health impacts on nearby residents. The goal is to make wind turbines more acceptable. Currently, scientists lack sufficient understanding of wind turbines’ noise and best ways to mitigate the effects, they say.
Tracy HammondOn Nov 4th, Congressional Republicans beat back their Democratic opponents in nearly every part of the country. Because of this resounding victory, Republicans have a tighter control of Congress than they’ve enjoyed since America teetered into the Great Depression at the end of the 1920s. (Hopefully this is not foreshadowing). Although Republicans already enjoyed a solid, governing majority in the House heading into the 2014 midterms, the party still managed to gain more than a dozen seats (a few contests sill remain too close to call, so a final tally isn’t yet known). The Senate—as is generally the case—is a bit tighter, but Republicans managed to pick up at least 8 seats with the possibility of a 9th if Bill Cassidy (R) defeats Mary Landrieu (D) in the Louisiana…
adminA new analysis suggests that large-scale wave energy systems developed in the Pacific Northwest should be comparatively steady, dependable and able to be integrated into the overall energy grid at lower costs than some other forms of alternative energy, including wind power.
The chaos continues at SunEdison, with Francisco “Pancho” Perez, the company’s chief operating officer and executive vice president, and Steve Tesoriere, an activist investor on SunEdison’s board of directors since 2012, both unexpectedly leaving the company with no explanation given.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has boosted its stake in Scotland’s 588MW Beatrice offshore wind project after buying a further 10{f24b02adee2102ff0c5f5079c50862fc8ba5fa53f8615b567037555463da2377} from utility SSE.
Wind turbines deliver environmentally friendly electricity. Yet the fiber-reinforced plastics often used in very large rotor blades are almost impossible to recycle. Not so with steel blades: since these are composed of steel, their recyclability exceeds 90 percent. Plus they cost significantly less than comparable plastic blades.
Graphene, the ultra-thin, ultra-strong material made from a single layer of carbon atoms, just got a little more extreme. Physicists have been able to create the first ever superconducting graphene sample by coating it with lithium atoms.
