Which makes commercial oil production look like a baby at 150 (please see last weeks Posts).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union
As always it was very very cool, everyone gathered:
And Everyone marched:
Some places were crowded:
Some places weren’t. But it always amazes what things you never notice unless you are actually in the street. Somehow on the sidewalk they just do not stand out.
Then it was over, but we will be back next year:
:}
100 megs. about to come on line.
http://www.pjstar.com/homepage/x1885905423/Rail-Splitter-Wind-Farm-almost-operational
Purchase this photo
Rail Splitter Wind Farm turbines stand on land near Emden.
More related photos
Journal Star
DELAVAN —
Dave and Judy Diekhoff wanted a host of questions answered before they committed to having a colossal wind turbine installed on a small plot of their 200-acre farm near Delavan.
They wanted to know about potential effects on property value, noise and the longevity of such structures. Most importantly, they wondered about the feasibility of aerial crop dusting for their property and that of their neighbors.
“After we got those worked out, we were fine with having the turbine on the farm,” Dave Diekhoff said Tuesday. “We believe in wind energy. . . . It’s going to be good for the county, and it’s going to be good for the schools.”
The massive structure that sits on their property today is part of the sprawling Rail Splitter Wind Farm that encompasses parts of Tazewell and Logan counties and straddles Interstate 155 near Delavan.
Some of the 67 turbines installed earlier this year as part of the project already are pumping electricity into the grid, and the rest of the structures should be operational next month, according to Bill Whitlock, director of development for Horizon Wind Energy.
Once those turbines begin churning – producing 100.5 megawatts of electricity per year, enough to power 30,000 homes – the state will mark a green milestone.
With Rail Splitter, Illinois will produce more than 1,000 megawatts of wind energy annually, pushing it further into the top 10 of wind-energy producing states.
Illinois currently ranks 10th in the nation with 915 megawatts of wind energy production per year, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Rail Splitter and two other projects are under construction or just completed.
:}
GateHouse News Service
Tue Jul 21, 2009, 01:01 PM CDT
LINCOLN, Ill. –
The steel wind towers and turbine propellers of the Rail Splitter Wind Farm northwest of Lincoln should start spinning and producing electricity for the power grid sometime in August, project developers say.
“We’re commissioning the turbines beginning (Monday, July 20),” said Bill Whitlock, development director for Horizon Wind Energy LLC.
“At some point in August, it will be commercially operational,” Whitlock said of the project.
The farm consists of 67 General Electric 1.5-megawatt turbines with the capacity for 100.5 megawatts — enough to power more than 30,000 average Illinois homes each year.
Each turbine is more than 262 feet high and includes three blades that are each 125 feet long and a nacelle — which contains the gearbox and generator — the size of a camper trailer.
Houston-based Horizon operates more than 15 wind farms across the country, including the Twin Groves I and II wind farms in eastern McLean County. Those farms, which became operational in March 2007 and early 2008, respectively, have a combined 240 turbines and a generating capacity of 396 MW.
Horizon also is developing the Top Crop I wind farm, which is of similar size to Rail Splitter, in LaSalle County. That farm is the first phase of a larger project that will include wind farms in Grundy and Livingston counties.
Illinois ranks 10th in the country for existing wind energy capacity and 16th in potential capacity. There are 17 wind projects operating in the state so far, accounting for more than 1,100 MW of capacity.
Illinois gets about 2 percent of its electricity from wind.
Construction began on Rail Splitter Wind Farm, on Interstate 155 in Logan and Tazewell counties about 60 miles from Springfield, in July 2008, Whitlock said. Completing a trench for underground wiring was one of the final construction elements.
Horizon officials say the annual environmental benefits of Rail Splitter will be equivalent to taking 18,000 cars off the road.
:}
http://nilasmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/railsplitter-wind-farm.html
I am in awe of these wind turbines!
No, I’m not the one who took these pictures, but my publisher Jan did, and they were in yesterday’s LDN.
LDN does not copyright their photos, so they are free for the taking for anyone who wants to copy them.
If you could like to see larger versions, follow this link; http://www.lincolndailynews.com/Features/picturepage051309_rwf.htm then click on the phot for a larger version.
:}
http://midwestgreen.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/railsplitter-windfarm-dedication/
:}
OKOKOK so it isn’t Larry. Everyone knows what google whore I am. I know Larry. I like Larry. Even though he is a Republican, he used to be my Senator and I have gone to fund raisers for him. It is Cathy his cousin but..
http://www.wikio.com/article/115797788
www.carbonfreeenergy | 07/13/2009
Supporters of a requirement that turbines be at least a mile from “non-participants” in wind-farm developments estimate they have collected 450 signatures in support of the change in Sangamon County zoning rules.
The developers of the first such farm in the county say the requirement would spell the end of the project.
Cathy Bomke of Sangamon County Citizens for Wind Rights said Friday the group hopes to get a hearing as early as next month before the county zoning board of appeals on plans for the Meridian Wind Farm.
The utility-scale project eventually could build up to 200 turbines in an area between Pleasant Plains and New Berlin.
“This is a way for the county board to get a step ahead. If you want to participate, you can have one (a wind turbine). If you don’t want to participate, you’ll have the guarantee it won’t be quite so close to your home,” said Bomke.
Bomke said her cousin, state Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, is not involved in the petition drive.
American Wind Energy Management Corp., a U.S. subsidiary of one of Europe’s largest wind-farm developers, and California-based Oak Creek Energy Systems Inc. are partners in the Meridian Wind Farm.
A local project manager said Friday the companies have options on about 11,000 of the 20,000 acres that eventually would be needed.
“Everything is falling into place. It’s really just getting control of the land and getting landowners to sign up. The permitting process is the next big hurdle,” said Chris Nickells, vice president of site establishment
Nickells said it probably will be early 2010 before developers could go to the county board for approval, adding that they are aware of the petition drive.
“Their version of a setback would run us out. If you draw a one-mile radius around everybody’s house, it would send us packing,” said Nickells.
The project recently took on the name Meridian Wind Farm as the site is near the 90th parallel on the map.
In 2006, Sangamon County became one of the few counties in the state to create a separate set of zoning rules for wind farms. Board member Tim Moore, R-District 22, said the proposed wind farm on the west side of the county would the first commercial test of the ordinance.
“We’ve had a lot of preliminary talks but no actual filings from the company to zone anything yet,” said Moore, who is chairman of the board’s Public Health, Safety and Zoning committee.
“We have talked about, but not yet implemented, some additional public hearings on this project because of the nature of it,” he added.
Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission executive director Norm Sims said a county board member would have to sponsor the change in the ordinance sought by the citizens group.
“It would then go to the zoning board of appeals. They’d make a recommendation to the county board,” said Sims.
Bomke said the group has continued to collect signatures, including at a booth set up during the recent Sangamon County Fair in New Berlin, but that there is no specific goal for the number of signatures.
:}
This first appeared in the State Journal Register to give credit where credit is due:
:}
So if you see this person pull her over or have a word with her…NIMBY only works if something is a danger to you. It doesn’t work if it is unsightly. We all have to look at CWLP’s 3 smoke belching smoke stacks all day every day. I am positive given the nature of the grid that she sucks up some of that electricity. So why can’t she look at a nice nonpolluting Windmill. Some people even find them to be majestic and beautiful.
:}
(it’s jam band Friday – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
There appears to be 2 schools of thought here. Or maybe three. The first is the literal image itself, that of asking to get into heaven. Instead of an automatic sorting mechanism for heaven and hell maybe everyone has to ask to get in. A second though closely related meaning is that someone is lucky enough to escape hell but then are left knocking at a closed gate because they do not deserve to get in. But most are struck by its symbolic “nearness” to the act of Luther nailing his list of “short comings” on the Catholic Church’s door and the Protestant Reformation that followed:
http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=KgNBqNswpVL9y
RwgzcHr0l9JqLd74yGQN4hyhPbX4QF3JtNy1bQT!-69977801!-16421419?docId=5007265930
Indeed the comparison to the ever opening of the 5 dominate religions (Chinese tao/numerology/spirits, Jewish, Hindu, Christian and Muslim, in no particular order) to include and love more “unlike” individual is the knocking I hear.
:}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhCM88LhoW0
So,.. it is change you hear blowing. The general public has been treated to the coal/oil/natural gas chorus for years, “Alternatives will never do it all! We will need all forms of energy to supply all the needs!” This is nothing more than a complicated hiding behind your mother’s skirt form of argument. Or a slightly loopy form of the ugly stepchild argument – “he maybe ugly but he is related by marriage”. But now we all know that wind ALONE can supply all the power we need…DUH
In the lower 48 states, the potential from wind power is 16 times more than total electricity demand in the United States, the researchers suggest.
Global wind energy potential is considerably higher than previous estimates by both wind industry groups and government agencies, according to a Harvard University study published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States.
The new research surfaced just weeks after T. Boone Pickens, citing rising financing costs, scaled back his plans for the world’s largest wind farm in west Texas.
Using data from thousands of meteorological stations, the Harvard team estimated the world wind power potential to be 40 times greater than total current power consumption. A previous study cited in the paper put that multiple at about 7 times.
In the lower 48 states, the potential from wind power is 16 times more than total electricity demand in the United States, the researchers suggested – significantly greater than a 2008 Department of Energy study that projected wind could supply a fifth of all electricity in the country by 2030.
While remote regions of Russia and Canada have the greatest theoretical potential, the Harvard study pointed out that there are real gains to be made in high-emission nations, especially China, which has been rapidly constructing coal plants. “Large-scale development of wind power in China could allow for an 18-fold increase in electricity supply relative to consumption reported for 2005,” the Harvard study said.
The findings are “further validation of what we’ve been saying – that the United States is the Saudi Arabia of wind,” said Michael Goggin, an electricity industry analyst for the American Wind Energy Association.
The authors based their calculations on the deployment of 2.5- to 3-megawatt wind turbines situated either in accessible rural areas that are neither frozen nor forested, or relatively shallow offshore locations. They also used a conservative 20 percent estimate for capacity factor, a measure of how much energy a given turbine actually produces.
:}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbwWiffSRRA
So maybe everyone should buy one of these:
http://www.windenergy.com/index_wind.htm
Southwest Windpower is the world’s leading producer of small wind turbines. Since 1987, we’ve pioneered new technologies to make renewable energy simple. Whether you’re looking to reduce your home electric bills or power a home, boat or business off the grid, we offer a range of wind power systems to help you.
or one of these:
WindSolarUSA
Michelle Marley
PO Box 168
Owaneco, IL 6255
michelle@windsolarusa.com
217.825.4206
:}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV6ETVQgob0
Next week….I shot the sheriff (just kidding)
:}
What exactly is Heaven on Earth?
http://blogcritics.org/books/article/heaven-on-earth-the-rise-and/
The phrase “Heaven on Earth” in the context of the book is lifted from a phrase by Moses Hess who, in his Communist Confession of Faith, noted that while Christians imagine a heavenly joy “We, on the other hand, will have this heaven on earth.” It’s exactly this kind of religious fervor for the concepts of socialism (and communism – the terms are used interchangeably) that gave socialist regimes the license to do whatever it took to cram Paradise down people’s throats. And when people rejected the “freedom” offered to them, the results were horrific: Mussolini’s Italy, Stalin’s Soviet Republic, and Mao’s China. In total, Muravchik estimates that more than 100 million people were murdered in the name of socialism since 1917.
:}
Some people mistake it for State Run Fascism.
BOOKS, EDITORIALS & NEWS REPORTS
DEATH FOR CONVENIENCE
The great en-masse deception
CONSCIENTIOUS
OBJECTIVE ACTION
WOLF & LAMB
Animal Free Cooking
The Heaven On Earth phrase well illustrates the aspirations of most humanity. It is the point at which all our individual and collective efforts from across the ages of humanity are fulfilled. It is the point at which we are freed by the truth.
As we proceed on our living journey, the words of Meister Johann Eckhart, a 14th century mystic, might help to re-focus our individual tasks: “Earth should become like heaven, so God can find a home here”. Herein are our individual and mutual tasks – to transform the things of ourselves which we sense in our heart are incompatible with heaven. When we make the change, we create a difference, which in turn becomes challenged. When we hold our ground, the world around us changes in consequence. By changing ourselves, we change the world.
The world is in extreme crisis and needs our individually unique care. The topics presented on this site are those which the author emphasizes for humanity’s healing.
:}
Some confuse it with theocracy.
:}
While others are simply obscure…
But Flying Turbines are much more practical:
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2009/06/16/turbines-in-the-sky/
Magenn’s MARS prototype
Wired takes a look at several companies working on high altitude wind turbines: ranging from floating, kite-like devices tethered to long power cables to quaint-looking power-generating flying machines.
The devices are very diverse. Magenn’s helium-filled devices resemble floating kites; Sky Windpower has a ‘controlled helicopter’ with four rotary blades keeping it suspended. Kite Gen’s devices describe a figure eight in the air.
There’s no doubt the wind is stronger at high altitudes, and the devices would take up less ground space, perhaps avoiding one key objection to wind turbines. The attractions are many:
Wind’s power — energy which can be used to do work like spinning magnets to generate electricity — varies with the cube of its speed. So, a small increase in wind speed can lead to a big increase in the amount of mechanical energy you can harvest. High-altitude wind blows fast, is spread nicely across the globe, and is easier to predict than terrestrial wind.
Companies also claim the devices would pose less of a threat to avian life, and emit lower noise pollution than regular wind turbines.
But they’re not without drawbacks.
High-altitude winds, although they are far stronger than terrestrial winds, don’t offer any solution to the ‘baseload’ problem, the inconsistency of supply affecting many renewables. In a article in Energies journal:
Because jet streams vary locally and seasonally, however, the high-altitude wind power resource is less steady than needed for baseload power without large amounts of storage or continental-scale transmission grids, due to the meandering and unsteady nature of the jet streams.
:}
Please see the rest of the article for more info
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmxB2BwVufA&feature=fvst
:}
A very hairy paper from three Harvard Grad students purports to show that especially the USA, Canada and China have all the wind power that we need to generate all the electricity we currently need. The rest of the world does too but not within it’s own confines. In other words some areas like say the Tibetan Uplands have way more than they need and maybe landlocked Germany does not. So they would have to trade but the net wind power to generate the electricity exists according to:
Xi Lu, Michael McElroy, and Juha Kiviluoma in:
IN the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America – I tend to believe these guys-
But all I can show you here is the abstrat because the 6 page paper is in PDF:
+Author Affiliations
Communicated by James G. Anderson, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, April 29, 2009 (received for review November 6, 2008)
The potential of wind power as a global source of electricity is assessed by using winds derived through assimilation of data from a variety of meteorological sources. The analysis indicates that a network of land-based 2.5-megawatt (MW) turbines restricted to nonforested, ice-free, nonurban areas operating at as little as 20% of their rated capacity could supply >40 times current worldwide consumption of electricity, >5 times total global use of energy in all forms. Resources in the contiguous United States, specifically in the central plain states, could accommodate as much as 16 times total current demand for electricity in the United States. Estimates are given also for quantities of electricity that could be obtained by using a network of 3.6-MW turbines deployed in ocean waters with depths <200 m within 50 nautical miles (92.6 km) of closest coastlines.
Author contributions: X.L. and M.B.M. designed research; X.L. and M.B.M. performed research; X.L., M.B.M., and J.K. analyzed data; and X.L., M.B.M., and J.K. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.
:}
They have pretty pictures too.
For a not so bad summary:
Wind could power the entire world
Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
June 22, 2009
Wind power may be the key to a clean energy revolution: a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science finds that wind power could provide for the entire world’s current and future energy needs.
To estimate the earth’s capacity for wind power, the researchers first sectioned the globe into areas of approximately 3,300 square kilometers (1,274 square miles) and surveyed local wind speeds every six hours. They imagined 2.5 megawatt turbines crisscrossing the terrestrial globe, excluding “areas classified as forested, areas occupied by permanent snow or ice, areas covered by water, and areas identified as either developed or urban,” according to the paper. They also included the possibility of 3.6 megawatt offshore wind turbines, but restricted them to 50 nautical miles off the coast and to oceans depths less than 200 meters.
Using this criteria the researchers found that wind energy could not only supply all of the world’s energy requirements, but it could provide over forty times the world’s current electrical consumption and over five times the global use of total energy needs.
Turning to the world’s two largest carbon emitters, China and the United States, the researchers found that wind power has the potential to easily supply both nations.
|
Windmill for pumping water in Kenya  Wind turbines for power generation in Maui. |
“Large-scale development of wind power in China could allow for close to an 18-fold increase in electricity supply relative to consumption reported for 2005,” the researchers write. “The bulk of this wind power, 89%, could be derived from onshore installations. The potential for wind power in the U.S. is even greater, 23 times larger than current electricity consumption, the bulk of which, 84%, could be supplied onshore.”
Expanding their view to the top ten carbon emitters, the researchers found that Russia, Canada, and the United States (in this order) had the greatest capacity for wind power. However, they note that much of the area available for wind power in Russia and Canada is far from any cities, making their construction costly. In addition, the authors note that the public may oppose wind turbines in particular areas, especially remote, ecologically sensitive regions. Still, they conclude that “despite these limitations, it is clear that wind power could make a significant contribution to the demand for electricity” in most high carbon emitting countries.
:}
http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/03/wind-energy-jobs-surpass-coal-mining-jobs/
http://greenwombat.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/01/28/wind-jobs-outstrip-the-coal-industry/
:}
After an extended meditation like I just concluded on the Federal Energy Tax Credits (please click 2008 elections, international environmental groups and religion categories for more examples), I am always at a loss for where to go next. I find it useful to just blow it out! So from Live Science and Yahoo I bring you some of the most implausible energy thoughts ever encountered by man:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/powerfulideasmileshighkitescouldgenerateelectricity
http://www.livescience.com/environment/090622-kite-wind-power.html
By Charles Q. Choi, Special to LiveScience
posted: 22 June 2009 08:21 am ET
1 of 1
Editor’s Note: This occasional series looks at powerful ideas — some existing, some futuristic — for fueling and electrifying modern life.
The sky might literally be the limit for wind power — rotors spinning miles high could help supply electricity worldwide.
“There is a huge amount of energy available in high-altitude winds,” said researcher Ken Caldeira at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology in Stanford, Calif. “These winds blow much more strongly and steadily than near-surface winds, but you need to go get up miles to get a big advantage. Ideally, you would like to be up near the jet streams, around 30,000 feet.”
All told, if wind turbines miles above the planet were tethered to 10 percent of the world’s land, there is enough energy in these jet stream winds to meet world demand 100 times over, researchers said.
Jet streams are meandering belts of fast winds at altitudes between 20,000 and 50,000 feet. They shift seasonally, but are otherwise persistent features in the atmosphere. Jet stream winds are generally steadier and 10 times faster than wind near the ground, making them a potentially vast and dependable source of energy.
But how to capture the wind so high?
Kites and tethers
A number of technological schemes have been proposed to harvest energy from these high-altitude winds, including tethered, kite-like wind turbines lofted miles high. Up to 40 megawatts of electricity could be generated by current designs and transmitted to the ground via tether.
Using 28 years of weather data, the researchers developed the first-ever global survey of high-altitude wind energy.
“We found the highest wind power densities over Japan and eastern China, the eastern coast of the United States, southern Australia, and north eastern Africa,” said researcher Cristina Archer, an atmospheric scientist at California State University in Chico.
:}
You can go to the Energies site to see the scientific part of the study:
http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/2/2/340
Steve H. Yim 1 
, Jimmy C. Fung 1,2 and Alexis K. Lau 1,3,*
1 Institute for the Environment, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
2 Department of Mathematics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
3 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 27 April 2009; in revised form: 27 May 2009 / Accepted: 1 June 2009 / Published: 3 June 2009
Download PDF Full-Text (1202 KB)
Abstract: The objectives of this study are to combine historical observations and state-of-the-art numerical models (MM5/CALMET system) to map the spatial distribution of wind resources in high resolution, and to help foster a deeper understanding of the wind power potential over southern China (Guangdong). Hourly wind fields were simulated for three entire years (2004-2006). It found that almost 70% of the time, the wind speed along the coast of Guangdong is over 5 m/s, which is deemed a baseline magnitude for typical wind turbines. Spatial plots of the wind speed and power and their variations over Guangdong Province for the three years are also presented.
:}
For the SEX part of it…Generating energy from the jet stream …well it is awful high up there (40-50 miles), really really cold (100 degrees below zero) and really close to the cosmic rays…and it has been around for awhile. I mean looking up is to dream right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVi_-dlDVcw
http://sleepgreen.info/?tag=energy
They claim one Ladder-Mill could generate 100 megawatts of electricity, compared with only a few megawatts from a conventional wind turbine.
Winds at 30,000ft are 20 times more powerful than at sea level.
Professor Ockels, an ex-astronaut and head of the European Space Agency’s education office, told The Engineer magazine: “Above a certain altitude there is a massive amount of wind power.
Source:
http://alt-e.blogspot.com/2004/12/wind-power-laddermills-high-altitude.html
http://www.rense.com/general78/kinet.htm
:}
Did you know that people have even tried to use kites for COMMERCIAL FISHING?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_applications
The kite is used to do certain things; one kite or many kites are applied to achieve certain purposes, objectives, or tasks, that is: applications. Humans have applied the kite to bring perceived benefits during peace and war alike. New applications for the kite continue to be found. Only some innovative applications appear in national patents; others are communicated in newspapers, magazines, books, and internet pages. Air kites, water kites, bi-media kites, fluid kites, gas kites, kytoons, paravanes, soil kites, solid kites, and plasma kites have niche applications that are furthering the interests of humans. Non-human-made kites have applications; some spiders make use of kiting.
:}
If you click on 17 or 24 you can see the energy apps. By the way # 24 is funded by Google.
:}
I could have picked any number of Google “friendly” topics today like:
Gasoline prices rise Oil prices don’t – because I have long argued that the refiners will restrict production to raise prices because of the Speculator Driven Oil Shock of 2008.
Obama to announce new mileage standards – because I argued during the campaign that if Obama wanted a real energy policy change he would ban the sale of gasoline in anything other than 1 gallon containers. Gas driven cars would disappear overnight.
There is a local story however that needs to be covered. Local 193 of the IBEW is breaking ground for a new union hall later this month and it is going to be a doozy. Geothermal, Solar and Wind, the whole enchilada. God I have always wanted to say that.
While there is nothing up on their websites yet (hint hint)
http://www.unions.org/home/v-28641-13-IBEW-.htm
Nor do they list the Building Committee on there web site. Here is what one of their better writers, Tim Landis, had to say in the State Journal Register. First in brief:
http://www.sj-r.com/business/x1393569371/Tim-Landis-Changes-to-Lincoln-Home-site-considered
The INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS 193 plans to break ground Friday for a union hall and training center at 3150 Wide Track Drive, just off Dirksen Parkway in Springfield.
According to the union, the “green building” will include solar panels that cover the roof, geothermal heating and cooling, and green space. Long-term plans are to add a wind-turbine. The training center will offer instruction in wind and solar technology.
The site is adjacent to the existing hall, which also will be upgraded once the new building is finished.
:}
Then in a longer piece that talks about the Greening of Central Illinois:
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 193 has begun construction of a new administrative office and training center at 3150 Wide Track Drive, just off Dirksen Parkway, in response to “green” trends in energy and job training, said business manager David Burns. The local represents about 800 workers in nine area counties.
“We just think that the green concept is more than right around the corner. It’s here,” Burns said.
In addition to use of geothermal heating and cooling, the solar panels on the roof are expected to provide most of the building’s electrical needs. Long-term plans are to add a wind turbine. Once the new hall is completed, the existing hall will be demolished to make way for green space, including landscaping and a retention pond.
But it’s the 12,500-square-foot training center that is the centerpiece of the green strategy for the labor union.
Plans are to offer hands-on training to apprentices in solar and wind technology. A “green jobs training curriculum” will include 70 lessons.
Burns said members already work on solar and wind projects, large and small, but that the training required will become more sophisticated along with the technology.
“We believe the demand is going to continue to grow,” Burns said. “As the technology gets better and better, we’re going to have to train people.”
:}
He listed these jobs that could enlist Electricians:
Jobs of the future?
A state list of “green jobs” outlines the top jobs that should be available in coming years or that will require retraining as alternative energy use increases. Additional information is available at http://www.ilworkinfo.com.
Among the categories:
* Building retrofitting. Electricians, heating and air conditioning, carpenters, construction equipment operators, roofers, insulation workers, carpenter helpers, industrial truck drivers, building inspectors and construction managers.
* Smart grids. Computer software engineers, electrical engineers, electrical equipment assemblers, electrical technicians, machinists, construction laborers, operating engineers, electrical power line installers and repair technicians.
* Wind power. Environmental engineers, iron and steel workers, millwrights, sheet metal workers, machinists, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, industrial truck drivers, industrial production managers and production supervisors.
* Solar power. Electrical engineers, electricians, industrial machinery mechanics, welders, welders, metal fabricators, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, installation helpers, laborers and construction managers.
:}
Way to go 193!
:}
I checked the Tribune – nothing. I checked the Sun Times – nothing. I googled and got several up and coming Wind Power Conventions/Conferences – nothing:
Wind Power Asia
Wind Power Transmission
http://www.windpowertd-events.com/
Small Wind Conference
http://www.the-mrea.org/smallwind.php
This one that happened in Chicago in MARCH:
http://www.platts.com/Events/2009/pc908/
The Oil Drum won’t load up:
Connection Interrupted
The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.
The network link was interrupted while negotiating a connection. Please try again.
Fucking geniuses
In desperation I started reading Peak OIL. By God they came through:
Thankyou Coyote
http://www.peakoil.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=48183
Reuters too of course:
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5457XA20090506
Wed May 6, 2009 6:30pm EDTBy Andrew Stern
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The idea of wind turbines churning out free electricity alongside every home and office building has appeal, judging by the throngs around “community wind” purveyors at a Chicago wind power convention this week.
Darrin Russell of Southwest Windpower was inundated with questions during the Windpower 2009 convention where he explained the economics of the company’s workhorse 2.4 kilowatt Skystream turbine, which plugs into the local electrical grid.
“It’s nice watching the (electricity) meter go backward. Sometimes it gets going pretty fast when the wind blows hard” which it does often at the company’s headquarters in Flagstaff, Arizona, he said.
Russell paid practically nothing for his own turbine, which costs roughly $14,000 to buy and install, thanks to a newly enacted 30 percent federal tax credit for wind projects large and small, state tax credits and rebates of up to $9,000 from many utilities eager to promote renewable energy. The first month his electricity bill was zero.
The company sells to business, homeowners and developers.
“Some companies like to line them up outside instead of flags” to promote their green credentials, he said. “Helps keep their offices cool at least.”
Retailers can draw in environmentally conscious customers if they have a wind turbine outside, experts say.
Potential buyers from Chile, South Korea and the state of Michigan flocked around Southwest Windpower’s olive-green machine with three distinctively curved blades, designed to cut noise. Russell said the company has sold 5,000 small turbines in the past two years, and 150,000 in total.
:}
But you would think that a convention/conference that brings 15,000 participants, represents the future and is in a city with a mayor, Richard Daley, who wants to be the greenest governor in the US, that there would be some coverage of “The Latest In Wind Technologies” or “Where Does Chicago Fit Into The New Energy Future” or at least an address by the Mayor. NADA Zilch Nothing. Other people noticed however:
May 04, 2009 07:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time 
WINDPOWER 2009
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–World Business Chicago (WBC) and its Chairman, Mayor Richard M. Daley, in conjunction with other key public, private and non-profit partners, tonight hosted a VIP networking reception as part of the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) WINDPOWER 2009 Conference and Exhibition at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
The reception, with more than 200 people in attendance, was presented by a collaboration of organizations including the AWEA (Organizer/Sponsor), WBC (Organizer/Sponsor), MEGA (Sponsor), the City of Chicago (Organizer), the State of Illinois (Organizer) and the Illinois Finance Authority (Organizer).
The wind power industry is a top economic development priority for WBC, based on the industry’s high growth potential, profitability, job creation/diversity, and wage levels. Chicago offers wind industry companies locational advantages including a skilled labor force, proximity to markets and supplies, natural sources of wind in Illinois and the Midwest, available real estate, access to airports, rail and highway systems and strong public sector commitments to wind industry use and production.
“The WINDPOWER Conference provides World Business Chicago with a wonderful opportunity to showcase Chicago’s position as a prime location for wind power companies,” said Rita Athas, executive director of World Business Chicago. “By hosting this event, we are facilitating dialogue between visiting and local wind power companies, Chicago area companies that may do business with them and our local leaders, in order to foster growth and new opportunities.”
The Chicago area’s locational advantages for the wind industry are evident in recent additions of notable wind power companies include:
Area Headquarters
Area Non-Headquarter Offices
WINDPOWER 2009, the largest annual wind conference and exhibition in the world, takes place May 4th – 7th, 2009. The show features more than 18,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors and is expected to generate an economic impact of more than $33.3-million to Chicago, according to the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau (based on the initial estimated attendance of 14,000). Approximately 80 Illinois companies will exhibit at the conference.
The 2009 show was originally set for Minneapolis and moved to Chicago to accommodate a 20% increase over expected attendance, which doubles last year’s show in Houston. WINDPOWER is one of the 50 fastest-growing shows in North America according to Trade Show Weekly. Chicago hosted AWEA’s convention in 2004, when it drew 3,000 attendees.
:}
Everything you need to know to get there:
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/events/view?id=45803
| Company: | Siterra Corporation |
| Start date: | May 4, 2009 |
| End date: | May 7, 2009 |
| Cost: | see AWEA.com |
| Location: | McCormick Convention Center, Chicago IL |
| Website: | Visit event website |
Siterra will have a booth (5580) at the AWEA Wind Power 2009 Expo in Chicago May 4-7.
WINDPOWER 2009 Conference and Exhibition is the largest annual wind conference and exhibition in the world featuring over 15,000 attendees and over 1,200 exhibitors. Each year, wind energy professionals gather at this event to learn about the latest industry developments and technologies, review new products and services in the expansive exhibit hall, and network with leading industry decision makers. Join us for what promises to be another exciting event taking place May 4th – 7th, 2009, at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Directions:
McCormick Place Convention Center
Welcome to Chicago’s McCormick Place, a premier convention facility in North America. Located just minutes from downtown Chicago, McCormick Place is owned and operated by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) and attracts close to 3 million visitors each year. McCormick Place is comprised of four state-of-the-art buildings: the North and South Buildings, the West Building and Lakeside Center. Together, they form what many consider to be the economic engine that powers the entire convention and tradeshow industry. McCormick Place is committed to creating a great experience for every person, every time!
For a map of McCormick Place Convention Center: http://www.mccormickplace.com/floorplans/map_index.html
For more information: http://www.mccormickplace.com/index.html
Exhibitors: For information on exhibiting in Chicago, FOCUS One utilities, and guidelines and services, visit http://www.mccormickplace.com/exhibitor/exhibitor_01.html.
Guest Services: Click here to open a .pdf document outlining some of the guest services at McCormick Place Convention Center.
Accessibility Map: Click here to open a .pdf map showing the location of all elevators for wheelchair access.
For additional disability services at the convention center, visit http://www.mccormickplace.com/facilities/disabilities.html
Meeting Room Rentals: Interested in renting a meeting room at the convention center or connected Hyatt Regency McCormick Place hotel? Contact Stefanie Brown at sbrown@awea.org to receive additional information and a meeting room request form.
Parking at the McCormick Place Convention Center: There are several parking lots nearby to the McCormick Place facility including, South, North and West Buildings, Lakeside Center, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, and Soldier Field South Lot. The parking rate is currently $19 per day (one time access). Or exhibitors may order a parking permit that allows for in-and-out privileges for $23.75. Click here to visit the parking & directions part of the McCormick Place website for more information. Please note – the parking information is subject to change and listed here as helpful information for conference attendees.
Driving Directions and Additional Parking Information for the McCormick Place Convention Center: http://www.mccormickplace.com/maps_direct/maps_dir.html
Contact:
Barbara Martin
barbara.martin@siterra.com
415-875-7114:}
:}
