Wind Report Germany 2008 The world market for wind energy grew by 30 percent in 2007, with around 20,000 megawatts (MW) This was compared with 32 percent growth in U.S. has doubled Wind Energy China has increased threefold.

Vertical Axis Wind turbines Vertical wind turbine, the rotor shaft runs vertically. Variosu Types Darrieus wind turbine "Eggbeater" turbines. They have good efficiency, large torque ripple and cyclic stress on the tower… poor reliability. Require some external power source, or an additional Savonius rotor, to start turning, because the starting torque is very low. Gorlov helical turbine Essentially a darrieus turbine in a helical configuration. Patented in It solves most of the problems of the Darrieus rotor At least two wind turbine products are on the market as of 2007, including the Turby wind turbine and the Quietrevolution wind turbine.. It is up to 35% efficient, which is competitive with the most efficient VAWT's. GiromillA subtype of Darrieus turbine with straight, as opposed to curved, blades. The cycloturbine variety have variable pitch to reduce the torque pulsation and are self-starting [1]. The advantages of variable pitch are: high starting torque; a wide, relatively flat torque curve; a lower blade speed ratio; a higher coefficient of performance; more efficient operation in turbulent winds; and a lower blade speed ratio which lowers blade bending stresses. Straight, V, or curved blades may be used. Recently, this type of turbine has been advanced by former Russian rocket scientists who claim to have increased the efficiency of the VAWT up to 38%. A company, SRC Vertical Ltd.[2] has been formed, and has begun selling the new turbine.

Vertical Axis Wind turbines Savonius wind turbine These are drag-type devices with two- (or more) scoops that are used in anemometers, the Flettner vents (commonly seen on bus and van roofs), and in some high- reliability low-efficiency power turbines. They are always self-starting if there are at least three scoops. They sometimes have long helical scoops to give a smooth torque. The Banesh rotor and especially the Rahai rotor improve efficiency with blades shaped to produce significant lift as well as drag. A new variety uses sails that can open or close with changes in wind speed.

Germany Cost of raw materials is one reason for slow down in Germany. Germany’s first offshore wind farms should be running by 2010, ,000MW. Germany has been one of the world’s biggest markets.

We are Killing the Birds! First Wind Farm Altamont Fast Turbine Blades Located on Migration path Metal towers looked very tempting to nest or rest on Killed birds. Lessons learned.

Birds: Safety Improvements! Towers are solid, not good for resting or nesting Blades rotate much slower, much easier for birds to negotiate Mortality Rates low compared to other people hazards. Treehugger Article: EcoMyth ommon_misconce.php

What Kills Birds? Utility transmission and distribution lines, the backbone of our electrical power system, are responsible for 130 to 174 million bird deaths a year in the U.S. Collisions with automobiles and trucks result in the deaths of between 60 and 80 million birds annually Collisions with structures: between 100 million and a staggering 1 billion deaths annually… Agricultural pesticides are "conservatively estimated" to directly kill 67 million birds per year

What about the Birds! Cats, both feral and housecats, also take their toll on birds. A Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) report states that, "recent research suggests that rural free-ranging domestic cats in Wisconsin may be killing between 8 and 217 million birds each year Wind Turbines 2.1 birds per turbine. (between 600, million) There are other studies on the impacts of jet engines, smoke stacks, bridges, and any number of other human structures and activities that threaten birds on a daily basis. Together, human infrastructure and industrial activities are responsible for one to four million bird deaths per day!

World’s Largest Wind Turbine Feb 3, 2008: Enercon E worlds-largest-wind-turbine-7-megawatts.html Enercon Rotor diameter of 126 meters (413 feet). Towers: 131 meters tall and made up of 36 concrete segments. Once completed, the hub height will reach 135 meters and the overall height an impressive 198 meters. Yield forecast at over 18 million kilowatt hours - enough to provide more than 4500 households with green power.

Small Home Wind turbine Windspire has a propeller-free vertical-axis design 1800 kilowatt hours per year in 11 mph average wind conditions (25% of regular use) 30 feet tall with a two foot radius. Cost: $5000 installed power/windspire-propeller-free-household- turbine-get-approval.html

Innovative Designs Loopwing:

Wind power 2008: Texas New York Times article 2/23/2008 Move Over, Oil, There’s Money in Texas Wind Texas: 3% of electricity is Wind. 1 million homes Oregon 5-8%, but smaller population. U.S. 45% growth rate. (Doubling time =?) Denmark: 20% of electricity is from Wind “Texas has been looking at oil and gas rigs for 100 years, and frankly, wind turbines look a little nicer,”

Wind Power 2008: Texas Federal tax Credits could expire in december of 2008 Getting power from remote areas to populated areas “We need a national vision for transmission like we have with the national highway system Shell and the TXU Corporation are planning to build a 3,000- megawatt wind farm in the Texas Panhandle

Wind Power 2008: Texas Texas Leads with electricity from wind. Installed wind power of 4,356 megawatts (and 1,238 under construction) California’s 2,439 megawatts (and 165 under construction). Minnesota and Iowa came in third and fourth with almost 1,300 megawatts each (and 46 and 116 under construction, respectively).