From Green Right Now Reports
The job market has been blowing in a positive direction when it comes to wind energy, with power companies building turbines, hiring technicians and pushing grid improvements to reach more consumers.
In 2008, wind energy created 35,000 jobs and accounted for 42 percent of new energy production installed in that year, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). That burst was part of an upward trajectory begun a few years before.
But after the economic implosion of late 2008, the picture didn’t look so bright. By 2009 even wind development took a hit from negative gusts in the economy. The downturn idled some wind projects, among other green programs, all vulnerable because of their dependence on investment capital.
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Wind farm study shows 70 percent reduction in bat mortality
From Green Right Now Reports
Bird and bat deaths from wind farms have been among the few environmental negatives of this growing source of alternative energy. But a new study offers hope that a solution can be found.
A new study of the interaction between bats and wind turbines at the Casselman Wind Power Project found that turning off the turbines during low wind periods reduced bat mortality by more than 70 percent.
Iberdrola Renewables, owner of the Casselman wind farm in southwestern Pennsylvania, partnered with independent conservation group Bat Conservation International (BCI) to collect the data. From late July to mid-October 2008, Iberdrola Renewables and BCI researchers conducted a controlled experiment in which selected wind turbines at the Casselman project were stopped during relatively low wind-speed nights in the late summer and early fall.
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Tags: · American Wind Energy Association, Bat Conservation International, Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, Bird and bat deaths, Casselman Wind Power Project, Dr. Ed Arnett, Iberdrola Renewables, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Into the Wind industry blog takes off
By Laura Elizabeth May
Green Right Now
The American Wind Energy Association has announced the launch of a blog dedicated to providing wind industry insights. Into the Wind will offer current information about one of the country’s leading sources of renewable energy generation. The blog will provide the knowledge, expertise and experiences of AWEA members and staff.
“From [...]
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Tags: · American Wind Energy Association, AWEA, blog, Denise Bode, Into the Wind
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