wind power

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Nantucket Closes Beaches After Wind Turbine Breaks

Fiberglass shards are washing ashore

(Newser) - A wind turbine blade has broken off the coast of Nantucket. The cause isn't clear, but the effect is: Debris has been washing up on the shores of the island, and federal authorities say operations at the Vineyard Wind project "are shut down until further notice," the...

Wind Power Blew Through Records in 2023

New capacity grew 50% from previous year

(Newser) - The world installed 117 gigawatts of new wind power capacity in 2023, a 50% increase from the year before, making it the best year for new wind projects on record, according to a new report by the industry's trade association. The latest Global Wind Report , published Tuesday by the...

Clean Energy Grew at Breakneck Speed in 2023

Solar is now the cheapest form of electricity in a majority of countries

(Newser) - Led by new solar power, the world added renewable energy at breakneck speed in 2023, a trend that if amplified will help Earth turn away from fossil fuels and prevent severe warming and its effects. Clean energy is often now the least expensive, explaining some of the growth. Nations also...

NJ Governor Reacts Angrily to Axed Wind Power Project

Danish energy developer Orsted isn't going forward with two offshore projects

(Newser) - Danish energy developer Orsted said Tuesday night it is scrapping two large offshore wind power projects off the coast of New Jersey, adding uncertainty to a nascent industry the Biden administration and many state governments are counting on to help transition away from the burning of planet-warming fossil fuels. The...

In a First, Wind Outdoes Coal, Nuclear Power

A permanent shift doesn't appear imminent after single-day milestone, agency says

(Newser) - On March 29, wind turbines throughout the continental US produced 19% of the nation's energy, government data show. That was more than coal or nuclear power contributed, the first time that's been the case, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Only natural gas topped wind power that...

Historic Auction on Offshore Wind Energy Wraps Up

Six companies win right to build offshore of New York and New Jersey

(Newser) - Six companies bid a combined $4.37 billion for the right to build wind energy projects on the ocean floor off New Jersey and New York in the US government's largest such auction in history, a federal agency said Friday. The auction by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy...

Biden Administration Plans to Dot Coasts With Wind Farms
Second Wind Farm
Approved for East Coast
updated

Second Wind Farm Approved for East Coast

Seven major offshore projects are included in Biden administration plan

(Newser) - Update: Federal agencies gave the go-ahead Wednesday to plans to build an offshore wind farm near Rhode Island, CNN reports. The South Fork Wind project is the second piece of the Biden administration's proposal, per the AP ; the first commercial-scale offshore wind project broke ground last week off the...

Ikea to Sell Something New: Electricity

Furniture giant will sell affordable electricity from wind and solar parks to homes in Sweden

(Newser) - Ikea already sells solar panels in nearly a dozen of its markets. Now, the furniture giant based out of Sweden is taking an even deeper plunge into the renewable-energy market, starting on its home turf. Beginning next month, Ikea will sell electricity from solar and wind parks to domestic households,...

First Major Offshore Wind Farm Has OK

Administration approves 62 turbines off Martha's Vineyard, with many more likely

(Newser) - The Biden administration took a significant step toward expanding the use of wind power on Tuesday, approving the nation's first major offshore wind farm. The project will place 62 turbines, which can generate enough electricity to power 400,000 homes, off Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the Washington Post...

Feds 'Ready to Rock-and-Roll' in Push to Expand Wind Power

Administration to support huge expansion in East Coast offshore wind projects

(Newser) - National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy says the Biden administration is "ready to rock-and-roll" with plans to boost offshore wind energy production along the East Coast. McCarthy said Monday that the administration plans to speed up development of clean energy projects and generate 30 million gigawatts of offshore wind power—...

Trump Lashes Out: 'I Know Windmills Very Much'

President goes off on wind turbines once more

(Newser) - Nancy Pelosi isn't President Trump's only nemesis at the moment . He's also no fan of windmills. His disdain has been known for some time , and he returned to the subject Saturday night. While speaking to the conservative student group Turning Point USA, Trump took a swing at...

Wind, Solar Power Just Hit a US Milestone

For first time, nation draws 10% of electricity from wind and solar

(Newser) - Double digits: A new report from the US Energy Information Administration reveals a milestone for alternative energy sources. For the first time, the nation as a whole drew 10% of its electricity from wind and solar farms in a single month, reports Climate Central . It happened in March, with wind...

Power-Hungry Google Makes Major Energy Announcement

The tech giant says it will get all energy from renewable sources in 2017

(Newser) - It takes a lot of energy to power Google's empire. In 2015, the company used 5.2 terawatt hours—enough to power half a million homes for the year, Popular Mechanics reports. In 2017, 100% of that massive amount of energy will come from renewable sources, Google announced Tuesday....

Wyoming Taxes the Wind, Maybe to Death

One of the world's largest wind farms could be dead on arrival

(Newser) - Unlike many states that subsidize alternative energy sources, in 2012 Wyoming became the first state to tax wind power. In the four years since, it hasn't even collected $15 million in revenue—perhaps partly due to the lack of major wind projects constructed since the tax was enacted, reports...

Germany Basically Had to Pay People to Use Electricity Sunday

Thanks to a new high-water mark in renewable energy

(Newser) - Germany hit a new milestone in renewable energy on Sunday, generating so much power at one point that customers were essentially being paid to turn on their lights or charge their phones. Quartz reports that around 1pm Sunday, about 87% of the power being used in Germany was coming from...

Wind Farm Coming to US 'Dead Zone for Wind Power'

Taller towers unlock new potential in NC

(Newser) - On a vast tract of old North Carolina farmland, crews are getting ready to build something the South has never seen: a commercial-scale wind energy farm. The $600 million project by Spanish developer Iberdrola Renewables will put 102 turbines on 22,000 acres near the coastal community of Elizabeth City,...

One Nation Produces 140% of Electricity With Wind

Windy day helps Denmark amass huge energy supply

(Newser) - Denmark raised eyebrows on Thursday by producing 140% of its electricity needs with only its wind farms. Granted, it was "an unusually windy day," the Independent reports, but the Danes had enough left over to share surplus power with Germany, Norway, and Sweden. "It shows that a...

Island's Sole Power Sources: Wind, Water

Spain's El Hierro will be completely self-sufficient

(Newser) - El Hierro, the tiniest and most southerly of Spain's Canary Islands, is surrounded by no small amount of volcanic activity , but it's turning to the power of wind- and water-driven energy for 100% of its 10,000 inhabitants' needs. In a move that would make it the world'...

New Anti-Hurricane Weapon: Wind Turbines?
 New Anti-Hurricane 
 Weapon: Wind Turbines? 
new study

New Anti-Hurricane Weapon: Wind Turbines?

Giant wind farm could have reduced Katrina's power: study

(Newser) - A Stanford University professor is proposing what USA Today calls a "groundbreaking" anti-hurricane plan: We could use offshore wind turbines to reduce the storms' power—even a storm like Katrina. For that, we'd need a lot of them, though, according to Mark Jacobson: something along the lines of...

Feds to Let Wind Farms Kill Bald Eagles

Without penalty for 30 years, if they have a permit

(Newser) - The Obama administration said today it will allow some companies to kill or injure bald and golden eagles for up to 30 years without penalty, in an effort to spur development and investment in green energy while balancing its environmental consequences. The change, requested by the wind energy industry, will...

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