Sunday, September 19, 2010

Why Scotian WindFields doesn't do micro-wind


Scotian WindFields Inc started as a wind farm developer. Since that time we have expanded in to individual utility scale turbines, on site commercial turbines along with expanding into solar energy. We get asked all the time about micro wind turbines, roof mounted, vertical axis, and other tiny turbines, and this weekend’s Atlantic Eco Expo was no different.


But Scotian WindFields doesn’t install micro turbines. The smallest turbine we install is

the 5kW Endurance wind turbine. The reason for this is simple: as turbines get smaller, they get less effective.

Earlier this week one of my favorite website, The Oil Drum, published a great piece about two different studies of micro wind turbines.


I’ll let the article make the rest of the argument: http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6954


Monday, September 6, 2010

Believe the Facts, not the Fossil Fuel Industry

In a recent blog post, it was discussed that there is a common misconception that wind energy doesn’t actually reduce GHG emissions. Ultimately, I think this misconception is based on the fact that the wind doesn’t blow all the time, but in reality, there is very little evidence to back up these claims.


In the previously mentioned blog post (found HERE ), Bruce Wark, of The Coast , questioned if wind energy was even green at all. I’m not sure what helped form his misguided opinion, but it may have come from the millions of dollars the fossil fuel industry is spending to convince people that wind energy doesn’t reduce emissions.


Michael Goggin of the American Wind Energy Association recently posted a detailed and well referenced article disputing these claims and providing proof that wind energy reduces even more energy than might be anticipated.


That article can be found HERE


Within 6 months or so, Nova Scotia will have a number of new wind farms online. The Dalhousie Mountain wind farm came online earlier this year, and the Digby Wind Power Project, Nutby Mountain and Point Tupper Projects will all be online before the end of the year, while Shear Wind’s Glen Dhu will be online shortly after that. Based on the evidence put forth in the attached argument, Nova Scotia can look forward to real emissions reductions from these facilities, even more than we might have originally imagined.