Last week, during a spell of particularly strong wind gusts, Spain set a world record by having 40 percent of their energy requirement generated by wind power. The high winds in the northwest of the country generated a whopping 11,180 MW during the strongest gust.
Spain's Wind Energy Association said that the turbines were working at 69 percent of their potential during the strong winds, which means even fiercer winds could crush this record.
While the U.S. is still number one in wind power, we only get 1 percent of our energy from the resource. Spain, ranked third in the world, has been incredibly ambitious in their wind plans. They hope to be generating 20,000 MW from wind by 2010 up from the 16,000 MW they're currently producing. Beyond just wind, Spain hopes to have renewable energy sources making up 30 percent of their energy demand within the next year.
via Cleantechnica
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written by Dave, March 18, 2009
How can they be producing 16,000MW currently but, peaked at 11,180MW during the high winds? Peak theoretical production is not the best way to honestly sell this product.
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written by Wind4me, March 18, 2009
Why can Spain be doing 25-30% from WIND when the USA can only get 1% renewable wind going???
USA needs a plan and the plan has to include wind over polluting coal
USA needs a plan and the plan has to include wind over polluting coal
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written by Dartboard Cabinets, March 19, 2009
It is absolutely disgraceful that this country is not leading the way in green technology. Lets Get Move'n and show the Europeans how its done!
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written by Greg, March 19, 2009
Our 1% still trumps their 40%. You can't compare Spain and the US like that because they are so different.
It's a lot easier for a small country like Spain to get 40% of their energy from wind than it is for a large country like the US to get that same percentage over the same amount of time.
Apples to apples, the US is the world leader in wind power.
It's a lot easier for a small country like Spain to get 40% of their energy from wind than it is for a large country like the US to get that same percentage over the same amount of time.
Apples to apples, the US is the world leader in wind power.
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written by Reil, March 19, 2009
Today was rice day, fifty-pound sacks of white rice in trucks bearing an elephant logo. The same happy elephant appeared on the bags, its head raised to the sky, the trunk curved like an S.
"Elephant," Todd said.
He said it because a laborer was staring at it intently. Which meant he wasn't working.
"That's right," the man said. "I couldn't remember the word."
He was the only other human at the loading dock this morning. The man didn't have a name, just a number, like the rest of the robots. Paris, at Night.
"Elephant," Todd said.
He said it because a laborer was staring at it intently. Which meant he wasn't working.
"That's right," the man said. "I couldn't remember the word."
He was the only other human at the loading dock this morning. The man didn't have a name, just a number, like the rest of the robots. Paris, at Night.
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written by Alejandro Lorca, March 19, 2009
I don't think it's a lot easier our 40% than your 40%. I admit that ours is a LOT smaller but so are our resources. The US with more than ten times our GDP and 19 times bigger should have it as hard as our was.
Moreover, if we consider the EU as a whole, being still a bit over the half the size of the US, our total installed wind power sums up to 66 GW while the US is 16.8 GW and Spain alone a bit over 15 GW (according to GWEC). My point, there is no such excuse to say that it is because we are small.
The good news: everything seems to indicate that you are in the right track and you have all the potential to do it.
Moreover, if we consider the EU as a whole, being still a bit over the half the size of the US, our total installed wind power sums up to 66 GW while the US is 16.8 GW and Spain alone a bit over 15 GW (according to GWEC). My point, there is no such excuse to say that it is because we are small.
The good news: everything seems to indicate that you are in the right track and you have all the potential to do it.
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written by Luke, March 19, 2009
Apples to apples, the US is the world leader in wind power.
Yeah, but oranges to oranges, they win.
[Checks the country-of-origin-label on the Clementine that I packed for lunch. :-) ]
Yeah, but oranges to oranges, they win.
[Checks the country-of-origin-label on the Clementine that I packed for lunch. :-) ]
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written by Tim, March 19, 2009
Good on Spain and the other EU countries for seeing the writing on the wall years ago (hello Germany and solar!), and getting renewable industries going. Same goes for their smart car engineering (hello small efficient turbo diesel cars).
Countries like Australia (where I live) and the US (First Solar, anyone?) have allowed a brain drain to the smart countries where the jobs and money now are, and we've lost that IP and tax revenue and jobs for a long time.
No use sooking about it.
Happily, the US is playing catchup, quickly, and wind/solar/geo/etc will start ramping up.
Unbelievable by Spain though, to have 30% RET!!
tm
Countries like Australia (where I live) and the US (First Solar, anyone?) have allowed a brain drain to the smart countries where the jobs and money now are, and we've lost that IP and tax revenue and jobs for a long time.
No use sooking about it.
Happily, the US is playing catchup, quickly, and wind/solar/geo/etc will start ramping up.
Unbelievable by Spain though, to have 30% RET!!
tm
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written by Gestion, March 20, 2009
Spanish wind is superior to US wind. It performs more useful work and is not as hot.
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written by hyperspaced, March 25, 2009
Greece's target for 2010 is above 20%.
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written by Benji, March 25, 2009
We should all be careful with "green" or "renewable" energy as even the cleanest of them can become entangled in a dirty energy industry. We have Big Oil, Big Nuclear, Big Coal. What happens if we have a Big Wind on our hands? We have to stay vigilant to keep even wind from becoming abusive of it's powers.
The government of Ontario is passing (or already has) a bill that allows green or renewable energy projects from bypassing due processes, such as citizen concerns, or environmental assessments. This could allow the company to do whatever they want wherever they want. Municipalities have no control, and the average citizen will have near impossible ways to raise concern. What's worse is if the Ontario government considers nuclear to be green and clean.
The government of Ontario is passing (or already has) a bill that allows green or renewable energy projects from bypassing due processes, such as citizen concerns, or environmental assessments. This could allow the company to do whatever they want wherever they want. Municipalities have no control, and the average citizen will have near impossible ways to raise concern. What's worse is if the Ontario government considers nuclear to be green and clean.
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