You can’t depend on wind they say. When you least expect it, the wind dies, the sails luff, the power goes. As we stretch to reach national 25×25 goals, there are plans afoot to tame the will-o-the-wind. The Iowa Stored Energy Park, a joint project of Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas, is one such effort. How do they plan to get wind energy on demand? Why, simply harvest the wind’s energy and store it for future use. And once again we see that grassroots organizing is so important! (more…)
Think “wind power” — and electricity, generators, light bulbs, and air conditioners all pop into mind. But the city of Seminole has a pilot project in the works that will use wind power to desalinate groundwater to make drinkable water. How will they do that you ask? (more…)
KiteShip Corporation founders Dave Culp, and Dean Jordan plan to build kites as large as a football field to power cargo ships and oil tankers. Unlike traditional sails which require masts and specialized rigging, the kite could be easily attached to an existing ship and moved from one vessel to another in a commercial fleet. Using a KiteShip kite along with traditional engine power, could provide fuel savings of between 15-30 percent. (more…)
