I appears from looking at a couple of the news stories coming out about a Lansing, Michigan, that the public will be paying for renewable energy before it is close to being produced.

Although highlighting renewable energy and creating jobs, vertical wind turbine manufacturing would make Michigan less reliant on fossil fuels for the production of electrical energy it doesn’t seem like much of a deal if the utility customers have to be paying for the conversion of these renewable resources before they get their benefits.

Residents in Michigan may have to start paying up to $2 or $3 more per month for electricity as early as next year. The thing is that the state’s share of renewable energy wouldn’t have to increase any until until 2012 and it wouldn’t go up significantly until 2014.

As with all political issues the one surrounding the wide ranging renewable energy plans which Governor Jennifer Granholm would like to sign soon has proponents and opponents. Here is part of the story as outlined in the Chicago Tribune.

“Other states don’t do that,” said Hans Detweiler, manager of state legislation and policy for the American Wind Energy Association. “What business doesn’t want to get paid for a product in advance? But that’s not how power markets operate in this country.”

Backers of the legislation counter that a maximum $2 to $3 monthly surcharge for 20 years is reasonable — the cost of a soda or beer according to DTE Energy President Gerry Anderson.

After months of talks, the Legislature hopes to pass the wide-ranging energy plan this week so Gov. Jennifer Granholm can sign it soon.

She has promoted Michigan’s potential as a hub for renewable energy, both because it has more wind than other states and has a manufacturing base with thousands of companies capable of making parts for wind turbines and other renewable-energy equipment.

Michigan is one of four states with the potential for 30,000 new jobs in wind turbine manufacturing, according to the Granholm administration. She wants to create a market for green energy by requiring that 10 percent of Michigan’s electricity come from renewable sources by the end of 2015. Renewable portfolio standards have been adopted in 26 states.

Read the rest of the story from the Chicago Tribune.

I am all for renewable energy from vertical wind turbines or solar panel systems. The thing I am not in for is the fact that everyone seems to think that renewable energy from wind turbine farms has to cost more than energy from other sourses. Tell me, does that make sense to you?

Think about it. Once you get the vertical wind turbine or solar power system up and running there is no other overhead except for maintenance and these units are suppose to be very low maintenance. Labor and material to build them isn’t any more than other labor and material cost. Maintenance is very low, so what is the extra expense.

Do you think it may be like diet food? This pollution free renewable energy from wind and solar power systems is better for the environment so it should automatically cost more.

Well let me tell you that is a crock. It only cost more to the public because they are willing to pay more and they are paying more for less. Doesn’t make sense does it.

Well like I said before, I think renewable energy is whee it should be. The difference is that I also believe we as individuals should take all the middle out of the cost of building vertical wind turbines and solar panels for homes. You can by building them yourself.

Get your copy of the step by step instructions to build your own vertical wind turbine and home solar panels. Build a vertical wind turbine first just to see how easy and inexpensive it is and then build solar panels to add to the power grid and start saving yourself money and helping mother earth.

Get you Wind and Solar Guide Here.

Technorati Tags: renewable energy, solar power system, vertical wind turbine

by Bob Geiger Staff Writer, Twin Cities Finance and Commerce - Minneapolis,MN,USA

Transmission problems, turbine demand threaten growth of wind-generated power

All the wind turbines in the world won’t reduce the need for fossil fuels if transmission lines don’t connect the power those turbines create to the energy grid.

In fact, transmission difficulties – along with high demand for wind turbines – are generating concern that Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy that it might not be able to meet a 2007 request to use at least 500 megawatts of power generated by community-based wind farms.

Xcel’s concern about the rapidly transforming state of the competitive wind energy industry was expressed in a filing last month to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC).

“Overall, we are optimistic regarding the process …” wrote Judy Poferl, managing director of government & regulatory affairs for Xcel. “Nonetheless, challenges regarding transmission interconnection and turbine availability remain, and will require continued efforts to address.”

Poferl’s comments were contained in a nine-page update on Xcel’s 2007 request for proposals (RFP); Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED) project solicitation; and progress increasing the utility’s percentage of renewable energy.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed legislation in 2007 requiring most state utilities to generate 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. That same law required Xcel to produce 30 percent of its energy from renewable resources, including 500 megawatts of that from community-based wind farms by 2010. Read the rest of the story here.

Technorati Tags: renewable energy, residential wind power, small-scale wind turbine

It has been noted by some in the news and power industry that wind and solar energy generators had their limitations. I agree with that statement. The thing is that with the different styles of wind generators that you can build for home use the arguments in the article referenced goes out the window.

Here is an exert from PNW local news: Readers should be aware of wind turbine limitations. The number of wind turbines per square mile is restricted to between 5 and 8, depending on size, to minimize the propeller blade-wake effects between turbines. The most popular Danish turbine is capable of generating 600 KW power at optimum wind conditions. Ideally, it would take close to 1,700 of these turbines spread over more than 200 square miles to match the output of a 1,000 MW conventional power plant. You can read the rest of the story here.

Residential wind turbines can be constructed in many different ways. If you use the spindle type construction where half moon pieces of large pipe or half barrels are built in an S shape to catch the wind, they don’t interfere with each other when separated by a couple of yards and if built on a diagonal they can be put side by side.

It is true that on occasion clouds will block the sun’s rays and the wind will be calm. The thing is that both happening at the same time is rare. If you are off the grid then you should have a backup battery system to run necessary appliances for that time frame. If you are connected to the electrical company then you can use their electrical output to compensate for your residential wind turbine failing to generate the needed electrical power.

The same holds true for power output by your home solar panels. When the clouds block the sun you have your residential wind turbine to produce power and your battery storage units to support them or you have the backup of your local power company.

Also as improvements are made in the output of power from wind generators and from solar energy generators I believe you will find that in the near future clouds will not bother energy production from solar panels and storage units for holding large amounts of power will become available.

Technorati Tags: residential wind turbine, solar generator, wind generator

This video is a demonstration of our proprietary OcGen Turbine Generator Unit (TGU) tested in Eastport, Maine during one of the harshest winters in decades. The testing pictured here concluded in April of 2008.

Duration : 0:5:56

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Technorati Tags: energy, generation, ocean, Power, renewable, Tidal, tide

I know this will not help you in building your own vertical home wind turbine but it is fantastic to know that some of the big boys are starting to jump on the renewable power band wagon.

The project that JC Penny has proposed will produce more than 4 megawatts (if you don’t know what that is sign up for my news letter in the form your right) of clean, pollution free renewable energy.

That my friends is the equivalent of about 146,000 tons of carbon dioxide less being released into the atmosphere over the next 30 years. That is like the emissions that would come from about 800 cars.

This renewable power JC Penny will be getting is from both solar and wind energy. They will contract with the companies that build the solar energy collectors and vertical wind turbines to purchase electrical power to operate some of their stores and warehouses.

You can read the whole story about their renewable power generation project at marketwatch.com.

Technorati Tags: renewable power, vertical wind turbine