SAY NO TO A NUCLEAR AUSTRALIA

Wind Power is Big Business

9:13 PM, Thu 1 May 2008 .. Posted in Wind .. 0 comments .. Link

Think about it... how many times have you walked down the street, particularly in large cities, lamenting the wind tunnel effect created by the buildings lining the street? It's a pain in the behind, isn't it? Especially if you've just spent good money having your hair styled, or if you have to physically hold down the skirt of your favourite dress out of modesty. Trust me fellas, your wife or girlfriend will know exactly what I'm talking about.

But what if we could use that wind tunnel effect in our favour? What if each building could be fitted with wind turbines to catch all of that annoying wind? How much energy would some of our cities be able to produce then? Well, in a little while we'll be able to ask the owners of Bahrain's new World Trade Centre.

This new highrise is an extension to the existing Sheraton Hotel complex and comprises two 50-storey sail-shaped commercial office towers, which taper to a height of 240m and support three 29m diameter horizontal-axis wind turbines. The towers are integrated on top of a three-storey podium which accommodates a new boutique shopping centre, fine dining, business centre and car parking.

The three wind turbines are expected to provide around 10-15% of the power for both towers, representing about 3.5% of the total cost of the project. The blades, each 29 metres in diameter, the first to be integrated into a commercial structure were turned on and tested last month.

An MSNBC report dated the 9th of April 2008, states...

"We truly have pushed the boundaries of environmental architecture with this project," Ole Sangill, a partner in turbine specialists Norwin, said of the project. "It is a testament to Bahrain that private developers are investing in sustainability and pioneering design, which is certainly the future of architecture as it shapes the planet in years to come."

Could this be the start of a new trend towards big businesses using wind power to sustain their own energy needs for the future? Why not? This is a viable way to achieve that goal, an opinion that Trammell Crow seems to share with me. This Houston based developer plans to build a newly proposed highrise, Discovery Tower. The 871 000 sq foot project is expected to open in 2010, will cost around $300 million and will sport 10 wind turbines on the roof.

And what about recycling off-shore oil rigs for wind turbines? Wind Energy Systems Technologies are presently engaging in wind monitoring activities on recycled oil platforms off the coast of Texas with an aim to using them to support wind turbines. What a brilliant idea.

It seems that wind energy could become a boon to businesses in the future. Many countries use wind as a significant (and reliable) portion of their electricity power. (Denmark 20%, Germany 7%, Spain/Portugal 20%). In addition, over 4.5 million U.S. homes get their power from wind energy. Texas alone generated 4,446 megawatts of energy in 2007 — enough to power nearly 1.2 million homes. Add Colorado, which generated roughly half of that again, and that's a significant amount of alternative power.

And what about Australia? What are we doing in regards to producing alternative power? Well currently, we're only producing about 1% of our total power usage by means of wind. When you think that the average output of each wind turbine is enough to power around 1000 homes, and then think of all the available vacant land that we have, I think we could do a hell of a lot better, don't you? Have a look at the Australian Greenhouse Office's list of renewable energy generators all over the country. You can click on the map to zoom in and see what's in your area.

So, what about our homes? Could we start by looking up onto our own roofs? But wind generators are huge and ugly structures that we don't really want to look at every morning... aren't they? Well, Engadget had an article about home-sized wind generators, dated 3rd July 2007. It states...

"Generally speaking, wind generators have been reserved for more macro-scale operations, but a West Australian inventor "believes he has developed a way to generate electricity for homes using wind power." This residential approach utilizes a modular turbine that is minuscule enough to perch atop nearly any roof without causing too much unsightliness, and can create power for the house to consume as the wind pushes its blades."

Well, that makes one think, doesn't it?
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