What Are The Most Exciting Developments In Renewable Energy

Mike Barnard

IN 2013, WIND ENERGY EXCEEDED 300 GW GLOBAL CAPACITY. All around the world, people have stopped talking about wind energy, or researching alternatives to wind energy and are just getting on with the business of deploying wind energy. Page on wwindea.org

WIND ENERGY CONTINUES TO BE CLEARED BY MAJOR STUDIES OF HEALTH EFFECTS, clearing the way of one falsehood which has been slowing acceptance in some places, most recently from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. NHMRC Draft Information Paper: Evidence on Wind Farms and Human Health released for public comment

WIND ENERGY AND HEALTH LINKS HAVE BEEN TESTED IN COURTS AROUND THE WORLD AND FOUND LACKING. Soon the precedent will be so strong in so many places that it will no longer be considered suitable for court time. Wind energy health concerns fail the test of law, repeatedly

In a similar vein, ANTI-WIND EXPERTS WHO SHOW UP IN COURTROOMS ARE GETTING KNOCKED BACK HEAVILY as judges get sick of their non-expertise, extremely weak studies and waste of court time and dollars. Fourteen experts have been dismissed outright or their evidence found to be without merit in recent court cases. Anti-wind non-experts rejected by courts and tribunals

WIND TURBINES JUST KEEP GETTING BIGGER AND MORE EFFICIENT. The worlds largest, an 8 MW brute, just went into operation in a test site in preparation for offshore deployment. World's Largest Wind Turbine Starts Generating Power For First Time

Meanwhile, CAPACITY FACTORS OF 50% ARE BEING SEEN regularly in the United States and Brazil. Wind Turbine Net Capacity Factor - 50% the New Normal? Brazil wind generation hits record capacity factor in 2012 - report - SeeNews Renewables

And one of my favourites, a FLOATING WIND TURBINE STARTED GENERATING ELECTRICITY OFFSHORE FROM THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR FACILITY. Floating Fukushima wind farm to energize regions hopes and households - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

Suggestions that there might be viable alternatives to three-bladed horizontal axis wind turbines either onshore or offshore continue to be unfounded, so while theres still some noise on this front, investors are putting real money into deployment instead of research.

Airborne wind energy: a collection of challenging compromises

Vertical axis wind turbines aren't replacing horizontal axis offshore turbines

See question on Quora