GreenBuildIndiana

Wind Power Growth Creating Jobs in Gary Steel Mills

Demand for wind turbine parts made of steel has 220 workers at Gary, Indiana's ArcelorMittal steel plant busy, reports the Gary Post-Tribune.  Could years of negative job growth in Gary, Indiana be a thing of the past?  Maybe, if current trends continue.   

The recently passed extension of the renewable energy tax credits, which was bundled into the financial bailout bill, extended $18 billion + in tax credits for a wide variety renewable energy installations, from building and operating power plant, to giant wind turbines such as those pictured here, to small residential wind turbines and solar panels.

"The generation of renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide. In the United States, it's growing more than anywhere worldwide," said David Foster, executive director of the Blue-Green Alliance, a collaboration between the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club. "Steel is an absolutely integral material for the transition to a low-carbon economy."   --Gary Post-Tribune, 10/01/08

The partnership between the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club (did you ever imagine these two groups would unite behind a common cause?) means to accelerate green job growth in NW Indiana.  The coalition wants to make it clear that "the choice between jobs and the environment is a phony choice...We can have both," says Jim Robinson, Director of USW District 7. 

Gary is well-placed to take advantage of the booming demand for wind turbine parts.  It is well-located, with a huge rail and road transportation hub nearby, and vast amounts of Great Lakes water.   In spite of the financial mess that we've lived through in the past few months, which is far from over, is at least the hope that we can begin transitioning to non-carbon-based forms of energy.

41 Installs Wind at His Kennebunkport Crib

George Herbert Walker Bush has installed wind power at his Kennebunkport mansion in Maine.  The turbine is a Skystream model made by Southwest Wind Power and

"'.. is capable of generating electricity once wind speed reaches 8 mph,' said Bob Greig, president of All Season Home Improvement Co. in Augusta, which installed the windmill.

'The structure can produce an estimated 400 kilowatts a month at a wind speed of 12 mph. An average household uses about 600 kilowatts a month,' Greig said."

I've been a booster of these beautiful, home-sized wind turbines for some time now.  Hope the PR can spread the word.

P.S. You don't have to be a millionaire to afford one.

Rural Fight Over Wind: Citiots vs. Farmers

This week's Newsweek features an article about the rural battle over wind power.  Farmers want windmills on their land because they can make money and because it can help the environment.  Others want to protect the pristine nature of the land while consuming energy building second homes in the country.   The latter have been dubbed "citiots" by Frank Masaino, a spokesman for a coalition seeking to promote wind energy.   According to Sourcewatch  Masaino worked until 2002 for the auto industry, trying to stop carbon emissions limits, so perhaps we can conclude his motives are not pure.  However, we can't deny that he has a knack for turning a phrase. 

Couple Close to Zoning Approval for Backyard Windmill

Aileen and Bruce Eilert in Lisle, Illinois are close to installing their personal windmill on their property which, with solar energy installation already planned, will provide more than enough power for their home.

"To get the windmill, the Eilerts applied for a zoning variance to build a 75-foot tall wind-powered electric generator in the back yard of their home on Ivanhoe Avenue just north of Ogden Avenue and west of Interstate Highway 355. The DuPage County Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously recommended approval of the application, which is now pending before the County Board's Development Committee."  --  Chicago Tribune

DuPage County is still primarily Republican, though that is changing.  Just shows you that saving energy is a cause that crosses party lines.

 

Wind Power on the Road, continued

Here is a view from behind the truck...

Wind Power on the Road

Friday, on the road to New York to visit our friend Dave's country place, we shared the road with an enormous wind turbine blade that was on its way to points east to provide some non-carbon-producing, kick-ass wind power.  We were able get a view from the front.

Skystream Backyard Wind Generator

  Just received an update from Skystream that includes a much-needed Wind Power Siting Guide to help answer the question "Do I have enough wind in my area to make a wind generator work?"  and "Do I have enough land area for a wind generator"?  Go to their website and subscribe to their newsletter and you can get the complete PDF of the siting guide.  (I tried to link to it directly and that doesn't work.) Here's a picture from their gallery that serves to illustrate the scale of the backyard wind generator in relation to a house. 

Living Off the Grid Gains in Popularity

The Chicago Tribune syndicated an AP story about the increasing popularity of living "off the grid".  The Three Rivers Community in Lake Billy Chinook, Oregon, and other communities and homeowners in Wisconsin, Montana, and yes, even New Jersey, are shunning grid-tied energy systems.  "With power lines come streetlights, and there go your stars at night.  And there are no power outages here,"  said Gary Sweet, who lives in Three Rivers.

Wind Turbines for Home Use

Windside Wind Turbines sell wind turbines sized for home use.  They also produce beautiful wind turbines for extreme conditions that resemble giant candles.  I want one!