LittleYellowFrog

Boeing have just flown a fuel cell powered light aircraft with a person on board – they picked a motor-glider for this trial flight which seems a sensible choice.

In other news, Ireland is installing the world’s largest underwater turbine built by Seagen.

Both of these articles came to my attention via InventorSpot

The BBC is reporting on a UN paper about biofuels. The UN-Energy inter-agency group have published a paper entitled “Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers” (PDF download). It raises concerns that over-enthusiastic production of biofuels has the potential to displace food crop production, lead to clearing of existing land and potentially exclude local participation in this new aspect of the economy. However, if managed properly, some or all of these problems can be avoided.

RenewableEnergyAccess reports that the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) and the Renewable Energy Association (REA) are discussing the possibility of a merger. The trade associations cite the need for a stronger, more unified voice for the UK renewables industry and feel that a merger might provide this.

BP are reportedly doubling their investment in green energy over the next three years (to $1.8 billion). According to the report, BP think that their new BP Alternative Energy unit could deliver sales of as much as $6 billion a year within 10 years.

Another 300MW of offshore wind turbines is now in the planning pipeline – bringing the UK’s total (in planning) capacity to 1800MW.

Wired News reports that Terra Moya Aqua in Wyoming have developed a new wind turbine which they claim is 43% – 45% efficient – compared with an efficiency ratio of 20% – 40% for a traditional turbine. The turbine is also claimed to be less noisy than other turbines and less of a hazard to birds.

If you are looking for an interesting little project to see whether or not your home might benefit from a wind turbine, why not build yourself an anemometer to get a better idea of your local wind speeds? Raphael Assénat did just that and has documented how he did it for your delectation.

technorati tags: wind

The BBC is reporting that the UK government is to announce a £30 million funding package to encourage the development of rewnewable energy sources. The article states that the funding is intended to help microgeneration projects in particular.

Micropower is a web site which focusses – as its name suggests – on micro-generation schemes and technologies. Check out their news page for the latest (somewhat UK-centric) micropower news.

To quote from their web site :-

The Scottish Parliament Renewable Energy Group (SPREG) is an official cross party group of the Scottish Parliament. Its aim is to bring together Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and others with an interest in renewable energy in Scotland.

The group meets regularly to discuss issues of key interest to ensure ongoing development of renewable energy that supports economic, social and environmental gain in Scotland.