In any conversation about renewables, it’s the question sceptics, detractors and the just plain unconvinced always ask. “What happens when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine?” Now they might find the answer tucked away on a raw hill close to the M4 in South Wales. It’s an array of storage batteries from… Continue reading
Posts tagged renewables
Masdar’s array of renewable energy initiatives impress
An oil-rich Gulf state is supplying the equivalent of 94,000 families in the UK with zero carbon energy. The first phase of the London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, became operational in early 2013. 20% of the investment came from the state-sponsored Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar. The remainder is owned by… Continue reading →
British turbine designer one of first to catch business wind from Olympics
One of the mysteries of London 2012 is the line of seven wind turbines, their blades spinning in an elegant triple helix form, right in the middle of Olympic Park. Quietrevolution’s QR5 technology is not exactly new – you may have seen similar turbines made by the company in other public locations, in shopping centers,… Continue reading →
Greece embraces solar power – could Turkey follow?
It was easy to describe the weather on our recent break in Turkey. The sun shone powerfully throughout the day, every day, without a break, for two weeks. Friends and family who just endured a particularly grim August in the UK gave me a pained look and quickly change the subject. A first-time visitor to… Continue reading →
Strange companions catch change of wind
Edom Hills is a gale of a distance from Watchfield, but these two places are positive, and unlikely, case studies of how things might be in the wide open spaces of energy hungry nations. Edom sits at the head of the San Gorgonio Pass, close to Palm Springs in California. The blades of eight Clipper… Continue reading →