When people think of land-based wind farms, the Southeast isn’t usually the first place that comes to mind. Alabama, for instance, doesn’t have a single utility-scale wind turbine in operation. Without seeing those turbines in action, it’s easy to assume wind energy just isn’t viable here. But thanks to recent advancements in turbine technology, it’s […]
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In Alabama, we are all about freedom and market choices, and that’s as true of our energy use as anything else. Alabama Wants Renewable Energy Choices Recent results from a survey of 600 likely Alabama voters show that Alabamians want freedom of choice, a competitive marketplace, and the right and opportunity to choose where their
New Survey Results: Alabama Voters Want Energy Freedom in a BIG Way Read More »
Distributed Generation: What Are the Benefits? Increased efficiency. Reduced rates. Improved reliability. Diminished emissions. If all of that sounds good to you, then you ought to know about the benefits of distributed generation. A few weeks back, we covered microgrids and why they’re important in the context of the larger, main grid. As you might recall, microgrids are defined not by their size,
What are Microgrids? The first thing you need to know about microgrids is that they’re not so micro at all. Or at least they don’t have to be. As microgrids have become more widespread in the United States and around the world in recent years, you might have started to think about what they mean
Robert Yost of American Wind was one of the guest speakers at the Sustainable Energy themed Sip & Hatch back in June. Even in just the five minutes he had to describe what his technology does you could “get it”, but what’s not to get?! Granted I’m not a physics major or an engineer,
Student-Made Windmill Blade Outdoes Manufacturer Students throughout northern Alabama competed in the inaugural Switch Blade Competition on Thursday at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Each team was required to redesign the blades of a windmill to adjust to the low power wind conditions of Alabama. Senior systems engineer Bill Pannell, from the Aviation and
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Apr. 23, 2015) — Students throughout northern Alabama competed in the inaugural Switchblade Competition April 23 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Each team was required to redesign the blades of a windmill to adjust to the low power wind conditions of Alabama. Senior Systems Engineer Bill Pannell, from the U.S. Army
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When Bill Pannell was considering how to redesign a windmill used for military operations in Afghanistan, he never thought his idea would start a statewide competition among high school and collegiate students. Pannell oversees the energy lab at the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center within the System Simulation and Development Directorate. “I
“Switch Blade”, A Statewide Collegiate Wind Turbine Competition, Announces Full Slate of Teams Huntsville, Ala. – “Switch Blade”, a wind turbine competition in which high school and college students redesign and manufacture the blades of a military wind power system, has successfully filled all slots for open teams. Participating teams come from the University of
