Over the past three years, Iowa has led the nation in attracting wind energy manufacturers, in part because of its innovative worker training programs. Through collaboration with the wind energy industry, the state and its universities and community colleges, students are learning the skills needed to succeed in today’s wind industry. Clipper Windpower in Cedar Rapids and Acciona in West Branch are some of the companies that have benefited from these programs that give them access to skilled workers.

Tyler Glass, Pro E Designer at Clipper Windpower and a 2008 Kirkwood Community College graduate, is an example of Iowa’s homegrown training. “The transition from graduating at Kirkwood and coming to work for Clipper was pretty seamless. Within my first week at Clipper, I was able to jump into a project,” Glass said. The availability of a skilled work force and access to wind-industry education and training programs has enabled ACCIONA to build a talented pool of more than 120 employees at its plant in West Branch.

The Wind Energy and Turbine Technology Program at Iowa Lakes Community College is another example of Iowa’s focus on training the wind energy work force of tomorrow. Iowa Lakes’ program is one of only three programs in the nation to receive a Wind Turbine Service Technician Program Seal of Approval from the American Wind Energy Association.

The wind energy industry is just one of many industry sectors to benefit from Iowa’s unique work force training initiatives. The Iowa Department of Economic Development and the state’s network of community colleges have a variety of programs to help new and existing businesses train workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Iowa’s employee training programs have evolved from a business expansion incentive tool into a comprehensive, targeted human resource tool available to all Iowa businesses.

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Image: The Guardian

From “BritNed power cable boosts hopes for European supergrid” by Damian Carrington:

It stretches 260km under the North Sea, contains 23,000 tonnes of copper and lead, and may represent the first step towards a renewable energy revolution based on a European electricity “supergrid”. The £500m BritNed cable, which has just entered operation, is the first direct current electricity link from the UK to another country in 25 years. The high voltage cable, a joint venture between the UK National Grid and the Dutch grid operator TenneT, has a capacity of 1,000MW, the equivalent of a nuclear power station. It runs from the Isle of Grain in Kent to Maasvlakte, near Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

High voltage DC (HVDC) cables allow electricity to be transmitted over much greater distances than existing alternating current lines, which start losing power after 80km. A network of HVDC cables across Europe is seen as the key to “weather-proofing” the large scale use of renewable energy, some forms of which are intermittent and have to be balanced in real time with generation elsewhere. “Our investment in this interconnector means that we are joining a much wider European electricity market,” said Nick Winser, executive director of National Grid. “This ability we now have to move power across national borders means we can use the full potential of renewable energy from wind – making it easier to import when wind is not available and export when there is a surplus.”

In the short term, linking the UK and European grids boosts the UK’s energy security and helps stabilise wholesale energy prices. Chris Huhne, secretary of state for energy and climate change, said: “Renewables win as it means surplus wind power can be easily shared [and] consumers win as a single European market puts pressure on prices.”

“This is a major step,” said Louise Hutchins, head of UK energy campaigns at Greenpeace. “It sends a signal to renewable manufacturers that we’re a step closer to unlocking the potential of one the world’s main renewable power houses – the North Sea.”

Read the full article by Damian Carrington on the Guardian.

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Photo: Patrick Gillooly

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have fabricated the first synthetic photovoltaic cell capable of repairing itself. The cell mimics the self-repair system naturally found in plants, which capture sunlight and convert it into energy during photosynthesis. The device could be 40% efficient at converting solar power into energy – a value that is two times better than the best commercial photovoltaic cells on the market today.

During photosynthesis, plants harness solar radiation and convert it into energy. Scientists have been trying to mimic this process in synthetic materials, but this has proved difficult because the Sun’s rays damage and gradually destroy solar-cell components over time. Naturally occurring plants have developed a highly elaborate self-repair mechanism to overcome this problem that involves constantly breaking down and reassembling photodamaged light-harvesting proteins. The process ensures that these molecules are continually being refreshed, and so always work like “new”.

Michael Strano and colleagues have now succeeded in mimicking this process for the first time by creating self-assembling complexes that convert light into electricity. The complexes can be repeatedly broken down and reassembled by simply adding a surfactant (a solution of soap molecules). The researchers found that they can indefinitely cycle between assembled and disassembled states by adding and removing the surfactant, but the complexes are only photoactive in the assembled state.

Read the full article by Belle Dumé.

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From “Company to Begin ‘Rental Goat’ Weeding Service“

Mikuni Construction Co. in Kitakyusyu City, southern Japan, announced in August 2009, that it would be launching a new service to rent goats for weeding grass starting in April 2010. This unique weeding method does not require any machinery, and is drawing attention as an environmentally friendly technique.

Having first heard about weeding with goats from his business associate, Katsuhiko Sera, the president of the company, has been investigating the approach for three years in an effort to devise a viable business model. He bought five goats in May 2009, and by tethering the goats with a cable, about 500 square meters of grass can be grazed over the course of a week. A trial “rent-a-goat” began in August 2009, but will be fully launched in March 2010.

Goats eat various types of weed. They eat all aboveground stems and leaves, and prefer to graze on slops, which people often find it difficult to weed. Furthermore, weeded material does not require disposal when using this method and the goat dung produced simply decomposes and is returned to the soil.

In addition to renting goats, the company plans to provide its own weeding service by increasing the number of goats, and to manufacture cheese and other products from goat milk. Mr. Sera hopes that his rental goat service will serve not only as a new tool to maintain urban green spaces, but will also assist the comfort of local residents.

From “Company to Begin ‘Rental Goat’ Weeding Service“

“Even though the demands being placed on national electricity grids are changing rapidly, the grids themselves have changed very little since they were first developed more than a century ago. The first grids were built as one-way streets, consisting of power stations at one end supplying power when needed to customers at the other end. That approach worked well for many years, and helped drive the growth of industrial nations by making electricity ubiquitous, but it is now showing its age.”

To read more of the article visit The Economist.

Students from Amity High School in Woodbridge have shown what can be achieved with dedication, passion and commitment to an issue.

The Amity High School Global Warming Club has been awarded the 2009 Climate Change Leadership Award in their efforts to promote and educate the community on the effects of climate change.  They’ve also succeeded in:

• signing up over 500 households and businesses for CTCleanEnergyOptions at many community events in all three towns.
• requesting the Orange Board of Selectmen to purchase clean energy.
• Earning solar photovoltaic systems under the CT Clean Energy Fund’s “Clean Energy Communities” program through clean energy sign-ups: a 3 kilowatt system for Amity Regional School District #5 (comprising Bethany, Orange and Woodbridge), 3 kilowatts for Beecher Road School (Woodbridge), 9 kilowatts for the Bethany Community School, 4 kilowatts for the Bethany Fire Headquarters, and 2 kilowatts for the old Bethany Fire House.
• A contest at the high school to see which household can lower their electric bill the most between November 2008 and March 2009.
• Letters to the CT General Assembly to support climate change legislation.
• Fund raising for local land trusts.

The Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has committed $13.9 million in Commonwealth funding to Australia’s seventh Solar City, Perth. “The Perth Solar City project is expected to deliver carbon pollution reductions of more than 15,000 tonnes – equivalent to taking 3,500 large vehicles off the road – and cut energy use equivalent to that of 3,200 homes.”

Perth Solar Cities Project is led by a consortium. SunPower as one of six organisations on the consortium is looking for proposals of photovoltaic solar projects above 30kWp on iconic/highly visible buildings to nominate to the steering committee.

Projects should include elements of energy efficiency, and demand management as well as solar. While preference will be given to projects that are located in the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council area, iconic/highly visible buildings that do not fall in this region will also be considered.

Successful projects meeting the Solar Cities selection criteria will then be recommended to the Federal Government. Subsidies ranging from 30% to 40% will be available to successful applicants.

For further information and EOI forms please contact:
Anwar Mohammed – Strategic Account Manager, SunPower
T: 08 9477 5888

Expressions of Interest (EOI) must be received by 5pm, Friday 10th April 2009.

Ref: Green Building Council Australia-Perth Solar Cities Project EOI

Peats Ridge is the first major event in Australia to run completely on renewable energy and winner of the NSW Government 2008 Green Globe Award for Environmental Sustainability across all industries.

A major part of the Peats Ridge experience is finding out how to live more sustainably, and therefore reduce our impact on the beautiful Glenworth Valley, and the planet as a whole – so not only do we have some incredible music and arts to share with you, we’ll also educate you on how to do this.

Now in its fifth year, Peats Ridge will again play host to a line-up of bands you know and love as well as some great bands you’ve yet to discover. You’ll also have the opportunity to indulge your senses in two venues dedicated to theatre, cabaret, new media, projection and soundscape.

The Festival will still have one of the best children’s festivals around, the Boardi Space for indigenous culture, an Ecoliving area to educate yourself about sustainable living and the Healing Haven offering massages and other types of wellbeing. Add to this markets, rainforest bush walks, kayaking, horse riding, camping, idyllic swimming holes and you have an unforgettable way to welcome the New Year.

Announcements of artists, performers and activities will be posted over the coming weeks so make sure you visit the Festival website and sign up for the e-news so you’ll be the first to know (and you could win passes for yourself and five friends for signing up!)