Five Reasons Why Green Tech Has Such a Tough Time In America

The U.S. has long been a leader in green technologies. It has also long been a leader in fumbling that lead. Look at the historical record:

• Charles Brush built what is considered the first automatic wind turbine for generating electricity. The turbine, built in 1888 in Ohio, had a 50-foot diameter and 144 blades. The industry has since trimmed turbines down to three blades. It has also gone overseas. While the U.S. has more installed wind capacity than anyone else, the only top U.S. wind manufacturer remains General Electric: they got into the business by buying the wind division of disgraced, defunct Enron. One of the most promising U.S. startups is Nordic Windpower, located in Berkeley by way of Sweden. Read the rest of this entry »

Less May Be More for Wind Turbines

Nordic Windpower’s two-bladed rotors depart from conventional wind-power design

One of the first R&D grants to a renewable-energy developer from the economic-stimulus funds approved by Congress this spring could have a dramatic impact on the design of wind turbines. The $16 million loan guarantee offered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to Berkeley, CA-based Nordic Windpower will accelerate commercialization of the company’s Swedish-designed, two-bladed wind turbines, marking the first utility-scale alternative to the industry’s dominant three-bladed design in over a decade.

Read the rest of this entry »