Creative Uses of Wind Power

Chapter 26 – Creative Uses of Wind Power

One potential use for wind-generated electricity is to power electric and plug-in gas/electric hybrid cars. Electric and hybrid cars can be charged at night, when electrical demands are lowest and wind-power generating capacity might otherwise go unused.

On-Farm Wind Power

Chapter 25 – On-Farm Wind Power

There are several potential benefits of having small to medium-sized wind turbines on farms all across the state. First, that would allow more distributed production of electricity across the state. With distributed production, electricity generation within the state would be more constant because as wind systems move across the state, they will power turbines from one end of the state to the other, rather than just hitting regional clumps of wind farms and then passing by.

A second benefit of distributed production is that more of the electricity generated is used locally, either on the farm where it is produced or close by. That reduces the line loss that occurs when electricity is transmitted a long distance, and it reduces the need for high capacity transmission lines that become necessary when electricity from large wind farms in one area of the state has to be distributed across the remainder of the state.

Limits of Using Contemporary Energy

Chapter 20 – Limits of Using Contemporary Energy

When we talk about the end of cheap oil and converting agriculture – and society in general – to renewable energy sources, it is important to recognize some fundamental differences between fossil fuels and renewable energy.

Biofuels: Cars vs. Agriculture

Chapter 19 – Biofuels: Cars vs. Agriculture

Clearly, the way out of being held hostage by high oil prices is to become a lot less dependent on oil. While there may be many strategies agriculture can pursue to reduce dependency on oil and other fossil fuels, they generally fall under two major categories: 1) become more energy-efficient in order to reduce energy needs, and 2) replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.

Thicke Plans 8-City Tour For Major Energy Policy Announcement

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidate Francis Thicke will launch a seven-city tour across Iowa to announce a comprehensive energy policy for agriculture that shifts new public incentives to wind and biofuel systems that 1) Produce energy to power agriculture, 2) Are farmer-scale and farmer-owned, and put profits in farmers’ pockets, and 3) are truly sustainable and renewable.

Engines With No Carbon Footprint

I had a very inspiring tour of the Hydrogen Engine Center in Algona, Iowa a couple days ago. They have created internal combustion engines that will run on either hydrogen or ammonia. What makes these engines so exciting is parallel technology that is under development right now to create wind turbines that can make hydrogen [...]