PG&E Use of Wind Energy
On average, approximately half of the electricity PG&E delivers to its customers comes from a combination of renewable and greenhouse gas-free resources. The power mix we provided to our customers in 2009 consisted of renewable resources (14.4 percent), such as wind. PG&E can also now purchase power from customers who install eligible renewable generation up to 1.5 MW in size.
PG&E Agrees to Purchase and Operate Major California Wind Energy Project
(PG&E) has contracted with Iberdrola Renewables, Inc., the U.S. arm of the world’s largest provider of wind power, to purchase and operate a major wind generating plant to be built in Southern California to serve the utility’s electric customers.
The proposed Manzana Wind Project, with a power capacity of up to 246 megawatts, would be the first wind project owned by PG&E. 7,000 acres in the Tehachapi region of Eastern Kern County. With a projected annual output of up to 670 gigawatt-hours per year, equal to the energy consumed by about 100,000 average homes. The total capital cost of the Manzana project will be just over $900 million.
Generate Your Own Power
Pacific Gas and Electric Company has assembled a team to help you hook up your generator quickly, safely and efficiently.
Net Energy Metering
Net energy metering is a type of Distributed Generation that allows customers with an eligible power generator to offset the cost of their electric usage with energy they export to the grid.
California’s Rebate Program for Wind & Fuel Cell Renewable Energy Electric-Generating Systems
The California Energy Commission is offering cash rebates on eligible grid-connected small wind and fuel cell renewable energy electric-generating systems through its Emerging Renewables Program (ERP). Effective January 1, 2007, the technologies eligible for ERP funding are: Small Wind Turbines - small, electricity-producing, wind-driven generating systems with a rated output of 50 kilowatts or less.
According to the online Illustrated History of Wind Power Development, the first use of a large windmill to generate electricity was a system built in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1888.
We have many windy areas in California. The only problem with wind is that it is not windy all year long, nor is the speed fairly constant. It is usually windier during the summer months when wind rushes inland from cooler areas, such as near the ocean, to replace hot rising air in California’s warm central valleys and deserts. By placing mechanical wind turbines in these windy areas, we tap the moving wind to make electricity. There are more than 14,000 wind turbines in California grouped together in what are called wind “farms.” The farms have roughly 1,800 megawatts of installed capacity. These wind farms are located mostly in the three windiest areas of the state:
* Altamont Pass east of San Francisco
* San Gorgonio Pass near Palm Springs
* Tehachapi south of Bakersfield
Together these three places make enough electricity to supply an entire city the size of San Francisco with electrical power! All together the wind turbines in California produce about 1 percent of California’s total electricity.
WIND POWER FOR YOUR HOME
Small wind turbines (usually producing less than 10 kilowatts of electricity) can be used to generate electricity for a home or small business. A kilowatt is equal to 1,000 watts -- the amount of electricity that can illuminate ten 100-watt light bulbs.
The smaller turbines today are fairly efficient, producing electricity in winds as low as 7 to 10 mph. They are also fairly quiet. The wind system usually generates power at the same voltage that your home uses, so the turbine can be wired directly to the home or business’ electrical system like an appliance.
If your home is using less electricity than what the wind turbine is making, your electrical meter may actually “turn backwards.” This is called “net metering.”
A typical 10 kilowatt home wind turbine system will cost $25,000 - $35,000 to install. Depending on the amount of wind available, it will produce between 10,000 to 18,000 kilowatt/hours (kWh) per year.
PG&E to compress air to store wind power
With compressed-air energy storage (CAES), air is compressed and then pumped in natural underground reservoirs. The air is released later and converted into electricity.
There are currently two compressed-air energy storage facilities in operation--one in Alabama and one in Germany--but the technique has been getting more attention because it is a relatively cheap approach to storage. CAES is well-suited to an intermittent source of energy like wind because a large amount of energy can be stored for many hours. PG&E said that it plans to use wind turbines to compress the air during off-peak times and then draw from the reservoir during peak times. Industry executives say that the most cost-effective utility storage is pumped hydro, where water is pumped uphill and released at peak times to make electricity.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Award Winning Turnstile
Turnstiles
This turnstiles uses the energy from turning the handles when users walk through to generate the power to operate itself.
Wind Turbines Under Trains
T-Box Harnesses Wind-energy
This wind turbine is attached under train tracks. When the train passes through and creates wind, the turbine below catches the wind which generates energy.
Wind Turbines on the Freeway
Wind Turbines On Freeways
I like the concept of incorporating something that people use everyday and making them more aware of the potential energy resources.
Exploratorium
Wind Powered Wonders Studio
Kids constructed their own objects that they could test and float in the wind tubes. I like the hands on and interactive approach to the exhibit so that the user could be much more connected.
Clean Energy in London
This exhibit uses a wind turbine at the top of the sculpture and solar cells attached to the 'branches.' I thought it was interesting how it changes into a light show at night so that it offers entertainment to the viewers at night.
Wind Powered Scultpures
Aeolian Electric
An exhibit that attempts to "break down the barriers between energy users and energy makers." It features wind themed sculptures that used the wind energy to power record players, and also to provide movement to more artistic pieces.
SF Exploratorium Exhibits - Graphics
This was the one of the better, more "designed" exhibit signs, although it is not really interpretive in itself.
SF Exploratorium Exhibits - Graphics
The only large use of typography and display lighting. Visible from 100 feet or more in the dark environment.
SF Exploratorium Exhibits - Wind -
Billowing Banner - creates attention, uses the effects of wind, it is adaptable to any size or shape, and could integrate a graphic.
This did not appear to have any associated exhibit or interpretation.
It was visible from throughout the Exploratorium, possibly to indicate a classroom.
This did not appear to have any associated exhibit or interpretation.
It was visible from throughout the Exploratorium, possibly to indicate a classroom.
SF Exploratorium Exhibits - Wind
Wind created by a row of fans, powers "sail cars" which use in-line skate wheels for frictionless travel, on a sailing table.
Next to the table is a device which measured the amount of pull the car has depending on the combination of wind and sail angles.
Next to the table is a device which measured the amount of pull the car has depending on the combination of wind and sail angles.
Exhibit Research
This is a list of links to other exhibits that I found interesting and relevant to the Whirligigs purpose:
This museum shows natural phenomena in museum sized exhibits. It's really cool to see how they took such huge concepts and put them in a "fishbowl" for people to see and learn from.
This is the Catching The Wind Exhibit. The museum has an actual wind turbine and lets people see real time information from it. It also gives other case studies of wind turbines and lets people explore the trade offs of using wind energy.
Energized exhibit has videos and other info and ties back into the wind lab in the Catching the wind exhibit.
[copy and paste link into address bar]
This just showed a bunch of tornado in a box exhibits- which I thought was cool since tornados are the first thing that comes to mind when I consider the power of the wind.
Full-body exhibits.. basically a playground that explores the different types of renewable power, energy transformation, and makes people think about what they'd do if the power went out. I liked the fact that it brought up issues like that and showed people how energy is transformed.
This exhibit had a real wind turbine but they also commissioned and artist to make a piece around the base that used the turbine and the shadows. I thought this was an interesting direction and made the turbine visually interesting rather than ugly- which is one of its biggest criticisms.
I really liked this exhibit because it was interactive and interesting. It let the user direct a pipe that collected wind into a generator- once they got enough power it made a special song play. I like that they could see the difference in power that the direction and height of the pipe made and they could see it power something.
I also found sites about building your own small wind turbine, (google David Mussell and build your own VAWT) which could serve dual purposes of powering and being a part of our exhibit.
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