All posts tagged: turbines

UK homeowners to be allowed wind turbines in gardens amid energy crisis

UK homeowners to be allowed wind turbines in gardens amid energy crisis

Published by Sam Flores

Businesses, schools, and farms across the UK could soon install small wind turbines without needing planning permission, under new government proposals aimed at cutting energy bills and boosting clean power. The plans would allow these organisations to erect a single turbine, up to 30 metres tall – a height officials equate to that of a mature oak tree – without a formal planning application, provided specific conditions are met. Energy Minister Michael Shanks stated the initiative would provide businesses, schools, and farmers with “the tools to lower their bills and make the best use of their land”. This move forms part of the government’s broader drive for clean energy, framed as a response to the “current global energy crisis caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran”. In recent days, ministers have also unveiled plans for plug-in solar panels suitable for balconies, backed reforms to accelerate nuclear site development, and announced the upcoming round of auctions for renewable power generation contracts. Currently, permitted development rights for onshore wind are largely restricted to small domestic turbines with …

GE Vernova is about to upgrade 1.1 GW of US wind turbines

GE Vernova is about to upgrade 1.1 GW of US wind turbines

Published by skeptic

Photo: GE Vernova GE Vernova has landed orders to repower 1.1 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind turbines across the US. All of the repower orders were booked in 2025, and the projects are expected to reach commercial operation between 2026 and 2027. Repowering means upgrading older turbines with newer components so they can keep operating longer. Instead of building entirely new wind farms, developers can replace key equipment while keeping the existing foundations and grid connections. Using existing wind farm infrastructure helps keep costs down. By installing newer components, wind farm operators can increase annual electricity production, reduce breakdowns, and cut maintenance and operating costs. Advertisement – scroll for more content For these projects, GE Vernova will supply nacelles and drive trains manufactured at its Pensacola, Florida, facility. (Around 20% of the workers at that site are veterans.) Globally, GE Vernova’s onshore wind business has installed about 59,000 turbines representing nearly 120 GW of wind capacity. Electrek’s Take Many US wind farms built in the early 2000s still have solid foundations and grid connections, but the …

The US’s largest clean energy project just installed 242 giant wind turbines

The US’s largest clean energy project just installed 242 giant wind turbines

Published by skeptic

Photo: Vestas Vestas has finished installing its wind turbines in New Mexico at Pattern Energy’s SunZia, the largest clean energy project in the US. The wind turbine manufacturer installed 242 V163-4.5 MW wind turbines at the 3.5 GW wind farm, which is the largest onshore wind farm in the US. It’s built across New Mexico’s counties of Torrance, Lincoln, and San Miguel. The wind farm also features 674 GE Vernova 3.6-154 turbines and 10 substations. The largest clean energy project in the US comprises two arms: SunZia Wind and SunZia Transmission. The latter is a 550-mile (885 km) ± 525 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line between central New Mexico and south-central Arizona. When complete, it will have the capacity to transport 3,000 MW of clean energy to power around 320,000 US households, or nearly 800,000 people. SunZia Transmission will enable SunZia Wind to supply customers in Arizona and the US Southwest during the early evening hours, when demand is high but renewable energy supply is low. It’s going to use the same corridor as the Western …

Floating wind turbines could soon power AI data centers at sea

Floating wind turbines could soon power AI data centers at sea

Published by skeptic

Photo: Aikido Technologies Aikido Technologies has unveiled a concept that combines floating offshore wind turbines, battery storage, and AI data centers on a single platform. The offshore infrastructure company says its new platform, called AO60DC, is designed to co‑locate AI-grade computing directly with renewable energy generation at sea. Wind, batteries, and AI compute on one floating platform Each AO60DC platform is designed to host 10–12 megawatts (MW) of AI-grade compute alongside a 15–18 MW+ wind turbine and integrated battery storage. Aikido says the platforms could be deployed in farms ranging from 30 MW to more than 1 gigawatt of IT load. The onboard wind turbine and battery system would power the data center most of the time, with a grid connection used mainly during the summer months. Advertisement – scroll for more content Batteries could also be pre‑charged ahead of grid-stress events, which Aikido says could shorten the time required to connect new capacity. Because the units can be located within 200 miles of major computing hubs, with round‑trip time (RTT) below 10 milliseconds, the …

NAACP threatens to sue Musk’s xAI over Mississippi gas turbines powering data center

NAACP threatens to sue Musk’s xAI over Mississippi gas turbines powering data center

Published by Sam Flores

The NAACP on Friday threatened to sue Elon Musk’s AI company xAI, claiming that gas turbines powering a company data center are polluting communities in Mississippi and Tennessee. “Our communities are not playgrounds for corporations who are chasing profit over people. xAI’s first data center is already creating pollution for Mississippi’s neighbors in Memphis —… Source link

Netizens push back on Trump’s claims that China doesn’t use wind power with photos of turbines

Netizens push back on Trump’s claims that China doesn’t use wind power with photos of turbines

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump said China does not use wind power despite producing most of the world’s wind turbines, prompting an official rebuttal from China and online pushback from Chinese netizens. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan 21, Trump claimed that although China produces “almost all” of the world’s wind turbines, he had not “been able to find any wind farms in China”. He added that China sells turbines overseas “for a fortune, to the stupid people that buy them”, but does not use them domestically. China rejected the claims at a press conference on Jan 22. Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China’s efforts to develop renewable energy were “obvious to all”, adding that the country’s installed wind power capacity has ranked first in the world for 15 consecutive years, reported Reuters. Guo also highlighted that China’s exports of wind power and photovoltaic products have helped reduce carbon emissions by about 4.1 billion tons in other countries. “As a responsible developing country, China is willing to work with all …