Cleantech Update

I found this quote from Dave on the Yale 360 Website : A recent study (2008) conducted by NREL concluded that wind costs approximately $1800/kW to install, and coal about $1830/kW, with existing air pollution control technologies. As emission controls become tighter, as they will and should, that gap in price will only widen. There are numerous other studies that reach a similar conclusion. In checking it out, I came across the NREL  Wind Partnership. The Wind Partnerships for Advanced Component Technology (WindPact) was started in 1999 to assist industry in lowering the cost of energy by designing and testing innovative components, such as advanced blades and drivetrains. These components are expected to be primary constituents of the low-wind-speed turbine. Researchers have also performed a range of systems studies as part of the WindPact project in an effort to answer questions like how big a wind turbine of the future should be and to explore the impact of rotor configur...

(Sam Hopkins) I had never really wondered what Mars would look like if it had heavy industry. When I set foot in western China's Gansu Province in 2005, I knew. The terrain outside Lanzhou, Gansu's capital and one of the most polluted cities in China, seems other-worldly. Bizarre stone shapes line the road as far as the eye can see. And, as it turns out, you can't cast your gaze very far through the brown haze that shrouds the city. Pregnant women ride their bikes around Lanzhou wearing surgical masks so as not to inhale the noxious air, but so do many men. It's a frightening sight, and I'd be lying if I told you I didn't feel a little guilty that I would be able to go home to clean air while locals seemed doomed to a life of sooty snot and coughs. Now, though, I feel more optimistic about Gansu's future. . . the province will soon be home to China's first 10 gigawatt wind farm. China's Hinterlands are Ignored No More People in Shanghai or Be...