Blowin in the Wind

A recent news report mentioned that Chinese manufacturers were heeding the call to make low-cost wind turbines for worldwide distribution. With soaring energy demand in China alone, they have good reason to do so. Naturally, there are other burgeoning nations with high energy demands that stand to benefit from low cost energy products, as well. The list of these nations includes India and Brazil, so between the three of them there is sure to be enough business to last half a millennium.

Have Am… Continue

A major Wind Turbine Energy development company in Northern New York is calling it quits after the financial debacle on Wall Street destroyed a major investor. The company is unlikely to take this as anything more than an inconvenient set-back, sure to ask for government assistance, or even a bail-out. The problem for investors, however, is that the government always takes first position on the financial operations, so if there's any profit, the government gets paid first. Not such a good thing… Continue

The dismal economy is casting a long dark shadow over technology and innovation and the best solution the government can come up with is to rebuild roads and bridges. Oh, there are "green" jobs in the works, but exactly what that means and whether or not investing taxpayer's green in "green" things is ecomonically sustainable hasn't been given much thought. After all, once something is clean and green, do you still need to spend the same amount of money on it? Maybe a little bit of dirt is good,… Continue

I just received an e-mail, which all subscribers to the Push Pickens Plan surely have. It begins with one word; Army.

I replied as follows: "Please do not refer to me, or us as "Army". That implies a war. You are seeking to build a movement. If you want a war, you have come to the wrong person."

The word "Army" as overtones and connotations that creates friction among some people. While it is intended to imply strength and unity under a single command, it also implies slow progress, destructio… Continue

I've decided that I should build my own wind generator and ride the wind in my backyard. I've researched it and I have the expertise and some of the parts it's going to take. The most important part, naturally, is a generator. Just so happens that I've been storing an old electric lawn mower motor for nearly thirty years. I hooked a voltmeter to it, gave it a spin, and Voila! 12VDC!.

Next step is to build the propeller blades, the mount, the inverter, the battery bank and the electrical control… Continue