OTEC Coming to India?

This article of 12/4/03 reports that the one MW ocean thermal power project designed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) with technical inputs from Saga University of Japan, at Tuticorin is likely to be commissioned early next year. The project envisages generation of power from the difference in seawater temperature at a depth of 1000 meters and on the surface. The project at Tuticorin is only a demonstration project. The technology can be commercialised by setting up all weather power generation units. But it may take years to reach that stage. NIOT has already set up a small demonstration project (55 kw) to generate power from wave energy in the Kerala coast. The project was initiated by ITT, Madras and then taken over by NIOT.

Wind Power for Cornell University

As a Cornell Law School alum, I was pleased to come across this article,
Wind Power At Cornell? ,
Shannon Brescher, Cornell Sun (11/25/03). According to the article, back in October the environmental activist group Kyoto Now! launched their new campaign, Wind Power Now! with a goal of building a Cornell-owned wind farm in Ithaca that will supply ten percent of the University's energy. This wind farm will either have two or seven wind turbines, depending on their power output. For now, the administration is backing the newest effort so far. Originally, they said that building a wind farm wouldn't be possible because of legal concerns as a non-profit. But after Carleton College in Minnesota built a wind farm, Lanny Joyce '81, manager of engineering, planning and energy management in the department of utilities and energy management, agreed to the idea.

Wind Potential in South Africa

In
Wind Energy To Play Important Role , Sunday Times (11/24/03), writer Lynn Bolin reports on the role of wind energy in South Africa's economy. South Africa had to begin to focus on renewable energy sources such as wind, given that it had one of the highest carbon dioxide emission levels per capita in the world - and wind energy would offer at least one solution to that problem.

Britain Has New Energy Bill That Promotes Offshore Wind

This article,
Energy Bill Promises Fair Wind for Projects from the Guardian (11/29/03) reports on a new energy bill which will enable developers to build second generation wind farms, producing much greater output than now, beyond Britain's 12-mile limits. The bill will also streamline and hasten the permitting process with increased coordination. Even though the bill authorizes projects beyond the 12 mile limit, it will be interesting to see when and whether they are actually built.