MARS, A Wind Power Anywhere™ Solution

We all are good at innovation when the need arises. We develop thin film photo voltaic cells that are printed and we create inflatable solar collectors, all in the name of efficiency and ease of renewable energy generation. But all these companies and technologies are relatively new. Then I found a company that has been perfecting wind energy conversion for last 28 years. I like the concept and the implementation of MARS.

Magenn Power's MARS is a Wind Power Anywhere™ solution with distinct advantages over existing Conventional Wind Turbines and Diesel Generating Systems including: global deployment, lower costs, better operational performance, and greater environmental advantages.

The Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) is an innovative lighter-than-air tethered device that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, efficiently generating clean renewable electrical energy at a lower cost than all competing systems. This electrical energy is transferred down the tether to a transformer at a ground station and then transferred to the electricity power grid. Helium (an inert non-reactive lighter than air gas) sustains the Air Rotor which ascends to an altitude for best winds and its rotation also causes the Magnus effect. This provides additional lift, keeps the device stabilized, keeps it positioned within a very controlled and restricted location, and causes it to pull up overhead rather than drift downwind on its tether.

The distinct advantages of the Magenn Air Rotor System design are as follows:

• Magenn Air Rotor System is less expensive per unit of actual electrical energy output than competing wind power systems.
• Magenn Power Air Rotor System will deliver time-averaged output much closer to its rated capacity than the capacity factor typical with conventional designs. Magenn efficiency will be 40 to 50 percent. This is hugely important, since doubling capacity factor cuts the cost of each delivered watt by half.
• Wind farms can be placed closer to demand centers, reducing transmission line costs and transmission line loses.
• Conventional wind generators are only operable in wind speeds between 3 meters/sec and 28 meters/sec. Magenn Air Rotors are operable between 1 meter/sec and in excess of 28 meters/sec.
• Magenn Air Rotors can be raised to higher altitudes, thus capitalizing on higher winds aloft. Altitudes from 400-ft to 1,000-ft above ground level are possible, without having to build an expensive tower, or use a crane to perform maintenance.
• Magenn Air Rotors are mobile and can be easily moved to different locations to correspond to changing wind patterns. Mobility is also useful in emergency deployment and disaster relief situations.

These points are mutually inclusive. The advantages above combine to make Magenn the most cost-effective wind electrical generation system.

tag: wind energy, wind turbines, lighter than air wind turbines, Wind Power Anywhere, Magenn Power Air Rotor System, MARS, Magnus effect,

Horizon Wind Energy, GE Energy Signs Wind Turbine Supply, Service Agreements

Horizon Wind Energy Signs Wind Turbine Supply, Service Agreements With GE Energy

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - January 29, 2008 : – Horizon Wind Energy LLC, a leading wind project developer, has signed wind turbine supply and service agreements with GE Energy for future U.S. projects. Horizon also announced today the establishment of a regional headquarters in Albany, N.Y. to oversee its future projects in New York State and the Northeastern United States.

GE will supply Horizon with 201 1.5-megawatt wind turbines, to be shipped during 2010. Under a separate, two-year agreement, GE will provide operations support, parts and maintenance for those units.

"We see strong potential for future wind projects throughout this region, and our new Albany office positions us to better serve this promising market," said Antonio Martins da Costa, CEO of Horizon Wind Energy. "In addition, our local presence will reinforce our strong relationship with GE Energy's renewable energy business, based in nearby Schenectady, NY."

"Albany and the Capital Region have a rich history in the energy industry," said Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings. "It's great to see that we will continue to play an integral role in the future as clean energy technologies from companies like GE Energy begin to change the way we produce energy. I'm thrilled that Horizon Wind Energy has chosen Albany as the site to manage its northeastern activities."

"With their new presence in the region, we look forward to working even more closely with Horizon Wind Energy," said Victor Abate, Vice President-Renewables for GE Energy. "The new agreements with Horizon are further evidence that the wind industry continues to embrace our 1.5-megawatt wind turbine technology and support services. We have provided more than 7,700 of these machines for projects worldwide."

Headquartered in Houston, Horizon Wind Energy is a fully owned subsidiary of Energias de Portugal S.A. (EDP), a major Portuguese utility and one of the world's largest generators of electricity from renewable energy sources. At the end of 2007, Horizon was operating wind power plants with a total installed capacity of more than 1,300 megawatts, and the company currently is developing a portfolio of more than 10,500 megawatts in more than a dozen states.

The new agreements with Horizon Energy follow the October 2007 announcement of a global frame agreement between GE and with Horizon's parent company, EDP, for the supply of 500 megawatts of wind turbines for 2008 and 2009 projects in the U.S. and Europe.

In addition to its relationship with GE Energy, Horizon Wind Energy is receiving a $300 million equity investment from GE Energy Financial Services in four of its wind farms. The investment will go to a 600-megawatt portfolio of wind farms in Oregon, Minnesota, Illinois and Texas.

GE Energy's wind turbine technology is a key component of ecomagination, the GE corporate-wide initiative to address challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy, reduced emissions and abundant sources of clean water.

http://www.gepower.com/about/press/en/2008_press/012908c.htm

tag: wind energy, wind turbines, Renewables, GE Energy, wind farms, Horizon Wind Energy, Energias de Portugal