Fair blows the wind from Texas
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GuidesWeek for week ending October 10th, 2009
The controversial closure of Vestas’ UK capacity for production of wind turbine blades has limped to its inevitable conclusion. Jobs have been lost here in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight. The solidarity of national environmental campaigners had no answer to what Vestas called “a lack of local political action in certain markets.” This is the diplomatic Danish take on our parochial planning system which has allowed nimbyism to drive wind farms offshore. All the action on wind energy is in the US. Vestas is opening a new research centre in Houston, declaring that “Texas is the leading wind state in the USA.”
He opts for a reassuringly upbeat tone, claiming that the state of Texas has enough wind generation in the pipeline to meet the needs of its 24 million population.
This is the extraordinary story of William Kamkwamba who built a windmill from scrap material in his village in Malawi, bringing basic power to his incredulous family. But how can a nation which devours books depicting global warming campaigners as fifth-columnists seize on an African tale with a wind machine on the front cover? It may be because the co-author, US journalist Bryan Mealer, was born in Texas. ****** Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilisation? - Lester Brown discusses Plan B 4.0, from Earth Policy Institute US Energy Department announces new support for renewable energy projects The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer from OneWorld Books (US $) Plan B 4.0 Mobilizing to Save Civilization by Lester Brown from OneWorld Books (UK £) from OneWorld Books (US $) OneWorld Guides for reference: Climate Change ****** |
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