Renewables-info.com

You only have to look as far back as six years ago to see the last time nuclear power had a devastating effect on the planet. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 has been called the biggest environmental disaster in history, and the reactor continues to pump 300 tonnes of nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean every day. Most recent estimates suggest that nuclear power accounts for around 11% of the world’s total electricity production. So why then, is the first waste management solution for nuclear waste still three years away from completion?

How is nuclear waste created?

Before understanding the reasons why a nuclear waste management solution is still so far away, you first have to understand how nuclear waste is created.

The future of wind energy is often said to be offshore because of more powerful and more consisted winds compared to those on land. But there is also one solution to generate more wind energy from wind farms on land, in form of taller wind turbine towers.

The current height standard for wind turbines is 80 meters (about 262 feet) from the ground.  However, if developers were to build higher projects it would generate more wind power and wind farms could expand into new areas and new states.

One interesting study from the Iowa University claims that the taller towers (of up to 140 meters) could enable wind energy production in all 50 U.S. states.  Winds at higher elevations, generally speaking, are considerably stronger and more consistent, even in wind-rich states such as Iowa and Texas.

One of the largest offshore wind energy projects in the world, the Gemini offshore wind farm , is now officially opened. This 600 MW facility located 85 kilometres north of the Groningen coast, has put Netherlands among the leaders in global offshore wind development.

Once fully operational, this offshore wind farm should provide enough power to supply 785,000 Dutch households with clean, renewable energy. This $3 billion project is a joint project that includes the Canadian independent renewable energy company Northland Power, wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Wind Power, Dutch maritime contractor Van Oord and waste processing company HVC.

Gemini should provide around 13 percent of the country's total renewable energy supply, and about one quarter of its total wind power.

When you get your electric and gas bills in the mail every month, you probably don't take too much time to read through your consumption rates. Since it's all written in the dense, technical language of energy scientists, it doesn't exactly make for easy reading.

However, what few people realize is that the bill itself offers quite a few avenues for increasing energy efficiency. While gas is typically easy enough to manage, electricity can be somewhat trickier. To reduce your electric bill, you need the advice of an expert in home and commercial electricity.

Nevertheless, there are surprising benefits to be had by paying attention to your consumption as stated on your monthly bills.

In 2016, wind power managed to surpass hydropower thus becoming the largest source of renewable electricity in United States.  It is now the fourth-biggest source of electricity behind natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy.

The majority of energy analysts agree that wind power capacity will continue to rise significantly in years to come. But what has made wind energy such a renewable energy force in United States?

The answer to this question lies in costs and technology.  The technological advancement in wind energy technologies did not only improve wind turbine efficiency, it has also contributed to significant decline in wind energy costs.