Many of the story threads of the clean technology take on proportions that are almost beyond comprehension.  The UK’s role in wind energy has a plethora of gee-whiz facts. 

Airtricity, a division of Scottish and Southern Energy is developing two of the world’s larger wind farms.  One is off the Suffolk coast of England (540MW).  An onshore wind farm is located in the Upper Clyde Valley in Scotland (456MW).  Last week the British government announced grants for the construction of the largest wind turbine blades ever built.  Designed for offshore towers 574 high, each blade will be 230 feet long.  With a combined maximum sweep height of over 800 feet the wind turbines will be 300 higher than the tallest building in San Diego.  Each blade will weigh about 67,000 pounds which is equivalent to 22 Toyota Prius hatchbacks or a couple of Rolls Royce Phantoms.

We believe the definition of renewable biomass within the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 should be changed to remove the term “non-federal” from Section 201 (1) (I) (ii) and (iv).  The current definition prevents almost all federal land biomass – such as trees, wood, brush, thinnings, chips and slash – from counting toward the Renewable Fuel Standard.  Federal lands, particularly in the Western U.S., are at increased risk from wildfire because of the lack of regular thinning, the propensity to fight all fires regardless of size or risk to life and/or property and the impact of infestations such as the western pine beetle.  Changing the language to include the sustainable management of federal forest land will not only decrease the fire danger, it will enhance the overall health of the forests.  The woody biomass extracted from federal lands will also increase the volume of renewable fuels available to the country; thereby, incrementally decreasing the amount of imported foreign petroleum.