The Essentia Blog

Garden State Offshore Energy was recently given a $1 Billion contract to construct a giant wind farm offshore in the southern part of New Jersey.

The wind farm will be virtually invisible from shore and is part of New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan, which calls for 20% of all of NJ’s renewable energy to come from alternative energy sources by 2010.  96 turbines will power tens of thousands of homes once the project is complete.

Scottish Power is investigating several sites for their new Lanstrom device, one of the most advanced underwater turbines in the world.  The sites could hold up to 60 of the devices, which would deliver power to 40,000 homes.  The 20 metre blades would turn a minimum of 10 metres below the surface in order to avoid shipping.  In addition, the areas would be off limits to trawlers.

The most energy inefficient building in the Vatican complex, the Paul VI Audience Hall, will be converted over completely to solar energy through the work of Thermovolt, a company that has donated all of the solar equipment.

The solar panels will provide enough energy to heat, cool, and light the hall. More than 1000 of them will be up on the roof of the hall when installation is complete.