Energy Department Breaks Ground on Turbine Test Facility

The Energy Department joined with Texas Tech University and the department's Sandia National Laboratories on July 17 to break ground on a new state-of-the-art wind turbine test facility in Lubbock, Texas. Supported by a $2.6 million investment from the department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWIFT) facility will be the first public facility of its kind to use multiple wind turbines to measure how wind turbine wakes interact with one another in a wind farm. Scheduled to begin operation later this year, the facility will help wind turbine designers and manufacturers continue to drive down the cost of wind energy by reducing the aerodynamic losses of wind energy plants, enhancing energy capture, and mitigating turbine damage.

Along with the ability to monitor wind plant performance, the SWIFT facility will have additional advanced testing and monitoring capabilities, as well as space for up to ten wind turbines, allowing researchers to examine how larger wind farms can become more productive and collaborative. The facility, which will host both open-source and proprietary research, is the result of a partnership between the department's Sandia National Laboratories, the Texas Tech University Wind Science and Engineering Research Center, Group NIRE, and wind turbine manufacturer Vestas. The site will initially be equipped with two research-scale wind turbines provided by the Energy Department and a third installed by Vestas Technology R&D in Houston. See the DOE Progress Alert and the Wind Program website.

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Obama gets oil tax breaks for end

WASHINGTON, April 26 UPI) - US - President Barack Obama Congress asked Tuesday to end tax breaks for oil and gas companies, current high prices tell them enough incentive given.

The President for "Emergency measures", reported the Washington Post. He cited a comment by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, news should be interview Monday, this Congress in an ABC "look at the tax subsidies".

The President said there is no "silver bullet" reduce gas prices, but he said "almost $4 billion in unwarranted tax breaks" is money that could be spent to develop alternative energy sources.

Gas sold for an average of $3.87 Tuesday, up about $1 per gallon in the last year, AAA said.

Boehner's Office released a statement that Obama the proposals for the riders would increase the cost of gas.

"The speaker wants to increase the supply of American energy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and he is only interested in reforms that lower energy costs and create American jobs," said his spokesman, Brendan buck.

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