Clever solution to a common problem

Just last night at an event my dining companion remarked that she had a drawer full of T shirts from places and events past. She's sentimentally connected to them but has more than she can ever wear. Vaughn Nelson sent me photos of some amazing quilts and banners made from old wind energy shirts. He is donating the one made from AWEA T-shirts to AWEA. The seven banners are being donated to the American Wind Power Center and Museum in Lubbock, Texas. Note that two "collector's item" Second Wind T-shirts are featured in the banners. I guess he's still wearing the newer generation shirt.

Cavalcade of AWEA shirts...
Two of the banners. Note the "I want my Second Wind" shirt from the 90s. That was actually the "straight" version. Some had this slogan, but the favorite slogan at Second Wind was "It's the environment, stupid", riffing off of the Clinton campaign motto.

Note the original Second Wind shirt from the 80s with the original (well, actually second) logo. Other than that, there's little overlap between our collection and his collection (unless he's still wearing our favorites). My all time favorite, now consigned to the rag bag: "Glow in the dark..." (picture of a cooling tower) "or live with the wind" (picture of turbine).

Oh...My...God

When I opened my paper yesterday morning and saw this picture, my first words were "Oh...my...God". The first impression was that wind energy is really mainstream now. It's not that long ago that only a Ralph Nader would seek a photo op at a wind facility - renewables were the province of those latte-loving, Volvo-driving, elitist tree-huggers. And look at us now! A self-described conservative Republican is not only recognizing that renewable energy can be an economic force, but even acknowledging that global warming exists. Whether this is lip service or not, the idea that McCain perceives acknowledging the warming of our planet to be an asset, not a liability is a milestone. And even more, that it might be OK to stand with the rest of the civilized world that agrees with that idea.

Jon Stewart definitely agreed with me, as he used the same exclamation to greet the same photo on the Daily Show last night.

The second thing, that is definitely not on Jon Stewart's radar screen, is that Vestas is moving in a big way for national household recognition. Vestas ran a full page ad in the Boston Globe about the time of the MMS public hearings on Cape Wind with a photo of a worker buffing a big, beautiful blade and the simple headline "WIND = JOBS". This is the same message I've been trying to convey in the Cape Wind discussion and does deserve a wider audience. This week's New Yorker magazine had another full page ad. More power to them, I say.

Anemometer Quality Control

Our new C3 anemometer is meticulously manufacured under controlled conditions by highly qualified personnel in our specialized facility.

Step 1 is to inspect the sensor for visible defects, as our technician Ira Buchholz demonstrates.


Step 2 is to give the sensor a test spin under carefully controlled lab conditions.









Sensors are spin tested at varying speeds before calibration in our new indoor facility.








Finally sensors are calibrated by having a two-year-old run up and down the hallway with them. Our product is so tough it's ruggedized for toddlers!

(Just for fun, people!)