#Wind Turbine Project

[eninrac-consulting]

Using the Wind: The Exploiting Wind Energy Market in Europe

Europe is driving the development of wind energy with its bold objectives and creative projects. This blog delves into wind turbine projects, wind power plants, and the thrilling opportunities that this clean energy source offers. It also covers the rapidly expanding wind energy sector in the continent. Learn how Europe is using wind energy to build a more sustainable future.

[marzipanandminutiae]

so wait

the green energy parts of the Inflation Reduction Act have brought tons of jobs and money to mostly Republican districts?

and as a result, Republicans will pressure Trump not to gut those aspects of the law?

I am. cackling.

(I mean the man's a loose cannon, so god knows if he'll actually listen. but climate is my biggest worry with this administration, so this gives me a sliver of hope)

(that and him having made Mr. Electric Car Magnate his crony, so he's had to walk back negative statements about those, too)

[energynews247]

Developer Plans Two Offshore Wind Projects Using 18-MW Turbines

A joint venture (JV) created to develop large-scale offshore wind projects said it plans to use what at present would be the world’s largest wind turbines at two projects located between Spain and Portugal. IberBlue Wind, a JV that includes Ireland’s Simply Blue Group along with Spanish companies Proes Consultores and FF New Energy Ventures, on April 11 announced that as many as 109 turbines—each…

[reasonsforhope]

"A 1-megawatt sand battery that can store up to 100 megawatt hours of thermal energy will be 10 times larger than a prototype already in use.

The new sand battery will eliminate the need for oil-based energy consumption for the entire town of town of Pornainen, Finland.

Sand gets charged with clean electricity and stored for use within a local grid.

Finland is doing sand batteries big. Polar Night Energy already showed off an early commercialized version of a sand battery in Kankaanpää in 2022, but a new sand battery 10 times that size is about to fully rid the town of Pornainen, Finland of its need for oil-based energy.

In cooperation with the local Finnish district heating company Loviisan Lämpö, Polar Night Energy will develop a 1-megawatt sand battery capable of storing up to 100 megawatt hours of thermal energy.

“With the sand battery,” Mikko Paajanen, CEO of Loviisan Lämpö, said in a statement, “we can significantly reduce energy produced by combustion and completely eliminate the use of oil.”

Polar Night Energy introduced the first commercial sand battery in 2022, with local energy utility Vatajankoski. “Its main purpose is to work as a high-power and high-capacity reservoir for excess wind and solar energy,” Markku Ylönen, Polar Nigh Energy’s co-founder and CTO, said in a statement at the time. “The energy is stored as heat, which can be used to heat homes, or to provide hot steam and high temperature process heat to industries that are often fossil-fuel dependent.” ...

Sand—a high-density, low-cost material that the construction industry discards [Note: 6/13/24: Turns out that's not true! See note at the bottom for more info.] —is a solid material that can heat to well above the boiling point of water and can store several times the amount of energy of a water tank. While sand doesn’t store electricity, it stores energy in the form of heat. To mine the heat, cool air blows through pipes, heating up as it passes through the unit. It can then be used to convert water into steam or heat water in an air-to-water heat exchanger. The heat can also be converted back to electricity, albeit with electricity losses, through the use of a turbine.

In Pornainen, Paajanen believes that—just by switching to a sand battery—the town can achieve a nearly 70 percent reduction in emissions from the district heating network and keep about 160 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere annually. In addition to eliminating the usage of oil, they expect to decrease woodchip combustion by about 60 percent.

The sand battery will arrive ready for use, about 42 feet tall and 49 feet wide. The new project’s thermal storage medium is largely comprised of soapstone, a byproduct of Tulikivi’s production of heat-retaining fireplaces. It should take about 13 months to get the new project online, but once it’s up and running, the Pornainen battery will provide thermal energy storage capacity capable of meeting almost one month of summer heat demand and one week of winter heat demand without recharging.

“We want to enable the growth of renewable energy,” Paajanen said. “The sand battery is designed to participate in all Fingrid’s reserve and balancing power markets. It helps to keep the electricity grid balanced as the share of wind and solar energy in the grid increases.”"

-via Popular Mechanics, March 13, 2024

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Note: I've been keeping an eye on sand batteries for a while, and this is really exciting to see. We need alternatives to lithium batteries ASAP, due to the grave human rights abuses and environmental damage caused by lithium mining, and sand batteries look like a really good solution for grid-scale energy storage.

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Note 6/13/24: Unfortunately, turns out there are substantial issues with sand batteries as well, due to sand scarcity. More details from a lovely asker here, sources on sand scarcity being a thing at the links: x, x, x, x, x

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - November 28, 2023

🐑 - Why did Fiona the sheep become a mountaineer? She was tired of the "baa-d" jokes at sea level!

1. Pope Francis dines with transgender women for Vatican luncheon

Pope Francis hosted a group of transgender women — many of whom are sex workers or migrants from Latin America — to a Vatican luncheon for the Catholic Church's "World Day of the Poor" last week.

The pontiff and the transgender women have formed a close relationship since the pope came to their aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were unable to work. Now, they meet monthly for VIP visits with the pope and receive medicine, money and shampoo any day, according to The Associated Press.

2. New York just installed its first offshore wind turbine

The first wind turbine installation at South Fork Wind, New York State’s first offshore wind farm, is complete.

The 130-megawatt (MW) South Fork Wind will be the US’s first completed utility-scale wind farm in federal waters.

3. Anonymous businessman donates $800k to struggling food bank

But this Thanksgiving, a longtime prayer of food bank leaders was finally answered: an anonymous benefactor donated the full $800,000 they needed to move out of a facility they've long outgrown. That benefactor, however, preferred to stay anonymous.

"Very private company, really don't want attention," said Debbie Christian, executive director of the Auburn Food Bank. "It's a goodhearted person that just wants to see the work here continue, wants to see it expand."

4. Empowering woman saving hopes and mental health of suffering Ukrainian kids

Kenza Hadij-Brahim is at the forefront of promoting Circle of Toys

Hadj-Brahim is helping to launch the Circle of Toys initiative. A project that provides Ukrainian children in need of some normality with preloved toys. This new initiative connects people with old toys they might otherwise throw away, with Ukrainian families in need who want to provide some comfort to their children in this distressing time.

Find Refuge said : “The endeavour is driven by a sincere purpose: spark joy, foster play, and bring a hint of normalcy back to the young lives in Ukraine.”

5. TWO LOST CITIES HIDDEN FOR CENTURIES WERE JUST DISCOVERED IN BOLIVIA

Researchers have found these areas not only housed structures and pyramids but it has been uncovered that there were advanced irrigation systems, earthworks, large towns, causeways, and canals that cover miles.

Dr. Heiko Prümers from the German Archaeological Institute, who was also involved in the study comments that “this indicated a relatively dense settlement in pre-Hispanic times. Our goal was to conduct basic research and trace the settlements and life there. The research sheds light on the sheer magnitude and magnificence of the civic-ceremonial centers found buried in the forest”.

6. Sheep dubbed Fiona rescued from cliff in Scotland where she was stuck for more than 2 years

And at last, some positive climate news:

7. Three positive climate developments

Heating

When the Paris Agreement was adopted, the global reliance on fossil fuels placed the world on a path towards a 3.5C rise in temperature by 2100. Eight years on, country commitments to reduce their carbon footprints have pulled that down slightly, putting the world on a path for a 2.5C to 2.9C by the end of the century.

Peak emissions

Annual greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change have risen roughly nine percent since COP21, according to UN data. But the rate of the increase has slowed significantly. Recent estimates by the Climate Analytics institute find global emissions could peak by 2024

Rising renewables

Three technologies—solar, wind and electric vehicles—are largely behind the improved global warming estimates since 2015.

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That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation here:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.

[simply-ivanka]

Great news

New Jersey Congressman Jefferson Van Drew says he is collaborating with President-elect Trump on a potential executive order to “halt offshore wind turbine activities along the East Coast and lay the groundwork for permanent measures against the projects.”

Repost

[fatehbaz]

“Is it green energy if it’s impacting cultural traditional sites?”

Yakama Nation Tribal Councilman Jeremy Takala sounded weary. For five years, tribal leaders and staff have been fighting a renewable energy development that could permanently destroy tribal cultural property. “This area, it’s irreplaceable.”

The privately owned land, outside Goldendale, Washington, is called Pushpum, or “mother of roots,” a first foods seed bank. The Yakama people have treaty-protected gathering rights there. One wind turbine-studded ridge, Juniper Point, is the proposed site of a pumped hydro storage facility. But to build it, Boston-based Rye Development would have to carve up Pushpum — and the Yakama Nation lacks a realistic way to stop it.

Back in October 2008, unbeknownst to Takala, Scott Tillman, CEO of Golden Northwest Aluminum Corporation, met with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, a collection of governor-appointed representatives from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana [...]. Tillman, who owned a shuttered Lockheed Martin aluminum smelter near Goldendale, told the council about the contaminated site’s redevelopment potential, specifically for pumped hydro storage [...]. Shortly thereafter, Klickitat County’s public utility department tried to implement Tillman’s plan [...].

Meanwhile, Tillman cleaned up and sold another smelting site, just across the Columbia River in The Dalles, Oregon, a Superfund site where Lockheed Martin had poisoned the groundwater with cyanide. He sold it to Google’s parent company, Alphabet, which operates water-guzzling data centers in The Dalles and plans to build more. For nine years, the county and Rye plotted the fate of Pushpum — without ever notifying the Yakama Nation.

The tribal government only learned of the development in December 2017, when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a public notice of acceptance for Rye’s preliminary permit application. Tribal officials had just 60 days to catch up on nine years of development planning and issue their initial concerns and objections as public comments. [...]

When the tribe objected, FERC said it could file more public comments to the docket instead of consulting. [...]

When asked what Rye could offer the Yakama people as compensation for the irreversible destruction of their cultural property, Steimle suggested “employment associated with the project.” [...] Presented with the reality that Yakama people might not want Rye’s jobs, Steimle hesitated. “Yeah, I mean I, I can’t argue that — maybe it won’t be meaningful to them.” [...]

Klickitat County’s eagerness creates another barrier to the Yakama Nation. In Washington, a developer can take one of two permitting paths: through the state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, or through county channels. Both lead to FERC. In this case, working with the county benefits Rye: Klickitat, a majority Republican county, has a contentious relationship with the Yakama Nation [...]. “Klickitat County refuses to work with us,” said Takala. [...]

Fighting Rye's proposal has required the efforts of tribal attorneys, archaeologists and government staffers from a number of departments. [...]

And Rye’s project is just one of dozens proposed within the Yakama Nation’s 10 million-acre treaty territory. Maps from the tribe and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife show that of the 51 wind and solar projects currently proposed statewide — not including geothermal or pumped hydro storage projects, which are also renewable energy developments — at least 34 are on or partially on the Yakama Nation’s ceded lands.

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Headline, images, graphics, captions, and text by: B. Toastie Oaster (High Country News). “Green colonialism is flooding the Pacific Northwest.” As published at The Wenatchee World. 25 March 2023.

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - January 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Landmark debt swap to protect Indonesia’s coral reefs

“The government of Indonesia announced this week a deal to redirect more than US$ 35 million it owes to the United States into the conservation of coral reefs in the most biodiverse ocean area on Earth.”

2. [FWS] Provides Over $1.3 Billion to Support Fish and Wildlife Conservation and Outdoor Access

“Through these combined funds, agencies have supported monitoring and management of over 500 species of wild mammals and birds, annual stocking of over 1 billion fish, operations of fish and wildlife disease laboratories around the country, and provided hunter and aquatic education to millions of students.”

3. Philippine Indigenous communities restore a mountain forest to prevent urban flooding

“Indigenous knowledge systems and practices are considered in the project design, and its leaders and members have been involved throughout the process, from agreeing to participate to identifying suitable land and selecting plant species that naturally grow in the area.”

4. Responsible Offshore Wind Development is a Clear Win for Birds, the U.S. Economy, and our Climate

“[T]he total feasible offshore wind capacity along U.S. coasts is more than three times the total electricity generated nationwide in 2023. […] Proven strategies, such as reducing visible lights on turbines and using perching deterrents on turbines, have been effective in addressing bird impacts.”

5. Illinois awards $100M for electric truck charging corridor, Tesla to get $40M

“The project will facilitate the construction of 345 electric truck charging ports and pull-through truck charging stalls across 14 sites throughout Illinois[…. E]lectrifying [the 30,000 daily long-haul] trucks would make a huge impact in the public health and quality of life along the heavily populated roadways.”

6. Reinventing the South Florida seawall to help marine life, buffer rising seas

“[The new seawall] features raised areas inspired by mangrove roots that are intended to both provide nooks and crannies for fish and crabs and other marine creatures and also better absorb some of the impact from waves and storm surges.”

7. Long Beach Commits to 100% All-Electric Garbage Trucks

“[Diesel garbage trucks] produce around a quarter of all diesel pollution in California and contribute to 1,400 premature deaths every year. Electric options, on the other hand, are quieter than their diesel counterparts and produce zero tailpipe emissions.”

8. ‘This Is a Victory': Biden Affirms ERA Has Been 'Ratified' and Law of the Land

“President Joe Biden on Friday announced his administration's official opinion that the amendment is ratified and its protections against sex-based discrimination are enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.”

9. A Little-Known Clean Energy Solution Could Soon Reach ‘Liftoff’

“Ground source heat pumps could heat and cool the equivalent of 7 million homes by 2035—up from just over 1 million today[…. G]eothermal energy is generally considered to be more popular among Republicans than other forms of clean energy, such as wind and solar.”

10. Researchers combine citizens' help and cutting-edge tech to track biodiversity

“Researchers in the project, which runs from 2022 to 2026, are experimenting with tools like drones, cameras and sensors to collect detailed data on different species, [… and] Observation.org, a global biodiversity platform where people submit pictures of animals and plants, helping to identify and monitor them.”

January 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[rjzimmerman]

A Key Part of Biden’s Climate Law Was Built to Survive Trump. Now, the Test. (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

One of the most powerful parts of President Biden’s signature climate law was designed to attract support from such a wide array of industries that it would be hard for Congress to repeal.

Now, that theory is about to be tested.

This month, the federal government will begin offering lucrative tax credits to companies that build wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal or other new sources of electricity that don’t generate any of the greenhouse gases that are rapidly heating the planet.

While tax breaks for companies that build wind farms and solar panels have existed for years, these new credits can apply to a much wider set of technologies, including nuclear reactors, advanced geothermal plants, fusion plants, hydroelectric dams, novel types of batteries and much more. The so-called “technology neutral” clean electricity tax credits, which Congress passed as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, are projected to do more than any other policy in the coming years to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“These policies are nothing short of an energy moon shot,” said Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the Treasury Department, which on Tuesday issued guidance for how companies can qualify for the credits.

But for the tax incentives to have an effect, they would have to survive the new Congress. The credits could cost more than $250 billion over the next decade, making them a prime target of Republicans who hope to eliminate much of Mr. Biden’s climate law in order to pay for tax cuts that President-elect Donald J. Trump has promised.

On Tuesday Mr. Trump railed against subsidies for clean energy and said “no windmills” would be built during his next administration. The president-elect has expressed particular hostility toward wind turbines, falsely claiming they are “driving the whales crazy,” “kill all the birds” and cause cancer.

“They’re littered all over our country like dropping paper, like dropping garbage in a field,” Mr. Trump said at a news conference. “They only work if you get subsidy.”

Supporters of the clean electricity credits are hoping that the policy’s novel design will expand its political support. Nuclear power and geothermal energy, for instance, are popular among many Republicans who might otherwise seek to cut subsidies for wind and solar.

The way the law is written, no one technology can be cut off from the tax credits. They all sink or swim together.

[probablyasocialecologist]

An ambitious plan to plant at least a million native trees on crofts in the Outer Hebrides has taken root, its organisers say, with more than 200 small new woods sprouting across the islands. The Western Isles woodland project hopes to reestablish a thriving mosaic of small woods dotted across the islands by using vacant or underused crofts to reforest the Hebrides and promote nature restoration. Under the project, funded mainly by profits from the UK’s largest community-owned windfarm, west of Stornoway, 211,000 trees have already been planted on 245 crofts, plots of land that were historically family-run small holdings. Some of the new woodlands have up to 1,500 trees grown from local seeds, featuring alder, hazel, birch, rowan, Scots pine, blackthorn, sycamore and various species of willow. The project has been so successful it has helped establish three new tree nurseries on the islands.

[...]

“We’re restoring a landscape which existed a thousand years ago,” [Jon Macleod] said. Using seeds gathered from local trees greatly increased their chances of prospering – “the survival rate and provenance is relevant to the place”. Calum Macdonald, the former Labour MP leading the project, hoped it could be a model for community owned energy projects across the UK. Four-fifth of the woodlands’ funding is from the £900,000 annual profits made by the three 3MW wind turbines owned by Point and Sandwick trust, a community development body. The turbines at Beinn Ghrideag generate up to 30GWh of power a year – enough, Macdonald said, to supply all the Western Isles with electricity.

[...]

Green energy schemes generally employ only a handful of staff and engineers whereas community ownership allows people to capture the profits they produce and reinvest them locally, Macdonald said. In Denmark, about half of turbines are community-owned. Many rural communities in the UK feel excluded from the profits generated by energy firms, and resent the large turbines, sub-stations and large pylons built in their areas. “I would love to use the green energy revolution to get a lot more long-term benefits for our communities,” Macdonald said. Macleod agrees. “No one is against renewable energy here but community benefit is key, otherwise it’s just exploitation,” he said.

31 August 2024

[solarpunkbusiness]

Startup converts used wind turbine blades into boats, recycling fibreglass and resins

Individual sheets of fibreglass are notoriously difficult to recycle. Once layered together with resin — to form bathtubs, roofing panels, or aircraft components — peeling them back apart usually means shredding the end product into tiny pieces, then submerging them in tubs of heated solvent under high pressure. Needless to say, the recovered shreds of fibre and glass are not especially useful, or cheap.

This is a problem for the wind industry, whose turbine blades are essential hundred-metre-long, fibreglass tubes. Once they’ve served their 30-year-lifespans, unloading them on landfills is unpopular at best, banned (in some countries) at worst.

Getting around the “submersion problem” took a team of boatbuilders from Pleasantville, Nova Scotia to work out. While researching sustainable boat materials, Nick Bigeau — a professional boatbuilder for 15 years — came across recyclable resins, and the possibility of recovering and reusing intact sheets of fibreglass from otherwise inseparable end products.

“I had this idea of building a 17-foot boat with these resins,” says Bigeau. “Then I’d recycle it and build a replica from the recycled materials.”

Their “eureka moment” came in December 2022, and by September 2023, their new recycling method — called ReceTT — was patent-pending under the auspice of their new venture, Resolve Composites. It’s around this time that Bigeau became aware of the wind industry’s plight, and the potential of ReceTT to change the game. Why recycle a boat into a boat, he thought, when they could recycle a blade into a boat?

Siemens Gamesa is the second largest wind turbine manufacturer on the planet, and is leading the charge on recyclable resins in the wind industry. Recognizing the potential of ReceTT, in October 2023 they gifted Resolve Composites a 20-foot section of blade, 27 layers of fibreglass deep, held together by recyclable resin. By January 2024, Bigeau and his team had broken the blade into 162 kilograms of reuseable fibreglass sheets.

With this fibreglass, they’re constructing the hull of a Bantam Bay 17 Skiff, a project equal parts demonstration and experimentation — showing off the work of ReceTT while at the same time refining their methods. 

[eninrac-consulting]

Winds of Revolution in the Middle East: The Ascent of Wind Power

The Middle East Wind Energy, long associated with gas and oil, is undergoing a welcome change. The emerging field of wind energy in the Middle East is examined in this blog. Learn how wind farms and energy projects are changing the energy landscape in the area. This blog provides an insight into a sustainable future driven by wind power by disclosing information on wind turbine projects and the expanding potential of wind energy.

[sweet-old-hereafter]

FINALLY we have chapter four. Time to learn a bit more and Mae and her secret history with Noa. Plus, we finally arrive in the coastal city.

I’ll be posting the chapters here as well from now on bc I want to make cute little mood boards. I’ve seen ones with WAY bigger word counts.

(I know they are called wind turbines, not windmills. But would she know that? No. Bitch don’t even know what an orang u tang is)

[malobo-wolf]

Arktos and Arctus Complete Backstory

TL;DR at the bottom

A long time ago, Natquik used to work at an Arctic Laboratory, there they researched both medicine and GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms. Back then their work was relatively tame, but they were very successful with what they did. However, as time went on, they became more confident and started to perform increasingly ethically questionable experiments, with their GMO experiments moving from modifying plants to modifying animals. Natquik, realizing that the facility he’s working for is turning into something he doesn’t want to work for, started to find a way out of his situation. His plans changed when they announced that the laboratory is planning to perform a cloning project, he decided that instead of just quitting his job, he needs to find a way to stop the facility altogether before it gets even worse. He found a way to quit his job and immediately became a whistleblower trying to expose the morally and ethically questionable acts of the laboratory. Scared for his life thinking that he might get tracked down, he left for the Antarctic. Unbeknownst to him, not only did the laboratory evade getting caught, but the cloning project continued, unaffected by his efforts to stop it.

The cloning project was conducted to see if it was possible for the scientist to completely clone an animal without the use of a womb, just a DNA sample and an incubator that they have just built exactly for this purpose. They planned to make a clone of the largest land predator available to them, the polar bear.

Around this time Bianca became pregnant with Orson and Ursa, and Barnacles, being the protective brother that he is, started to donate and save some blood to use for when Bianca goes into labor, and with their current technology, they have the resources to preserve blood bags for up to a year which would mean that they would still be viable in the event that Bianca would actually need them. Bianca found this unnecessary since there are more than enough blood bags in the hospital if she does need them when giving birth, but Barnacles insisted. Bianca, knowing that her brother means well let it be.

Unbeknownst to Barnacles, one of his blood bags was taken by the Arctic laboratory, finding him to be the perfect specimen to be cloned. Either out of heredity or pure luck the clones from Barnacles’ DNA resulted in twins being made. They were kept in an artificial womb or incubator to be studied and to see if there were any complications during their growth. To ensure that they twins lived, the scientists placed in a lot of extra precautions such as emergency power backups for the incubator to keep running and even attached the wind turbines and solar panel wiring directly to the incubator batteries to ensure their survival even in the event of a power outage as well as extra nutrients in the incubator to make sure that they don’t accidentally starve the twins.

Along with the cloning project, the facility was also working on weaponizing certain bacteria, planning to use them for their advantage, however they made a mistake along the way causing an aerial bacteria to spill and infect the scientists. Unable to work, those scientists slowly left the facility, those that were left were paranoid of either getting sick from the bacteria or get caught by authorities if the laboratory were to be investigated and eventually left as well. The scientists of the facility knew that what they were doing was unethical so none of them reported the facility, none of them also knew that they had all left and abandoned the facility, including the cloning project. They had all moved on with their lives, forgetting about the laboratory altogether. Since the facility was an offshore platform painted all in white, it essentially blended in like an iceberg, becoming well-hidden for years.

Thankfully for the twins, the precautions made by the scientists kept the incubator running making sure that the twins lived, however without anyone to watch over the incubator the twins were stuck being incubated for over a few years, well past the nine-month incubation period. Only after the incubator ran out of nutrients did it finally automatically open, letting them out and waking them up for the first time. They were completely alone in the facility, having to learn everything on their own, since they were already a few years old they were able to see and move around albeit on all fours. While looking around, they found the greenhouse that houses all the plants that were genetically modified, all of them were overgrown and growing fruits in large quantities and sizes, these were their source of food while they lived in the facility.

Waking up, playing with each other, eating in the greenhouse and learning by exploring the laboratory was the everyday schedule of the twins for another few years. Throughout this they learned how to walk from the pictures they saw in the facility, and learned how to talk when they figured out how to use the tablets and recording logs of the scientists.

From their incubation and years growing up in the facility, the following events happened during this time period:

- The events of Octonauts season 1-5 happened

- The events of Octonauts Above and Beyond season 1-4 happened

- The events of Barnius’ Prologue happened

One day the Octoark was passing by the Arctic waters, Barnius is on his way to pick up Bianca in the as she will become the new teacher on the Octoark to teach the Jr. Octoagents. On Barnius’ way, he saw the Arctic laboratory, almost mistaking it for another Iceberg, however after a closer inspection, he noticed the windows and two silhouettes moving about. Using the Octoalert he called Barnacles to show him his findings. After also finding it questionable, Barnacles contacted Tracker to check for any records that match the building, after finding that there’s no record for it, he finally asked Natquik whether he recognizes the place, which Natquik agrees to knowing it. After telling his story, Barnius added that although the place looks abandoned, there seems to be two small bear silhouettes roaming the place. Natquik added that there were no bear scientists back when he worked there. Barnacles thinks that it’s worth investigating with Natquik wanting to join him. Natquik was picked up by Dashi in the Octoray and was brought to the Octopod where Barnacles and him made their way to the old abandoned laboratory.

Entering the laboratory, they immediately came face to face with the twins curious to see the two adults. The twins greeted them with simple words like “Hi” and “Hello”, unable to make more complicated sentences. Barnacles and Natquik greeted them back and asked a few questions, however the twins couldn’t understand them beyond the words they knew, only repeating the question that they asked. After realizing the twins couldn’t understand them did they stop and changed their attention to observing the twins and the surrounding facility. Natquik, knowing the place, asked Barnacles to follow him. While Barnacles, having a sense of déjà vu after once again meeting polar bears that looks exactly like him listened while keeping his attention to the twins, he picked them up in his arms and offered them a fish biscuit and a kelp cake that he had brought with him. He immediately became fond of the twins as if he was hit with paternal instinct, similarly the twins found him interesting, finding comfort in his embrace.

Exploring the area both Natquik and Barnacles came to the conclusion that the facility has since been completely abandoned since the latest date of the research papers were dated only a few months after he left the laboratory, they also found out the reason why they left. However, the question of how the twins ended up here is still a mystery to them. This is when Natquik finally turned around and faced Barnacles who’s holding the twins. He finally realized how similar they looked, it wasn’t like Barnius with mostly similar features, it was more like the twins are a smaller version of him, as if they were his own children. His heart sank when remembered the cloning project. If the cloning project continued after he left, they would be the same age as the twins Barnacles are holding. Natquik started to run checking the last of the remaining rooms they’ve yet to check as Barnacles follow him carrying the twins, until they reached the last room where they saw the open incubator along with research papers on top of a table. Natquik immediately started to read them, trying to confirm his theory. Barnacles asked Natquik whether he had any leads on the twins’ parents and exactly as he says that, Natquik found the owner of the blood sample that was used to make the twin clones. Natquik can only utter out “They’re clones Barnacles, your clones”, while showing the document he found. Barnacles read the document and was shocked, the very children he was holding in his arms were his own children. He was overrun with both confusion and guilt, keeping him in silence as he had trouble taking in the information.

Just then the entire facility shook violently, almost knocking them to the floor, the laboratory was hit by a passing iceberg and had started to tilt. Natquik tried to talk to Barnacles but he’s still unable to talk, hugging the twins tightly while the twins are also grabbing tightly to their dad unable to understand the situation and are close to tears. Natquik told Barnacles that the facility is going down and that they had to leave, Barnacles can only nod as he ran with Natquik back to the Gup A they came here with. Natquik drove the Gup, knowing Barnacles needed time to understand the events as well as also trying to calm the twins down who were also unwilling to let go of their dad and are bawling their eyes out from fear and confusion.

As they left the laboratory slowly sank into the ocean. Since they have checked all the rooms of the laboratory, they were sure that only the twins were the only ones needed to be rescued, however, they were unable to recover the plants and the other documents, the only documents Natquik was able to take with him were the cloning project documents which weren’t enough to get justice served but it was useful enough since it has all the information they need for the twins.

Halfway to their journey back into the Octopod, Barnacles started to become more composed and was able to report back to HQ to ask Peso to be prepared to have two bears for checkup. After getting back to the Octopod and while the twins were getting their checkup by Peso, Natquik told the entire story to everyone including the cloning project. Barnacles also properly introduced the twins and told everyone that based on their findings in the lab and a confirmation from Peso’s DNA test that the twins are indeed his biological children and would be living with them from now on. Everyone was shocked at first but was immediately excited at the fact that they will be living with children in the Octopod from now on which would mean that the Octopod would be even livelier than before.

Barnacles named the twins Arktos and Arctus and became very attentive towards them, playing and teaching them everything and overall making up for lost time. Thankfully, since the twins were already familiar with some words, he was able to teach them how to talk quickly. Although he was still guilty that he had children he didn’t know about and was still trying his best to be the best dad for them, he was comforted by everyone and was told that it wasn’t his fault, what’s important now is that the twins now have a dad and a proper place they can call home. Which leads us to today, the twins are now living a normal life keeping their dad company whenever their dad’s crew are on a mission. Although they are personally aware of their origins as clones, they know they wouldn’t change a thing if it means they would meet their dad all over again.

TL;DR: Arktos and Arctus are Barnacles’ clones

When I made these two OCs for my AU I already had in mind that they are biologically Barnacles' children but since Octonauts season 1-5 and Above and Beyond season 1-4 is canon in this AU, I needed a good reason for why Barnacles has yet to meet his kids, and this backstory was my solution for that.

Edit: Yeah the points of perspectives in the artwork is terrible, I just realized hahaha. I think the incubator is too close.

[reasonsforhope]

"Dear EarthTalk: What is wind repowering and why are environmentalists so bullish on it?

—H. King, Mesa, AZ

One of the most common forms of clean energy is wind power. People from around the world could recognize a wind farm from just one look. While wind power has been a staple in renewable energy since the idea’s inception, many of the original and old wind turbines have begun to show signs of aging. Wind repowering aims to fix this, by revamping old turbines with more efficient components, or putting in new, state-of-the-art turbines as a whole. These new components and units can reduce noise, more efficiently power a turbine, and a deliver a higher overall energy output.

Denmark, an early adopter of wind repowering, saw a 1.3 GW gain in capacity and a reduction of 109 wind turbines, enabling substantially increased wind energy production with fewer turbines. This promising data prompted a surge in wind repowering projects, and in 2019, 86 percent of wind energy projects there were classified as “repowered.”

These signs of success and scalability showed other countries the benefits of wind repowering. The U.S, with help from large energy corporations like General Electric, has more than 40 active wind repowering sites, with over 2,500 turbines having some type of renovation. This hefty wind repowering advancement is responsible for four gigawatts of energy, or the power for more than 30 million homes.

It’s no secret how fast wind repowering is growing, but upgrades can be made to many different types of renewable energy. Why do eco-advocates support wind repowering so strongly? Wind repowering has energy, financial, aesthetic and technological benefits. Not only does it make units more efficient, it also removes units that might be aesthetically unpleasing, or in less efficient spots than they could be. Wind repowering also increases the lifespan of turbines by as much as 20 years, and reduces the need for maintenance. Repowered turbines are also quieter, sleeker, and produce considerably more energy.

So, while there are many types of repowering efforts for other renewable energy sources, none are as comprehensive or successful as wind repowering. Not only is it a comprehensive option for revamping clean energy, but it does not require the entry costs that just building new wind farms requires.

The only barrier to wind repowering at the moment is legislation. Bills and policies cannot keep up with the demand for it. Readers should call local officials, or urge any nearby wind farms to look at wind repowering. Spreading awareness is the first and most important step."

-via E: The Environmental Magazine, April 26, 2024

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Hey I see you do overlord Can I request of Ainz having a twin sister and her in-game character is a Human mage who has similar personality and abilities to Marisa kirisame (from Touhou project) she does not join ainz's guild instead she join a different guild but she visits ainz's guild often(and maybe steals a thing or two) and irl she acts like her in-game character and gets isekai with her brother. Go to the touhou wiki if you want to know more about Marisa kirisame~Fujiwara no Anon

Marisa Kirisame Fem! Reader | Yandere Overlord 

Your the bratty and meddlesome sister Supreme Being that Nazarick lovingly shakes their fist at

And when you and your twin are transported into this new world with only Ainz’s guild’s base

When you pop into the world on your broom 

Nazarick of course practically swats you off as they are focused on completing the tasks that Ainz has set them on

“So…its just us..?”

“Yeah.”

“...Well it wouldn’t be the first time…”

“Yeah…but at least we have each other!”

“Yup…well that is until I decide to comb this world for the coolest artifacts!” 

“yEaH?”

Before he and his friends hadn’t minded 

You offered plenty of fun with your antics 

But now that he has no one from his guild in this world

He feels more than ever that he needs you at his side more than ever

And the entirety of Nazarick is more than obliged to obey 

“Whoa! What a steal! this artifact is so–Demiurge? Are you holding a magic net?”

“...Ah (Y/n)-sama you caught me, how about instead you come inside for some tea?”

Even as you easily blend in with the humans of this world

There is a constant effort to chain bring you to Nazarick

And Ainz is all for it

“S-sorry (Y/n)-sama! Wind turbine!”

“Hahaha were you meaning to catch me? Nice try Mare but I got your ring~!”

“W-what?! Oh?! Oh no!?”

“Hahaha, I’ll just borrow it until next time.”

But you still visit your dear brother

After all, he is your twin 

You just have to watch out for the latest artifact that has you bound to him