Chris Goldberg / flickr geoAMPS is contributing to the technological advancements that are helping the wind industry remain competitive in a highly competitive market for sources of energy. Improvements in technology, such as those created at geoAMPS, are helping to drive down the cost of producing electricity from wind. These enhancements are making the development and operation of wind farms more efficient and, thus, more profitable.

The wind industry continues to be a major player in the highly competitive energy market. Recent improvements to wind turbine equipment are helping to drive down the cost of producing electricity from wind. While important, those improvements do not paint the entire picture of how the wind industry is remaining competitive. Technological improvements are impacting the industry in a big way. These enhancements are making the development and operation of wind farms more efficient and, thus, more profitable.

geoAMPS is joining the celebration of 40 years of growth and achievements for the solar energy industry. Friday, Jan. 24, is National “Shout Out for Solar” Day, during which anyone who supports solar energy is encouraged to express their support through social media, and any other way to make their voices heard.   The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) was founded on Jan. 24, 1974, when five people gathered in Washington, D.C., in the basement of a hotel to discuss the possibility of establishing an association to advance solar power.   Since that inauspicious beginning, the industry has come a long way. Today, SEIA reports, there are approximately 13 gigawatts of installed solar capacity in the U.S.

The geothermal industry is poised for significant growth in the immediate future. In fact, leadership within the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) is challenging the industry to provide 5 percent of the nation’s electricity capacity.   Resources entered into the National Geothermal Data System are more than enough to meet this ambitious goal.   GEA officials say advances in geothermal resources technology are needed at this time to move the industry forward.   geoAMPS is a technology company located in the Columbus, OH, area that is joining the effort to meet the geothermal industry’s goals by providing software solutions that increase efficiency of geothermal projects through each stage of development, construction and ongoing operation.

The geothermal industry realized dramatic growth during 2013. The industry is anticipating continued growth in the immediate future. Leadership in the Geothermal Energy Association has even challenged the industry to provide 5 percent of all U.S. electricity production.   More than enough geothermal resources are entered into the National Geothermal Data System. What is needed now, industry officials say, are advancements in geothermal resources technology and power system technology.   A new article from geoAMPS published on altenergymag.com, a website dedicated to reporting new developments in renewable energy, discusses how technological advances can help the geothermal industry achieve its ambitious goal.   Titled “Technology to aid geothermal industry growth,” the article describes advantages that are realized by utilizing Web-based software for organizational processes and for each stage of development and management of geothermal projects.

In November 2013, 100 percent of all new electricity capacity originated from clean, renewable sources, including wind, solar, hydropower and bioenergy. Geothermal energy also contributed to this new capacity. In fact, mankind has used geothermal as a source of power for centuries.   Geothermal energy – which is, just as the word suggests, heat from the Earth – is assuming an increasingly important role in meeting energy needs worldwide.   The geothermal industry grew substantially in 2013, and is projecting continued growth through the remainder of the decade. Karl Gawell, Executive Director of the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA), reports there have been technological developments aiding geothermal development and new projects announced in every region of the world.

The same sophisticated computer process that has been used to engineer the structure of a space satellite antenna and formulate financial trading strategies through multiple scenarios is being utilized by the wind industry to site wind farms and turbines.   Multi-objective adaptive heuristic algorithms are computer instructions that automatically search project criteria and siting issues in an efficient manner to provide wind farm planners a set of near optimal solutions.    An article about how software developed at geoAMPS helps organizations in the wind energy with the difficult, but essential siting decisions has been published in the August/September 2013 edition of the altenergymag.com eMagazine. The article, titled “Solving wind farm siting” is written by Yogesh Khandelwal, Joe Jordan and Dan Liggett. To read the entire article as it appears on the website, click here.

geoAMPS, a technology company in the Columbus, OH, area, plans to participate in the American Wind Energy Association’s Ohio Wind Energy Summit on Sept. 24 at the Hilton Columbus Downtown.   The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reports that this is the organization’s first state-focused seminar.   Attendees at the conference will have the opportunity to learn about altAMPS, one of the industry-specific products developed by geoAMPS. altAMPS is designed to meet the needs of organizations in the alternative energy industry.   altAMPS is an industry-leading comprehensive solution for end-to-end management of wind projects. The software product assists wind companies through the development, construction and ongoing operational stages of wind farm projects.

When it comes to energy and policy, the state of Ohio has a long history of leadership. It even held title of energy capital of the nation in the late 1800s.   Ohio is still leading the energy industry. Today, however, the state is making a name for itself in the renewable energy arena. Ohio is making a significant contribution to the national goals for renewable energy production. In a recent report released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Ohio is now among the top five states with the fastest growing wind generation capacity. The report shows that Ohio added 313 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity in 2012, outpacing many other traditional sources of energy production installed. And, there's the added potential of expanding another estimated 54,000 MW of wind capacity.

Throughout history, there have been examples of outstanding human ingenuity. From triumphs of historic proportions to others that fell under the radar, examples of seemingly unbelievable achievement have astounded and captured our imaginations. Yet another feat of human engineering occurred recently. Although it did not receive the attention of other great achievements, what happened on May 31, 2013, boggles the mind nonetheless.