The Stranded Wind Initiative was founded last December with an eye on, well, rescuing stranded wind.

  How does wind get stranded in the first place? Simple – if you have a wind energy resource in place that lacks both the population to use its power and the transmission lines to get it out of the area it is stranded.

  We started looking for local electricity intense manufacturing that made sense in Iowa’s wind patch and the first thing that came to mind was ammonia production driven by water hydrolysis rather than the current method, which uses natural gas and produces 4% of the total global CO2 emissions. It didn’t work out in Iowa for a variety of technical reasons that may eventually be resolved, but earlier this week something very nice happened here in New England ...

    This whole trip has been great fun so far – roaming the country, getting a little work done here and there, pursuing my quest, meeting others who are on the road,  and in general doing no harm except for these damnable carbon dioxide emissions that come whenever I drive. I keep telling myself it’s all for a good purpose – if I can help move Alan Drake’s rail electrification plans forward in some small part by my traveling and writing as I go we’ll count it a success, despite the CO2 emissions.

      If you’ve been following this series you already know how much I like being outside and this time we’re in for a special treat; far too many years have passed since I last visited this particular bit of wilderness ...