Podcast – Harvesting Wind Energy and Saving Wild Rivers with Kevin Wolf

Tune in to hear Wind Harvest CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Wolf talk with Environmental Directions host Nancy Pearlmanabout his role in the campaign to save the Stanislaus River, increasing wind energy with Wind Harvester turbines, and the success in California in requiring disclosure of who is really funding elections.

The Stanislaus River

Nancy and Kevin first met in the 1970’s when they worked on the campaign to save the Stanislaus River. This wild and scenic river, flowing out of the Sierra Nevadas just north of Yosemite National Park was being dammed. This was a time when the only renewable energy was from hydropower dams. It was while volunteering as a guide on one of Friends of the River’s trips on the Stanislaus that Kevin met Wind Harvest co-founder George Wagner and learned about wind turbines as an alternative to damming rivers.

Nancy and Kevin discuss Wind Harvest’s unique vertical axis turbines that have the capacity to handle otherwise unused, turbulent mid-level wind blowing from 15-100 feet above the ground. Many fantastically windy spots and wind farms around the world cannot increase their capacity with additional, traditional tall turbines. Wind Harvest is the only company ready to bring mid-level VAWTs into this space and open this waiting resource for development.

Kevin Wolf (in blue cutoff shorts) jumping into the Stanislaus River, 1980

The pair also talk about the significant progress that the California Clean Money Campaign and Action Fund have made in passing legislation that requires transparency on the companies, individuals or unions that are paying for advertisements, social media, and petitions that affect local and state elections.  Kevin has been the chair of the Action Fund for almost ten years.

This captivating episode can be streamed here on the Environmental Directions radio YouTube channel.