Wind Energy and renewable energy blog

What Does the Future Hold For Small Scale Renewables?

The UK has a green target to provide 15% of its energy from renewables by 2020. This means producing enough energy from renewable sources for the requirements of 26 million homes in the UK by 2020.

Already – renewable electricity has doubled in the UK in five years, however this has mainly been thanks to large scale commercial renewable energy – in particular wind energy which has doubled in the UK in five years. We already have more offshore wind energy in the UK than any other country.

However what does the Government’s new Renewable Energy Strategy have in store for small-scale renewable energy?

Wind Turbine Company Court Hearing Adjourned

A wind turbine company whose staff are currently illegally occupying a factory failed to secure permission to remove the workers today.

Between 13 and 25 workers are involved in the demonstration at the Vestas factory on the Isle of White which is now into its 9th day. The protest is against the closure of the factory by Danish company Vestas who blame low demand for wind turbines in the UK.

Today, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer’s lawyers sought a possession order from Newport County Court to allow them to appoint bailiffs to remove the workers. However because the proper notices had not been served against the 25 occupiers, the hearing has now been adjourned until Tuesday 4 August. The lawyer acting for Vestas admitted that the company had not served individual notices on those who had locked themselves inside the factory. A crowd of 200 attended the court hearing in support of the protestors.

Conservative Councils’ Poor Wind Farm Record

Conservative Councils refuse more wind farm planning applications than Labour Councils according to figures released this week.

The Figures on wind farm approvals released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that Conservative Councils approved 44.7 megawatts (MW) of onshore wind energy schemes whilst Labour Councils approved 68.3 MW. This is despite the Conservatives controlling the majority of rural Council areas where wind farms in England are usually proposed.

£1 Billion Loans for UK Wind Energy Projects

The UK Government today announced plans to allocate £1 bn (US $1.6) of loans to wind energy companies through part – state owned banks.
After announcing that offshore wind energy would recieve double the financial incentives in the budget earlier this year, the Government has stepped in again to help smooth the path for struggling [...]

Wind Turbine Workers Stage Protest

Workers at a wind turbine manufacturing plant in the South of England staged a protest this week over plans to close the factory.

The staff at Vestas wind turbine factory on the Isle of White are being laid off due to the closure of the factory in the Island’s main town of Newport. Banners saying “Jobs worth fighting for” hung outside of the building demonstrating the strength of feeling of both trade unionists and environmentalists. One worker said “this is a factory that should not be closing down, this is a factory making money”.

UK Low Carbon Strategy Released

The new UK Low Carbon Strategy released this week shows offshore wind and marine energy are the UK Governments’ favoured renewable energy technologies when it comes to financial support.

The Low Carbon Industrial Strategy is the UK Government’s first Low Carbon Strategy document. The document includes details of how the UK budget is to be allocated to renewable energy. £405 million (US $668m) has been allocated to renewable energy technologies with offshore wind and wave & tidal energy being the technologies set to see the biggest incentives.

The Government wants to spend £120 (US $198) million on offshore wind energy manufacturing together with investment in the development of – not yet commercially viable offshore wind technologies e.g. floating turbines by supporting demonstration trials. Testing facilities are envisaged in UK hostile waters . The low carbon strategy was released in conjunction with The UK Renewable Energy Strategy.

Natural England Launch Wind Energy Consultation

Natural England has this week launched a consultation on new wind energy guidance. The launch comes further to workshops with wind industry representatives.

Natural England is the government’s advisor on the natural environment. The organisation says that it recognises climate change is the most significant long-term threat facing the natural environment and that it wants to “play its part” in helping deliver more renewable energy nationally.

Minister Says New Quango Will Speed Up UK Wind Farm Delivery

UK Planning Minister – John Healey today spoke out against claims that the planning system is preventing renewable energy projects being delivered.

The UK Housing and Planning Minister wrote a letter in response to a Financial Times article about the planning system holding up wind energy projects. The FT article posted on 15th July – “Energy plans face delays, groups warn” was criticised by John Healey for “missing the point”.

“It is precisely because of cases like Vestas, the wind turbine manufacturer that had to close one of its factories, that we are creating a fairer, faster planning system” said Healey.

Bright Future for US Wind Turbine Manufacturers

Denise Bode from the American Wind Energy Association talks to Clean Skies News about the $3billion recovery package grant for renewable energy on the You Tube video below.

Bode believes that much of this package will go towards wind energy projects. She sees the US wind industry changing from an industry grown in Europe to being ‘built out in the US’. According to Bode 50% of wind turbine components used by US wind farm developers are now supplied from within the US with long term commitments existing for homegrown manufacturers.

Research Shows Bats Avoid Radar near Wind Turbines

A radar beam can reduce bat activity near wind turbines by almost 40% a new study has revealed.

According to the University of Aberdeen, radar beams could be used as a precautionary measure to divert bats away from potential hazard zones. The turning blades of wind turbines could pose a risk to UK bats but researchers have discovered from practical trials that a stationary radar beam can reduce bat activity in wind farms.

Research author Paul Racey from the University of Aberdeen said that collision risk from wind turbines is a risk to bats in the US and mainland Europe – specifically to migrating bats. Little is known about the effect of more modern taller wind turbines on different bat species in the UK.

South West England Pushes Wave Energy

Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, named the South West as the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area at the launch of the Government’s Low Carbon Industrial Strategy in London earlier this week. The news comes despite the South West having the poorest record of renewable energy delivery against targets.

Stephen Peacock, Director at the South West Regional Development Agency said: “This is about a new industry and new jobs, and the South West’s critical role in building a greener global economy. Being identified as the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area is a tremendous accolade and recognition of our commitment to develop this unprecedented economic opportunity. We want to forge a new industry from the seas around our shores and today’s announcements cement our position as a global leader in wave and tidal technologies”.

The South West Regional Development Agency’s (RDA) renewable baby is The Wave Hub. The South West RDA wants the hub to be the UK’s first offshore facility with the ability to demonstrate the operation of wave energy generation devices.

UK Government Launches New Renewable Energy Strategy

The UK government today published the eagerly awaited Renewable Energy Strategy. The new strategy lays out plans to meet the UK target of producing 15% of the UK’s energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Renewables, nuclear and clean fossil fuels are the trinity of low carbon and the future of energy in Britain. Under our plans we will get 40% of our electricity from low carbon energy by 2020 and more in the years afterwards.

“Our plan will strengthen our energy security, it seeks to be fair to the most vulnerable, it seizes industrial opportunity and it rises to the moral challenge of climate change.

“In five months, the world must come together at Copenhagen and follow through on the commitment of world leaders last week to stop dangerous climate change. Today we have shown how Britain will play its part.” We need to all-but eliminate carbon from electricity by 2050“.

Miliband Opens Southern England’s Largest Wind Farm

Mr Miliband opened the biggest onshore wind farm in the south of England at Romney Marsh in Kent yesterday.

The Climate Change Secretary said Britain needs wind farms like the 26 turbine Little Cheney Court wind energy project to diversify its energy sources in order to be less dependent on imported gas.

Kevin McCullough, chief operating officer at RWE Innogy – the operator of the Little Cheney Court Wind Farm said: “This is a landmark renewable energy project for the South East of England and shows the region is playing an important part in the global battle against climate change….

Wave Energy Technology

Wave energy technology is an immature but promising renewable energy technology. This video gives a clear explanation as to how some wave energy devices work. Pelamis and Anaconda are two wave energy devices that work using the same principles.

Pelamis was the world’s first commercial scale machine to produce offshore, grid connected, wave generated electricity. A new commercial wave energy machine is now being built for utility giant E.on in Scotland.

Anaconda is a 200 metre rubber tube with a hydraulic turbine driving a 1MW capacity electric generator. Anaconda’s developer – Checkmate Seaenergy say the wave energy device has the potential to generate renewable electricity off any coast with wave strength over 25 kW/m. Checkmate Seaenergy has a vision of the snakes being grouped in farms with 20 or more machines producing over 20 MW.

Wind Energy Unreliability Myth Dismissed

The British Wind Energy Association have declared this month that the myth of wind energy intermittency problems has been debunked.

A report published by a coalition of environmental NGO’s is the third this year to conclude that the variability of the wind is not the problem many people say it is when it comes to supplying a significant proportion of green electricity from wind farms.

French Nuclear Giant and British Wind Energy Company in ‘Green Union Jack’ War

The marketing of a new “Green Union Jack” has sparked off an argument between two electricity companies today.

Wind energy company Ecotricity have accused utility giant Electricite de France of stealing ‘its’ green union jack. EDF energy are using the flag for its advertising posters and on its service vehicles despite Ecotricity using a similar image on their service vehicles for 3 years.

French state owned nuclear company EDF energy is the “sustainability partner” of the 2012 Olympic Games in London and is using the green union flag to launch its first annual Green Britain Day and asking schools and others to join “Team Green Britain”.

World’s Biggest Wind Farm Stalled

Plans for a 4000 Megawatt (MW) wind energy project in Texas have been stalled due to difficult market conditions, high grid costs and the downturn in gas prices according to the Washington Post today.

T. Boone Pickens said that the plans for the $12 billion wind farm have been put on hold temporarily while expensive grid upgrades are put in place by the State.

Climate Change Secretary Defends Support for Onshore Wind Energy

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change – Ed Miliband told the UK last month that opposing onshore wind energy projects should be socially taboo.

In response the Council for Protection of Rural England (CPRE) posted a number of questions on their website directed to Ed Miliband. One question asked if he believes local communities have a legitimate role to protect valued local landscapes from what they describe as “damaging energy infrastructure“. Miliband replied saying that he believes that local communities do have an important role. He says on the CPRE website “We’re changing the rules for nationally significant infrastructures so developers have to consult the community before they even submit an application. And I agree that there are some places where wind farms may not be suitable.”

Miliband says that we need to think about our attitudes to wind farms because the biggest threat to our countryside is not the wind turbine, but climate change. He pointed to the recent RSPB report which said climate change is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, threat facing wildlife over the next 100 years.

European Report Tries to Establish the True Cost of Wind Energy

An indigenous energy source such as wind energy seriously reduces the exposure of our economy to fuel price hikes and falls according to a report published recently by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

This risk reduction provided by wind energy is not usually taken into account when different energy technology costs are compared. The EWEA report says that current calculation methods “quite blatantly favour the use of high-risk options for power generation…but that as the world becomes more dependent on importing fuel from politically unstable areas at unpredictable and higher prices, this aspect merits immediate attention“.

Welsh Authorities Hampering Wind Energy Projects

Strategically important wind energy projects in Wales are being hampered by the local trunk road authority and local councils according to wind farm developers.

Wind energy developers want to carry out wind turbine delivery ‘dry run trials’ through Welsh towns to establish likely physical obstructions – before investing in multi million pound wind farms.