Wind Energy and renewable energy blog

Small Wind Turbine Market Expands

With fixed prices for electricity generated by small scale renewable energy on their way, are we likely to see a better range of domestic wind turbine models on the market soon?

Over the past ten years there has been a limited range of domestic scale wind turbines on the market, with disaster striking with the B&Q cheap (and ineffective) rooftop turbine. This Youtube video shows a Danish householder with a reasonable plot of land using what appears to be a much more effective stand alone Gaia wind turbine.

The turbine has a peak rated output of 11kW and is described by the manufacturer as suitable for farms, large residences, offices, small businesses and public buildings where the main aim is to reduce the amount of electricity imported. In the right locations exporting electricity is also possible. The turbine has been designed to give an optimum yield in moderate wind speeds which the manufacturer specifies as a range of between 4.5-7.5 m/s (10-12mph).

Framework Deal for Repower Wind Turbines Signed

It was announced this week that German wind turbine manufacturer Repower signed a deal with French utility EDF for the supply of wind turbines for five wind farms in Canada.

The framework agreement is for the supply of turbines totalling a capacity of 954 Megawatts for wind farms in Quebec, developed by Saint-Laurent Energies, a company part owned by EDF.

With a shortage of wind turbine supply across the globe still causing the wind energy industry problems, companies are seeking out framework deals with turbine manufacturers, sometimes even before they have planning consent. Framework deals have the benefit of providing more certainty, especially for financially marginal projects – even if overall the wind farm operator does not make significant savings.

Although there were 35 new Chinese wind turbine manufacturers entering the market last year, it will be some time until these turbines have been tested and proven in the European, US and Canadian marketplace. With the offshore wind energy market set to expand at unprecedented rates over the next few years, it seems that the global turbine supply shortage will not be remedied quickly.

Daily Mail Climate Change Denier ‘Grossly Irresponsible’

In the very week that President Obama announces he will be going to Copenhagen and committing the US to a carbon dioxide emission reduction target for the US, climate change sceptics refuse to accept that doing something about the issue is warranted.

The Obama promise of a 17% emissions reduction target below 2005 levels by 2020 were welcomed by some but described as inadequate by green groups. However a much smaller sector has been striving for media attention. Describing prominent scientists who try to warn people about climate change as ‘totalitarian’, Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips claimed on the BBC last night that ‘there is no evidence of global warming and that global temperatures are going down not up.’

Phillips told the gasping audience ‘you may find this hard to understand, but there is no evidence for global warming, the seas are not rising in any way out of the ordinary, the ice is not melting and the polar bears are increasing in number’. The audience, shocked by the claims were quickly becalmed by comedian and broadcaster Marcus Brigstocke, Scottish National Party deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon and Lord Falconer who were quick to point out the irresponsibility of not accepting the possibility.

Local Targets – Good for UK Renewable Energy?

The Conservative party tell us they are all about local empowerment and ‘decentralised devolution’. Their decentralisation green paper ‘Control Shift’ released earlier this year set out proposals for change if they are elected next year.

Conservative proposals include abolishing all planning and housing powers exercised by regional government, creating bottom up incentives for housebuilding by allowing councils to benefit from the increase in council tax revenues. They would also encourage councils to establish their own local enterprise partnerships to take over economic development functions.

In this decentralised scenario planners and industry groups have started to question where higher level housing and renewable energy targets would sit, given the need for the consideration of demand and supply opportunities somewhere between the national and local levels. This has previously been dealt with by either mid – tier county councils or regional governments.

Electrifying Africa

On a visit to South Africa this year I asked a charity project worker whether he was involved in any renewable or decentralised energy projects. He responded by saying that renewable energy is not a priority and is a matter for the government. Food, education, and, going by our tour of projects he was involved in … dance lessons are priority.

This comment struck me as odd given the huge number of people living in the townships risking their lives by illegally hooking up to the electricity network and those struggling to find ways to cook food. The situation in rural areas is in many places much worse with little, if any access to electricity.

I was left pondering perceptions of renewable and decentralised energy. Many clearly believe that green energy is something for the wealthy – something to spend your money on when you have nothing else to spend it on. The reality of course is that the people whom effective renewable and decentralised energy would help the most are those in extreme fuel poverty – in Africa and in the UK.

With nearly 1 billion people, Africa accounts for a sixth of the world’s population, but generates only 4% of global electricity.

Planning Rules Change for Small -Scale Renewables

Should people need planning consent for small scale renewable energy? This is a question the UK government has been contemplating for several years.

In 2008, the Town and Country Planning Order was amended to grant permitted development rights to domestic properties for solar panels, ground source heat pumps and water source heat pumps, but not to wind turbines and air source heat pumps.

A new consultation was kicked off yesterday on Government proposals to introduce permitted development rights for small scale renewable energy and low carbon technologies for both householders and businesses. It is also looking for feedback on permitted development rights and advertisement consent for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Cambridge Wind Farm Given Green Light

The Wadlow wind farm proposal in Cambridgeshire, England has been given the go-ahead by the Secretary of State.

The proposal for 13 wind turbines was objected to by the local authority – South Cambridgeshire District Council, local residents and horse riders.

It was South Cambs’ case that this was not the ‘right location for a wind farm’ of this size. However Planning Inspector David Lavender found that the wind farm company involved; RES ‘did not need to exhaust sequentially all other better locations’ to show that the wind farm site is needed against renewable energy targets.

Objections related to wind turbines scaring horses however appear to have backfired … as Lavender concluded that horse riding seemed to be a very dangerous activity whether there were turbines there or not.

New Renewable Energy Planning Statement Released

After over a year of preparation, the Government has released a new UK national policy statement on renewable energy.

The statement is one of a series of NPS (National Planning Statements) documents intended to guide the new Infrastructure Planning Committee (IPC) in coming to decisions on large scale infrastructure projects. The statements will set out criteria on national need, benefits and impacts. With the exception of the NPS for airports and nuclear power stations, sites are not identified for specific proposals.

The Renewable Energy NPS applies specifically to biomass and onshore wind energy projects comprising 50 Megawatts + and to offshore wind energy projects, including the substations and new overhead power lines.

Do Wind Turbines Work?

Numerous reports have now been published saying wind turbines work and can make an important contribution towards the UK’s energy needs.

Prominant energy analyst David Milborrow published a new report back in June which the wind energy industry hoped would put to bed the question of whether wind turbines work.

The report confirms that wind energy can substitute for thermal plant and enable the British power system to operate with the same level of reliability. According to Milborrow, Utilities worldwide generally agree there is no fundamental technical reason why “high proportions of wind cannot be assimilated without the lights going out”.

Contrary to what is sometimes banded about in the mainstream media, the findings demonstrate that widespread use of wind power leads to a significant reduction in carbon emissions. In addition variability in wind energy does not mean costs will be substantially higher.

Lib Dems MP Stands up For Wind Turbines

Cheltenham Lib Dem MP Martin Horwood stood up for wind energy this week, opposing a bill for a new rule dictating wind turbines should be 2km from houses.

The bill introduced by a few anti wind energy MP’s could bring an overnight halt to the UK’s renewable energy progress if passed.

Horwood explained the problem with an example close to his home; “Cheltenham’s first wind turbine is planned in the Springbank area of Cheltenham. Planning permission is being applied for. It will not be big—a bit less than 18 metres tall, to the tip of the highest blade. It will generate 9,500 kWh of electricity a year, and save more than 4 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.”

MP Says We Don’t Want Wind Turbines Near our Homes

An English MP wants a new rule to say wind turbines can’t be built within 1.5 miles of homes. This would mean saying goodbye to new wind farms in the English countryside.

Peter Luff MP will tomorrow table a ten minute rule bill asking for an arbritrary 2km buffer zone between wind turbines and homes. This would mean a halt to new wind farms in England which is struggling to meet its renewable energy targets, and many parts of Scotland and Wales.

Ten minute rule bills are often used by MPs to provoke a debate and although unlikely to be successful- an arbritrary 2 km limit would bring about a collapse in the entire English onshore wind industry. This in turn would also probably cause some damage to the offshore wind energy sector as England is seen increasingly by wind turbine manufacturers (like Vestas on the Isle of Wight) as anti-wind. Attempts to kick off small or community led renewable energy projects would be much harder without the support of a healthy renewables industry.

Bird and Bat Radar Detection For Wind Farms

With many people and organisations concerned about potential bird and bat kills from wind turbines, could radar be the answer?

Radar specialist company DeTect has developed and manufactured a new Avian Radar System ‘Merlin‘ which is aimed at protecting birds and bats from colliding with wind turbines.

The company believes the technology can provide ‘real-time risk mitigation’ and already have over 50 systems operating worldwide. DeTect say the system can be used at operating wind farms to provide an “early warning system of bird activity that presents mortality risk, automatically engaging response mitigation actions up to and including idling of turbines until the risk passes.”