Wind Energy and renewable energy blog

Utility Companies Storming the Renewable Energy Marketplace

After 10 years in the making, the last wind turbine of the largest onshore wind energy project in Europe was switched on yesterday just outside Glasgow in Scotland.

The Whitelee project is made up of 140 wind turbines and will provide enough electricity for around 180,000 homes. The £300m (US $474m) wind farm was built by Scottish Power – part of the Iberdrola group which employs around 9000 people in the UK.

Mixed Messages for UK Wind Energy

The UK has experienced mixed messages on the subject of wind energy over the last few weeks. By the year 2020, Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants to reduce carbon emissions by a third and in order to meet this tough target, wind energy has to be part of the plan.

Wind energy is, thanks to the government, financially viable in many UK locations, both on and offshore. However slow and negative planning decisions are slowing up the number of projects ready to be built both at the large commercial wind farm scale and for the small domestic wind turbine.

Green Jobs Created in US but Lost in UK

Wind turbine manufacturer Siemans announced this week that it is to open a production facility in Kansas creating 400 new green collar jobs.

The 300,000 square foot facility is to provide for the rapidly increasing demand for wind turbine components in North and South America. Its role will be specifically to make the wind turbine nacelles and construction of the plant is due to start in August this year. Orders are already in place for the nacelles which are due to be shipped from December 2010. The plant is expected to churn out 650 wind turbine nacelles every year.

Wind Energy Companies to Pool Funding for Aviation Remedy

Key players in the UK wind energy market have pooled £3.2m ($4.7m US) to fund attempts to find a technical remedy for airport “radar clutter” caused by wind turbines.

The Aviation Investment Fund Company Ltd (AIFC) has been set up to specifically to fund the progression of possible solutions to the perceived problem of the visibility of wind turbines on radar screens.

The potential effects of wind turbines on airport and air defence radars is currently one of the key barriers to the roll out of wind energy projects in the UK.

New Infrastructure Planning Chief Denies ‘Political Leaning’

The soon to be appointed new chief of the UK infrastructure consenting body the ‘Infrastructure Planning Committee (IPC)’ told the Commons Communities and Local Government Committee this week that he is “agnostic on political parties”.

Pitt – a civil engineer, spent many years in local government and is expected to receive a near £200k salary. He claims political independence will result in no conflict of interest. Legal challenges are however anticipated to rise as a result of the introduction of the IPC – due to concerns surrounding the rights of the public to be heard when it comes to big infrastructure projects including new large wind energy projects (over 50MW), nuclear power stations and airports.

Chief of New Infrastructure Planning Commission Announced

Housing Minister Margaret Beckett announced yesterday Sir Michael Pitt as the preferred candidate for the post of Chair of the new Infrastructure Planning Commission and announced it will be located in Bristol.

Pitt will be the first Chair of the IPC, which is being set up under the 2008 Planning Act to take decisions on planning applications for infrastructure proposals that are of national significance – including large wind energy projects and nuclear power stations.

US & UK Wind Energy Projects Popular Despite Nimbys

Nimby opposition is down, and support up for all types of power plant projects according to the latest Saint Index for the US. Wind energy is the most popular energy generator among Americans if one were to be built near them. Eighty-two percent say they would support a wind-powered generation project if one were proposed for their community.

Vote for Wind Energy Drying Devices (Clothes Lines)

The Washington Post has a poll on its website asking people to vote on whether there should or should not be rules about residents hanging their washing on lines.

In Richmond, Virginia an amendment to a Senate bill was proposed which would stop community and homeowner associations preventing residents from using their washing lines outside.