Wind Energy Planning

Energy Secretary Promotes Wind Energy & Says ‘No Money’ for New Nuclear

UK Energy Secretary Chris Hulne has reinforced the message that there will be no government cash for new nuclear power stations in an interview with The Telegraph this week.

The Lib Dems have always been opposed to Nuclear and energy department cuts of over 25% make it easy for Hulne to stand by his position.

Hulne instead highlighted government support for more onshore and offshore wind turbines, saying that wind energy is incredibly competitive in producing green electricity.

Europe Picks up Pace on Offshore Wind

118 new offshore wind turbines were connected to the electricity grid network in the first half of 2010 according to The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) today.

The new offshore wind farms across Europe total 333 Megawatts (MW) indicating that 2010 is set to be a more progressive year than 2009 which delivered 577 MW at the end of the full year. 151 additional wind turbines have been built but not connected to the grid taking the total installed to 440 MW.

According to EWEA figures there are now 43 operational offshore wind farms in Europe with a total capacity of 2,396 MW.

Wind Energy Set to Lead the Way in 2010

More wind energy could be installed in 2010 than any other electricity generating technology if European Wind Energy Association forecasts become reality.

European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) CEO Christian Kjaer announced that an additional 10,000 MW of additional capacity is expected to be installed this year. Kjaer said that despite investor confidence falling at the end of 2009, orders for 2010 show a strong European wind energy market for 2010.

Vestas Open Wind Turbine Office in South Africa

Wind turbine manufacturer Vestas opened a new office in South Africa yesterday to support its expected future expansion in the region. The company has been active in the country for a number of years and says the new office has been opened in recognition of the bright future for wind energy in the region in the longer term.

Adopt a Wind Turbine

The European Wind Energy Association has launched a new campaign encouraging people to ‘adopt a wind turbine‘.

The ‘Give Europe a Breath of Fresh Air’ campaign aims to show that wind energy is a mainstream power source that EWEA believes could power Europe seven times over.

EWEA say that European countries are the world leaders in wind energy and that wind energy creates green jobs, lowers electricity prices and emits no C02.

Google Denies Renewable Energy Trader Intentions

Google has denied rumours that it is set to become and energy trader at a GreenNet conference in San Francisco last week.

With hundreds of millions of customers, Google uses mammoth computer infrastructure to keep everything going. However Google’s carbon reduction intentions have been well publicised over the last year. From biofuel diesel shuttle buses to take staff to its HQ offices to ‘edible gardens’ where food for its onsite cafes is grown, Google is keen on green corporate social responsibility.

Finland Tops Wind Farm League Table

If you want a quick decision on your wind farm application, Finland is the place to be according to a new survey released this month.

Brown Praises Siemens Offshore Wind Energy Work

The UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the Siemens facility in Manchester this week and took the opportunity to speak of the bright future for the company in the offshore wind sector.

The tour involved visiting the facility that has carried out work on offshore wind energy. There were alse demonstrations of technologies used in the oil and gas sector, power stations and other industries.

Brown praised the work of Siemens in the UK and pointed to its crucial role in the future of UK wind energy and renewables.

UK Political Party Manifestos Commit to Renewable Energy

The key English political parties have now launched their manifestos in advance of the elections on May 6th.

All parties commit to a substantial proportion of the UK’s energy coming from renewable sources in the near future; however the details of measures to facilitate this move are not yet clear.

Labour’s ‘Future Fair for All‘ manifesto says the party would create 400,000 green collar jobs

Ministry of Defence Withdraws Objection to UK Offshore Wind Farms

Ministry of Defence (MOD) objections to over 3 GW of UK offshore wind farms have been resolved further to years of discussion and new funding.

The 5 offshore wind farms off the east coast of England in the Greater Wash were considered to pose a conflict with air defence due to the potential for wind turbines to show up on the MOD’s radar screens. However cash has been stumped up by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, and the wind industry to buy a new TPS77 radar which has the ability to screen out the wind turbines.

US Maintains Top Wind Energy Position

The US is still the wind energy world leader according to a report released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today.

The US Annual Wind Energy Industry Report claims that despite a slower rate of increase in manufacturing the US remains number 1 in industry rankings.

Offshore Wind Energy Vital for Europe’s Future

The European Wind Energy Association has claimed that offshore wind power is vital for Europe’s future in a new report published this month.

The report “The European Offshore Wind Industry – key trends and statistics” confirms that a total of eight new wind farms comprising 199 offshore wind turbines were connected to the grid in 2009. With a combined power generating capacity of 577 megawatts (MW) this represents a growth rate of 54% compared to the 373 MW installed during 2008.

During 2010, the EWEA anticipates the construction of 10 further European offshore wind farms, adding 1,000 MW and equivalent to market growth of 75% compared to 2009.

According to EWEA more than 100 GW of offshore wind farms are currently being planned by project developers and utilities.

Average water depths for offshore wind farms installed during 2009 was 12 metres compared with 21.8 metres for offshore wind farms currently under construction and up to 80 metres for the latest round of offshore areas announced by the UK last week.

Using Social Media for Wind Energy Projects

People and companies are realising the potential opportunities offered by social networking sites when promoting or consulting on new projects according to PlanningBlog.

Mark Wilding asked planners what they thought of using social media as a tool for planning application consultation and although a note of caution was urged with regard to the ability of these tools to contain detail, most respondents agreed there is great potential to engage people who do not usually get involved with planning issues. That is, if IT managers would lift restrictions on the use of social network sites (particularly common within local authorities and large companies).

Two examples of social network sites currently dedicated to wind energy are the facebook sites “Yes to Wind Turbines at Spaldington & Holme on Spalding Moor” and “I want a wind farm in my back yard because I’m not an idiot”.

The former is an example of a dedicated project support group set up by the neighbour of two proposed wind farms near Spaldington – the membership is now up to 144. There are links to the project websites and information about who members can e-mail and write to in order to express their views. The latter sprung up further to the closure of the Vestas wind turbine factory on the Isle of Wight and now has over 36,500 members. This membership reflects numerous public opinion surveys which time after time demonstrate that although not shouting the loudest, the majority of people support wind energy.

Grid Approvals Needed Immediately for 3rd Round of Offshore Wind Farms

Grid upgrades need to be approved immediately if the wind energy industry is to avoid delays in the build-out of new offshore wind farms according to the British Wind Energy Association.

The announcement of the 3rd round of UK offshore wind farms made by the Crown Estate on Friday could lead to a quarter of the UK’s electricity coming from offshore wind energy. However the 32 Gigawatts of potential capacity will only be built if it can be connected to new UK grid infrastructure.

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband said on Friday “we know that there is still a huge amount of work to do but today marks a very important first step”.

Crown Estate CEO Roger Bright said that the round 3 programme has cross party support – and that this will help in terms of investor confidence. It will however be interesting to see if the Conservative position on offshore wind energy changes if government money is required to contribute towards the new grid infrastructure or if electricity bills need to go up substantially to pay for the works.

Green Light for Power Line Good for Scottish Wind Energy

The contentious new power line from Beauly in the Scottish Highlands to Denny in the south was given the green light today.

Minister for Energy Jim Mather MSP announced the Beauly-Denny Transmission Upgrade:

“The Beauly – Denny upgrade is the most significant grid infrastructure project in a generation. Scotland’s electricity network needs significant reinforcement to allow our vast renewables potential to be harnessed, transmitted and exported – currently we simply do not have the transmission capacity to carry the green energy which Scotland will generate over the coming years.”

“The Beauly-Denny upgrade will help unlock Scotland’s onshore and offshore energy potential and this consent recognises the wider context, benefits and challenges of a development of this scale and opportunity.”

The proposed power lines were subject to an extensive Public Inquiry in 2007. Inquiry Reporters concluded that the line is necessary from a technical and economic perspective, and is consistent with both the Applicants’ duties under the Electricity Act and with national Planning and Energy policy.

The Reporters recommended that, apart from two short sections, the line should be consented.

Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables said the upgrade is good news for the economy, employment and the environment. “The upgrade is absolutely vital if we are to capture the full potential of Scotland’s unique wind, wave and tidal resources” said Stuart.

The Times Green Rich List

The Times has started to publish its British Green Rich list annually with the new list out yesterday.

In the face of depleting fossil fuels and the need to find alternative sources of energy these new millionnaires have spotted enormous potential in the green energy market. The list gives a flavour as to which green sectors are commercially evolved in Britain today and flags those technologies likely to continue to grow in the short to medium term future.

Wind energy players take 1st, 11th and 16th places, whilst solar companies take 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 20th places. The wind energy sector, despite a near term slow down in growth is expected to grow by 20% per year between 2009 and 2015. The solar sector is growing at a huge 30% per year thanks in part to reduced production costs. Other green millionnaires have made their money from home efficiency technologies, green infrastructure provision, low carbon fuel manufacturers and green consultancy.

Taking the number 1 spot wind energy producer and retailer Ecotricity has been making money from renewable electricity since 1996. Ecotricity’s 48 year old owner Dale Vince is estimated by the Times as being worth £85 million (US $136m).

New Study Reveals No Health Effects From Wind Turbine Sound

The British Wind Energy Association has welcomed the findings of a further study demonstrating that there is no evidence of health effects from wind turbines.

The joint AWEA / CanWEA report on Wind Turbine Sound and Health Effects was put together by a multidisciplinary panel who conducted the most extensive study of its kind to date. The seven-member panel included experts in the fields of medicine, audiology, acoustics, environmental and public health from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Denmark.

The report is based on a review of a large body of scientific literature on sound and health effects, and specifically with regard to sound produced by wind turbines. After extensive review, analysis and discussion, the panel concluded that sounds or vibrations emitted from wind turbines have no adverse effect on human health.

CanWEA president Robert Hornung said: ‘’The Canadian Wind Energy Association supports the responsible and sustainable development of wind energy in Canada. This study will go a long way in addressing people’s concerns and answering their questions about the effects of wind turbines. Canada’s wind energy industry will continue to take a proactive role in ensuring wind energy developments are good neighbours to the communities that have embraced wind energy.’

Offshore Wind Energy Credits Extended

It has been a good financial week for renewable energy with the European Union agreeing to fund 7.2 billion euros for tackling global warming at Copenhagen. Also this week, the UK Government announced further financial help for offshore wind. Thursday’s pre-budget report proposed an extension to the time limit on double credits for offshore wind energy projects.

Offshore wind energy projects operational before 2014 will recieve 2 renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) rather than the 1 ROC onshore wind energy recieves.

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) welcomed Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Pre-Budget Report commitment to maintain support for offshore wind energy at 2 ROCs per megawatt hour (MWh) to 2014. The UK is the world leader in offshore wind with more projects installed, in planning and in construction than any other country in the world. The BWEA anticipate that by 2020 at least 20,000MW of offshore wind will be installed and operating in UK waters.

Clipper Windpower Share Price Rise

Wind turbine manufacturer Clipper has sold its Maryland wind energy project together with wind turbines for the 70 megawatt capacity project to Constellation Energy.

The sale of the ‘Criterion wind energy project’ included 28, Clipper ‘Liberty 2.5MW’ wind turbines for at total of $140m. Constellation is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Maryland.

As a result the wind turbine company Clipper, moved higher on the Aim list yesterday with shares rising by 3.8 per cent to 148p. President and CEO of Clipper Windpower said;

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.