Trump, whose plans for this windswept, remote part of the Aberdeenshire coast include a high-rise tower and several 4 story units, has long complained that the offshore windfarm will be an eyesore.

The Trump Organisation released a statement: “We intend to open the championship golf course at the end of June, well ahead of schedule.

“All further plans for future development, including the hotel, are now on hold until the Scottish government makes a decision on the application for the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre.

“If the north east of Scotland is serious about tourism and creating a global golf destination it cannot allow the coastline to be ruined by an ugly industrial park directly off the shoreline.”

Suspicions have been voiced that Trump has decided to abandon the golf resort as it is no longer financially viable and is using the windfarm, known as the European offshore wind deployment centre, as the reason.

Trump admitted in June that the global recession had lead him to postpone construction of the resort’s luxury hotel, apartments and housing. He said “the world has crashed” since he bought the Menie estate, in Aberdeenshire, and its vast area of dunes in 2005. Linking this delay to the windfarm is a new angle that he did not previously take.

Trump has called for the first minister Alex Salmond’s support in his opposition of the windfarm, but despite initially being a supporter of Trump, he has now refused to intervene.

The proposed windfarm is backed by the European commission and will be a testbed for some of the most advanced offshore wind turbine designs. The £200m project, which will be 2.5km (1.5 miles)south-east of the Menie estate coastline, is expected to create jobs and economic benefit by attracting scientists, researchers, engineers, offshore wind supply chain companies.

Forewind have recently signed a deal with National Grid for two 1GW grid connections, potentially located in Middlesborough (subject to technical site assessment). In March last year Forewind accepted a 1GW grid connection offer made by National Grid to connect its first project into the existing Creyke Beck substation, north of the Humber Estuary in East Riding of Yorkshire. This latest signing will enable Forewind to proceed with the development of two more 1GW projects.

Forewind have also announced their new venture to deploy two meteorological masts with an innovative foundation structure. Forewind Limited, developers of the Dogger Bank zone, signed a contract with Fred Olsen United AS to design, construct and install the two met masts and foundations at the site by late 2012.

The foundation design, known as a suction installed bucket, was identified as part of the Carbon Trust’s collaborative Offshore Wind Accelerator programme, an initiative which aims is to reduce the cost of offshore wind energy by 10 per cent via research, development and demonstration.

The Carbon Trust held a foundation design competition that attracted 104 entries from across the world and resulted in seven finalists including the suction bucket, designed by Danish specialists Universal Foundation A/S.

The foundation is guided into place via an operator varying the pressures within hundreds of water jets integral to its base, as the vacuum sucks it into the seabed. It uses less steel than conventional piled foundations and its design removes the need for pile driving, seabed preparations, scour protection and a transition piece.

The foundations will be installed on Dogger Bank using a new 132m jack-up vessel, Brav e Tern, which is now under construction.

To confirm the performance of the innovative foundations, verify the design parameters and measure the loads and conditions they endure on Dogger Bank, one will be equipped with strain gauges, meters and data collection systems.

Finally, talks between Siemens and ABP regarding the development of a turbine production facility at the Green Port of Hull are ongoing. Although movement has been slow since Siemens signed an MOU with ABP back in January, both Siemens and the UK Government are keen for the development to remain on track.

Following the recent announcement of renewable energy financial support from Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, which specifically promotes offshore wind and tidal power, Mr Cameron said: “I am very passionate about this investment – I have spoken to the head of Siemens about it personally. We have made the decision this week about the ROCs, so in terms of the investors needing certainty about funding for offshore wind, it is there. I think there’s every reason for it to go ahead, and I’ll work extremely hard to make it happen.”

The Siemens production facility is key to serving Siemens’ Round 3 Offshore commitments as part of the Government’s aim to deliver one quarter of the UK’s total energy needs by 2020 and is likely to generate 700 jobs.

Nordex say they are responding to the latest market requirements as well as drawing on their 25 years of wind energy experience in their release of the N90/2500kW and N100/2500kW Efficiency Class turbines.

Based on the over 1700 2.5.MW units already installed the Gamma Generation is, according to Nordex designed for all wind and weather conditions in compliance with international and Chinese standards.

The N90/2500 and N100/2500 turbines are based on a common technical platform. Nordex say that the modular design makes delivery, installation and maintenance fast and simple.

“A new software version for Nordex Control 2 is used in 2.5MW gamma platform. With the new software, power yield is improved at partial load operation.” Dr. Ni, Engineering Director of Nordex China stated.

“Starting from Germany, we are expanding our business across the globe with branches in 19 countries. Our subtlety, foresight and flexibility in the global and local markets have enabled us to gain strong footholds in three core regions: Europe, America and Asia. This is why we were one of the first foreign suppliers to enter the Chinese market, back in 1995.” Mr. Jens Olsen, CEO of Nordex China stressed.

With the demand in China increasing, Nordex say they will continue to make inroads in this market with its latest products.

Photo – http://www.nordex-online.com/en

The Spalding Guardian reported today that South Holland District Council has won liability orders to recover £110,000 outstanding in unpaid business rates and council tax.

Jane and Julian Davis travel the UK and abroad to speak out against wind farms and advise people who want to object to local wind farm proposals.

The Davis’ reportedly owe over £1000 to their local council in respect of the house they claim is uninhabitable due to nearby wind turbines. According to the Spalding Guardian the district valuer has the power to take the house off the list so council tax no longer falls due – but the case can only be pursued by Mr and Mrs Davis.

The Davis’ are currently seeking £2.5m compensation for ‘loss and damage to their amenity‘ in the High Court due to wind turbine noise. The couple bought the property in Lincolnshire with 0.4 acre grounds from Lincolnshire County Council in 1996. They say the property is now only worth £30-£50,000 and ‘unmarketable‘.

The environmental health officer at South Holland Council has confirmed that no other residents of Deeping St Nicholas have submitted formal complaints and that the wind farm has been monitored and confirmed not to be causing a statutory noise nuisance. The High Court hearing commenced in July and is due to reconvene in November.

The wind farm landowners and operators: RC Tinsley Ltd, Nicholas Watts, Fenland Windfarms Ltd and Fenland Green Power Cooperative Ltd say that the turbines have not created any noise nuisance.

As of December 31, 2010, Vestas had supplied 1,021 wind turbines to Canada totaling 1,683 megawatts (MW) of installed wind capacity.

The track record continues this month with Vestas receiving a 104 MW order for 58 V90-1.8 MW turbines for a Canadian wind energy project. The project name and details about the customer cannot however be disclosed at this time.

“Vestas is delighted to have been chosen to work with our customer to add an additional 104 megawatts of wind power to the Canadian electricity market,” said Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas Americas. “This project will help fuel Canada’s economic growth and also help meet their clean energy needs.”

Vestas’ manufacturing facilities in Colorado will produce all of the blades and nacelles for the project.

“The V90-1.8 MW is designed to operate at sites with medium-wind conditions and is built on proven technology to ensure component reliability and durability,” Wyrsch said. “This has led to extremely high energy production from the V90-1.8 MW turbine.”

The investment is expected to create hundreds of green jobs at the site, with thousands more in the associated supply chains.

Welcoming the investment, Dr. Gordon Edge, RenewableUK Director of Policy, said:

“This is great news not just for Hull, but for the wider Humber region and the rest of the UK. RenewableUK estimate that with the establishment of a strong offshore wind manufacturing base, the wind industry can create 60,000 jobs in the UK by 2020.”

The Prime Minister David Cameron has also now officially confirmed he is to back plans to explore the linking up of green energy projects in the North, Baltic and Irish Seas. RenewablesUK spokesperson Gordon Edge said:

“The Supergrid, developed on the back of the expansion of the North Sea’s offshore wind programme, will connect geographically diverse renewable sources into a trans-European grid, improving grid management and boosting Europe’s energy security,”.

The Japanese company has said that the move will lead to an investment of £100m over 5 years and an additional 200 green jobs.

Artemis, described by the Carbon Trust as “the leading light in the UK’s clean tech revolution” has developed new controllable hydraulic pumps and motors. Artemis Wind is developing the technology to be used in wind turbine transmissions.

Managing Director of Artemis Win Rampen said:

“This marks a huge step forward for the development of our game-changing technology. Drawing on the breadth and depth of Mitsubishi’s expertise and skills, AIP look forward to accelerating our research and development work with a view to our technology being used in turbines in UK and European waters by 2015.”

A new ‘Centre for Alternative Technology’ is also planned by Mitsubishi and has been welcomed by the the Scottish government.

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond said:

“As well as delivering new jobs and investment, over the long-term this announcement could result of the creation of a major offshore wind turbine manufacturing site in Scotland.”

Den Brook wind farm, near Crediton in Devon was first proposed five years ago.  After being given the go- ahead by the Planning Inspectorate at appeal, challenges were mounted by resident Mr Hulme against the Government’s decision.  The latest judge to consider the case – Frances Patterson QC however rejected all 10 reasons for the high court challenge, concluding that the decision to grant consent for the 9 wind turbines was ‘thorough and reasonable’.

Helen Hall, project manager for wind farm company RES told the BBC: “We are really pleased that a line has finally been drawn, at the highest level, under any doubts about this wind farm.

“The project has been given planning consent twice after two detailed public inquiries and has also been the subject of two High Court challenges.”

The decision on Den Brook comes after a failed High Court challenge made by Brian and Rebecca Barnes last month in an attempt to stop a Cumbrian wind farm.  The six turbine Armistead wind farm put forward by Banks Renewables was given a second green light leaving the complainant couple with a court bill of £15,000 in addition to lawyer’s fees.

The company suffered net losses of 119m euros in the second quarter, down from a profit of 43m euros one year ago according to the BBC.

Vestas expects a substantial new wind farm contract in China to help soften the blow of postponed orders in Europe and the US.

Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa also experienced a drop in share price on Wednesday.

The 317 megawatt (MW) wind farm is located between 17 and 22 km north of the town of Sheringham. Construction work began in March of this year and the wind farm is expected to be generating green electricity by the end of 2011.

The electricity export cable laying operation is programmed to begin in late August. The cable installation will begin at Weybourne Hope, west of the coastal town of Sheringham, and work will continue for around six weeks.

Wells harbour on the North Norfolk coast will be the operational base for the offshore wind farm. Once in operation, the wind turbines will need daily maintenance by teams of technicians travelling to and from the new outer harbour at Wells-next-the-Sea. It is proposed that these technicians, and the wind farm company’s management and administration, be based at a new office and storage facility at Egmere.

The Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm is owned equally by Statoil and Statkraft through the joint venture company Scira Offshore Energy Limited. Statoil is the operator for the project during the development phase. Scira will be the operator of the wind farm. To find out more visit the Statoil website.

Picture source: Statoil