Energy and government officials from Eastern Europe toured the wind farm Friday at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority.
The group from Kazakhstan, Moldova, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries donned hardhats to get a close look at one of America’s most accessible wind projects.
“They asked more questions about electric rates than any other group,” ACUA President Rick Dovey said.
For the past few days, the snowbound delegation has been stuck in its hotel after this week’s blizzard canceled visits to the University of Delaware and tours of the region’s power grid.
The tour was organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“They’re all looking at getting into solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy,” said Jim Black, of the Clean Air Council, which served as liaison.
The five-turbine project off the White Horse Pike is a popular destination for foreign dignitaries because of its proximity to Philadelphia and New York and its accessibility just a few steps from the road. The authority has hosted delegations from Sri Lanka, Japan, India, South Africa and the Baltic states.
Many countries in Eastern Europe, including Kazakhstan, rely on coal plants. But that country is under increasing pressure to go green, said Nurlan N. Jiyenbayev, director of ND & Co. Solar Energy based in Kazakhstan.
“Kazakhstan just passed a law requiring the use of more renewable sources of energy,” he said through an interpreter.
Kazakhstan officials want to provide 5 percent of the nation’s energy needs through renewable resources by 2024. By comparison, New Jersey wants to provide 20 percent through renewable energy by 2020.
Eastern Europe has many options to meet this goal — from hydroelectric power to solar. But one is drawing particular attention.
“Wind — unequivocally wind,” said Andrey Khokhlov, deputy director of EuroUkr Wind, based in Kiev, Ukraine.
His company works on wind farms about 17 times the size of the Atlantic City project.
“Our investors are not interested in stations less than 100 megawatts,” he said. The five ACUA windmills produce a total of 7.5 megawatts.
Like in New Jersey, Ukraine offers government incentives to companies that generate renewable energy, said Oleh Dudkin, head of the secretariat for an energy panel in Ukraine.
Dudkin said he was impressed by the windmills’ automation and the authority’s efforts to capture renewable energy, such as its solar array and methane system.
The officials took photos and video of the authority’s presentation with handheld cameras and chatted quietly among themselves.
The authority’s operations room has a bank of 30-year-old electrical boards with dozens of colored lights that serve as a backup to the modern computers that track the plant systems, including solar and wind.
General Electric and the plant’s operator monitor the turbines remotely from California and Pennsylvania.
One plasma screen graphically illustrated the energy output from both systems and even tracked the sun’s position as it inched across the sky. The five windmills are named after the spouses of authority employees: Carol, K.C., Mary, Kathy and Diedre.
“Have you considered storing energy in the form of hydrogen fuel cells?” asked Vahe Odabashian, vice president of Armenian company H2 Economy.
“The way we do things, we want someone else to pay for it,” Dovey said.
A private company built the windmills on ACUA property in 2006 for about $13 million. A partner firm sells the energy back to the authority at a discounted rate.
“That’s a very good approach,” Odabashian replied. “If someone comes up with the money, give me a call. I’ll bring the fuel cells.”
Archive for March, 2010
ACUA wind farm draws European energy chiefs: Ex-Soviet countries under pressure to go green
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010Romania praised for renewable energy scheme
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010A Romanian scheme that grants double incentives for wind farms and other renewable energy projects has been acclaimed by large investors in the region. But Rod Christie, GE Energy’s president for Eastern Europe and Russia, warns that financing difficulties had risked bringing some projects to a standstill. He spoke to EurActiv in an interview.
Renewable energy projects are picking up steam in Central and Eastern Europe following an agreement in December over the EU’s energy and climate change “package” of legislation.
To move to a low-carbon economy, the package mandates each EU country to raise its share of renewable energies, paving the way for massive investments in renewables across Europe.
For investors such as GE, this represents a formidable opportunity. “We are still seeing an increasing interest in renewables, certainly in Eastern Europe where they are looking to meet their EU obligations,” said Rod Christie, president for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS at General Electric Energy.
“So in Romania, Poland or Bulgaria, for example, there is a lot of activity,” he told EurActiv.
Christie is particularly enthusiastic about a scheme to encourage renewable energy investments in Romania. “In my opinion today, Romania has the best renewables legislation potential in Europe,” Christie says. “From now until 2015, there is double green certificate. So if you build now, you can basically operate with a double incentive until 2015.”
“They have learnt from everybody else. They know that they have to catch up.”
http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/ge-energy-romania-best-renewables-law-eu/article-179534
Keppel and Areva Awarded Mobile Barge Contract for German Wind Project
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010Keppel Verolme BV (Rotterdam-Botlek, Netherlands), a service provider in the shipbuilding and vessel-modification sector, along with consortium partner Areva Energietechnik GmbH (Bremen, Germany), has been awarded an 87 million euro ($117.6 million) contract by Wetfeet Offshore Windenergy GmbH (Wolfschlugen, Germany) to set up a mobile offshore application barge (MOAB) for Wetfeet Offshore’s Global Tech I windfarm, being set up in the German Exclusive Economic Zone in the North Sea. Areva Energietechnik is the German subsidiary of leading nuclear power and electricity company Areva SA (EPA:CEI) (Paris, France). This marks Keppel Verolme’s first venture into the offshore wind energy business. The contract is scheduled to be implemented by the fourth quarter of 2011.
According to Harold Linssen, managing director of Keppel Verolme, developing the capacity of its offshore wind sector will take Germany closer to its target of procuring at least 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, and procuring 50% from renewable sources by 2050. The location of Keppel Verolme’s facilities and close relationship to 20 global shipyards gives it a strategic advantage in the European and North Sea markets. Keppel Verolme is a wholly owned subsidiary of rig building and shipyard company Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited (Singapore), which is part of holding company Keppel Corporation Limited (OTC:KPELY) (Singapore).
The MOAB will house the high-voltage switchgears and the transformers required to collect and convert the power generated by the wind turbines for delivery to the national power grid of Germany. The MOAB will also be equipped with the critical control systems that can serve as a backup power supply for the windfarm during an emergency. The Areva Offshore Platform solution used on the barge is an innovative combination of state-of-the-art technologies from the electro-technical and oil and gas sectors. The MOAB will be capable of providing permanent accommodation to about 32 people operating the windfarm.
The Global Tech I windfarm is about 110 kilometers northwest of Cuxhaven in Germany. Areva subsidiary Multibrid will supply 80 wind turbines with capacities of 5 megawatts (MW) for the 400-MW Global Tech 1 project. Multibrid has a 700 million euro ($941 million) memorandum of understanding with Wetfeet for delivery in 2011-12. Areva will provide commissioning, testing and maintenance services. There is also an option for the delivery of additional turbines.
When completed in 2013, the windfarm is expected to generate about 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours per year of electrical energy and will reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by about 1.2 million tons per year. The MOAB will help improve the efficiency and reliability of the windfarm through involvement with energy transmission and windfarm maintenance.
Under the terms of the contract, Keppel Verolme’s will carry out the detailed engineering and construction work on this new platform, which has been designed by consulting engineers Overdick GmbH & Company (Hamburg, Germany). Areva’s scope of work involves the design, fabrication and installation of the transformers and other high-voltage equipment.
Siemens Picks U.K. For £80 Million Wind Turbine Plant
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010Siemens Energy (Erlangen, Germany) is hoping to capitalise on the U.K.’s massive plans for offshore wind development by announcing that it intends to invest £80 million ($121 million) in the country to build a production plant for offshore wind turbines.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Peter Löscher, president and CEO of Siemens AG, with Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband and Business Secretary Peter Mandelson. Siemens Energy, a division of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) (Munich, Germany), is evaluating sites in the east and northeast of the country with a particular focus on harbour infrastructure. The new plant will employ up to 700 people. Siemens Energy has a strong track record in the growing offshore wind market, having completed 11 projects with a combined capacity in excess of 1 gigawatt (GW). Half of this capacity is in the U.K.
Last week, rival General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) (Fairfield, Connecticut) announced plans to spend more than £98 million ($148 million) to build an offshore wind manufacturing plant in the U.K., which the company claims could provide up to 2,000 jobs by 2020. The GE and Siemens announcements follow on from the government’s recent announcement of a competition worth £60 million ($90.7 million) to modernise the country’s ports in an effort to attract companies involved in building offshore windfarms. For related news, see March 25, 2010, article – U.K. Creates £2 Billion Green Investment Bank.
“With the new wind turbine production plant in the U.K., we’re pushing ahead with our strategy of investments in attractive growth markets for eco-friendly technology,” said Siemen’s Löscher. “In the foreseeable future, the wind power market in the U.K. will be characterised by major offshore projects, and we’ll extend our market leadership with the new production plant.”
The U.K. awarded its Round 3 offshore wind contracts in January this year, which will see more than 25 GW of renewable energy added to the grid in the coming decade. For related news, see January 11, 2010, article – Winners of U.K. Offshore Wind Jackpot Revealed.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband commented: “This is a vote of confidence from one of the foremost companies in the offshore wind sector looking to set up a base in the U.K.–more proof that we’re exploiting the great natural resource that we have and creating the right conditions to attract investment. Siemens’ investment will help create jobs and help us meet our renewable energy targets.”
The U.K. wind market is a hive of activity at present, with numerous companies setting their sights on being well positioned for the huge investment in offshore wind expected in the next 10 years. Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe Limited (MPSE) (London, England), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (TYO:7011) (MHI) (Tokyo, Japan), is planning to invest about £100 million ($151 million) in a new U.K.-based wind turbine research and development project by 2014. The government is backing the move with £30 million ($45.3 million), and the new facility will create up to 200 jobs. For related news, see March 1, 2010, article – United Kingdom Wind Market is Whirlwind of Activity.
Andreas Goss, Siemens’ chief executive in the U.K., commented: “The U.K. government has created a stable framework to attract inward investment in renewables and offshore wind power in particular. The competition for land development, announced in the Budget last week, gives us confidence that the appropriate U.K. port infrastructure can be made available to support our production plans. With the anticipated growth in the renewables market, there is potential for expansion of the facility in the future.”
Sardinia Changes Renewable Energy Legislation
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010n March 12, the regional government of Sardinia in Italy announced three key changes regarding the regulation of renewable energy production in the island.
In Deliberation 10/1, the government established the creation of a fully regional state-owned company named Sardegna Energia SpA. This company will be a key player in the development of renewable projects in the region, aligning them with regional energy plans and programs to promote the production of electricity, ensuring respect for the environmental sustainability and the conservation of the natural and historical landmarks. According to President of the Regional Board Ugo Cappellacci, the main role of Sardegna Energia will be to develop and operate any future wind energy projects that are not solely for self-consumption.
Sweden’s Nuclear Power U-turn Progresses
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010Sweden could soon be the latest country to join a growing number of European nations breathing new life into their nuclear power industries.
The country’s government has put forward two controversial bills that will effectively end the country’s 30-year ban on new nuclear plants. The first bill will allow nuclear power companies to replace older reactors installed in the 1970s and 1980s with modern reactors, while the second will insist that nuclear power operators pay significantly more compensation in the event of accidents. Voting will take place in June and, if successful, applications for replacing the reactors can be submitted after August 1. However, only four votes are needed to defeat the coalition government’s plans for a nuclear renaissance and three rebel politicians have already announced their intentions to break ranks and vote ‘No.’
Sweden announced its intention to move back toward nuclear power last year, despite having become one of the leading anti-nuclear power nations following the Three Mile Island incident in 1979.
“We won’t have more reactors than the 10 we have now. In 10 years’ time, one or two [more] could be invested in,” said Andreas Carlgren, Sweden’s environment minister, speaking to Reuters. “We want to clarify that the nuclear industry has to take full responsibility for all costs regarding the worst cases if there was a real accident.”
“We have no alternative,” said Kenneth Eriksson, chairman of forestry, mining and steel industry group SKGS. “If we want to lower our emissions this is the only way. Wind power can only get us so far.”
Sweden relies on hydroelectric power for about 50% of its power needs. With many of the hydro facilities dating back to the 1940s, the three major energy operators in the country, Vattenfall, Finland’s Fortum Oyj (HEL:FUM1V) (Espoo, Finland) and Germany’s E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) (Dusseldorf) recently pledged billions of euros to refurbish their hydroelectric plants.
The country is also looking to increase its wind power resources. Earlier this month, the government revealed plans to erect 2,000 wind turbines in the next 10 years. The turbines will add 10 terawatt-hours a year to Sweden’s renewable energy mix. The country has a goal of generating 50% of its power from renewables by 2020.
U.K. Creates £2 Billion Green Investment Bank
Monday, March 29th, 2010The United Kingdom plans to kick-start investment in renewable energy projects, particularly offshore windfarms, by revealing plans to create a £2 billion ($3 billion) Green Investment Bank to entice private investors.
The new institution was unveiled as part of the U.K.’s budget announcement yesterday by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling. Half of the money will come from the government through the sale of a variety of national assets, and private investors will provide the rest. In addition to the Green Investment Bank, the government has opened up a competition worth £60 million ($89.5 million) to modernise the country’s ports to attract companies involved in building offshore windfarms. In January, the government announced the winners of its Round 3 competition for planned offshore windfarms, which will eventually generate 25 gigawatts of electricity and cost more than £100 billion ($149 million) to construct. For related news, see January 11, 2010, article - Winners of U.K. Offshore Wind Jackpot Revealed.
“Improving our infrastructure also requires us to renew and modernise our energy supplies,” Darling said. “Again our competitors are not standing still. China is building a new power station every week to meet its growing energy needs. We need to take long-term decisions to secure our supplies while moving to a low-carbon economy. This means replacing our ageing nuclear power stations. It also means investing in renewable energy along with sustainable transport. To deliver this ambition–vital for future jobs and the health of our planet–I am setting up a new Green Investment Bank. It will control £2 billion worth of equity. Half will come from the asset sales, including the Channel Tunnel rail link, with the rest matched by private investment. This equity will unlock billions more of finance from the private sector.”
The move has been welcomed by the renewable energy sector, although there was some criticism that the government didn’t announce its plans for more financial support for biomass projects.
Gaynor Hartnell, CEO of the Renewable Energy Association (London), said: “It’s important the Green Bank is sufficiently capitalised and supports renewable energy in all forms and at all scales. The bank could help to optimise manufacturing and job-creation opportunities across the full range of renewable technologies.”
The government was expected to announce the “grandfathering” of biomass projects under the Renewables Obligation scheme, but this has been postponed.
“This is an absolutely vital issue for the industry,” Hartnell said. “Government has today given some indication of its proposed solution, and we will be scrutinising these in detail. The crucial test will be whether the statement due on Tuesday does enough to unlock the billions of pounds of planned investments that have been stalled since before Christmas.”
Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth, said: “The Government’s announcement to set up a Green Investment Bank is fantastic news. It should be a crucial building block in the creation of a safe, clean and prosperous future. This bank will provide crucial funds for major green developments, such as offshore wind projects, which will slash emissions, increase our energy security and create thousands of new jobs. We must do much more to build a low-carbon economy, but today’s announcement is a massive stride in the right direction.”
Chemical capacitor to store wind power
Monday, March 29th, 2010EnergyXtreme – Renewable Energy Enabler.
Xtreme Power Inc says it has power storage technology that can beat lithium ion batteries in terms of energy efficiency, cycle life, and cost. The Texas-based company won a contract to install a 10-MW battery to back up a 30-MW wind farm planned for Oahu, Hawaii. Project developer First Wind received a $117 million DOE loan guarantee for the project, and Xtreme Power says it will be managing the battery along with the wind farm’s output over a smart grid network.
The company says it’s PowerCell eliminates risks associate with other energy storage technology with features such as nonhazmat rated an no special site permitting required. It operates at ambient temperatures, and 95% of PowerCell materials can be recovered and recycled.
Renewable energy storage solution makes wind and solar reliable, viable and predictable.
Power Conditioning
Dynamic Power Factor Correction
Reduce Harmonic Disturbances
Eliminates Surges or Sags
Critical Loads Totally Isolated from Grid
Electrical Stability with Minimal Operating Costs
Minimize Wind Generation Power Swings
Improve Overall Power Quality
Load Leveling
Bridging Power from Wind Turbines during Low or Variable Wind Velocities
Ride Through Outages/Disruptions
Duration Sufficient for Combustion Turbine or Other Generation to come On‐Line
No Spinning Reserve for Wind Generation Component
Coverts Wind Generator Output to Usable Grid Power (Direct Drive Systems)
Automatic Power Transfer (Load Sharing)
Iberdrola to Build 400-Megawatt Windfarm in German Baltic Sea
Friday, March 26th, 2010Spanish energy giant Iberdrola Renovables SA will build a 400-megawatt (MW) windfarm in the German zone of the Baltic Sea.
Iberdrola has confirmed that it has bought the rights to construct the Ventotec Ost II windfarm from a joint venture comprising German companies Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH and Ventotec GmbH. The windfarm will be capable of hosting up to 80 turbines with generating capacities of 5 MW each. Each year, the windfarm will generate an estimated 1.2 gigawatt-hours. Iberdrola leads the world in offshore wind projects, and this latest project takes its global wind portfolio of finished, ongoing and planned projects to more than 12,000 MW.
According to Iberdrola, the Ventotec Ost 2 offshore wind complex is at “an advanced stage of the authorisation procedure,” and is expected to be up and running by 2014. The German government has set a target of obtaining at least 10,000 MW from wind projects by 2020, and Iberdrola is establishing itself as a key player. Ventotec Ost 2 is located in the northern part of the priority wind area known as Westlich Adlergrund, which is about 40 kilometres from the nearest coastline, at the island of Rügen. Average water depth is approximately 39 metres.
Over the next two years Iberdrola expects to invest 9 billion euros ($12 billion) to drive international expansion in the wind sector. The company plans to spend 4.9 billion euros ($6.5 billion) in the United States, 1.9 billion euros ($2.5 billion) in the United Kingdom, 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in Spain, and 1.2 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in Germany and the rest of the world. In recent weeks, Iberdrola announced that it has created a new Offshore Wind Division in Glasgow, Scotland, to oversee its global wind operations. The division will be part of Iberdrola-owned ScottishPower Renewables, part of ScottishPower (Glasgow). For additional information, see March 8, 2010, article – Iberdrola Creates Offshore Wind Division in Glasgow to Promote Wind Power Projects
Using Buy-Local Movements As Part Of Your Green Marketing Strategy
Thursday, March 25th, 2010Find out how buy-local movements can give independent owners a unified voice in government and media, educate consumers about the value of independent businesses and how to make a buy-local strategy work for your company.
GE Announces Major European Offshore Wind Expansion with a Planned €340 Million Investment for Manufacturing, Engineering and Service Facilities in Four Countries.
Thursday, March 25th, 2010Plan Focused on GE’s Next Generation 4-megawatt Direct Drive Wind Turbine and Promising Offshore Wind Sector
Key elements of GE’s European expansion announcement include:
Norway
GE will add to its existing presence in Norway with plans to create a new Offshore Technology Development Center in Oslo and will expand its advanced demonstration unit production and service facilities in Verdal. GE also has joined the Nowitech Research Center in Norway to participate in joint research projects on offshore wind topics. Norway is the planned site for the testing and demonstration of the first 4-megawatt wind turbines offshore. This will result in approximately 100 jobs and a €75 million investment related to GE’s offshore wind business in Norway by 2016.
Sweden
In Sweden, GE also will expand its current offshore wind facilities by developing a Conceptual and Systems Design Center in Karlstad, Sweden. A technology demonstration unit is planned to be installed in Gothenburg harbor, and GE also will join the Chalmers Wind Energy Center in Gothenburg. This will result in approximately 50 jobs and a €50 million investment related to GE’s offshore wind business in Sweden by 2016.
Germany
A new engineering center in Hamburg will feature product development, application engineering and advanced technology. GE also plans to expand its resources at its existing wind turbine manufacturing facility in Salzbergen, as well as the GE Global Research Center in Munich. This will result in approximately 100 jobs and a €105 million investment related to GE’s offshore wind business in Germany by 2016.
United Kingdom
GE plans to establish its offshore wind turbine manufacturing in the United Kingdom. In addition, GE will locate application and service engineering resources in the country and will bring partners and suppliers of towers, blades, nacelles and other offshore wind components to the manufacturing facility. The plan will result in up to €110 million investment related to GE’s offshore wind business in the United Kingdom and could ultimately deliver nearly 2,000 jobs by 2020. This investment will follow the successful outcome of the U.K. government’s infrastructure competition, aimed at supporting the development of renewable energy in the United Kingdom.
The new edition of the international standard yearbook for wind energy is now available.
Thursday, March 25th, 2010World Wind Energy Association has published the new edition of the international standard yearbook for wind energy, with country reports covering 100 countries and special reports on: Financing, Industrial Trends, Policies and more.
Below is an executive summary:
- Worldwide capacity reached 159’213 MW, out of which 38′312 MW were added in 2009.
- Wind power showed a growth rate of 31,7 %, the highest rate since 2001.
- The trend continued that wind capacity doubles every three years.
- All wind turbines installed by the end of 2009 worldwide are generating 340 TWh per annum, equivalent to the total electricity demand of Italy, the seventh largest economy of the world, and equalling 2 % of global electricity consumption.
- The wind sector in 2009 had a turnover of 50 billion €.
- The wind sector employed 550’000 persons worldwide. In the year 2012, the wind industry is expected for the first time to offer 1 million jobs.
- China continued its role as the locomotive of the international wind industry and added 13’800 MW within one year – as the biggest market for new turbines –, more than doubling the installations for the fourth year in a row.
- The USA maintained its number one position in terms of total installed capacity and China became number two in total capacity, only slightly ahead of Germany, both of them with around 26’000 Megawatt of wind capacity installed.
- Asia accounted for the largest share of new installations (40,4 %), followed by North America (28,4 %) and Europe fell back to the third place (27,3 %).
- Latin America showed encouraging growth and more than doubled its installations, mainly due to Brazil and Mexico.
- A total wind capacity of 200’000 Megawatt will be exceeded within the year 2010.
- Based on accelerated development and further improved policies, WWEA increases its predictions and sees a global capacity of 1’900’000 Megawatt as possible by the year 2020.
Romania is set to significantly expand its wind energy capacity over the coming years.
Thursday, March 25th, 2010Improving on its position as one of the European countries with the lowest amount of wind energy capacity installed.
Currently the country has 14 MW of installed capacity, but the European Wind Energy Association, in its recently published Pure Power report, predicts this will rise to 3,500 MW, all of that onshore wind power. The Dobrogea region which borders the Black Sea, the Moldova Hills and other hilly or mountainous plateaux have significant wind resources which could be used to power future carbon-free electricity generation.
“There is huge potential for wind power in Romania, and if existing infrastructure barriers are removed, the Romanian wind power market will grow, providing jobs and helping drive the economy, especially in poor rural areas,” Cristian Tantareanu from the centre for the promotion of clean and efficient energy in Romania (ENERO), said.
At a wind energy conference organised by EWEA in Bucharest last year, Arthouros Zervos, President of EWEA, urged the Romanian government to: “promptly address issues such as administrative procedures and grid access for renewables projects”.
A national law which will contain support measures for wind energy is still passing through the political process, but it should be finalised in the first half of 2010.
Despite the low level of wind penetration today, Romania is well on course to meet its renewable energy target – a 24% share of renewables in the overall energy mix by 2020. Wind power is the second most important renewable in the country, following large hydro.
“Wind energy will be key for us to reach our 2020 renewables target,” Alexandru Sandulescu from the Romanian Ministry of Economy said.
“РусГидро” и “Ростехнологии” намерены построить парк ветрогенераторов
Thursday, March 25th, 2010МОСКВА, 23 мар – РИА Новости.
ОАО “РусГидро” и госкорпорация “Ростехнологии” разрабатывают совместный проект строительства в РФ парка ветрогенераторов мощностью 1 гигаватт, сообщил начальник департамента возобновляемых источников энергии “Русгидро” Павел Понкратьев, выступая во вторник на круглом столе в Госдуме РФ.
Объем инвестиций, по предварительным оценкам, составит 2,5 миллиарда долларов.
Ветропарк предполагается построить в Волгоградской области, один год понадобится для проектирования и четыре года для строительства ветропарка. Отвечая на вопрос когда начнется реализация данного проекта, Понкратьев ответил, что она начнется, как только правительством будут приняты необходимые постановления по стимулированию производства электроэнергии на основе возобновляемых источников энергии.
Scotland Awards 1.2 Gigawatts of Marine Energy Projects
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010The Crown Estate, which oversees the U.K.’s sea beds, awarded leasing rights to six wave and four tidal projects in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters. The competition winners came from a pool of 20 companies, which had proposed a total of 42 projects. The winning projects will be commercial-scale operations and will represent the largest marine-energy concentration in the world. Their combined generating capacity of 1.2 GW greatly exceeds the original capacity target of 700 megawatts (MW).
The winners of the first marine energy leasing round are:
Wave:
SSE Renewables Developments Limited (Perth, Scotland), 200 MW for Costa Head site
Aquamarine Power Limited (Glasgow, Scotland) and SSE Renewables Developments Limited, 200 MW for Brough Head site
ScottishPower Renewables (Glasgow), 50 MW for Marwick Head site
E.ON UK (Coventry, England), 50 MW for West Orkney South site
E.ON UK, 50 MW for West Orkney Middle South site
Pelamis Wave Power Limited (Edinburgh, Scotland), 50 MW for Armadale site
Tidal:
SSE Renewables Developments (UK) Limited (Perth), 200 MW for Westray South site
SSE Renewables Holdings (UK) Limited and OpenHydro Site Development Limited (Dublin, Ireland), 200 MW for Cantick Head site
Marine Current Turbines (Bristol, England), 100 MW for Brough Ness site
ScottishPower Renewables, 100 MW for Ness of Duncansby site
Ship supply must shape up to meet burgeoning demand
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010A rapid capacity build-out of vessels and crew is needed to meet growing demand for offshore wind. Several companies are already stepping up to the plate.
http://social.windenergyupdate.com/industry-insight/ship-supply-must-shape-meet-burgeoning-demand
Enviro-Energies Holdings Inc – VAWT
Thursday, March 18th, 2010Enviro-Energies Holdings, Inc., with roots in both the United States and Canada, is the exclusive worldwide license holder for the manufacturing and distribution of the patented Magnetic (MagLev) Vertical Axis Wind Turbines™ (MVAWTs™). After several years of MVAWT™ prototype development and testing, in January of 2009, Enviro-Energies engaged Performance Assembly Solutions (PAS) and its minority owner, Roush Enterprises based in Livonia, MI, to perform in-depth Computational Fluid Dynamics testing and Finite Element Analysis, as well as to provide support for Enviro-Energies’ engineering designs and improvements, investigation of manufacturing feasibility and the achievement of full scale production of the Enviro-Energies MVAWTs™. The relationship with PAS and Roush has greatly strengthened Enviro-Energies’ grip on achieving its goal of allowing as many people as possible the ability to harness and utilize wind energy in an effective, dependable and efficient manner where they live, work and play, while working toward its parallel goal of creating thousands of jobs throughout North America.
Dragonfly wind turbine
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
Enabling Offshore Wind Supply Chain Summit
Thursday, March 18th, 2010(London 25-26 May, 2010)
http://www.enabling-offshore-wind-supply-chain-2010.com/index.asp
European Energy Giants Increase Renewable Energy Portfolios
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010European energy companies have reported significant progress in the growth of their renewable energy portfolios for 2009.
Germany’s E.ON AG (OTC:EONGY) (Dusseldorf) showed the largest growth, reporting a 50% increase in energy generated from renewable sources in 2009. Danish energy company Dong Energy (Skaerbaek, Denmark) reported an 8% rise in renewable energy for the same period.
E.ON’s annual report showed that renewable energy from hydro, wind, solar and biomass projects in Europe and North America topped 2,957 megawatts (MW) in 2009, up from 1,979 MW in 2008. Wind installations in the United States accounted for much of the growth, including the 782-MW Pyron Windfarm near Roscoe, Texas. Onshore wind played the largest role in E.ON’s renewable surge. New windfarms in Spain and Portugal accounted for most of the company’s European growth. E.ON’s 180-MW Robin Riggs offshore windfarm in the U.K. started feeding electricity to the national grid in September. Overall, wind accounted for 96% of E.ON’s Climate and Renewables portfolio, and according to E.ON CEO Wulf Bernotat, renewables will remain a key area in the company’s future capacity growth.
“The current focus of our renewables investments is on expanding our wind capacity,” explained Bernotat. “In the last two years, we’ve achieved unprecedented growth in wind power and have already become one of the world’s largest wind power producers. In 2009, we established solar power as our second key renewables technology.”
Between 2007 and 2009, the average size of E.ON’s windfarms increased from 15 MW to 75 MW, while average turbine size grew from 1.4 MW to 1.9 MW. E.ON is on course to invest 8 billion euros ($11 billion) in renewables between 2007 and 2011 and has a goal of reaching 10 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2015. E.ON completed its first solar photovoltaic (PV) farm in Le Lauzet in southern France in 2009 and is part of the ambitious Desertec project to build massive solar farms in North Africa to provide power for Europe. For additional information, see related article from June 19, 2009 – European Companies Plan $550 Billion Solar Project in Sahara Desert.
Meanwhile, Dong Energy reported that power from renewables grew 8% in 2009 to 2,810 gigawatt-hours. Renewables now account for 16% of Dong’s energy mix. More than 40% of the company’s investments in 2009 went toward renewable power projects, and five new windfarms were commissioned last year.
Rexroth Bosch Group – Gear Technology and Hydraulics for Wind and Wave Generators
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010As producer of hydraulic and gear technology systems Rexroth is a competent partner and comprehensive supplier to manufacturers of wind turbines.
http://www.boschrexroth.com – wind
Green Ocean Energy Ltd – wave systems
Monday, March 15th, 2010From the work on the Ocean Treader, a derivative machine of simplified design, Wave Treader, has arisen using aspects of Ocean Treader and mounting them on the foundation of an Offshore Wind Turbine. This shows promise to be highly commercially attractive, to have low technical risk, and to be quick to market. Npower has supported a Feasibility Study into the commercial application of Wave Treader via their Juice Fund and we expect to start building a full size prototype of Wave Treader in 2009 with commercialisation in 2011.
Offshore wind turbine platforms
Monday, March 15th, 2010
Wind Power Upkeep Woes Also Offer Opportunities
Friday, March 12th, 2010Wind turbine technology has become a fully commercial venture, but the recent rapid growth of the wind industry has strained its supply chain to meet demand in a timely manner. Furthermore, unexpected component failures, especially electronic controls, gearboxes, generators, and rotor blades, have driven up operations and maintenance costs.
During the course of the research for a new report just published by Wind Energy Update, it ultimately became clear that reliable and verifiable data on wind industry operations and maintenance cost trends is quite rare. In fact, there are no current widely available data sets illustrating these wind industry costs.
The key to reducing operations and maintenance liabilities is preventive maintenance substituting for unscheduled maintenance. Here is a list of the primary findings derived from a Wind Energy Update survey conducted for this report:
- The percentage of wind turbines still under warranty during the time of Wind Energy Update survey was 79 percent. Due to this fact, most owner-operators don’t even know what their exact costs of operations and maintenance are. Due to the unexpected high failure rates of major components with the most recent class of multi-megawatt turbines, original equipment manufacturers have no motive to share their failure rate data with owner-operators, let alone researchers trying to publicize these facts.
- Operations and maintenance costs for wind power are far higher than originally projected, particularly in the United States, now the world’s largest wind power market.
- Europe’s emphasis on preventive rather than reactive maintenance results in overall lower operations and maintenance costs than the United States: a 2 to 5 percent advantage if resource factors are accounted for.
- According to this Wind Energy Update survey, the percent change in wind farm return on investment was negative 21 percent with a standard deviation of 13 percent. This underperformance of wind assets is most likely attributed to both differences in power production and operations and maintenance costs over original estimates.
- The same surveys showed that the percentage of total wind initial project costs invested in operations and maintenance was 3 percent with a standard deviation of 3 percent. Many project owner-operators had originally estimated operations and maintenance at one percent of initial project costs.
- Finally, the average values of operations and maintenance costs obtained from surveys were $0.027 per kilowatt-hour. This compares to early estimates by one of the world’s dominant turbine suppliers of $.005 per kilowatt-hour.
Part of the challenge facing the wind industry as it scales up turbines to more efficiently capture the kinetic energy from the wind is pure and simple science. While the weight of larger rotors is designed to capture wind energy increases by the cube, power generation only increases by the square.
In other words, increasing rotor lengths from 40 to 80 metres increases weight (and turbine cost) by a factor of 8, but energy capture only by a factor of 4.
New, more radical designs such as two-bladed rotors, direct drive turbines without gearboxes and even various vertical axis designs are now coming to market as designers seek new innovations to address this fundamental dilemma.
Europe’s Ambitious ‘Green Grid’ Plan
Friday, March 12th, 2010To boost new energy sources such as wind, solar, and tidal, nine countries will link up producers through a €30 billion smart grid under the North Sea
By Valentina Pop
Nine north-western European countries are planning a giant underwater energy grid in the North Sea linked to wind farms, tidal power stations and hydroelectric plants.
Thousands of kilometers of high-tech energy cables are set to be laid on the seabed of the North Sea in the coming ten years, in what will become Europe’s groundbreaking energy park, Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reports.
The cables would link existing and new windmills off the German and British coasts with Belgian and Danish tidal power stations and Norwegian hydroelectric plants. The €30-billion project would compensate for the irregular nature of renewable energy and provide a steady flow to the countries involved.
Germany, Great Britain, France, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Luxembourg are behind the project. Their respective energy ministers last month signed a so-called North Seas’ countries offshore initiative, just as the international climate change summit in Copenhagen was kicking off.
“We’re already the world leader in offshore wind here in the UK and today’s announcements bring new funding and expert direction to grow this vital new industry,” Philip Hunt, the British sustainability minister, said in December.
Berlin sees itself as the driving motor behind the scheme. “For Germany, as a country with ambitious offshore-development plans, this initiative has great importance. It focuses on network connection and integration, which is crucial for wind energy to reach consumers and to make offshore energy generation a success,” German minister for economy and technology Rainer Bruderle said on Wednesday (5 January) in a press release.
He added that the idea came about during a meeting of French, German and Benelux representatives on energy issues.
After initial meetings in Ireland last year, officials from the nine countries will meet in the February, and aim to sign a binding agreement by the end of 2010. The project is mainly going to be funded by energy firms, which will be drawn into the negotiations. It is expected to produce 100 gigawatts of power.
The EU hopes to generate a fifth of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2020, a move which requires new modern energy grids, capable of absorbing the fluctuations of wind and solar energy.
9th WORLD WIND ENERGY CONFERENCE & RENEWABLE ENERGY EXHIBITION
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Istanbul, Turkey, 15-17 June 2010
The 9th World Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition WWEC2010, will be organised by the World Wind Energy Association in cooperation with EUROSOLAR Turkey. The event aims to set up a powerful platform where the major players of wind energy technologies, industries and policies are gathered together to share the latest technologies and information effecting strategic decisions.
CONFERENCE TOPICS
1. Wind turbine technology, systems, and components
2. Wind power and other renewable energy system integration and storage
3. Grid connection
4. Hybrid systems and small wind turbines
5. Wind farm planning, onshore, offshore and stand alone
6. Monitoring, operation and maintenance of wind farms
7. Manufacturing of wind equipment
8. National policies on wind energy and renewable energy sources, barriers, incentives
9. Financing models: Equity, loans, carbon finance
10. Community power: Ownership models
11. International programmes
12. Training and education
Gamesa Gets Ready for the Big Push
Thursday, March 11th, 2010The main Gamesa G10X-4.5 MW design feature, is its segmented composite Gamesa-designed INNOBLADE rotor blades. In addition, the 128 metre rotor diameter represents a wind industry record, while the 250 tonne Top Head Mass (THM) can be highly regarded in its performance class. Gamesa’s G10X-4.5 MW project is a major multi-year product development undertaking, and the company’s first genuinely in-house developed wind turbine. The overall product development process involved more than 150 Gamesa engineers and other experts located in its Spanish and Danish R&D centres, working in close co-operation with external specialists and research organisations.
GE Confirms Offshore Turbine Details
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Speaking at the company’s ‘The future of alternative energy summit’, Stephan Ritter, GE Energy’s general manager for Renewable Energy Europe, confirmed a larger rotor diameter than the current 90.6 metre design and a power rating of some 4 MW. This compares with a 3.5 MW rating on the existing ScanWind models.
“Now is the time for investment in offshore.” – Stephan Ritter said.
Narec Receives £18.5M Grant for 100-MW Offshore Wind Platform
Thursday, March 11th, 2010The UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) this week announced that it has allocated an £18.5 million grant to fund an offshore wind test site at Narec in Blyth, Northumberland.
“We very much welcome this funding award and the continued support we have received from Central Government and Regional Development Agency, One North East, which is creating a national hub in North East England for the development of offshore wind technologies,” said Andrew Mill, CEO of Narec. “Today’s announcement will enable Narec to progress with our plans to deliver a 100MW grid connected offshore demonstration platform, with the capacity to accommodate up to 20 large-scale prototypes.”
Narec said that the facility will enable manufacturers and wind farm developers to identify best practice approaches across the supply chain for the development, deployment and O&M of new turbine technologies, which will be most pertinent to the Crown Estate Round 3 Programme.
“We are delighted the Government has chosen to support this groundbreaking project,” said Ian Williams, director of Business and Industry at One North East. “Narec is supporting the Agency and our many partners to attract global companies to our region and this further investment develops further our comprehensive innovation and test offer for the global offshore wind industry.”
New Energy Husum 18-21 March 2010
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010Over 220 exhibitors from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, Korea, India, the USA and China and across the whole renewable energy sector will be presenting the latest products and developments for generating renewable electricity and heat. The main themes are: solar energy, bioenergy, geothermal energy, small wind turbines, electromobility, energy advice, energy-saving building, and financial advice.
UK, NORTH-EAST group helps seal deal for £25m turbine site
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010A NORTH-EAST law firm has helped to ensure the region becomes home to a £25m green energy factory, which will make the world’s biggest turbine blades and could create 3,000 jobs.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week unveiled plans for the Neptune Blade facility, on the riverside at Walker, Newcastle. It will be the first factory in the UK to build offshore turbines.
The project, by Clipper Windpower, based in the US, is expected to be completed this year, creating 500 jobs on Tyneside and thousands more in the supply chain.
India Aims for 30% Reduction in Power Sector’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2022
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010The government of India has announced a low-carbon growth strategy that is aimed at achieving the country’s target of decreasing the intensity of the nation’s power sector greenhouse gas emissions.
The policy implementation will begin by reducing power sector emissions by almost 30% by 2022, in comparison to levels recorded in 2005. The low-emission strategy includes the withdrawal of 8,000 megawatts (MW) of inefficient thermal power units from operations over the next 12 years; the addition of 27,000 MW of gas-based power generation capacity; the addition of 80,000 MW of high-efficiency supercritical thermal units; and the installation of 41,000 MW of renewable energy facilities.
About 1,100 MW of old, inefficient thermal units already have been retired. As an incentive to the states, the government proposes to compensate for 50% of the generation capacity of the unit prior to shutdown by allocating from the government’s unallocated quota during the normative period of shutdown. The plan includes the provision of a huge boost to the hydropower sector by facilitating statutory clearances required to harness 41,000 MW of new hydropower capacity within the same time frame.
The policy will soon issue directives regarding the minimum efficiency that must be maintained by new power generation units. Appliances, buildings and industries also will be issued energy intensity standards. From India’s 13th five-year plan period, 2018-22, coal linkages and environmental clearances will be issued to only those thermal power projects that are based on highly efficient supercritical technology. About half of the coal-based power generation units included during the 12th five-year plan period, 2012-17, will be based on supercritical technology.
The renewable energy target includes the addition of at least 10,000 MW of solar power units and 31,000 MW of non-solar units. The plan proposes to set up and operate new and existing gas-based power units by utilizing both indigenous and imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).
According to a government official associated with the plan, the entire focus of the strategy is to use superior technology and cleaner fuels. As per current conditions, the average emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) per megawatt-hour of generated power is 1 ton for subcritical units, 0.88 tons for new coal-based supercritical units, and 0.46 tons for gas-based units. By implementing the new strategy, the number could go down to 0.25 tons for gas-based power units.
In January 2010, India had informed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) about its plans to implement voluntary mitigation actions aimed at decreasing the emission intensity of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 20% to 25% by 2020 in comparison to the 2005 levels. Emission intensity can be defined as the kilograms of CO2 emitted to generate 22 US cents of the GDP.
In January this year, Pramod Deo, the chairman of India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) (New Delhi), said that India is considering the possibility of permitting the country’s power companies to begin trading renewable energy credits from May in an effort to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and create a multibillion-dollar market. If implemented, the plan will place India far ahead of China and other developing nations in creating a market for domestic emissions trading and, consequently, encourage investments in clean energy projects. Deo said that the nation could have a Renewable Energy Certificate mechanism by April or May this year. Independent analysts have estimated that trade in renewable energy credits could reach $10 billion by 2020.
Another plan proposes to develop a parallel system in which credits from energy-saving projects will be traded. According to Ajay Mathur, the director general of India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (New Delhi), such a market is expected to grow to $16 billion within half a decade.
Sweden Plans to Build 2,000 Wind Turbines
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010The Swedish government has revealed plans to build 2,000 wind turbines over the next 10 years to make renewable energy as productive as the country’s nuclear power stations.
Sweden is one of the most advanced countries in Europe in the renewable energy sector and has set a goal to produce 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. Sweden’s Enterprise and Energy Minister Maud Olofsson claimed that the turbines will help boost electricity from renewables by 10 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2020. In addition to this, the country will also expand the rollout of solar farms and biomass plants to add another 15 TWh. With this extra 25 TWh, renewable energy production will reach 50 TWh, the equivalent of the power produced by Sweden’s nuclear power sector. Renewable energy currently accounts for about 20% of Sweden’s total electricity mix.
“Sweden has extremely good prospects for rapidly increasing the production of renewable energy, especially from the burning of biofuels, cogeneration plants and wind power,” Olofsson wrote in a recent report.
According to the latest statistics from the European Wind Energy Association (Brussels, Belgium), Sweden accounted for more than 1,550 megawatts (MW) of installed wind at the end of 2009, up from slightly more than 1,000 MW at the end of 2008. In Europe, Sweden accounted for 5% of new wind installations last year, investing about 770 million euros ($1.04 billion) in 200 wind power installations. While Sweden has nowhere near as much wind power as Denmark’s 3,500 MW, Sweden’s investment in the sector is growing very quickly and it now has three times more wind than Norway and 15 times more than Finland, its closest neighbours.
The move to drastically increase the country’s wind power generation capacity has been welcomed by industry groups.
“It’s very positive and a sign of strength for the entire industry that continues to attract very large investments and grow rapidly in the worst downturn in modern times,” said Matthias Rapp, chief executive officer at Swedish Wind Energy, (Stockholm, Sweden), which represents most of the wind energy companies in Sweden.
Last year, Norwegian energy company Statkraft AS (Oslo) signed a 1 billion euro ($1.36 billion) deal with Swedish forestry and timber company Södra (Vaxjo) to build a potential portfolio of 300 wind installations on Södra’s properties. The deal saw Statkraft take a 90% share in the small wind power operation, Södra Vindkraft AB. The company believes it could generate 1.6 TWh of electricity per year. For related news item, see September 9, 2009, article - Statkraft Looks to Billion-Euro Deal for Swedish Wind Power.
Installation complete for first offshore wind farm Outside Europe
Wednesday, March 10th, 20102010-02-27
At 3:28 pm February 27 upon connection of the 34th wind turbine to the offshore pile cap, all the Sinovel 3MW offshore wind turbines for the Shanghai Donghai Bridge 102MW offshore wind power demonstration project were successfully installed.
Construction starts for Sinovel 5MW wind turbine project in Jiangsu
Wednesday, March 10th, 20102010-01-11
A grand ceremony was held for the groundbreaking of the Sinovel 5MW wind turbine project at Sinovel Yancheng Base on the morning of January 11.
European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC)
Monday, March 8th, 2010Tuesday 20 – Friday 23 April 2010, Warsaw, Poland
The European Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition (EWEC) is widely regarded as the most professional, comprehensive and informative event in the wind sector. It offers a unique opportunity to generate new business leads.
EWEC is the only annual event which combines an extensive exhibition of the leading players with a conference covering every key aspect of the wind market – from technical and theoretical to policy and practice. Join over 7,000 key players in the wind industry for four days of networking and professional development.
www.ewec2010.info
Clean Tech Looks Forward to Heavy Investment from Global Corporates
Thursday, March 4th, 2010Spending in the clean technology industry shows no signs of decline and in spite of the global economic situation, spending by the world’s biggest companies in this area looks set to increase. A recent survey – conducted by leading professional services organisation Ernst and Young – yielded these results from consultations with more than 300 executives worldwide from corporations with revenues in excess of US$1bn.
As Gil Forer, Global Director of Cleantech at Ernst & Young explains:
“The increasing interest and activity of multibillion-dollar companies around the globe underscores the growing market opportunities in cleantech. Making good on those opportunities will likely depend on identifying new partnership models that enable corporations and emerging cleantech companies to meet their own objectives while facilitating the arrival of a low-carbon and resource-efficient economy.”
“Also, the rising demand for finite natural resources, spurred by growth in population and in the numbers of middle-class consumers in emerging-market countries, is driving the need for corporations to establish a resource-efficiency agenda to ensure sustainable long-term growth and competitive advantage.”
http://greeneconomypost.com/clean-tech-linvestment-corporates-–-ernst-young-7156.htm
Fortum invests in new waste-to-energy power plant in Lithuania
Wednesday, March 3rd, 201023.2.2010 12:15
Fortum is building a new combined heat and power plant in Klaipeda, Lithuania. The value of the investment is around EUR 140 million. Purchasing of main equipment has been now agreed and the power plant will be completed for production by January 2013.
The new power plant will use municipal and industrial wastes and biomass as fuels. The production capacity will be approximately 50 megawatts (MW) heat and 20 MW electricity. The district heating will be sold to Klaipedos Energija and the electricity will be sold to the national grid.
Seabased AB – wave energy
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010Seabased AB develops industrial solutions for sustainable conversion of ocean wave energy to electricity, thereby creating lasting value for consumers, customers, society and shareholders.
Vertical Wind AB
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
Vertical Wind AB has developed a new and exciting wind power technology based on a vertical axis wind turbine with a cable-wound direct driven generator. The turbine does not need a pitch or a yawing mechanism and the direct driven generator eliminates the need of a gearbox. The robust and simple technology with few moving and sensitive parts compared to conventional wind turbines, gives a higher availability and reliability as well as lower cost for maintenance. Furthermore, this type of wind turbine is quieter than its horizontal counterpart.
New report defines true cost of wind turbine operations & maintenance
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010“Gearboxes are still the Achilles’ heel for the wind industry, and can cost up to $500,000 to fix due to the high cost of replacement parts, cranes (which can cost $75,000-$100,000), post installation testing, re-commissioning and lost power production,” says one long-term veteran O&M technician.
U.K. Rubbish Dumps to Get Wind Turbines
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010Spanish construction, services and energy giant Fomento de Constucciones y Contratas SA (FCC) (Madrid, Spain) has revealed plans to build wind turbines on rubbish dumps across England, Wales and Scotland.
The company has revealed plans to spend up to 114 million euros ($154 million) for the installation of 80 megawatts (MW) of wind turbines at some of its 100 U.K. landfill sites, operated through subsidiary Waste Recycling Group (WRG) (Northampton, England). The selection of sites and technology will be carried out by FCC’s energy arm, FCC Energy (FCCE).
http://www.industrialinfo.com/showNews.jsp?newsitemID=156518
Mitsubishi to invest $150m in UK offshore turbine project
Monday, March 1st, 2010Japanese engineering giant Mitsubishi has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the UK government to invest up to £100m ($153m) in an R&D project to build an offshore wind turbine prototype.