LondonAccord:Wind
A big thank-you to all members of the community who answered our call for knowledge of wind farm projects in Europe. This information has been collated below:
1 Global Wind Energy Council publish annual statistics, such as this 2009 report
2 European Wind Energy Association charts wind development in Europe here and publishes an overall map. They promote a database (The WindPower) of installed (6,209) windfarms by country and installed capacity:
3 UK - a fun, customisable online map of renewables
- list of operational projects
- list of projects under construction
- list of projects that have been consented
- list of projects that are under planning
4 Netherlands: ECN Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands
5 Wikipedia:
6 Infrastructure Journal hosts a 'definitive project database'
7 Most recommended magazine: Wind Power Monthly
8 Wider resources:
The following discussion was initiated by Ana Dora
Today’s specialists are setting into place a scheme for generating as much energy as possible from non-fossil fuels: solar, wind, biofuels, tidal, amongst others. The Government has set a target for 2015: 15% of all the energy supplied in England and Wales must be provided from alternative sources to coal, oil and gas.
The UK, with its Western coast facing the Atlantic Ocean, is a prime location for both onshore and offshore wind turbines. E.on research shows that “in UK we have the best wind resources for wind power, theoretically we have enough power to generate our annual electricity usage.” Although offshore wind is 50 percent more expensive then onshore one [1], the former have a much higher rate of wind expectancy and they are far from people who oppose the sight of turbines and their gentle whirring. Unfortunately, the current level of onshore wind farms has nowhere near hit its capacity, mostly due to NIMBYist (Not In My Back Yard [2]) attitudes. The closure of the Vestas wind turbine factory [3] at the Isle of Wight forebodes what may happen if too many more people oppose windfarms. When groups oppose the commissioning of wind farms, demand is dampened, impacting on companies building turbines and wind farms.
E.on has become one of the UK's leading energy suppliers. It began investing in wind farms in the 1990s and they have now developed 19 onshore farms and three offshore farms. The onshore farm at Stag's Holt, was commissioned in 2007. This 9 turbine site, with a total power of 18MW is able to generate power to supply approximately 10,000 homes each year and displace the emission of over 40,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. [4]
Two of the three important E.on offshore farms are off the coast of Scotland (Bowbeat, Peebles and Robin Rigg, Solway Firth due for completion 2012 and with a capacity of 180MW) and one off the coast of England (Out Newton, Easington with a capacity of 65MW). London Array's 175 turbines site will be situated in the Thames Estuary. It will be one of the world’s largest wind farms, with a capacity to supply able to supply 750,000 homes with all their energy needs. This is equivalent to one quarter of London’s homes. But besides the energy generated, this form of power generation will offset the turbines will displace 19 million tones of CO2 emissions per year. Prime Minister Gordon Brown commented: “The London Array is a flagship project in our drive to cut emissions by 80% by 2050 and meet future energy needs.” [5]
All wind farms are sustainable. As long as there are differences in air temperature in the troposhpere, air will continue to circulate, producing wind on the ground. However, there are many other factors that influence the efficiency of wind farms like maintenance costs for the wind turbines and the life circle expectancy? Taking these into account would it still be cost-effective ... but a straight answer is almost impossible. As with many climate change related policies, the research and findings can often be under the influence of powerful bodies and vested interests, both under the skeptics and advocats camps. To date it is not clear whether the numbers add up. For the foreseeable future, wind energy will continue to generate mixed responses, so it is unviable to plug wind as a dominant source of energy. A mix of renewable energies will work best.
E.on is an energy supplier and its purpose is the profitable and efficient production of energy, if all the investments are reflected in the price, will we end up paying more than the cost of traditional power generation even with increased oil prices? We’ll need to wait and see which way the wind blows and what news it will bring.
