Category: Wind

Wind farms could be having a radical impact on North Sea wildlife, a new study warns. There are currently 167 operational wind turbines off the North Coast, with another 14 under construction, as part of the UK Government’s drive for renewable energy sources. The first of 60 giant wind turbines has just gone up in… Read more »

A UK partnership plans to turn more than a dozen former coal mine sites into renewable power plants, putting up wind turbines to generate up to 133 megawatts (MW) of power. In the deal, the Peel Company and UK Coal are looking at 14 former coal mining sites for the construction of 54 wind turbines…. Read more »

Spanish wind turbine maker Gamesa has received a €175-million order from energy group Endesa. Gamesa will supply the Spanish group with about 100 wind turbines generators, amounting to the installation of 190 megawatts of power. {pagebreak} The order includes “the delivery, start-up and installation of the wind turbines, along with their operation and maintenance,” Gamesa… Read more »

Europe should erect more wind turbines, a new report into energy in the bloc has said. A draft of the EU’s Second Strategic Energy Review, says planning will start for a new power grid linking offshore wind turbines in the North Sea and for bolstering imports of liquefied natural gas. {pagebreak} Linking all the North… Read more »

Irish energy company Energia has taken delivery of 61 megawatts of wind power from two major new turbine facilities in counties Cork and Kerry. The company will harness the wind for onward supply to its renewable energy customers throughout Ireland. Energia supplies 25 per cent of the business electricity market on an all-island basis with… Read more »

British wind power experts have been sharing their expertise with Taiwanese counterparts at a seminar in Taipei held by the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO). Led by Richard Brooks, head of Business Development of the Renewable Deployment Team of Britain’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, a U.K. delegation comprised of 16 experts from… Read more »

Power and Energy Solutions (PES) magazine has been named as an official partner for the European Wind Energy Conference in Marseille, France, next year. The event, which will be held in March, is the biggest gathering of wind energy experts and commentators from Europe and beyond and it provides an opportunity to discover the latest… Read more »

Nine UK manufacturers are ready to blow away the competition to gain new business in wind energy and other fast growing renewable energy sectors. As part of an Envirolink business improvement project funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency and central government, the companies have energised their own people and performance to compete more effectively… Read more »

Power conversion specialists Converteam have taken top honours at an awards ceremony which recognised their work in the wind turbine field. The UK-based company, which makes a leading range of drives, including the MV3000, widely used in the most advanced wind turbines, came first in the World Class Manufacturing category at the Manufacturer 2008 Live… Read more »

No strangers to lucrative means of producing energy, the money men of the Middle East are now looking towards the renewables sector for cleaner ways of making a profit. A company based in Abu Dhabi has bought a 20 per cent stake in London Array offshore wind farm, which is set to be one of… Read more »

No less a personage than the Queen of England has stepped into the renewables debate by promising to invest in wind power projects in the deep waters off Britain. The Crown Estate, which is the holder of the Queen’s property, says it will pay up to half of all pre-construction development costs for companies wanting… Read more »

Harnessing Ireland’s offshore wind and wave energy is vital to help the country to slash its carbon emissions by 2020, a new parliamentary committee has said. The Dail’s Committee on Climate Change, which was established a year ago, {pagebreak} said Irish people now produce the fifth highest levels of greenhouse gas in the world in… Read more »

A warning not to undermine EU support for renewables has been sounded by a wind energy trade body in a letter to a French minister. The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has expressed its concern about a proposed ‘review clause’ {pagebreak} in the Renewable Energy Directive, and underlined the importance of priority grid access for… Read more »

Fears that wildlife, particularly birds, is affected by wind farms have been allayed in a new study which shows that turbines have little impact on them. “This should be welcome news for nature conservationists, wind energy companies and policy-makers”, {pagebreak} the report from the UK’s Newcastle University said, adding that carbon-free wind power is also… Read more »

A government survey of energy trends in the UK has revealed that Scotland generates twice as much wind energy as England. The quarterly survey, published by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform throws up a number of interesting statistics in relation to renewables in the UK. {pagebreak} And while Scotland has greater renewables… Read more »

Shares in a Scottish wind farm have exceeded market expectations, raising more than £1.25 million of investment. The Great Glen Wind Farm Co-op share offer closed recently, and delighted investors by surpassing its target by more than five times. The scheme is being run by Energy4All, a not-for-profit company set up to spearhead community-owned renewable… Read more »

The European wind power industry could replace the automotive sector as the biggest user of steel by 2020, a Green MEP has claimed. Luxemburg MEP Claude Turmes, who helped a report calling for massive investment in renewables reach almost unanimous backing by the industry committee of the European Parliament, said the legislation would lead to… Read more »

Finland is the latest country to approve the development for wind farm parks in key catchment areas close to coastlines and the sea. The Finnish Government has agreed to build a number of wind power plants over the next ten years with the aim of generating about 2000 megawatts of wind power by 2020. In… Read more »

A plan to create a government office to give a leg-up to the UK’s renewables industry has been welcomed by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA). Secretary of State John Hutton has announced a proposed Office for Renewable Energy Deployment. The office, which should be up and running in the spring of 2009, pending the… Read more »

While the debate over offshore oil drilling in the United States rages, the federal government is looking to lease large swathes of its continental shelf to wind turbine operators. Competition is hotting up to develop wind projects on the shelf, which is currently covered by an oil-drilling ban that has become a contentious issue in… Read more »

Ireland and Scotland unite in green energy plan The Irish and Scottish governments and the Northern Ireland executive are co-operating on a plan for a wind electricity grid linking all three jurisdictions. Energy ministers recently launched the plan to make the case for an offshore wind-power grid operated by all three administrations. {pagebreak}   “This… Read more »

Hydro power for city tram system A collaboration to provide hydroelectricity for the tram system in Manchester, UK, comes hot on the heels of an announcement that the UK city will be the second place in Britain to introduce congestion charging. Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) {pagebreak}… Read more »

European utilities acquire Shell’s stake in world’s largest offshore wind farm The world’s biggest offshore wind farm has been put back on track after the UK energy minister boasted that the technology could attract £3bn investment to the north-east of England alone. A host of wind schemes have been hit by planning delays, cost-inflation fears… Read more »