As a growing number of wind energy assets across Europe near the end of their operational lifetimes, plans to upgrade and repower existing sites using larger, more efficient turbines depend on the ability of developers to accurately assess the wind resource at higher hub heights. However, current methods of data extrapolation from short onsite met…
Quercus to launch new renewable-energy infrastructure funds
Quercus Assets Selection, which specializes in infrastructure investments with a focus on renewable energy, announced that it will launch two new renewable energy infrastructure funds, bringing the total number of funds in its portfolio to five. The launch of the two new funds – a wind and PV solar one – will complement the recently launched…
MAKE Consulting offers its Europe Wind Power Outlook 2015
From MAKE Consulting: Following a 7.7% market growth in 2014 compared to 2013, the European market is expected to expand by another 8.7% in 2015 in a policy-induced rush to build, which will lead to new record installation numbers. Regional growth will be largely driven by Germany and will be balanced by a slowdown in…
Government policies will remain key to Europe’s renewable energy growth thru 2020
Renewable energy support methods, such as Feed-in Tariffs (FIT), quota obligations, capital grants, and subsidies, will continue to be instrumental in promoting Europe’s renewable energy industry growth by 2020, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s latest report states that of the various support mechanisms in Europe, FIT’s have emerged as a particularly…
DNV GL calls for stronger consideration of European guidelines on electricity market design
The introduction of an Energy-Only Market which is strengthened by a capacity reserve lies at the heart of the White Paper, An Electricity Market for the Energy Transition, which was presented at the conclusion of the consultation phase for the Green Paper by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. DNV GL, the…
Innovative components pave the way to cheaper wind turbines
Wind turbines began cropping up across the landscapes of Spain and Germany in the 1990s. These two countries have the highest wind energy production in the EU. But according to the Global Wind Energy Council, the global installed power capacity in Europe — which is 134,007 MW — has been surpassed by Asia with 141,964…
Siemens installs prototype of its 7-MW offshore wind turbine
Only a few months after its sales launch at the EWEA Offshore trade show in Copenhagen, the new Siemens offshore flagship wind turbine of the type SWT-7.0-154 has now been installed as a prototype. The planned field testing of the 7-megawatt (MW) offshore machine in Østerild, Denmark, mainly focusses on the upgraded generator and the…
IRENA workshop to develop energy storage roadmap
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will host their fourth workshop “International Energy Storage Policy and Regulation” at the Energy Storage Europe 2015 Conference and Expo, March 10 in Düsseldorf, Germany. The workshop will collect input and feedback on IRENA’s technology roadmap for electricity storage, due to be launched this summer. The roadmap will guide…
Global offshore wind market could be 80 GW by 2020
A report gives an in-depth analysis of the global offshore wind power market, covering three major regions: North America (the US and Canada), Europe (the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Spain and Finland) and Asia-Pacific (China and Japan). The report covers the offshore wind cumulative installed capacity, power generation from 2001 to 2020…
European experience valuable to U.S. offshore developers
As players in the US offshore wind industry work to complete the nation’s first commercial offshore wind project, a look at European development suggests one possible path for American offshore wind. A few observers point to the European programs as a model for U.S. development. European experience illustrates the technical and financial, feasibility of large-scale…
Sodar measurements speed European wind-farm development
Formed in 2007 to finance the development of wind farms in Central and Eastern Europe, Continental Wind Partners (CWP) uses the Triton Sonic Wind Profiler as a part of its standard wind resource assessment practice. The developer is using advanced remote sensing (with eight Tritons) to expedite wind farm development, reduce project uncertainty and streamline…
In Europe, 118 offshore wind turbines connect to grid in first half of 2010
New offshore wind turbines total 333 MW, well over half the 577 MW installed offshore last year, continuing growth in offshore wind power despite the financial crisis. In addition, 151 offshore wind turbines totaling 440 MW were installed, but not yet connected to the grid, says EWEA, the European Wind Energy Association. Overall 16 offshore…
Wind Turbines off shore in Germany
A consortium of companies, EWE, E.ON, Vattenfall, and DOTI (Deutsche Offshore-Testfeld und Infrastruktur GmbH), has completed construction of the first of 12 wind turbines for the alpha ventus offshore wind farm in the North Sea. It’s the first offshore wind farm in German waters. The 5-MW turbine is situated 45 km north of Borkum island.…
Renewable Grid Initiative Launched in Europe
Transmission system operators in Europe and nongovernmental organizations there have formed the Renewables-Grid-Initiative (RGI). It will call for a mandate for energy regulators to spur development of a European grid that can transmit power from wind farms and other renewable generators. “The Renewables-Grid Initiative sets the ground for speeding investments in grid infrastructure, to integrate…