Michael McCarthy: The day offshore wind power came of age in the UK

2010 Jan 8

Think of a big power station, a 1,000 megawatt job that can provide the electricity for a major city. Think how enormous it is, visible for miles around with its giant chimneys and cooling towers. Now think of 32 of them. Now think of 32 of them out at sea.

That’s one way of envisaging the real significance of the new programme to build offshore windfarms around the coasts of Britain, announced today by the Government.

Offshore wind has hitherto seemed like a novelty, almost a curiosity, with a few turbines here and a few turbines there, their spinning white blades spottable on the horizon from the odd seaside promenade.

This announcement envisages 6,000 of them, and maybe more, bigger than ever and sprouting from the water in gigantic windfarms in the North Sea, the Channel and the Irish Sea - generating a total of 32 gigawatts of capacity (a gigawatt is 1,000 megawatts).

Overnight it changes offshore wind from a novelty to a serious part of Britain’s energy generation, ultimately up there with coal and gas; you might say today was the day offshore wind power came of age in the UK.

The driving force behind it is Britain’s commitment to meet the EU target of generating 20 per cent of the community’s energy from renewable sources by 2020. Britain’s own share of that is 15 per cent renewable energy; and that in turn means between 30 and 40 per cent renewable electricity; at present we generate about five per cent. The gap to be bridged in ten years is therefore colossal; hence the colossal size of the offshore programme.

It has many other attractive possibilities, recognized yesterday by environmentalists. “It’s the best chance we’ve got of securing energy security, while creating thousands of jobs and giving us a position as a world leader in the green economy,” said Jim Footner, of Greenpeace.

Read more:  http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/michael-mccarthy-the-day-offshore-wind-power-came-of-age-in-the-uk-1862168.html

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Md. report optimistic about wind power

2010 Feb 10
 

BALTIMORE, Maryland could meet two-thirds of its electricity needs through offshore wind turbines, a new study says.
The report was prepared by the University of Delaware's Center for Carbon-free Power Integration for the Abell Foundation, The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday.
Researchers said as many as 2,900 turbines could be placed off the coast. They recommended putting them at least 9 miles out to sea so they could not be seen from resorts such as Ocean City and said they would also have to be located where they would not block shipping into and out of Delaware Bay.
But the report suggested Maryland might become a net exporter of electrical power as new technology, including placing turbines on floating platforms, develops.
"There is, if Maryland so chooses, a significant opportunity to develop
a very robust offshore wind energy economy and create a new economic and job base in the state," said Jeremy Firestone, lead author of the report.

Read more:  http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/02/10/Md-report-optimistic-about-wind-power/UPI-86651265785787/

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The big blow. Ambitious plans for wind power in Europe

2010 Jan 15

EUROPEAN offshore wind generation is expected to grow spectacularly over the next decade, with Britain and Germany contributing the lion's share of new capacity. According to the European Wind Energy Association around 200 turbines were installed and attached to electricity grids in European waters in 2009, with almost half of the capacity under construction in British waters. Yet it is not clear whether all new plans will actually become reality. An EU target for 20% of electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2020, will be difficult to achieve. The rapid pace of construction is stretching supply chains and subsidy regimes.

Read more:  http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15311437
 
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Maine identifies 3 offshore wind-power test sites

2009 Dec 15

AUGUSTA, Maine — Officials on Tuesday identified locations of three offshore wind-power test sites that could unlock the door to huge reserves of energy equivalent to more than 100 nuclear plants in the nation's most oil-dependent state.

The sites will be near Boon Island off York in southern Maine, near Damariscove Island south of Boothbay Harbor, and south of Monhegan Island off Port Clyde, Gov. John Baldacci's administration announced. The University of Maine, which has received an $8 million federal grant for offshore wind power studies, will develop the Monhegan site.

Maine already leads New England in development of land-based wind power with three major wind farms in operation and more on the way. The state is now looking to harness abundant winds beyond its long, jagged coastline to help meet energy needs for the region.

"This is where the future lies," Baldacci said during a news conference to announce the sites. "We want to become an energy generating center."

State officials also see an opportunity in nurturing industries that would produce components of the deep-sea structures, such as blades and generators churned by constant Gulf of Maine gusts.

Full-scale development of wind-related industries could create 15,000 jobs in Maine, said Habib Dagher, director of UMaine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center who has been at the forefront of the state's offshore wind research.

Within 50 miles of its coast, Maine has potential wind energy of 149 gigawatts, roughly the equivalent power of 149 nuclear plants, Dagher said. The state's goal is to have enough offshore turbines to produce 5 gigawatts of power — about twice Maine's yearly consumption — by 2030, Dagher said.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5isnCKOlXuVccjHTiQVl2IiNN2WJwD9CJVKCO4

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Europe Plans Offshore Wind Supergrid

2009 Dec 8

As the United Nations climate meetings in Copenhagen get under way, nine European countries have pledged to create a “supergrid” in the North Sea to encourage the growth of offshore wind power.

The move, announced on Monday, did not allocate any funds, but stipulated that a plan for moving forward should be crafted next year.

“It is a huge step towards meeting our common renewable energy goals and in guaranteeing a low carbon future,” said Eamon Ryan, Ireland’s minister in the department of communications, energy and natural resources, in a statement. Europe aims to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

The countries signing the “North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative” include Denmark, the host of the climate meetings, as well as Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden, Britain and Ireland.

According to Mr. Ryan’s statement, the supergrid would mean that “Irish wind farms will be able to connect directly to Europe, not only securing our energy supply but allowing us to sell the electricity produced on a wider market.”

Hans Erik Kristofferson, who heads the Danish national grid, Energinet, said in a telephone interview that the project would allow existing and future offshore wind parks to connect seamlessly across national boundaries.

“We’re in the first phase now of something that could be quite huge,” he said. “The benefit is that you would be able to send the electricity where it is needed and when it is needed.” He acknowledged, however, that the cost and shape of the project were unknown.

Read more: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/europe-plans-offshore-wind-supergrid/

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