Wind
Small wind turbine manufacturer launches grants database for farmers - ...
Options for micro-wind generation: part 1 - ...
WWEA predicts 25% wind energy growth in 2009 - ...
WWEA predicts 25% wind energy growth in 2009
The forecast was published at the 8th World Wind Energy Conference 2009 (WWEC2009) on Jeju island/South
Using available figures from 11 of the top 15 countries representing over 80% of the world wind energy market, WWEA recorded 5374 MW new installed wind energy capacity in the first quarter of 2009, equalling an increase of 23% compared with last year in the same countries.
WWEA keeps its previous prevision of a total installed wind energy capacity of 152,000 MW worldwide by the end of 2009, which could mean a new record of over 30,000 MW newly installed capacity within one year representing a market growth of 25% compared with 2008.
Although some wind energy projects are postponed due to financing challenges, the overall market development can still compensate such delays showing great signs of vitality, according to WWEA.
“A substantial share of the slow down in some regions are a consequence of new regulations and bureaucratic delays that undermine the development of new wind parks rather than of financing difficulties,” the WWEA adds.
Options for micro-wind generation: part 1
Contrary to negative opinion, micro-wind generation in urban areas could meet local energy demand in certain circumstances. In the first of a 3-part article looking at the findings of one But as a result of this there has been a ‘rush to please’ in the wind industry, resulting in failures to achieve the capacity promised – due to ignorance of the way wind energy behaves in an urban landscape. The results, however, haven't proven entirely satisfactory, and as a result Tesco has undertaken to fully investigate a range of technologies and applications – with a view to analysing the urban wind turbine potential for its supermarkets and sites across the The results are examined in on small wind in the Further information is also available on the
The rush to please
Much of the infrastructure for electrical generation for cities and towns currently functions at a national level rather than at an urban level. But the push for distributed electricity is continuing. In Britain, for example, over the past four years the witnessing, testing and exploration of a number of innovative micro and meso-generation solutions (deemed to be in reach of individual households and small-scale industry and commerce) have become prime-movers in the creation of a new technology industry – the use of wind turbines in an urban and cityscape setting.
Matthew Rhodes of UK-based Encraft — a consulting engineering firm specialising in micro generation – observed in a recent seminar that from the data available the current technology practiced in the UK does not work on low rise urban sites but does on high rise urban sites, and that it was important to know which is which. This view is echoed in the
Urban wind turbines can work. But to achieve success manufacturers, suppliers and customers must design for real wind situations, and not just as a quick-solution for individual needs with ‘fantasy wind’ applications that provide hardly any benefits of power supply for the costs spent. And to achieve this requires a better understanding of the art and design of wind power generation.
There is an opportunity at urban level to capitalise on ‘First Mover’ advantages by research and development organisations, manufacturers and stakeholders, in synergy with both national and local Governments. In the
Tesco's final report took into account Information from manufacturers of both horizontal and vertical axis urban wind turbines in the UK, USA, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Italy and Finland, with variable (and not always comparable) specifications. In addition, outside the normal family of horizontal and vertical wind turbines, the report looked into the new developments of modular stacked turbines for mounting on the top of high rise buildings, as well as large-scale urban solutions such as the 1998 UK-Dutch Sun Mill vertical wind-turbine – which includes solar panels and the use of the stack effect.
Small wind turbine manufacturer launches grants database for farmers
Loughborough-based Evance, formerly known as Iskra, specialises in small wind turbines for farms, as well as homes and schools.
The UK small wind turbine market is booming at the moment. It is the world's second largest market, with over 10,000 small wind systems deployed since 2005 delivering an installed capacity in excess of 20 megawatts (MW) – 7.24 MW of that delivered in 2008 alone.
Subsidies in the shape of the Ofgem’s Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) are helping to drive the growth. Those who install wind turbines, including farmers, are rewarded for the amount of power they generate through ROCs.
A new grid feed-in tariff, to be launched in 2010, is further good news for the sector and those seeking to install small-scale renewables. The feed-in tariff will provide those generating renewable energy a return on any power that they generate and do not use.
Evance and Segen hope to capitilise on the growth in the small wind market, particularly among farmers, with their new database. Segen has installed more than 50 Evance wind turbines across the UK providing power to farm houses and farm buildings.
Last month, Evance rebranded and launched a new 5kW wind turbine called the Evance Iskra R9000.
As well as the UK, the company is looking to grow its overseas business and says it expects to export 50 per cent of its production over the next 12 months.
Picking up speed: is the time right to invest in small wind?
Indeed, according to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), small wind systems have the potential to deliver 1.3 gigawatts of UK wind capacity by 2020, but currently account for just over 20 megawatts. Alex Murley, BWEA Small Systems manager, is in no doubt that what is needed now is “action to increase deployment in the UK.”
Capital outlay combined with few Government grants for business, a lack of awareness and understanding of the technology and a complex Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) system have all been blamed for making the process unattractive to embark on upon for the majority of UK businesses – those small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for which energy is not their core business.
“Installing renewable technologies to reduce business energy consumption is a new industry and is therefore not mature,” says Philip Wilson, managing director of Slipstream Energy, a turbine manufacturing company specialising in the urban environment and based in Yorkshire.
He says UK businesses – and SMEs in particular – are only really now beginning to take action to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions, meaning the sector has still got enormous potential for growth. “The take up for [small] wind turbines is set to double year on year for the next 10 years,” says Wilson.
Murley agrees. “It is fair to say that energy use and generation is fast becoming a board room level issue and we are seeing more commercial organisations looking to generate their own clean green energy,” he says.
The introduction from April 1 of double payments for electricity generated for small wind turbines under the green energy certificate programme, ROC, is certainly expected to help take up going forward. This means that a business that has invested in a small wind turbine will now qualify for two ROCs (each carrying a value of £35.76) from a licensed electricity utility company for every megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible renewable energy generated.
The UK small wind sector is certainly doing well. UK manufacturers hold 82 per cent of the domestic market share and figures due to be released later this month at the first UK-based International Small Wind Conference, organised by the BWEA and the Building Research Establishment (BRE), are expected to show a doubling of export revenues for the sector compared to 2007.
Nevertheless, plenty of barriers still remain in the domestic market. The price of small wind turbines depends on the size and type of model bought, but according to the Government's Clear Skies grants programme, a typical small system costs between £2,500 - £5,000 per kW capacity installed. The Carbon Trust does provide interest free loans for businesses looking to invest in small wind systems, but there are currently no grants available for the private sector.
Then there’s the question of whether the system will work efficiently. Wilson says preparation is the key to effective power generation and for many SMEs small wind will not be a suitable technology to install.
“Wind by its very nature is different in different locations and it is vital to have the right turbine technology installed in the most opportune place. Only a percentage of UK SMEs will be suitable and have the requirement to install renewable technologies,” he says.
Many SMEs are situated in built-up areas with gusty, turbulent wind; traditional turbines do not perform as well in these conditions as they are designed to operate in free flowing air conditions, but the technology has advanced so that urban wind can generate power more efficiently.
“For a small business, running a 20 person office with IT equipment, a 6kW turbine could reduce their energy consumption by about 10 per cent,” says Wilson, but he adds that any SME considering small wind technology needs to first look at the number of kilowatt hours it is consuming in a year and then at the number of kilowatt hour a potential turbine will produce in a year.
“At any proposed site, we look for a wind speed of 5.7m/s as starting speed to make a turbine effective with a minimum requirement of 5m/s,” he explains.
Wilson also advises that businesses pay for professional advice on location and technology, which will cost between £400 and £1000, and to keep in mind that wind turbines need planning permission. “By keeping the turbine less than 15 metres high means a simple planning application should take between three and four months,” he says.
But even if the location and technology are right for a small wind turbine installation, many companies are put off by the ROC system. Gaynor Hartnell, director of Policy at the Renewable Energy Association, says: “The ROC system is far too complicated for a business where energy is not their core business. However, 2010 will be a decisive year for the uptake of small wind technology by SMEs with the introduction of the ‘Feed-in Tariffs’ legislation.”
The Feed-in Tariff, already implemented in parts of Europe, means anyone generating their own electricity on site can send any surplus back to the national grid, and establishes a fixed, premium price at which a utility must “buy back” excess generation from the renewable source. This price is higher than the utility charges for its centrally generated electricity (i.e. from coal and gas powered stations).
“The Feed-in Tariffs should replace grants and be more straightforward in delivering the right kind of incentive, as an output based reward programme,” says Hartnell. “ We would expect the take up of renewable technology to really gather pace when Feed-in Tariff comes in.”
Initiatives such as the Zero Carbon Building Programme (ZCBP), commencing in 2016 is set to stimulate the market further. The ZCBP market alone is expected to be worth £2.3 billion and the small wind energy sector will make up £200 million of this market by 2016, according to figures published by the Renewable Advisory Board.
For those working in the sector, the future for small wind technology looks positive – and UK businesses have a big part to play in it. “There is good demand for small wind turbines at present,” says Wilson. “Businesses understand that there is a good payback in the longer term; it reduces their bills and the amount of energy they use. Plus, businesses that don’t use renewables will not only lose a competitive edge through their energy consumption, they will be left behind as consumers look for goods and services that are produced in a green way.”