Green Energy News | December 3, 2000

December 3, 2000 – Vol.5 No.36

ENERGIES... week of December 3, 2000

OFFSHORE WIND ONLINE. One kilometer off the coast of Blyth, Northumberland in northeast England, a pair of two megawatt Vestas wind turbines are now supplying power to the grid. With enough capacity for 3000 homes, the project operating under the company banner Blyth Offshore Wind Limited, is the first of a series of offshore wind projects to be built in the United Kingdom.

A 1995 European Commission study estimated that the UK, one of the windiest countries in Europe, has enough potential wind energy within twenty miles of its coastline to supply three times the electrical demand for the nation. The nation is under a European Union obligation to supply 10 percent of its energy needs from renewables by 2010. To make sure that offshore wind provides its share of that commitment, the government has set aside nearly $130 million for project development. Blyth Offshore cost almost $6 million and was a joint venture AMEC Borderwind, Powergen Renewables, Nuon UK and Shell Renewables.

Unfortunately, for now, offshore wind power costs nearly twice as much to develop as terra firma based wind. The turbines at Blyth were installed almost 300 feet above the surface, but where water depths average only 26 feet. However, wind at the site has reached 100 miles per hour and wave heights have exceeded 21 feet. Experts predict, with further experience, development costs can be reduced.

EXERCISING WIND OPTIONS. FPL Energy, under its 600 unit purchase option with Vestas Wind Systems, has placed an order for 346 V47 - 660 kilowatt wind turbines. At this point in time FPL is mum on where the turbines will be installed, but, rest assured, the turbines are to be delivered in 2001 and will be installed somewhere and won’t end up in a warehouse. Watch this space, visit Vestas at http://www.vestas.com and bookmark FPL Energy at http://www.fplenergy.com/ .

SOLID FUEL CELL POWER. Siemens Westinghouse will build a series of pre-commercial megawatt class Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power systems for demonstration in Europe.

One unit to be built for utility consortium RWE Power AG of Essen, Germany will operate on natural gas and produce 250 kilowatts at efficiencies as high as 45 percent. Waste heat will tapped for a combined heat and power installation.

The second unit to be built for Edison Spa of Milan, Italy will have a microturbine attached and include combined heat and power. This unit will produce 300 kilowatts of power - 50 kW from the microturbine - and operate on natural gas with efficiencies as high as 60 percent.

A third unit will be the first one megawatt fuel cell in Europe. To be tested in 2003 by Energie Baden - Wurttenberg AG (EnBW), under a consortium of four utilities, the unit will be a Pressurized Hybrid System with a microturbine providing 20 percent of the power. Also operating on natural gas, the unit will operate at 60 percent efficiency.

The demonstration programs are precursors to commercial marketing expected by 2004.