World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

July 13, 2003 – Vol.8 No.16

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Six thousand megawatts of pollution-free energy and up to 20,000 jobs could be created in the U.K. if all the offshore wind farms get built as anticipated in the latest round of licensing bids offered by the U.K.’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The huge expansion of offshore wind could supply 5 percent of the nation’s power when complete before 2010, the target year for 10 percent renewable energy supplying the grid as aimed for by the U.K. government.

Investment in the projects could reach GBP 6 billion ($9.76 billion) and offshore wind developers should be eager to gain licensing for their proposed projects. The sale of electricity from them is guaranteed by British law. Utility companies have been ordered to buy an increasing share of green energy for their portfolios. The DTI, too, should have no problem finding willing developers. There were 29 draft proposals for 70 potential sites for this second round of offshore wind licenses when solicited in March. Final bids are due to the DTI in three months. Visit the DTI at http://www.dti.gov.uk/ and the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) at http://www.bwea.com/.

As an exhibit of the support wind energy gets in the U.K., an opinion poll, published by the BWEA, of more than 2500 ratepayers, showed that 74 percent approved of the U.K. Government’s ambitious plan to generate 20 percent of the nations power from renewables by 2020. The same percentage agreed that windpower should be increased in the U.K. Visit the BWEA at http://www.bwea.com/ .

NEG-Micon will be the supplier of the 20 turbines to be installed at the Meyersdale Wind Energy Center to be constructed 45 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Together the 1.5 megawatt NM 72c turbines will give the wind farm, to be built, owned and operated by FPL Energy, a capacity of 30 megawatts.

Meyersdale is expected to be online by the end of this year. Visit NEG-micon at http://www.neg-micon.com/ .