World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

January 29, 2006 – Vol.10 No.45

WORLD WIND WATCH.

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) reports that 6,183 megawatts of new wind capacity was installed in Europe in 2005 bringing the total to 40,504 megawatts. The increase was 18 percent over the 34,372 megawatts tallied at the end of 2004. Of the 25 nations included in the counting, 18 installed new wind capacity in 2005.

The installation of more than 6000 megawatts in 2005 achieved the European Commission’s 40,000 megawatt wind energy target for 2010, five years ahead of time.

EWEA estimates that the 40,504 megawatts now installed in the E.U. will produce some 83 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, equal to 2.8 percent of E.U. electricity consumption. Visit the EWEA at http://www.ewea.org/ .

Shell’s share in global wind energy capacity, including partial ownership in windfarms, is currently greater than 350 megawatts, according to the company. By sometime in 2007 it plans to up that amount to 500 megawatts or so.

The first project will be its 50-percent share in the offshore, 108-megawatt Windpark Egmond aan Zee, the first of its kind for the Netherlands.

In various stages of development as well are: the one-gigawatt, offshore, London Array of which Shell owns a third share; Mount Storm a 300-megawatt facility for West Virginia in the U.S. of which Shell owns 50-percent of the development rights; and Cotterel Mountain a 200-megawatt project in Idaho. Shell owns 50-percent of Cotterel.

The company has a range of other wind projects in its want-to-build portfolio in Texas, Wyoming, California and Hawaii. Like most wind companies, it seems, Shell is also exploring wind projects in China. Visit Shell at http://www.shell.com/ .

Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation, the U.S. division of the Indian wind turbine maker, has received an order from Edison Mission Group for 157.5 megawatts of wind turbine capacity to be delivered in 2006-07. The order includes 75, 2.1-megawatt turbines.

The company has also secured an order with John Deere Credit and John Deere Wind Energy (the same as the tractor company) for 238 megawatts of wind turbine capacity. That order is for 2.1 and 1.25-megawatt turbines, all to be delivered in 2006.

The first 50 megawatts will be 24 of Suzlon’s 2.1 megawatt turbines that will be installed at the Bluegrass Ridge wind project in King City, Missouri, 30 miles northeast of St. Joseph.

Wind Capital Group, John Deere Wind Energy and the Missouri Rural Electric Cooperatives are working together on that project.

John Deere’s close connection with the farming community should convince more farmers to harvest wind that blows across their fields.

Visit Suzlon at http://www.suzlon.com/ Edison Mission Group at http://www.edison.com/ and John Deere at http://www.deere.com/ (see John Deere Credit).