World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

April 9, 2006 – Vol.11 No.3

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Roughly 10 years ago the most popular utility grade wind turbines had a rated capacity of about 660 kilowatts. Now the most popular, and cost-effective machines are in the 1.5 to 2.0 megawatt range for onshore use, 2.0 megawatts and higher for offshore installations. More powerful machines, 4.5 - 6.0 megawatt, are in testing for offshore use.

What about the next ten years? Will output per turbine continue its steady climb? Very possibly.

The UpWind project is now underway within the European Union to develop turbines that could be operational by 2010 with a rated output of 20 megawatts. The goal of UpWind is to build turbines that generate electricity at cost parity with other sources of energy such as coal.

UpWind is an Integrated Project of forty manufacturers, service providers, universities, research organizations and other professional organizations that will collaborate on the research and development. There will be 15 work packages each with different aspects of research.

Current technology can’t be scaled to reach the new capacity goals so new technologies will have to be developed. The initial website for UpWind is http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=47

Ever more powerful wind turbines would help wind rich U.K. meet a wind industry goal of 20 percent renewables by 2020.

According to a report submitted by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA), onshore wind could provide 8.8 percent of the nation’s power by 2020, offshore wind another 9.4 percent. Together with 2.1 percent of electricity from wave and tidal power and 0.7 percent from small wind turbines, 21 percent of power could be from renewables by 2020.

The BWEA, on behalf of its member companies, is urging the government to commit to the goal. Visit the BWEA at http://www.bwea.org/

California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) calls for retail sellers of electricity to purchase 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010, 33 percent by 2020. Power generators must add at least 2 percent renewables each year to meet that goal.

The legislation to get the ball rolling went into effect in 2003. Now three years later the RPS is kicking in.

Pacific Gas and Electric( PGE) has announced it is now delivering renewable energy from PPM Energy’s newly commissioned 75-megawatt Shiloh I Wind Project in Solano County. Shiloh is the first wind energy project in the state to be built specifically to meet the standard. Visit Pacific Gas and Electric at http://www.pge.com/

Portland General Electric is considering purchasing from Orion Energy the development rights for the 25,000-acre Biglow Canyon Wind Farm in Sherman County, Oregon.

If the Oregon Public Utility Commission approves, Portland General could build 350 - 450 megawatts of wind capacity at the site. Visit Portland General Electric at http://www.portlandgeneral.com/ .

Anything that can be done to reduce the cost of wind turbines will reduce the cost of wind energy: keep production costs for turbines at minimum, for example.

GE is doing just that.

The company has just opened a moving production line at its facility in Salzbergen, Germany to build 1.5 megawatt and larger wind turbines. The 138 foot (42 meter) assembly line increases production capacity at the plant by 30 percent and can increase quality as well. The line can be slowed or stopped if defects are detected. The increased demand for its turbines prompted GE to install the line. Visit GE at http://www.ge.com/energy