The world’s cumulative wind power capacity is to more than double by 2020, according to a new report.

Despite an overall slump in installations in 2013, the report from analysis firm GlobalData predicts that worldwide wind capacity will grow from 319.6 GW at the end of last year to 678.5 GW by 2020.

Harshavardhan Reddy Nagatham, GlobalData’s alternative energy analyst, said, “The slump in 2013 was largely a product of a decrease in installations in the US and Spain. While there are likely to be further slight falls in annual capacity additions in 2015 and 2016, overall industry growth will not be affected as global annual capacity additions are expected to exceed 60 GW by 2020.”

China, the largest single wind market since it overtook the US by adding a whopping 18.9 GW in 2010, was responsible for 45 per cent of total global annual capacity additions in 2013, the report found. The nation is expected to remain in the lead, with a cumulative wind capacity of 239.7 GW by 2020.

Nagatham commented, “China doubled its cumulative wind capacity every year from 2006 to 2009 and has continued to grow significantly since then. Supportive government policies, such as an attractive concessional program and the availability of low-cost financing from banks, have been fundamental to China’s success.

But, he added, “While China will continue to be the largest global wind power market through to 2020, growth for the forecast period will be slow due to a large installation base.”

Meanwhile, the US is expected to remain the second-largest global wind market, growing from 68.9 GW in 2014 to 104.1 GW in 2020. This growth will be driven primarily by renewable energy targets in several US states, notably Alaska, which aims to get 50 per cent of its power from renewables by 2025, and Texas, whose 2025 goal is 10 GW of installed renewable capacity.

A major wind farm developer today awarded two new multi-million pound contracts to local companies for work on its £400m Pen y Cymoedd wind energy project in south Wales.
The successful companies that will now help complete the wind farm, which is being developed by Vattenfall, are Neath- based Express Reinforcements and the Wrexham manufacturing facility of Prysmian Cables & Systems Ltd.
Today’s announcements coincided with the laying of the first foundations for the 76 turbines for the project site in the county boroughs of Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Prysmian Cables & Systems will produce the high-technology power cables to interconnect the two high voltage substations that ABB, the principal contractor, is constructing to connect the wind farm to the National Grid.
Express Reinforcements is sub-contracted by the 50-50 joint venture between Jones Bros and Balfour Beatty to work on the bases of the turbines.
Each of the turbines will have 3MW capacity and when operational in 2016/17 they are expected to annually generate power for the equivalent of 140,000 homes – enough to meet the domestic demands of Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf county boroughs.
Since planning of the project began, the developer has worked to encourage as many local firms as possible to bid for contracts and sub contracts. The project could be worth up to £1 billion to the Welsh economy over its 25-year life time.
UK energy secretary Edward Davey said: “This onshore wind project will be the largest in England and Wales and will send a clear signal about this government’s commitment to the industry. It will add to our energy mix that is tackling climate change and boosting energy security through moves to increase ‘home-grown’ sources.”

The six energy storage systems were installed in substations in both urban and rural locations as part of the Customer-Led Network Revolution (CLNR), a three-year smart grid project in the UK. The largest of the six NEC energy storage systems — a 2.5MW, 5MWh GSS™ in Darlington — is located in an urban industrial area, while one of the smallest, a 50kW GSS™, is located in a residential area in Wooler.

“Part of the challenge of installing energy storage in these areas was the wide diversity in the various sites,” said Ian Lloyd, CLNR technology manager at Northern Powergrid. “We needed battery systems that could fit into a range of electricity distribution substations, so it was important to have a very flexible battery design to accommodate our very different locations.”

To fit the needs of the project at four of the six sites, NEC Energy Solutions supplied lithium-ion based grid battery systems packaged in a variety of enclosures, including standard 40-foot containers and smaller customized enclosures. The last two locations required energy storage systems installed directly into pre-existing buildings, and serve to demonstrate the flexibility of NEC Energy Solutions’ modular and scalable designs.

“This project enables distribution network operators in the UK to implement new technologies designed to increase energy efficiency and support the adoption of clean energy,” said Bud Collins, CEO of NEC Energy Solutions.

Energy storage is a key component of the CLNR smart grid project, and will be used to help integrate more solar and wind energy into the UK’s electricity network.

Energia has announced that they have commenced operations at its newest wind farm at Hollyford, County Tipperary, supplying energy to homes and businesses across Ireland.

Located near the village of Hollyford in County Tipperary, the €19m Hollyford wind farm has the capacity to produce 9MW of renewable electricity.

The main body of the facility’s three turbines stand 75m-tall while their rotor blades have a diameter of 101m.

The Hollyford site was chosen by the company due to its high average wind speeds which have been placed in ‘category one’, the highest wind-to-power ratio.

Energia is one of Ireland’s largest providers of renewable energy with a portfolio of 684 MW of operational renewable electricity capacity, with a further 280MW of wind farm projects currently in development across the country.

Peter Baillie, managing director, Energia Renewables said of the wind farm’s beginning of operations: “We are delighted to be producing sustainable energy in Hollyford and supplying it to businesses around Ireland.

This €19m wind farm represents another significant investment in renewable capacity by Energia. We want to extend a big thank you to the local community for the support it has given this project. The development of Hollyford is a very positive step forward for renewable energy in Ireland and local support for the project is a key element to their success.”

Suzlon Group has received a contract from ReNew Wind Power Ventures for a 100.8MW wind farm.

The project is planned to be executed at the Bhesada wind site in Dist Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

Under the agreement, Suzlon Group will supply 48 units of its S97-120 WTG’s and will oversee operations, maintenance and service of the wind site over the contracted period.

Expected to change the dynamics of the wind energy business, the S97-120 WTG design is a combination of lattice and tubular structure designs, making it the tallest wind tower in India.

In addition to boosting optimal available wind resources, the towers will deliver higher energy productivity, which in turn ensures higher ROI to customers.

ReNew Wind Power chairman & CEO Sumant Sinha said, “This deal reinforces our commitment to developing sustainable energy solutions for India.”

Suzlon Energy sales & marketing president Ishwar C Mangal said, “This order is indeed a reaffirmation of our capabilities that allow us to offer customised solutions for our customer’s in accordance with market conditions.”

Suzlon Energy Chairman Tulsi Tanti said that the company aims to make profitable and efficient wind energy accessible within the country.

Tanti said, “Leveraging on our leadership position within the country, we continue to have a strong focus on the Indian market as it offers a favourable renewable energy environment especially now with the new government in place.

“We continue to create innovative and reliable products as with the S97-120m which is specifically made for low wind sites.”

New research that has been published by the Eskdalemuir Working Group (EWG) reveals the potential to install more than a gigawatt of onshore wind energy in Scotland in the years ahead – enough to power more than half a million British homes.
Welcoming the study today, RenewableUK chief executive Maria McCaffery said it provided a springboard for the UK’s wind energy industry to take another step forward.
She added: “It creates fresh opportunities to install new projects in a part of the country which enjoys excellent wind resources, without the prospect of automatic objections by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The EWG which includes representatives from governments and industry, commissioned the study to look at the safeguarding approach being used by the MoD at the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array in Dumfries and Galloway, which monitors compliance on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
It confirms that there is scope to allow further wind farm consents nearer the array than previously permitted. A more accurate way of calculating any vibrations from wind turbines in areas near the seismological monitoring station has been devised, and new data has been validated by the MoD.
This will allow the MoD to withdraw objections to some of the wind energy projects proposed within 50km of the array, with a 15km exclusion zone set to be approved by the Scottish government, following consultation.
Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing said: “The Eskdalemuir Working Group is a fantastic example of industry, government and the MoD working in partnership to resolve a major issue for the deployment of renewables.
“With potentially 1GW of renewable energy now freed to progress through planning, I’m delighted that Scotland can now benefit from further significant economic rewards from harnessing our natural resources, including the hundreds of jobs created and the knock-on benefits to local companies and communities.”

Norway-based DNV GL has suggested a new concept that combines floating wind turbines with water injection technology to achieve cost-effective enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects at mature offshore fields.

DNV’s initial studies have revealed that the move will reduce the cost of water injection, avoid costly modifications and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The company is now inviting industries from both the wind power and oil and gas industries to take part in a joint industry project (JIP), known as WIN WIN – WINd powered Water Injection.

DNV said that its new concept will integrate the compressor and water treatment equipment into the sub-structure of a floating wind turbine.

The turbine will produce power that can be applied for several water injection technologies ranging from raw seawater to low-salinity water injection through a reverse osmosis process.

DNV said that a wind-powered water injection system could decrease both capital expenditure and operational expenditure and drive innovation of new technology.

Installation of the system could reduce the installation time, while it would also be easily relocated after the closure of a well or field.

DNV service line leader – offshore renewable energy and sponsor of the initiative Johan Sandberg said the combination of the two technologies can open up an era of synergies and mutual benefit for both oil & gas and wind energy sectors.

“I see this as a very important part of the oil and gas industry’s work to reduce cost and with less emissions as a positive effect,” Sandberg said.

DNV GL Oil & Gas’ subsea business development leader Christian Markussen said, “Our studies show that such a stand-alone system can quickly become cost competitive to traditional solutions for injection wells far from the platform, and even more when one considers the retrofitting water injection equipment into an existing facility and cope with the disruptions that this modification can have on production.”

Markussen said, “Operators can obtain a new and cost-efficient way to develop marginal reservoirs and enhance production in mature fields.

“The financial benefits will vary depending on several factors, such as the reservoir characteristics and step-out distance from the production well. Traditional injection systems normally have a significant CAPEX investment, CO2 tax, and exposure to fuel costs, and hence provide a substantial incentive for assessing alternative solutions.”

Alstom has installed its mammoth Haliade 150-6 MW offshore wind turbine at the Belwind site off the Belgian coast.

The turbine is the largest installed in sea waters. It has a rotor diameter of 150 metres and blade lengths of 73.5 metres. It will yield 15 per cent more power than existing offshore wind turbines, or enough to supply around 5000 households, Alstom claims.

The first Haliade 150-6MW obtained an IEC power performance measurement after three months of performance measurements at Alstom’s test site at Le Carnet, France. Now the company is planning for serial production.

Alstom has signed a contract to supply 240 Haliade turbines for three offshore wind farms owned by a consortium led by EDF. Alstom has confirmed that it will set up four French manufacturing facilities for nacelles, generators, blades and towers. The first stone of the nacelle factory was laid in early 2013.

In early May Alstom also announced that it is part of a team that has received a $47m grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for phase two of the Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project (VOWTAP) led by Dominion Virginia Power. Alstom’s contribution to the project includes the completion of front end engineering design, installation and testing of two Haliade 150-6MW turbines approximately 24 miles off the Virginia coast.

A hostile press on wind power in the UK is being seen as one of the reasons why a wind farm capital investment scheme only received a fifth of the amount targeted.

Fundraising for the Ventus VCT Plc (VEN) and Ventus 2 VCT Plc suffered from the negative comment, a Temporis Capital LLP partner said.

“Through the fundraising period there were several negative press stories regarding wind in the UK in reference to the cost of living debate and the government’s forward energy policy,” Matthew Ridley, a partner at London-based Temporis, told Bloomberg. “This may have had an impact on our fundraising, even though wind is the least costly source of renewable energy in the U.K. and is well supported.”

The funds managed by Temporis raised 4 million pounds ($6.7 million) for wind and hydropower plants, compared with a goal of 20 million pounds. There will be enough money for projects this year when combined with funds from other parties, Ridley said.

Land-based wind turbines have met opposition from those who say they blight the landscape and are against green levies added to consumers’ power bills to spur investment in the industry.

Power from onshore wind farms is one of the cheapest forms of clean energy, costing about $84.8 a megawatt-hour compared with rates at greenhouse-gas emitting coal-fired power stations of $82.1 a megawatt-hour, according to Bloomberg estimates.

Temporis will invest the money raised in a 10 MW wind farm and two hydropower plants totalling 3 MW, Ridley said. The funds have a minimum target dividend from these projects of 5 pence a share from the second year and the figure is expected to rise to 6 pence to 8 pence a share, he said.

GE is attempting to explore other avenues in order to facilitate a final deal on Alstom and is in early-stage talks with nuclear-plant maker Areva SA (AREVA) and other French companies about asset sales or partnerships.

That’s according to a report in Bloomberg, which quotes unnamed insiders close to the negotiations as saying that the management at GE are potentially looking at selling some assets in order to win over the French government.

The US company is exploring concessions, including entering ventures in areas from nuclear power to wind-turbines to rail signalling, while it seeks clarification on what would appease the state, they said.

French companies have been contacting GE in anticipation of the government asking for asset sales or partnerships before approving the deal, though GE would prefer not to sell anything, a person said.

GE chief executive Jeff Immelt wrote to President Hollande pledging readiness to work with the state, Areva and EDF to protect the nuclear sector and preserve France’s exports. He also said GE would study potential French bids for Alstom (Euronext: ALO) onshore and offshore wind business, and welcome local investors in the capital of Alstom’s unit that makes turbines for dams.

Meanwhile Siemens AG (SIE) is weighing a possible counterbid for Alstom’s thermal, renewables and grid operations, which make and service products from gas turbines to power transmission equipment. The Germany-based company may decide as early as this week on an improved offer, having examined Alstom’s books. They are also said to be lining up a more attractive offer than initially made.

Areva, the world’s biggest reactor-fuel supplier, may be at the centre of any resolution for GE. For Areva, which is merging its unprofitable offshore wind turbine business with Spain’s Gamesa Corp. Tecnologica SA to share costs, buying Alstom’s offshore wind business would eliminate a rival that was selected by Electricite de France SA for a 2 billion-euro ($2.7 billion) contract to supply three wind farms in the country.

If that deal goes through Areva may opt to halt development of Alstom’s 6 MW offshore wind turbine, which has no gearbox, in parallel with its own 5-MW and 8 MW turbines using a gearbox to increase rotation speed and yield. That would also have an impact on plants and supply chains that Areva and Alstom both have pledged to build in France to win offshore wind tenders held by the state.

The government, EDF and Areva want to make sure that GE will continue to provide adequate maintenance services for Alstom’s steam turbines used in the non-nuclear part of France’s 58 atomic reactors, people familiar with the matter said. They also want to make sure that GE won’t block export of these turbines when French nuclear companies team up to bid for tenders abroad, they said.

Montebourg is pushing GE to sell its locomotive division to Alstom to strengthen the French company’s transport business, but insiders say the US company will not be prepared to go to those lengths to win the bid.