Photo courtesy of Vestas Wind Systems A/S. Caption courtesy of DOE
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. continues to be a global leader in wind energy, ranking second in installed capacity in the world, according to two reports released today by the Department of Energy. Wind power is a key component of the nation’s all-of-the-above strategy to reduce carbon pollution, diversify our energy economy, and bring innovative technologies on line. With increasing wind energy generation and decreasing prices of wind energy technologies, the U.S. wind energy market remains strong and the U.S. is moving closer to doubling renewable electricity generation from energy resources like wind power yet again by 2020.
“As a readily expandable, domestic source of clean, renewable energy, wind power is paving the way to a low-carbon future that protects our air and water while providing affordable, renewable electricity to American families and businesses,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “However, the continued success of the U.S. wind industry highlights the importance of policies like the Production Tax Credit that provide a solid framework for America to lead the world in clean energy innovation while also keeping wind manufacturing and jobs in the U.S.”
Wind Technologies Market Report
After modest growth in 2013, total installed wind power capacity in the United States now stands at 61 gigawatts (GW), which meets nearly 4.5 percent of electricity demand in an average year, according to the 2013 Wind Technologies Market Report, released today by the Energy Department and its Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report also found that wind energy prices – particularly in the Interior region of the United States–are at an all-time low, with utilities selecting wind as a cost-saving option.
With utility-scale turbines installed in more than 39 states and territories, the success of the U.S. wind industry has had a ripple effect on the American economy, spurring more than $500 million in exports and supporting jobs related to development, siting, manufacturing, transportation and other industries.
Distributed Wind Market Report
In total, U.S. turbines in distributed applications, which accounted for more than 80 percent of all wind turbines installed in the U.S. last year, reached a cumulative installed capacity of more than 842 MW–enough to power 120,000 average American homes–according to the 2013 Distributed Wind Market Report, also released today by the Energy Department and its Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This capacity is supplied by roughly 72,000 turbines across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In fact, a total of 14 states, including Iowa, Nevada and California, among others, now each have more than 10 MW of distributed wind capacity.
Compared to traditional, centralized power plants, distributed wind energy installations supply power directly to the local grid near homes, farms, businesses and communities. Turbines used in these applications can range in size from a few hundred watts to multi-megawatts, and can help power remote, off-grid homes and farms as well as local schools and manufacturing facilities.
For more information on these two new reports – including infographics, video and updated interactive map – visit www.energy.gov/windreport. Join us Tuesday, August 19, to discuss key findings from the reports on a live Twitter chat about wind energy in America.
Graphic courtesy of DOE
This article is a repost, credit: Energy Department.
Fossil fuels (petroleum and other liquids, natural gas, and coal) account for most of the United Kingdom’s (UK) energy consumption. Although renewable energy use is growing, particularly in the electric power sector, fossil fuels accounted for 86% of total primary energy consumption in 2012. – EIA Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, from UK Department of Energy and Climate Change Courtesy of EIA
RenewableUK says Government statistics released today (7-31-14) show that onshore and offshore wind energy is playing the central role in the country’s successful transition from fossil fuels to clean renewables.
In its annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics, the Department of Energy and Climate Change says electricity generated from renewable sources increased by 30% in 2013 compared to the previous year, and accounted for 14.9% of total UK electricity generation (up from 11.3% in 2012).
DECC says onshore wind continued to be the leading technology for generating electricity from renewable sources, providing 32% of the total, while offshore wind generated a further 21%, making a total of 53% of all renewable energy from wind. This means that 7.9% of the UK’s electricity was generated by onshore and offshore wind in 2013.
Offshore wind generation increased by 52%, and onshore wind generation increased by 40%. The installed capacity of renewables increased by 27% (4.2 gigawatts) to 19.7GW in 2013, mainly as a result of a 27% increase in onshore wind capacity (1.6GW) and a 23% increase in offshore wind capacity.
For the first time, more than 5% of the UK’s total energy supply (electricity, heat, and fuel for transport) came from renewables – up from 4.2% in 2012 to 5.2% in 2013. The UK needs to meet a legally binding target of 15% of all energy from renewables by 2020.
Both the onshore and offshore load factors (37.5% and 27.9%) exceeded or equalled that of gas (27.9%). Load factors for wind in 2013 were the highest since 1998, due to high wind speeds, particularly in the last quarter of the year.
RenewableUK’s Director of Policy Dr Gordon Edge said: “This abundance of excellent statistics should make those in Government who have failed to support wind energy sit up and take notice. More than half of Britain’s clean electricity now comes from onshore and offshore wind. We’re now on course to hit 10% of electricity from wind alone this year.
“That’s why it’s particularly puzzling to see some politicians fail to back the cheapest and most successful renewable technology, onshore wind, at a time when a majority of voters from all the main parties are telling them that they support it. Many will ask why some Government Ministers act as cheerleaders for technologies like fracking for shale gas that can only deliver supplies years down the line, when wind is delivering here and now, onshore and offshore, keeping all our bills down by becoming more cost effective year after year.”
This article is a repost (7-31-14), credit: RenewableUK.
Investing in renewables is seen as the top priority for maintaining energy security by nearly half the British population – a view reflected across voters of all four major political parties – according to new polling information conducted by ComRes on behalf of RenewableUK. This follows research published last week that found politicians opposing wind development are a turn off for voters.
48% of respondents chose investing in renewables as their number one priority, far ahead of the next most popular choice – building new nuclear reactors – which came in at 15%. Fracking came a distant fourth behind reducing consumption, including for half of people living in the 40 most marginal Labour/Conservative constituencies.
The opinion poll research revealed that of those surveyed:
· 48% of people want to prioritise developing renewables, 50% in marginals;
· Renewables were top priority among voters of the Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems and UKIP, both nationally and in marginal seats;
· Fracking was the top priority for 13% of people, slumping to 8% in marginals;
Courtesy of EIA
The public also see securing our energy supplies as one of the most important priorities for the Government, with 53% of people citing it as a top 5 priority. Other issues considered a top five priority were unemployment, inflation, law and order and the NHS. Just 5% of people said reducing onshore wind farms should be a priority.
RenewableUK Chief Executive Maria McCaffery said: “This poll shows that the public want to tackle our energy security crisis by investing in renewables like wind, wave and tidal power and offsetting the need to import volatile and dirty fossil fuels from insecure parts of the world. Onshore wind, as the cheapest low carbon electricity source is a crucial component of that so it’s no wonder that the electorate will reject Parties that rule out its future use.”
Photo credit: Horizon Wind Energy Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm Courtesy of AWEA
Washington, D.C. — Television ads set to run this week in Colorado and Iowa will thank members of Congress who are some of American wind power’s biggest champions. The television ads thank U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and U.S. Representative Bruce Braley of Iowa and Senator Mark Udall of Colorado for their legislative leadership and their frequent, strong and proactive public support for wind energy.
These champions demonstrate wind’s strong bipartisan support in Congress. It is because of their leadership that American wind power is the mainstream source of electricity it is today and one of the biggest, fastest, cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions while creating good-paying jobs and saving consumers money.
The television ads are available here.
The Colorado television ad features wind technology instructor Shawn Lamb of Aurora, Colorado, who trains students seeking to join the wind and renewable energy workforce. Both of the Iowa television ads feature Rob Hach of Anemometry Specialists in Alta, Iowa. Anemometry Specialists helps provide their customers with technology capable of measuring where wind power is the strongest.
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is responsible for creating the ads and will follow these TV ads with additional initiatives to thank the many other Republican and Democratic wind champions.
Supporters can show their support for these wind champions by sharing these YouTube video links on Twitter with the following Tweets:
“Wind champions in Congress, “Thank you” for your support for American #windpower http://bit.ly/1p28ekB” “#Colorado thanks @MarkUdall for his leadership in supporting American #windpower http://bit.ly/1rjm5aR” “#Iowa thanks both @ChuckGrassley and @BruceBraley for supporting American #windpower http://bit.ly/1p28ekB”
Wind power supports up to 8,000 jobs in Iowa and Colorado combined and has attracted $14.3 billion in capital investment to these states’ local economies. American wind power attracts as much as $25 billion a year in private investment and supports as many as 85,000 jobs.
AWEA is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry, with 1,000 member companies, including global leaders in wind power and energy development, wind turbine manufacturing, component and service suppliers, and the world’s largest wind power trade show, the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, which takes place next in Orlando, FL, May 18-21, 2015. AWEA is the voice of wind energy in the U.S., promoting renewable energy to power a cleaner, stronger America. Look up information on wind energy at the AWEA website. Find insight on industry issues at AWEA’s blog Into the Wind. Join AWEA on Facebook. Follow AWEA on Twitter.
Courtesy of Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook
RenewableUK says new statistics published today (6-26-14) by the Department of Energy and Climate Change prove the case for wind power. The figures show that 19.4% of all the UK’s electricity mix in the first quarter of this year was generated from renewable energy sources, compared to 12.4% for the same period in the previous year. DECC says the primary reason for the increase was improved performance and greater capacity from onshore and offshore wind power.
Total renewable electricity generation was a record 18.1 terawatt hours in the first quarter of 2014, compared to 12.7 terawatt hours the previous year, an increase of 43%. This is enough to power 15.17 million homes for the quarter. Coal, gas and nuclear production all fell in the same period.
Onshore wind showed the highest absolute increase in generation, increasing by 62% to 6.6 terawatt hours, with offshore wind increasing by 53% to 4.4 terawatt hours. This made onshore wind the largest source of renewable electricity, with the technology providing 7.2% of all electricity across the UK. The combined total for onshore and offshore wind was nearly 12% of all electricity. The increase was partially due to increases in installed capacity, but also record high performance factors (load factors) of 40.4% for onshore wind and 54.3% for offshore wind. In addition, wave and tidal production increased 77%.
The paper also confirms previously released statistics for 2013, once again showing record performance for renewables across the year, led by onshore wind. However, the document does confirm that progress towards the overall energy target, including heat and transport, was below the interim target that the Government set out for 2013, highlighting the need to keep investing in renewable electricity – including onshore wind.
RenewableUK’s Director of External Affairs Jennifer Webber said: “Once again, wind delivered strongly for the UK in the first quarter of the year – when we need power most – providing nearly 12% of all our electricity. At a time when some politicians were finalising their plans to rule out any future support for onshore wind, it was quietly generating enough electricity for the equivalent of over 5 and a half million homes. Offshore wind also made a significant contribution to getting us off the hook of fossil fuels and reducing our dependence imported energy.
Onshore wind is delivering today, and it’s deeply illogical to talk about limiting its potential. Without the strong performance of wind last year, the Government would have been even further behind its energy targets. That’s why we need to ensure that there’s continued investment in both onshore and offshore wind moving forward.”
The statistics come the day after RenewableUK announced its 2015 General Election Manifesto which includes a pledge for onshore wind to be the cheapest form of new generation by 2020, with a lower price point than new gas, nuclear or other renewables – as long as the next Government is supportive. The Association announced the formation of a cost-cutting taskforce to highlight the initiatives needed to ensure this happens.
Commenting on this, Ms Webber said:
“We’ve shown this week that with the right policy support by 2020 the cheapest way to generate new electricity, to replace all the older power stations that are closing down, will be onshore wind. It’s time for all politicians to recognise the role that onshore wind is playing in our electricity provision and security of supply – and give it their support. Otherwise we’re signing up future consumers to a higher cost future, in hock to foreign powers for our electricity”.
Courtesy of EIA
This article is a repost (6-26-14), credit: RenewableUK.
Source: CAISO Daily Renewables Watch Note: Data do not include distributed generation solar electricity where output is behind-the-meter. Courtesy of EIA
On June 1, 2014, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) recorded a record midday hourly peak of 4,767 megawatts of alternating current (MWAC) of utility-generated solar electricity delivered into the California grid. With rapidly growing utility-scale solar capacity, CAISO has regularly recorded new hourly output records going back to 2010 when it first began publishing the daily data. When the hourly data are averaged over the course of a month to control for weather variation, the average peak hourly generation in May 2014 of 4,086 MWAC was 150% greater than the level in May 2013.
In 2013, 2,145 MW of utility-scale solar capacity entered service in California, of which more than 500 MW came from large-scale solar thermal plants. California accounted for more than 75% of U.S. utility-scale solar capacity installed in 2013.
Total solar electricity output in May 2014 constituted 6% of the total CAISO electricity load that month, compared with 2% in May 2013. However, during the average peak solar output hour, between 11:00 a.m. and noon for May 2014, solar supplied 14% of total power, compared with 6% in May 2013.
Solar generation facilities generally provide power to the CAISO grid from early morning until the evening, and reach peak output around midday. When solar electricity is being generated, less electricity from other sources such as natural gas or interstate electricity imports is required. Conversely, when there is little-to-no solar generation, the shares of other fuels used in California’s supply mix rise.
Source: CAISO Daily Renewables Watch Note: This chart shows a set of 24 hours for each month, calculated from CAISO’s average hourly output data by taking the average output for each hour in a given month. The peaks therefore do not exactly correspond to actual peak outputs, but should approximate the average peak hourly output in a given month. Courtesy of EIA
Source: CAISO Daily Renewables Watch Note: This chart shows a set of 24 hours for each month, calculated from CAISO’s average hourly output data by taking the average output for each hour in a given month. The peaks therefore do not exactly correspond to actual peak outputs, but should approximate the average peak hourly output in a given month. Note: The fuels above generally reflect CAISO’s categorization of renewable fuels that meet the eligibility requirements of California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. Small hydroelectric includes facilities with generation of 30 megawatts or less. (EIA defines all conventional hydroelectric generation as renewable.) Courtesy of EIA
Source: CAISO Daily Renewables Watch Note: This chart shows a set of 24 hours for each month, calculated from CAISO’s average hourly output data by taking the average output for each hour in a given month. The peaks therefore do not exactly correspond to actual peak outputs, but should approximate the average peak hourly output in a given month. Courtesy of EIA
While solar generation follows a relatively consistent pattern throughout the day (see tab 1), CAISO also faces challenges in integrating other renewables (see tab 2). Wind output during the summer months frequently coincides with the afternoon and evening peak demand hours, but it is also an intermittent resource and therefore has a limited ability to provide firm capacity. Hydroelectric power, which provides 12% of California’s net generation, is typically a flexible, dispatchable resource—but is also subject to seasonal variability, drought effects, and restrictions on dispatch created by the needs of other water users.
Solar and renewables still constitute a relatively small share of generation for California in the context of all fuel sources (tab 3). Natural gas accounted for 59% of net generation in 2013, and 3,940 MW of new natural gas capacity came online in 2013, which will help address some of the reserve capacity needs for balancing renewables, as well as replace some of the baseload power that was lost when two of the state’s four nuclear units were retired in 2012.
California’s utilities are less than two-thirds of the way toward meeting their 2020 RPS goals. With declining solar manufacturing costs, and the federal investment tax credit in place through the end of 2016, utility-scale solar installations are expected to continue through 2014. Projects currently reporting to EIA have indicated plans for an additional 1,728 MWAC of new utility-scale solar to be installed between May and December 2014.
In addition to leading the nation in utility-scale solar capacity, California also has a significant level of behind-the-meter residential and commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, approximately 700 MWDC of residential and commercial/industrial solar PV capacity was also installed in California in 2013, further reducing midday baseload power demand.
AC/DC Measurement of Solar
EIA collects electric capacity data in alternating-current megawatts (MWAC), the type of electricity used in homes and on the grid. Solar photovoltaic generators produce electricity in direct-current megawatts (MWDC), which is how organizations like the Solar Energy Industries Association report capacity. Generally, PV systems are associated with an AC-to-DC ratio between 80% and 90%.
Principal contributors: Gwendolyn Bredehoeft, Robert McManmon, Tyson Brown
Winning combination of technological innovation and tailored financial solution secures largest order for Siemens Energy Service to date
600 megawatt Gemini wind power plant will consist of 150 Siemens wind turbines
Financial Services unit closes on 20 percent equity investment, with the total shareholders’ investment almost EUR 500 million
Clean energy will be supplied to one and a half million people
The Gemini consortium has signed all construction, operations and financing contracts yesterday (5-14-14) with a total construction budget of nearly EUR 3 billion. With more than 20 parties involved 70 percent of this budget will be provided on the basis of project financing – making Gemini the largest-ever project financed offshore wind farm. For the Gemini project Siemens will deliver 150 wind turbines with a capacity of 4 megawatts (MW) and a rotor diameter of 130 meters each.
Siemens 4 megawatt wind turbine – Siemens will deliver 150 wind turbines with a capacity of 4 megawatts each for the Dutch offshore wind power plant Gemini in the North Sea. Photo courtesy of Siemens
The wind power plant is to be located in the North Sea, 85 km above the coast of Groningen. With an installed capacity of 600 MW in total Gemini will yield 2.6 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year. The wind power plant will supply clean energy for one and a half million people after being fully commissioned. The amount of energy is equivalent to a reduction in the emission of CO2 by 1,25 million tons per year.
For Siemens this is the first order for an offshore wind power plant in Dutch waters. The innovative service concept banks on the ongoing presence of a service vessel and the steady ground readiness of a helicopter.
Siemens’ 15-year service and maintenance agreement for the Gemini project is the largest service order ever for Siemens Energy Service. It will introduce a highly advanced logistics concept for offshore sites. For the first time, a helicopter will be available for a project at all times and a specially designed, purpose-built service operation vessel (SOV) will be based at the wind farm. To ensure increased turbine availability, maintenance work can be carried out at almost all times irrespective of the weather conditions or wave height.
“With the project we are entering one of the most important emerging offshore wind markets in Europe,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of the Wind Power Division of Siemens Energy.
Randy Zwirn, CEO of Energy Service for Siemens Energy adds, “Wind energy is becoming increasingly important to the world’s energy mix. Therefore wind turbines need to operate at optimum levels over their entire service life.” He underlines, “This record achievement for our offshore wind service business underscores confidence in the highly advanced and innovative service logistics concept we created for Gemini, which is a direct result of the significant investments we make in R&D and the years of experience we have as the world’s leading offshore service provider.”
Financial Services contributed to securing the Siemens bid by participating in the Gemini consortium via an equity investment. The multi-source financing model used in the project can help meet the increased capital investment required to finance the next stage in the offshore wind market’s development. It sends a signal how the appetite for offshore wind assets can be aligned across a wide range of investor groups.
Northland Power Inc., a Canadian independent power producer is the main shareholder, owning sixty percent of the shares in Gemini. 20 percent are owned by Siemens Financial Services, while smaller stakes belong to Van Oord (10%) and HVC (10%), a joint venture of 48 Dutch municipalities and six water regulatory authorities.
“We are very pleased to be working with Siemens on project Gemini. As the global leader in offshore wind turbine supply with more than 20 years of experience, the involvement of Siemens contributes to the solid structure of the project and will help us to deliver a high quality facility that will help to fulfill the Netherlands’ renewable energy targets”, notes John Brace, CEO of Northland.
As Matthias Haag, CEO of Gemini, points out: “With project financing and all building and supply contracts now in place, our focus has already shifted to the construction phase. We have assembled a team of experts in the offshore wind industry, and will be working closely with Northland Power, Siemens and Van Oord to make offshore wind power a vital and significant part of the Netherlands’ electricity supply.”
By supplying one and a half million of Dutch citizens with clean energy, Gemini will play an important role in helping the Government of the Netherlands achieve the targets mandated by the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive. It implies for the Netherlands to reach a 14 percent share of energy from renewable sources by 2020. Today the Dutch market has an installed wind power capacity of 2.7 gigawatts (GW), thereof 2.45 GW onshore. The offshore target is 4.45 GW to be operational in 2023.
Wind power and energy service are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. Around 43 percent of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. That makes Siemens one of the world’s leading providers of eco-friendly technology.
The Siemens Energy Sector is the world’s leading supplier of a broad spectrum of products, services and solutions for power generation in thermal power plants and using renewables, power transmission in grids and for the extraction, processing and transport of oil and gas. In fiscal 2013 (ended September 30), the Energy Sector had revenues of EUR26.6 billion and received new orders totaling approximately EUR28.8 billion and posted a profit of approximately EUR2 billion. On September 30, 2013, the Energy Sector had a work force of approximately 83,500. Further information is available at: http://www.siemens.com/energy
The Financial Services unit of Siemens (SFS) is an international provider of business-to-business financial solutions. SFS helps facilitate investments, providing commercial finance, project and structured finance with specific asset expertise in the energy, healthcare, industry, and infrastructure & cities markets. Employing more than 3,000 employees worldwide, SFS supports Siemens as well as other companies with their capital needs and acts as an expert manager of financial risks within the Siemens company. By leveraging our financing expertise and our industrial know-how we create value for our customers and help them strengthen their competitiveness. Beyond that, financing is key in creating trust for technological solutions – and acts as a key enabler when it comes to the market launch. As of September 30, 2013, the total assets amounted to €18.7 billion.
For more information, visit: http://www.siemens.com/finance.
ABOUT NORTHLAND
Northland is an independent power producer founded in 1987, and publicly traded since 1997. Northland develops, builds, owns and operates facilities that produce ‘clean’ (natural gas) and ‘green’ (wind, solar, and hydro) energy, providing sustainable long-term value to shareholders, stakeholders, and host communities. The company owns or has a net economic interest in 1,379 MW of operating generating capacity, with an additional 50 MW of generating capacity currently in construction, and another 150 MW (79 MW net to Northland) of wind and solar projects with awarded power contracts. In addition, Northland has acquired a majority equity stake in Gemini a 600MW (360 MW net to Northland) offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Northland’s cash flows are diversified over five geographically separate regions and regulatory jurisdictions in Canada, Europe and the United States.
This article is a repost (5-15-14), credit: Siemens.
