The Scottish Government has launched guidance designed to make planning applications for wind energy developments run more smoothly for developers, planning authorities and the communities affected. The guidance is a result of the GP Wind Project, a Scottish-Government led EU project which looked at the barriers to development of wind energy and ways of reconciling … Read more
Having just officially opened its first developed wind farm, Bord Gais Energy (BGE) plans to bring a second facility on stream in 2012 as part of a €400 million investment programme to create a further 250MWs of wind energy over the next three years. Bord Gáis Energy’s first developed wind farm, Ballymartin Wind Farm, is … Read more
GE will supply 31 of its 1.6-100 wind turbines for Fina Enerji’s Tayakadin wind project in Istanbul, Turkey, which will supply enough clean, wind-generated electricity to meet the needs of more than 14,000 Turkish households. The project will mark the first European installation of the GE 1.6-100 machine, which offers the highest efficiency of any … Read more
Ireland has passed a key renewable milestone as installed wind capacity now exceeds 2GW. That is enough power capacity to supply the needs of up to 1.3 million households on the island, depending on weather conditions. This is compared to just a quarter of that capacity connected a decade ago. Fintan Slye, director of operations … Read more
The British Government has confirmed that the UK-wide consortium bid from Ocean Energy Innovation, Carbon Trust and the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec), has been selected to set up the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, a £50 million technology innovation project funded by the Technology Strategy Board. The centre will establish its primary location in Glasgow, … Read more
In 2011, 9,616 MW of wind energy capacity was installed in the EU, making a total of 93,957 MW – enough to supply 6.3% of the EU’s electricity, according to figures just published by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). Representing 21.4% of new power capacity, wind energy installations in 2011 were very similar to … Read more
County Cork company Windturbines.ie and L-Power, based in Puglia, Italy, have signed a wind turbine supply agreement for the export of reconditioned wind turbines to Italy. Windturbines.ie will source, recondition and adapt the turbines to suit the Italian wind energy market, while L-Power will market, install and service the turbines for the end user. The … Read more
The Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) has welcomed the signing of an historic deal between Ireland and the UK Government that will potentially pave the way for exploiting Ireland’s unique wind energy resources. Both Governments have agreed to co-operate on developing the major wind and marine resource in and around Ireland, the Channel Islands and … Read more
Rising fossil fuel prices, devastating oil spills and the nuclear crisis in Fukushima have in 2011 substantially raised expectations of wind energy. Every month in 2009 and 2010, the global wind energy industry installed new wind energy capacity that can produce as much electricity as 1.2 average nuclear reactors. According to the wind industry, in … Read more
GE has unveiled a first-of-its-kind power plant engineered to deliver an unprecedented combination of flexibility and efficiency. By rapidly ramping up and down in response to fluctuations in wind and solar power, the technology will enable the integration of more renewable resources into the power grid. The FlexEfficiency 50 Combined Cycle1 Power Plant is rated … Read more