Investments in solar power overtook those in wind power for the first time in 2011, and the latest deals suggest this is only the start, says a new report by energy industry experts GlobalData. As the report explains, renewable energy is becoming increasingly important in developing nations across North Africa and Asia, and with such … Read more
France has a number of significant natural advantages that are helping the country to establish itself as a major player in the wind-power industry. It has the second largest wind resource in Europe, after the UK, and the French mainland has three coastlines. The country also boasts the world’s second largest maritime area (when overseas … Read more
The power sector is the one of the world’s biggest consumers of water, but one source – wind power – uses very little water to produce electricity. All fossil fuels and nuclear need significant quantities of water to pump crude oil out of the ground, remove pollutants from power plant exhausts, flush residues after fossil … Read more
The UK wind sector has reached a landmark 6 gigawatts of installed capacity – enough to supply electricity to 3,354,893 homes – according to RenewableUK, the trade association representing the renewable energy industries. The 6GW threshold was reached by the Ormonde offshore wind farm, off the coast of Cumbria, which now has 120 megawatts (MW) … Read more
Wind power supplied an average of 5.3% of the UK’s demand for electricity for December and early January, reaching a record share of 12.2% on 28th December. As a result, carbon emissions from the UK’s electricity generators were cut by over 750,000 tonnes, equivalent to taking over 300,000 cars off the road. Dr Gordon Edge, … Read more
European wind power production will meet a massive 31% of the emissions reduction required by the current EU climate target. According to a new report by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) by 2020, the EU wind industry will avoid 342 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to 31% of the EU’s target of reducing emissions … Read more
Wind energy in the EU will more than triple its power output by 2020 with Eur194 billion invested in European onshore and offshore wind farms during this decade, predicts the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). Electricity production from wind power is expected to increase from 182 Terawatt hours (TWh) or 5.5% of the total EU … Read more
Onshore wind energy alone can provide up to 65% of Germany’s electricity requirements, according to a new study published by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES) on behalf of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE). With just 2% of land area in Germany available for wind power production, Fraunhofer calculated … Read more
The International Energy Agency has released its first Clean Energy Progress Report, which assesses global deployment of clean energy technologies and provides recommendations to countries on future action and spending. The report finds that while impressive progress has been made in developing clean energy technologies in recent years, the success stories are being overshadowed by … Read more
China added 18.9 GW of new wind power capacity last year to reach a total installed capacity of 44.7 GW, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). The new numbers for China also result in revised figures for global wind power growth in 2010, with the new capacity added over the year amounting to … Read more