Wind power is cheapest energy, EU analysis finds

Onshore windfarms far cheaper than coal and gas when health impacts are factored in, report shows

Onshore wind is cheaper than coal, gas or nuclear energy when the costs of ‘external’ factors like air quality, human toxicity and climate change are taken into account, according to an EU analysis.

The report says that for every megawatt hour (MW/h) of electricity generated, onshore wind costs roughly €105 (£83) per MW/h, compared to gas and coal which can cost up to around €164 and €233 per MW/h, respectively.

Nuclear power, offshore wind and solar energy are all comparably inexpensive generators, at roughly €125 per MW/h.

“This report highlights the true cost of Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels,” said Justin Wilkes, the deputy CEO of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). “Renewables are regularly denigrated for being too expensive and a drain on the taxpayer. Not only does the commission’s report show the alarming cost of coal but it also presents onshore wind as both cheaper and more environmentally-friendly.”

The paper, which was written for the European commission by the Ecofys consultancy, suggests that the Conservative party plan of restricting new onshore windfarms will mean blocking out the cheapest source of energy when environmental and health facts are taken into consideration. It has been suggested the Tory plan could be done through a cap on onshore wind turbines’ output, lower subsidies or tighter planning restrictions.

“Any plans to change policy for onshore wind must be looked at in the context of this report,” said Oliver Joy a spokesman for EWEA. “Investors need long-term visibility. ‘Stop-start’ policies as well as harsh retroactive changes can blindside investors, driving up the risk premium and cost of capital.”

The documents’ contents may also be unwelcome in some quarters of the commission, which early today published selective results from it that did not include external health and pollution costs.

These showed that renewable energy took €38.3bn of public subsidies in 2012, compared to €22.3bn for gas, coal and nuclear. The EU did however note that if free carbon allowances to polluters were included in the data, it “would reduce the gap between support for renewables and other power generation technologies.”

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/13/wind-power-is-cheapest-energy-unpublished-eu-analysis-finds

Scotland may achieve energy independence before political independence

Th’ Gaelic gales o’ Britain’s blashie northern land dinnae just carry Celtic tunes o’er th’ highland anymair. Noo, they’re reducin’ the need fur fossil ‘n’ nuke power as weel, thanks tae win’ turbines a’ ower Scootlund producin’ loads o’ lecky.

In case you didn’t catch that, ThinkProgress published an article yesterday whose title sums up the story: “Scotland Produced Enough Wind Energy To Power Every Home In October.”

This news is super noteworthy and good, especially because Scotland’s flurry of wind helps keep watts flowing while four big U.K. nuclear power plants are offline, preventing a huge ramp up of coal and gas burning to replace the nuke power.

But it also brings up one thing that often gets glossed: “Powered homes” can be a confusing unit. What does that mean in terms of factories, shops, streetlights, andserver farms using electricity? What if 200 homes equals half a factory? That unit also ignores big differences in how homes use energy, rendering efficiency and conservation irrelevant. This is all just to say “all the homes in Scotland” is not “all of Scotland” (even though it sounds like it).

Read more: http://grist.org/list/scotland-may-achieve-energy-independence-before-political-independence/

Wind is cheaper than coal, oil and gas, says European Union study

If your price doesn't reflect the true cost of your product, then you are either going to go out of business, or you are going to have to foist the costs onto other people.

It's clear that fossil fuel industries have been pursuing the latter strategy for quite some time now. But as awareness of the true costs of climate change and air pollutiongrows, this position becomes increasingly precarious.

The latest indication that things must change comes in the form of a European Union commissioned report—written about over at Recharge—which finds that onshore wind is the cheapest energy source of all, once externalities such as climate change impacts and health effects are taken into account.

With onshore wind costs coming in at about €105 ($133) per MWh, this figure compares favorably to gas (€164/MWh), nuclear (€133) and, most dramatically, coal (€162-233).

We should note that onshore wind also beats offshore wind (€186/MWh) and solar (€217) by a considerable margin. However, while the cost of coal and other fossil fuels is likely to go up as supplies get harder to reach and lawmakers get serious about putting a price on carbon, solar costs continue to drop dramatically and industry insiders estimate offshore wind costs could drop 40 percent in coming decades.

Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/energy-policy/wind-cheaper-coal-oil-and-gas-says-european-union-study.html

Wind Power Blows Away Coal and Gas in Nordic Countries

Wind power is blowing gas and coal-fired turbines out of business in the Nordic countries, and the effects will be felt across the Baltic region as the renewable glut erodes utility margins for thermal power stations.

OSLO (Reuters) - Wind power is blowing gas and coal-fired turbines out of business in the Nordic countries, and the effects will be felt across the Baltic region as the renewable glut erodes utility margins for thermal power stations.

Fossil power plants in Finland and Denmark act as swing-producers, helping to meet demand when hydropower production in Norway and Sweden falls due to dry weather.

The arrival of wind power on a large scale has made this role less relevant and has pushed electricity prices down, eroding profitability of fossil power stations.

"Demand for coal condensing power in the Nordic power market has decreased as a result of the economic recession and the drop in the wholesale price for electricity," state-controlled Finnish utility Fortum said, booking an impairment loss of about 25 million euros($31.67 million).

Nordic wholesale forward power prices have almost halved since 2010 to little over 30 euros per megawatt-hour (MWh) as capacity increases while demand stalls on the back of stagnant populations, low economic growth and lower energy use due to improved efficiency.

Read more: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wind-power-blows-away-coal-and-gas-in-nordic-countries/

Autarkie vom Stromnetz mit Solarspeicher und Mikrowindkraft

KfW geförderte Photovoltaikspeicher mit Windkraft optimal nutzen

Steigende Strompreise lassen die Energiewende im Kleinen weiter voranschreiten. Vor allem die Besitzer privater Immobilien und kleiner Betriebe setzen zunehmend auf Speicherlösungen wie die 'Sonnenbatterie'. Solche Systeme speichern einen Teil der erzeugten Energie in Akkus um Ihn dann zu den Hauptlastzeiten bereitstellen zu können. Staatliche Förderungen lassen diese Art der Netzentlastung aktuell schnell Marktanteile gewinnen.

Doch hat die Technologie noch erhebliches Ausbaupotential, denn längere Zeiträume ohne die benötigte Sonne auf den Solarpanelen erschöpfen die Akkus schnell. Im Winter oder bei Schlechtwetter können gerade kleinere Speicher Ihren Nutzern daher kaum noch Strom liefern.

Die Lösung dieses Problems ist vieler Orts bereits verwirklicht - Windkraft. Der Wind weht fast immer genau dann wenn Solaranlagen schwächeln. Im großen Maßstab übernehmen dann ganze Windparks die Aufgaben der vielen tausend deutschen Solaranlagen. Doch was im Großen funktioniert war im Kleinen bisher unmöglich - kleine Windkraftanlagen bekamen kaum Genehmigungen und kosteten im Schnitt 5.000€ pro Kilowatt. Das entspricht mehr als den doppelten Kosten die eine Solaranlage heute verursacht. Hinzu kam, dass viele Anlagen kaum deutschen Qualitätsstandards entsprachen und die Wahl des richtigen Gerätes selbst für Profis eine Herausforderung darstellte.

Für den optimalen Einsatz einer Solaranlage mit Speichersystem wird eine Windkraftanlage benötigt die schnell und sicher auf dem Dach installiert und an das vorhandene System angeschlossen werden kann. Teure Masten und aufwändige Genehmigungen sind dabei ebenso ein Ausschlusskriterium wie unkalkulierbare Lebensdauer und hohe Kosten. Mit diesen Gegebenheiten im Hinterkopf startete Anfang 2014 das innovative Start-Up Unternehmen 'FuSystems SkyWind' in der Hauptstadt des Windkraftlandes Niedersachsen. Ziel war es eine Windturbine zu entwickeln die die Kosten halbiert, die Leistung absichert und die Installation vereinfacht. Das Ergebnis ist der SkyWind NG, eine sogenannte 'Mikrowindturbine'.

Mit seiner Größe von nur 1,5m kann der SkyWind ohne Kran mit Standardhalterungen auf nahezu jedem Dach montiert werden. Seine Kosten von nur 2.249€/kW sorgen für eine wirtschaftliche Integration in das Gesamtkonzept, während seine patentierte Bauart aus Metall eine lange Lebensdauer sichert. Aktuell wird der SkyWind auf dem einzigen deutschen Windtestfeld für Binnenlandkraftwerke unabhängig vermessen und seine Leistung nach den Standards der großen Windkraftanlagen zertifiziert. Mit nur zwei dieser Anlagen könnte so in Zukunft jeder Besitzer von Speichersystemen die Verfügbarkeit seines Speicherstroms verdoppeln. Denn auch in Schwachwindgebieten steht Windkraft bei Schlechtwetter und im Winter für die Nutzung im eigenen Haushalt zur Verfügung.

Auch wenn erste Projekte bereits umgesetzt sind sieht sich das Team hinter dem SkyWind weiter vor großen Aufgaben. Ihr erklärtes Ziel ist es Windkraft zu den Verbrauchern, nicht nur in den windstarken Regionen, sondern auch in Länder wie Bayern und Baden-Württemberg zu bringen. Denn hier ist der Gewinn an Autarkie aufgrund der mitunter langen Zeiten in denen die Solaranlagen verschneit sind besonders groß. Wenn durch diese 'Windkraft zum Anfassen', dann auch die Akzeptanz der erneuerbaren Energien allgemein steigen würde sei das ein Gewinn für alle, so das Team.

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Court rejects Northants wind farm plan

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Reacting to March 8, 2013's High Court ruling against plans to build a wind farm on farmland at Barnwell Manor in Sudborough, Northamptonshire, Friends of the Earth's Head of Campaigns Andrew Pendleton said: "It's understandable that changes to our much-loved green and pleasant land will often cause controversy, but the biggest threat by far - to people and nature - is climate change.

"It's time to stop tilting at windmills – there are some locations where turbines shouldn't be built, but if we want a clean and affordable energy future, we must find space for them in our landscape."

It might be good to check as to who paid the piper in this fight against the windmills. Don Qichote definitely was not involved.

Large turbines are not the general answer. Every building must become a power station with PVs and small wind. This has been proven in Germany in many places in that small solar and wind can produce more energy than over ten nuclear power stations, and even in Germany this is but a small amount of homes that thus far have been equipped in such a way, though more than in the UK and the USA combined.

Large wind installations in Germany also do not seem to be perceived in the same negative way as they are in Britain and one can see turbines all along the ridge of the Harz Mountains, for instance, on the line that once was the German-German border. They stretch as far as the eye can see but in nicely spaced intervals and thus do not become a blot on the landscape.

Small wind and roofs with PVs should become the norm rather than the exception everywhere making every building a power generating plant regardless as to whether it is a modern house or office building or a listed building.

It must become a rarity to see a building that does not have power generating arrays on them rather than the opposite, as it is now. Only in that way can we transition to a carbon free future and have energy security.

© 2013

Over 50% of Germany's renewable energy is owned by citizens & farmers, not utility companies

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Sometimes, while not liking them for other reasons, I must wonder as to whether Germany and the Germans are some of the only ones, if not indeed THE only ones, who actually get green and eco properly.

A solar complex in Bavaria, southern Germany

Germany's promotion of renewable energy rightly gets singled out for its effectiveness, most often by me as an example of how to do things well versus the fits and starts method of promotion common in the USA and even the UK.

There is another interesting facet of the German renewable energy saga: 51% of all renewable energy in Germany is owned by individual citizens or farms, totaling $100 billion worth of private investment in clean energy.

When one breaks that down into its components, that is to say, solar power and wind power, then the figures are that 50% of Germany's solar PV is owned by individuals and farms, while 54% of its wind power is held by the same groups.

While the UK has a serious load of wind turbines most of them, however, are not privately or farm owned but are owned by the electricity generating companies, with only a few farms holding such as private possession. Private wind and solar PV installations are rarely coming up in calculations, especially not the individual homes and farms.

In total there's roughly 17 GW of solar PV installed in Germany – versus roughly 3.6 GW in the US (based on SEIA's figures for new installations though the third quarter of 2011 plus the 2.6 GW installed going into the year) and recent figures for the UK are just a little above 6 GW (given by Renewables UK in January 2012). This is for a country which, I am sure, has more wind than Germany, though still, considering our sizes, better than the USA.

Germany now produces slightly over 20% of all its electricity from renewable sources and proves that those things can be done. The real stupid thing is that every time that countries, such as Germany, and their achievements in the real of renewable energy as well as recycling, etc., are pointed out the British government goes into turtle mode, pulling its head into its shell and proclaiming that that cannot work in Britain and Britain is different to all those other countries where it can be done.

The main thing though, other than the huge lead in solar PV installations Germany has over the US, thanks to good policy, and the fact that so much wind power isn't owned by utilities, is what slightly over half of renewable energy being owned not by corporations but by actual biological people mean. Namely an obvious democratic shift in control of resources and a break from the way electricity and energy has been produced over the past century.

This is a good thing indeed and is leads to decentralized power generation, more re-localization and re-regionalization of economic activity, the world getting smaller while more connected and therefore in a way bigger at the same time... taking a step backwards, and perhaps sideways, while moving forwards.

In “Small is beautiful” small power stations for every village were being advocated rather than large corporation owned ones and we must get down to that level.

It is also a much more resilient system in that the entire grid cannot be knocked for six by this or that incident when the entire country has small, personal or community owned power generating plants, whether wind, PV, or biomass.

© 2012

Britain must do more to secure wind energy jobs

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Britain, as a nation, is punching well below its weight when it comes to offshore wind, risking missing legally-binding targets and the opportunity to secure tens of thousands of jobs. It also may risk incurring problems with those that have set the legally binding targets.

This is the conclusion of a new paper published by think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research.

The paper says rapid expansion of the sector is needed to meet EC targets of 15% Britain's energy to come from renewable energy by 2020.

The paper also says that more government support is needed to make Britain a global hub for offshore wind energy, with the potential to create up to 70,000 jobs in parts of the country where they are most needed.

It claims that only 700 people are currently employed in this sector and only one factory in the UK has been set up to make parts for turbines. Most blades, and other equipment, for wind turbines, especially the large commercial ones, comes from abroad; much from Denmark and such. There is, however, no reason why such industries could not be established in Britain creating much needed employment and, probably, a way out of the depression.

Matthew Lockwood, Senior Research Fellow for IPPR, said: "Offshore wind has great potential for UK jobs but we risk being blown off course.”

"The government's pledge to achieve ambitious renewable energy targets by 2020 shows it is serious about its potential but we need to follow through with concrete policies to create greater certainty for industry, maximize the potential for the UK economy and realize our environmental goals."

The report also points to government backing for wind energy industry in Denmark, Spain and Germany saying that initiatives there have successfully provided stimulus for the sector.

However, as per usual, in Britain, we find that government just is not prepared to give any backing such as what other EU countries give to their green industries, in the same way as the British public transit system is the most expensive in all of Europe if not indeed the world while flying is so much cheaper.

The British Wind Energy association (BWEA) has said this is the latest in a long line of reports to show that, despite having the best wind resources in Europe, the UK is failing to cash in on a potential boom area.

Dr Gordon Edge, BWEA director of Economics and Markets, said: "A host of independent studies has shown that the wind sector in the UK can be a motor for economic growth.

"Wind can provide clean, sustainable energy, while attracting investment and creating employment. It is a win-win situation, which, with the right policy framework in place, can benefit the country as a whole."

As, unfortunately, with so many initiatives on the green sector, whether the renewable alternative energy sector, or in other branches, Britain seems to be lagging behind though government tries to tell us that we are not. Example the recent claims that Britain is the leader in recycling all packaging; a statement that just cannot be bought in the way it was presented.

The public must put more pressure on the governments, of this country and elsewhere, to back the green industry and to also make going green possible for the people of their respective nations. And this not just because of the possibility of the burning of fossil fuels for energy having something to do with the changing of the climate but because we must stop the pollution of our environment, and we must do it now. It should have been done the day before yesterday, but... we have to do it now for other wise it may just be too late. We only have this one Earth.

© 2009
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BWEA WELCOMES RSPB REPORT

RSPB CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO INCREASE COMMITMENT TO ONSHORE WIND

BWEA, the UK ’s leading renewable energy association, welcomed today RSPB’s “Positive Planning for Onshore Wind” report, which sets out how to significantly expand UK ’s onshore wind capacity. Evidence shows that it is possible to develop onshore wind farms, without damage to wildlife.

Maria McCaffery, Chief Executive of BWEA says: “Research on wind farms has consistently shown that wind turbines have a minimal impact on wildlife. On the other hand, it is now beyond doubt that climate change could have a devastating impact on bird habitats, if we don’t act soon. RSPB’s call for a step change in onshore wind deployment is timely and well judged.”

The report recognises that as a part of a wider mix of renewables, a significant increase in onshore wind capacity, meaning a greater number of turbines, will have to be deployed in order for the UK to meet its objectives under the EU 2020 targets on renewable energy.

The report emphasises that the Government must ensure the national and local planning process is well resourced, in order to handle an increase in the number and scale of renewable energy projects. BWEA also pointed out that the issue of spatial planning raised in the report must not be used as an excuse to tangle wind farm applications in red tape.

“BWEA feel it is important that the RSPB report is followed with action on the ground. Government now needs to provide better resourcing for local authorities to deal with wind f

The British Wind Energy Association is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries. Formed in 1978, and with 453 corporate members, BWEA is the leading renewable energy trade association in the UK . Wind has been the world's fastest growing renewable energy source for the last seven years, and this trend is expected to continue with falling costs of wind energy and the urgent international need to tackle CO2 emissions to prevent climate change.

The copy of the RSPB report can be seen here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-213213

Sign up to support wind energy at www.embracewind.com

Source: BWEA
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