August 2008 Top Ten Alternative Energy Companies
Publicly-traded major green power stocks:
General Electric alternative energy - Leader in wind energy, solar power and water purification
Suzlon Wind energy turbine manufacturer - Only Vestas and GE are in this league
Vestas global windpower leader, gets a premium for its quality wind energy turbines
Ormat Tech USA geothermal power industry leading company
First Solar leading thin film solar energy company
Toyota clean vehicle manufacturer
SunPower Corp solar panel manufacturing company
Q-Cells AG European photovoltaic solar power company
Energy Conversion Devices, USA alternative energy technology company
Honda pioneering clean car technology
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CAUTION: Investing in common stocks of publicly-listed companies is a high risk (and high potential reward) activity. Owning investments in individual renewable energy technology companies is for high risk investors only, and medium risk investors should consider green mutual funds, closed-end clean energy funds, alternative energy index funds and other clean energy sector investments. Even then, these funds should be owned as part of a widely diversified portfolio, and always be considered as longer term investments.
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Alternative energy stocks and other renewable power investments are a core component of ethical investing portfolios. Find info on Alternative Energy websites, research solar power, locate renewable power information and solar energy companies online. Links to info on clean fuels, solar power as a peace technology, solar energy stocks and clean power mutual funds.
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Find green power alternative energy solutions, clean energy stocks, water technology stocks, water purification companies, water desalination technology and photovoltaic solar electric power company websites:
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Showing posts with label wind energy investing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wind energy investing. Show all posts
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Offshore Windpower from Lake Ontario may be best alternative to nuclear and coal
Wind power a dilemma for Ontario
TheStar.com - Business - Wind power a dilemma for Ontario
COMPARING WIND AND NUCLEAR
So how does offshore wind stack up to nuclear? Moody's Investors Service, commenting in May about the rising cost of atomic power, said the potential cost of a new plant being proposed today is more than $7,000 per kilowatt of capacity. This equates to about $5.3 billion for every 750 megawatts of nuclear capacity added to the grid.
Helimax estimates that the average cost of offshore wind development in Ontario is about $3,800 per kilowatt, or $2.9 billion for 750 megawatts of offshore wind capacity – that is, a project the size of what Trillium has proposed.
Such a comparison, however, is misleading. The lifetime "capacity factor" of Candu nuclear reactors around the world is about 80 per cent, a figure some would call generous in the Ontario context. This means the reactors have produced energy on average that amounts to 80 per cent of potential capacity. Helimax said offshore wind turbines have a capacity factor ranging from 35 to 40 per cent.
So to get the same energy over the course of a year from an offshore wind farm you'd have to build twice as much. This makes offshore wind slightly more expensive than what Moody's is predicting for the cost of nuclear. But is it really? Offshore proponents are quick to point out that with wind power you don't need a lifetime supply of uranium fuel, don't produce toxic waste products, don't have to pay for long-term storage of those waste products, and have lower ongoing staffing and maintenance costs.
They acknowledge offshore wind isn't baseload power like nuclear. Then again, there's no risk of a 1,500-megawatt reactor shutting down for a month or two in the summer because of unscheduled maintenance, like we saw last summer at Pickering generating station.
Timing is also an important consideration. Ontario's first lake-based wind farms, should the province choose to go down the offshore path, could be built and operating by 2013 – a year before the last coal plant is scheduled for shutdown in Ontario. The new nuclear plant at Darlington, as much as the province may need it for baseload power, won't go live until 2018.
–Tyler Hamilton
June 30, 2008
Tyler Hamilton
KINGSTON–The sun was shining, the wind was gentle, and the water calm as a boatload of visitors to Kingston, guests of budding offshore wind developer Trillium Power, embarked last week on a three-hour tour of Lake Ontario.
The cruise was timed to coincide with a global wind power conference at St. Lawrence College.
Trillium's goal was simple: Show people, rather than just tell, how much stronger and consistent the wind is when venturing offshore.
About 30 minutes into the ride the mission was accomplished. What was a relatively smooth cruise became a stomach-churning experience as the wind-battered Catamaran, big enough to hold 180 people, began shifting back and forth in the water. Staff ran to keep bottles of wine from smashing on to the floor, while guests were urged to stay seated.
"The wind here is three times more powerful," said John Kourtoff, chief executive of Trillium, as he compared the potential wind energy from his project to existing onshore wind farms scattered around southern Ontario.
Kourtoff wants to build a 750-megawatt offshore wind farm in these waters, about 15 kilometres off the shore of Prince Edward County. That works out to about 150 wind turbines, seen as specks from the shoreline. And there's potential to double that.
Earlier this month, he announced the creation of Tai Wind, a consortium of North American offshore wind developers who hope, by combining their collective needs, to attract a turbine manufacturer to Ontario.
Already, Germany's Multibrid is seriously considering the invitation and, sources say, has begun high-level discussions between its executives and Ontario government officials.
Multibrid's interest is understandable. A recent report from energy consultancy Helimax concluded there were 64 sites on the Ontario side of the Great Lakes representing up to 34,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity. This means the Trillium project is just scratching the surface.
Last week, for example, Toronto Hydro said it was renewing its efforts to establish an 80-turbine offshore wind farm near the Scarborough Bluffs.
"Offshore wind will be a driver of growth for the wind industry in the years to come," concluded investment firm Kyoto Planet Asset Management in a research report issued last week.
Also understandable is the government's interest. Embracing offshore wind is more than just adding more renewable energy to the grid, it could form the basis of a new "green" industrial strategy aimed at creating green-collar jobs. Multibrid is potentially the seed for that strategy, as it would need to develop a supply chain to support its Ontario growth plan. More than that, it sees Ontario as a manufacturing hub as it seeks to expand sales across North America and beyond.
It's welcome news at a time when production lines and plants are being shut down at Ontario automotive manufacturers. The idea makes so much sense that some unlikely alliances are being formed. When Trillium announced the Tai Wind consortium earlier this month, representatives from environmental groups WWF Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation shared the stage with the Canadian Auto Workers union, which fully backs the consortium's goals.
Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield told the Star that Ontario is "open for business" when it comes to offshore wind. George Smitherman, now minister of energy and infrastructure, wanted so much to express his support for wind industry growth in Ontario that just days after his appointment he made an unscheduled speech at the Kingston wind conference.
There's a sense of urgency, and a recognition that if Ontario doesn't act on the opportunity, other jurisdictions will.
But a big question remains: How much does offshore wind cost?
The Ontario Power Authority, the government agency that effectively determines which large power projects live or die, says offshore wind costs too much to be considered in its 20-year power system plan. It acknowledges that the technology provides more power than onshore projects, but not enough to justify the higher cost of building offshore wind farms.
"It should be borne in mind that there is currently no experience in Ontario with offshore wind resources, and it may be that additional information may become available over time that would justify further review of this issue," the power authority concluded in a recent amendment to its 20-year plan.
Herein lies a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma. How can the province get a true sense of development costs without forging ahead on at least one project?
We can point to ocean-based offshore projects in Europe and make comparisons, but there are major differences to consider that may work in Ontario's favour. For one, planting a big wind turbine in relatively shallow and calm lake waters would seem to be an advantage in terms of costs. And since we're talking fresh water, there's no risk of salt degrading the mechanical performance of turbines. Also important to consider is the degree to which local manufacturing could reduce turbine and component costs.
It's unclear whether the power authority has taken this into account. Nor has the agency considered larger economic considerations, such as job creation. Technically, it doesn't have that mandate. It exists to get what it perceives to be the cheapest, most reliable power it can for consumers and industry. Power authority executives, mostly former Ontario Hydro engineers who are smart and well intentioned, aren't naturally inclined to include wind, solar and other intermittent sources of renewable energy in their big-picture plans. They reluctantly do so under direction from the government.
The power authority, said one cruise guest, "has its hands full with nuclear" (see "Comparing").
Clearly, the government has some strategic decisions to make. Sooner, it would appear, than later.
Browsing Ideas:
The Toronto Sound - Canadian Alternative Rock Music
New Independent Canadian Singer Yuya
Alternative Energy Funds, Solar Power Websites
Renewable Energy Investing, Wind Power Company Stocks
Geothermal Power Investing Blog, Geothermal Energy Websites
Green Realtor Blog - Ecological Realty Website Links
Nature and Ecology Blog
TheStar.com - Business - Wind power a dilemma for Ontario
COMPARING WIND AND NUCLEAR
So how does offshore wind stack up to nuclear? Moody's Investors Service, commenting in May about the rising cost of atomic power, said the potential cost of a new plant being proposed today is more than $7,000 per kilowatt of capacity. This equates to about $5.3 billion for every 750 megawatts of nuclear capacity added to the grid.
Helimax estimates that the average cost of offshore wind development in Ontario is about $3,800 per kilowatt, or $2.9 billion for 750 megawatts of offshore wind capacity – that is, a project the size of what Trillium has proposed.
Such a comparison, however, is misleading. The lifetime "capacity factor" of Candu nuclear reactors around the world is about 80 per cent, a figure some would call generous in the Ontario context. This means the reactors have produced energy on average that amounts to 80 per cent of potential capacity. Helimax said offshore wind turbines have a capacity factor ranging from 35 to 40 per cent.
So to get the same energy over the course of a year from an offshore wind farm you'd have to build twice as much. This makes offshore wind slightly more expensive than what Moody's is predicting for the cost of nuclear. But is it really? Offshore proponents are quick to point out that with wind power you don't need a lifetime supply of uranium fuel, don't produce toxic waste products, don't have to pay for long-term storage of those waste products, and have lower ongoing staffing and maintenance costs.
They acknowledge offshore wind isn't baseload power like nuclear. Then again, there's no risk of a 1,500-megawatt reactor shutting down for a month or two in the summer because of unscheduled maintenance, like we saw last summer at Pickering generating station.
Timing is also an important consideration. Ontario's first lake-based wind farms, should the province choose to go down the offshore path, could be built and operating by 2013 – a year before the last coal plant is scheduled for shutdown in Ontario. The new nuclear plant at Darlington, as much as the province may need it for baseload power, won't go live until 2018.
–Tyler Hamilton
June 30, 2008
Tyler Hamilton
KINGSTON–The sun was shining, the wind was gentle, and the water calm as a boatload of visitors to Kingston, guests of budding offshore wind developer Trillium Power, embarked last week on a three-hour tour of Lake Ontario.
The cruise was timed to coincide with a global wind power conference at St. Lawrence College.
Trillium's goal was simple: Show people, rather than just tell, how much stronger and consistent the wind is when venturing offshore.
About 30 minutes into the ride the mission was accomplished. What was a relatively smooth cruise became a stomach-churning experience as the wind-battered Catamaran, big enough to hold 180 people, began shifting back and forth in the water. Staff ran to keep bottles of wine from smashing on to the floor, while guests were urged to stay seated.
"The wind here is three times more powerful," said John Kourtoff, chief executive of Trillium, as he compared the potential wind energy from his project to existing onshore wind farms scattered around southern Ontario.
Kourtoff wants to build a 750-megawatt offshore wind farm in these waters, about 15 kilometres off the shore of Prince Edward County. That works out to about 150 wind turbines, seen as specks from the shoreline. And there's potential to double that.
Earlier this month, he announced the creation of Tai Wind, a consortium of North American offshore wind developers who hope, by combining their collective needs, to attract a turbine manufacturer to Ontario.
Already, Germany's Multibrid is seriously considering the invitation and, sources say, has begun high-level discussions between its executives and Ontario government officials.
Multibrid's interest is understandable. A recent report from energy consultancy Helimax concluded there were 64 sites on the Ontario side of the Great Lakes representing up to 34,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity. This means the Trillium project is just scratching the surface.
Last week, for example, Toronto Hydro said it was renewing its efforts to establish an 80-turbine offshore wind farm near the Scarborough Bluffs.
"Offshore wind will be a driver of growth for the wind industry in the years to come," concluded investment firm Kyoto Planet Asset Management in a research report issued last week.
Also understandable is the government's interest. Embracing offshore wind is more than just adding more renewable energy to the grid, it could form the basis of a new "green" industrial strategy aimed at creating green-collar jobs. Multibrid is potentially the seed for that strategy, as it would need to develop a supply chain to support its Ontario growth plan. More than that, it sees Ontario as a manufacturing hub as it seeks to expand sales across North America and beyond.
It's welcome news at a time when production lines and plants are being shut down at Ontario automotive manufacturers. The idea makes so much sense that some unlikely alliances are being formed. When Trillium announced the Tai Wind consortium earlier this month, representatives from environmental groups WWF Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation shared the stage with the Canadian Auto Workers union, which fully backs the consortium's goals.
Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield told the Star that Ontario is "open for business" when it comes to offshore wind. George Smitherman, now minister of energy and infrastructure, wanted so much to express his support for wind industry growth in Ontario that just days after his appointment he made an unscheduled speech at the Kingston wind conference.
There's a sense of urgency, and a recognition that if Ontario doesn't act on the opportunity, other jurisdictions will.
But a big question remains: How much does offshore wind cost?
The Ontario Power Authority, the government agency that effectively determines which large power projects live or die, says offshore wind costs too much to be considered in its 20-year power system plan. It acknowledges that the technology provides more power than onshore projects, but not enough to justify the higher cost of building offshore wind farms.
"It should be borne in mind that there is currently no experience in Ontario with offshore wind resources, and it may be that additional information may become available over time that would justify further review of this issue," the power authority concluded in a recent amendment to its 20-year plan.
Herein lies a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma. How can the province get a true sense of development costs without forging ahead on at least one project?
We can point to ocean-based offshore projects in Europe and make comparisons, but there are major differences to consider that may work in Ontario's favour. For one, planting a big wind turbine in relatively shallow and calm lake waters would seem to be an advantage in terms of costs. And since we're talking fresh water, there's no risk of salt degrading the mechanical performance of turbines. Also important to consider is the degree to which local manufacturing could reduce turbine and component costs.
It's unclear whether the power authority has taken this into account. Nor has the agency considered larger economic considerations, such as job creation. Technically, it doesn't have that mandate. It exists to get what it perceives to be the cheapest, most reliable power it can for consumers and industry. Power authority executives, mostly former Ontario Hydro engineers who are smart and well intentioned, aren't naturally inclined to include wind, solar and other intermittent sources of renewable energy in their big-picture plans. They reluctantly do so under direction from the government.
The power authority, said one cruise guest, "has its hands full with nuclear" (see "Comparing").
Clearly, the government has some strategic decisions to make. Sooner, it would appear, than later.
Browsing Ideas:
The Toronto Sound - Canadian Alternative Rock Music
New Independent Canadian Singer Yuya
Alternative Energy Funds, Solar Power Websites
Renewable Energy Investing, Wind Power Company Stocks
Geothermal Power Investing Blog, Geothermal Energy Websites
Green Realtor Blog - Ecological Realty Website Links
Nature and Ecology Blog
Friday, December 21, 2007
EarthFirst (TSX:EF) buying 144 megs of wind turbines from Vestas, for Dokie Ridge, BC
EarthFirst buys 48 Vestas V90 3 MegaWatt wind turbines for Dokie Ridge project in BC, Canada
VICTORIA, BC, Dec. 17 /CNW/ - EarthFirst Canada Inc. ("EarthFirst") (EF, EF.WT; TSX) is pleased to announce that it has placed an order with Vestas-Canadian Wind Technology Inc. for 48 of its V90-3.0 MW wind turbines to be installed at EarthFirst's 144 MW Dokie Ridge project located in the Rocky Mountain foothills of the Peace River region in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada.
VICTORIA, BC, Dec. 17 /CNW/ - EarthFirst Canada Inc. ("EarthFirst") (EF, EF.WT; TSX) is pleased to announce that it has placed an order with Vestas-Canadian Wind Technology Inc. for 48 of its V90-3.0 MW wind turbines to be installed at EarthFirst's 144 MW Dokie Ridge project located in the Rocky Mountain foothills of the Peace River region in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada.
Friday, December 14, 2007
China's Goldwind Sci & Tech IPO hoping for success like Suzlon, Vestas
Goldwind IPO as China seeks 120,000 megawatts of windpower
Goldwind Plans IPO as China Combats Climate Change (Update2)
By Ying Lou
Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Goldwind Science & Technology Co., China's largest maker of wind turbines, plans to raise 1.8 billion yuan ($244 million) in an initial share sale to boost output as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on coal.
Goldwind will sell 50 million shares at 36 yuan apiece, the Xinjiang-based company said in a statement to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. can buy the stock today and tomorrow, and it will start trading ``soon'' after the sale, Goldwind said.
Chinese officials at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Indonesia are showcasing their government's efforts to curb emissions of gases that cause global warming. The nation's climate-change program sets a target to slash 950 million tons off greenhouse emissions by 2010 by using nuclear energy, biomass fuels, hydropower, gas and wind power.
``China is already the world's factory,'' Yang Ailun, climate change program manager at Greenpeace China, said in an interview in Bali, Indonesia on Dec. 11. ``It could be and should be the manufacturing hub of clean technology for the world as well.''
The nation wants to reduce a reliance on coal for almost 80 percent of the electricity used in the world's fastest-growing economy. China passed the U.S. last year to become the world's largest source of carbon dioxide gas, from burning fossil fuels and producing cement, according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.
`First Mover Advantage'
The share sale will help fund Goldwind's plan to spend about 1.9 billion yuan to expand capacity and on research and development, according to a Dec. 6 share sale document.
``As China's wind power sector takes off, we think Goldwind is well-positioned to become a major beneficiary, thanks to its strong brand and first-mover advantage,'' KGI Securities analyst Steven Liao wrote in a Dec. 12 report. ``We think Goldwind is an attractive investment target,'' Taipei-based Liao said. Goldwind has a 33 percent share of China's wind-power equipment market, according to KGI.
China became the world's sixth-largest wind power generator last year, with 2,604 megawatts of installed capacity, according to KGI. Capacity is forecast increase by 54 percent in the five years ending 2010, the fastest pace in the world.
A megawatt of wind power generating capacity produces about as much electricity as 225 to 300 U.S. households use in a year, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Three Gorges
China may have installed wind power generation capacity of 120 gigawatts by 2020, given state backing for such projects, Greenpeace's Yang said.
``The power generated from the wind generation units will be the equivalent of five Three Gorges projects,'' Yang said. The Three Gorges Dam, on China's Yangtze River, is the world's largest hydropower venture, with planned capacity of 18,200 megawatts.
The project, in the central province of Hubei, can generate 84.7 million megawatt-hours of power annually, equal to 10 nuclear reactors, and is due for completion in 2009.
Liao estimates Goldwind's 2007 sales at 3.2 billion yuan and 7.2 billion yuan in 2008.
Vestas Wind Systems A/S, based in Randers, Denmark, is the world's largest maker of wind-powered turbines and forecasts sales of 3.85 billion euros ($5.67 billion) this year.
Suzlon's Sales
India's Suzlon Energy Ltd., which aims to be the world's third-largest wind power company by 2010, may have sales of $3.31 billion in the 12 months ending March 2008, according to the average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
China wants renewable energy make up 10 percent of its total energy consumption by 2010 and 15 percent by 2020 from about 8 percent now. China will spend 1.5 trillion yuan by 2020 to develop renewable energy sources including solar, wind and biomass.
China's investment on renewable energy will reach $20 billion this year, Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, said yesterday at the UN conference in Bali.
Environment ministers from more than 180 countries are meeting in Bali to discuss an agreement to succeed the emissions-limiting Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012.
full article at:
Goldwind IPO article on Bloomberg.com; windpower stock news
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
Goldwind Plans IPO as China Combats Climate Change (Update2)
By Ying Lou
Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Goldwind Science & Technology Co., China's largest maker of wind turbines, plans to raise 1.8 billion yuan ($244 million) in an initial share sale to boost output as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on coal.
Goldwind will sell 50 million shares at 36 yuan apiece, the Xinjiang-based company said in a statement to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. can buy the stock today and tomorrow, and it will start trading ``soon'' after the sale, Goldwind said.
Chinese officials at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Indonesia are showcasing their government's efforts to curb emissions of gases that cause global warming. The nation's climate-change program sets a target to slash 950 million tons off greenhouse emissions by 2010 by using nuclear energy, biomass fuels, hydropower, gas and wind power.
``China is already the world's factory,'' Yang Ailun, climate change program manager at Greenpeace China, said in an interview in Bali, Indonesia on Dec. 11. ``It could be and should be the manufacturing hub of clean technology for the world as well.''
The nation wants to reduce a reliance on coal for almost 80 percent of the electricity used in the world's fastest-growing economy. China passed the U.S. last year to become the world's largest source of carbon dioxide gas, from burning fossil fuels and producing cement, according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.
`First Mover Advantage'
The share sale will help fund Goldwind's plan to spend about 1.9 billion yuan to expand capacity and on research and development, according to a Dec. 6 share sale document.
``As China's wind power sector takes off, we think Goldwind is well-positioned to become a major beneficiary, thanks to its strong brand and first-mover advantage,'' KGI Securities analyst Steven Liao wrote in a Dec. 12 report. ``We think Goldwind is an attractive investment target,'' Taipei-based Liao said. Goldwind has a 33 percent share of China's wind-power equipment market, according to KGI.
China became the world's sixth-largest wind power generator last year, with 2,604 megawatts of installed capacity, according to KGI. Capacity is forecast increase by 54 percent in the five years ending 2010, the fastest pace in the world.
A megawatt of wind power generating capacity produces about as much electricity as 225 to 300 U.S. households use in a year, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Three Gorges
China may have installed wind power generation capacity of 120 gigawatts by 2020, given state backing for such projects, Greenpeace's Yang said.
``The power generated from the wind generation units will be the equivalent of five Three Gorges projects,'' Yang said. The Three Gorges Dam, on China's Yangtze River, is the world's largest hydropower venture, with planned capacity of 18,200 megawatts.
The project, in the central province of Hubei, can generate 84.7 million megawatt-hours of power annually, equal to 10 nuclear reactors, and is due for completion in 2009.
Liao estimates Goldwind's 2007 sales at 3.2 billion yuan and 7.2 billion yuan in 2008.
Vestas Wind Systems A/S, based in Randers, Denmark, is the world's largest maker of wind-powered turbines and forecasts sales of 3.85 billion euros ($5.67 billion) this year.
Suzlon's Sales
India's Suzlon Energy Ltd., which aims to be the world's third-largest wind power company by 2010, may have sales of $3.31 billion in the 12 months ending March 2008, according to the average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
China wants renewable energy make up 10 percent of its total energy consumption by 2010 and 15 percent by 2020 from about 8 percent now. China will spend 1.5 trillion yuan by 2020 to develop renewable energy sources including solar, wind and biomass.
China's investment on renewable energy will reach $20 billion this year, Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, said yesterday at the UN conference in Bali.
Environment ministers from more than 180 countries are meeting in Bali to discuss an agreement to succeed the emissions-limiting Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012.
full article at:
Goldwind IPO article on Bloomberg.com; windpower stock news
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
Sunday, December 9, 2007
EWEA DEcember 5th Press Release - full text online, European wind energy
December 5th 2007
Barriers must be removed for full exploitation of offshore wind
Press Release from European Wind Energy Association
Berlin
To support the necessary growth and expansion of offshore wind in order to meet the EU's 20% renewables target, several barriers need to be overcome. Low feed-in tariffs for offshore, limited and costly grid connections and complex authorisation procedures are seen as key obstacles by the offshore industry, delegates heard at the second day of the European Offshore Wind Energy Conference in Berlin.
Five countries have operating offshore wind farms so far: Denmark, Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands and Ireland. Other countries, such as Germany and France, are developing new offshore capacity. In a session today on national and EU policy, speakers from Germany, the UK, Spain, the European Commission and industry explained how certain barriers are slowing down the development of offshore and presented recent and necessary changes to policy framework.
In Germany, there are no current operational offshore wind farms. However, 22 projects have been approved in the Baltic and North Seas. The first project to be up and running should be the Alpha Ventus site, near the island of Borkum. This is currently a testing site for 12 x 5 MW turbines. It should be connected to the power grid from 2008.
Speaker Hermann Albers, from the BWE (German Wind Energy Association) focused on the key steps needed to help offshore wind power take off in Germany. Two of the barriers are the current tariffs, which are too low to encourage offshore development, and the grid connection costs.
“However, the meeting of Angela Merkel’s cabinet this morning should result in a changed feed-in tariff, which would be more attractive to developers”, he continued. This would be an important step towards offshore expansion in Germany. “For the future, a key challenge is to push turbine production to ensure a sufficient supply chain”, he added.
The session then moved on to the UK, where offshore wind is growing and could be supplying 17% of the country’s electricity by 2020, according to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA). The rapid development is partly the result of an increase in government funding through Renewable Obligation Certificates which will take effect in 2009.
Gordon Edge, from the BWEA sees the main obstacle in the country as the “over-long and complex authorisation process for offshore farms, which can take up to 14 years”.
He gave two key methods, amongst others, of speeding up the process, by shortening the consenting time and the delivery time. In this way, the currently very strong UK offshore growth can be maintained.
Spain is one of the global leaders in onshore wind. Although it does not yet have any operating offshore wind farms, a programme has been launched in order to identify suitable development zones and establish a licensing procedure. Several projects have been suggested for the area of Cape Trafalgar, off the south coast.
Félix Avia, of CENER, the Spanish National Renewable Energies Centre explained, that offshore development had not taken off until now due to two main reasons: an over-complex authorisation process – once again – and feed-in tariffs which were not specific to offshore.
However, a Royal Decree from July 2007 helped remove these obstacles, redefining the procedures and criteria for offshore authorisation. Furthermore, it gave the power to authorise projects to just one office, and set the expected time period for installation to three years.
Mr Avia finished by saying, “Now that the new legal framework has tackled the key barriers, the future seems optimistic for offshore wind in Spain.”
Wolfgang Kerner, from the European Commission’s DG TREN, explained how the Priority Interconnection Plan (PIP) of the January 2007 energy package seeks to create a European electricity market and grid in order to facilitate cross-border exchanges. Thirty-two electricity lines have been selected around Europe and should be upgraded to help enable this. EWEA has been insisting on the need to upgrade interconnectors in order to promote cross-border exchange of power and to ensure security of electricity supply for a significant amount of time.
In addition, the European Commission has appointed four energy coordinators, including Georg Wilhelm Adamowitsch, whose specific role will be to facilitate future offshore projects.
Bo Mørup, from Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Denmark, gave the investors’ point of view, focusing on the question, “why do some countries take off while others do not?” He discussed the criteria that made some countries attractive to investors, namely the tariff level and the wind resource available.
More information on different national approaches can be found in EWEA’s policy recommendations document, launched yesterday, entitled “Delivering offshore wind energy in Europe”.
Visit www.ewea.org to learn more.
Barriers must be removed for full exploitation of offshore wind
Press Release from European Wind Energy Association
Berlin
To support the necessary growth and expansion of offshore wind in order to meet the EU's 20% renewables target, several barriers need to be overcome. Low feed-in tariffs for offshore, limited and costly grid connections and complex authorisation procedures are seen as key obstacles by the offshore industry, delegates heard at the second day of the European Offshore Wind Energy Conference in Berlin.
Five countries have operating offshore wind farms so far: Denmark, Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands and Ireland. Other countries, such as Germany and France, are developing new offshore capacity. In a session today on national and EU policy, speakers from Germany, the UK, Spain, the European Commission and industry explained how certain barriers are slowing down the development of offshore and presented recent and necessary changes to policy framework.
In Germany, there are no current operational offshore wind farms. However, 22 projects have been approved in the Baltic and North Seas. The first project to be up and running should be the Alpha Ventus site, near the island of Borkum. This is currently a testing site for 12 x 5 MW turbines. It should be connected to the power grid from 2008.
Speaker Hermann Albers, from the BWE (German Wind Energy Association) focused on the key steps needed to help offshore wind power take off in Germany. Two of the barriers are the current tariffs, which are too low to encourage offshore development, and the grid connection costs.
“However, the meeting of Angela Merkel’s cabinet this morning should result in a changed feed-in tariff, which would be more attractive to developers”, he continued. This would be an important step towards offshore expansion in Germany. “For the future, a key challenge is to push turbine production to ensure a sufficient supply chain”, he added.
The session then moved on to the UK, where offshore wind is growing and could be supplying 17% of the country’s electricity by 2020, according to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA). The rapid development is partly the result of an increase in government funding through Renewable Obligation Certificates which will take effect in 2009.
Gordon Edge, from the BWEA sees the main obstacle in the country as the “over-long and complex authorisation process for offshore farms, which can take up to 14 years”.
He gave two key methods, amongst others, of speeding up the process, by shortening the consenting time and the delivery time. In this way, the currently very strong UK offshore growth can be maintained.
Spain is one of the global leaders in onshore wind. Although it does not yet have any operating offshore wind farms, a programme has been launched in order to identify suitable development zones and establish a licensing procedure. Several projects have been suggested for the area of Cape Trafalgar, off the south coast.
Félix Avia, of CENER, the Spanish National Renewable Energies Centre explained, that offshore development had not taken off until now due to two main reasons: an over-complex authorisation process – once again – and feed-in tariffs which were not specific to offshore.
However, a Royal Decree from July 2007 helped remove these obstacles, redefining the procedures and criteria for offshore authorisation. Furthermore, it gave the power to authorise projects to just one office, and set the expected time period for installation to three years.
Mr Avia finished by saying, “Now that the new legal framework has tackled the key barriers, the future seems optimistic for offshore wind in Spain.”
Wolfgang Kerner, from the European Commission’s DG TREN, explained how the Priority Interconnection Plan (PIP) of the January 2007 energy package seeks to create a European electricity market and grid in order to facilitate cross-border exchanges. Thirty-two electricity lines have been selected around Europe and should be upgraded to help enable this. EWEA has been insisting on the need to upgrade interconnectors in order to promote cross-border exchange of power and to ensure security of electricity supply for a significant amount of time.
In addition, the European Commission has appointed four energy coordinators, including Georg Wilhelm Adamowitsch, whose specific role will be to facilitate future offshore projects.
Bo Mørup, from Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Denmark, gave the investors’ point of view, focusing on the question, “why do some countries take off while others do not?” He discussed the criteria that made some countries attractive to investors, namely the tariff level and the wind resource available.
More information on different national approaches can be found in EWEA’s policy recommendations document, launched yesterday, entitled “Delivering offshore wind energy in Europe”.
Visit www.ewea.org to learn more.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Investors List of Wind Energy Companies
Wind Power Stocks
* Babcock & Brown Wind Partners
* Clipper Windpower
* C. Rokas SA
* EDF Energies Nouvelles
* Energiekontor AG
* Gamesa Corp Tecnologica
* Greentech Energy Systems
* Japan Wind Development
* Nordex AG
* Novera Energy
* Plambeck Neue Energien AG
* Renewable Energy Generation
* Repower Systems AG
* Suzlon Energy
* Theolia
* Valmont Industries
* Vestas Wind Systems
* Western Wind Energy
from AEI: AltEnergyInvestor.org
* Babcock & Brown Wind Partners
* Clipper Windpower
* C. Rokas SA
* EDF Energies Nouvelles
* Energiekontor AG
* Gamesa Corp Tecnologica
* Greentech Energy Systems
* Japan Wind Development
* Nordex AG
* Novera Energy
* Plambeck Neue Energien AG
* Renewable Energy Generation
* Repower Systems AG
* Suzlon Energy
* Theolia
* Valmont Industries
* Vestas Wind Systems
* Western Wind Energy
from AEI: AltEnergyInvestor.org
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