Wind Power News: General News
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Hamptons neighbors at war over cable from new wind farm that will ‘erode the beach and cause noise’
Wealthy Hamptons neighbors are at war over a cable from new wind farm with Estee Lauder’s chief, actress Edie Falco and a reality star leading the resistance. New York state on Thursday gave its approval to the proposed South Fork Wind farm with the Public Service Commission voting unanimously in its favor. But some of those living in Wainscott – where an underground cable is planned as part of the farm – argue the plans could ‘erode their beach and . . . Complete story »
Weak grids expose risks for the electrification of everything
Home heating systems shutting down. Hospitals facing water shortages. Oil refineries going offline. The freezing, snowy weather in Texas exposed how quickly an energy system can be brought down and how widespread the chaos can be. That raises questions about the vulnerability of power grids around the world just as more parts of our everyday lives electrify. Grid operators model the reliability of their systems to handle harsh weather, and climate change is triggering more of those events at both . . . Complete story »
RWE warns on profit as Texas freeze halts wind farms
Freezing temperatures hitting Texas have put onshore wind farms out of service and forced operator RWE to buy electricity at sky-rocketing prices, it said on Friday, warning of a knock on earnings this year. Germany’s largest power producer said the crisis would mean a low- to mid-triple-digit million euro hit to core earnings from onshore wind/solar this year. Analysts at brokerage Jefferies estimate the hit to adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) at 100 million and 500 . . . Complete story »
Making wind turbines greener could also make them more expensive
The world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturers have committed to eliminating their net emissions of greenhouse gases, but reducing the carbon footprint of their production process may mean customers have to bear some of the cost. Global players such as Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA, its German-Spanish rival, aim to hit an array of sustainability targets in the next decade. These range from building zero-waste turbines to reducing the emissions of their supply chain, posing . . . Complete story »
Seltene Erden als Druckmittel: Deutsche Industrie fürchtet neue Bestimmungen aus China
[German industry fears new regulations on rare earth elements from China.] Seltene Erden sind wichtig für alle Zukunftstechnologieprodukte. China will diesen Industriezweig nun neu regulieren. In der deutschen Industrie ist die Sorge darüber groß. Berlin In der deutschen Industrie wächst die Sorge, ob die Versorgung der Hersteller moderner Hochtechnologie-Produkte mit dem wichtigen Grundstoff Seltene Erden künftig noch sicher ist. „Die Unsicherheit herrscht darüber, ob China Seltene Erden als Druckmittel gegenüber Unternehmen auch aus Europa einsetzen will“, sagte Matthias Wachter, Rohstoffexperte . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine maker Vestas halts V150s after Sweden collapse probe
Vestas has temporarily taken around 150 of its V150 machines out of service “in an abundance of caution” after identifying a blade fault as the cause of a turbine collapse in Sweden late last year. A investigation into the V150 4.2MW collapse at the Aldermyrberget wind farm found a bonding failure on blade-root inserts due to a manufacturing issue at a single supplier, confirmed a spokesman for the Danish wind giant. Vestas has halted around 150 of the turbines that could . . . Complete story »
A monster wind turbine is upending an industry
Twirling above a strip of land at the mouth of Rotterdam’s harbor is a wind turbine so large it is difficult to photograph. The turning diameter of its rotor is longer than two American football fields end to end. Later models will be taller than any building on the mainland of Western Europe. Packed with sensors gathering data on wind speeds, electricity output and stresses on its components, the giant whirling machine in the Netherlands is a test model for . . . Complete story »
Europe’s biggest utility company to ramp up spending on wind, solar power
LONDON— Enel plans to spend €70 billion, equivalent to $83 billion, expanding its presence in wind and solar power in the coming decade, seeking to cement its position as the world’s largest renewable energy producer outside China and to capitalize on the shift to green energy. The Italian utilities company was an early mover in renewable energy, giving it—along with Iberdrola SA and NextEra Energy Inc.—an edge amid increasing global demand for low-carbon power, and putting the trio among the . . . Complete story »
Fires at wind farms ‘underreported over fears of reputational damage’
Industry-wide underreporting of fires at wind farms has led to poor risk mitigation and damage prevention strategies, a report from a fire suppression firm has found. Firetrace International’s report, called In the Line of Fire, looks at the threat of wind farm fires amid changes in turbine technology and the climate. It draws insights from wind industry fire experts about how manufacturers, operators and investors can respond to an evolving threat of fire. The fire specialist says that because of a . . . Complete story »
Big Oil, meet Big Green
“Supermajor” has long been the term used to describe the world’s largest oil companies. Increasingly, it is coming to define the globe’s biggest producers of wind and solar power. Large-scale renewable energy developers now boast valuations greater than the behemoths of the oil and gas industry. NextEra Energy Inc., a Florida-based power company and the world’s largest generator of wind and solar electricity, is now worth $138 billion. That’s more than the likes of Royal Dutch Shell PLC ($112 billion), . . . Complete story »
