Category: Categories


Vestas to deliver 58 V52-850 units to China

April 19th, 2010 | Posted in Wind

Vestas received an order for 58 V52-850 units from a Chinese customer. The units, totalling in 49 MW of capacity, are to delivered to the Guangdong province, China. Along with the wind turbines, Vestas is to provide service and maintenance for two years, VestasOnline Business SCADA and will be also be responsible for the installation and commissioning of the units. Delivery of the wind turbines is expected to happen in Q3 2010.

The Chinese wind market requires wind turbines designed to operate in moderate to low wind speed conditions, so many of the installed wind turbines in the country are of lower output per unit (usually 850 kW – 1 MW). Guangdong has significant energy potential along its coastline. Most of China's wind energy potential, however, lies in the northeast of the country.

Vestas has so far successfully installed a total of about 2 GW of wind turbines in China.

[source: Vestas]


SDE to complete first sea wave power plant in China

April 19th, 2010 | Posted in Hydro

SDE (Israel) is in the final stages of the construction of the first sea wave power plant in China, in the Guangzhou province, near the city of Dong Ping. The 1 MW power plant is to be completed in the coming weeks, and represents the beginning of a much larger plan involving the development of about 10 GW of capacity in the future.

Similar projects are in the development pipeline, and will be built in Nan San Inland of Zhan Jiang City, which has a 24 km beach with waves reaching 2-3 meters; another location is the Hainan province, where SDE's partners are in the final stages of negotiations for plant locations.

SDE's wave energy device in operation.

The first 1 MW project, soon to be completed, represents an investment of about USD 650,000, while an equivalent coal-fired power plant would cost about USD 1.5 million, a gas-fired plant about USD 900,000. Equivalent solar or wind power plants would cost even more (about USD 3 million, and USD 1.5 million, respectively), so wave energy technology is proving to be a cost-effective solution so far.

China's cities are among the most polluted cities in the world, mostly due to the very high demand for energy resulting from the country's production expansion in the past decades. China needs to turn towards cleaner energy, and fast, if it's to improve the quality of air, which mostly affects urban population in the country, and reduce its carbon footprint significantly.

[source: SDE]

Nordex to deliver 30 MW of wind turbines to Greece

April 15th, 2010 | Posted in Wind

Nordex has been awarded a contract for 30 MW of wind turbines (N90/2500 units), to be delivered to a Greek wind farm developer. The first wind turbines will be delivered this autumn, while completion is expected in mid 2011. The wind farm is located in the northern part of Greece, near the coastline where the winds blow at a steady 7 m/s, enough to make the project viable.

The power generated at the new wind farm will be enough to supply about 14,500 average local households with clean electricity. Under the contract, Nordex is also to provide a five-year premium service for the installed units. The wind farm developer will be taking care of all the infrastructure preparation work.

[source: Nordex]

Iberdrola sells 50 MW of power from Barton wind farm

April 15th, 2010 | Posted in Wind

Iberdrola Renewables (US subsidiary of Iberdrola) has sold 50 MW of generated electricity generated at the Barton wind farm to We Energies, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through a power purchase agreement.

The Barton wind farm is located near Kensett, Iowa. It has a total of 160 MW of installed capacity, and began commercial operation in June 2009. First power deliveries to We Energies began on January 1, 2010.

[source: Iberdrola Renewables]

Venezuela planning major wind energy developments

April 15th, 2010 | Posted in Hydro Wind

According to recent reports from local media, Venezueal is planning major wind energy developments in the country. New wind energy capacity could reach as much as 10 GW over the next 15 years, according to the official ABN news agency.

Ironically, Venezuela is one of the largest exporters of oil in the world, so this turn towards clean energy sources is a major change. Wind development in Venezuela will be the conclusion of a somewhat separate project which will determine the country's wind energy potential, and will be conducted by the Venezuelan Wind Energy Association, headed by professor Oswaldo Ravelo.

If the country's successfully installs the mentioned 10 GW of wind energy capacity, it will have reached 10% of the total electricity demand by 2025.

Not only wind energy is considered though, as there are plans to assess wave energy potential in the country's coastal areas.

[via: Latin American Herlad Tribune]

Small hydro growing big in China as CHC acquires more capacity

April 15th, 2010 | Posted in Hydro

China Hydroelectric Corporation (CHC), a Chinese small hydroelectric power plant developer, has announced a new acquisition, which will add to the company's growing portfolio of small hydropower projects in China. The latest project to be acquired is the 19 MW Husahe project located in the Yunnan province, for USD 15.5 million. Together with previously announced 44 MW of acquisitions, CHC will add a total of 63 MW to its portfolio of operating hydroelectric assets.

In addition to the new acquisition deal, the company has 125 MW of projects under construction, as well as 341 MW of development rights for new projects in the pipeline. All these projects combined total in 709 MW of small hydropower projects. CHC has stepped up its acquisition activities since receiving a substantial loan from the Bank of China's Fujian Branch. The USD 440 million has given the company the opportunity to accelerate acquisition plans, and continue with the planned 250 MW of acquisitions in the first half of 2010.

Small hydropower potential is abundant in China, and has been estimated to reach as much as 542 GW (according to a 2005 survey). Of this capacity, about 402 GW are economically exploitable. Small hydro represents about 128 GW of that capacity, where a small hydropower project in China is considered to have no more than 50 MW (usually the upper limit is considered to be about 20 MW).

[source: China Hydroelectric Corporation]

Danish Wind Industry Association reports high export figures in 2009

April 15th, 2010 | Posted in Wind

The Danish Wind Industry Association (DWIA) has issued a report which shows high export figures (EUR 5.6+ billion) for the Danish wind energy sector, despite the economic crisis that had a significant impact on global performance in 2009. With 8.5% of total Danish exports in 2009, the wind industry sector has gained on the share of 7.2% in 2008.

DWIA expects employment rates to increase during 2010, reaching 8% totalling in about 26,700 employees in the wind energy sector. It is expected half the workplaces lost in 2009 will be recreated, with wind developers rehiring many of its former workers. The wind industry expects Danish and nearby markets to grow from 35 GW at the moment, to about 117 GW by 2020, the year set for renewable energy target achievement in most European countries. This is a growth rate of about 10% annually.

Currently, wind energy accounts for about 20% of total energy supply in Denmark, according to DWIA.

[source: DWEA]

Lockheed Martin to supply UK with new radar – unlocks 5.5 GW of offshore wind development

April 15th, 2010 | Posted in Wind

The new TPS-77 radar.

One of the major obstacles for offshore wind in Europe, especially in the UK, was the fact that large offshore wind farms tend to interfere with proper defence radar performance, creating a potential security risk for the country's defence forces. More than 5.5 GW of offshore wind capacity was therefore put on hold until a solution was presented. The solution has been presented and is coming in the shape of a new radar to supplied to the UK by Lockheed Martin. The new radar does away with problems occuring with conventional radars by successfully mitigating wind turbine interference.

The radar will be installed to cover the area where some major offshore wind development is to take place, namely Sheringham Shoal, Race Bank, Dudgeon, Triton Knoll and Docking Shoal. The TPS-77 radar system is to be delivered by November 2011. The radar's capabilities have been demonstrated in "green" technology surroundings through land-based tests as well as near offshore wind farms in the North Sea. Additionally, and in line with the green energy tendencies, the new radar is also more energy efficient, using only half the power of traditional S-band radars.

[source: Lockheed Martin]

GEA issues report on US geothermal in 2009 – shows 26% growth

April 15th, 2010 | Posted in Geothermal

The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) has issed a report on geothermal energy in the US in 2009, which shows this branch of the renewable energy industry has experienced a 26% growth in new projects (under development). Some 188 new projects are under way in more than 15 states, expected to result in no less than 7.8 GW of electrical power capacity.

Geothermal energy is being regarded as one of the significant renewables which will contribute to the country's transition towards cleaner energy production. Nevada has been singled out as the most active state with more than 3 GW of geothermal capacity in development.

GEA estimates the ongoing and future developments could result in almost 30,000 permenent jobs. All the projects under development combined represent a total of about USD 35 billion in investments. New projects are being worked on from coast to coast, with identified locations in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The report also shows a rise in small-scale (~1 MW) geothermal power plants. All new projects that came online in 2009 used the new federal tax grant provisions, authorized through the stimulus bill which was passed to create a more attractive investment atmosphere for renewable energy.

[source: Geothermal Energy Association]

Canadian Solar scores 176 MW of PV power generation projects in Ontario, Canada

April 14th, 2010 | Posted in Solar

Canadian Solar has scored a 176 MW contract for open field PV power generation projects under the new Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program, part of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act. Once final approval is obtained, these projects are expected to be completed in 2011 and 2012.

The projects were developed in partnership with several leading renewable energy developers in the Ontario market — including 3G Energy, Axio Power, Saturn Power and UC Solar.

Canadian Solar expects that it will establish a state-of-art module manufacturing facility in Ontario by the end of first quarter of 2011, which is expected to employ approximately 500 people. Furthermore, the company will continue to supply installed solutions that meet Ontario FIT program content requirements for 2010 and 2011.

Once final approval is obtained, the Ontario Power Authority will buy 100% of the power and renewable energy credits from the Canadian Solar projects under the FIT program.

[source: Canadian Solar]

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