Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe (MPSE) are showing a preview of the new 7 MW class offshore wind turbine, at the EWEA Offshore 2011 conference in Amsterdam. The new offshore units will feature a hydraulic drive train, which has been developed for use exclusively in large offshore wind turbines.
SWT-6.0 prototype onshore testing installation.
Siemens has officially introduced the company's new 6 MW direct drive offshore wind turbine, at the ongoing EWEA Offshore 2011 conference, in Amsterdam. The new unit, called SWT-6.0, will feature rotors with diameters ranging from 120 to 154 meters, aimed at deployment at the most challenging offshore locations. The fact that it's a direct drive mechanism clearly shows the company has put accent on lowering operation and maintenance costs. This is a trend being pursued across the wind turbine manufacturing industry, as part of the overall effort to reduce the cost of offshore wind power generation, to make it cost-competitive to onshore wind.
Nordex unveiled its latest product for offshore wind energy industry, the N150/6000 (6 MW) offshore wind turbine, joining Vestas, Siemens and Gamesa with their new offshore models. This puts Nordex on the path towards entering a new market segment, characterized by third generation wind turbines with a significantly larger per unit capacity, and the dimensions to correspond. N150 reaches 180 meters in height (upper position blade tip), has a 150 meter rotor diameter, featuring a new generation direct drive transmission system, which minimizes losses and increases power conversion efficiency. The new model was presented at the Hannover trade fair, being held in Germany.
GE has introduced new wind turbine towers at the Hannover trade fair, in Germany, as part of the company's new portoflio of products for the wind energy industry. The new towers are available with heights in excess of 130 meters, and will be offered to complement the company's 2.5 MW turbine series, including the 2.75-103 wind turbine.
GE has introduced its latest wind turbine for offshore applications, the 4.1-113 unit, at the EWEA 2011 annual show being held in Brussels, Belgium. The new unit is optimized to perform in an offshore environment. The turbine is touted by GE to be the only direct drive wind turbine for offshore wind farms on the market today. As the next step in the development of this model, GE announced the company is going to install a single 4.1 unit in the Gotehnburg harbor, in Sweden. The company has signed an agreement regarding this with Göteborg Energi. This demo project is supported by the Swedish Energy Agency, which is interested in the latest offshore wind technologies.
A wind turbine has been erected and officially inaugurated two days ago in Cancun, Mexico, by the Mexican President Felipe Calderón. The unit, generating 1.5 MW of clean power for the city's residents, has been erected on the initiative of the Mexican Government. Cancun is hosting the UN Climate Change Conference (COP16), gathering world leaders to discuss a global climate deal that would result in more carbon emission reductions.
Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, expressed some bold predictions about the future of renewable energy in Scotland, on the day when he opens the Scottish Low Carbon Investment conference. Reminding us of Scotland's new renewable energy goal of achieving 80% renewables by 2020, he stated the country's ambitions go much further – the First Minister is confident Scotland is going to satisfy at least 100% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2025. This means Scotland could become an exporter of clean electricity in the near future, if this indeed happens.
Due to the rising interest in the waste-to-energy sector and the government's continous efforts towards clean energy, the renewable energy industry is seeing unprecedented growth. In the UK, in particular, emphasis so far has been on wind and marine energy, but as of recently, biomass as a source of energy has become a very interesting field. Many case studies have shown that biomass energy conversion facilities can produce clean energy at a lower price than other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA) is hosting a trade show in Birmingham, UK, at the beginning of July, with the goal to bring together leading industry professionals, featuring workshops, seminars and key issues debates. The two day show will offer the general public, as well as industry professionals, a chance to get a more clear picture about the developments and plans in this energy industry sector.
At the beginning of the World Geothermal Congress, taking place from April 25-30 in Bali, Indonesia, the country's president announced Indonesia has signed geothermal development contracts totalling USD 5 billion. The country has set a goal of developing about 9000 MW of geothermal capacity by 2025, as was also revealed at the event.
Indonesia has recently been granted a USD 400 million loan from the World Bank, for the purpose of investing in geothermal development. The country holds about 40% of the global geothermal capacity, according to some sources. It's geography puts it alongside one of the main crevaces between our planet's tectonic plates, where geothermal acitivity is abundant. It has been estimated that the country has about 27 GW of geothermal capacity that could be harnessed theoretically. At the moment, Indonesia is ranked as the third global geothermal energy consumer, after United States and the Philippines.
[via: UPI]
On Monday, this week, a three day Renewable Energy International Conference was opened in Damascus, Syria. Several researchers, universities and local and international insititutions are attending the event, which ends today. The main topic of the conference is latest research in alternative energies, and their role as a strategic choices for the future.
Experts from research centers in Germany, Serbia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have been presenting papers converging on the possibilities that can be opened through renewable energy develoment and cooperation between countries. Some specific topics include energy from geothermal heay pumps, methods for optimal use of solar energy storage systems through water heating and cooling in buildings. Another important topic of the conference is the provision of additional sources of drinking water. Syria has been hit by probably the worst droughts in the country's recent history. For three years in a row, the country's eastern areas have been troubled by water shortages, causing drops in agricultural production, and migration of its citizens towards better living conditions in the country's western areas.
Other issues discussed are benefits of solar energy for the Arab region. One of the greatest solar energy projects ever to be planned, the Desertec, will probably spread across areas of the Middle East, including Syria, so there is reason right there for the Middle East countries to get involved in renewable energy development.
[source: Syrian Arab News Agency]
