|
| 04 Jan 2010 09:40:24 pm |
 Dust off record books--Spain, Portugal hit new wind highs |
|
|
2009 closed with a figurative bang in the wind integration field, with Spain setting a new national record December 30--54% of instantaneous electricity supply.
Spain's latest achievement (it had reached 53% during November) underlined the fact that the Iberian peninsula has become a global leader in wind power's use. At a workshop in November, Portugal's national utility system operator, REN, announced that Portugal had reached a peak level of 71% of electricity supply from wind on November 15.
Almost overnight, wind has burst into the energy picture of both countries, demonstrating the speed with which wind farms can be installed and provide a significant energy contribution. Wind stood second only to natural gas in Spain in December, producing 20.1% of total national electricity supply, and ranked third for the year (14.3%)--behind gas (30.4%) and nuclear (20%), but ahead of coal (12.7%). In Portugal, wind was expected to generate 14% of national electricity supply for 2009, up from less than 1% in 2000.
Also worth noting: in 2009, wind accounted for 95% of new generating capacity installed in Spain. And of special interest: Spain has been able to integrate wind generation at levels exceeding 50% of instantaneous supply without adding new energy storage to its utility system.
Comments our in-house electric industry expert, Michael Goggin:
Quote : They [Spain] are definitely a success story in terms of successfully integrating centralized wind forecasting into grid operations - they have a state-of-the-art operations center devoted to that. Spain has a single large balancing area with robust energy markets, which greatly facilitates wind integration as well. |
|
| |
Category : AWEA News
| By : Tom Gray |
|
|
| 28 Dec 2009 07:04:41 pm |
| AWEA: Wind Power Trends to Watch For in 2010 |
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Shawna Seldon (917) 971 7852 (cell)
December 28, 2009 Shawna@rosengrouppr.com
AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION (AWEA):
WIND POWER TRENDS TO WATCH FOR IN 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the nation looks ahead to 2010, renewable energy will be central to the economic and energy issues that dominate the political agenda. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has identified some trends and indicators to watch:
• Wind Power: Second-largest Source of New U.S. Power Generating Capacity for Sixth Year in a Row? While wind makes up only about 2% of total electricity supply, it is one of the largest sources of new power generation in the country, second only to natural gas generation in terms of new capacity built each year since 2005. Look for wind to continue to be a leading source of new power generation in 2010.
• Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) In Jobs Legislation? The most important job creation policy that Congress can enact is a national RES which provides the long-term certainty that companies need to invest in new facilities and train workers to make the 8,000 components that go into a modern wind turbine. The U.S. wind energy industry has seen furloughs and layoffs and the short-term American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has provided a lifeline. Whether it is in job legislation or in comprehensive energy and climate legislation, however, a strong RES is urgently needed to create hard targets that will fortify our manufacturing base and create tens of thousands of jobs.
• U.S. Wind Turbine Manufacturing and Supply Chain: Lagging or Roaring Ahead? With shop floors working single shifts or sometimes idling altogether for lack of contracts, U.S. wind turbine component manufacturing lagged in 2009. If an RES is passed early on in the year, however, it will work in synergy with the short-term ARRA incentives and provide the long-term signal that companies are waiting for in order to invest in new and expanded facilities in the U.S.
• Energy Wars Flare Up. With climate and energy legislation or regulation looming, the stakes are higher than ever for the energy sector. Tighter limits on emissions reveal true cost, so efforts to pad climate and energy legislation with subsidies to ensure the survival of the more polluting technologies will continue. Lobbying efforts and spending could surpass the record levels reached in 2009, and we could see anti-renewable energy communications campaigns try again to use bogus studies funded by fossil fuel-backed groups, as well as other tactics.
• Wind Turbines Get Even More Powerful: Over 1,000 wind turbines larger than 2 megawatts (MW) are already in commercial operation in the U.S, and the year-end order for 338 GE 2.5-MW wind turbines for the Shepherd’s Flat wind project in Oregon is the harbinger of a shift in orders toward such larger turbines. This forecast assumes that inventory will have been exhausted and that there will be a growing market for wind turbine orders in 2010 and beyond, spurred by a national RES. The trend toward larger turbines is driven by economics: taller turbines with larger swept areas produce more power at a lower cost per kilowatt-hour.
• States and Regional Operators Work Through Transmission Issues: While federal transmission policy is under heated discussion as part of pending energy legislation, states and regions are where key decisions are made in terms of transmission investment. Texas and the Southwest Power Pool are beginning to see investment in new transmission lines and infrastructure as the fruit of favorable transmission cost allocation policies. The wind industry will be closely watching the Midwest Independent System Operator to see if it adopts a similarly favorable cost allocation policy.
• Integrating Wind Power: As wind penetrations grow higher in the U.S. and Europe in 2010, utilities and grid operators should become more comfortable with this new source of power. Several major wind integration studies slated for release in 2010 are expected to add further evidence that wind can be reliably integrated with the grid at low cost. As wind continues to become a larger part of our electric power system, however, the wind industry will be keeping its eye on nascent efforts by some fossil fuel competitors to impose new and unfair costs on wind plants.
• Bigger Market for Small Wind Systems: Another year of record growth is expected for the small wind market in 2010 due to a federal Investment Tax Credit that has been expanded to provide an 8-year, uncapped 30% tax credit for small wind systems for homeowners and small businesses. The introduction of an industry safety and performance standard will also shape the industry and provide a new way to help consumers compare turbines.
• More Clarity on Siting Process for Wind Projects: The wind energy industry is looking forward to the completion of the Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee process (discussions on wind turbine siting held under the Federal Advisory Committee Act with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a broad range of stakeholders) to provide the industry with greater clarity on wildlife surveys and considerations that are expected to be part of the siting process for wind farms. To ensure the best science is available for decision-making, the industry continues cooperative research programs with the Bats & Wind Energy Cooperative, the American Wind Wildlife Institute, and other organizations.
• Operational and Safety Guidelines: As an industry becomes mainstream it needs to put in place a variety of standards and guidelines, and AWEA is doing so on a number of fronts, including workplace safety. AWEA and the wind power industry are working with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) toward an OSHA Alliance to promote safety and health within the wind industry. AWEA will also develop best practices and safety awareness training programs that will be available to member companies.
• Nation’s Fastest Growing Trade Show – WINDPOWER—Gets Even Bigger as It Heads to Texas: AWEA’s WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, which in 2009 was named the fastest-growing trade show in the country by Tradeshow Week, will be even larger in 2010. As of December 2009, the number of exhibit booths sold was 25% ahead of a year earlier, and many companies are greatly increasing booth sizes. In all, the total exhibit floor space sold already exceeds the total Chicago WINDPOWER 2009 show. The WINDPOWER 2010 Conference & Exhibition will take place May 23 – 26, 2010, in Dallas, Texas. Attendance growth has also been an important trend seen at AWEA’s other workshops and conferences which focus on specific facets of the industry. For more details, visit www.awea.org/events.
AWEA is the national trade association of America’s wind industry, with more than 2,500 member companies, including global leaders in wind power and energy development, wind turbine manufacturing, component and service suppliers, and the world’s largest wind power trade show. AWEA is the voice of wind energy in the U.S. promoting renewable energy to power a cleaner, stronger America. More information on wind energy is available at the AWEA Web site: www.awea.org
### |
|
| |
Category : AWEA News
| By : Tom Gray |
|
|
| 24 Dec 2009 05:20:16 pm |
| Wind energy challenge for 2010 and beyond |
|
|
The wind industry had a good year in 2009, adding at least 7,000 MW of capacity, despite the poor economy. It followed a spectacular 2008 (8,500 MW) and terrific 2007(5,200 MW). What’s next? How does wind energy sustain the momentum and become an even more important part of the energy landscape? How does it reach its potential to help solve major energy, economic and security challenges facing the United States?
In some ways, the 2010 agenda is already set. AWEA and its members will keep working on the key items unfinished from the past year—first, getting the Congress to adopt a strong Renewable Electricity Standard, which will drive up demand. Second, we need to keep be pushing hard for transmission reform, both in Congress, and in state and federal regulatory agencies. Without a modern transmission network, wind energy cannot reach its potential.
These are big challenges, and achieving them will require not only lobbying, but public education. Many Americans still don’t understand the negative implications of our current energy practices, let alone the alternatives that are readily available. We need to explain as often as we can how wind can be safely integrated into the electricity grid; how wind protects the environment (including offshore) and benefits the communities where wind farms are located; and how increased use of wind will, in the long run, drive down overall energy costs, not increase them as critics have charged.
In the current climate, we also need to highlight what may be the most powerful argument for wind energy: that it creates jobs. Building a new energy infrastructure that includes significant wind power will be a bonanza for an American economy because it will create hundreds of thousands of good jobs. That should be our mantra and our message in 2010. |
|
| |
Category : AWEA News
| By : Chris Madison |
|
|
| 22 Dec 2009 10:25:11 pm |
| 2009 in review: A significant year for wind energy |
|
|
As AWEA prepares to take a holiday break and re-energize for 2010, it's worth looking back on 2009, a year that saw many twists and turns, and stops and starts in the industry, but most of all, signs of long-term vitality, despite short-term obstacles.
A few of the good things that happened:
1. Congress passed the economic recovery package, which included an economic lifeline for the wind industry.
2. Installed U.S. wind capacity continued to grow, despite the poor economy.
3. Wind energy finally got a champion at the U.S. Department of the Interior, which will help offshore wind and projects on public lands in the West.
4. New research is on our side on wind's health impacts (sound) and impacts on property values.
5. Small wind producers finally got equity with big wind on the investment tax credit.
6. Growth in AWEA's annual WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition and other workshops and conferences shows that interest in wind energy is continuing to grow.
A few of the not so good things in 2009:
1. Congress has not passed a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES).
2. U.S. wind component manufacturing is stalled for the moment.
3. Wind energy opponents continue using specious arguments and scare tactics to delay projects.
4. Little progress occurred this year on transmission--a huge issue affecting future growth prospects for wind.
That's certainly not a scientific sample. But it suggests that overall, 2009 was a good year. |
|
| |
Category : AWEA News
| By : Chris Madison |
|
|
| 18 Dec 2009 08:54:57 pm |
| AWEA and its staff contribute $10,000 to DC Central Kitchen |
|
|
|
|
| |
Category : AWEA News
| By : Chris Madison |
|
| |
| Prev 1 2 3 ...6 7 58 59 60 Next |
|
|
