Tag: wind

Vattenfall’s Vesterhav Nord offshore wind farm comes online

Header image courtesy of Vattenfall

Vattenfall’s Vesterhav Nord offshore wind farm has started sending electricity to the grid, as reported by Renews.biz. The 176 MW came online a month after the company’s Vesterhav Syd began producing electricity.

Vattenfall will connect all 21 wind turbines in the Danish farm to the grid before the end of Q1 2024, with a total output enough to supply 180,000 households with zero-emissions electricity.

The Vesterhav Nord farm experienced a delay to the December 31, 2023, deadline for full connection and is still in talks for an extension with the Danish Energy Agency.

The offshore farm uses a new system for minimizing visual disruption based on radar, meaning the turbines’ warning lights would only come on when the farm is approached by an aircraft. However, the new systems will not be used fully until it gains approval.

Project director Mathilde Damsgaard commented, “It is with great pride that we are now sending the first fossil-free power ashore from Vesterhav Nord as well. It has been an exciting task with many challenges since we won the tender in 2016, and it is great to see the efforts bear fruit thanks to a great effort from the many involved.”

Offshore wind policy consultation starts in Ireland

Header image courtesy of Getty Images

Ireland has commenced consultation on its new framework surrounding offshore wind energy under its Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communication (DECC).

The Offshore Renewable Energy Future Framework Policy (Future Framework for short) presents Ireland’s long-term blueprint for the growth of offshore renewable energy. It will establish the pathway to 20 GW of offshore wind energy by 2040 and 37 GW a decade later.

Ireland targets 5 GW of offshore wind energy by the end of the decade with 2 GW allocated to green hydrogen production.

The Future Framework will encourage investments and maximize financial gains from offshore wind projects. It also considers the potential for transforming excess renewable energy into alternative energy products that can be exported. It will also encourage “collaboration between the State, industry and local communities”, according to Environment, Climate, and Communications Minister Eamon Ryan.

This consultation will allow key stakeholders to give input and collect feedback for the final version of the framework. The final version of the Future Framework will be published in conjunction with the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment in the spring after approval by the government.

Vattenfall’s Vesterhav Syd offshore wind farm connects to the grid

Header image courtesy of Vattenfall

It is a celebration mood at Vattenfall as the company completely connects its Vesterhav Syd offshore wind farm to the Danish grid. Construction on the 20 turbines lasted from July to September last year, with the first power delivered on November 10th, 2023.

Vattenfall had been connecting the turbines from the 168 MW offshore farm to the grid one by one since November.

Mathilde Damsgaard, project director for Vesterhav Syd and Nord at Vattenfall, said, “At Vattenfall, we are always happy when we finish an offshore wind farm and thereby contribute to fossil freedom.

“This time, we allow ourselves to be even more happy, since there is a cold winter in Denmark and Northern Europe where fossil-free and reliable electricity is of the essence.”

The Vesterhav Nord offshore wind farm is about 80 km from Syd and will generate 176 MW on completion. Vattenfall expects to completely connect it to the grid in Q1 2024.

Amazon boasts renewable energy portfolio that can power 6.7 million homes in the US

Header image courtesy of Amazon

Amazon has presented its latest sustainability scorecard, and the numbers are impressive. The online retail giant boasts renewable energy projects that can power 6.7 million US homes.

The company has invested in 78 new renewable energy projects this year alone, comprising solar and wind, in 26 countries and 21 states in the US. These include its first such project in South Korea.

In total, Amazon has 479 wind and solar projects globally, which can produce more than 71,900 GWh per annum. The American company has directly and indirectly contributed $12 billion in investment in the global economy since 2014 through renewable energy. It generated 39,000 full-time equivalent jobs last year alone.

Amazon aims to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2025. It is converting a coal mine site from a brownfield to a solar farm in Maryland, US, and has announced a wind energy project in South Korea that will create about 2,400 jobs during construction.

“Amazon’s investments in solar and wind projects are helping power our operations, while also providing new sources of clean energy to the grid, spurring economic growth, and supporting jobs in the communities where our customers live and work,” said Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS. “More than 90% of our operations were powered by renewables last year, but we’re not done. We’re focused on continuing to find innovative ways to bring new projects online, address grid constraints, and work with policymakers to mitigate the impacts of climate change, all of which is helping Amazon move closer to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2025.”

Major renewable energy news this week

Header image courtesy of Lloyd Thornton/Shutterstock

Amprion starts on 8 GW offshore power link in Germany

Germany’s transmission system operator Amprion has begun planning the Windader West energy corridor, which will connect up to 8GW of offshore wind energy to the North Rhine-Westphalia state. The first 2 GW connection is expected in 2032.

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Kenya Power solicits bids for boosting rural electricity with solar mini-grids

Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has called for bids for setting up solar power mini-grids in several counties, representing 20 percent of its population and 72 percent of its land area. The contract covers seven years of operation and maintenance by the successful bidders.

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DP Energy and SBM planning 400 MW floating wind farm for Nova Scotia, Canada

DP Energy and SMB have formed a joint venture named Nova East Wind to build a 400 MW floating offshore wind farm in Nova Scotia, Canada. The development will be located about 30 km off Goldboro, although the precise location is yet to be determined.

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Solar drives renewable investment to $358 billion in H1 2023

Global investment in renewable energy soared to $358 billion in the first half of 2023, according to BloombergNEF. This was driven by solar investment in China, thanks to cheaper PV modules and a growing rooftop PV market.

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Consortium planning 5 GW wind farm for Australia

Elanora Offshore, a consortium of KIMAenergy, Energy Australia, Boskalis, Respect Energy, and Polpo Investments, will build a 5 GW wind farm off Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. Funding has already been secured for the project, with a targeted completion for the first phase in 2032. The farm will supply 40 percent of Victoria’s energy needs.

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Major renewable energy news last week

Header image courtesy of Lloyd Thornton – Shutterstock

Europe added 2.1 GW of offshore wind energy in H1 2023

Europe built new 2.1 GW of offshore wind capacity in the first six months of 2023. This brought installed capacity to 32 GW, with more than half concentrated in the Netherlands and the rest distributed across the UK, Germany, and Norway.

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Mainstream and Ocean Winds expand floating wind JV in Scotland

Mainstream Renewable Power and Ocean Winds (the JV between EDPR and ENGIE) will collaborate again to build a floating 500 MW wind farm in Shetland, Scotland. This will bring the total capacity of the Arven offshore wind farm to 2.3 GW. The JV is also developing a 1.2 GW floating offshore wind farm in South Korea and contending in Norway’s upcoming floating offshore wind tender.

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Germany auctions off 1.67 GW solar energy amid unprecedented interest

Germany’s latest round of solar auctions received unprecedented interest. The bids were worth 1.67 GW, representing a third of the volume the European county plans to auction in 2023. Germany added 3.3 GW of solar capacity in Q2 2023.

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Siemens opening 800 MW/year solar inverter factory in the US

Siemens has announced plans to increase its manufacturing footprint in the US with an 800 MW per year solar inverter factory. Production is expected to start in 2024. The US is attracting more clean energy manufacturing thanks to tax credits and demand-side incentives.

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Greece’s renewables crossed 11 GW in June

Greece’s installed renewable energy capacity topped 11 GW in H1 2023. Solar energy contributed over half of the capacity, with 5.79 GW installed capacity. Wind accounted for 4.83 GW, with 281 MW of hydro.

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Energia, Vargronn JV to develop 1.8 GW Irish offshore wind capacity

Header image courtesy of 4fr-Getty Images

Ireland stands to gain up to 1.8 GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, thanks to the partnership between Energia Renewables and Vargronn, as reported by ReNews.

Vargronn is a partnership between Plenitude (Eni) and HitecVision. The JV will initially focus development on the southern and eastern Irish coasts. Energia is already active in these areas, with sites in the North Celtic Sea (900 MW) and South Irish Sea (900 MW).

Seabed surveys of the selected area have been completed, with detailed preparations for EIAs kicked off. The JV is also engaging with the local fishing industry and communities.

Depending on governmental policy, the projects in these areas could be operational by 2030.

Energia Group chief executive Ian Thom commented, “We look forward to working closely with Vargronn and to combining our experience of developing renewable energy projects in Ireland with Vargronn’s extensive offshore wind expertise and supply chain relationships. “Through the development work completed to date, our partnership is uniquely placed to deliver new offshore capacity on the south and east coasts by 2030, and in so doing, make a significant contribution to Ireland’s offshore wind targets.”

Major renewable energy news last week

Header image courtesy of 4FR / Getty Images

US fixes Gulf of Mexico wind power auction on Aug 29

The US Department of the Interior has set August 29th for the first auction of offshore leases for wind power development in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana and Texas coasts. More than 300,000 acres will be parcelled off, with the potential to generate 3.7 GW of clean energy.

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Work starts on £2.4bn UK-German interconnector

Construction has started on one of the largest interconnectors in the world, between the UK and Germany. Prysmian started horizontal directional drilling on the UK side on the Isle of Grain in Kent. The interconnector will boost energy resilience and renewable energy integration in Europe’s two largest energy markets.

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ACWA Power signs MoU for 10 GW wind project in Egypt

ACWA Power has signed an MoU with Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) for a 10 GW wind power plant near Sohag. The project will power 11 million households and prevent up to 25.5 million tons of CO2 emission each year, in addition to creating up to 120,000 job opportunities.

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Chile’s Enel largest solar plant becomes operational

Enel has received final authorization to begin commercial operation of its Guanchoi solar plant. The 1,100 GWh per year output will power more than one million homes and help to avoid 900,000 tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. Enel installed 893,508 solar panels to reach the capacity.

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Madagascar opens bidding for two solar parks of 210 MW combined

Madagascar’s Ministry of Hydrogen and Hydrocarbons has called for tenders for two solar projects of 200 MW and 10 MW. These projects will significantly boost the country’s power generation, standing at 969 MW.

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Major renewable energy news this week

Nigeria completes 700 MW hydro plant

The Nigerian government has announced the completion of the $1.3 billion hydro plant on the Kaduna River near Zungeru. The new facility has an output of 700 MW. Mainstream Energy has won a 30-year concession to operate the plant, with $70 million to be remitted annually to the government.

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France approves winners for 1.1 GW of onshore wind energy tenders

The French government has given out contracts for more than 1.1 GW of tenders for its latest round of onshore wind energy bids. Seventy-three proposals got the nod, representing an average price of EUR 85.29 per MWh.

The latest bids will bolster France’s bid to meet its 2030 renewables targets.

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UAE to triple renewable energy production with $54 billion in investments

The UAE, the host of COP28, has announced it is tripling its renewable energy production before 2030. The oil-rich nation will invest up to $54 billion to achieve this target and meet its growing electricity demand.

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First power from Iberdrola’s first French offshore wind farm in Brittany

Iberdrola’s Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in France has sent the first to the grid. The farm will supply 9% of Brittany’s electricity consumption, or about 1,820 GWh/year.

Production will increase as 62 wind turbines are added and commissioned.

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Renewables account for 61% of Portugal’s electricity in H1 2023

According to the National Energetic Networks, most of Portugal’s electricity needs were met with renewable energy, representing 61%. Photovoltaic production took 7%, natural gas supplied 19%, and biomass took 6%.

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US DoE to invest $1 billion in demand-side hydrogen initiative

The US Department of Energy is to invest $1 billion in a demand-side scheme to help meet the demand for hydrogen at regional clean hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs) in the future. This will provide market certainty for the producers and the consumers in the H2Hubs, thereby encouraging more private-sector investments.

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