THE EUROPEAN WIND INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

September 2010 Volume 29/No 4

INTERVIEW MÁIREMÁIRE Helping the powerless GEOGHEGAN-QUINN EU Research Commissioner Small wind turbines and what they can do REACTORS MINING FRONT END BACK END RENEWABLE ENERGIES & SERVICES

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THE EUROPEAN WIND INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

September 2010 Volume 29/No 4

letter from the editor 5 Small is still beautiful brussels briefi ng 6 The latest EU news interview 11 Philip Lowe, Director-General for Energy at the European Commission wind news 15 interview 18 Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU Research Commissioner mini focus 20 Global Wind Day 2010: more than just clowning around Hard Rain exhibition: picturing the worst wind bites & wind dates 29 focus 30 Small wind energy’s steady climb Bringing power to the people: trip to Nicaragua Neil Jeffery, CEO of Renewable World wind energy basics 45 What is offshore wind energy? technology corner 46 HVDC: The future for far offshore connections country focus 49 A closer look at Ukraine zoom on grids 51 Examining the backbone of Europe’s energy future EWEA news 52 EWEA welcomes new members 55 the last word 58 Wind Directions is published fi ve times a year. Kyle Damon, primary school teacher The contents do not necessarily refl ect the views and policy of EWEA.

Publisher: Christian Kjaer Editor: Sarah Azau Writers: Sarah Azau, Chris Rose, Crispin Aubrey, Elke Zander, Zoë Casey Design & production: www.inextremis.be Cover photo: Asofenix/Seth Hays

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By Sarah Azau Small is still beautiful Editor

he European wind industry has always Wind energy all over the world Tthought big. The pioneers in Denmark in the Wind energy, big and small, is truly a early 1980s were working on a technology for worldwide phenomenon, and the 2010 Global which there was little support or interest at the Wind Day showed this perfectly, with 220 time. But they had a vision. And over the years, events – from wind farm open days to shows, the industry grew bigger and bigger, spreading workshops, parties and competitions - taking to Spain and Germany, then to other coun- place in around 30 countries, including many tries, and these days we are the leaders of the which had never taken part before, such as pack: installing more new capacity in Europe Venezuela, Canada, Brazil and Mongolia. Here in 2008 and 2009 than any other power- in Brussels, the 29.5m wind turbine blade generating technology. EWEA set up next to the main buildings of As the industry has matured, the turbines too the European Commission and the European have shot up from babies to giants: from small Council was a real talking point. machines of several kilowatts, the industry is From 13 to 25 September, another area of now installing 6 MW turbines nearly 200 metres Brussels will become a wind energy focus as high, and is likely to go even bigger at sea. The part of EWEA’s ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ campaign. growth is a sign of the strength and potential of On the Place du Luxembourg in the EU area, this carbon free technology. EWEA is putting up a banner made up of images from Mark Edwards’ harrowing Hard Rain Helping the powerless exhibition depicting the brutal reality of global Yet thinking big makes no sense if we forget the warming, and explaining how zero carbon wind advantages of what is small. 1.6 billion people energy is already helping tackle climate change. around the world have no access to electricity, We take an in-depth look at the Global Wind Day and small wind turbines can provide clean, sus- and the ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ campaign on p.21. tainable electricity that transforms the lives of The many citizens who came and marvelled isolated rural communities. In this issue of Wind at the wind farms opened to the public for Directions, we explore small wind: the technol- Global Wind Day, and the villagers in Nicaragua ogy, its development and, above all, its benefi ts. buying their fi rst ever electric light bulbs, would On p.35, we visit one such community in have been somewhat disappointed to discover Nicaragua that now has electric light and a water that the turbines weren’t connected to pump thanks to a 1kW turbine set up by EWEA’s anything. Wind energy technology, big or small, partners, Renewable World. We fi nd out how it makes no sense without a reliable power grid has changed the villagers’ existences so far, transporting the electricity produced from A and the business opportunities it could open up to B. Europe’s old and outdated grid needs in the future. EWEA is proud to have made the urgent upgrading and extending, and the many donation to Renewable World that allowed the issues surrounding the grids question will be turbine to be put up, and will continue to fund at the heart of the GRIDS 2010 event on 23- them through our events such as the upcoming 24 November in Berlin. More information on GRIDS 2010 conference this November. p.52 and on www.ewea.org/grids2010. ■

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 5 | brussels briefi ng |

EWEA members exclusive: NREAPs Cheap and summaries online emissions

ll EU countries have to come up power grid issues, administrative allowances are Awith a plan detailing how they intend procedures and support mechanisms, to meet their 2020 renewable energy and will be analysing the annual delaying switch targets and hand it in to the European wind power installations proposed by Commission. each country. to renewable These ‘National Renewable Energy If you are a member of EWEA, you can Actions Plans’ or NREAPs are being see the NREAP page by logging into the energy posted on EWEA’s members’ lounge as members’ lounge on www.ewea.org and and when they are made public. clicking on ‘Obtain key information’. he EU’s greenhouse gas emis- EWEA is also providing a summary For more information on membership of EWEA, contact Tsion reduction targets must be of how each NREAP relates to Christi Newman at [email protected]. increased to 30% by 2020 to stop the Emissions Trading System (ETS) from failing, argues EWEA. The ETS involves capping carbon Thousands of potential new emissions and making companies pay to emit more than that level. renewable energy jobs But if emissions are already below that level because of the economic p to 22,000 new jobs could be created crisis, the ETS and the price of car- Uif the EU’s 2009 Renewable Energy bon collapse, as nobody needs extra Directive were implemented in the non-EU emissions rights. countries known as the ‘Energy Community’.1 Today the carbon price is low, but That’s according to a new study which, hasn’t yet collapsed, mainly be- using the same methodology as the EU, put cause the power sector is stocking the countries’ hypothetical 2020 renewable their allowances (EUAs) in anticipa- energy targets at 24%. The countries had tion of the time after 2012 when 17% renewable energy in 2005. the cap will continue to be lowered.

Savings in CO2 emissions in the heat However, the power sector passes and electricity sector would be 12.5%- 100% of the EUA costs to consum- 21% depending on factors such as ers, who get no emission reductions electricity demand. in return. More information: www.energy-community.org “To ensure the ETS works as intended – to make polluters pay and help tackle climate change, 1 Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former the target needs to be increased Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and UNMIK – and the candidate Contracting Parties to 30% reductions in greenhouse Photo: EWEA of Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine. gas emissions by 2020”, says Rémi Gruet, EWEA’s Regulatory Affairs Advisor. “This would cost consum- ers just 15% more, according to the Use of renewables increases while European Commission.” A European Commission other fuels drop in 2009 Communication broached the 30% question earlier this year; dis- n 2009, renewable energy provided 19% worldwide fi nancial and economic crisis cussions will continue at the EU Iof electricity in the ENTSO-E area (34 that started in 2008 - and generation environment ministers’ meeting in countries, including the EU-27), according from renewables was the only type to October. to a report from the EU grid operators’ go up. More information: body. The so-called ‘System Adequacy The report, ‘System Adequacy http://ec.europa.eu/environment Retrospect’ for 2009 indicates that this was Retrospect 2009’, looks back at power EWEA’s position paper on reducing greenhouse an increase of 12% compared with 2008. generation, demand and adequacy in gas emissions can be found on www.ewea.org Overall, however, there was 3% less 2009, with a focus on the power bal- power generation in the ENTSO-E area ance, margins and the generation mix. in 2009 - which could be linked to the Read the report: www.entsoe.eu

6 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | brussels briefi ng |

Smart grids will lead to more wind Half Europe’s power, say EU grid operators power set to

mart grids would signifi cantly reduce the “Most of ERGEG’s conclusions are come from Scosts of integrating variable renewable welcome, but it is important that power generation and so help wind power they also recognise the benefi ts that renewables by grow cost-effectively, said the European renewable technologies bring in terms grid operators (ERGEG, shortly to become of savings in operational costs of 2020 the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy power generation, and improvements Regulators - ACER) earlier this summer. in network effi ciency and security,” lectricity from renewable sources The ERGEG paper outlines recommen- said Paul Wilczek, EWEA’s Regulatory Ecould provide up to half the EU’s dations for overcoming challenges to the Affairs Advisor. power by 2020 if current growth rates development of European smart grids More on ERGEG: www.energy-regulators.eu are maintained, says a new report from policy framework. the European Commission. In 2009 about 19.9% of EU electricity came from renewables, it estimates. One of the key growth areas is wind IUCN paper to help offshore wind energy. The report points out that wind power exceeded the EU target of 40 GW developers protect marine life by 2010 by more than 80% in 2009, with 74 GW installed. new report should provide guid- International Development Cooperation However, the report also points out Aance for offshore wind developers on Agency (Sida), points out how wind that current growth rates will not be main- by explaining how to take potential energy can help tackle climate change, tained without a stable and ambitious impacts on marine life into account, and have positive local impacts such legislative framework. says EWEA. as blocking trawling. It discusses other In a separate recent news release, The report, from the International issues such as disturbance effects the EU’s statistics offi ce, Eurostat, an- Union for Conservation of Nature from noise, pointing out how these can nounced that renewable energy made (IUCN), supported by E.ON Climate be mitigated. up 10.3% of energy consumption in the and Renewables and the Swedish More information: http://data.iucn.org EU27 in 2008, compared with 9.7% in 2007 and 8.8% in 2006. The leading countries were Sweden (44.4% renewa- bles), Finland (30.5%) and Latvia (29.9%). In terms of electricity, 16.6% came from renewables in the EU in 2008. More information on JRC report: http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/refsys More information on Eurostat data: Photo: iStockphoto http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu

Renewable energy and grid development key for new EU energy strategy

riorities for the EU’s energy strategy “The strategy needs to start by imple- P2011-2022 must include building and menting legislation that’s already been operating modern integrated grids, work- agreed, such as the 2009 Renewable ing towards a low-carbon energy system, Energy Directive and the third energy

ensuring EU leadership in technological market liberalisation package”, said Photo: iStockphoto innovation, improving energy security and Justin Wilkes, EWEA’s Policy Director. opening up the EU energy market, said “This will be the starting point for mak- EWEA’s full response is on www.ewea.org EWEA in its response to the European ing further progress, particularly on The Commission’s consultation document is on: Commission’s recent consultation. grid issues”. http://ec.europa.eu/energy

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10 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | interview |

Thinking energetically at the European

Photo: European Commission Commission

Philip Lowe is the Director-General for Energy at the European Commission. He talked to Sarah Azau about the DG’s ongoing work on renewables and how the future is looking.

What are you currently working on as regards to do this: do we bring them in quickly, or allow a renewable energy and especially, wind power? longer transition period with more gas consumed At the moment, we’re focusing on the steps to- in the short term. wards the 20% targets set in the 2009 Renewable Tremendous progress has been made already Energy Directive. I think that by 2050, we could on the cost-effectiveness of wind and solar be getting 30% of our electricity from wind energy energy. But we still need incentives to attract in the EU, or even 50% provided balancing capac- investors and bring costs further down. Each ity is added. There is lots of potential – Spain Member State needs to set its regulatory regime had 92 days this winter when its entire electricity and tariffs to give the necessary incentives while demand was met by wind. not prolonging the subsidies to renewables any But there are challenges, the biggest of which longer than is justifi ed. is infrastructure. We need to extend grids, to bring lots of wind and solar energy online with all the benefi ts they have. To do this, a lot of investment will be needed. Later this year we will release an infrastructure package that will identify all the technical, physi- cal, regulatory and fi nancial measures needed to facilitate the development of the network infra- structure. And before the infrastructures are built, we need public acceptance.

Can the EU meet its renewable energy targets? Yes. Certain countries, like Germany, Spain and Denmark, will have no problem meeting their individual targets because they have invested in cutting-edge technology and they have a real “By 2050, commitment to renewables. Others will have more we could be diffi culty and may need to get green energy from across their borders. getting 30% of But what is important is that we are able to our electricity meet the 20% renewable energy goal not in a time of economic crisis, like now, but at cruising from wind speed, in more “normal” economic conditions. energy in the Ultimately we need to bring in more renewable Europe’s electricity generation capacities as some oil and coal-fi red EU, or even grids must be extended power plants are phased out. The question is how 50%.” Photo: iStockphotos

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 11 | interview |

For 92 days this winter Spain’s entire electricity “Quote” demand was met by wind.

“Countries like Germany, Spain and Denmark will have no problem meeting their

targets.” Publishing Sisse Brimberg and Cotton Coulson Photo: Keenpress

Any market distortions of the different national these times of economic crisis and national debt support systems should also be addressed, to and defi cit combating, this becomes all the more obtain further effi ciency gains and exploit the in- relevant to make the systems viable. ternal market to the full. Wind power capacity for instance should not be installed where subsidies How important are the National Renewable are, but where it is most appropriate to do so. In Energy Action Plans (NREAPs), and what effect will they have? The NREAPs are crucial for achieving the 20% renewables target and for the design of future network infrastructures. They are the backbone of the implementation of the Directive and very im- portant for the Commission’s ability to effectively enforce the legally binding commitments.

The Renewable Energy Directive sets goals for 2020. What do you see happening beyond that time? In our 2050 Roadmap we want to develop various scenarios which will all put us on the right track to a low carbon economy. All these scenarios will undoubtedly require more energy effi ciency and development of intelligent networks and perhaps more regulation in order to raise standards for grids and metering across the EU.

Do you think we could have 100% renewables in 2050? Everything is possible with a certain amount of technical progress – but a realistic objective is a low carbon economy in 2050, and in most

scenarios that means an 80% reduction in CO2 compared with 2005 levels. But zero carbon emissions, and 100% renewable energy would be very diffi cult for some parts of the economy, such as aviation and shipping, which can’t yet run on Photo: RES 100% renewables unless we see major techno- Public acceptance of wind energy is also crucial logical breakthroughs in those areas. ■

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NORWAY Five demo offshore turbines to be installed in Norway and Sweden GE is to install up to four 4 MW direct drive wind turbines off the southwest coast of Norway for technical and environmental feasibility studies. It signed a cooperation agreement with Norwegian energy companies Statoil and Lyseto jointly carry out the project, which will be installed as from 2012. GE recently announced plans to invest approximately €340 million to develop or expand its offshore wind tur- bine manufacturing and service facilities in four European countries – the UK, Germany, Norway and Sweden. More information: www.gepower.com Photo: Keenpress Publishing Sisse Brimberg & Cotton Coulson Photo: Keenpress

AUSTRALIA up turbines in water depths up to 45m, SPAIN Wind turbines are safe, says and carry eight to 10 turbines at once. Spain’s fi rst smart network Australian study More information: www.a2sea.com launched in Castellón A new independent study released in Iberdrola Renewables is set to invest July concludes that wind turbines have INDIA €22 million in Spain’s fi rst ever smart no adverse effect on people’s health. 25.5 MW wind power project for grid, in the city of Castellón. The move The study, by Australia’s National Rajasthan state involves adapting over 600 transformers Health and Medical Research Council, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and replacing the more than 100,000 found no evidence that wind turbines Limited (HPCL) has ordered 17 S82 power meters supplying the city’s had a direct effect on people’s health. wind turbines from Suzlon Energy 175,000 inhabitants. More information: www.nhmrc.gov.au Limited for a new wind farm to be sited The smart network supports remote in the Jaisalmer district of the state of services and enables clients to access CHINA Rajasthan, India. The project should be the electricity market, monitoring their Offshore farm now online commissioned by early 2011. electricity usage data in real-time. China’s biggest offshore wind farm has More information: www.suzlon.com More information: www.iberdrola.es started transmitting power to the nation- al grid through a submarine cable. The Donghai Bridge wind farm off Shanghai’s coast, made up of 34 wind turbines of 3 MW, can fuel more than 200,000 city households. More information: http://cdm.unfccc.int

EUROPE A2SEA to deliver new turbine installation vessel A2SEA has signed a $139 million (€109 mn) contract to build a new offshore wind installation vessel sched- uled for delivery in the second half of 2012. Currently, A2SEA has four jack-up vessels, which are essential for putting up offshore turbines. The fi fth vessel will be the fi rst to be tailor-made for the

offshore wind sector. It will be able to put Publishing Sisse Brimberg & Cotton Coulson Photo: Keenpress

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 15 | wind news |

SPAIN €25m blade manufacturing facility opens in Navarre Acciona Energy has opened a new wind turbine blade plant at Lumbier in Spain’s Navarre region, worth €25 million of investment. Initially, 64 people were employed at the factory, but this is set to increase to 148 this September. The plant will produce 34 and 37.5 metre long blades for the AW-1500 wind turbine, and will produce 150 blades a year when at full capacity. More information: www.acciona.com

SWEDEN Vestas to provide turbines for repowering in Gotland Vestas has bagged an order to supply, Photo : Vestas install and commission 21 of its 3 MW turbines for a 63 MW project on the island of Gotland, south-east of Sweden. UK Siemens Windpower will receive £5 mil- The installation will take place later Government grants €11.9 million lion, and a further £5 million of grants in 2010. to offshore wind industry will be awarded to seven UK companies The Gotland project is a joint enter- The UK’s Department of Energy and with the aim of building the UK supply prise between Näsudden Väst Invest, Climate Change (DECC) has awarded chain and developing new cost-effective Slitevind AB and Stugyl AB. grants worth of £10 million (€11.9 mil- technologies for offshore wind. More information: www.vestas.com lion) to the offshore wind industry. More information: www.decc.gov.uk

London Array wind farm gets loan from EIB The UK offshore wind industry has received a Denmark’s DONG Energy will receive fi nancial boost a £250 million (€298m) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to build the 1GW London Array offshore wind farm. The EIB made a fi rst £250m loan to the London Array project in June 2010, bringing the total fi nancing to £500m. The fi rst phase of the London Array wind farm will have a capacity of 630 MW from 175 turbines and is ex- pected to begin operation in 2012. More information: www.dongenergy.co.uk

URUGUAY Companies keen to build wind farms A tender of 150 MW of wind energy capacity in Uruguay has led to 950 MW in offers from 15 different companies. Another 150 MW will be contracted at a later date. The contracts will last 30 years, and be for farms between 30 MW and 50 MW. More information: www.miem.gub.uy ■ Photo: Keenpress Publishing/Sisse Brimberg & Cotton Coulson

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9glp^kl8_hk8^g^k`r’8 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 17 =ƒˆˆˆ¦=ˆ¦>„€¦P¦‚9ˆˆ | interview |

Researching the way forward

The EU Science and Research Commissioner stresses the importance of industry action and solid fi nancing.

Shortly after she was appointed EU Commissioner Discussions on further investment of EU funds for Research, Innovation and Science, Chris Rose will be part of the overall review of the EU budget asked Máire Geoghegan-Quinn a few questions to be launched shortly. about her new role, budgets and wind power. Meanwhile, the Commission will focus its available instruments and funding, particularly Has the European Commission already identifi ed the Energy Theme of the seventh Framework its fi nancial commitment for the implementation Programme (FP7), on the SET-Plan priorities. of SET-Plan roadmaps? In October 2009, the Commission identifi ed an “Financing of course remains

Photo: European Commission investment gap (public and private) for the devel- opment of low carbon technologies of €50 billion a key issue. We need more over the next 10 years. investment to achieve our goals.” The exact split between EC/Member States/ industry cannot be predetermined in advance – it will vary according to the specifi c activities to be Is the launch of the SET-Plan roadmaps going to funded. have an impact on the dimensions and priorities But the bulk of the new investment will obvi- of the FP7 ENERGY budget (currently €2.35 bn - ously have to come from where the bulk of the while the total budget of the FP7 is over €50 bn)? money is – that is industry and the Member As I’ve said, the Commission will focus on the States. The Commission’s budget is limited to SET-Plan priorities – in particular on the European the amounts allocated to it by the Council – in Industrial Initiatives. The interim review of FP7 other words the Member States – and by the is underway. I cannot prejudge its outcome. European Parliament!

What is the ‘SET-Plan’?

In November 2007, the European The wind roadmap has a budget of €6 billion, Commission proposed a strategy to encour- approximately half of which will be provided by “The proper age the uptake of low carbon technologies the industry. Its objectives are: – like wind energy - in the EU. This is known • To maintain Europe’s technology leadership development as the ‘Strategic Energy Technology Plan’, or in both onshore and offshore wind power. of EU grids, SET-Plan. The SET-Plan was offi cially launched • To make onshore wind the most competi- earlier in 2010. tive energy source by 2020, with offshore including One of the plan’s proposals was to following by 2030. high levels of increase research efforts through actions • To enable wind energy to supply 20% of plans – known as ‘roadmaps’ - for various key Europe’s electricity in 2020, 33% in 2030, penetration of low-carbon technologies including wind energy and 50% in 2050. renewables, and electricity grids. The aim of the roadmap To achieve these goals, the European wind road- is to help the technology become mature map will prioritise certain areas of work: new is a priority enough to achieve large market shares in the turbines and components, offshore technology, for the time up to 2050. grid integration, wind resource assessment and spatial planning. Commission.”

18 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | interview |

One of the SET-Plan roadmaps focuses on EU grids

Photo: iStockphoto Photo: European Commission

Changing the overall allocation of funding to the sure research funding focuses on the right, com- Energy Theme would require a decision by the monly agreed priorities. Council and European Parliament. Financing of course remains a key issue. We The total budget of the grids roadmap is only need more investment to achieve our goals – as €2 bn. simple as that.

How is the Commission going to support the prop- Accordingly, is the goal of spending 3% of nation- er development of EU grids and ensure high levels al GDPs on R&D going to facilitate the implemen- of penetration of renewables in the system? tation of the SET-Plan? The budget for the grids roadmap does not in- The 3% objective is an overall one for R&D. In clude the costs of the grid infrastructure that will high growth – potentially high reward sectors such be needed for large-scale demonstration projects, as low carbon technologies, the level which is why the cost appears to be low. Only the of investment, particularly by industry, “I want industry to additional costs related to research and demon- could and should be much higher. stration aspects are included. I want industry to grasp the low grasp the low carbon The proper development of EU grids, including carbon opportunity and step up its opportunity and step up high levels of penetration of renewables, is a priority own investment levels – industry for the Commission. This will be refl ected in the new needs to back itself to succeed. The its own investment levels Energy Strategy for Europe 2011-2020 currently un- Commission is supporting that by – industry needs to back der development. The SET-Plan will provide a strong setting out a strategic framework, support to this, particularly through the industrial working to create the right invest- itself to succeed.” initiatives and the Energy Research Alliance. ment conditions and by backing the right research projects. We will continue to listen And what are the synergies that could be devel- to stakeholders on how best we can help. oped between the grid roadmap and the road- maps focusing on renewables? What is the link between the SET-Plan and the There will be close coordination at both political 2011-2020 energy action plan? and administrative levels to maximise synergies Technological innovation will be crucial over the between the grids roadmap and what we are do- 2011-2020 period. The SET-Plan will be the EU ing on renewables. vehicle for promoting that innovation. ■

What will help reach a successful implementation of the SET-Plan? We have strong political support for the SET-Plan from Máire Geoghegan-Quinn was born Council and Parliament – this was a crucial fi rst step. in Carna, County Galway, Ireland, in Industry has also demonstrated its commit- September 1950. A qualifi ed teacher, ment – and if we are to succeed, continuing that she served as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála commitment is indispensable. (member of parliament) for the Galway The research community, in particular through West constituency from 1975 to 1997, the creation of the European Energy Research then as Minister for Tourism, Transport Alliance (EERA), has shown that it is ready to and Communications (1992–1993) and adopt new ways of working to rise to the chal- as Minister for Justice (1993–94). lenge. The Member State representatives in the Steering Group have a vital role to play in making

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 19 | mini focus |

More than just clowning around

As EWEA’s ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ campaign gathers pace, Global Wind Day on 15 June allowed people all around the world to learn of the real benefi ts of wind energy while having fun.

By Chris Rose Photos: EWEA/Jason Bickley

ind power creates sustainable energy, Community wind farm under sunny skies to cel- Wspurs on the economy by providing new ebrate Family Open Day on 12 June which tied in jobs and helps reduce stresses on the en- with Global Wind Day, the Scottish Renewables vironment, the mayor of Tillsonburg, Ontario Festival and the RenewableUK Wind Week. said during a Global Wind Day tour of the Erie The event in North Ayrshire was replicated Shores Wind Farm. around the world. From wind farm open days and “Actually, it’s been an extremely valuable ex- conferences, to exhibitions, information days, perience,” said Stephen Molnar, who along with a sporting contests and photo contests, the power number of other politicians was part of a tour of the of wind was celebrated by politicians, scientists, four-year-old Erie Shores facility in southern Ontario, entrepreneurs, environmentalists and journalists. which is described as being one of the largest wind In the Argentinian city of Buenos Aires, celebra- power facilities in Canada, representing nearly 3% of tions reportedly started on Global Wind Day with the nation’s installed wind capacity. a visit to an elementary school where students The tour of Eire Shores was one of hundreds took part in an open class about wind energy. of events that occurred as the second annual Simultaneously, a small wind exhibition was held Wind energy dominated Global Wind Day ricocheted around the world on in a central square where a live concert of wind in- the Brussels skyline 15 June. struments surprised the visitors to the exhibition. From Italy to Austria, from Scotland to Belgium, In an event in the Villa Borghese in Rome, new from Japan to the US, from the Netherlands to research unveiled on Global Wind Day showed Estonia, tens of thousands of people turned out about 87% of Italians are in favour of more wind for events, tours and exhibitions on Global Wind energy in their country. “At Global Wind Day, we Day and during the days leading up to and imme- want to reiterate the importance of renewable diately following 15 June. energies as one of the key solutions to the eco- The little town of North Ayrshire, Scotland nomic and climate crisis,” Edoardo Zanchini from saw more than 600 people visiting the Dalry Legambiente, an Italian environment group, said.

20 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | mini focus |

In Brussels, the erection of a 29.5 metre long wind turbine blade was certainly the highlight of EWEA’s Global Wind Day. The visibility couldn’t have been better — it was on the Schuman roundabout, just a stone’s throw from the European Commission and Council main buildings. The blade was ac- companied by information panels in English, French Klaus Rave of GWEC, Ingmar Wilhelm of ENEL and and Flemish. Arthouros Zervos of EWEA at the Wind Day reception “We are very excited this project has worked out and we were able to show that wind energy is not only providing environmental and economic usual tremendous effort to organise events in benefi ts but can also be an aesthetic object, a their countries, but also that we were approached symbol for a renewable energy future,” said Elke by many new, enthusiastic people,” she said. “In Zander, EWEA’s campaigns offi cer. many countries, events took place for the fi rst time: for example in Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Mongolia.” Wind power rightly deserves to celebrate its own special day as a result of its increasing popu- larity and rapid growth around much of the world, according to the Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). “Imagine being able to harness the power of nature in a sustainable way to create abundant clean energy, tackle climate change, create jobs and end our dangerous dependence on polluting fossil fuels”, Steve Sawyer said.“It’s not a dream, it’s wind energy — and it defi nitely deserves a special day.” By the end of 2009, GWEC reported there was a total of 158.5 GW of wind power capacity Bulgarian children joining in installed around the globe. The more than 38 GW Photo: APEEG of new global wind power capacity installed last The erection of the blade was just on time for the year represented a staggering 41.5% increase beginning of the EU’s Green Week and the Fête over 2008. de l’Environnement, and EWEA also held a press And so Global Wind Day unfolded. Related conference and a reception on 14 June at the events were also held in Sweden, Estonia, foot of the blade. England, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Zander said Global Wind Day proved again Norway, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the impact it can create all over the world. “This other nations. year’s big accomplishment is that not only our Wind was in the air and people from all walks reliable partners all over the world made their of life responded enthusiastically. ■

From fresh air to hard rain: update on EWEA’s campaign Mingling at the foot of the wind turbine blade Over 2,000 turbines have been adopted around Europe as part of EWEA’s ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ campaign and many more people have voted for their favourites. The prizes on offer to the adopters of the most popular turbines – a weekend for two people in the vibrant Danish capital Copenhagen, or in Mont Crozin in Switzerland’s beautiful Jura region, with travel, accommodation, and of course a trip to a wind farm included– are encouraging many to sign up and persuade friends to vote. The next stage in the campaign, which promotes wind as a ‘breath of fresh air’ in the battle against the energy, climate and economic crises, is a photo exhibition, ‘Hard Rain’, which is up for two weeks in Brussels this September. For more information on ‘Hard Rain’ see p.23-26. For more on the campaign, and to adopt or vote for a turbine, go to www.ewea.org/freshair.

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 21 22 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | mini focus |

‘I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways’ Bangladeshi refugees, Calcutta, India Picturing the worst

As summer ends in Brussels, visitors, politicians and workers traversing the Place du Luxembourg adjacent to the European Parliament will be treated to a haunting photographic exhibition that highlights the need for humankind to end its dependence on polluting fossil fuels.

By Chris Rose Photos: Mark Edwards / Still Pictures

ind power can help society make the neces- Brussels’ No Car Sunday on 19 September will Wsary transition away from polluting fossil only add to its growing appeal. fuels, said Mark Edwards, the photographer who Edwards estimated that the exhibition has organised the Hard Rain exhibition. been seen by 15 million people since it began in “There is nowhere near enough investment in May, 2006, in over 50 cities around the world. renewable energies and wind power is already a “It’s continued to gather pace,” Edwards said. proven technology,” Edwards said in an interview. “Unexpectedly, I must say.” Mark Edwards Sponsored by EWEA as part of its ‘Breath of Fresh Edwards said it took him a long time to realise Air’ campaign, the Hard Rain banner features 44 why people responded so positively to both the photographs depicting the human and environmental lyrics and the photographs. ravages of climate change. When the photographs “The pictures are a bit like real life. They are all taken by Edwards and others are married to the lyrics part of a world gone wrong, out of sync with nature.” of Bob Dylan’s 1962 recording A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Edwards thought of illustrating Bob Dylan’s lyr- Fall, the effect is both sobering and contemplative. ics after being rescued by a Touareg nomad who That the exhibit, which takes place between played him A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall on a port- 13 to 25 September, coincides with the European able cassette player. Many years later he turned it Mobility Week from 16 to 22 September and with into an exhibition.

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 23 | mini focus |

Photo: A.Zhdanov/UNEP/Still Pictures

‘And I tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it’ A wedding party protests against air pollution, Russia

‘Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter’ Mother and child living in a drainpipe, Calcutta, India

Dylan gave Edwards permission to use the lyrics He and American writer Lloyd Timberlake to the song, which the musician wrote in re- are working on adding a new compo- sponse to the threat of nuclear war. nent to the exhibit called ‘What’ll You Do Edwards hopes Hard Rain inspires people to Now?’, which presents solutions to the get involved in addressing climate change. problems illustrated.

24 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | mini focus |

‘I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard’ Taj Mahal, India

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 25 | mini focus |

Photo: D.Rodrigues/UNEP/Still Pictures

‘I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans’ Oiled bird, Brazil

“We are convinced that Place du Luxembourg, directly in front of the EU Parliament, is the ideal location to bring attention to the most urgent questions of our time and demonstrate their con- nection,” says Elke Zander, EWEA’s campaigns of- fi cer. “We want to show that wind energy can help solving the challenges Europe is facing: climate change, depleting energy resources, unpredictable fuel and carbon costs and possible supply disrup- tions. Wind is also a free fuel that will never run out. It meets 5% of the EU power demand, and provided jobs for 192,000 Europeans in 2009.” Edwards says he will be pleased if the exhibit makes people think about the immediate and im- mense need to tackle global warming. “I hope decision makers will be interested and it will be a reminder that we have to take bold steps [on climate change] or we are just all going to get poorer.” “Wind is clearly a technology that has enor- mous potential,” said Edwards. “The key now is to really push for implementation and investment in technologies like wind power, that can de-carbon- ise energy; that is absolutely critical.” More information about the Hard Rain Project is available at: www.hardrainproject.com ■

‘I’ll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest’ Logging road, Amazon, Brazil

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28 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | letters | Your letters

Do you have something to say about Wind Directions, wind energy, renewables, EWEA’s events or anything else? Write to Sarah Azau at [email protected] with the subject title: Wind Directions letters page, and your letter could appear in the next issue!

Dear Sarah, Dear Sarah, I really like reading Wind Recently I have read of the Directions, but it would be development of fl oating turbines great to have some job or for offshore wind parks. I was careers related advice for those wondering whether WD had RenewableUK 2010 of us looking to move into the any information on whether sector. Maybe you could include any are already in the water, or interviews with workers, and being tested, (and an opinion on Annual Conference some job ads? whether the concept will work Best regards, out)? and Exhibition 2010 Andrea, Norway From my perspective, they The UK’s premier renewable energy event seem to offer several advantages This is something we are compared to the monopile currently evaluating, Andrea, foundations we are mainly using based on the suggestions at the moment. Some can be from the readers’ survey. We’ll assembled directly on the quay – 3000+ delegates let you know! and be towed out to their farm – 200+ exhibitors by simple tug boats for example – Side & social events 02–04 without any need for big costly – Careers fair Nov 2010 | Glasgow Dear Sarah, jack-up barges. The eMag version of your Of course it is diffi cult to have magazine is nice to look at, but an idea about the economics sometimes not practical to read. of these new concepts, but they RenewableUK 2010 Is it possible to send a PDF are an interesting option for Join us at , version out as well? deep waters and projects further our 32nd annual conference Thanks in advance, offshore. Tom, Canada Thank you for any info, and exhibition. Three days of René, France conference sessions will examine Yes, Tom, we already do. You can access the PDF by going René, there are indeed some UK industry developments in into the eMag and clicking on fl oating turbines already onshore wind energy, offshore the small ‘PDF’ icon on the operating, such as Blue-H in Italy, bottom left of your screen. and Hywind from Statoil Hydro wind energy, wave and tidal in Norway, and other concepts energy, and small-wind systems. are being developed. You can Dear Sarah, read more about Hywind in the Register at the event website: How many houses can one Science Corner of the December turbine produce electricity for? 2009 Wind Directions. www.renewable-uk.com/events/annual-conference Deborah, Spain The big question mark is the economics: because the Deborah - today’s onshore substructures have to be turbines have an average manufactured one at a time capacity of 2.5–3 MW. One for the moment, it is very can produce more than 6 expensive. This may change million kWh of electricity in a as the technology develops year – enough to supply 1,500 and one concept becomes average EU households. For standardised. Cost-effective answers to more wind energy fl oating turbines would open questions see the FAQ on up massive opportunities for www.ewea.org by going to the expansion of offshore wind

‘Press room’ and ‘FAQ’. energy to deeper waters. ■ TM

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 www.renewable-uk.com 29 | focus |

Small wind’s steady climb

Still in its infancy, small wind power is now beginning to come on strong, providing energy far and wide

By Chris Rose

30 Small wind hasWIND got DIRECTIONS off the ground | September in Venezuela 2010 Photo: Bornay_jacuque | focus |

Noting that very few small wind manufac- turers in Asia responded to the annual market survey, the study also forecasts the potential for growth — especially in China, Japan and India — as being huge. Having said that, the study noted an estimated 100,000 small wind turbines are now installed in the world. Approximately two-thirds of all small wind systems sold globally in 2009 were made by US manufacturers. About 250 companies around the globe manufacture or plan to manu- facture small wind turbines, the study said, adding 99% have fewer than 100 employees. More than one-third of those

Photo: Sandy Lake PA, Southwest Windpower Southwest PA, Photo: Sandy Lake companies are based in the US. Depending on the wind resource, the Skystream turbine generates between 30-80% of the power required by a typical home Talking numbers The fi ve largest small wind manu- onsidered an alternative technology Half of this 100 MW milestone capacity facturers last year in terms of kW Ctwo decades ago, industrial-scale came within the past three years, the sold world-wide were, according to wind power is now a mainstream power study noted. “Manufacturers attribute the study, Southwest Windpower of source, at the forefront of an ambitious this growth to a Arizona, Northern new green energy economy that many mixture of new and Power Systems of experts say is needed if humankind improved federal “People wanting Vermont, Proven Energy is to survive unscathed the nascent and state incentives, of Scotland, Wind 21st century. optimistic private power for their home Energy Solutions of Part of this phenomenal energy equity investors, or business don’t the Netherlands and metamorphosis is the expanding market and sustained con- Bergey WindPower Co. for small wind facilities that, according sumer demand,” the really care about the of Oklahoma. to the American Wind Energy Association study says. difference between The UK and Canada (AWEA), increased globally by 10% last are the largest identi- year and 15% in the US. On the brink large wind and small fi ed markets for small Described as those with rated capaci- Ron Stimmel, wind.” wind after the US, ac- ties of 100 kW or less, small wind sys- manager of legis- cording to the study. tems are usually used to power homes, lative affairs and The study notes the farms and small businesses in rural and small systems for AWEA and the author world’s leading 15 manufacturers con- isolated areas. of the study, said he is confi dent the tinue to predict exponential sales growth AWEA’s annual Small Wind Turbine small wind industry is destined for in the US market over the next fi ve years, Global Market Study indicated the US continued growth. with projections of over 1 GW (1,000 MW) continues to remain the market leader “A lot of things are coming together,” of cumulative installed small wind for small wind, adding new installed wind Stimmel said, adding demand, invest- capacity in the United States by 2015. power capacity of 20.3 MW in 2009, ment, government incentives and en- almost equal to half of the capacity vironmental factors are driving growth. installed in the world (42.5 MW) the “I do have a lot of confi dence [in small same year. wind]. We’re on the cusp but I see a lot The study notes that, despite the of promise.” ongoing fi nancial crisis and the economic Stimmel said it is extremely diffi cult downturn, 9,800 small wind turbines to get accurate totals about the industry: were sold in the US in 2009 and 21,000 the study notes only 40 out of 253 iden- were sold around the world. More than tifi ed small wind companies responded $82 million (€63 mn) was invested in to the AWEA survey. the US small wind market last year while But he says that, based on hard $189 million (€146 mn) was invested data accumulated for the past four globally. Last year also saw US small years alone, sales indicate the global wind power capacity reaching 100 MW, small wind sector, excluding US to- Windpower Photo: Southwest 75% from systems whose capacity is tals, now represents a minimum of an The small wind industry is an important source lower than 10 kW. additional 60 MW. of employment

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 31 | focus |

“The economic recession led these manufacturers to pare down their growth projections somewhat from last year’s report, but they remain optimistic about achieving their target,” the study says. Without diminishing the efforts of small wind facilities and the important role they play, especially in isolated areas with no access to electricity sup- plied along a grid, it should be noted that compared to industrial-scale wind power

the sector is … well… still very small. Photo: Northern Power Consider: the Global Wind Energy Every part of the turbines is inspected in the factory (GWEC) reported by the end of 2009 there was a total of 158.5 GW of And, increasingly, that’s just what small The second edition of ‘Wind Energy — industrial-scale wind power capacity in- wind does in a world where at least The Facts’ (WETF), published in 2009, stalled around the globe. The more than one-quarter of the global population lives noted that small wind power works in 38 GW of new global wind power capacity without electricity. (The International rural electrifi cation projects and provides installed last year represented a stagger- Energy Agency estimates 1.6 billion power to isolated homes, boats and ing 41.5% increase over 2008. people are currently without electricity, telecommunication facilities. Additionally, Asia, North America and Europe while Greenpeace suggests it is more the book said, the prospects for sig- each installed more than 10 GW of new than two billion.) nifi cant demand for “micro-generation” capacity in 2009. By the end of the year, Small wind defi nitely has a role to play in urban areas is prompting technical Europe had more than 76 GW of total in rural areas of developing countries developments in small wind design which installed capacity. where electrifi cation is limited, according could result in signifi cant improvements The GWEC report also noted the to EWEA’s Head of Policy Analysis. in the economics. 2009 market for turbine installations “It is positive for having access to “Furthermore, increasing fuel costs was worth about €45 bn and the global electricity in more remote areas,” Glória are encouraging developments in the wind industry now employs about Rodrigues said, adding that small wind technically demanding fi eld of high- 500,000 people. is, in terms of minimising pollution and penetration wind-diesel systems,” the environmental degradation, preferable book added. Filling a hole to using diesel-powered generators. (For The two main areas small It is important, however, to realise that the story of how small wind energy has wind turbines are used are in au- the small wind sector also continues brought electricity to an isolated commu- tonomous electrical systems and in to expand, if not in a similarly success- nity in Nicaragua for the very fi rst time, distributed generation. ful bombastic trajectory compared to see p.35.) Also called “stand-alone,” “grid- industrial-scale wind energy, but in a Rodrigues also noted that small isolated,” and “off-grid,” autonomous quiet manner that provides desperately- wind helps to create jobs, diversify systems are not connected to any larger needed green electricity along the way. and enrich the economy and promote electrical system and therefore as solely After all, people wanting power for regional development. responsible for the control of voltage and their home or business don’t really care Small and very small wind turbines frequency, WETF said. about the difference between large wind are emerging to meet several distinct Distributed generation occurs, mean- and small wind; they just want to turn on needs, according to ‘Wind Energy — The while, in systems with small genera- a switch and have power immediately. Facts’, the seminal text on wind power. tors connected to a larger distribution network where a network operator is re- sponsible for overall control. WETF notes A small turbine whizzes round this is often called “grid-connected” or in Venezuela “on-grid” connection. “Despite the attention given to multi- megawatt wind farms, the markets for autonomous electrical systems and distributed generation using small wind turbines can be attractive if prices of conventional electricity or fossil fuels are suffi ciently high, or in many developing countries, where hundreds of millions of people live without access to electricity,” the book said.

32 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 Photo: Bornay | focus |

The path to maturity Small wind in the news It pointed out, however, that despite the Just as a myriad of stories on the in- maturity reached in the development ternet reveal an astonishing interest in of large- and medium-sized technol- large-scale wind energy, small wind fa- ogy for industrial-scale wind farms, at cilities are also generating a lot of buzz. the moment, small wind turbines are The infl uential US publication Time far from technologically mature and magazine recently published a story on economically competitive. small wind facilities that suggested the “Average costs for current stand- sector’s future is robust. alone wind turbines vary from €2,500 “We see a time when there are six to €6,000 per installed kW, while in million to eight million small turbines distributed generation, a small wind at work in a world where people want turbine can vary from €2,700 to €8,000 to do something about the environment per installed kW,” WETF said.“Both these they live in,” Time quoted Alexander fi gures contrast with the costs of large Ellis III, a partner at RockPort Capital, wind turbines, which are in the region of a Boston-based venture-capital fund €1,500/kW.” that’s backing Southwest Windpower. Small wind turbines have great “We believe there’s a huge opportunity potential, the book says, but design and Photo: AWEA out there.” engineering challenges, as well as com- The global market for small turbines went up by Another recent story, this time mon standards, need to be addressed to 10% in 2009 in the Kansas City Star, suggested produce reliable machines. small wind turbines will someday dot Generally speaking, in terms of there is some potential for small wind backyards across the US Midwest if isolated applications, three categories applications. “The high concentration of Abigail Stutzman, an elementary school of small wind turbines exist — very population in urban areas student, has anything to small systems, hybrid systems and provides a great opportu- “We’re on the say about it. wind-diesel systems. nity for on-site distributed The Star quoted Very small systems, the book notes, generation from wind power cusp but I see a Stutzman, inspired by usually have a generating capacity by installing small wind lot of promise.” her school’s recent smaller than 1 kW and include mobile turbines on rooftops, even installation of a turbine, applications such as boats and cara- though the roughness of the urban envi- as saying, “When I grow up, I want to vans, and wind home systems used in ronment can mean a reduced and more live off the grid.” rural electrifi cation. Hybrid systems, turbulent wind fl ow,” the book says. Yet another example of small wind which usually have a capacity of less With regard to future R&D needs, the power going global was reported than 50 kW, refer to applications using book said all components of small wind recently in the Philippine Daily Inquirer wind power and other generation sources turbines — including blades, generators, which published a story saying more such as photo-voltaic. Wind-diesel sys- regulation systems and power convert- than 5,000 rural villages may gain tems are typically used in larger isolated ers — could be improved. The book access to energy after the Asian applications greater than 50 kW. also said new designs to integrate small Development Bank completes the In terms of grid-connected systems, wind systems into an urban environment installation of small wind power especially in areas like Europe which should be effi cient, pleasing to the eye, systems in the Philippines, Nepal already have an extensive electrical grid, robust and extremely quiet. and Mongolia.

Photo: Southwest Windpower

The calm factory exterior belies all the work going on within

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 33 | focus |

“We have to do a lot of work yet but the future is very interesting,” he noted. Southwest Windpower, the world’s leading small wind system company, has been in business since 1987 and is lo- cated in Flagstaff, Arizona. The company, which has about 90 employees, has had more than 160,000 small wind systems placed in at least 88 countries, market- ing manager Miriam Robbins said in an interview. Robbins said Southwest produces a variety of small turbines, ranging in size from 0.4kW, which costs about €700, to a 3.7kW grid-connected system that retails at approximately €11,600. Asked how the company became so successful, Robbins said the co-found- ers had an international vision for the company from the very beginning and

Photo: Northern Power worked hard to get Southwest prod- Ongoing movement on the busy factory fl oor ucts exported. She said the company also created partnerships to improve the technology. Zooming in “Big wind turbines are designed to work “There’s a lot of potential out there Juande Bornay is the sales manager of in windy places where the wind resource considering the world’s energy needs,” Bornay, a Spanish small wind turbine is present and working always with the Robbins said. She added, however, if the company his father founded in 1970. grid presence,” he said. “Small wind small wind sector is to experience even He said Bornay has fi ve models avail- turbines are normally bought by private greater growth it will have to continue able with a power capacity of 0.6, 0.8, users and placed where the energy is educating people, companies and gov- 1.5, 3 and 6 kW. Prices vary with the 1.5 needed in places that normally do not ernments in the developing world about kW machine costing about €4,000 and have wind resource data.” the sector’s benefi ts while also lobby- the 6 kW turbine costing €9,000. He said one of the main obstacles to ing to streamline permitting issues in The company uses its four decades small wind turbines becoming even more developed nations. of experience to blend technology, in- popular is that in some countries the Acknowledging that the sector does novation, serial production, and made- requirements to install a turbine are the have to deal with a lack of certifi cation to-measure project solutions, he said, same for a large 1 MW machine as they and some technological unreliability, combining diverse clean sources for are for a 3 kW Robbins noted that self-suffi ciency to supply electricity and system, which is a such problems are to contribute to distributed generation. bureaucratic night- “The potential is to grow by be expected in a rap- He said there is increased interest mare that drives leaps and bounds.” idly growing industry. in small wind turbines in Europe and costs up every She said she is around the world through grid-connection step of the way. confi dent that overall and distributed generation applications. Another obstacle in many nations is the small wind sector will continue to All of this extra attention is producing the lack of a feed-in-tariff, he said, which experience global growth and success. hundreds of products associated with reduces the economic viability of small “It has the same potential as solar the small wind turbine sector, he said, wind turbines. world-wide,” Robbins said. “The potential and new companies are appearing all the Bornay said the company, which is to grow by leaps and bounds.” time in expectation of capturing some of has 18 employees and is located She added that Southwest now the growing market. near Alicante, has so far installed has a sales and distribution centre in Bornay said there is a big difference about 5,000 small wind turbines in Cologne, Germany to launch its grid- between small wind turbines and large 45 countries. connected system in Europe and just wind turbines, with the only similarity be- He also said he believes small wind appointed a managing director for the ing the name. power has an exciting future. European market. ■

34 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | focus |

Bringing power to the people Photo: BlueEnergy

Small wind turbines can transform the lives of some of the world’s poorest people, providing electricity to communities miles from the nearest power lines. Wind Directions’ Sarah Azau visited one such project in Nicaragua.

or most Europeans, the renewable en- year of preparation with a local project A trip to the heart of America Fergy question revolves around the eco- partner, it installed a 1kW wind turbine I went to Nicaragua with the CEO of nomic and environmental benefi ts offered in the village. This was made possible Renewable World, Neil Jeffery, to visit the by sources like wind and solar power. But thanks to the donation EWEA presented project EWEA helped fi nance, talk to the for many poorer citizens of the world, who to Renewable World at its 2010 Annual people involved and affected by it, and fi nd live miles from an electric grid, renewa- Event in Warsaw. out more about Renewable World’s work. bles can make the difference between a For the last month, the villagers have The morning after my arrival, we set off life in semi-permanent darkness and one had electric light for the fi rst time ever, to visit Cajiniquil. With us is Jaime Muñoz, brightened by the reliability and cleanness replacing the dangerous, smoking home- Director of Asofenix, the local project of electric light. partners based in Managua, the One such community Nicaraguan capital, who found the can be found in the tiny vil- “A year before we began putting in the village, spotted its wind potential, lage of Cajiniquil, in central and developed the project with the Nicaragua. The village, which wind turbine, we started working with the support of Renewable World. can only be reached by foot, local community, so we could assess any As he drives us cautiously over is perched on the top of a roads piled waist-high with rubble row of hills on an extinct potential barriers and ensure they knew and boulders, he explains some- volcano, and the height and exactly what to expect.” thing of the villagers’ involvement in the plateau the village sits on the project to me. make it a perfect spot for a “A year before we began putting wind turbine. made paraffi n lamps they used before. in the wind turbine, we started working with EWEA’s chosen charity, Renewable Moreover, the turbine will also power an the local community, so we could assess World (formerly the Koru Foundation) electric pump so the villagers have ac- any potential barriers and ensure they knew – which works to provide renewable cess to clean water, rather than the river exactly what to expect. This way, when energy to communities in need - cer- water they currently have to drag up to the time came to build, which took three tainly thought so. In May 2010, after a the village in buckets. months, they were very enthusiastic.”

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 35 | focus |

Carrying some of the turbine components to the village

Nicaragua – the factsacts – towards the upkeep of the turbine and electric system. • Nicaragua, situated between When maintenance and repairs need Honduras to the north and Costa to be carried out, there is no need for a Rica to the south, is the largest others, and so rather than connect them helicopter or a crane on a turbine this country in Central America. to the turbine and incur some power loss size. Instead, it is fi xed within a frame • It has a population of about through the cables, we are going to fi t of metal tubing that is anchored to the 5,900,000 made up of mestizos, them with individual solar panels.” ground, with a chain which allows one whites, amerindians, blacks and The village’s “power grid” was set up of the anchors to be released and the others. The main language is by a team of renewable energy experts machine to be gently lowered. Spanish. from an organisation called BlueEnergy, Dahley shows us the control centre • Its share of fossil energy is 75% based on Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast. They for the turbine: a small wooden cabin in (mostly oil). were also responsible for building and the centre of the village. Inside, there is • Its share of renewable energy is transporting, then installing - with the help a panel with each switch and box care- 25% (mostly hydro and geothermal), of the villagers - the turbine. fully labelled, and below the panel sit the but its fi rst large wind farm came After a lunch of rice and beans, washed eight batteries. If too much electricity is online in February 2009 (40 MW). down with ‘avena’, the local oat drink, we produced, there is what they call a “dump go and have a closer look at the turbine, load” system of wire coils, where the which is on the very edge of the hill, over- extra power comes off as heat. After driving for over three hours, we looking kilometres of lush plains. The wind I speak to Gustavo Reyes, the local reach a point at which the road runs is considerable, and the blades are whiz- electrician whom Asofenix asked to design out. From here on we need to walk up- zing round, making a light buzzing noise. At and build Cajiniquil’s tiny electric system. wards towards the across rolling, fertile thirteen metres, “It was the hills towards the village. The land is a the turbine is ‘We can see one another fi rst time I’d built rich green from the fi rst three weeks of miniscule to better with the new lighting a system this big, what the Nicaraguans call “winter”(the anyone who has but it wasn’t so six-month rainy season), and dotted with seen an industry- system. It is also much diffi cult to do. It boulders. We see the turbine, looking sized one, but it healthier... I think the change took four days’ tiny on the horizon, but spinning rapidly. provides enough work using cables On arriving in the village itself, we are energy to power has been enormous” from an ironmon- greeted by clucking hens. The village the lighting for ger’s in Managua”, is quiet because it’s only noon and the all the village, and to activate the pump on he explains. “In fact, I think the villagers men will be out in the fi elds, looking the well. were surprised by how long the whole after their corn and bean crops, for a wind turbine process took; they thought it while longer. Thinking mechanically would go up as if by magic, but there are The village itself is made up of 20 Dahley Gomez is the son of Carlos, the stages to go through. First, you anchor houses. “About fi fteen of them now have “mayor” of Cajiniquil. He followed a the tube, then the other pieces are added, electric light thanks to the wind turbine training session with BlueEnergy, and and the rotor last. Luckily an engineer – they have four energy-saving lightbulbs is now responsible for maintaining the from BlueEnergy was on hand to help us”. per household, and one even has a turbine in his village. Each household that Their surprise aside, what do the villag- television”, explains Jeffery. “The other receives the electricity will pay a small ers think of the turbine and the difference fi ve houses are a bit further from the monthly sum – probably around US$3 it has made?

36 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | focus |

Dahley looks after the turbine and its electrics Who says it’s tough to build a power grid?

‘We can see one another better with the We are heading for the headquarters of Ronaldo Quintano, who heads the work- new lighting system”, says Dahley. “It BlueEnergy, Renewable World’s partners shop, explains that another issue was is also much healthier, as we know that who are responsible for the building of the blades, which were originally in ma- the smoke from a candil [a tin or bottle the turbine at Cajiniquil. Guillaume Craig, hogany, but the use of the precious wood with a cloth wick for lighting] can pro- Director of BlueEnergy, takes me around was made illegal. They then wanted to duce great harm. I think the change has their workshop, explaining how they went go for fi breglass, but “the ones we could been enormous” about building the turbine. obtain locally had the wrong resistance”, “For the women it has really helped “We took the classic small wind turbine meaning they would have been too weak our work, and our cooking”, enthuses design by Hugh Piggott, and made some to withstand the wind. Fibreglass of the Zoraida Olario. “Imagine if the wind adaptations for the environment here. correct resistance could be imported was too strong before, the fl ame would For example, the original design uses a from the United States, but it was only blow out and we would be thrown into plywood tail vane, but we found that with sold in bulk, rather than the small darkness! So now it is more stable for the high levels of humidity out here, it ab- amounts BlueEnergy needed for their women, who in the majority are the ones sorbed too much water and became heavy. 1 kW turbines. who have to cook, and get up in the So instead we use fi breglass”. morning to do breakfast”. Photos pp. 36-37: Asofenix/Seth Hays At my visit, the well still needed a few more days of work, but it was also set to make a real difference to daily life, with the wind turbine-powered pump allowing tanks to be automatically fi lled with fresh, clean water.

The Caribbean workshop On our second day, we take a tiny, twelve- seater plane from Managua and buzz over to the idyllic-looking Corn Island – just off the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. Having deposited most of the passengers – European and American tourists – on the landing strip, we take off again and head back towards the coastline and Bluefi elds, our destination: the capital of the Atlantic Sur region and Nicaragua’s main port. With a mixed Creole-Mestizo population of around 46,000, it is much smaller, poorer and more rural in feel than Managua. Putting the fi nal touches to the rotor

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 37 | focus | Photo: BlueEnergy

The stators used to get too hot until the engineers made the turbine furl at high wind speeds

Pedro, Dahley and Zoraida describe life with electricity

Testing a 12 foot turbine at Bluefi elds Photo: BlueEnergy

“So now, we use layers of cedarwood locals and several European, American Persuading the big shots that we glue together and laminate,” ex- and Australian engineers, worked on a The technical issues surrounding a wind plains Quintano. Later, an engineer tells system that moves the turbine out of the energy project are of course only one side us that the reason they use layers rather wind – known as “furling” – as soon as of the story. As many European and North than a block of wood is simply to allow it reaches a speed of 10m/s to stop the American developers know all too well, the wood, gathered in nearby forests, to system overheating. obtaining the support of the right authori- dry out more quickly. The BlueEnergy team call the 1kW tur- ties is crucial to a project’s success. The The fact that the BlueEnergy turbine bine model used at Cajiniquil a “12 foot same is true in Central America - in one can easily be fi tted with parts from turbine”, referring to the rotor diameter Nicaraguan community at Set Net on the local supply stores is one of its most (3.6 metres). However they are currently Caribbean coast, the wind energy project important features. Only the hub has developing a “14 foot turbine”, which failed when the community leader died to be imported. would have the advantage of producing and no-one wanted to be responsible for Another technical issue involved the 30% more power at lower wind speeds, maintaining the turbine. stators of the turbine – where all the and later aim to build a “17 foot turbine”. Local woman Cindy Bennet Wilson’s coils of wire are found at the centre of BlueEnergy have asked Renewable World role is to link with local governments to the rotor - which initially kept burning to support them in the development of get agreement on BlueEnergy projects out. The BlueEnergy team, made up of these new turbines. and, crucially, ensure there is someone to

38 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | fi rst person | maintain the renewable energy systems 30 year plan which includes the develop- “Of course, there are issues with trans- once they are in place. She has to sell the ment of renewable energy, and the federal port, information and infrastructure”, project at three stages: to the government government of Nicaragua is developing its points out Jeffery. “But the wind power of the autonomous Sur region (of which third hydro project. available opens up a huge realm of pos- Bluefi elds is the capital), to the govern- sibilities for further improving the lives of ment of the territory within the region, Powering business those in the community, and this is what and fi nally to the government of the It is not simply a case of bringing light we are starting to work on now with our community itself. and clean water to those who need them project partners like Asofenix.” Persistence is key: “They may say no most, or removing the need to use dirty at fi rst, but you mustn’t get discouraged; paraffi n fl ames and drink polluted river you need to keep trying”, she explains. water, however miraculous that already is. This said, there are some strong fans Sustainable electricity opens up second- of renewables amongst the authorities. ary health benefi ts and even business Rupert Clair Duncan is from the commu- opportunities to the world’s poorest. nity government of Monkey Point in the This is an important part of Renewable Rama and Creole territory of the Sur re- World’s thinking. gion. Around 600 people live near Monkey At Monkey Point, for example, the Point, which can only be reached by turbine powers a community fridge, so that boat. A 1 kW BlueEnergy wind turbine is medicine can be kept cold in this isolated installed in Duncan’s community. It also village, and an extra “Wind power available means the village 1.4 kW is provided by opens up a huge realm women can store their solar panels, and he produce. When we is full of enthusiasm. of possibilities for further visited Cajiniquil, the Photo: Asofenix/Seth Hays “Before, we had improving the lives of ground was littered with Houses like this one now have cleanly sourced kerosene lamps and small ripe mangoes, electricity, and will soon have fresh water too a fuel generator. It those in the community” most of which will be was unhealthy and thrown away. (Indeed, While those of us living in Europe and the expensive. But we don’t have to buy the the hotel we stayed at in Bluefi elds, despite developed world go back to debating the sun! We don’t have to buy the wind! We the region’s fertility and abundance of complexities of feed-in tariffs, grid codes live a better life now, and we want to tropical fruit, served only beetroot juice for and the relative merits of different shaped make our wind energy system even bigger breakfast. Anything else would have gone blades, it is refreshing to remember now so all the houses in Monkey Point have off while being transported in the hot sun.) and again the transformative impact one power from the wind turbine.” The mangoes of Cajiniquil could be made small turbine has had on the lives of the And slowly, renewable energy is becom- into jam or juice and stored in a fridge villagers of Cajiniquil. ■ ing part of long-term political thinking: powered by the wind, and potentially sold at the territorial Sur government now has a the market. EWEA and Renewable World

EWEA considers the work of Renewable World to be extremely important. At each of its events, presents a cheque to the foundation, with a sum representing 1 Euro per participant at the event. At the EWEA annual event 2010 (formerly EWEC) in Warsaw, a cheque worth €5,400 was passed over, and this sum went directly towards the wind turbine at Cajiniquil. If you would like to know more about how you, or your company, could get involved to help them tackle energy poverty in developing countries, call Nicola Ward on +44 1273 606685, email [email protected] or go to their website www.renewable-world.org.

The well is also to be powered by the turbine Photo: Asofenix/Seth Hays

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 39 | focus |

A foundation of hope

Neil Jeffery has been CEO of Renewable World (formerly the Koru Foundation) since December 2009. He told Sarah Azau about the group’s work bringing sustainably sourced electricity to some of the world’s poorest people. Photos: Asofenix/Seth Hays

enewable World was established to deal Partnering up “Rwith poverty in emerging markets where “The local partners we work with are normally the populations have no access to electricity. non-profi t organisations who have some capacity Currently there are 1.6 billion people worldwide in renewable energy. The partners then link to the who don’t have access to clean power. Typically, community where we have the renewable energy they burn either kerosene or wood to provide light source, so for example, in Central America we and heat where needed, but this has signifi cant work with two local partners and one is an expert health impacts and can be fatal. in hydro and the other in wind. We bring those “We work to provide clean, safe, sustainable experts together. sources of electricity through small-scale renew- “What is the process we follow from start to “Currently able energy projects which are off-grid. These are the end of a project? To choose the project we there are 1.6 typically wind, solar or hydro. usually go through our partners: they direct us “At Renewable World, we focus our work on towards communities that might benefi t from a re- billion people certain key geographical areas. These are Central newable energy source. Then we need to choose worldwide who America, Eastern Africa, and South Asia. the most suitable type of renewable energy to “This is primarily so that we can increase the implement. We supported the development of a don’t have impact we can have on people there, build rela- tool by Imperial College London called a Sure tool, access to clean tionships strategically, and work closely with our which looks at the most appropriate renewable partners to see what needs they have and build a energy source for each community depending on power.” toolbox of assistance we can provide to them. the geography and factors like the wind speed,

40 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | focus | Photo: Asofenix/Seth Hays

From left to right: Neil Jeffery, Dahley Gomez and Pedro Inpanem from Cajiniiquil, Sarah Azau from EWEA, Sarah Hays from Asofenix whether there is a water source, also taking so- governance operates and so on. Our partners cial and anthropological factors into account. We on the ground do the nuts and bolts but we need have a very rigorous assessment process for any to assist them, and that corresponds to the potential project – there’s a monitoring and evalu- sustainability question – that you want to walk ation process we go through. back in there in 20 years’ time and still see the “We absolutely “Once you’ve chosen to put in, say, a small thing running. We absolutely want to avoid a wind turbine, you need to ensure that energy white elephant. want to avoid a source will be sustainable and that it responds “For the fi rst time this year we will be produc- white elephant.” appropriately to the needs of the community. ing a document with the University of Sussex This means you need to establish who owns that that looks at all the impacts of our work – not resource, how maintenance is organised, who is only providing electricity but the health ben- responsible for ensuring the turbine will still be efi ts of not having the polluting fumes in your around in 20 years’ time... This is when you get house, and also the to this idea of a micro-business made up of the secondary impacts local people, which effectively owns the resource, on the community. Neil Jeffery has for the last ten years served and then charges a small fee for everyone who For example, the fact as executive director and chief executive of uses the electricity, and those fees are utilised for that you can get the various non-profi t organisations, including a the maintenance. electricity for a fridge research institute for US congress providing so you can refrigerate analysis on US policy to Latin America. More Getting down to business the medicines that recently, he led a social enterprise which sold “In order to ensure the micro-business works are required, and how foot pumps that draw water for irrigation for properly there needs to be an understanding that can impact on the use by farmers. amongst the people of what a business is, entrepreneurial spirit in how it works, how equity schemes work, how that community.” ■

ES OF AMERICA GREECE Strait of Gibraltar MALTA CYPRUS SYRIA ATLANTIC IRAQ KASHMIR TUNISIA MEDITERRANEAN SEA LEBANON WEST BANK IRAN AFGHANISTAN ISRAEL U.K PORTUGAL MOROCCO JORDAN PAKISTAN NEPAL KUWAIT P ALGERIA e SPAIN rs OCEAN LIBYA SAUDI ARABIA ia BHUTAN R n THE BAHAMAS WESTERN BAHRAIN G Gulf of Mexico EGYPT E ulf QATAR BANGLADESH EXICO SAHARA D U.A.E3 CUBA INDIA MYA DOMINICAN S OMAN (BU HAITI REP. U.K U.S.A MAURITANIA MALI E BELIZE JAMAICA A ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA NIGER ARABIAN SEA GUATEMALA ST KITTS AND NEVIS FRA. CHAD ERITREA HONDURAS CAPE VERDE YEMEN Bay of Bengal CARIBBEAN SEA DOMINICA FRA. SENEGAL ST LUCIA BARBADOS GAMBIA BURKINA EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA SUDAN DJIBOUTI GRENADA ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES FASO Gulf of Aden GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA NIGERIA YEMEN INDIA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BENIN GHANA INDIA COSTA RICA CÔTE SRI LANKA PANAMA VENEZUELA D'IVOIRE TOGO CENTRAL SIERRA LEONE AFRICAN REPUBLIC ETHIOPIA GUYANA CAMEROON INDIA COSTA RICA FRENCH GUIANA LIBERIA SOMALIA SURINAME COLOMBIA COLOMBIA UGANDA KENYA MALDIVES BRAZIL SÃO TOMÉ AND PRINCIPE EQUAT. GUINEA ECUADOR DEM. REP. Gulf of GABON CONGO RWANDA ECUADOR Guinea OF CONGO BRAZIL BURUNDI TANZANIA PERU U.K SEYCHELLES U.K INDIAN SOUTH ZAMBIA COMOROS BRAZIL ANGOLA MALAWI FRANCE

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Strait of U.K Countries in which Renewable World has projects Magellan AUSTRALIA For more information:

NORWAY U.K www.renewable-world.org

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 41 Discover fi ve reasons to join EWEA

For further information visit www.ewea.org/membership

EWEA is the voice of the wind industry, actively promoting the utilisation of wind power in Europe and worldwide Did you know? As an EWEA member you receive 5 key benefi ts:

Access to the largest network of wind industry professionals

Key information about the wind sector

Signifi cant discounts on exhibition stands, delegate fees and advertising

Improved visibility and usage of Member of EWEA logo

42 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 Representation at the highest level | focus | EWEA events: the winning formula

www.ewea.org/events

EWEA events: the winning formula EWEA events mirror the booming wind industry and are seen as ‘un-missable’ for any business serious about its future. By attending, sponsoring, exhibiting or presenting at one of EWEA’s upcoming events you will be at the heart of this huge new energy economy.

EWEA, the European Wind Energy Association, is the voice of the wind industry in Europe and worldwide.

All EWEA events are organised by the industry for the industry and represent real value for money: every euro you spend on these events is put to work promoting wind energy.

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 43 44 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | wind energy basics |

What is offshore In 2010, Wind Directions is going back to basics. Each issue this year will take a closer look at one wind energy? of the fundamentals of wind energy.

ince 1991, Europe’s winds have produced “Despite the fi nancial crisis offshore wind con- By Elke Zander Spower not only on land but also at sea. At fi rst, tinues to be a major growth industry,” said Justin these offshore wind turbines were the same as the Wilkes, Director of Policy at EWEA. “The number ones used onshore but nowadays, manufacturers of offshore wind turbines connected to the grid in are designing turbines solely for offshore use that the fi rst half of this year is well over half the total can reach up to 5 MW or more, with a rotor diameter amount installed all last year and I am confi dent of 120 metres – longer than a football fi eld and able we are heading for a record year.” to power around 3,000 average EU households. Other offshore wind projects totalling over At present, onshore wind is more cost-effi cient 100 GW are already in various stages of planning. than offshore wind energy. Furthermore, offshore If realised, these projects would produce 10% wind farms are more complicated to develop, as of the EU’s electricity whilst avoiding 200 million the sea is inherently a more hostile environment. tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. However, in the coming years, as offshore turbines Enough wind blows over European seas to are manufactured on a larger scale, prices will power Europe seven times over, making offshore come down, making offshore wind energy increas- wind an zero-carbon, indigenous, free option with ingly competitive. enormous potential. The main challenges for the offshore wind industry are the methods of installation and What steps need to be taken? operation, especially ensuring the reliability of and • A Europe-wide offshore electricity grid must be improving access to the turbine, which depends put in place to bring power from where the wind on the weather conditions. Comparing it to other is blowing offshore to where the electricity is con- offshore industries, the sector presents unique sumed. This would smooth the variability of the technical challenges that must be addressed wind power produced and improve the ability to through research and development efforts: projects trade electricity within Europe, boosting Europe’s involve installing multiple elements (wind turbines), energy security. over larger areas and in shallower water than oil • The supply chain needs to be developed so there and gas. Due to these factors, limited borrow- are no bottlenecks, such as a lack of installation ing is available from other sectors. The offshore vessels. wind technology has only had a short amount of • Maritime spatial planning should be put in place time and a small number of projects to evolve so to give the industry long-term visibility and allow far, leaving signifi cant scope for further matura- forward planning. tion in all parts of the offshore wind industry, • Offshore research and development needs from turbines and support structures to electrical to be well funded to maintain Europe’s infrastructure, assembly and installation as well as technological lead. ■ operations and maintenance. Europe is the world leader in offshore wind energy: there are 948 offshore wind turbines in 43 fully operational offshore wind farms, with a total capacity of 2,396 MW in nine European countries. The UK and Denmark are currently leading the market, with a 44% and 30% of share of the total capacity installed in European waters. It has already become clear that the offshore wind energy sector will head for a record year in 2010. In July, EWEA released statistics for the fi rst half of the year: 118 new offshore wind turbines had already been fully connected to the grid (with a capacity of 333 MW) and 151 turbines (440 MW) Photo: Siemens had been installed but not yet connected.

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 45 | technology corner |

HVDC: The future for far

offshore connections By Crispin Aubrey

“The break-even distance for DC versus AC is about 80 kilometres,” says Dr. Dietmar Retzmann, HVDC Technical Director at Siemens Energy. “Longer AC cables are technically, and conse- quently economically, not feasible. The main reason is that the cable becomes fully loaded with its own reactive power consumption, so no additional active power can fl ow.” Other experts suggest that HVDC makes good sense even at distances of more than 50 km from the coast. Secondly, direct current systems can transmit a much greater electrical capacity through a given size of cable. HVDC cables are in fact extremely compact - no wider than 10 centimetres diameter to carry 300 MW capacity on land, for example - although they need to be bulkier than this for underwater sub-sea applications. Thirdly, HVDC enables much greater power fl ow controllability, including the ability to act as a “fi rewall” against cascading faults in the system. BorWin alpha is made ready for transport at the shipyard This controllability is considered a major advan- Photo: Transpower tage when dealing with the variability of wind power generation. A power transmission system originally developed If there is a disadvantage to using HVDC this commercially in the 1950s is fi nding a new application as stems from the fact that it requires a sophisti- cated transformer station to convert the large the technology of choice for offshore wind farms sited at amounts of power being transmitted back to AC greater distances from the coast. once it has reached the mainland. This makes the overall cost of installation more expensive than for a straight AC connection. Over the lifetime of the system, however, this is expected VDC, which stands for High Voltage Direct to be compensated for by savings from reduced HCurrent, has mainly been used for long power losses. distance transfer of electricity on land, and Three main companies are competing for sometimes for major sub-sea cables, for example HVDC contracts to connect the fi rst far offshore between Norway and the Netherlands. But it is wind farms – ABB, Siemens and Alstom Grid, now taking over from the traditional AC (Alternating which last year purchased the transmission part Current) as the best option for the growing number of Areva’s T&D business. Most interest is cur- of large wind turbine parks being constructed in rently centred on Germany, where limitations on Europe’s deep offshore waters. developing wind farms in nearshore waters have The advantages of HVDC are threefold. Firstly, resulted in developments taking place at distanc- power losses over long distances of underground es well over 100 km from land. cabling are far less than with AC. This is because The fi rst offshore wind farm connection using the alternating current in a cable interacts with its HVDC was completed last summer by ABB. This surrounding insulation, which absorbs some of its was for the largest German sea-based project so power as it fl ows. These losses are even greater far – 80 x 5 MW turbines currently being installed over larger distances and when the current travels by Bard Engineering about 100 km from the coast under the sea. near the island of Borkum. The total length of the

46 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | technology corner |

At work on the high seas: Edda Fjord cable-laying ship Photo: Transpower

HVDC link to Borkum West II is 200 km, including Line Commutated systems normally used up to “We think HVDC 75 km on land to reach a transformer substation now. Although power losses may be higher, the has a huge at Diele, where it connects to the high voltage advantage of VSC is that the same power capacity AC grid. All the cabling is buried under the sea can be packed into a smaller cable volume. The potential.” and underground. Total cost of the work, com- system is also able to react effectively to a situa- missioned by the German/Dutch grid company tion, for example, where a wind farm is producing Transpower, was €400 million. no power and needs an electrical feed just to “HVDC is now one of our key technologies,” keep ticking over. says ABB’s Wolfram Eberhardt. “We have experi- Siemens says it will be using its VSC system ence with it stretching back 50 years. We think it called “HVDC Plus” for both the HelWin1 and has a huge potential.” BorWin2 connections. “This modular multilevel This July the company announced its second VSC technology reduces complexity and therefore order for an offshore wind HVDC connection - to the space required for installation,” the company bring on land power from up to 800 MW of turbine says. “It provides a nearly ideal sinusoidal-shaped capacity in the German North Sea, including the AC waveform and a smooth DC voltage with nearly 400 MW Borkum West II. About 75 km of this will no need for high-frequency or harmonic fi lters.” be under the sea and 90 km on land. ABB has developed “HVDC Light”, whose ad- Siemens, meanwhile, although it has not yet vantages are said to include reduced cable size, completed any of the work, has racked up a cou- neutral electromagnetic fi elds, oil-free cables and ple of large orders to install HVDC connections compact converter/transformer stations. This sys- for future German offshore wind parks. These tem was used for the Borkum West II connection. are for the BorWin2 connection covering two wind Alstom Grid is working on its own VSC system farms – Veja Mate and Gloval Tech 1 – located and will be making a launch announcement at 125 km offshore and with a combined capacity of the Cigré electric systems conference in Paris at 800 MW, and for the HelWin1 connection for the the end of August. Manufacture will be based at Nordsee Ost wind farm, located 85 km from the Stafford in the UK, where the company already has coast. Each of these orders, from the Transpower an HVDC competence centre. With a good network grid company, is worth about €500 million. of sub-contractors in the area, including crucial Cable laying for BorWin2 is scheduled to take software companies, and an indication from the place during 2012. For HelWin1 the cables are Crown Estate that many of the UK’s Round 3 wind due to start being laid across the sea bed in farms will require HVDC, Alstom believes that it is spring 2011. well located to gain a slice of any future offshore The third player, Alstom Grid, is supplying connection contracts in northern Europe. a range of power transmission equipment to How effi ciently these systems work will be offshore wind farms in both the UK and Germany, important both technically and economically for including offshore substations, but has not yet the future of offshore wind in Europe, whose been responsible for any HVDC links. network is certain to spread further into sea All three companies have either already devel- areas distant from the shore where HVDC will be oped, or are working on, versions of HVDC which the only option. ■ are better suited to the demands of offshore wind. These are described as Voltage Source For further information: Converter (VSC) systems, as opposed to the www.abb.com; www.siemens.com; www.grid.alstom.com

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 47 Give Europe a breath of fresh air

Europe possesses an energy source which could power it seven times over: the wind. European companies are world leaders in wind power, generating thousands of jobs. Wind energy reduces Europe’s dependence, and spending, on imported fossil fuels. It

lowers electricity prices and emits no CO2.

Over the next 12 years, Europe must build new power capacity equal to half the current total. We must use this opportunity to construct a modern power system that meets the challenges of the 21st century. Breath of FRESHAIR Give Europe a breath of fresh air by adopting a wind turbine at www.ewea.org/freshair www.ewea.org/freshair

48 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | country focus |

In 2010, Wind Directions will take a look at a selection of the A closer look at developing wind energy markets with the most potential. Ukraine... By Zoë Casey

s the second largest country in AEastern Europe with good wind re- sources across the length and breadth of the land, Ukraine has a promising future when it comes to wind energy. Since the Orange Revolution which turned the political tide of the country in 2004, Ukraine - the name means ‘bor- derland’ - has taken steps closer to the European Union. Today, one of the most signifi cant areas of cooperation between the EU and Ukraine is in the fi eld of energy: in February 2005 an EU-Ukraine Action Plan was agreed focusing on the progressive integration of the Ukrainian energy market with that of the EU. While nuclear safety and the integra- tion of electricity and gas markets are key points of the agreement, so too is energy Photo: Dreamstime security and, following a further agree- ment reached in 2008, the aim of promot- What is more, Ukraine has a very favour- needs. It is, to a large extent, dependent ing renewable energies within Ukraine. able feed-in tariff for wind power standing on Russia – 25% of the natural gas in Moreover, the country looks set to join at €110 per MW/h for onshore turbines. Ukraine comes from within its national the European Energy Community which The tariff is available for turbines of a 2 boundary, but 35% comes from Russia would oblige it to take on renewable MW capacity or above, with lower tariffs and the remaining 40% from Central Asia energy targets, as in the EU today, for for smaller turbines. However, occa- via transit routes controlled by Russia. increasing the share of renewable energy sional political and economic instability in As the winter gas crises between Russia in the overall supply. Ukraine has created some uncertainty for and Ukraine - which left many people in At the end of 2009 the country had a investors, which is likely to be why big in- the cold - demonstrate, Ukraine, like the total of 94 MW of wind power capacity in- vestments in wind power are yet to make EU countries which were severely affected stalled onshore, with no turbines offshore. their way to the country. by the gas squeeze, needs to boost its But with the excellent wind resources the Ukraine also possesses a sturdy energy security by investing in renewable country possesses there is much poten- electricity infrastructure and is set to energy produced within its borders. ■ tial for expansion. Land surrounding the join the ‘European Synchronous Zone’; Black Sea, in particular the Crimea and that is, the power generation zone of on the eastern Ukrainian shores of the continental Europe. Correction: Estonia Country Focus Black Sea, is frequently swept by strong The country currently imports most (Wind Directions – June 2010) winds. In addition, much of the country is of its energy supplies – especially oil The support mechanism in Estonia is now a subsidy sparsely populated, making it easier for and natural gas – with indigenous coal 5.4 cent/kwh + market price system with a 600 wind farm installations. meeting a signifi cant chunk of its energy GWh limit per year. The Estonian government is not developing any wind energy projects in Estonia and wind energy projects Ukraine – the wind energy facts are concentrated in the west and north coast of Estonia. Only one old oil shale power station will be CURRENT INSTALLED WIND CAPACITY ...... 94 MW decommissioned by 2016, another by 2018. TRADITIONAL ENERGY SOURCES ...... Oil, natural gas, coal However, the government has just approved two new SUPPORT MECHANISM ...... Feed-in tariff of €110 per MW/h oil shale plants.

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 49 50 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | zoom on grids | Examining the backbone of

Europe’s energy future By Sarah Azau

any Europeans, who might consci- Mentiously support renewables and wind energy, would not think twice about the infrastructure that brings that renew- able energy to their homes. Yet the electricity grid, for all its uninspiring outward appearance, is one of the hottest issues for the renewables sector right now. That is because, while wind turbine technology is developing, maturing and op- timising year on year to adapt to the needs of the market and of consumers, the European grids have not done the same. The grids were designed and built on a national basis, before the concept of a European electricity market existed, and Photo: EWEA before renewable energy took off. Nearly half EU’s current power-generating capacity needs to be rebuilt by 2020 An extended, upgraded, Europe-wide grid, with connections to offshore wind Bringing the stakeholders together Who will be there? farms out at sea, would mean wind Issues like these will be at the heart • 500+ senior industry experts power can be transported from where it of EWEA’s upcoming conference and • High level speakers from leading is most abundant – primarily in north- exhibition: ‘GRIDS 2010 – the backbone European utilities, manufacturers, ern and western Europe – to wherever of Europe’s energy future’, which will be transmission system operators and EU it is needed, and would lower power held on 23-24 November in Berlin. institutions prices as well as assuring a growing “At GRIDS 2010 we want to explore • Decision makers from EU, national and supply of clean, affordable electricity all those key, but sometimes complex, local levels to Europeans. issues – fi nancial, technical and regula- • Europe’s key players in power trans- What is more, this is the right time to tory - that will shape the development mission and distribution, cable do it: by 2020, power capacity equiva- of the grid Europe needs. There will be manufacturing, installation and grid lent to 42% of the EU’s current capacity expert speakers on hand, but also lots management needs to be built to replace ageing power of opportunities for debate and interac- What sessions can I attend? The many plants and meet the expected increase tion”, explains Amy Parsons, EWEA’s possibilities include: in demand. Conference Manager. • A new power grid for Europe: who should pay? • Interconnecting Europe’s electricity grids • Planning a North Sea supergrid • Smart grids • Transmission technologies: current and future needs “Meeting Europe’s ambitious renewa- ble energy targets and reducing European emissions will happen, provided the role of the grids is considered as being part of the solution. GRIDS 2010 is a major step towards a better common under- standing of the challenges and issues at stake,” said Daniel Dobbeni, President of As at all EWEA events, there will be a chance to relax and network Photo: EWEA ENTSO-E, the EU grid operators’ body.

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 51

Photo: EWEA | zoom on grids | | EWEA news |

EWEA’s 2010 event gets highest sustainability rating so far

EWEA achieved its most sustainable “Sustainable events are a natural exten- event yet at this year’s European Wind sion of EWEA’s core business of work- Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC) ing to promote the development of a There will be 14 2010 in Warsaw. zero-carbon source of energy, the wind”, sessions on offer at EWEC 2010 gained a rating of score said Anja Wimmer, Head of Events. GRIDS 2010 of 59% from auditors MeetGreen, “This commitment to a clean, sustain- Photo: EWEA signifi cantly higher than the average for able future is increasingly refl ected in all (continued from p.51) comparable events, which is 42%, and our work, including the management of Meeting in the heart of Europe above the score obtained by EWEA at our events”. The grids question affects all of Europe, EWEC 2009 (42%) and OFFSHORE 2009 As part of this sustainable events but the choice of Germany to host the (56%). management process, EWEA has event is relevant. One of the three fi rst Sustainable initiatives EWEA intro- committed to producing a compre- movers in Europe – along with Spain and duced this year included donating all ex- hensive and transparent report for Denmark – for wind energy, Germany cess food and drink to the Warsaw Food each major event it organises, outlin- has the largest cumulative installed Bank, having 100% of conference hotels ing sustainable activities, sustain- capacity in Europe. It had a total of well participate in energy effi ciency initiatives ability systems and performance over 25,000 MW installed by the end of and donating €5,400 to renewable en- against objectives. ■ 2009, the same year in which its fi rst ergy projects in developing countries run Read the EWEC 2010 report: www.ewea.org then go to offshore wind farm came online. by the charity Renewable World. ‘Events’ and ‘Sustainability’. As Hermann Albers, President of BWE (the German Wind Energy Association) puts it: “With more than 25,000 MW of installed wind capacity accounting for over 7% of the electricity generation in Germany, we are fully aware that grid integration including grid extension is the backbone of Europe’s energy future.” “VDMA Power Systems - the German Wind Turbine Manufacturers’ Association - welcomes the decision to hold the GRIDS 2010 conference in Berlin, right in the centre of Europe where many grids inter- connect,” said Thorsten Herdan, Managing Director of VDMA Power Systems There will of course be plenty of opportu- nities for networking as well, including a gala dinner, and all participants will have access to the parallel exhibition, which will feature Europe’s leading players in utilities, transmission and distribution, Photo: EWEA as well as other key stakeholders with Shuttle buses took EWEC 2010 participants from the hotel to the venue interests in grid issues. To extend those business opportuni- ties even further you can take part in the exhibition, or raise your profi le by Pre-orders open for EWEA’s grids report sponsoring the event. For information on the exhibition, contact Sanna Heinonen You can now pre-order EWEA’s November and launched at the GRIDS at [email protected]. For information on next report by simply going to 2010 conference in Berlin, the report sponsorship, contact Christi Newman on www.ewea.org/preorder and fi lling in the will analyse how to build and manage [email protected]. form. As soon as the report is published, power networks to accommodate large The event is being supported by ENTSO-E, a copy will be sent straight to you. amounts of wind. BWE and VDMA Power Systems. ■ The next report will focus on grids. More information on the GRIDS 2010 event: The full conference programme and speakers can be To be published at the end of the www.ewea.org/grids2010 found at www.ewea.org/grids2010

52 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 | EWEA news |

Offshore event coming up in Amsterdam EWEA 2011 in the heart of the EU

The EWEA Annual Event - formerly known as “EWEC” – is coming back to Brussels in 2011. It will run from 14 to 17 March, with over 7,000 participants expected to discover and debate every aspect of the issues affecting wind energy, while gener- ating new and exciting business leads. The call for abstracts is still open for those who want to help shape the confer- ence. See the event website (below) for abstract topics and guidelines. “EWEA’s Annual Event is the major meeting for the European wind energy market, connecting the key players together: corporate leaders, investors, Photo: Dreamstime fi nanciers, policy makers and scientists. It represents a unique combination of The potential of Europe’s offshore wind edition that took place in Stockholm, business opportunities, technical discus- is enormous and could provide our elec- Sweden in 2009 and attracted over 4,850 sions, political debates and networking”, tricity needs seven times over. people coming to see over 260 exhibitors said Michel Helbig de Balzac, President From 29 November – 1 December and participate in the 23 conference ses- of Edora, Fédération de l’Energie 2011, EWEA’s next two yearly offshore sions and numerous side events. d’Origine Renouvelable et Alternative conference and exhibition will take The call for abstracts for OFFSHORE (the Renewable and Alternative Energy place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands to 2011 will be launched by the end of Federation), Belgium. explore the questions surrounding the 2010. In the meantime, you can already ”EWEA 2011 in the heart of Europe will development of this vital energy source. sign up for the exhibition or seize one of confi rm the ambition of the wind industry OFFSHORE 2011 in Amsterdam will build the sponsorship opportunities on offer. to deliver a vast amount of Europe’s power on the huge success of the previous Event website: www.ewea.org/offshore2011 needs”, agreed Chris Derde, President of ODE - Organisatie Duurzame Energie (the Organisation for Renewable Energy) in Belgium’s Flanders region. Climate change debate coming soon

EU Climate Change Commissioner Connie Hedegaard and European EU Commissioner Connie Parliament Environment Committee Hedegaard will lead Chair Jo Leinen will speak at the second discussions on climate debate linked to EWEA’s Breath of Fresh change at EWEA’s next Air campaign, taking place on 13 October campaign debate in Brussels. The debate will focus on cli- mate change and the benefi ts of moving to 30% emissions reductions.

Photo: EWEA Prior to this, for two weeks in The EWEA 2011 event is coming back to the September, the ‘Hard Rain’ photo exhibi- home of the EU institutions and the Atomium tion will go up in Brussels’ Place du Photo: EWEA Luxembourg to depict the dangers of cli- The 12,000m2 of exhibition space is mate change and show what wind energy energy pioneer countries, in Spain in practically sold out, so don’t delay: can do to help. September, and in Denmark in October. book your spot on the show fl oor now. Meanwhile, EWEA’s next workshops A policy workshop will be held in Sofi a, For more information contact Sanna on the barriers to wind energy develop- Bulgaria, on 21 October. Heinonen: [email protected]. ■ ment will be held in two of the wind For the latest information see www.ewea.org/events Event website: www.ewea.org/annual2011

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 53 Benefit from the activities of the most powerful wind energy network

EWEA is the voice of the wind industry, actively and associations, making it the world’s largest and promoting the use of wind power in Europe and world- most powerful wind energy network. EWEA helps to wide. It has over 650 members from more than 60 create a better business environment for the entire countries, including companies, research institutions wind industry.

Make the right Get massive Influence policy connections discounts

Obtain key Raise your profile information and visibility

54 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 For further information about EWEA activities, please visit www.ewea.org EWEA welcomes new members Events

ABS Consulting (USA) Operation Management Services Ltd. (Bulgaria) www.absconsulting.com www.omservices.eu

Aluship Technology Sp. z o.o. (Poland) Peikko Group Oy (Finland) Aluship Technology, based in Gdansk, is an engineering www.peikko.com GRIDS 2010 and construction company for marine and offshore 23-24 November 2010 products in aluminium and steel. Experience from Power one (Italy) Berlin, Germany over 20 years by the management we can offer for www.power-one.com www.ewea.org/grids2010 f.e. casings, walkways and other components for E-mail: [email protected] windturbines; for offshore windfarms, Jackets, tripods, Smalley Europe (France) Tel: + 32 2 213 18 00 transformerhouses as well as windfarm service vessels. Smalley manufactures Spirolox® Retaining Rings & www.aluship.com Wave Springs for the wind power industry. Standard Wind Series available in up to 3 m diameters; Aristoncavi SpA (Italy) materials stocked for production, delivery in as little www.aristoncavi.com as 2 weeks. 9 000 parts are stocked (6 mm – 400 mm) in carbon & stainless steel. Spirolox rings have EWEA 2011 Annual Event Cleantech Finland (Finland) No Ears to Interfere® with mating components. Wave (formerly known as EWEC) Cleantech Finland unites leading cleantech experts Springs reduce operating height by 50%. 14-17 March 2011 who provide the best technologies and effi cient www.smalley.com Brussels, Belgium business practices. These people work in different www.ewea.org/annual2011 industries and cleantech sectors for a multitude of Swire Blue Ocean A/S (Denmark) E-mail: [email protected] companies. For centuries, technological innovations Swire Blue Ocean A/S provides premium level Tel : + 32 2 213 18 00 have been developed in demanding conditions with services to the offshore wind industry. This includes understanding of nature and science – reliability being highly effi cient Wind Farm Installation Vessels (WIVs) a cornerstone for prosperity. Today, we offer you easy as well as a wide range of associated consultancy access to leading cleantech expertise. There are 8,000 services. of us curious to know what we can do for you. Swire Blue Ocean is headquartered in Denmark. www.cleantechfi nland.com www.swireblueocean.com OFFSHORE 2011 29 November – 1 December 2011 HELLENIC CABLES S.A. (Greece) SwissWinds Development GmbH (Switzerland) Amsterdam, The Netherlands HELLENIC CABLES S.A. manufactures cables for over SwissWinds Development was founded in 2008 as a www.ewea.org/offshore2011 fi fty years. HELLENIC CABLES S.A‘s produces all kinds business start up from the EPFL in Lausanne and the E-mail: [email protected] of cables up to 400kV, enamelled copper wires, University of St.Gallen. The enterprise is specialized Tel: + 32 2 213 18 00 rubber and plastic compounds. These products are in the fi eld of developing and realizing wind parks manufactured in four modern production plants and in alpine regions. SWD’s dedicated team consists are available on the market under the brand name of experienced wind energy specialists and has the CABLEL. CABLEL products are a reliable choice for ambitious aim to shift subsidy depending, peripheral every project. regions into self-sustaining energy regions. www.cablel.com www.swisswinds.com

Metoc plc (United Kingdom) For more information on becoming a member of www.metoc.co.uk EWEA, see www.ewea.org/membership ■

Mistya Engineering Inc. (Canada) www.windographer.com

Photo: fotolia.com

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 55 Raise your profi le among key wind industry players

Advertise in Wind Directions, the European Wind Industry magazine

Wind Directions is published by the European Wind Energy Association and read by 6,000 wind energy sector professionals, European institutions, local governments, academia and media. Wind Directions is mailed to over 60 countries including the EU 27, Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Switzerland and the US. It is also distributed at all the major wind energy events. Upcoming issues in 2010*:

November: Focus: Joining the dots: a supergrid for Europe Minifocus: Material supply to the wind industry

BOOK NOW Fill in the booking form pg.57

*Subject to confi rmation

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If offshore wind is your passion and you want to be part of an exciting and entrepreneurial team, 56 we are looking for exceptional people to fi ll positionsWIND in London, Glasgow and Berlin. DIRECTIONS | September 2010 www.mainstreamrp.com Wind Directions! BERLIN – CAPE TOWN – CHICAGO – DUBLIN – LONDON – SANTIAGO – TORONTO Advertising booking form

Fax to: +32 2 213 18 90 or Post to: EWEA, Rue d’Arlon, 80, 1040 Brussels, Belgium Yes, I would like to advertise in Wind Directions.

SIZE EWEA Member (€) Non Member (€) Double Page Spread 5040 5544 € ...... Full Page 2520 2904 € ...... Half Page Horizontal 1512 1742 € ...... Half Page Vertical 1512 1742 € ...... Quarter page (portrait format only) 840 968 € ...... Inside Back Cover 2856 3291 € ...... Inside Front Cover 3024 3485 € ...... WD eMag URL link to your advertisement 500 700 € ......

ISSUE Booking deadline Copy deadline Distribution Issue 5 8 October 2010 15 October 2010 Renewable UK 32nd annual conference & exhibition, EWEA Grid Conference

MULTIPLE ISSUES EWEA Member Non Member 3 out of 5 issues per year* 5% off single advert price 5% off single advert price € ...... 5 issues* 10% off single advert price 10% off single advert price € ......

* If purchasing after the yearly publication cycle has commenced, a multiple-issue package will roll over into the following year’s publication cycle.

CUSTOMISED ORDERS Customised advertising is possible. Please call to enquire.

Please note that a 5% premium is charged for any guaranteed position

DEADLINES: All advertisement information must be received by the Copy Deadline. After this deadline, inclusion of your advertisement in the publication cannot be guaranteed and no refund will be given. CANCELLATIONS: Requests for advertisement cancellations must be made in writing. For cancellations made 2 months prior to the Copy Deadline (of the target issue), 50% of the advertisement rate will be reimbursed. For cancellations made after, no reimbursement will be given.

TOTAL PAYABLE (You will be invoiced once the magazine is printed) € ......

CONTACT INFORMATION Contact Person: Mr. Ms. Mrs...... Job title: ...... Organisation: ...... VAT No: ...... Street Address & N°: ...... Postcode: ...... City: ...... Country: ...... Tel: ...... Fax: ...... E-mail: ......

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WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 57 | the last word |

“Mummy, today at school I built a wind turbine!” Photo: Mathew Rainwater Photo: Mathew

School teacher writes of his surprise at young pupils’ enthu- siasm and understanding of wind energy

ind is powerful. It can destroy a small com- While half of the students were engaged in this Wmunity through a hurricane, it can power an hands-on building, the others were in the library re- urban metropolis through a wind farm, and it can searching technical details of wind energy. Groups teach a young explorer the joys of reading and were assigned research questions which included: maths through hands-on science. How does an anemometer work? How is wind After attending a workshop on model wind tur- formed? Why should we use wind energy? And, bines in the classroom, thoughts began to fl ood why do wind turbines look the way they do? The my head about ways to implement the ideas into students had seven days to research and design a our school’s curriculum. Soon, plans for a sum- creative production to present on the last day. mer academy around the theme of wind turbines While the fi rst week was competitive, the began to develop. second week was creative. Groups were to design Why wind? Well, wind energy is a big industry models powered by their wind turbines. Group here in Texas. Our state has an installed capacity projects included cardboard robots with spinning of over 9,000 MW, and this is growing steadily. eyes and light-up noses, paper houses with ceiling Our elementary school is located within a three- fans and interior lighting, and model cars spinning hour drive of some of the largest wind farms around a track. A group designed a pulley system in the world. that carried a marble to the top of a handmade So our school arranged a two-week course marble rollercoaster. Another used a small pump by Kyle Damon, that focused on wind energy. The materials connected to a doll’s water hose to water her primary school teacher, were provided through the resources of REAL fl owers. One group created a model of an offshore Texas, US. School Gardens, with a grant from the Motorola wind farm, all powered by a wind turbine they Foundation. Lessons were designed so students designed and built. in various grade levels could collaborate to build Students held a video conference with a and study turbines through various applications. Nordex employee who is training in Germany We thought the 8-10 year old students would to begin a nacelle plant in Arkansas. They also work with basic vocabulary and met with a representative from Green Mountain explore simple resources, but they Energy, a US company providing environmentally far exceeded our expectations. clean electricity. As we observed their progress, The academy ended with a Wind Fair that al- the students were discussing lowed the community to view the results of the optimum blade pitch and explain- students’ learning. Students demonstrated their ing the use of anemometers and wind turbines and models, and presented their re- volt meters. search through drama, songs, and puppet shows. The fi rst week was fi lled with Overall, we were quite overwhelmed with competition as students worked the results of the two weeks. The students feverishly to design blades that showed they were capable, and demonstrated produced maximum energy. They incredible achievement. Photo: Mathew Rainwater graphed and compared the number, shape, and We started with the goal of teaching maths, pitch of blades to see which designs would pro- science, and reading through lessons on renewable duce the highest voltage. energy. Wind energy became a catalyst, igniting young minds to develop into creative engineers, authors, and scientists– the very tangible human Kyle Damon is Science and Technology Facilitator at the David Daniels resources we need to lead us into the future! Elementary Academy in Grand Prairie, Texas. For more information One student summed up his learning by stating, contact him at [email protected]. “Anything can be powered by wind.” I couldn’t agree more, anything - including education! ■

58 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 The backbone of Europe’s energy future

Book your exhibition stand now (limited space available) Photo: Chrétien Rudy

Grids 2010, Berlin, Germany, 23-24 November 2010 Upgrading, extending and connecting Europe’s electricity grids is essential to meet Europe’s emissions reduction and renewable energy targets. Without new and better grids Europe cannot exploit its enormous wind energy resources and rapidly move towards a renewable energy economy. This two-day conference and exhibition will explore the fi nancial, technical, policy and regulatory issues that will shape the development of a grid that meets Europe’s www.ewea.org/grids2010 energy, consumer and climate needs.

SUPPORTED BY: ORGANISED BY:

WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010 59 Offshore experience you can rely on

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60 WIND DIRECTIONS | September 2010