Tuesday, February 1st 2011 - 01:14 UTC

UK is world leader in offshore wind energy production and research

Latest offshore wind statistics released by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) confirm that the UK is the European and world leader in the sector, with 1,341MW installed.

According to EWEA, UK had at the end of the year 1.136 offshore wind turbines

The UK is followed by Denmark (854MW), the Netherlands (249MW), Belgium (195MW) and Sweden (164MW). Germany, Ireland, Finland and Norway have a further 145MW between them.

RenewableUK, the renewable-energy trade association, hailed the results as more evidence that the offshore wind sector is on track to deliver significant economic benefits, as well as renewable electricity to consumers.

Peter Madigan, RenewableUK head of Offshore Renewables, said: ’The UK’s offshore wind roll out is continuing at full speed. Last week the first turbines at Walney and Greater Gabbard started delivering electricity to the grid. Once completed, these two offshore wind farms will take the UK over the 2GW mark.’

The EWEA report states that there are now a total of 1,136 offshore wind turbines in the UK.

The report also points out that European installations of offshore wind power may surge 70% this year, topping 2010’s record 51% gain. This year is likely to have 1 Gigawatt to 1.5 Gigawatts of sea-based windmills connected to region’s electricity grid, after 883 megawatts of capacity was installed in 2010, said the Brussels-based lobby.

As more countries appeal to offshore wind power to help meet their renewable energy targets, more banks are coming to the market to help finance the capital intensive projects.

“Finance remains a big challenge, but we are seeing improvements with more banks and other financing institutions ready to invest in large offshore wind projects” EWEA Chief Executive Christian Kjaer said. “The 29 new offshore turbine models announced during 2010 show a growing commitment to the sector by large global industrial players.”

Total installed capacity, at 2.9 Gigawatts, is now enough to power 2.9 million homes, according to the study. Kjaer said that Britain is not only ahead in the sheer scale of installed offshore wind power, but it is also increasingly successful in attracting research, development, and manufacturing, from major industry players”.

Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica SA, Spain’s largest turbine maker, plans to invest 200 million US dollars by 2014 in the UK to set up a research centre and turbine blade factory as well as a global headquarters for its offshore wind business. General Electric and Siemens AG have also proposed factories in Britain.
 

19 comments Feed

Note: Comments do not reflect MercoPress’ opinions. They are the personal view of our users. We wish to keep this as open and unregulated as possible. However, rude or foul language, discriminative comments (based on ethnicity, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation or the sort), spamming or any other offensive or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. Please report any inadequate posts to the editor. Comments must be in English. Thank you.

1 xbarilox (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 01:29 am Report abuse
“UK is world leader in offshore wind energy production and research” Congratulations hahaha It's like we are en el día de los inocentes? haha I don't know why, but this title remembers me of a song by Rodolfo Zapata, de la novia gorda haha
2 Martin_Fierro (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 03:54 am Report abuse
They do generate lots of wind I give them that..

haha
3 Beef (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 11:28 am Report abuse
Yes Martin, but when our wind blows it actually does something, unlike Argentina's hot air which is powerless!
4 NicoDin (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 11:39 am Report abuse
Preparing for the shortage of $$$$ to import oil????
5 Beef (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 11:56 am Report abuse
No Nico, future proofing electricity supply while at the same time emerging as the market leaders in offshore wind power. Most of our oil imports go into the tanks of our vehicles and not on electricity generation.
6 Rufus (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 12:39 pm Report abuse
To be more accurate, about 4.2 TWh of electricity was generated by burning oil & derivatives in 2004 (the most recent figures that I have), out of a total production of slightly more than 380 TWh.

Generally speaking, the only places that use oil/diesel generators are either so remote that it's not worth stringing transmission cables to them or they are mobile (river/canal boats being the obvious example).
7 briton (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 03:52 pm Report abuse
typical argies bloggers all girls together, whenever great Britain does something good, you lot get jealous and slag us of, at least we are doing something to help,
you cant even be bothered to help with the LAND MINES you disgustingly put into the ground in the Falklands, so who are you to slag of a great country like us.
But then again the British expect nothing else from a 3rd world country who has not yet learned to grow up ???
8 NicoDin (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 03:55 pm Report abuse
To be more precise UK has energy problems long time ago and gordo in 2009 wanted to cut dependence of oil imports and gas to generate electricity.
The problem is $$$$$$$.

Rufus is funny that you say that in 2004 you have resolved your dependence of import oil or gas to generate W.
You have resorted to use the old coal like in the '70 until MT closed the mines. Are you still importing coal from Colombia?
www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/298235/uk_urged_to_triple_nuclear_power.html
9 yul (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 04:08 pm Report abuse
# 7 ....stick-up-your junta

i guess that power sticks units could be more than UK population !
in the near future...
10 briton (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 04:21 pm Report abuse
?9 yul (#)
VERY VERY CLEVER, what junta [Argentinean]
jealously will get you nowhere, at least we are trying
11 xbarilox (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 05:44 pm Report abuse
I wonder what Aiolos has to say about this :c
12 Martin_Fierro (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 07:18 pm Report abuse
7 briton,

“you cant even be bothered to help with the LAND MINES you disgustingly put into the ground”

Disgustingly? What are you talking about?? I thought we did a GREAT job!!

Thirty-one years later and they're still active, ready for some greasy Brit to step on them and blow itself to pieces... you guys should form a line and go for a walk singing 'God save the queen'.

Clowns
13 Charle (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 07:39 pm Report abuse
I don't think people realise how relavent those turbines and the wave power machines that UK is currently building and other UK renewable energies are to the Falklands debate. One of the other major new energy sources we are building is biofuel plants in the long run biofuel has to be sourced from countries where it won't effect food production that's largely but not completely countries with large forests such as UK friends USA Canada and Norway or countries with an over production of food such Argentina and Brazil. Every wind turbine we have lessens the chances of us becoming energy dependent on those countries. It also gives us the chance to develop the technology which is under development in UK and USA to turn rubbish that currently goes to land fill into fuel. So look at it this way Argies every turbine we have turning is less money for you and less chance to get any hold over the UK.
14 NicoDin (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 09:41 pm Report abuse
@Charle

“It also gives us the chance to develop the technology which is under development in UK and USA to turn rubbish that currently goes to land fill into fuel “

What technology???

Just make a big hole in your backyard, put a dome over it with sealed and make a hole to throw the rubbish and other to put the tubes and valves (Security valve for pressure, etc), gas regulators, reservoir, etc.

Any organic thing you dump into de hole will turn into gas Metano, the bacteria when eating the rubbish will produce the gas.

What development do you need to do such simple thing? You can also use the pop of animals, or bankers from the city of London. Someone told me that they have made a lot of pop in UK to have gas to 30 years.

Biodigestor for a farm in province of Córdoba

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJh2ij177kk

: )
15 xbarilox (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 09:52 pm Report abuse
@ Nico “Someone told me that they have made a lot of pop in UK to have gas to 30 years.” no podés jajaja troesma jajaja
16 Charle (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 09:54 pm Report abuse
Nicodin Uk is starting to install those digestors this year sadly we haven't done it before. But when the intention is to run other things such as commercial jet fuel from London rubbish the technology is still being matured www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/1800593/ba-plans-pioneering-east-london-waste-biofuel-plant.
17 xbarilox (#) Feb 01st, 2011 - 10:09 pm Report abuse
@ 16 The biggest digestor is Queen's stomach, it digests lots of pounds ha
18 briton (#) Feb 02nd, 2011 - 01:43 pm Report abuse
.yes argie bloggers sprout your evil .
from a safe distance that’s all you can do, but you will still not get the Falklands back. you lot don’t represent Argentina just your selves
you no more want the Falklands than they want you .
19 Rhaurie-Craughwell (#) Feb 04th, 2011 - 08:37 am Report abuse
17 cor Xbox blew me away with that joke I simply cannot reply to such genius wittisism....

So the fanatics of malvinism have descended for no apparent reason.

So the UK is making great strides in lesssening hydrocarbon dependency...and Argentina looks set to run out of Gas in the next 6 years...

Lol, perhaps we could supply them wind turbines with pictures of the Falklands flag on them....the resulting ranting, raving, nationalist hand wringing and cries of victimhood will keep those turbines going indefinatley...

.......Because the Argies will never have the south Atlantic empire they want lol :)

Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!

Advertisement

Get Email News Reports!

Get our news right on your inbox.
Subscribe Now!