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- Category: View from Inside
Competition across global markets has driven turbine OEMs to introduce new turbines at a faster pace than in the past. The continuous pressure to reduce levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) has led to growth in turbine power ratings, taller towers and longer rotors, and rotor length has become a critical product differentiator.
By Shashi Barla, Technology Consultant at MAKE
- Category: View from Inside
On 25 April in Delhi GWEC released its Global Wind Report – Annual Market Update, detailing how in 2016 more than 54GW of clean renewable wind power was installed across the global market. This global market now comprises more than 90 countries, including 9 with more than 10,000MW installed, and 29 which have now passed the 1,000MW mark. Cumulative capacity grew by 12.6% to reach a total of 486.8GW. Wind power penetration levels continue to increase, led by Denmark pushing 40%, followed by Uruguay, Portugal and Ireland with well over 20%, Spain and Cyprus around 20%, Germany at 16%, and the big markets of China, the USA and Canada with 4, 5.5 and 6% of their power from wind respectively.
By Steve Sawyer, GWEC Secretary General
- Category: View from Inside
The USA is poised for major growth in the wind industry over the next four years. In fact, a new report by Navigant Consulting shows that by 2020 there could be nearly a quarter of a million wind-related US jobs and US$ 85 billion in additional economic activity thanks to wind. US wind power is positioned to continue booming in the years ahead. Jobs are growing, new construction is driving billions in private investment, and wind remains on track to supply 10% of the country’s electricity by 2020.
By Hannah Hunt, Senior Analyst, AWEA, USA
- Category: View from Inside
After wishing all readers a very ‘Happy New Year’ both from the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) and from me as its President, I want to pose the question: What is the point of big conferences? My reply is given particularly in relation to WWEA’s 2016 conference, which was held in Tokyo late last year under the skilful organising chairmanship of Prof. Chuichi Arakawa of the University of Tokyo.
By Peter Rae, President of the World Wind Energy Association, Australia
- Category: View from Inside
Despite the abundance of space for building wind farm capacity to tap the enormous offshore wind resources, planning and designing the fittest for purpose offshore wind farms and clusters requires powerful software tools. Two recently concluded European projects came up with interesting answers to the challenges of producing such tools.
By Frans Van Hulle, XP Wind, Belgium
- Category: View from Inside
Renewable energies have now become widely accepted as key energy sources, even by most of their previous opponents. However, the main actors and drivers of renewable energy are now under attack. In the recent past, the renewable energy community has been challenged by a trend towards ‘competitive’ auctions for renewable power generation. The term in itself is misleading as it implies that auctions automatically lead to more competition, and that other instruments like feed-in tariffs lack competition. Both are untrue.
By Stefan Gsänger, Secretary General, WWEA, Germany
- The Need for Gas Power Storage in an All-Electric World
- A Plan for Electrifying Africa
- Wind Power Leads All New Power Generation
- Community Power, Wind and Auctions
- Onshore Wind Returns Three Times More Usable Energy than Investment in Oil
- The Main Reasons Behind Protests Against Wind Energy Projects
- Reliable Grid Support from Wind Power
- Time to Unlock the Renewables Potential in Iran and Cuba?
- Grids, Grid Names and Wind Turbines
- Global Wind Hits Record Growth
- Global Shift Towards Renewable Energy Requires a Broad Variety of Actors and a Synergy of All Renewables
- Inauguration G128-5.0MW Prototype
- View from Inside January/February 2008
- View from Inside November/December 2007
- View from Inside October 2007
- View from Inside July August 2007
- View from Inside April May 2007
- View from Inside March 2007
- View from Inside January/February 2007
- View from Inside October 2006