BirdLife Europe is calling for “ambitious” and “binding” EU renewable energy targets for 2030. In its new report, ‘Meeting Europe’s Renewable Energy Targets in Harmony with Nature’, the conservation body says that renewable energy targets can be met without harming nature.
Ariel Brunner, head of EU policy at BirdLife, stated that “climate change is a grave threat to wildlife…wind, wave and ocean power are essential and effective ways to cut carbon emissions, and do not need to put birds, bats or other wildlife in danger.”
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By Athanasia Arapogianni, Research Officer, EWEA
Offshore wind energy is where the newest and biggest turbines are. Right now we’re at 5 MW, but soon 10 MW turbines could become the norm at sea, or even more powerful. I’m really looking forward to the ‘new big turbine concepts’ session at OFFSHORE 2011 which I’ll co-chair with Jan van der Tempel from TU Delft. Our session is designed to be a nail-biting contest: six turbine manufacturers will give short pitches on why their new turbine design is the best.
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With less than two weeks to go until the European Wind Energy Association’s OFFSHORE 2011 conference and exhibition, we find out what Erwin Coolen from OutSmart will be discussing at the session on reducing the costs of offshore…
Why is offshore wind energy expensive compared to onshore wind energy?
We all are aware that at this moment the costs are higher compared to onshore wind. Next to that there are a lot of contingencies, risk markups and guarantee reservations due to the immaturity of offshore wind. Cost reduction will be a matter of a maturing market and healthy market competition.
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For the second month in a row, a leading American research and consulting firm that analyses global clean technology markets has released a report forecasting a robustly healthy future for the wind energy sector.
Conducted by Pike Research, the latest report claims that wind power installations by 2017 will represent a €113 billion global industry, up from €57 billion in 2011.
Over that period, the report added, the cumulative investment in new wind power capacity will total €606 billion.
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Germany, the UK, Spain and France will install the most wind power capacity between 2011 and 2020 in Europe, new statistics show. Up until 2011, 15% of new capacity will be installed in Germany, 14% in the UK, 13% in Spain and 12% in France.
These statistics, contained in the European Wind Energy Association’s Pure Power report, show a more diverse picture than the early days of modern wind power which saw Denmark, Germany and Spain with a clear wind power lead over the rest of Europe.
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