Gravity base foundations have been used for years in the offshore oil and gas industry. A variation has already been used at Thornton Bank and gravity base foundations have been slated for several for Round 3 projects.

As the burgeoning wind and solar power markets continue to expand, industry value chains are looking to adopt measures to sustain anticipated growth. For many component producers, the market growth rate will translate into a need to increase existing capacities, build new plants and spread out to new geographies.

Anticipated public spending cuts resulting from a record public deficit could prove detrimental to UK’s wind industry.

RenewableUK, the country’s leading renewable energy trade association, has today welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister’s plans for a Green Deal, as an important step in maximising employment and business benefits in the renewable energy sector.

RenewableUK, the country’s leading renewable energy trade association has welcomed the Government’s decision to overturn a ban on local authorities selling renewable electricity back to the Grid. The ban will end on 18th August 2010.

RenewableUK, the trade body representing Britain’s wind, wave and tidal energy sector has welcomed figures today which show the percentage of electricity on the grid from wind power increased by 31.1% last year compared to 2008. In 2009 wind power in the UK produced 9,304Gwh of electricity or enough energy to power more than 2 [...]

RenewableUK, the trade body for the Britain’s wind, wave and tidal energy sector today welcomed the Government’s first Annual Energy Statement as a ‘major step towards building long term confidence in UK energy policy.’

Siemens Energy has received an order for the supply of 68 wind turbines with a capacity of 2.3 megawatts (MW) each. Purchaser is SSE Renewables (SSER). The Griffin wind power project is located approximately 30 kilometers northwest of Perth in the Scottish Highlands. The wind power plant will have a capacity of 156 MW upon [...]

Windflow Technology, the NZ designer and manufacturer of the Windflow 500 wind turbine, has made its first steps towards entering the UK market due to a government policy which has led to massive demand for 500 kW turbines.

Meeting at their annual offshore wind conference in Liverpool today, RenewableUK, the trade association for the UK’s wind, tidal and marine energy industries, has welcomed the overall proposals outlined in the Wigley Report Unlocking investment to deliver Britain’s low carbon future. The report sets out new ideas on the funding, and remit, of a Green [...]

Report states how to build a UK offshore wind powerhouse RenewableUK’s ‘Building an Industry’ report released Government must act now and commit to the ?60m offshore wind infrastructure competition to ensure key port infrastructure upgrades will go ahead as a key requirement to attracting manufacturing jobs Government in conjunction with industry needs to agree a realistic [...]

Siemens has been awarded a major order with Lincs Wind Farm Ltd to implement the grid connection for the Lincs offshore wind farm. The order volume for the grid connection is GBP101 million (approximately EUR120 million). Siemens Energy announced in December it is also supplying 75 of its high-performance 3.6 megawatts (MW) wind turbines for [...]

Road transportation trials, simulating the transportation of wind turbine blades and towers to parts of mid Wales, have been undertaken to test a series of suitable road networks for accommodating the delivery of wind turbines. The exercise which took place from June 21 to 24 provided a detailed assessment of the suitability of the road [...]

RWE Innogy, Stadtwerke München (SWM – Munich Municipal Utility) and Siemens have entered into a joint venture to build the offshore wind farm Gwynt y Môr (Welsh for “wind in the sea”). RWE Innogy will hold a 60% stake in this joint venture, Stadtwerke München 30% and Siemens 10%. The total investment amounts to more [...]

Installation contractor A2SEA has secured a contract from European energy company Vattenfall to transport 30 5MW RePower turbines from Belfast Harbour to the Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm, 10km off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness in the Irish Sea.

RenewableUK, the country’s leading energy trade association has welcomed comments today from Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne on Britain’s future as a ‘net energy exporter’.

The UK sector is bracing itself for tightness across the wind supply chain. Among the exhaustive list of potential chokepoints feature turbines themselves; blades; bearings; export cables; the specialised cement used to anchor turbine tower foundation structures; supply and maintenance vessels; not to mention up to 70,000 skilled people needed to work in the sector [...]

RenewableUK Cymru are preparing the first ever professional evaluation of the economic benefits of the wind energy sector in Wales. Draft results show that the industry currently contributes more than £158 million to the Welsh economy every year – considerably greater than fishing and forestry – according to The Economic Value of Wind to Wales [...]

The EU 2020 renewable energy targets have placed utilities and grid system operators in a race to ensure reliable, stable and responsive control of grid voltage. Some promising solutions have already emerged.

The Crown Estate has today announced an additional 2 GW of capacity from the Round 1 and 2 project extensions, which would be enough electricity to meet the needs of up to 1.4 million homes in the UK. Three Round 1 and Round 2 offshore wind farm operators have been selected to extend five sites, [...]

WindEnergyUpdate speaks to Adrian Fox, supply chain manager for the UK’s Crown Estate, about whether the UK’s ambitious Round 3 can be realized by 2020.

The UK’s wind industry faces a massive skills shortage that will be felt acutely in years to come. Can the UK train enough project managers, technicians and electrical engineers to keep pace with runaway demand?

Ministry of Defence had previously opposed the erection of almost 1,000 wind turbines off the UK’s eastern seaboard because of radar interference fears. A pioneering deal under which the wind farm industry will spend at least £16m on advanced radar defence systems has cleared the way for a significant boost in the UK’s supply of [...]

Controversial plans to transport wind turbine blades and towers along mid Wales’ country roads are being tested.

The landmark first gigawatt (GW) of installed offshore UK wind energy capacity has been reached this week as two wind farms off the coast of Britain began generating electricity: Robin Rigg operated by EON and Gunfleet Sands operated by DONG Energy. One GW, now comprising of 11 wind farms, or 336 installed wind turbines, cements [...]

Lockheed Martin will deliver a long-range air surveillance radar system to the United Kingdom that overcomes sensor performance issues commonly caused by the rotating blades of wind turbines.

Global venture capital and private equity investment in Clean Technology and Renewable Energy bounced back significantly during 1Q10 with a 43% increase over 4Q09. The headline figure of $5.0 billion, comprising $2.1 billion of VC and $2.4 billion of PE investment, is moving back towards the level last seen in 4Q08 of $4.9 billion. Green [...]

Xanthus Energy has designed what it describes as a self-installing gravity base, removing the need for specialist offshore plant and vessels. WindEnergyUpdate talks to Xanthus Energy CEO, Lewis Lack, to find out more.

Energy companies have agreed to pay for a new radar system to allay Ministry of Defence concerns about the threat to national security posed by wind farms. The deal paves the way for a £7 billion investment in offshore wind turbines.

Only a short time ago the idea of wind turbines becoming an integral part of  residential tower construction would have been relegated to the overly imaginative realm of science fiction. Yet soon in southeast London a new 147 metre high residential and retail building will boast three wind turbines that are expected to generate 8% [...]