World wind power reaches 100,000 megawatts

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=3219

World wind power reaches 100,000 megawatts

Posted: 04 Mar 2008

by Jonathan G. Dorn

Global installed wind power capacity will top 100,000 megawatts this month (March 2008) at current rates of growth. In 2007, wind power capacity increased by a record-breaking 20,000 mgws, bringing the world total to 94,100 mgws -enough to satisfy the residential electricity needs of 150 million people.

Driven by concerns regarding climate change and energy security, one in every three countries now generates a portion of its electricity from wind, with 13 countries each exceeding 1,000 megawatts of installed wind electricity-generating capacity.

In Europe, the 8,660 megawatts of wind power capacity added in 2007 accounted for 40 per cent of all new power installations. This marks the first year in history that wind power additions in Europe exceeded the additions of any other power source, including natural gas.

Europe’s installed capacity currently totals 57,100 megawatts, and its new installations in 2007 accounted for 43 per cent of total global installations. Wind-generated electricity now meets nearly 4 per cent of Europe’s electricity demand, enough to supply electricity to 90 million residents.

Germany leads

Germany is still the frontrunner in total installed wind power capacity, with 22,200 mgws, but in 2007 it lagged behind the United States, Spain, China, and India in terms of new capacity added. Growth in Germany is slowing because of a saturation of suitable onshore sites and a decrease in the feed-in tariff for wind power. Countrywide, Germany generates more than 7 per cent of its electricity from the wind. In the northern states of Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Schleswig-Holstein, wind meets an impressive 30 per cent of electricity needs.

...

[jwirr]

1. Yesterday my daughter said that wind machines are somehow

involved in desertification because they are changing the wind patterns. What is up with that idea? And while we are at it what about the old idea that they kill eagles and other birds?

[winter999]

2. Another question I have is where did she hear such gobbledy-gook?

[jwirr]

4. I suspect the desertification idea came from the hunting magazines

her husband reads. The bird thing is old and was a real threat - I think that it was solved by slowing down the speed of the arms. I am looking for rebuttals of these ideas not criticism. I fully support both wind energy and solar energy as our greatest alternatives to what we have now.

[Finishline42]

5. When most people think about windmills, it's the early CA models

That were smaller and had a higher rpm. New ones are much larger and as a result, have much slower rpm.

Vestas 850kw has a 52 meter rotor diameter and nominal rpm of 26.
Vestas 1.65mw has a 82 meter rotor diameter and nominal rpm of 14.4
Vestas 3.0mw has a 90 meter rotor diameter and nominal rpm of 16.1

[kristopher]

11. Birds are a citing issue, not a rotor issue

Most bird deaths are due to the birds hitting the tower, not the rotors.

And even though it is counterintuitive, the "slower" new rotors are, in fact, moving much faster. The tip speed of a 130 ft long blade operating in a decent wind is around 150mph.


The "bird deaths" concern is (as someone correctly noted) tied to Altamont Pass. There were a lot of lessons learned and that situation isn't being repeated. ex. We went from the lattice towers where birds like to nest, to tubular towers where they can't.

Cats are the real threat to birds; then buildings, power lines, cars....
Wind turbines are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the list.

[jwirr]

14. Thanks to all who answered my question. I now have something to

argue our side with.

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. Tell her wind turbines can be used to combat desertification

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2001/05/29/grossman-bites/

Another One Bites the Dust

China's dust bowl is growing at an alarming rate

By Lester R. Brown
29 May 2001

...

The Winds of Change

Reversing this degradation means stabilizing population and planting trees everywhere possible to help recycle rainfall inland. It means converting highly erodible cropland back to grassland or woodland, reducing the livestock population, and planting tree shelter belts across the windswept areas of cropland, as U.S. farmers did to end dust storms in the 1930s.

Another interesting option now presents itself -- the use of wind turbines as windbreaks to reduce wind speed and soil erosion. With the cost of wind-generated electricity now competitive with that generated from fossil fuels, constructing rows of wind turbines in strategic areas to slow the wind could greatly reduce the erosion of soil. This also affords an opportunity to phase out the use of wood for fuel, thus lightening the pressure on forests.

The economics are extraordinarily attractive. In the U.S. Great Plains, under conditions similar to China's northwest, a large, advanced-design wind turbine occupying one-fifth of an acre of land can produce $100,000 of electricity per year. This source of rural economic regeneration fits in nicely with China's plan to develop the impoverished northwest.

Reversing desertification will require a huge effort, but if the dust bowl continues to spread, it will not only undermine the economy, but also trigger a massive migration eastward. The options are clear: Reduce livestock populations to a sustainable level or face heavy livestock losses as grassland turns to desert. Return highly erodible cropland to grassland or lose all of the land's productive capacity as it turns to desert. Construct windbreaks with a combination of trees and, where feasible, wind turbines, to slow the wind or face even more soil losses and dust storms.

...

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. Tell her the Audubon society "strongly supports" the use of wind turbines

http://www.audubon.org/campaign/wind/audubon_view.html

...

On balance, Audubon strongly supports wind power as a clean alternative energy source that reduces the threat of global warming. Location, however, is important. Many National Audubon Society Chapters and State Programs are actively involved in wind-power siting issues in their communities. Each project has a unique set of circumstances and should be evaluated on its own merits.

...

Every source of energy has some environmental consequences. Most of today's rapidly growing demand for energy is now being met by natural gas and expanded coal-burning power plants, which are this country's single greatest source of the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause global warming. If we don't find ways to reduce these emissions, far more birds—and people—will be threatened by global warming than by wind turbines. Our challenge is thus to help design and locate wind-power projects that minimize the negative impacts on birds.

...

[winter999]

3. This is a good start.

Now to break more records.

[jpak]

8. But...but..but... I heard last week right here on DU that wind power was a *failure*

and could *never* produce an ex-o-joule of electrical energy.

never mind...

[NickB79]

9. This is actually a scary quote

"Growth in Germany is slowing because of a saturation of suitable onshore sites"

Saturation of the best sites at only 7% of electrical needs??? Ouch.

[kestrel91316]

10. When faced with power shortages, I suspect the "saturation"

problem will vanish.

[NickB79]

12. Yes, they will start building on less than ideal sites

Which means the costs will go up as well.

Diminishing returns.

[kristopher]

13. Germany used a feed in tariff to encourge development

I think they have discontinued it.
A feed in tariff, for those who don't know, means that the German government guaranteed a price (and it was a very high price) for all power generated by wind. This actually resulted in over development and the use of extremely poor wind resources.

The policy was a great success, however, in driving technology and as the older machines are replaced with newer ones in the best wind sites, the amount of generation will increase while the number of machines will drop as the inefficient towers are decommissioned.

The terrestrial resources in Germany are, like the US East Coast, extremely limited; but they have plenty of wind for everyone offshore.

[Nihil]

15. Ummm ... ?

> The terrestrial resources in Germany are, like the US East Coast,
> extremely limited; but they have plenty of wind for everyone offshore.

Have you seen a map?

This one shows the proportion of coastline to land:


Note that Germany has the second largest population in Europe (after European
Russia) and is seventh largest in area.


This map shows a slight problem with siting wind farms too far off the
North-East coastline ...


... namely territorial waters of other countries, German ports and access
to the countries bordering the Baltic ...

I think the answer is (as someone noted above) that the less optimal
terrestrial areas will be used first. Mind you, they used to have
great big military training grounds dotted around that could be put
to a better, more peaceful use if they should so choose ...

(Edit for image link problems ... can either have the diddy non-zoomable
image as above or a friggin' monster ... might as well go straight to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany and browse it yourself!)