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Wind beats coal to top spot in Germany’s electricity supply
Wind produced 25.6% of the electricity fed into Germany's grid last year – the first time a renewable energy source accounted for the largest supply of power
Latest news
US Offshore Insight Report: Ushering in a new dawn
The Biden administration has raised hopes of a long-awaited burst of activity for offshore wind projects in US waters
SGRE to supply 5.X turbines to zero-subsidy Scottish site
SGRE's first UK deal for its largest onshore model will see the manufacturer supply turbines in 6MW-plus power mode to a 50MW site in Scotland
Nordex’s earnings down 24% in pandemic-hit 2020
Nordex has released preliminary financial figures for 2020, confirming its expectations for a rise in consolidated sales and squeezed Ebitda margin
Ørsted sells €1.4bn transmission assets for world’s largest wind farm
Mitsubishi-led JV has bought transmission assets for the UK's Hornsea One wind farm – the world’s largest operational offshore site
Large-scale floating project planned off Ireland’s west coast
Simply Blue Energy has outlined its plans for a 1.1GW floating offshore wind farm off County Clare. A wave energy pilot project would also be developed
Africa missing out on ‘incredible’ wind resource potential - GWEC
Africa and the Middle East’s cumulative wind capacity reached more than 7GW by the end of 2020. However, the region is not fulfilling its potential, GWEC warns
Spanish wind brings Europe’s lowest winter electricity prices
Wind power accounted for nearly a third of Spain’s national electrical generation between December 2020 and February 2021 – more than any other power source
UK offshore wind hubs ‘big bang moment’ for industry
Renewables industry group welcomes ‘world-class offshore wind hubs’ and free ports in the north east of England to boost offshore wind
Irish wind beats gas electricity generation for the first time
The Republic of Ireland’s onshore wind sector set new records last year and even outperformed gas, new findings show
Nine demands to rapidly scale up renewable hydrogen
The Renewable Hydrogen Coalition hammers out the vital policies needed for Europe to rapidly scale up its uptake in the race for renewable hydrogen
Flurry of acquisitions shows appetite for European wind
Oil majors and a Chinese developer were among companies buying into projects during a busy period for wind farm acquisitions in Europe
EDPR and Engie plan 1.5GW floating offshore wind off Greece
The Ocean Winds joint venture plans to work with Greece’s Terna Energy on developing what could be the country’s first offshore wind capacity
Vattenfall appoints new head of business for wind
Helene Biström will return to Vattenfall to take charge of a division that has seen huge growth since she left the Swedish utility in 2010
First power at RWE’s largest offshore wind farm
Triton Knoll has delivered power to the UK grid for the first time – on schedule, despite challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic
Vattenfall to end Danish onshore wind development
Swedish developer Vattenfall plans to focus its onshore wind activities for the Nordics region on its home market, but continue with Danish offshore wind
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Technology
SkySails airborne wind system kite ships to Asia
Ambitious near-future tech from Hamburg offers a replacement for diesel generators in remote locations alongside plans to scale up with projects in Germany and Mauritius
UK network operator sees wind top renewable growth by 2050
Wind triumphs in the future of Scotland’s energy generation capacity, according to all three visions set out this week by the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.
Bladt to expand facilities for future offshore wind turbines
Bladt Industries plans to invest in its facilities in Odense, Denmark, to cater for new offshore wind turbines with tip heights of 250-300 metres
Floating offshore wind could flourish in Asia as costs fall
The capital expenditure needed to pay for floating offshore wind in Asia Pacific could fall by 40% over the next decade, new research shows
BayWa acquires Kaiserwetter’s Internet of Things and AI platforms
BayWa has enhanced its digital services offering with the acquisition of several platforms and data scientists from Kaiserwetter
Vestas backs wooden wind tower start-up
Danish manufacturer’s corporate venture capital arm Vestas Ventures backs Swedish firm Modvion to scale-up the production of wooden wind turbine towers
First picture of Siemens Gamesa's record-breaking blade
SGRE releases an image of the 108-metre blade for its SG 14-222 DD turbine. It is the largest wind turbine blade produced to date
Oil and gas firm buys into Ideol to target large offshore wind projects
BW Offshore, a service provider for the fossil-fuel industry, will become a strategic owner of floating offshore wind pioneer Ideol
Nordex wins 33MW order in the Netherlands
Nordex will supply 33MW of turbines to a Dutch wind farm co-developed by local farmers and a clean energy company
'First' natural fibre nacelle built for offshore wind turbines
Engineers Greenboats aims to test what it claims is the world's first natural fibre composite nacelle for offshore wind turbines later this year
Business and finance
Wind deals help Boralex move towards five-year target
Canada-based developer reports it is on course to bring 2.8GW of renewables capacity online by 2023
EDP sets sights on 10GW wind growth by 2025
The Portugese developer has big plans to boost wind projects in the US and Europe to add 10GW gross wind capacity by 2025
Mexico’s ‘damaged’ clean energy transition needs fix, GWEC says
GWEC and the Global Solar Council make an urgent intervention calling on Mexico’s government to reject a bill to modify the country's electricity act
Iberdrola set to invest €150bn in renewables
The Spanish developer aims to develop a 95GW renewables portfolio by 2030, up from an interim target of 60GW by 2025
India's ReNew Power set for $8bn merger and US public listing
Indian renewables giant ReNew Power is due to merge with a US investment firm, creating a new company with an $8 billion enterprise value
Siemens Gamesa retains top spot in slow year for Indian wind
Last year saw the lowest level of wind commissioning in a decade in India as 1.1GW of onshore wind projects were added in 2020, according to BloombergNEF
SSE and Acciona team up for Iberian offshore wind
Acciona and SSE form an alliance to co-develop offshore wind farms off the coasts of Spain and Portugal, and potentially in other markets
China Three Gorges to buy 400MW wind portfolio in Spain
CTGE agrees to acquire 11 wind farms with a capacity of more than 400MW and a PV plant in Spain from a group of developers led by Corporación Masaveu
Mining firm plans green hydrogen from 1GW wind-solar hybrid
Province Resources plans to use 1GW of wind and solar capacity to produce green hydrogen and ammonia in Western Australia
Mainstream and Aker to develop green hydrogen in Chile
Aker Clean Hydrogen and Mainstream Renewable Power announce a collaboration to explore the production of green hydrogen and low-cost ammonia
Market and policy
WindEconomics: Which markets are the cheapest for wind energy?
IEA’s global cost comparison shows Denmark is the cheapest for onshore and offshore wind, while Japan is the most expensive
China accounts for half of 2020 offshore wind additions
For a third year in a row, China leads global offshore wind installations, adding more than 3GW of capacity last year, according to GWEC
Spain connected 1.7GW of wind in 2020 despite Covid
New installations dropped a quarter from Spain's comeback year in 2019, but trade body AEE believes country can reach 2030 renewables target
Russia considers scrapping fines amid coronavirus pandemic
Russia’s energy ministry may allow operators to retain all revenue generated by new wind turbines prior to full commissioning, to allow for delays caused by Covid-19
EDP creates hydrogen and storage divisions
As part of its decarbonisation efforts, EDP has established two new units to develop green hydrogen and energy storage
Texas blackouts to hit RWE Renewables profits
Buying electricity at abnormally high prices to meet its own delivery obligations while part of its own wind fleet was forced offline will hit RWE Renewables’ profits
EU needs to speed up energy transition for 2030 climate target
Accelerating renewables development will get Europe closer to reaching 2030 climate targets, according to new research, but will not be enough on its own
Call to reform Scotland's ‘volatile’ grid charges for wind projects
Outdated policy to charge remote projects for supplying power to the grid runs contrary to decarbonisation targets, Scottish network operator argues
Vestas appoints new Asia Pacific regional president
Danish manufacturer appoints Purvin Patel as its new regional president for APAC, taking over the reins from Clive Turton
California bill targets 10GW offshore wind by 2040
A newly introduced bill calls for California's state agencies to accelerate planning and development of offshore wind projects
Project development
Vestas lands first EnVentus order in eastern Europe
Danish manufacturer signs order for DTEK's 126MW Tiligulska project in Ukraine, adding to the 660MW it has already installed in the country
EU wind growth too slow for climate targets, WindEurope warns
As wind installations slowed in Europe last year, industry body WindEurope warns that the EU is off track to hit its carbon-neutrality goal
CIP to use offshore wind for 1GW green ammonia plant
Investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Plans to build an offshore wind-powered, 1GW electrolysis plant on the west coast of Denmark
Siemens Gamesa secures 448MW French offshore wind order
Manufacturer confirms a firm order of 64 SWT-7.0-154 offshore wind turbines from a consortium of EDF Renewables, Enbridge and Wpd
Judge blocks Vattenfall’s 1.8GW Norfolk Vanguard project
Construction consent for Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind project has been quashed by the UK high court after a legal challenge
Iberdrola plans 300MW floating wind farm off Spain
Iberdrola unveils plans to create the first commercial-scale floating wind farm in its home country with an investment of €1 billion
GE to supply one of Europe’s largest onshore wind farms
GE Renewable Energy will start installing its 5.5MW Cypress turbines at the 753MW Önusberget project in northern Sweden in July
Wind turbines 'attract' EU-protected bats
The EU-protected Pipistrelle bat may be attracted to wind farms, raising question marks over the efficacy of environmental impacts when locating turbines away from bat roosts, new research shows
OX2 buys 400MW wind farm in Finland
Nordic developer has acquired the subsidy-free 400MW Lestijärvi wind farm, set to become Finland's largest
Crane collapse delays work at Swedish wind farm
A crashing crane at Sweden’s 175MW Björkvattnet onshore wind farm site pushed construction back by roughly three weeks, developer confirms
Partner content
Taking a tough stand against turbine blade erosion
Increasing numbers of wind turbines are expected to operate in challenging climatic conditions, onshore and offshore, for 25 years or more. Rain, hail, salt spray, as well as extremes in cold and warm temperatures, all take their toll on turbine rotor blades.
Polytech
Back to the gearbox innovations that helped define wind’s future
Moventas launched its first wind turbine gearbox in 1980. Four decades later, it is still manufacturing, innovating and leading the way in turbine gear technology
Moventas
WPM Webinar: How to extend turbine lifetimes
Join us on 31 March as we share how to reduce downtime, get the best performance from an ageing fleet, and extend turbine lifetime.
WPM Awards 2020: best onshore turbine 4.5MW+ – ENERCON
It's pushed the product forward, an award-winning product that's an important milestone in ENERCON's mission to reshape itself and direct-drive turbines.