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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
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Danish TSO Energinet plans to expand wind flexibility markets
The transmission system operator claims reducing wind turbines’ output in times of excessive production can be a cost-effective, temporary alternative to grid expansion
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
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
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Technology
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
Vestas launches new 15MW offshore wind turbine with 236-metre rotor
Vestas’ new turbine, the V236-15.0MW, sets new benchmarks for rotor diameter, swept area and nominal power rating
Offshore wind industry commits €3.9m to researching blockage effects
A consortium featuring major offshore developers launches a research project into global blockage effects that can skew energy-yield forecasts
‘Telescopic’ tower rises 170 metres to become highest ever self-supported wind turbine
Onshore prototype in China should be completed in the first quarter of 2021 as part of research into a “disruptive” solution for offshore wind turbines substructures
New blade retrofit boosts wind turbine output
Wind start-up Evoblade and Deutsche Windtechnik created a retrofittable spoiler that increased output from a 1.5MW Neg Micon turbine by 6% in recent testing
Business and finance
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
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
Vestas to cut production jobs in Colorado
Danish manufacturer Vestas will cut jobs in US state to reflect lower market demand and to strengthen its service and construction offerings
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
Greencoat enters Nordic wind market
Ireland-based developer branches out into the Nordic markets with the acquisition of its first onshore wind project in Finland
US forecast to commission 21GW of wind power in 2021
The US looks set to break last year's record for new wind capacity, but it will need to keep up this pace to meet ambitious state targets, a new report reveals
OX2 buys 400MW wind farm in Finland
Nordic developer has acquired the subsidy-free 400MW Lestijärvi wind farm, set to become Finland's largest
Shell to increase renewables spending under sped-up net-zero plans
The oil major outlines $2-3 billion investment in renewables and energy solutions but has not given any indication of how much Capex will go to wind
SGRE turbines earmarked for zero-subsidy Dutch offshore wind farm
Siemens Gamesa and Shell-led consortium are inches away from closing a deal to supply turbines for the 759MW Hollandse Kust Noord project
Market and policy
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
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
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
Scotland’s Seabed landlord temporarily halts leasing
Crown Estate Scotland has pushed back the application deadline for its ScotWind leasing process to review a new fee structure adopted in England and Wales
Sweden unveils plans to reduce offshore wind connection costs
The Swedish government intends to carry out proposals for making offshore wind more cost-effective later this year, even though it is not clear yet who will pay for necessary grid expansion
BP and Total among winners in 8GW UK offshore wind leasing round
The Crown Estate has awarded leases for six proposed offshore wind projects with a potential capacity of 8GW – but critics argue too few sites were made available to developers
Hybrid projects — a marriage made in heaven?
The US market leads the way in solar-battery hybrid facilities, while wind-battery projects are becoming more common in the UK
French wind auction secures lower prices
Fifteen onshore projects of 519.7MW combined capacity have been awarded power deals
Staff call for action over diversity and inclusion at Siemens Gamesa
Siemens Gamesa's global head of diversity and inclusion Marta Jimeno reveals the thinking behind the developer's diversity and inclusion action plan
Project development
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
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
‘Market concentration should not derail offshore wind growth’ - WindEurope
A small number of companies dominate Europe’s offshore wind supply chain as larger projects enable economies of scale, the industry body believes
WFO: Record growth for offshore wind in 2020 despite Covid-19
The global growth trajectory for offshore wind is accelerating with ever larger-scale projects going online, according to WFO's Global Offshore Wind Report 2020
Vattenfall picks Siemens Energy and Aker Solutions to help connect 3.6GW off UK
Vattenfall names a consortium of Aker Solutions and Siemens Energy as preferred bidder to deliver HVDC converter platforms for its Norfolk offshore wind farms
European offshore wind investments hit record levels in 2020
But despite positive trends in offshore wind technology and finance last year, more still needs to be done to deliver the volumes European governments want, industry body WindEurope warned
World’s largest offshore wind farm planned for South Korean waters
President Moon Jae-in attended an unveiling ceremony for plans for a $43 billion, 8.2GW offshore wind project
Partner content
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.
ENERCON
Why automation is the future of the wind industry
ARSOS for Intelligent Control can help Remote Operations Centres (ROCs) scale up operations while keeping costs low.