World's biggest wind farm opens in UK
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The world’s largest offshore wind farm opened off the Kent coast today, with 100 turbines generating enough electricity to power 200,000 homes.
Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, built by Swedish power company Vattenfall, can produce up to 300MW of electricity.
The farm will boost the UK’s offshore wind power capacity by 30 per cent, pushing total wind generation over the 5GW mark – enough to power all the homes in Scotland.
Attending the opening, energy secretary Chris Huhne said he wanted to get Britain out of the ‘dunce corner’ on renewable energy and that the government was focused on moving away from the ‘frankly atrocious record’ it had inherited.
‘We are in a unique position to become a world leader in this industry,’ he said. ‘We are an island nation and I firmly believe we should be harnessing our wind, wave and tidal resources to the maximum.
‘I know that there is still more to do to bring forward the large sums of investment we want to see in low-carbon energy in the UK, and we as government are committed to playing our part.’
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) welcomed the wind farm’s opening but said the UK needed to keep driving progress on renewable energy.
‘UK’s offshore energy resources, if harnessed, could provide a major proportion of the UK’s electricity needs and put the UK at the forefront of a rapidly growing sector with enormous export potential,’ said ICE director general Tom Foulkes.
‘However, this will require massive development in a relatively narrow timeframe. Government will need to provide clear leadership, ensuring the regulatory framework and fiscal mechanisms are fit for purpose and the supply chain is developed concurrently to make the UK a hub for offshore design and manufacturing.’
Just 3 per cent of the UK’s electricity comes from renewable sources, compared to a target of 15 per cent. The country is 25th in the EU league table of green energy.
The wind farm is expected to operate for at least 25 years and covers an area of 35km2, which is enough to cover 4,000 football pitches. Each turbine is up to 115m tall at its highest point.
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Readers' comments (13)
Eur. Ing. Graeme Vanner | 24 Sep 2010 3:14 pm
OK as far as it goes but what we really need is the Severn Barrage. Ignore the 'bird lobby' the estuary will still be tidal both sides. If you are really concerned about wild birds get rid of domestic cats. They kill about 5 million a year. The barrage would also provide significant flood protection.
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Keith Hayward | 24 Sep 2010 3:37 pm
I like and understand the necessity for green energy. However the question asked is what happens when there is no wind and the turbine stops. Who supplies the electricity? Does one then turn on the Gas Turbine supplied by Rolls Royce to meet the demand? The same is true of tidal energy. Maximum electricity demand will often coincided with the turn in the tide. Gas Turbine to the rescue again.
Nuclear energy is by far the best solution. The storage of nuclear waste is still a problem.
I would like to hear more on the matching of supply and demand of electricity from green sources. If there is no match one is going to have a lot of green elephants all over the country. I believe the number of green devices to meet the demand is just not cost effective in the long run.
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Rpger Pendleton | 24 Sep 2010 6:14 pm
Hear Hear Keith Haywood.
When there is no wind on those still cold days in mid winter. Which factories will we swith off?, Who mwill mdecide - Chris Huhne I hope and take all the brick bats. Wind energy is an expensive mirage. Non of the existing installations are even nearly meeting the grand promises.
The only realistic solution is nuclear power. The french will have no problems meeting their CO2 targets - 80% of their electricity is nuclear and a large part of the rest is from their huge tidal investment - not for them the bleeding hearts over bird sanctuarys!
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david a carpenter | 24 Sep 2010 11:39 pm
Fuzzy farm math?
"...Wind Farm can produce up to 300MW of electricity.
...farm will boost the UK’s wind power capacity by 30 per cent, pushing it over the 5GW mark"
Lets see,
BGN_MW*(1+.3)=5000, BGN_MW=3846
But 3846MW +300MW=4146MW, not 5000MW If new real output is 5GW, maybe a 7.2% boost by +300MW is closer than 30% boost? Is this a test?
dave carpenter
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Editor's comments | 24 Sep 2010 11:39 pm
Thanks to Dave Carpenter for pointing out the inconsistency in the reported increase in wind power capacity.
To clarify, the Thanet farm will increase the UK’s offshore wind capacity by 300MW or 30 per cent.
This will take the UK’s total wind (on and offshore) capacity to 5GW.
The article has been changed to make this clear.
Simmo | 25 Sep 2010 6:08 am
I hope that, of the 200,000 homes that will be powered from this wind farm, the averge home does not have occupants who want to turn on the toaster while doing the ironing!
I think the expectation of 200,000 homes being adequately supplied from a generation capacity of 300 MW is overly optimistic.
None the less, this is an admirable achievement; onwards and upwards!
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Mike Ayres | 25 Sep 2010 8:19 am
enough electricity to power 200,000 homes.
Yes, but only when producing at full power. We should really be looking at the average power that will be produced, or the capacity factor of the wind farm. For UK wind conditions that is typically 22 - 27%. Allow a little for maintenance and power line losses and the real power generated will at most 20% of maximum - enough to power 40,00 homes, not 200,000.
The wind industry always quote the maximum, blatantly ignoring the fact that average power output is so much lower.
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Carl Merry | 25 Sep 2010 10:42 am
Sorry Graeme, it isnt as easy as that! The Severn Estuary is a SAC, has several SSSI's and is a designated Ramsar site. Whether you go with the flora or fauna is irrelevant - it will still be a legal nightmare once it lands up in the Euro courts. Furthermore tidal it may be after construction but with a predicted cut in tidal height of 1.5m at HW there will be significant impacts on the ports. Royal Portbury is one of our few strategic deep water ports for example. For the smaller barrage options the modelling done thus far re sedimentation are nebullous to say the least. So much brass ($23 billion before the draughtsmen have licked their pencils) for something only 23% efficient. Nope its nuclear methinks!
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theclerk | 25 Sep 2010 9:40 pm
Observations obtuse but universal to the subject:
Historically 5 bladed / 'sailed' windmills evolved as the optimum set-up for close coupled
(ie where supporting member was close to the revolving sails)
post/tower masted erections.*
The same figure was also arrived at in The Mediterranean region with the 'Cretian Windmill' - that using canvas 'bag' sails.
I remember in my dim and distant past trying to get my head round the calcs of 2 blokes who in the 1920's + 1950's both proved the maths for 5 blades/sails as the most efficient set-up.
So - Err . . . . .....
Why isn't such getting used ?
* If you look carefully at the video of the Thanet array you can see deflection 'flutter' to any blade particular when aligning with the mast - the 5 bladed set-up gives a more even 'counter-balance' than the 3 bladed one used to most mills being erected currently.
The Clerk
The Hovel
Somewhere-in-England.
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Zuheir Khaldi | 26 Sep 2010 6:49 am
A note about Mr.Keith Hayward comment| 24 Sep 2010 3:37 pm
Your comment is valuable but even turbine generators will be used as standby power, the important question, in my opinion, is how much fossil fuel will not to be burn.
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John Harrison | 27 Sep 2010 10:15 am
Tide times, waves and winds are variable around our islands as sea fishermen will know.
Sufficient investment around the islands may balance local variations in supply of renewable energy to produce a relatively constant supply into the grid. Perhaps some work has been done to statistically evaluate what balance of renewable resources are needed, and the best locations.
Schemes developed to store energy at peak times may also be of benefit, for example hydraulic or gas accumulators - one such scheme I have seen proposes wind turbines to generate storable hydraulic pressure to be used for generating at peak times.
A simple comparison of the relative densities of water and air leads to the question of why water-based renewables (tide and wave) do not appear to have been developed with the same urgency as wind power.
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