3.Windpower:
CHP to backup wind
A new EU backed
research project involving the University of Birmingham seeks to demonstrate
how combined heat and power (CHP) can solve intermittency problems
of fluctuating renewable energy sources. An international consortium
of universities, research institutes and software companies has been
awarded a major grant under the EU’s sixth Research Framework Programme
to work in a number of EU countries, including the UK. The University
of Birmingham will work with engineering company PB Power to demonstrate
the Danish-inspired technique to integrate intermittent sources such
as wind power into the British electricity grid.
Gas-fired CHP (as
widely used in Denmark), involves the simultaneous production of electricity
and heat, and reduces CO2 emissions compared to conventional electricity
production. However it can also be much more flexible in helping the
electricity grid in coping with intermittent supplies of renewable energy
than conventional power stations. Now a new software design is being
tested. The software will allow the variable ‘co-production' of electricity
from wind & CHP so as to produce an even, predictable, supply of
electricity. CHP, which in Denmark is usually linked to heat storage
facilities, is often best optimised to furnish a heat supply. But given
the heat storage capacity, the heat output can be varied without loss
of supply, and the electrical output adjusted to compensate for the
lack, or excess, of wind power- so you can store energy when there is
too much wind and back up the grid when there is not enough.
The DESIRE
project will demonstrate co-production at three sites in the UK and
spread knowledge about how the use of this technique. Advanced methods
to predict changes in windspeeds will also be explored.
In addition to laying
the ground work for the longer term when renewables will supply large
proportions of UK electricity, the researchers say that these techniques
can have short term financial advantages- alleviating the intermitency
penalties imposed on wind projects by the electricity trading market.
* CHP is used in
industry, offices and on housing estates with community heating. In
Denmark CHP supplies around 60% of electricity, and a further 20% is
supplied by wind power. The UK has around 5000 MW of CHP so far. The
Government has a target of achieving 10,000 MW of electricity from CHP
by the year 2010. However, there has been little recent growth in CHP,
and so Government targets may not be achieved. It is hoped that this
project will demonstrate both the need and the way to build up capacity
of CHP with heat storage facilities in the UK- thus helping the renewable
energy programme. Further info: Dr David Toke tel: 0121415 8616 e-mail
d.toke@bham.ac.uk
7%
from wind by 2010
In response to a
question in the Lords on 13th June on windpower and the UK’s 10% by
2010 renewable energy target, Lord Sainsbury, noted that current assessment
suggested that ‘around 7% of electricity could be generated from
on-shore and off-shore wind by 2010. Our best estimate at the moment
is that 4% of that will be from on-shore wind and 3% from off-shore
wind. After 2010, we expect an increasing contribution from off-shore
wind and other renewable technologies such as wave and tidal.’
And in answer to
a question on June 21, Lord Sainsbury reported that average load factors
for onshore wind turbines in 2003, as a percentage of their rated output,
was 24.1 %. He added ‘Load factors vary from year to year and the
average for the five years from 1999 to 2003 was 27.4%’.
The
London Array
The London Array
is a major £1.5 billion 270 turbine offshore windfarm planned for location
in the Thames Estuary, 12 miles off the Kent coast- which, at its full
1GW rated power could, it is claimed, be capable of supplying a quarter
of London’s electricity needs. A planning application for what would
be Britain’s most ambitious green energy project was lodged with local
authorities and the Government in June. Clearly there will be potential
impacts on marine and bird life and the risk to shipping in the area
to consider- e.g. the Port of London Authority, says that the layout
presents potential navigation hazards. But if permission is granted,
the first turbines would be installed in 2008, with the project due
to be completed by 2011. It would just be visible to the naked eye
on a clear day from the Kent and Essex coasts.
The development
is a joint venture between Shell and E.On and an Anglo-Danish company,
Core. who told the Evening Standard (June 7th): “This project will
supply the equivalent of a quarter of London’s domestic load and will
surely, once and for all, bury the myth that wind energy is insignificant.
Furthermore, it is merely the first of a number of similar-sized windpower
schemes that will place the UK market at the forefront of offshore renewable
energy development worldwide.”
Westmill
Wind Co-op
After 4 years deliberation,
the Vale of White Horse Council has given planning permission for the
6.5MW five turbineWestmill windfarm near Swidon, which will start construction
next spring. The local community, through Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative,
will own and operate the £6m project- with minimum shares of £250 now
being on offer.
* Camden Town
Hall may have five wind turbines on its roof to generate power for
the borough’s fleet of 4 electric cars plus some lights
Offshore:
5 MW turbines
Two of the giant
5MW windturbines developed by REpower Systems of Germany will be used
for the Beatrice deep sea windfarm demonstrator project in 40m sea depth
25km off the coast of Scotland in Moray Firth. The Talisman Energy/Scottish
& Southern Energy led project is part of the Euro 3m ‘DOWNVInD’
(Distant Offshore Windfarms with No Visual Impact in Deepwater) project
promoted by the EU and is Europe’s largest renewable energy research
& technology development programme.
Wind
& Birds
In a study reported
in the journal of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (Biology
Letters), researchers have claimed that previous estimates of collision
risk of migrating birds with offshore wind farms have been “over-inflated”.
The research project involved monitoring at Denmark’s Nysted wind farm
in the Baltic Sea, which contains 72 turbines with 69m nacelle height,
which started operating in 2003. It found that birds simply fly around
the farm, or between the turbines; less than 1% were in danger of colliding
with the structures.
David Gibbons, RSPB’s
head of conservation science, told the BBC News website ‘there’s
always been concern about turbines as ‘mincer’, but this study is suggesting
that the birds fly around or go through. So on the face of it, this
is pretty good news for wind farms; but there are other issues when
you look at the much larger farms which are coming, and different ways
in which they could affect birds. The proposed London Array farm in
the Thames Estuary would, for example, cover more than 200 sq km. This
is a very important feeding area for the red-throated diver, which could
suffer from being displaced.”
He suggested that
more research was needed.
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