In February, Germany's Environmental Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) and Economics Minister Philipp Rösler (FDP) made a surprising proposal to put a lid on the surcharge that covers the cost of renewable electricity. On April 20, it was equally summarily tossed out when the Chancellery canceled a meeting scheduled for this week with the heads of state governments.
The theme of the photo competition is wind energy. It is open to all photographers in any country, who want to capture images of wind energy from a new perspective. The challenge is to show the technology as it has never been seen before, for example by showing wind energy with seasonal colours, people, animals and landscapes in a new and unique way. Let your imagination take the lead!
Press release of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). 100 GW of wind power can generate electricity over a year to meet the total consumption of 57 million households, equivalent to the power production of 39 nuclear power plants. It took the European wind energy sector some twenty years to get the first 10 GW grid connected. It only needed 13 years to add an additional 90 GW. Half of the total European wind power capacity has been installed over the past six years.
Back in 2010, emerging markets overtook developed economies in terms of financial new investments in renewables for the first time. Time to settle back because wind energy in emerging markets is well on a winning track? Not quite yet. Obstacles remain especially in terms of wind project finance.
In a few weeks, the wind sector's largest international trade show opens its doors in Husum, Germany. From September 18-22, some 1,200 exhibitors will be on hand at the Husum Fairgrounds. An estimated 36,000 visitors are expected to have a look at the latest technological developments, products, and services. This year, the trade show is taking place under the aegis of EU Commissioners Günther Oettinger (Energy) and Connie Hedegaard (Climate).
Bonn, Germany. The 11th World Wind Energy Conference 2012 (WWEC 2012) has been opened officially today in the World Conference Center in Bonn. The three-day conference will comprise 200 presentations in 40 sessions, with experts from 50 countries, and from all continents. The speeches will cover all aspects of wind power utilization, with a special focus on the main conference theme ‘Community Power – Citizens’ Power’. The conference is hosted by the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) and the German Wind Energy Association (BWE).
Hannover. Increasingly, delays in the grid expansion are turning out to be a bottleneck for Germany's energy transition. While renewable technologies continue to improve and become more efficient, grid expansion has been moving slowly for years. The increasing frequency with which wind turbines are being disconnected shows how critical the problem is. Here, something needs to be done quickly. In addition to speeding up grid expansion, we need to look into other alternatives.
Brussels, 7 February 2012. The Global Wind Energy Council annual market statistics show that the wind industry installed just over 41,000 MW of new clean, reliable wind power in 2011, bringing the total installed capacity globally to more than 238,000 MW at the end of last year. This represents an increase of 21%, with an increase in the size of the annual global market of just over 6%. Today, about 75 countries worldwide have commercial wind power installations, with 22 of them already passing the 1 GW level.
Berlin. In 2011, the German wind power market once again grew strongly, as VDMA Power Systems and the German Wind Energy Association (PWP) announced today in Berlin. At the beginning of the year, the two organizations forecast that the German market would recover after a weak 2010. According to the latest statistics collated by the German Wind Energy Institute (DEWI), 895 (2010: 754) turbines were newly installed with a collective capacity of 2,007 (2010: 1,551) megawatts – 456 MW more than in 2010, equivalent to 30 percent growth.
According to a study conducted by consulting firm ECOFYS on behalf of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), the number of cases in which wind turbines are taken off the grid to stabilize power supply is rapidly increasing. The study found that up to 150 gigawatt-hours of wind power was lost in 2010 because grid operators had disconnected turbines, an increase of up to 69 percent year over year.
Quelle: www.wind-energie.de/en/infocenter
