Wind Powered Water Pump (Complete Installation Kit)

Wind Pump System Complete Kit – The Rutland wind water pump kit offers a cost-effective, simple and efficient wind-pumping system in the even the most remote locations.The Rutland Wind-Electric Pump Kit not only compact and virtually silent, but it also provides a reliable source of portable water for isolated communities or drainage, livestock watering and irrigation purposes. It is one the simplest and most efficient wind-pumping systems available, based on our established Rutland 913 Windcharger that is connected to an electric pump via an interface controller, no battery is required. The controller also accepts power input from solar panels so that a hybrid system may be operated to take full advantage of available power day and night. The Rutland Wind Pump Kit pumps water from a depth of up to 25m at isolated locations in all climates. Greater depths are also possible. The Rutland Kit overcomes many of the problems associated with traditional wind pumps that often need a strong wind to overcome high initial mechanical torque to start and have to shut down in relatively low wind speeds.

BUY THIS KIT AT WWW.ORIONAIRSALES.COM


Key Product Features :

Features user-friendly interface controller

This kit consists of:

1 x Windcharger
1 x Weather proof interface controller and brackets for pole or wall mounting
1 x Float switch kit
1 x Potable water hose 30m and electrical cable 30m
1 x Support rope, cable ties, fixings etc
Optional solar panels available: 2 each x 30 Watt, 40 Watt or 50 Watt

New Tower Design Enables Higher Annual Energy Production and Less Impact from Turbulence

• New Tower Design Enables Higher Annual Energy Production and Less Impact from Turbulence;
• Hub Heights in Excess of 130 Meters Now Available;
• Taller Towers Increase Potential Wind Site Options.

The new towers enable higher annual energy production (AEP) and increase the number of potential wind sites. The towers initially will be offered for GE’s 2.5-MW series including the new 2.75-103 wind turbine. The taller towers are available with hub heights in excess of 130 meters.

“We continuously strive to increase value for our customers. The taller tower, which will also be available for our new 2.75-103, is the next step in our evolutionary product portfolio,” said Stephan Ritter, general manager of GE Renewable Energy Europe. “With taller towers, more sites become attractive wind farm locations. The increased height also offers more customer value through higher winds and a reduction in the impact of turbulence resulting in higher annual energy production.”

The taller tower will have a robust hybrid pre-cast concrete and tubular steel design. This construction offers an optimal balance between customer value and advanced technology while reducing logistical challenges. The new tower is an especially good fit for densely forested areas and hillside locations that are prone to high turbulence intensity.

Initial key markets for the new, taller GE wind turbine towers will be Germany, Scandinavia, Poland, Romania and Canada.

For wind turbine sales visit www.orionairsales.com

Banks Group investing £20m into wind farms

NORTH East mining and renewable company the Banks Group is to invest more than £20m in two new wind farm developments as it increases its profile in the green sector.

Banks Renewables, part of the Banks Group, secured the largest investment in the renewables market the Co-operative Bank has made to date for the two Yorkshire schemes.

And Banks is now looking at the same project finance model to fund a number of similar projects as it continues its drive to establish itself as a major player in the UK onshore renewables market.

The Durham-based company, which has an annual turnover of £60m, employs around 360 people and operates in the renewable energy, mining and property markets, expects the two schemes to start in the autumn.

Neil Brown, group commercial director at the Banks Group, says: “Securing the largest investment that the Co-operative Bank has ever made in the renewables industry not only represents a validation of the strength of the UK market, but also of the business model that Banks Renewables is following in this area.

“We are committed to becoming one of the UK’s leading owner/operators of onshore wind farms, and the investment model that we have used to secure this funding could provide the template for a portfolio of future sites that we are currently progressing across the north of England and Scotland.”

The three-turbine Hazlehead wind farm is situated on formerly derelict brownfield land to the west of Barnsley, while the Marr scheme comprises four turbines and is located five miles to the west of Doncaster.


When fully operational, the schemes will produce up to 14.4mw of renewable energy between them, enough to meet the annual power requirements of up to 9,000 homes.

RWE's first 48 wind turbine offshore vessel for wind energy

The ship will take the transport of 48 wind turbines of the six-megawatt class. Full completion of the “Nordsee Ost” wind farm is planned for 2013. The wind power plant of 295 MW will supply 295,000 homes in Germany.



The first of two offshore installation vessels owned by RWE was officially launched after only seven months of construction. The works are thus already a month ahead of the original time schedule. The final large-scale components, the main crane and the jack-up legs, will be installed over the next few weeks. First tests, the so-called sea trials, are scheduled for July and August. On completion in autumn, the installation vessel will be the first of its kind worldwide than can transport up to four offshore wind turbines of the multi-megawatt class at the same time and erect them in water depths of more than 40 metres.

RWE Innogy had already placed the order for construction of two identical offshore installation ships with the Korean shipyard at the end of last year. The contract value for each of these socalled “Jack-up Platforms” is around EUR 100 million. Completion of the first platform is planned for autumn of 2011. From then on, the installation ship will be operated from its home port of Bremerhaven in the construction of the “Nordsee Ost” wind farm and begin placing the first foundations in the German Bight. The installation ship will set sail with two jacket foundations every week. Later it will take over the transport and installation of a total of 48 wind turbines of the six-megawatt class. Full completion of the “Nordsee Ost” wind farm is planned for 2013. From then on, the wind power plant with installed power of 295 megawatts will supply the equivalent of 295,000 homes in Germany with electricity every year.

Besides the “Nordsee Ost” wind farm, RWE Innogy is developing the offshore wind farm “Innogy Nordsee 1” in German territorial waters. At around 960 megawatts (MW) of installed power, this will be the biggest offshore wind farm planned off the German coast. It will be built in an area of 150 square kilometres some 40 kilometres to the north of the North Sea island of Juist.

Off the north coast of Wales, RWE Innogy is already operating the offshore wind farms North Hoyle (60 MW) and Rhyl Flats (90 MW). The decision was recently taken to build a third wind power plant off the coat of Wales, Gwynt y Môr (576 MW). The second, identical, installation ship will be used to build that farm. In addition, the company presently has a 50 percent stake in the construction of the 504 MW wind farm Greater Gabbard off the southeast coast of England. Alone or with partners, RWE Innogy is presently developing further major projects in the UK, such as Triton Knoll (1,200 MW), Atlantic Array (1,500 MW), Galloper (500 MW) and Dogger Bank (around 9,000 MW). In Belgium, the company is also involved in the Thornton Bank wind farm, which in its first stage (30 MW) is already in commercial operation, and is also developing the offshore wind power project Tromp Binnen (300 MW) in the Netherlands.

Pramac WT1KW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine 240V

See the full Spec at www.orionairsales.com








Pramac WT1KW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine 240V

As seen at EcoBuild 2011

A completey innovative design that utilizes perminant magnet technology. The unit is of light weight and reduced size for superior performance. The wind generator has been designed in compliance with IEC 61400-2, class IV and produces 240V.

The values indicated below refer to the following conditions:
Temperature: -20/+50°C
Humidity: <95%
Air density: 1.225 kg/m3
Solar radiation: 1000 W/m2

key product Features:

Rotor

Darrieus rotor type
3-blades
Power output at wind speed 10 m/s
410W
Power output at wind speed 14 m/s
1000W
Cut-in wind speed
3 m/s
Cut-off wind speed
15 m/s
Diameter x height
1,45 m x 1,45 m
Sweep area
2,10 m2
Rotor weight (alternator included)
65 Kg
Braking system
passive
Max revolution speed
415 rpm
Acoustic pression LpA from 4 mt
52 dB(A)
Acoustic power LWA
72 dB(A)

Alternator

Type
Permanent magnets
Phase number
3
Poles number
32
Nominal power
1 kW @ 14 m/s
Nominal voltage
240 Vac @ 14 m/s

WT1KW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine 240V

WT1KW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine 240V










A complete innovative design that utilizes perminant magnet technology. The unit is of light weight ,reduced size for superior performance. The wind generator has been designed in compliance with IEC 61400-2, class IV and produces 240V

The values indicated below refer to the following conditions:
Temperature: -20/+50°C
Humidity: <95%
Air density: 1.225 kg/m3
Solar radiation: 1000 W/m2
key product Features:
Rotor

Darrieus rotor type
3-blades
Power output at wind speed 10 m/s
410W
Power output at wind speed 14 m/s
1000W
Cut-in wind speed
3 m/s
Cut-off wind speed
15 m/s
Diameter x height
1,45 m x 1,45 m
Sweep area
2,10 m2
Rotor weight (alternator included)
65 Kg
Braking system
passive
Max revolution speed
415 rpm
Acoustic pression LpA from 4 mt
52 dB(A)
Acoustic power LWA
72 dB(A)


Alternator

Type
Permanent magnets
Phase number
3
Poles number
32
Nominal power
1 kW @ 14 m/s
Nominal voltage
240 Vac @ 14 m/s

E.ON wins planning approval for 47.5MW wind farm in Scotland

E.ON has secured planning permission from the Highland Council to build a new 47.5MW onshore wind farm near Garve in the Scottish Highlands.

The wind farm will consist of 19 turbines which can provide renewable electricity to power approximately 21,000 homes every year.

E.ON regional director of renewables in the UK Dave Rogers said the development will not only provide clean renewable electricity for Scotland, but will also enable the nation to meet its renewable energy targets.

Currently, the company is building two onshore wind farms in the Highlands, one near Caithness and the other at Rosehall.

The company also owns and operates a biomass power station in Lockerbie and Robin Rigg, which was completed in 2010.

Earlier E.ON also won the exclusive right to explore the potential for new wind energy projects on two lots of land owned by Forestry Commission Scotland.

Protesters celebrate after beauty-spot wind farm scrapped

Published Date: 02 March 2011
By JOHN ROSS
CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans for an offshore wind farm at Kintyre have welcomed the news that the project has been abandoned.
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) has decided to halt work on the development and instead concentrate on a site off Islay.

SSE was granted exclusive rights to develop both sites by the Crown Estate in 2009.

The Kintyre site, 2km off Kintyre,ADVERTISEMENT

west of Machrihanish, was earmarked for a 378MW, 105-turbine development which would cover about 70sq km. An application was expected to be submitted in early 2012.

But the company said site survey work and consultations identified factors that led it to decide not to proceed further. These include the proximity to Campbeltown Airport and communities and the impact on recreational sailing.

SSE says survey work shows the Islay site, 13km off the west coast of the island, is suitable for the development of a viable wind farm, although it presents challenges from difficult weather and seabed conditions.

However, SSE says these can be overcome and it expects to submit an application to develop the site to the Scottish Government around the end of 2013.

Colin Hood, chief operating officer of SSE, said: "Having assessed the wind resource, listened to the concerns of local residents, businesses and other stakeholders, and having regard to the impact of Campbeltown Airport and the recreational sailing community, we believe our decision to halt the development of the Kintyre site is the responsible course of action to take. We are grateful to everyone who took part in our consultations on the project.

"Islay has massive potential to contribute to the Scottish and UK governments' renewable energy targets. Our proposed timetable for developing this site will allow time for the innovative development of the offshore technology and construction techniques necessary to build a wind farm in such a challenging environment."

Mr Hood said SSE remained committed to developing offshore wind power in the UK - with wind farms at Greater Gabbard, off the Suffolk coast, and Walney, off Cumbria, producing their first electricity in January.

The firm also has plans to develop offshore sites at Galloper, off Suffolk, and Beatrice, off the east coast of Scotland, with applications expected within the next 12 months.

The Kintyre Offshore Windfarm Action Group (KOWAG) was set up to oppose the proposed development. It argued that the scale of the planned development would destroy views and harm tourism, with knock-on effects on golf and sailing in the area.

The group also said the project would impact on house prices, harm the marine environment and bird life, and affect the livelihoods of local residents.

Bob Miller, vice-chairman of KOWAG, said he believed the campaign had a huge influence on the U-turn: "We are delighted to hear of the decision by SSE.

Vertical axis wind turbines could replace conventional offshore ones

Vertical axis turbines could replace conventional offshore ones, study finds
Emily Smoucha
28th February 2011
Vertical axis wind turbines could provide an alternative method of green energy production from conventional horizontal offshore wind turbines, a study has found.
The Energy Technology Institute (ETI) commissioned the NOVA project to study whether using vertical axis turbines could help reduce the cost of energy production offshore.

Estimates show that if offshore wind reaches a 30 gigawatts (GW) capacity, then about 50 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year. But turbulence can greatly affect the productivity of conventional, horizontal offshore wind turbines, making them run less efficiently.

The £2.8 million NOVA study examined whether vertical axis wind turbines could offer cheaper electricity due to the size and scale of the machines as well as simpler maintenance when compared to conventional turbines.

"Traditional horizontal offshore wind turbines have adapted the existing technology found in onshore turbines," said Dr David Clarke, ETI chief executive. "The NOVA feasibility project is a radical concept which demonstrates that vertical axis machines are technically feasible and could be used in certain circumstances."

Aerogenerator X
The NOVA project began in 2009 and tested Wind Power Limited's 10MW Aerogenerator X vertical axis turbine. It was conducted alongside two other ETI offshore wind studies, Deepwater, which has concluded, and Helm Wind, which will be completed shortly and is assessing the complete design system for an offshore wind turbine array, including installation, design, aerodynamics, electrical systems, control and maintenance.

"[NOVA] provided us with lots of information that, along with the results from our other two novel turbine projects, will help inform our decisions on the type of technologies we will be looking for in the next stage of our offshore wind programme," Clarke said. "The next stage should see a demonstrator built and tested at sea, which will build on the insights from all three projects."

Floating turbines
Additionally, the study investigated how both fixed and floating structures performed. It concluded that the floating turbines functioned well at areas over 60 metres, as high wind speeds help reduce the cost of energy production.

"It has been really exciting to see how the design and cost of energy for such an innovative concept has potential to bring about a step change in the offshore wind industry," said Annie Hairsine, of OTM Consulting. "Significant experience and knowledge has been developed in Phase One placing the UK in a unique position to lead the market for vertical axis turbines."

The NOVA project was conducted by a consortia that included Wind Power Limited, OTM Consulting, Cranfield University, , the University of Strathclyde, Sheffield University, James Ingram & Associates, CEFAS and QinetiQ.

THOUSANDS of people in East Yorkshire will be trained to work on wind turbines at the first centre of its kind in the UK

THOUSANDS of people in East Yorkshire will be trained to work on wind turbines at the first centre of its kind in the UK.

The Mail can reveal around 3,000 people a year are expected to be trained in the construction and maintenance of wind turbines at a purpose-built centre in Hull.

The centre will include a 20 metre-high tower to enable learners to get up to speed with climbing huge turbines, offering practical experience for a range of renewables jobs.

This will be complemented by a 25 metre-high training tower on the city's Albert Dock, where prospective employees can also practice working at heights and in confined spaces.


There are also plans to site a turbine tower on the quay side.

Training will be available to anyone looking for a new career, ranging from school and college-leavers to former caravan workers made redundant.

The new training centre is the first tangible proof of the Humber becoming a "super cluster" for the UK's booming renewables industry.

It comes after global energy giant Siemens announced plans to build a huge turbine manufacturing factory in Hull, which is expected to create around 10,000 jobs.

The training centre will open in June and will help provide the workforce for Siemens and other companies.

It is a partnership between Humberside Offshore Training Association (HOTA) and Total Access .

Linda Ellis, general manager at HOTA, said: "This is going to be a unique facility for the wind power industry – not just unique to the region, but to the rest of the country."

The company has invested around £250,000 in the training centre, in Malmo Road, east Hull.

It currently trains around 5,000 people a year in offshore work, such as that on oil rigs.

HOTA expects to train around 3,000 people specifically for the renewable sector every year.

Andrew Dack, managing director of Total Access (UK) Ltd, said: "We are in a strong position to deliver the needs of the renewable energy market from the UK's only purpose-built facility that serves both the marine and land based renewable energy training requirements."

News of the new facility comes just weeks after Siemens announced Hull's Alexandra Dock as the preferred location for its turbine factory.

Mike Sellers, deputy port manager at Associated British Ports (ABP), which owns the dock, said: "This certainly complements the message that the Humber is the ideal location for a renewables super cluster.

"We have always said that Hull and the Humber is the ideal location for firms looking to cash in on the renewables sector.

"Now there is a definite buzz around the place and a positive feel that we can really do this."

HOTA revealed its proposals to the Mail yesterday at a major renewables event at the University of Hull.

The event -Renewing the Humber – was set up to help businesses and investors understand the opportunities in the region's renewables sector and how they could benefit from them.

HOTA had already been in the process of expansion onto a property next to its existing training centre in Malmo Road, where it planned to transfer and expand some of its existing facilities.

The Mail previously reported how Endeavour School, on Beverley Road, could be closed and turned into another training centre for the renewables industry.

Super Angel Fund aims to bring 10 companies to an initial public offering by 2025 has announced its first major investment

A so-called 'super angel fund' which aims to bring 10 companies to an initial public offering by 2025 has announced its first major investment.

Lough Shore Investments in Belfast has given the cash injection to wind energy firm Simple Power, which focuses on generating power from single wind turbines.

A spokesman for Lough Shore, which was founded last year by ex-Wombat chief executive Danny Moore, would not confirm the sum of the investment but revealed it was considerable.

Earlier this month Mr Moore said he wanted to target renewable energy firms, though the fund recently invested in a technology start-up.

Simple Power, which was set up by planning consultant Paul Carson, wants to invest over £50m in Northern Ireland's wind energy market over the next five years.

Ultimately it hopes to help produce more than 50MW of wind energy every year by 2015.

Danny Moore said the venture "ticked all the right boxes" for Lough Shore Investments.

"We want to invest in high potential management teams and partner with them to build great businesses.

"As a first investment, Simple Power could not fit those criteria better. Their management team is second to none, boasting individuals with a proven track record of success both here and abroad

"Their innovative solution is scalable, making it possible to deploy right across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. It possesses all the ingredients required to be a great business."

Mr Moore added that Lough Shore would aim to help develop energy possibilities in off-shore wind, biomass and hydro power.

Paul Carson, chief executive of Simple Power, said its business model was built on "dealing openly, honestly and fairly with landowners and farmers".

"They're integral to our business model and we have no doubt this unique approach will make Simple Power the primary renewable energy source in Northern Ireland in the years to come.

"We're delighted to partner with Lough Shore Investments.

"Simple Power is setting out on a journey to harness the vast renewable energy potential that exists in Northern Ireland."

As chief executive of financial software business Wombat, Mr Moore rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange when the firm was bought by NYSE Euronext.

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/angel-fund-targets-10-startups-for-ipo-bid-15093377.html#ixzz1EmEVlnqD

Offshore Wind Farm in UK begins generating power from its first turbine

Walney Offshore Wind Farm, located 15km west of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, UK, began generating power from its first turbine in January 2011. The turbine is connected to the national grid through an offshore transformer at Heysham.

The project consists of 102 turbines being installed in two phases, Walney I and Walney II. Estimated at £1bn, the project will deliver 367.2MW of combined energy sufficient to power more than 320,000 households in UK.


It is owned by Dong Energy (50.1%), Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE-25.1%) and a consortium of PGGM and Dutch Ampère Equity Fund (24.8%).

Dong Energy is the leading partner and operator of the wind farm. It has signed a 15-year long term power purchase agreement (PPA) with the consortium of PGGM and Dutch Ampère Equity Fund for the purchase of the consortium's share of electricity from the project.

The company plans to sell power purchased from the consortium and the environmental benefits received from the British Government in the local market.

Plant details

Walney is being constructed along a north-west to south-east direction. It will cover an area of approximately 73km².

Walney I and II will each have 51 Siemens turbines with a rated capacity of 3.6MW. The turbines will be 749m-958m apart and installed in rows.

Turbines installed at Walney I will have a rotor diameter of 107m and are 137m tall to the tip of the blade.

Walney II will have turbines with a rotor diameter of 120m. They will have a maximum height of 150m to the centre of the hub.

The turbine arrays will be connected by underwater sea cables to an offshore substation where the voltage will be stepped up from 34kV to 132kV before being exported to an onshore substation.

"Dong Energy is the leading partner and operator of the wind farm."
Development

The project was initially 100% owned by Dong Energy. In December 2009 SSE acquired 25.1% share in the project, which was followed by a consortium of PGGM and Dutch Ampère Equity Fund acquiring 24.8% in December 2010.

The consortium paid £16m to acquire the share. It will also share the project construction cost on a pro-rata basis. The purchase price, however, did not include payment for transmission assets which will be owned by a separate operator in future.

Dong Energy will provide interim finance to the consortium for their share of the construction cost. PGGM / Dutch Ampère Equity Fund will provide external financing to Dong Energy upon completion of the project.

Construction

Construction of Walney I commenced in March 2010. The monopiles were laid by jack-up vessels Vagant and Goliath operated by Belgium-based GeoSea.

The first monopole was installed in April 2010. The export cable was shipped to the site at the same time.

The monopiles are placed 30m deep into the seabed. Each monopile is 56m tall and weighs 550t.

The Walney I offshore substation was placed within the wind farm area. It weighs 1,100t and was erected in June 2010.

Seajacks Kraken and Seajacks Leviathan owned by Seajacks UK have been contracted for the turbine installations in Walney I and Walney II respectively. Sea Worker, a jack-up barge operated by A2Sea, has already installed five wind turbines at the site.

The first turbine was installed in July 2010. It is now generating power for the national grid. All the turbines of Walney I had been installed by December 2010.

The construction vessel Pompei is placing stones at a radius of 15m around the foundation to mark the cable and turbine installation positions.

Walney II is scheduled to begin installations in March 2011. It is expected to come online by the end of the year.

The turbines in Walney II will be placed 25m-30m deep, which will require longer and heavier monopiles weighing up to 800t.

Onshore cabling work is underway in Cleveleys near Blackpool.

Power generated by Walney II will be brought onshore in front of Thornton gate through a 132kV underwater cable. It will be connected to a new substation which is currently under construction along the route to Hill House Industrial Estate.

The cargo ship Annette owned by SAL was contracted to deliver the monopoles to the site.

Stemat 82, a cable installation vessel, is being used to install the array cables in the seabed. The cables are placed in the J-tube and protected with a layer of rocks to prevent scouring.

Walney Wind Farm contractors

Seabed Power was awarded the contract for transporting and installing more than 92km of 33kV array cables for Walney I. The cables were supplied by the nkt cables group.

"Dong Energy plans to extend the Walney offshore wind farm by a further 750MW."
Seabed Power was also responsible for laying 44km and 43km of 132kV export cables in two different routes. The cables were supplied by Prysmian Group in a €24.5m contract. Prysmian was also awarded a €18m contract to supply similar 132kV cables for Walney II.

The offshore substation steel structures and jackets were contracted to Bladt Industries in 2009. The first set for Walney I was delivered in May 2010 while the second set is underway construction.

The aluminium hydraulic cylinders were manufactured by Holmatro.

Powerstream Electrical Services built the onshore substation at Heysham in a contract worth $1.1m in June 2010.

Other major contractors to Walney I are EEW-Special Pipes Construction (SPC) Rostock for the manufacture of 51 monopiles, Visser & Smit Marine Contracting (VSMC) for the Stemat 82 cable lay vessel, Tekmar Solutions for a cable protection system, Proserv Offshore for cleaning of the marine growth around the pile and Ledsham for the construction of an 11kV substation for Siemens.

Walney II contractors include A2Sea and Ballast Nedam for installation of the foundations, Norway-based Draka Norsk Kabel (DNK) for installing the inter-array cables and associated logistics and Offshore Marine Management (OMM) for termination and testing of inter-array cables.

Dong Energy signed an agreement with Associated British Ports (ABP) to use 18 acres of the Barrow area for handling essential components of the wind turbines during construction.

Audit of the barge and tugs used in the project is being carried by Specialist Marine Consultants.

NIRAS was contracted for a number of consultation works related to the project, including geophysical surveys, management of installations, logistics planning and so on.

Future

Dong Energy plans to extend the Walney offshore wind farm by a further 750MW. The company signed a lease agreement with the Crown Estate in May 2010. The proposal is expected to be submitted for planning consent in 2013.

The extension is expected to cover an area of 145km². It will include one offshore substation, 33kV array cables, three core underwater offshore cables and an onshore connection point at either Heysham, Stanah or Penwortham substation.

In 2010, wind energy competitiveness greatly increased

The cost of wind turbines on the main international wind farm markets fell below one million euro per MW, which is the lowest wind power generation cost that was ever registered.

Oversupply and increased manufacturing efficiency. According to the most recent edition of the Wind Turbine Price Index published by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, this is why in 2010 all major wind farm markets registered a sharp fall in prices of onshore wind turbines.

The Bloomberg NE index examined more than 150 sale contracts of onshore wind turbines, for a total of nearly 7,000 MW in 28 countries around the world, focusing on Europe and the Americas. It was found that in the first half of the year the average price of wind turbines for the buyer was 980,000 €/MW (with peaks of 900,000), recording a 7% decrease over the previous year and a 19% drop compared with the peak reached in 2007-2008.

Specifically, UK, USA and Italy benefited the most from the reduced cost of wind turbines.

According to Bloomberg NE, wind energy generation cost has currently reached its all-time lowest point. In a number of wind installations located in areas with excellent wind conditions (in the US, Sweden, Mexico and Brazil), the current cost of generated energy (including capital and maintenance costs and excluding the effect of incentives ) roughly amounts to $68 per MWh (50 €). For comparison, according to Bloomberg updated average cost of coal power plants amounts to $67 per MWh and $56 MWh for gas-fired plants.

Dropping wind turbine prices may be uncomfortable for manufacturers, but it is good news for wind farm project developers and it further improves the cost-competitiveness of wind energy compared with gas and coal. The main conclusions of the analysis are:

• Global turbine contracts signed in late 2010 for delivery in H1 2011 and H2 2011 display very aggressive pricing, with average values at €0.98m/MW ($1.33m/MW). This is a 7% decrease compared to contracts signed in 2009 (€1.06m/MW) and 19% down from peak values in 2007-08 (€1.21m/MW).

• The decrease in the Wind Turbine Price Index is partly driven by a larger proportion of US based contracts compared to the previous issue of the Index (July 2010), but pricing remains aggressive in all parts of the world.

• Low-priced power-purchase-agreements in markets with exposure to electricity prices – rather than fixed feed-in tariffs – seem to have put further pressure on turbine contracts: Italy, the UK and the US all display average pricing well below €1m/MW for contracts signed in 2010 for delivery in H2 2011. The US presents the lowest pricing of all markets so far with values averaging $1.27m/MW (€0.93/MW).

• All manufacturers covered by the survey have displayed aggressive pricing, including several contracts for leading ("Tier 1") manufacturers – in some cases below €0.90m/MW ($1.22m/MW).

• The cost of electricity generated from wind power is now at record lows: several wind farm projects in high resource areas (US, Brazil, Sweden, Mexico) display a levelised cost of energy – excluding the impact of subsidies but after including the cost of capital and maintenance – below EUR 50/MWh ($68/MWh). This compares to current estimated average costs of $67 per MWh for coal-fired power and $56 per MWh for gas-fired power.

• Onshore turbine prices per MW of capacity are now for the first time lower than they were before the surge in steel and other commodity prices. The levelised cost of wind power has been driven down not only by lower turbine costs, but also by higher yields per MW of capacity.

• Procurement officers for the developers in the survey expect prices to stabilise around current levels for 2011 and 2012, with few further reductions in the near term. They expect gradual increases in pricing from 2012–13 as global demand recovers.

The Bloomberg New Energy Finance Wind Turbine Price Index includes the cost of turbines, as well as transport to site (marine and overland) but excludes VAT, construction and connection costs.

Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, commented: “The latest edition of our Wind Turbine Price Index shows wind continuing to become a competitive source of large-scale power. For the past few years, wind turbine costs went up due to rising demand around the world and the increasing price of steel. Behind the scenes wind manufacturers were reducing their costs, and now we are seeing just how cheap wind energy can be when overcapacity in the supply chain works its way through to developers."


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