Category Archives: OpEd

Costs fall in French onshore wind energy tender

Costs have fallen in the latest French onshore wind tender, according to the results released by the French Government. 22 projects totalling 508 MW have won the tender. They won on price alone.  The weighted average winning price was €65 MW/h. This was lower than the current tariff for smaller projects (€72 MW/h) and the … Continue reading Costs fall in French onshore wind energy tender

Continue reading

Wind energy and solar power could meet four-fifths of US electricity demand, study finds

The United States could reliably meet about 80 per cent of its electricity demand with solar and wind power generation, according to scientists at the University of California, Irvine (UCI); the California Institute of Technology; and the Carnegie Institution for Science.     However, meeting 100 per cent of electricity demand with only solar and … Continue reading Wind energy and solar power could meet four-fifths of US electricity demand, study finds

Continue reading

What Tucker Carlson got wrong about wind energy

Homegrown energy. Jobs growing nine times faster than the overall economy. Investment in farming and factory towns in need of new opportunities. Normally, these are ideas promoted by someone like Tucker Carlson. However, Tucker Carlson Tonight ran a segment about wind energy this weekend, and the coverage was inaccurate to say the least. Also missing … Continue reading What Tucker Carlson got wrong about wind energy

Continue reading

WindEurope CEO addresses the economic benefits of deploying wind energy at EU Industry Day

On 23 February WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson spoke at the Clean Energy Industrial Forum (CEIF) session chaired by Director General for Energy Dominique Ristori in the context of the EU Industry Day. Giles Dickson stressed: “The wind industry supports 263,000 jobs in Europe and contributes €36bn to EU GDP including €8bn exports. Many communities benefit … Continue reading WindEurope CEO addresses the economic benefits of deploying wind energy at EU Industry Day

Continue reading

South Africa’s wind energy industry hails Ramaphosa’s commitment

South Africa’s wind Industry the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has applauded the newly elected South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to stabilise state owned enterprises. The Association also praised Minister Gigaba’s reiteration of the president’s sentiments in yesterday’s Budget Speech. “We applaud President Ramaphosa’s unequivocal commitment in the State of the Nation Address … Continue reading South Africa’s wind energy industry hails Ramaphosa’s commitment

Continue reading

First 2018 onshore wind energy auction in Germany

Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) announced the winners of the first onshore wind auction for 2018. 83 projects with a total capacity of 709 MW were awarded a contract. 132 projects with a total capacity of 989 MW participated in the auction. The prices of successful bids ranged from €38/MWh to €52.80/MWh. The average was … Continue reading First 2018 onshore wind energy auction in Germany

Continue reading

EU doubling renewables by 2030 positive for economy

The European Union (EU) can increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to 34 per cent by 2030 – double the share in 2016 – with a net positive economic impact, finds a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), launched in Brussels. Presenting the findings during a launch event, ‘Renewable … Continue reading EU doubling renewables by 2030 positive for economy

Continue reading

Checking in on #iheartwind this Valentine’s Day

We’re halfway through this year’s #iheartwind campaign, and so far we’ve seen nearly 650 posts on Twitter and Instagram from people telling us why they love wind power. The reasons vary– some support wind for it’s job creation, some for its investment in rural America, and others because it’s a source of low-cost clean energy. … Continue reading Checking in on #iheartwind this Valentine’s Day

Continue reading

Did you know the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics are powered by wind energy?

Last night my husband and I sat down to watch the women’s snowboarding halfpipe final in the Winter Olympics. In case you missed it, Californian Chloe Kim lived up to expectations and clinched the gold medal for the U.S. Of course, working in the wind industry, I was nearly as excited by her win as … Continue reading Did you know the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics are powered by wind energy?

Continue reading

How Renewables Will Change the Geopolitical Map of the World

The rapid growth of renewable energy will have a profound effect on geopolitics worldwide, writes energy expert Walt Patterson, a fellow at Chatham House in London. In this article, he explores the many ways in which “fire-free electricity” will transform political and economic relations. Geopolitics, as the name suggests, is the interaction between geography and … Continue reading How Renewables Will Change the Geopolitical Map of the World

Continue reading

Avoiding blackouts with 100% renewable energy

Renewable energy solutions are often hindered by the inconsistencies of power produced by wind, water and sunlight and the continuously fluctuating demand for energy. New research by Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, and Aalborg University in Denmark finds several … Continue reading Avoiding blackouts with 100% renewable energy

Continue reading

Offshore wind energy in Europe grew 25% in 2017

2017 was a record year for offshore wind in Europe according to statistics released today by WindEurope. Europe installed 3.1 GW of new offshore wind, taking total capacity to 15.8 GW, an increase of 25% in just one year.   13 new offshore wind farms were completed, including the world’s first floating offshore wind farm, … Continue reading Offshore wind energy in Europe grew 25% in 2017

Continue reading

A new type of wind power customer should factor into transmission planning

Transmission expansion is a constant topic of conversation throughout the U.S. wind industry. But the latest report from the Wind Energy Foundation (WEF) adds a new dimension to the discussion, and highlights an important oversight by transmission planners: demand for wind energy from corporate buyers like Google, GM and Nike. Upgrading our nation’s transmission infrastructure … Continue reading A new type of wind power customer should factor into transmission planning

Continue reading

Changes before Ohio siting board would be death sentence for wind power

The American Wind Energy Association and the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition submitted comments today to the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) opposing changes to the wind farm setback waiver process proposed by long-time wind opponent State Representative Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati). AWEA released this statement: “State Rep. Seitz’s proposal to the Ohio Power Siting Board would twist … Continue reading Changes before Ohio siting board would be death sentence for wind power

Continue reading

U.S. wind power industry closed 2017 strong, delivering 7,017 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity

The U.S. wind power industry closed 2017 strong, delivering 7,017 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity representing $11 billion in new private investment, according to the U.S. Wind Industry Fourth Quarter 2017 Market Report, released today. Twenty-nine new wind farms totaling 4,125 MW came online across 16 states in the fourth quarter. The wind … Continue reading U.S. wind power industry closed 2017 strong, delivering 7,017 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity

Continue reading

92 percent of wind energy project neighbors positive or neutral toward turbines

Over 1.3 million U.S. homes are located within five miles of a large wind turbine. But there hadn’t been a nationwide survey to learn how those people felt about their local wind project – until now. A study led by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that more than … Continue reading 92 percent of wind energy project neighbors positive or neutral toward turbines

Continue reading

Wind energy can help drive industrial transformation in Europe

On 24 January WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson joined representatives of the Industry4Europe group to meet El?bieta Bie?kowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Ms Bie?kowska convened the meeting to discuss the Commission’s Industrial Policy Strategy with the Industry4Europe group (representing 126 manufacturing sectors).  The latter presented a series of recommendations to the Commission on … Continue reading Wind energy can help drive industrial transformation in Europe

Continue reading

WindEurope discuss EU technology dependence at the European Commission

On 23 January WindEurope participated in the Energy Technology Dependence Workshop at the European Commission. The event was organized in the context of a project carried out for DG RTD by Trinomics, Ricardo, DNV-GL and TNO. The project aims to both develop a better understanding of EU technology dependence in the field of renewable energy … Continue reading WindEurope discuss EU technology dependence at the European Commission

Continue reading

People are really excited about the responses to Xcel Energy’s Colorado RFP

At first blush, responses to a utility RFP for new capacity might not be the sort of news that sets the world on fire. But energy wonks are downright ecstatic over the results to Xcel Energy’s recent Colorado solicitation. Xcel received over 400 bids in response to its all-energy-source RFP, and wind power led the … Continue reading People are really excited about the responses to Xcel Energy’s Colorado RFP

Continue reading