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German utility opens wind farm in Wales
Llandudno, Wales (UPI) Dec 2, 2009 German utility RWE, one of Europe's largest emitters of greenhouse gases, on Wednesday opened an offshore wind farm in Wales. Located 5 miles off the coast of northern Wales in Liverpool Bay, the Rhyl Flats farm consists of 25 Siemens-made turbines with a total generation capacity of 90 MW -- enough to power 61,000 homes, the company said. The farm, which RWE says is the biggest renewable energy power station in Wales, was completed after just 14 months of construction. "RWE is moving at a fast pace with the development of renewable energies," RWE CEO Juergen Grossmann said in a statement. "RWE Innogy is one of the fastest growing companies in this sector in Europe. We intend to have projects with a volume of 10,000 megawatts in operation by 2020." The company says it is investing $1.5 billion into renewable energy projects across Europe, with most of those on- and offshore wind farms located in Britain. Officials praise that tendency as it helps London to reach its target of generating a third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Welsh Secretary Peter Hain told the BBC he believes that Wales has the potential to become a world leader in renewable energy generation. "In Wales we are surrounded by wind, wave and tidal resources just waiting to be exploited, which puts us in a prime position to benefit from the jobs and investment that will be created through the U.K.'s green economy," he told the BBC. "By 2020 there is a potential for 86,000 jobs to be created and many billions invested into the economy across the U.K. through exploiting all our wind and tidal resources. This will have a huge impact on the green economy of the U.K." RWE Innogy has been running the 60-MW offshore wind farm North Hoyle off the Welsh coast since 2004 and is planning to construct an additional, huge wind farm a few miles further south. The so-called Gwynt y Mor project is a proposed 750 MW farm that would be capable of powering nearly half the homes in Wales. RWE Innogy also has a 50 percent share in the Greater Gabbard Wind Farm that is due to be completed in 2011 at a total capacity of 500 MW. RWE has in the past year been eager to portray itself as a major investor in renewable energy projects. Its overall carbon footprint remains substantial due to numerous coal-fired power plants it runs across Europe. Essen-based RWE employs 65,000 people and is Germany's second-largest energy company. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Wind Energy News at Wind Daily
Alaskans look to wind power benefitsAnchorage, Alaska (UPI) Nov 29, 2009 Alaskan communities are increasingly turning to wind, solar and geothermal power as alternative energy sources, experts say. Federal and state grants for construction and federal tax credits for existing systems often help cover the tab for the alternative energy, which reduces dependence on expensive diesel fuel, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The possibility of selling ... read more |
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