Wind Power and Wind Power Plants (Russia and the World)

Main article: Alternative power

Negative impact of wind power

As of 2016, wind generators lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of birds annually. The cumulative effect of such an intervention in the local biosphere is a imbalance in food chains, and as a result, farmers have to use insecticides to preserve crops.

In addition, an increased electromagnetic background is created around wind farms, which makes lands within a radius of at least hundreds of meters unfavorable for living and cultivation.

In Russia

2024: Gazprombank withdrew from the capital of Rosatom, which is building wind farms

On April 1, 2024, it became known about Gazprombank's withdrawal from the capital of VetroOGK-2, which is engaged in the construction of wind farms. As a result, Rosatoma became the sole owner of the project. Read more here.

2023

En + Group invests 60 billion rubles in the construction of a 1 GW wind farm in the Amur region

On September 11, 2023, the En + group announced a project for the construction of a wind farm (WES) in the Belogorsk district of the Amur region. The corresponding agreement was concluded with the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (KRDV) and the Government of the Amur Region. Read more here.

Lukoil has built the world's most powerful wind farm in the Arctic Circle

In June 2023, it became known about the launch of the world's largest wind farm (WES) beyond the Arctic Circle. The project was implemented by Lukoil. Read more here.

Berestovskaya Wind Power Plant built for 8 billion rubles gave the first current for the Russian power system

On January 1, 2023, the Berestovskaya Wind Farm (WES) in the Stavropol Territory began supplying electricity and capacity to the wholesale electricity and capacity market. This was reported by the press service of NovaWind, which as part of Rosatom manages all wind power projects of the state corporation. Read more here.

2021: "Wind Energy Development Fund" commissioned 478 MW of capacity

The Wind Energy Development Fund (a joint investment fund created on a parity basis by Rusnano Group and Fortum PJSC) has begun industrial operation of wind farms in the Astrakhan, Volgograd and Rostov regions with a total capacity of 478 MW. Rusnano reported this on December 1, 2021. Read more here.

2019

Novak: the cost of building wind farms in the Russian Federation has decreased to the price of building a thermal power plant

According to the minister, power engineering specialists Russia the cost of electricity from renewable energy sources nevertheless costs consumers several times more expensive

Capital costs for the construction of wind farms in Russia are decreasing and have already equaled the price of the construction of gas turbine CHPPs in terms of plant costs for the production of 1 kW h. This was announced by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak at a forum of future leaders of the World Oil Council.

"The cost of capital expenditures for the generation of 1 kWh for the construction of wind generation was equal to the cost of thermal generation with the generation of electricity on gas," he said.

Novak stressed that the cost of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES) nevertheless costs consumers several times more expensive due to the high cost of its production and operation.

"If we talk about the cost of electricity for consumers, then it is several times more expensive," the minister said.

Wind farm owners will be able to sell energy

Citizens who own windmills up to 15 kW will be able to sell surplus energy. The State Duma will consider the bill on the legal regulation of the use of windmills and other renewable sources of low power energy in the first reading at a plenary meeting on February 6^[1].

It is proposed to amend the law "On Electric Power Industry." The bill was developed by the Ministry of Energy of Russia in accordance with the Action Plan to stimulate the development of generating facilities based on renewable energy sources (RES) with an installed capacity of up to 15 kW. Such sources of energy include wind and solar power plants.

It is proposed to introduce into Russian legislation the concept and criteria of the object of microgeneration, and create legal grounds to stimulate the development of renewable energy sources. It is established that the peculiarities of connecting to electric networks, the possibility of selling energy, the peculiarities of commercial accounting of energy volumes will be approved by the government. Also, the Cabinet of Ministers may be empowered to determine cases and the procedure for the conclusion by grid organizations of contracts for the sale and purchase of electric energy from citizens.

In accordance with the document, citizens will be able to sell surplus energy generated for their own needs, and at the same time will not pay taxes. According to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the adoption of the document will simplify the procedure for placing wind farms, and will provide their owners with the opportunity not only to sell surplus electricity generated in retail markets, but also to take electricity from the grid if necessary. "The adoption of the bill will also allow owners of microgeneration facilities to save significant funds on the purchase of expensive batteries," said Dmitry Medvedev.

Wind farms with a total capacity of up to 300 MW will be built in the Saratov region

"Saratov region is actively promoting the direction of renewable energy development. In 2017, the first solar power plants began work. Now the turn has reached the wind, "said the governor of the Saratov region Valery Radaev

.

The Wind Energy Development Fund and the government of the Saratov Region signed a legally non-binding cooperation agreement in February 2019, which provides for the construction of wind farms in the region in 2019-2023 with a total capacity of up to 300 MW.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Russian Investment Forum in Sochi. The signatures in the document were put by Valery Radaev, Governor of the Saratov Region, and Alexander Chuvaev, General Director of LLC UK "Wind Power" (UK "Wind Power"). The agreement defines the general principles of cooperation between the parties on the development and implementation of projects for the construction of wind farms in the region. Investments will be made on the basis of individual solutions.

It will become easier to build wind farms in the Far East

The Russian government has excluded excessive requirements for the construction of wind farms. The corresponding decree was signed in January 2019 by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

The document excludes excessive requirements for the design, construction and operation of generating facilities operating on the basis of renewable energy sources. In particular, the need to establish protection zones in relation to wind farms is excluded, since such facilities are not critical, technological violations in their work do not entail socio-economic, environmental and other consequences for the population and socially significant facilities. According to the developers of the document, the decision made will eliminate administrative barriers in the construction of wind farms, use in full the land plots located near wind power plants^[2].

Note that the "green power" is actively developing in the Far East and a number of wind farms are already operating. In November last year, a unique wind farm began operation in the Arctic village of Tiksi in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The wind farm is unique not only for Yakutia, but also for Russia as a whole. Three unique wind plants with a total capacity of 900 kW are made in the Arctic design for operation in the harsh conditions of the Arctic. They can operate at temperatures up to -50 degrees and are able to withstand winds up to 70 m/s. The wind diesel complex will increase the reliability of power supply to the isolated polar village of Tiksi, which now houses more than 4,600 people, and reduce its dependence on expensive imported fuel. According to preliminary estimates, diesel fuel savings will be up to 500 tons per year. As previously reported in RusHydro, after testing the unique technology, options for localizing the production of equipment in Russia and the possibility of replicating the technology in energy-insulated areas of the Far East may be considered.

The largest wind generating station in the Arctic zone of Russia operates on the Chukotka Cape of Observation. In addition to this station, according to a number of agreements signed under the WEF, similar ones will be built in several more areas of Chukotka.

As explained in the Ministry for the Development of Russia, the Ministry is ready to support the initiative of entrepreneurs to launch new projects for the development of alternative power. Stimulating projects in this area finds assistance at the government level. Thus, in October, changes were made to a number of regulatory legal acts of the government, which exclude excessive requirements for the process of design, construction and operation of generating facilities operating on the basis of renewable energy sources.

2018

Six wind farms will be built in the Rostov region

Over the next three years, it is planned to create six wind farms in the Rostov region, Governor Vasily Golubev^[3] at a meeting of the Investment Council in September 2018].

"Wind farms should be built in Azov, Kamensky, Krasnosulinsky, Volgodonsky, Dubovsky districts, Gukovo," said the head of the region. - In 2019, Volgodonsk plans to create an industrial production of modular steel towers for wind power plants with a capacity of 2.5 megawatts. Thus, by the end of 2019, a new industry will appear on the Don - wind power. The availability of new production facilities in the field power engineering specialists opens up additional opportunities for the development of the Don region. "

The creation of a new production facility for wind power in Volgodonsk will create 61 jobs, said Mikhail Tikhonov, Minister of Industry and power of the Rostov Region. The average salary in the new production will be 68 thousand rubles. As a result of the commissioning of this plant, the volume of tax revenues to the budgets of all levels will exceed 650 million rubles.

According to the head of the regional Ministry of Industry, an agreement has already been signed for the supply of 388 modular steel towers by the end of 2021 as part of a project to commission wind farms with a total capacity of 970 megawatts.

Thanks to the emergence of new industries, the Rostov Region may become one of the leaders in the production of wind electricity in Russia.

Nizhny Novgorod region will switch to wind power

In the city of Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region, the production of wind power gondolas has opened. The site was created with the support of the state-owned company Rusnano and Danish investors.

The opening ceremony of the plant was attended by the head of Rusnano Anatoly Chubais, the chief operating officer of Vestas Wind Systems A/S Jean-Marc Lechen, the president of Vestas Northern and Central Europe Niels de Baar and the acting governor of the region Gleb Nikitin. According to the governor, the authorities will discuss with Rusnano the possibilities of wind generation in the region. The volume of investments in innovative production amounted to 5 million euros - these funds were provided by Vestas.

"Rusnano" will launch the production of towers for wind generators

The state corporation Rusnano, together with the Spanish company Windar Renovables, plan to open the production of wind farm towers in Russia, RBC reports. Production will be opened in the Rostov region on the basis of an existing enterprise. Its modernization will be completed by the end of 2018.

Under the terms of the contract, Windar Renovables, as the main holder of shares, will provide the necessary documentation, as well as conduct specialized personnel training. Russian companies will supply up to 80% of the required raw materials.

It is planned that up to 3 billion rubles will be invested in the new enterprise within 6 years, 2 billion of which is expected from foreign investors. At the moment, the project is going through a documentary stage. However, both partners hope to complete this stage by the end of March 2018.

Fortum introduces 35 megawatts of wind generation at OREM

Since January 2018, the Fortum Wind Power Station (WES) in Ulyanovsk has been included in the power register. The new wind farm with an installed capacity of 35 megawatts became the first generating facility operating on the basis of wind energy, which began work in the wholesale electricity and capacity market (OREM). The Ulyanovsk wind farm will receive guaranteed payments for capacity under a capacity agreement (PDM) for 15 years.

The wind farm was built near the city of Ulyanovsk with a population of 620,000 people, located 680 km southeast of Moscow.

Growth in solar and wind generation is one of the cornerstones of Fortum's strategy. In 2017, Fortum and RUSNANO established the Fortum Energia investment fund on a parity basis, the purpose of which is to develop significant volumes of wind generation in Russia by PDM from 2018 to 2022.

2017

Rosatom chose RusHydro for the wind

VetroOGK (part of Rosatom) has chosen a designer for the first 150 MW of wind farms in Adygea, Deputy General Director of the company Andrei Demchuk said in November 2017 in Amsterdam. The designer will be a consortium of Mosoblhydroproekt, a member of RusHydro, Finnish Peikko (foundation work) and Danish DIS. Design work is due to be completed in March 2018. As Mr. Demchuk specified, Rosatom^[4]

Production of equipment for wind farms will be localized in Russia

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Vasily Osmakov held a meeting in June 2017 with representatives of Rusnano, Fortum and Vestas. The parties discussed the prospects for the implementation of joint wind generation projects in Russia and the conditions for concluding special investment contracts.

To invest in the construction of wind farms, Fortum and Rusnano created an investment fund of up to 30 billion rubles. The Danish company Vestas, one of the world leaders in the production of wind generators, will act as a global technological partner of the project.

"We are interested in creating a Russian enterprise with the transfer of our production technologies, know-how and personnel development programs. We hope that our joint project will contribute to the development of wind power in Russia, "said Tommy Rahbek Nielsen, Senior Vice President of Vestas. The main requirement for the vendor is the transfer of advanced technologies and the supply of products within the framework of a comprehensive solution for the construction and installation of a turnkey wind farm. At the same time, the production of the main components of wind power plants (VES) should be localized in the Russian Federation.

The meeting participants discussed projects to organize the production of steel towers from sheet steel and blades for VES using composite materials. The production of these components as part of the integrated supply of a wind power plant provides 31% of the contribution to the degree of localization and accounts for about 50% of the total cost of the VES.

During the meeting, it was considered appropriate to use the mechanism of special investment contracts for the implementation of these projects. Currently, negotiations are underway with a wide range of potential Russian technological partners for the supply of composite materials and rolled steel, localization of the production of towers, nacelle and hub elements, and electrical components.

Wind park in the Ulyanovsk region

In 2017, the Finnish company Fortum will complete the construction of the first wind farm in the Ulyanovsk region. Its design capacity will be 35 MW, and in the future it is planned to bring it to 350 MW. By 2024, the total capacity of wind generating plants in the region can reach 1 GW. Thus, in seven years, up to 30% of the electricity that will be used in the Ulyanovsk region will be produced using wind^[5]

The cost of the wind farm is 65 million euros. The funds are invested by a Finnish company that specializes in alternative energy sources and develops a careful attitude towards energy among consumers.

According to the head of the Ulyanovsk region, Sergei Morozov, a difficult situation prompted them to develop alternative energy sources: there was a shortage of energy in the industrialized region, which has to be purchased from "neighbors." And due to the complete absence of traditional raw materials of energy, the only way out was the construction of wind turbines for energy generation - fortunately, there is more than enough wind in the region.

In 2016, the Government of the Ulyanovsk Region agreed with the Chinese company Dongfang Electric Wind Power Co., Ltd (DEW) on cooperation in creating the production of blades for wind generators. Since the blades of modern wind power plants are huge in size - more than 50 meters - they need to be produced near the site of the future power plant. Therefore, it is planned to deploy the production of towers, blades, electrical components, protective coatings in the region. The region also has the ability to produce turbines for wind generators, which can also be used to localize production. This is all the more important because in accordance with the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation and the requirements of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which regulate the renewable power market, most of the components and basic materials for it must be produced in Russia.

In addition to purely technical and technological issues, a personnel problem is being successfully solved. A new area of ​ ​ training for specialists in alternative energy sources has already appeared at Ulyanovsk State Technical University. Thus, by the time the last stage of the wind farm is launched, the region will be able to provide its service with its own personnel.

Rusnano will spend 15 billion rubles on the construction of wind farms

The total project budget is about 100 billion, and the rubles share of JSC "" is 15 Rusnano billion. Two more investors are involved in the implementation of the construction of the wind farm. The partners' contribution will amount to another 15 billion rubles, and the project participants expect to receive the missing amount of 70 billion rubles under credit obligations.

"Our investments will amount to 15 billion, total investments - 100 billion rubles. The leader region is Ulyanovsk, "said Anatoly Chubais

.

Rusnano has signed a memorandum with PJSC Power Machines to organize joint production of components for wind farms. Elements such as towers, as well as the assembly of the gondola will be carried out at the Taganrog TKZ "Red Kotelshchik." The partners plan to attract foreign investors and establish production of domestic installations weighing 180 tons.

According to the Ministry of Energy, by the end of the year, the total capacity from renewable energy sources (RES) in the country will be over 100 MW, which is 40% more than in 2016.

Wind complexes in Adygea and Kuban

A wind farm (WES) with 60 wind electric installations (WEU) will start operating in 2019 in Adygea, the republic's administration reported in April 2017. The price of the investment project is 12 billion rubles. Another large wind farm will appear in the Krasnodar Territory in 2020. The projects are being implemented by the state corporation Rosatom.

According to experts, the Adygea wind complex will "give" 150 MW of "green" electricity. The project contractors are subsidiaries of Rosatom State Corporation - OTEK JSC is responsible for the implementation of projects, and JSC Wind Energy Separate Generating Company (VetroOGK) together with Dutch partners Lagerwey will be engaged in the production and installation of energy complexes.

Following Adygea, the wind farm will appear in the Kuban. By 2020, a wind farm will be built there, the capacity of which will be 460 MW. In the Krasnodar Territory itself and Crimea, they consume about 610 MW. Therefore, Kuban will continue to consume capacities from the Volgodonsk NPP, as well as the state district power station of the Stavropol Territory.

Rosatom will begin to build wind farms in Russia

The state corporation Rosatom and the Dutch manufacturer of wind farms Lagerwey have entered into a partnership agreement on the start of production of such plants in Russia. RBC writes about this. The structure of Rosatom and a company from the Netherlands will create a joint venture by the end of this year. Both sides will receive shares of 50% in it.

The capacity of the produced wind generators will be at least 610 megawatts. The start of production is scheduled for 2018. For this purpose, enterprises of the corporation themselves will be loaded. The degree of localization of production is planned at a level of at least 65%. "We are talking about creating a completely new industry in Russia," said Kirill Komarov, First Deputy General Director of Rosatom.

The project also involves the creation of at least three wind farms in southern Russia. Investments of the subsidiary of the state corporation of the United Heat and Power Company will amount to about 84 billion rubles.

According to Rosatom's forecasts, in seven years the volume of domestic wind power capacity will reach 3.6 gigawatts, and the cost of generated resources will reach 200 billion rubles. per year. In turn, the total volume of demand for such installations and their after-sales service is estimated at 400 billion rubles. until 2024.

2015

The wind power market in the world is quite developed, the total volume of installed capacities of power plants using wind energy reached 430 GW at the end of 2015. The past year showed the maximum increase in wind farm capacity - more than 60 GW, half of which falls on the most developing market in China. Also, the most rapid segment of wind power is growing in developing countries, as in the already developed markets of Germany and the United States, the state began to reduce support measures.

In Russia, at the end of 2015, the total volume of installed capacities according to the Ministry of Energy amounted to only 10 MW, excluding the Republic of Crimea. The state has the greatest influence on the further development of the market, however, the conditions of state support are not well worked out, so most of the capacities in 2013-2015 remained unpronounced. The main problem is the required level of localization, when in fact there is no production of RES equipment on an industrial scale on the Russian market. Also, the problem lies in the too low declared selection price, prices were set without taking into account devaluation and do not reflect the real costs of building a wind farm. According to the RES development strategy, by the end of 2024, the total volume of installed wind farm capacities should be 3.6 GW.

At the beginning of 2016, most of the wind farms need significant repairs or are on the verge of closure: in particular, only 16 out of 21 wind plants are currently operating in the Kulikovo wind farm in the Kaluga Region (the very first in Russia), each with a capacity of 225 kW (3.6 MW total capacity); Anadyr wind farm also operates only 6 out of 10 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 250 kW (a total of 1.5 MW), in the near future the station will be reconstructed and replaced by 10 wind generators thanks to the TOP program (territories of advanced development), the work will be carried out by StroyInvest-Energia LLC; The wind farm in Vorkuta has not been operating for several years, its owners are unsuccessfully trying to find buyers. In 2014, the first wind farm in the Arctic (Labytangi, Tyumen Region) was commissioned, with an installed capacity of 250 kW. In 2015, a wind power complex was launched in the Kamchatka Territory, the wind farm consists of 4 wind farms, in total their capacity will be about 1 MW. Six more wind farms were installed in Crimea (still part of Ukraine): 549 wind farms with a total capacity of 64.22 MW were installed on them.

The designs of wind towers have undergone many technological changes both in terms of their size and in terms of the materials used in their manufacture. Increasing the height of the tower can increase the amount of energy generated by 20-45%. The growing focus on producing taller towers will therefore continue to drive growth in this segment through 2020. The global wind power component market is highly competitive and is represented by a large number of both international and regional players. At the same time, both developed and developing countries are dominated by local producers, thus increasing competition. Hong Kong-based Goldwing came out on top in terms of the number of installed VESs.

In Russia, there are no plants producing wind generating plants on an industrial scale, although since Soviet times, various organizations have been producing VES (mainly state-owned aircraft plants). In the absence of a state order for domestic power, production was carried out in small batches, and the cost of the product was too high. Currently, the largest engineering corporations in Russia have expressed a desire to join this segment and increase the level of localization of Russian renewable energy sources, and several international companies are also interested in building a plant in Russia.

1938

In the world

2023

The world's largest offshore wind farm has been launched. $11 billion invested in it

On October 10, 2023, the world's largest offshore wind farm platform, Dogger Bank, was launched, which is under construction by this date. It first began supplying electricity to the power system. Britain More. here

China accounts for 38% of global wind power generation

According to world wind generation, the absolute leader is China - 38.1% of world production, the USA - 18.5%, European countries - 26.4%, South and Central America - 5.8%, India - 3.5%, Canada - 1.7%, and the rest of the countries and regions about 6%. In Africa, implementation is very slow.

The world's first floating wind station has been launched

On August 23, 2023, energy company Equinor, together with partners, opened the world's largest floating offshore wind farm. The complex called Hywind Tampen is located approximately 140 km from the Norwegian coast, where the depth varies from 260 to 300 meters. Read more here.

Wind power capacity in the world for the year increased by 50% and for the first time exceeded 1 TW

In 2023, wind farms with a total capacity of approximately 116.6 GW were commissioned globally. This is 50% more compared to the increase recorded in 2022 (77.6 GW). Such data are provided in a report by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), released on April 16, 2024.

The document notes that the total wind power in the world in 2023 for the first time crossed the 1 TW mark, reaching 1.021 TW. The increase is observed in all regions except Europe and. North America 54 countries built new wind power plants, and the five largest markets for new wind farms included,,, and China USA. Brazil Germany India

In particular, the PRC has set a record for the commissioning of new capacities: during 2023, 75 GW was added, which is almost 65% of the global volume. As a result, the Asia-Pacific region as a whole also showed record results: annual growth was 106%. Brazil in 2023 installed wind farms with a capacity of 4.8 GW, thanks to which Latin America recorded a record annual growth of 21%. Construction of installations in Africa and the Middle East increased by 182% compared to 2022.

The total installed capacity on land in 2023 amounted to a record 105.8 GW. This is 54% more than in 2022, when 68.8 GW of such wind resources were added. Offshore wind power capacities showed an increase of 10.8 GW against 8.8 GW in 2022.

The market is expected to demonstrate sustainable development in the future. The report notes that wind power will triple the annual increase from 117 GW in 2023 to at least 320 GW by 2030.^[6]

The world's largest wind energy company Orsted lost $4 billion due to the curtailment of two projects in the United States

On November 1, 2023, it became known about the cancellation of two projects of Orsted in the United States. The decision was made by the board of directors. Because of this, the company will lose $4 billion. Read more here.

Wind generation becomes Britain's biggest power source for the first time

In Britain, wind turbines produced more electricity than gas-fired power plants for the first time. Such data are given in a study by Imperial College London, the results of which were released on May 11, 2023. Read more here.

2022: Wind and solar together produced more electricity than gas in Europe for the first time

In 2022, wind and solar together produced more electricity in Europe for the first time than coal and even gas.

2021: World's largest offshore wind farm launched

On December 18, 2021, the Danish energy company Orsted announced that the world's largest offshore wind farm produced the first electricity. The company claims that the construction will provide electricity to more than 1.3 million houses. The structure is located in waters about 89 km off the east coast of Great Britain. Read more here.

2020

China triples wind farm launch to become world leader

At the end of January 2021, the Chinese government published a report that in 2020, the construction of new wind and solar power plants in the country more than doubled compared to the previous year.

China The world's largest greenhouse gas producer has increased its wind farm capacity by 71.67 GW in 2020, nearly three times the 2019 level, according to data released by the National Energy Authority. Moreover, additional capacity exceeds not only the indicators of the rest of the world itself, China but also the rest of the world - according to the Global Wind Energy Council, the capacity of new wind farms added in 2019 worldwide is only 60.4 GW.

The capacity of solar power plants after falling in 2018 and 2019 also increased in 2020 to 48.2 GW, surpassing the forecast figure of only 40 GW. China has pledged to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its energy consumption to 15% by 2020 from 6.8% in 2005 and has delivered on the promise. President Xi Jinping said the figure would rise to 25% by 2030. China will also increase the total installed capacity of wind and solar power plants to 1,200 GW, he said.

According to the National Energy Authority, by the end of 2020, China was producing 281.5 GW of energy using wind farms and 253.4 GW of energy using solar power plants. According to the authority, China also continued building new thermal power plants in 2020, with them producing 56.37 GW of energy - the highest level since 2015.

Beijing Earlier announced that from 2021, China will stop subsidizing new onshore wind projects.^[7]

Apple builds world's largest wind turbines for data centers

In early September 2020, it became known that Apple is investing in the construction of two of the world's largest onshore wind turbines. This solution will allow the company to approach the 100% carbon-neutral balance of its entire business, production supply chain and product life cycle by 2030.

200-meter turbines are expected to be installed near the Danish city of Esbjergi, providing production of 62 GWh per year. This volume is enough to feed almost 20 thousand houses. According to the company, the electricity produced in Esbjerg will support Apple's data center in Viborg, which has an area of ​ ​ 45 thousand square meters. m. Excess energy will flow into the Danish grid. This data center allows the company to support its main products, in particular the Apple App Store, Apple Music, iMessage, Siri, as well as other services in Europe that fully function on local renewable energy sources.

Apple's vice president of environmental, political and community initiatives, Lisa Jackson, noted that fighting climate change requires operational intervention and global partnership. The Viborg data center project is powerful proof that Apple is ready to fight the problem.

Investing in clean power helps achieve breakthrough new innovative solutions that deliver clean energy and provide jobs for businesses and local communities.

Varta, which is based in Germany, pledged to launch Apple's 100% renewable energy production in early September 2020. Across Europe, Apple suppliers are working on environmentally friendly energy solutions for Apple's production. We are talking about Henkel and Tesa SE (Germany), DSM Engineering Materials (Netherlands), Solvay (Belgium), STMicroelectronics (Switzerland). Apple expands renewable energy footprint in Europe^[8]

2019

Norway to have first power station with flying wind generators

The international oil and gas company Shell and the American Makani, part of the Alphabet holding, will create a new coastal wind farm in Norway. According to^[9] post] of Makani CEO Fort Felker on Medium, the power plant will be based on flying wind generators^[10].

All wind farms, the design of which may vary, operate according to the general principle. The airflows rotate the propeller, which in turn drives the generator. Energy from the generator is supplied to the substation where the voltage is stabilized. From there, electricity enters the energy company, and then is redirected to end consumers.

At the same time, the efficiency of wind farms directly depends on the wind speed - the faster it is, the more power the stations give out. In this case, at wind speeds below or above the design stations, they stop working - in the first case due to insufficient wind force, and in the second - to avoid breakdowns.

The development of the flying wind generator, made in the form of a cord glider, has been carried out by Makani over the past five years. The first flight tests of the station took^[11] in June 2017. A flying wind generator will have to soar at altitudes where there is almost constant wind and generate electricity.

The Makani wind generator, made in the form of an aircraft, is connected to the ground by a special cable. The wind generator, which has a wingspan of 25.9 meters, is capable of rising to a height of 305 meters. The device is equipped with eight small generators connected to air screws with a diameter of 2.3 meters each.

After takeoff, the device will rise to working altitude, and then circle around the attachment point. The capacity of the flying wind generator tested in 2017 was 600 kilowatts, but it can be increased.

The project to build a new station off the coast of Norway involves placing small floats in the sea, held in place by an anchor. Makani wind generators will be tied by cable cable to such floats. Testing of the first stage of the new power plant is scheduled to begin towards the end of 2019. Other details about the new station were not disclosed.

2018

The total power of wind generation in Turkey reached almost 7.4 GW

According to a report published by the Turkish Wind Energy Association (TÜREB), in 2018 the country invested $650 million in the development of wind generation, which allowed an additional commissioning of almost 500 MW of new capacity (+ 7%) during the year^[12].

As a result, the country's total wind generation capacity has increased nine-fold since 2009 (≈800 MW) to reach 7,369 MW. The volume of wind generation increased from 17.9 TWh in 2017 to 19.8 TWh in 2018 and amounted to ≈6,8% of the total generated electricity.

18 wind generation projects with a total capacity of 606 MW are under construction, most of which are being developed by Turkish power companies Akfen Enerji (243 MW), Ağaoğlu Enerji (125 MW) and Sancak Enerji (73 MW).

Wind generation growth is expected to continue in the near future as the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources) of Turkey in November 2018 launched the last tender for the distribution of sites for projects for the construction of generation based on renewable energy (Renewable Energy Resource Areas - YEKA), which will propose four zones to construct 1,000 MW of mainland wind generation (250 MW each). Bids are accepted until March 2019. The maximum price for electricity for new generating facilities is set at $55/kWh over a 15-year period. Each of the energy facilities will receive a 49-year operating license.

Rapid Industry Growth with Continuous Wind Price Cuts

According to data released on November 7, 2018 by Coface, the wind industry is growing rapidly thanks to the constant decline in wind prices. However, as the company pointed out, there is a significant problem in this trend: price pressure forces manufacturers to work at low margins and weakens the investment potential of the industry. In addition, prices for raw materials are growing, which means that production costs of industry enterprises will soon increase.

As you know, wind power has been developing dynamically since the mid-2000s. All this time, the rapid growth of the industry has been facilitated by significant government support and high price competitiveness of wind energy, based on low production costs (compared, for example, with nuclear power plants or coal-fired power plants).

The company's experts pointed to a number of factors that may slow down the development of the industry in 2019:

• Trade wars
  • Wind generators are made mostly of steel - meaning the industry will be hit by a June increase in import tariffs on steel. In 2018, the increase in tariffs on raw materials will not affect manufacturers, as most cooperate with suppliers on the terms established even before the increase in import duties, but in 2019 prices will surely go up. At the same time, the rise in the cost of raw materials will not affect the market price of products, instead, the increased costs will be borne by the manufacturers themselves - to the detriment of profit volumes.

• Reduced funding
  • So far, wind has developed at a dynamic pace, not least thanks to government subsidies and the ability to secure funding relatively easily. Given the tightening of US monetary policy, the termination of the ECB's quantitative easing program and the suspension of government subsidies in some countries, it will become more difficult for producers to access liquidity. As a result, competition in the industry will intensify, forcing players to cut prices again. Coface analysts believe that a number of mergers will take place in the industry, as the pooling of capacities will allow enterprises to reach the necessary sizes to reduce production costs to an acceptable level.

China, which has bypassed Europe in terms of usage, solar energy cannot yet take a leadership position in the field of wind power, since Chinese producers of wind turbines are too heavily dependent on support from power structures. Europe managed to create a powerful and sustainable global ecosystem with healthy competition in the field of innovation, experts noted. Coface According to their forecasts, thanks to generous government funding and technological superiority over its closest competitors Europe , in the next 10 years it will maintain the status of a leading player in the wind energy industry.

Germany sees significant growth in offshore wind generation

German-Dutch system operator TenneT in 2017 increased offshore wind generation capacity within its operating zone in Germany to 5,332 MW. Thus, already today TenneT has fulfilled by more than 82% the plans of the German Federal Government to bring offshore wind generation capacity to 6,500 MW^[13].

10 cable connections were also put into operation for the transmission of electricity generated by offshore wind farms to the mainland electrical network. In addition, it is planned to commission 2 new connections in 2019 and 4 in 2025, which will bring the capacity of electrical connections laid in German waters of the North Sea to 10,000 MW.

In 2017, offshore wind farms located offshore in the North Sea exceeded the same figures of the previous year by 47%, reaching 15.9% of the total generation of wind generation in Germany. This indicates that offshore wind generation has begun to play a significant role in ensuring consumption with a high degree of reliability.

Danes to build world's largest coastal wind farm

The Danish company Ørsted has begun construction of the world's largest 1.2 GW offshore wind farm, Hornsea Project One. The station will be located on the coast of Great Britain, writes in early 2018 Clean Technica^[14].

Late last week, Ørsted - formerly known as DONG Energy - announced that the first Hornsea Project One wind plants had already been installed 120 kilometres off the coast of Yorkshire in the UK. In total, it is planned to install 174 wind generators 65 meters long and weighing about 800 tons. Once completed in 2020, Hornsea Project One wind farm will have a capacity of 1.2 GW and will be able to generate enough energy to provide a million homes in the UK.

The wind generators are installed by GeoSea using the unique Innovation vessel, capable of becoming a stationary platform for construction with retractable supports reaching the seabed. In addition, the vessel is capable of carrying four 800-ton installations at a time and can accommodate up to 100 people on board.

"After years of planning, seeing real construction begin is fantastic," says Duncan Clark, the project's program director. "Hornsea Project One and Project Two will not only clear the air in the UK but bring jobs and investment to Grimsby and the North East."

The UK takes an example from Denmark, which began developing wind power back in the 1970s due to rising oil prices. By 2020, Danes plan to cover 50% of their electricity needs through windmills, and 100% by 2050. At the same time, the UK, according to some estimates, will become the main driver of the industry by 2020 due to large-scale public investment.

In the United States, wind power will bypass hydropower generation by 2020

The Department's Energy Information power engineering specialists USA Administration (EIA) predicts that by the end of 2019, the share of wind turbine power generation in the U.S. energy balance will exceed that of hydroelectric power generation.

So far, plans for new hydroelectric plants in the United States sound something like: "in the next couple of years we will build several pieces." And with wind power, everything is very specific, writes Wind Power. In 2018, it is planned to install wind generators with a total capacity of 8.3 GW, and then another 8 GW in 2019.

Wind power will be able to provide 6.4% of the nation's total energy use this year, a share that will increase to 6.9% in 2019, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Hydropower will also account for 6.4% of total energy consumption, but only 6.6% should be expected in 2019. This means that wind generators will bypass hydroelectric power plants by 0.3%.

Energy generation at hydroelectric power plants in 2018-19 will largely depend on the amount of precipitation and spills, and the efficiency of wind generators will be due to their capacity and launch time. At the end of 2017, the total capacity of wind turbines in the United States reached 87 GW, and 104 GW is expected by the end of 2019.

How the total capacity of hydroelectric power plants will increase over the next two years is unknown. In 2016, the US Department of Energy reported on the development of two 3.25 GW projects. But there is no data yet when they will be implemented and built into the country's common energy system. The main source of electricity will continue to be natural gas-fired power plants. In the ^[15].

2017

Denmark in 2017 generated almost half of its electricity using wind

Nearly half of Denmark's 2017 electricity consumption - a world-record 43.4% - was generated by wind plants, Lars Chr, the country's climate and energy minister, told Reuters in early 2018. Lilleholt)^[16].

"This will

not be the last record that we set," the minister also said, explaining that the country intends to completely abandon fossil energy in favor of renewable energy sources in the future.

The previous record, according to the agency, was recorded in 2015 and amounted to 42%. In 2016, the level of energy generated by wind plants in Denmark was 37.6%.

Lilleholt also noted that the country plans to build new onshore wind farms by 2030, but did not specify what capacity they will be designed for.

Denmark is the "cradle" of wind power. Denmark's Vestas is the world's largest wind generator manufacturer and Orsted (formerly DONG Energy) is the largest builder of sea-based wind farms.

Google is switching completely to solar and wind energy

The company became the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy, reaching a total capacity of 3 GW. Google's total investment in clean power reached $3.5 billion,^[17] writes in November 2017^[18]

Google is officially switching to 100% solar and wind power. The company signed a contract with three wind farms: Avangrid in South Dakota, EDF in Iowa and GRDA in Oklahoma, which have a combined capacity of 535 MW. Now Google offices around the world will consume 3 GW of renewable energy.

The company's total investments in the energy sector reached $3.5 billion, and 2/3 of them are in facilities in the United States. Such interest in "clean" sources is primarily associated with a drop in the cost of solar and wind energy by 60-80% in recent years.

For the first time, Google signed a partnership agreement with a 114 MW solar farm in Iowa back in 2010. By November 2016, the company was already involved in 20 renewable power projects. It was going to completely switch to solar and wind energy back in December 2016. Google is now the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy.

Wind energy brought the European Union €36 billion in 2016

The European industrial group WindEurope estimated that wind power provided 236,000 jobs and led to the export of wind-related products worth €8 billion, writes Clean Technica in November 2017^[19].

WindEurope has published a report, the main idea of ​ ​ which is that wind energy has an impact not only on the environment, but also on the economy. In 2016, wind power accounted for €36 billion - 0.26 of the total. GDP European Union Wind is a reasonable source of energy for the economy, the report said. Europe And illustrates this fact.

Nevertheless, experts who participated in the writing of the report note that clear and predictable actions by the state are needed to increase and maintain success. Only in this case the industry is guaranteed to develop. With the active participation of the state, with the availability of appropriate programs. In turn, certainty about renewable energy will make it easier for investors whose money will begin to flow into the industry.

For the success of consolidating and developing the success of wind power, it is necessary to set a goal - at least 35% of energy in the EU by 2030 only from renewable sources. If such an installation arrives at the state level, then new research and new technologies will follow. All this will lead to the emergence of additional jobs and economic growth.

At the same time, some countries Europe are already showing impressive results in the production of renewable energy. Recently, this led to the fact that due to overproduction of energy, the Germans were able to return the money for it back. And at the end of October, Europe broke its record for wind power generation. European countries received a quarter of the electricity from wind plants. The electricity produced would be enough to provide 197 million households.

The UK earned the largest wind farm

Danish company Dong Energy completed the Burbo Bank wind farm with the world's largest wind generators on May 17, 2017 in Liverpool Bay in the UK. According to the company's^[20], the second stage of the power plant included wind generators with a capacity^[21] eight megawatts each. One turn of the screw of such a generator, according to Dong Energy, can provide electricity for one house for 29 hours^[22] in^[23].

The first stage of the Burbo Bank wind farm in the Liverpool Bay of the Irish Sea was built since 2000 and was launched in 2007. It consists of 25 wind generators with a capacity of 3.6 megawatts each; the combined capacity of the first stage is 90 megawatts. The second stage of Burbo Bank, launched on May 17 of this year, included 32 wind generators, MIT Technology Review clarifies. Its combined capacity was 256 megawatts. Thus, the total capacity of the power plant is now 346 megawatts. The construction of the second stage was carried out in 2016-2017.

Wind generators are the largest such devices in the world used for commercial purposes. The height of one wind generator is 195 meters. The installations are equipped with air screws with three blades 79.8 meters long each. Electricity from the new wind farm will be supplied primarily to British consumers, but in the future, supplies are possible for export. According to the current plans, the service life of the Burbo Bank station will be 20-25 years, after which it will be completely dismantled.

Europe's wind farm map

Map of wind farms in Europe, compiled by the SETIS agency under the European Commission.

This map almost did not affect Russia - except for Crimea, in which several wind farms were launched under the Ukrainian authorities. In addition, the creators of the map missed the Zelenograd FEU operating in the Kaliningrad region. Another number of stations operate in other regions of Russia, although in any case our country cannot yet be called the leader in this area^[24].

All Dutch electric trains switched to wind power

The Netherlands has completely shifted its electrified railways to wind power, The Guardian^[25] wind energy reported^[26] a spokesman^[27] Dutch carrier NS. According to the source of the publication, all electric trains in the country began to move exclusively due to electricity generated by wind stations from January 1, 2017, although initially such a transition was planned to be completed from January 1, 2018. Earlier, some media mistakenly reported that absolutely all trains in the Netherlands switched to wind energy^[28].

In the Netherlands, there is a network of railways with a total length of 2.9 thousand kilometers. Of these, a little more than 2.1 thousand kilometers are fully electrified. In non-electrified sections, local rail carriers use diesel-powered locomotive trains. The same locomotives are also used on electrified sections to transport long and heavy trains.

In June 2015, the Netherlands completed the consideration of the case on the protection of the rights and civil liberties of citizens, held by the Verkhnovy Court for several years. This court ordered the country's government to reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere by at least 25 percent by 2020. To implement the court order, in particular, the Dutch authorities were engaged in the transfer of railway electric transport to wind energy.

Initially, the plan provided that in 2015, 50 percent of electric trains should move due to electricity from wind farms, in 2016 - 70 percent, and in 2017 - 95 percent. Absolutely all electric trains were planned to be converted to wind energy from the beginning of 2018. In fact, already in 2016, a little more than 80 percent of electric trains moved thanks to windmills. According to operator NS, in one hour of operation, one wind farm can provide train travel over a distance of 190 kilometers.

How the Netherlands managed to transfer all railway electric transport to wind energy ahead of time is not specified. The annual electricity consumption by the electrified railways of the Netherlands is just over 1.4 terawatt-hours. At the same time, in 2016, wind farms provided only about 60 percent of the needs of electric railways. Earlier, the Dutch authorities argued that by 2018, the shortage of wind power will be compensated by windmills in Belgium and Scandinavia.

In December 2016, a 600-megawatt wind farm under construction off the coast of the Netherlands Friesland under the Gemini project has been operating in experimental mode since July 2014. About 2.8 billion euros have been invested in this project. Under the current schedule, the Project Gemini wind farm, made up of 150 turbines, is due to start operating at full capacity in the first quarter of 2017. The nominal generated voltage of the station will be 220 kilovolts. At the substation, it will rise to 380 kilovolts.

Despite the transfer of electrified railways to wind power, the Netherlands ranks only 11th in Europe in terms of electricity generation by wind farms. At the end of 2015, this figure in the country amounted to 3.4 gigawatts. In comparison, Europe's top-ranked Germany produced wind power at 44.9 gigawatts, Spain at 23 gigawatts and the UK at 13.6 gigawatts. By 2023, the Nilerland intend to bring wind power generation to 4.5 gigawatts.

In 2016, the number of wind farms in Japan doubled

The Fukushima accident in 2011 forced Japan, which previously relied on nuclear power to provide the country with electricity, to switch to other sources. In particular, wind farms came into play: their total capacity by 2030 should be 10 times higher than the current level of 3.4 GW^[29].

In

accordance with the government development plan, the capacity of Japanese wind power systems by 2030 should reach 35 GW, which is more than 10 times higher than the current level, notes. Reuters

Wind energy operators in Japan have long complained about the country's demands for mandatory environmental impact studies, which can last up to five years, as well as other barriers to investment. To accelerate the development of renewable power, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Environment joined forces to halve the time required to assess the state of the environment for wind and geothermal projects.

The impetus for the development of renewable energy sources in Japan was given by the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011. On January 30, Tokyo Electric Power announced that specialists allegedly found radioactive waste under the second reactor on the territory of the Fukushima-1 emergency nuclear power plant. And in October, a leak of water with a high content of radioactive substances was found there.

In general, renewable energy sources are becoming more and more popular in the world. As reported by the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2015, new installed capacities of such sources for the first time in history surpassed fossil energy resources, amounting to about 153 GW (the largest contribution - 63 GW - was made by wind farms). At the same time, some countries, in particular South Africa, plan to abandon the construction of new nuclear power plants due to problems in the economy, while the United States, with the advent of Donald Trump, on the contrary, will return to coal and natural gas.

See also

• Russian economy
• Alternative power
• Power in Russia
• Solar Power (Global Market)
• Wind Power and Wind Power Plants (Russia and the World)
• Nuclear Power. Facts and Myths
• Smart Grid
• Electric generators (Russian market)