Wind power in the world

Main article: Alternative power

Wind power in Russia

Main article: Wind power in Russia

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.

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.^[1]

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.^[2]

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^[3]

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^[4] post] of Makani CEO Fort Felker on Medium, the power plant will be based on flying wind generators^[5].

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^[6] 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^[7].

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^[8].

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^[9].

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 ^[10].

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)^[11].

"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,^[12] writes in November 2017^[13]

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^[14].

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^[15], the second stage of the power plant included wind generators with a capacity^[16] 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^[17] in^[18].

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^[19].

All Dutch electric trains switched to wind power

The Netherlands has completely shifted its electrified railways to wind power, The Guardian^[20] wind energy reported^[21] a spokesman^[22] 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^[23].

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^[24].

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)