Government approves wind farm off Aberdeen coast
The Scottish Government today gave its permission for a £250million, eight turbine wind farm to be built off the north-east coast.
wind farms
Mountaineer says it is now ‘almost impossible’ to avoid windfarms in the Highlands
It is now “almost impossible” to find a mountain from which a windfarm cannot be seen, according to a senior mountaineering figure.
Wind turbines “causing bats’ lungs to explode”
Environmental campaigners fear windfarms are causing the lungs of millions of bats to explode every year.
Government gives go-ahead to two new wind farms, enough to power 60,000 homes
Two wind farms, which will between them provide enough power for more than 60,000 homes, have been given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government.
Centrica sells stake in wind farms for £115million
Centrica has agreed to sell its interests in three UK wind farms to a consortium for £115.
US wind energy sector faces curbs in killing eagles
The US wind energy industry has been dealt a blow after a US court ruled that the Department of the Interior violated federal laws by allowing renewables firms to kill protected Bald and Golden Eagles.
E.ON to sell Italian hydroelectric plants to ERG for $1bln
Italian energy group ERG is to buy German utility E.ON's Italian hydroelectric power plants for about 950 million euros ($1 billion), expanding its renewable portfolio which mostly comprises windfarms. E.ON's Terni Hydroelectric Complex, which has 527 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity and produces about 1.4 terawatt hours of electricity a year, was put up for sale in late 2013 along with other assets in the country. ERG currently operates windfarms in Europe with a total capacity of 1.38 gigawatts, including 1.1 gigawatts in Italy, as well as a gas-fired thermal plant in Sicily with a capacity of 480 MW.
UK gives green light to Dogger Bank offshore wind farm
The UK Government has given development consent to Dogger Bank Teesside A & B offshore wind farm, Britain's Planning Inspectorate said on Wednesday.
China coal producer Shenhua plans $1 bln wind farm IPO in Hong Kong
China's biggest coal producer, Shenhua Group, plans to list its wind farm assets in an initial public offering in Hong Kong valued at up to $1 billion, IFR reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the plans.
Scrapping of climate change tax break to cost Infinis £7m
Green-energy giant Infinis suffered a near 8% slide in the value of its shares after it confirmed the chancellor’s decision to scrap climate change tax breaks for renewables generators will cost it £7million by March. In Wednesday’s Budget, Chancellor George Osborne said the Climate Change Levy (CCL) exemption, which allows businesses not to pay the environmental tax levied on energy if it has come from renewable power, would be removed in August. The move continues the UK Government’s “crusade” to scale back financial support for renewables, which has not been perturbed by the approach of United Nations climate change talks in Paris later this year.
Statoil to decide on Scottish floating wind farm in September
Norway's oil and gas firm Statoil plans to take the final investment decision in September on building a floating wind farm off the coast of Scotland, set to be the first of its kind in the world, a spokesman for the company said on Tuesday. Statoil, which has run a single floating offshore turbine for several years in Norway, is now planning to build five floating turbines, each with 6 megawatt capacity, off Aberdeen in an area where the water depth is around 100 metres. With development areas for foundation-fixed offshore turbines limited to shallow seas with depths up to 50 metres, and with some countries experiencing strong opposition against the visual impact of turbines on the land, floating offshore is seen as the next major growth area for the wind industry.
Predicting the power of the wind?
The Met Office has launched a weather forecasting tool aimed at the wind energy sector.