The proposal for 13 wind turbines was objected to by the local authority - South Cambridgeshire District Council, local residents and horse riders.

It was South Cambs’ case that this was not the ‘right location for a wind farm’ of this size. However Planning Inspector David Lavender found that the wind farm company involved; RES ‘did not need to exhaust sequentially all other better locations’ to show that the wind farm site is needed against renewable energy targets.

Objections related to wind turbines scaring horses however appear to have backfired … as Lavender concluded that horse riding seemed to be a very dangerous activity whether there were turbines there or not.

Lavender concluded that the wind farm would meet the objectives of ‘promoting sustainable development while safeguarding the quality of the local environment’.

The statement is one of a series of NPS (National Planning Statements) documents intended to guide the new Infrastructure Planning Committee (IPC) in coming to decisions on large scale infrastructure projects. The statements will set out criteria on national need, benefits and impacts. With the exception of the NPS for airports and nuclear power stations, sites are not identified for specific proposals.

The Renewable Energy NPS applies specifically to biomass and onshore wind energy projects comprising 50 Megawatts + and to offshore wind energy projects, including the substations and new overhead power lines.

The renewable energy supportive NPS will also be a material consideration to be taken into account when authorities decide on projects under 50 Megwatts - (i.e smaller wind farms and biomass plants). The document will overide local planning policy if there is any conflict, for example with regard to new structures in locally protected landscapes.

The statement may concern planning authorities in Wales who have attempted to “refine” wind farm strategic search areas introduced by the Welsh Assembly. The NPS says that in order to give the refined boundaries weight, the IPC should be satisfied this is in accordance with Welsh Assembly guidance.

National landscape and ecological designations continue to be protected with a requirement that the objectives of these designations are not compromised and adverse effects are outweighed by environmental and social benefits.

Offshore wind energy developers will be expected to explain how they have drawn on the Governments strategic environmental assessment of UK waters in making their site selection. According to the NPS, strategic environmental assessment work carried out by the Government will be rolling and a research programme and data collection facility will inform future assessments. Offshore wind developers will need to identify onshore grid connection routes or “corridors” and in some cases the new grid infrastructure may be defined as a nationally significant infrastructure project in its own right.

For onshore wind farms the NPS notes that the technology is likely to continue to be an important contributor towards the UK’s energy needs. The NPS says that the time-limited and non-permanent nature of wind farms should be a relevant consideration when assessing the indirect effects of wind farms on the historic environment, for example the effects of wind farms on the setting of listed buildings or conservation areas. This is particularly helpful given that wind farms are only normally planned for 25 years, whereas historic buildings may have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years, with a continued long life ahead. Wind farms would probably be around for only the blink of the eye of some historic buildings.

According to the list of 11 energy projects in pre-planning compiled by the IPC four are onshore wind farms and one an offshore wind farm.
The progress of these projects will be watched closely by the energy industry.

Prominant energy analyst David Milborrow published a new report back in June which the wind energy industry hoped would put to bed the question of whether wind turbines work.

The report confirms that wind energy can substitute for thermal plant and enable the British power system to operate with the same level of reliability. According to Milborrow, Utilities worldwide generally agree there is no fundamental technical reason why “high proportions of wind cannot be assimilated without the lights going out”.

Contrary to what is sometimes banded about in the mainstream media, the findings demonstrate that widespread use of wind power leads to a significant reduction in carbon emissions. In addition variability in wind energy does not mean costs will be substantially higher.

Despite this detailed work carried out by a recognised energy expert, a few politicians appear unwilling to believe it. According to the Goole Courier this month MP David Davis, and MEP Godfrey Bloom think wind turbines are “visually horrific, inappropriate and ineffective”.

Wind energy accounts for just under 20% of Denmark’s electricity production and today almost half of the wind turbines around the world are produced by Danish companies such as Vestas. Despite these facts Godfrey Bloom MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire said: “They don’t even work. The Denmark experiment has been a disaster. This is all about political correctness accompanied by greed.” So where is Bloom coming from?

Davis opposes them for “economic reasons” although apparently supports offshore wind turbines at three times the cost.

Speaking a recent public inquiry against a 10 turbine wind farm in Yorkshire, it became clear that both Bloom and Davis hold a general scepticism about global warming - and according to one attendee cited reports on ‘recent global cooling’. Trying to help those at risk from the effects of global warming will be very difficult if people still hold these views.

Greenpeace have put together a useful easy to read summary which answers some of the key questions about the effectiveness of wind energy. Read one of their recent articles on the potential effects of climate change. It is of course the poorest (out of sight) countries who are likely to suffer the most, however there will also be people on these politicians’ doorsteps who may well be homeless as a result of increased flash floods in the UK.

The bill introduced by a few anti wind energy MP’s could bring an overnight halt to the UK’s renewable energy progress if passed.

Horwood explained the problem with an example close to his home; “Cheltenham’s first wind turbine is planned in the Springbank area of Cheltenham. Planning permission is being applied for. It will not be big—a bit less than 18 metres tall, to the tip of the highest blade. It will generate 9,500 kWh of electricity a year, and save more than 4 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.”

“Perhaps more importantly, it will follow the good example of Danish wind energy by being owned by a community organisation, the Hesters Way Neighbourhood Project.” said the MP.

The project was set up to support regeneration in one of the least well-off parts of Cheltenham, and the wind turbine will save the community nearly £1,000 a year off its electricity bill, allowing it to spend more money on its other work in the area.

Horwood maintained that the turbine will be safe and quiet and that “it also has a rather striking design”. “I concede that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in general, I think that most wind turbines are rather graceful, and easily more attractive than the average pylon. The Springbank wind turbine has so far encountered very little opposition, but whether it receives community support should surely be a matter for the people of Springbank and their elected representatives. We should not contemplate a Bill that would rule out the project at a stroke” said the Lib Dem MP.

At the British Wind Energy Association conference earlier this month the Lib Dems also spoke out in support of a policy for zero carbon Britain. The party wants 30% of electricity generation from renewables via 33 Gigawatts (GW) of offshore capacity and 11 GW onshore. Their policy includes a committment to investigate harnessing power from the Severn Estuary.

Like the Scottish Exec, they do not support nuclear – in doing so they say they can allow even more R&D budget for renewables. They say they will protect science budget and research budget.

They also believe that the UK cannot have safe and sensible UK energy policy without robust EU wide energy policy and supergrid. Smaller proposals include turbines on council roofs to power electric car fleets.

source www.parliament.co.uk

Peter Luff MP will tomorrow table a ten minute rule bill asking for an arbritrary 2km buffer zone between wind turbines and homes. This would mean a halt to new wind farms in England which is struggling to meet its renewable energy targets.

Ten minute rule bills are often used by MPs to provoke a debate and although unlikely to be successful- an arbritrary 2 km limit would bring about a collapse in the entire English onshore wind industry. This in turn would also probably cause some damage to the offshore wind energy sector as England is seen increasingly by wind turbine manufacturers (like Vestas on the Isle of Wight) as anti-wind. Attempts to kick off small or community led renewable energy projects would be much harder without the support of a healthy renewables industry.

The reason for such drastic implications is partly due to the remote areas of England being made up of our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Currently commercial wind turbines are not allowed in these areas due to the protective nature of planning policies that apply. Without changing the rules and allowing wind farms in these areas, an unsubstantiated 1.5 mile from house rule will make it even harder or even impossible to meet our national renewable energy targets and makes a farce of our commitment to do something about climate change.

Wind farm applications should be decided on the basis of whether noise levels are quiet enough at nearby houses, in terms of decibels - not a distance limit set to wipe out onshore wind energy.

I have asked many people who live within 1km of a wind farm, from Ardrossan in Scotland to Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire whether they have any problems with regard to noise or vibration from wind turbines, and time after time - the answer is ‘no’.

Most surveys show that people feel that their local wind farm has had a generally positive impact on the area, including a survey commissioned by the Scottish Executive and carried out by Mori in 2003. This survey demonstrated that people are three times as likely to say their wind farm has had a positive impact than a negative impact.

Radar specialist company DeTect has developed and manufactured a new Avian Radar System ‘Merlin‘ which is aimed at protecting birds and bats from colliding with wind turbines.

The company believes the technology can provide ‘real-time risk mitigation’ and already have over 50 systems operating worldwide. DeTect say the system can be used at operating wind farms to provide an “early warning system of bird activity that presents mortality risk, automatically engaging response mitigation actions up to and including idling of turbines until the risk passes.”

The Merlin radar technology was, according to DeTect developed for the US Air Force and NASA as a precision bird detection radar system to provide information to controllers and launch managers to reduce bird-aircraft strike risk.

Most birds take avoiding action to fly around wind farms. However if there is a species of particular concern, radar could provide the answer.

Planning Magazine reported last week that the Tories are looking at a return to county structure plans. Most UK development companies, whether they be building houses or wind turbines believe that area development plans should provide for the needs of its area or else the provision of adequate housing and essential infrastructure is at risk. These companies and the people responsible for providing the decision making framework i.e. the planners are therefore concerned that any changes are managed smoothly and effectively.

County renewable energy targets set out in county wide structure plans could help speed up the delivery of renewable energy projects in the UK, if the targets are set at the right level. Experience to date has shown that there are huge variations in the wind energy potential of different UK counties because of extreme variations in the relevant opportunities and constraints.

Wind speed increases dramatically in coastal areas, hilly and mountain and moorland areas and even the flat fenlands. Grid infrastructure conversely gets weaker in more rural areas offering few opportunities for connecting renewable energy. National parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty wipe out the wind energy potential of significant parts of the windy UK because of existing national guidance on protecting these landscapes. However in the more built up areas potential is significantly constrained due to the number of houses leaving very little room for renewable energy projects.

Area based renewable energy targets are essential if the UK is to meet its climate change commitments and ensure a secure energy supply. If these targets are to be set at a county level, a proper, informed study of wind energy potential in that county needs to be carried out and most importantly set in the context of the available regional wind energy site potential and national targets otherwise we will not meet our national carbon reduction targets.

Many believe that Conservative proposals for both planning and renewable energy are long overdue and awaited by planners, developers and climate change campaigners.

The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has commissioned the 2.3 megawatt turbine on its National Technology Center site as part of an R&D project with Siemens.

The wind turbine has been commissioned in order to allow detailed investigations and monitoring - in what has been described as the biggest government-industry research partnership for wind energy generation ever undertaken in the U.S.

NREL Director Dan Arvizu said. “Under the cooperative research and development agreement we have in place, Siemens Energy, NREL and the U.S. Department of Energy will put this 2.3 megawatt turbine through all of its paces, in all kinds of conditions, in a rigorous testing regime that will continue for a minimum of three years, at a shared cost of $14 million.”

Barry Nicholls, senior vice president of Siemens Energy said “At Siemens, innovation is one of our core values. That’s why we are especially pleased to join forces with our nation’s leading wind research facility…This important new research program will help us further enhance the performance of our turbines and lower the cost of clean, wind-generated power, which in turn will help diversify the overall mix of power generation sources in the U.S.”

“Today begins a new era of research at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center,” said Arvizu. “With our partners at Siemens Energy, we will embark on a comprehensive R&D program that will pave the way for the even more advanced wind turbines of the future.”

Although similar to turbines currently being used to generate power, the Siemens wind turbine to be tested is a ‘late-stage prototype’ that features a new blade designed to capture more of the wind’s energy without increasing the loads that can cause wear on the other turbine parts. Testing of the Siemens 2.3-MW turbine will include structural and performance testing, acoustics and power quality testing.

Installation of the pilot turbine comes in the wake of Siemens’ decision to locate its own wind energy research and development centre in Boulder. Siemens expect to create 40 green collar jobs at the facility by 2013.

Turbine vital statistics

* Model - Siemens 2.3-101
* Production (NWTC Site) - 2,800 MWh/year
* Production (Typical Site) - 7,050 MWh/year
* Homes Powered (Typical Site) - 630
* Tower Height - 80 m / 262.5 ft
* Rotor Diameter - 101 m / 331.4 ft
* Swept Area - 8k m2 / 86.2 ft2
* Total Height - 131 m / 428.1 ft

SOURCE Siemens Energy
Web site: http://www.siemens.com/energy/
http://www.nrel.gov/

The latest vertical axis turbine model to come into the test arena is the new Blackhawk Tilt Rotor Wind Turbine. The turbine is being tested and monitored by researchers from the Blackhawk Project LLC at Idaho’s National Laboratory Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES).

Raymond Grosshans, program coordinator at CAES said “One of the reasons we chose Blackhawk is that it invites involvement from students and faculty and it supports economic development in Idaho.”

Blackhawk believes its turbine design distinguishes it from other wind energy systems. The clearest distinction being its blades or ‘airfoils’ that rotate parallel to the ground, unlike many commercial turbines. The airfoils are attached to a tilt rotor in the center of the turbine for which the company has a patent pending.

The TR-10 turbine is part of The Blackhawk Project’s prototype series and is expected to produce approximately 1.5 kilowatts of power which CAES say is “enough electricity to supplement a home, power a workshop or drive other small applications”.

The power generated from the system will feed directly into CAES buildings, however the main reason CAES agreed to test the turbine is to create opportunities for research collaborations between Idaho National Laboratory researchers, the Idaho research universities and the commercial sector.

Students and researchers at CAES will monitor the wind turbine’s performance and durability. Blackhawk hope the turbine will be more durable than traditional small turbines and say “the long arms of the wind turbine create such a high degree of torque that the unit is able to produce more power with fewer revolutions per minute (RPMs), which reduces wear and tear. When the turbine does need repairs or maintenance, locking magnets hold the rotor in place and prevent accidental spinning, creating a built-in safety feature.”

Blackhawk are really aiming at the mass market with this 3 metre diameter machine and say that the turbine fits in the back of a pickup and takes about three hours to install. They have high hopes for the TR-10 being successful in the small wind turbine industry and will be targeting farms, shops and homes in rural and semirural areas. Bruce Boatner, Blackhawk’s lead engineer said “We can be the market leader for bang-for-the-buck”

CAES are also seeking to maximise learning opportunities from the project by introducing a web cam stream video to high schools all over the country. This will give students across the country easy access to real-time data from CAES’ grid-type system.

“Students, faculty and researchers can use it for instrumentation, developing modeling tools and to support ongoing classroom activities,” said Grosshans.

The contract is aimed at solving the problem of aviation radar interference from wind turbines and includes financing worth £5.15 million towards a solution via new technology being developed by Raytheon.

According to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, ED Miliband, objections from the aviation industry are one of the key reasons UK wind energy applications are either being refused or withdrawn.

If successful, the technology could allow five GW (gigawatts) of wind energy projects, currently subject to National Air Traffic Services objections to be consented and built. This is enough to power over 3 million homes every year.

The Raytheon technology comprises hardware and software allowing the recognition of wind turbine blade movement on airport radars. In response the image on the radar screen caused by the wind turbine can be deleted by the technology.

A solution to aviation issues is essential to the smooth the path for future offshore wind energy projects. A substantial proportion of the Round 3 offshore wind energy projects are in areas where aviation organisations have objections to wind development.

BWEA say “While the Raytheon solution has the potential to fix the en route radar problem, issues still remain with MoD radar…” “…the Aviation Investment Fund Company has also recently committed to fund a MoD and IBM study for expanding the UK Air Defence and Ground Environment Command and Control System (UCCS) to accept air traffic control radar feeds as wind farm mitigation.”

14 wind energy companies have agreed to invest and become members of the Aviation Investment Fund Company. The company was put together with the specific aim of directing resource towards solving radar issues.