Wind Power | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 25 Jan 2017 12:35:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Wind Power | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 UK offshore wind power has fallen by a third in four years https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/uk-offshore-wind-power-has-fallen-by-a-third-in-four-years/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/uk-offshore-wind-power-has-fallen-by-a-third-in-four-years/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2017 12:35:41 +0000 http://dev.kitguru.net/?p=319704 The cost of building offshore wind farms in British waters has fallen by close to a third in the past four years alone, mirroring similar cost savings to be found in other renewable industries like solar. Savings have mostly come from newer technologies allowing for bigger turbines, though increased competition has also helped drive down …

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The cost of building offshore wind farms in British waters has fallen by close to a third in the past four years alone, mirroring similar cost savings to be found in other renewable industries like solar. Savings have mostly come from newer technologies allowing for bigger turbines, though increased competition has also helped drive down pricing.

In 2014 when then Prime-Minister David Cameraon nixed offshore wind-farm subsidies, there was some concern that it would lead to stagnation in the industry. However that doesn't appear to have happened at all, with the price per MWh for off shore wind power now dipping below £100 for the first time.

It currently sits at £97 per MWh, which is a 32 per cent drop from this time four years ago, according to the Offshore Wind Programme Board's latest report (via Reuters). This puts the cost close to that of nuclear power.

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Source: NHD Info/Flickr

This is doubly impressive since its way ahead of schedule. The initial plan put out by the government was to have offshore wind power cost less than £100 per MWh by 2020. It's thought that this trend will continue in the coming years too, partly thanks to the UK's continued investment in it. It's expected that Britain will invest close to £20 billion in it by 2021.

Announcing his pleasure at the downward trend of offshore wind costs, British energy minister Jesse Norman said in a statement: “Offshore wind will continue to help the UK to meet its climate change commitments, as well as delivering jobs and growth across the country.”

The current British plan is to cut greenhouse emissions by 80 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's good to see reliable, renewable energy sources like offshore wind continuing to see investment and development. Combined with solar it offers some of the best solutions for powering our country in the future.

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Microsoft doubles wind power investment to 500 megawatts https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/microsoft-doubles-wind-power-investment-to-500-megawatts/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/microsoft-doubles-wind-power-investment-to-500-megawatts/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2016 13:05:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=311523 Microsoft has made another large investment in clean energy by signing two new agreements to purchase additional wind power. These deals will see it acquire a further 237 megawatts of green energy, nearly doubling its total to 500 megawatts. Microsoft considers this another step on the road to making its cloud servers and datacentres run …

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Microsoft has made another large investment in clean energy by signing two new agreements to purchase additional wind power. These deals will see it acquire a further 237 megawatts of green energy, nearly doubling its total to 500 megawatts. Microsoft considers this another step on the road to making its cloud servers and datacentres run on entirely clean energy.

However Microsoft doesn't plan to stop there. Although it still has some ways to go until its own energy uses are completely countered by clean energy production, it plans to bust through that ceiling and keep on going. Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, said that he wants to see Microsoft offer clean energy to communities surrounding Microsoft enterprises in the future too.

greenmicrosoft

Microsoft latest wind initiative takes advantage of the Allianz Risk Transfer (ART) program, which through a proxy revenue swap – that gives a fixed payment for wind power, rather than basing it on power output or fluctuating energy prices – makes the whole system much more attractive. Although Microsoft is one of the first to take advantage of this scheme, it is expected to massively accelerate global wind power adoption.

The second deal Microsoft struck to leverage new wind power for its datacentres is with Black Hills Energy. Together they made another unique partnership, in which Black Hills will be able to leverage Microsoft's own back up generators if required during peak times, thereby foregoing the need to build a new power plant to cover the local community in the case of power spikes.

Those generators make use of natural gas, rather than diesel, which is a far cleaner energy solution than the alternatives.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's good to see companies like Microsoft investing heavily in cleaner energy solutions. While consumers can all play their part in helping to turn around climate change, we really need industry to come along for the ride, as it has a bigger impact on our environment than all of us put together. 

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Whirlpool windmills offer wind power without blades https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/whirlpool-windmills-offer-wind-power-without-blades/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/whirlpool-windmills-offer-wind-power-without-blades/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2015 10:06:23 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254150 As much as wind power offers a simple and effective way of harvesting energy from ‘thin air,' it isn't without its drawbacks. The power generated isn't as cost effective as other solutions, it's dependant on something uncontrollable and the spinning blades from the turbines make a lot of noise and injure birds and bats. Spanish …

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As much as wind power offers a simple and effective way of harvesting energy from ‘thin air,' it isn't without its drawbacks. The power generated isn't as cost effective as other solutions, it's dependant on something uncontrollable and the spinning blades from the turbines make a lot of noise and injure birds and bats. Spanish startup, Vortex Bladeless however, claims to have fixed these issues, by ditching the blades for vortex power.

bladeless
I wonder if this is what the Children of the Corn were worshipping?

The new turbines generate what's described as ‘air whirlpools' where they circulates air around the turbine rather than pushing rotational blades. The design wobbles back and forth in predictable patterns, which can then be converted into raw energy.

Made from fibreglass, the six metre tall designs are smaller, less intrusive and potentially far less destructive to wildlife than traditional turbines, since they don't create pockets of low-pressure air at the tips of the blades, which have been known to be incredibly harmful to the lungs of bats.

Better yet, these designs are able to adjust as wind speed increases thanks to magnets implanted in the column.

Costs associated with the new design are also less than conventional wind turbines. They cost around 40 per cent less to build and have a smaller carbon footprint. Maintenance costs are reduced too.

Currently the designers are working on creating a commercial version of their 6m tall turbine for large scale deployment, as well as a smaller 3m variant which could be used in developing countries or added to the roofs at the consumer level to help augment already existing solar arrays.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Would you guys rather have one of these turbines near your house than the traditional triple bladed ones?

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