How is sun and wind energy different from forest product?
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New generations of turbines with higher towers and longer blades are opening up previously impractical sites to development.
June 10, 2011
By Peter Herbert Meier, TUV SUD Industrie Service
Regensburg, Germany -- As developers look to expand the opportunities available onshore, new generations of turbines with higher towers and longer blades are opening up previously unobtainable sites to development. Here some of the key issues are explored, along with the challenges of an environment that can offer a host of attractive locations.
With more than 27 GW of installed wind capacity, Germany is Europe's leading wind producer and has plans to increase its capacity further still. Commercial forests in particular offer new potential locations — but what are the challenges faced by operators and investors?
Estimates by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) anticipate installed onshore wind capacity in Europe will increase from the current 83 GW to 190 GW by 2020. As well as producing the lion's share of renewable energy in Europe, onshore wind will continue to be the most cost-effective of all renewable energy sources.
In Germany, the development of land areas for potential new sites is increasingly focusing on inland southern Germany. Within the scope of option contracts, experts are currently assessing about 100 locations on land owned by the Bavarian state forest enterprise, Bayerische Staatsforsten, for their suitability as wind farm sites. Areas of monoculture forestry, especially, offer the opportunity for profitable and environmentally compatible wind farms.
Overall, the development of onshore wind power continues undiminished across Germany, offering major opportunities for planners, investors and operators. The German government aims to increase electricity from renewable sources to 25%-30% by 2020. The most recent amendment of Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) in 2009 further increased feed-in tariffs for wind.
Germany's Renewable Energy Sources Act is based on a clean energy cash-back scheme, guaranteeing wind-farm operators fixed feed-in tariffs for the generated power over a period of 20 years. The act places grid operators under the obligation of giving a purchasing preference to electricity produced from renewable sources. The EEG has proved to be one of the most successful legal acts of its kind at an international level and has been used by over 40 countries as a role model for developing their own tools promoting renewable energy.
Forests as Wind Farm Sites
Firstly, inland sites offer the possibility of injecting power at many different locations, generally permitting direct use of the existing grid infrastructure. Unlike offshore wind farms in the Baltic and the North Sea, they do not require massive expansion of existing grid capacities or the addition of new ones. Secondly, installation and maintenance is far less technically challenging for onshore turbines than for offshore projects, which, in turn, cuts investment costs.
Suitable wind-energy regions in commercial forests are generally far from residential areas, which therefore minimises adverse effects on residents from noise emissions and shadow flicker. The forest also reduces the visual impact of the wind farm. Impacts on residents and the environment can be further reduced by strategically selecting wind farm sites along existing infrastructure routes, including national roads, railway lines, overhead power lines and motorways.
Wind farms may be of considerable economic significance for the region, particularly in the rural areas of southern Germany. During construction, for example, wind farm operators generally commission regional planning offices, experts, electrical engineers and contractors for road and foundation building. Operating wind farms also creates jobs with regional service providers, suppliers and servicing companies. In addition, local administrations, municipal utilities, energy co-operatives and residents may have the possibility of investing in the wind farm.
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