Energy Handbook 2011 - GBR

P o w e r S u m m i t - T h e E n e r g y H a n d b o o k 2 0 1 1
F o c u s : W i n d P o w e r
AltaGas’s 102-MW
Bear Mount wind
project in British
Columbia is the
first wind power
generating station
to be connected to
the BC Hydro grid;
Photo courtesy of
Hatch Canada
It is likely that wind energy will have to
work in conjunction with other modes
of generation. This poses entirely new
legislative challenges to governments,
for example the history of controversy
surrounding capacity payment mechanisms
in the UK.
In the meantime, facilities such as the
Hydrogen Office in Fife, which leads
research into hydrogen storage, give
hope that wind energy may come to be
less reliant on support from other means
of generation.
Small-scale Generation
“The best thing about having electricity
from the wind turbines,” says Kamala
Pakharin, “is that now there is no smoke
from the lighting and we don’t have to
spend any more money on kerosene.” The
three wind turbines in her village of Phakel
in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal, were
installed by Renewable World (formerly the
Koru Foundation). They provide energy to
local schools, enabling them to stay open
through the winter months when it would
usually be too cold and dark to continue
teaching, plus power and lighting for the
homes of several families.
Objections and Obstacles
The benefit of having energy derived
from wind may, for some people, still
appear remote, whilst the actual physical
appearance of a cluster of giant white
turbines rotating in front of one’s line
of sight, whirring and booming – as
common perception would have it – is
more immediate. Though it may sound
oxymoronic, there are widespread
objections to the impact of wind turbines
on the environment.
RenewableUK is engaged in bridging the
gap between government, the private
sector and industry. “We respect that
some people are vehemently opposed
to the visual impact of a wind turbine,”
concedes Maria McCaffery. “What we
will not tolerate, and are becoming
increasingly aggressive about, is having
the case against wind energy based on
complete myths and misrepresentation.”
“When between a quarter and a third of
our generating capacity is about to be
decommissioned and our neighbouring
countries have suffered severe disruptions
to the supply of fossil fuels and horrendous
volatility in its price, while we have an
enviably abundant natural resource, does
it not just make excellent common sense
to deploy it? To use it to secure our energy
independence and to protect ourselves
from volatility of supply and prices, and
the ongoing pollution and damage we’re
doing to our atmosphere?”
A number of companies have attempted to
tackle the problem of noise pollution from
turbines, with varying success. Edinburgh
based engineering and consultancy firm
Renewable Devices has pioneered an
innovative solution. Renewable Devices’
Swift turbine incorporates a circular
diffuser ring surrounding the turbine
blades. By removing violent blade tip
vortices, this makes the turbine virtually
inaudible, the company says.
Alex Woodward, Business Development
Manager of UK-based consultancy
Natural Power. This engagement can
extend to various community benefit
schemes. “There are a number of sites
that we’ve helped develop where we’ve
put in place funds that can be used for
building community centres or sponsoring
people to go to university in the local
community.”
Offshore wind poses fewer problems to
people concerned about the visual and
audible impact of turbines, but there
remain concerns about the impact of
turbines on the marine environment.
Offshore installations do not have to
have a detrimental affect on the marine
environment, however, provided adequate
site assessment is performed beforehand.
Companies such as Glasgow-based
marine surveyors Partrac not only provide
coastal oceanographic and water quality
surveys to establish the optimum sites
for offshore installation, but also analyse
for a wide range of parameters including
bacteria, dissolved oxygen, nutrients,
metals, hydrocarbons and other toxic
substances, and conduct marine mammal
surveys in order to reduce the risk of
disturbance and injury to marine mammals
from excessive noise.
“There is a school of thinking that offshore
wind farms could help to restore habitats,”
Annie Linley, Business Development
Manager at Plymouth Marine Laboratory
told RealPower magazine recently.
“Currently, some forms of dredging and
trawling really churn up the sea, whist
our fisheries are in a pretty perilous
state. The thinking is that offshore
wind farms provide an opportunity for
habitats to restore and for other lowerimpact
activities to take place at the wind
farms.”
Another concern is that the volatile
While people may not like the visual
nature of wind energy may exert an
Wind energy is ideal for distributed
impact of wind turbines, one can argue
unacceptable level of stress on the grid.
generation and its small-scale application
Many objections to onshore wind that this comprises the lesser of two
David Hodkinson argues that this may not
can make a significant contribution to a
installations can be overcome through evils. “The alternative is to face the sort
be the case: “Wind may be intermittent
diverse range of communities. Seven of
good communication during the planning of industrial landscapes that we saw in
but at the same time, large power stations
the world’s top ten small wind system
stage. “It’s a question of engaging with the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s,
can be too. In the past it has happened
manufacturers are British. “Small wind is
the community as soon as you can to and more recently in parts of the Soviet
that thousands of megawatts have gone
an important export and international trade
see if there are any issues, and being Union,” says Jim Mather, the Scottish
offline instantly, and the system is capable
opportunity for the United Kingdom,” says
very open, and doing public exhibitions Minister for Environment, Energy and
of dealing with that.”
Maria McCaffery of RenewableUK.
and getting communities on board,” says Tourism.
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