Two Small Renewable Energy Firsts: Offshore Wind Power in Germany, Solar Photovoltaic in Greece
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07.25.08
Thessaloniki sunset photo by Eva via flickr.
Recently when I presented the news of the world’s largest thin-film solar power plant and commented that, at 10 MW, it wasn’t really all that big and sometimes we watchers of the renewable energy industry ought to take a step back to see how much more needs to be done, a number of commenters nearly handed me my hat.
Let me make it clear: A bit of bragging rights and intra-industry competition can be a good thing. Everything has to start out small and some one-ups-man-ship can spur along new developments. Towards that end, here are two first small steps in European renewable energy announced today.
Germany’s First Offshore Wind Farm Begins Construction
Though it will ultimately be only 60 megawatts in size, the Alpha Ventus wind farm (also known at Borkum West) will be Germany’s first offshore wind farm. Construction begins this week, with electric generation possibly to begin by the end of the year.
The project is located 45 km north of the island of Borkum, near the border with the Netherlands. Though smaller than projects in, say, Denmark or the United Kingdom, this project will be sited much farther from the shore, in order to take advantage of greater wind speeds. A 70 km-long cable will connect the farm to the Germany power grid.
via :: Reuters
Greece’s Largest Solar PV Power Plant Connected to Grid
In more of a statement of how much room for growth there is in Greece for expansion of the solar power industry than anything else, Renewable Energy World has announced that the nation’s largest solar PV plant has been connected to the grid.
The 944 kilowatt project, located in near Thessaloniki was built by Phoenix Solar AG and is owned by Sunergy A.E..
The original article points out that one of the key factors in Greek solar power development is the nation’s very generous feed-in tariffs, introduced in 2006: Solar PV installations in Greece receive a €0.40-0.50 rate for the electricity they produced. Also cited is Greece’s generous grant program for renewable energy, in some instances amounting to 50% of total cost of commercial systems.
Offshore Wind Energy
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Solar Energy
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So much potential. We've only just begun to harness what mankind can do. We can save the planet and continue to improve our lives.
We must, since we can't continue to live without having a planet with a stable environment to live on.
You were right to say that we shouldn't overstate the accomplishments in renewable energy so far. As you say, a bit of one-upsmanship can go a long way. But too much bragging can make people think the problem is being solved, that nothing more needs to be done. Most people honestly don't know the difference between a kilowatt and a gigawatt.
This is even more amazing, when you consider how little coast line the Germans have. Look at a map of Europe and you will quickly notice that Germany's neighbouring lands have a lot more coastal areas.
I say well done Germany, I hope they will become energy independent soon.
Actually, Matt, I agreed with you. Producing a 10MW plant and bragging about it when there are 1,000,000 MW of fossil fuel plats out there (in the US alone) to be replaced creates a sense of complacency in the public.
I am heartened that something is being done, but so much more must be done and the time to do so and avoid severe hardship is fast approaching.
Hey JSDreyer,
I'm not necessarily doubting your figures but I recently heard from a reliable source that peak eletricity demand is approximately 900,000 MW with 20 percent of that nukes. So it doesn't jive with your 1,000,000 MW of fossil fuels.
Anyway, do you have a source so that I can get this right in my own mind. (Of course, you might also be talking about nameplate generation but either way I just want to be sure.)
And, yes, small steps are necessary but a 10 MW plant ain't squat. The 1.6 GW plant that REC is building is a bit more on the right scale but is still timid especially if we are moving toward electrification of our transportation sector.
I think the thing we all have to remember is that you can't have it all at once. It will happen, but 10 MW plants are a step in the right direction. As long as this shows investors and those with capital that these programs can offer us a high discounted return, then 10 MW plants will multiply.
It doesn't matter if it's 100 10 MW plants or 1 GW plant. Both offer us a move toward the right direction.
Don't rest on your laurels, but don't damn those who know how to make this all jive financially.
@ Jeff Kruper
You're right. There aren't currently 1000 GW of FF plants out there, but close to it. According to this site, US installed electric capacity was 792GW in 2000 and 932GW in 2003, a 17% increase. Extrapolating that through to today, (I couldn't find the actual data) I came up with 1100 GW of installed capacity (must be all those plasma TVs). So, with 20% nukes and 5% renewables, that leaves appr 825 GW of FF electrical capacity currently in use.
If we follow Al Gore's 10 year plan, the demand will have grown by another couple hundred GW by the end. Aging nuclear plants, many of which are already 30 years or older will also need to be replaced at some point. 1000 GW of renewables over the next ten years is a good guess to replace both FF and account for future demand which normally would be addressed with FF plants. I guess that's what I was thinking. I'll try to be more specific going forward.
IF Nanosolar's claims are correct, it will soon be able to produce (print) enough solar panels in 1 hour that a day's worth of production would be enough for over 30 MW !
So yes, 10 MW / year factories don't do much of an impact, relative to energy consumption, but they are the right step in the right direction.
What an impressive initiative by Germany. If they can develop this much potential, just think about what countries with larger coastline can do! England is following suit, and good old Delaware too. Offshore wind turbines are a great idea, not only because they provide a renewable source of energy, but they can also provide important sheltering habitat for sensitive marine wildlife (See http://www.brightfuture.us/new/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=27)