The Leading News & Information Service For The Facilities, Workplace & Built Environment Community

£310m in UK Wind Turbines Committed

09 April 2014 | Updated 01 January 1970
 
The announcement made by Siemens together with the UK's Associated British Ports on 25th March 2014 that they are to invest a total of £310m in UK wind turbine factories concentrated on Humberside is surely a huge step forward for the UK’s renewables industry in general and for wind power in particular, writes a BSRIA spokesperson.
Geographically the UK is one of the best placed countries in Europe to harness wind power, particularly offshore wind power which is far less disruptive of people’s lives and amenities and of the landscape. While the UK currently ranks third in the EU in terms of wind power, it is still well behind Germany and Spain in terms of actual capacity.
What is more, if we look at the amount of wind-generated power available per head of population, the UK is currently in 10th place, behind Denmark (the leader), Spain, Sweden, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Estonia and Cyprus. In other words, of the EU countries facing the Atlantic, with its endless supply of wind, the UK currently lags behind every country except France (with its abundance of nuclear power) and the Benelux countries, with their much shorter coastlines.
The UK has already set itself a target of producing 31% of its electricity from renewables by 2020. In 2012 renewables accounted for just 11%, which will require almost threefold increase in just eight years!
 
Ambitious Target
This target is, to say the least, ambitious, and of course investment in wind turbines is part of it. Wind will not be able to deliver the whole share and it will only work efficiently if the grid is capable of managing supply and demand.  The UK has already seen situations in previous years where wind turbines had to be stopped because the generated electricity could not be used.
Development of solar power will continue to be important, not least because in the climate systems found over the UK (and much of Western Europe) when it is sunny it is less likely to be windy, and of course vice versa. That said, there will still be calm, overcast winter days when demand is high and power has to be generated from other sources.
 
Energy storage
Another key piece in the puzzle is energy storage. While an increasing variety of short and longer term energy storage solutions are being developed, from ever more sophisticated batteries to use of cooled and liquefied air, these need to be developed on a much more industrial and economically viable scale.
The grid itself also needs have the capacity and the flexibility to cope with rapidly changing scenarios.
 
Lights staying on?
This announcement is a key piece for the puzzle but we still need to sit down and do some hard graft and spend some more hard cash to assemble the rest of it, and to ensure that the lights stay on the UK in years to come.
 
wmi@bsria.co.uk

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 09 April 2014

Share


Related Articles

Mercury Rising, Straw Dogs, Hot Fuzz, Top Guns, The Crown & Vikings

We've got an FM Digest so good you'd almost want to make a movie out of it. Mercury have taken the Almac contract; Elior are eliminating plastic straws; Tenon are...

 Read Full Article
Skanska Wins Contract for 20 Ropemaker Street

Skanska has won a £240 million contract to construct 20 Ropemaker Street in Central London for Great Elm Assets Limited, in association with Old Park Lane...

 Read Full Article
X Marks The Spot Of The Tallest Tower In Town

The City of London Corporation has approved 1 Undershaft - AKA The Trellis - which will be the second tallest building in the Capital after The Shard and thus the second...

 Read Full Article
Airline Company Guilty For Unsafe Operation of Passenger Lift

Flybe, the airline company, was sentenced on 4 February 2020 for the unsafe operation of a passenger lift. Meanwhile, a number of other firms have found themselves...

 Read Full Article
A Top Ten Guide To Making Your Venue More Accessible

Eight venues have received awards from the disabled access charity Euan’s Guide for their work welcoming disabled visitors – and this prompted ThisWeekinFM to...

 Read Full Article
Tackling The People Challenge Through Technology

Report - CBRE and ThisWeekinFM recently lead a delegation of experts to provide a briefing on technology in workplace and real estate strategy. The breakfast briefing...

 Read Full Article
Net Zero Rush-Through Criticised By Lords, Forum Claims

The Global Warming Policy Forum has claimed the House of Lords has rebuked the Government for rushing through a commitment to a Net Zero economy. The Forum refutes the...

 Read Full Article
Holland Match - It's All Gone Gooee Over There

ProptTech history has been made with global M&E firm Croonwolter&dros agreeing to connect the 5,000 commercial buildings it runs in the Netherlands  to the...

 Read Full Article
'IRA' Claim Parcel Bomb Responsibility In Correctly Coded Call

A claim has allegedly been made on behalf of the ‘IRA’ for the parcel bombs that were delivered to premises in the UK - using a recognised codeword. A call...

 Read Full Article
Emcor UK Takes Insurance On TFM Contract

Emcor UK, has been awarded a contract with multinational insurance company RSA Insurance Group which is being described as a total facilities management contract. It will...

 Read Full Article