Britain faces years of blakouts and soaring energy bills

I couldn't leave this post pass without drawing the attention of the contrast  between the picture coming with this daily mail note; I reckon that , either Mr Birkett tries to convince us about the hopeless advantages of having a nuclear plant in the backyard along with the rest of his arguments, or the editorialist is playing a sarcastic satire with the Grid Control Engineer. 

Britain could face years of blackouts and high electricity bills because of the focus on renewable energy sources, an energy expert has warned.

Derek Birkett, a former Grid Control Engineer, has warned that the cost of the energy crisis could rival that of the banking collapse.

And he claims renewable energy targets were 'dangerous illusions' which could see consumers forced to pay out more for their power.

Mr Birkett, who has written a book When Will The Lights Go Out, told the Daily Express: 'We are going to pay a heavy price for the fact that there has been a catalogue of neglect by the former government which has focused on renewable energy sources.

'We need a mix of sources and this takes time. Renewables have the problem of being intermittent, particularly wind, and we need more back-up capacity.

 

By having all our sources in one basket we are risking disruption.'

He claims that the 'disproportionate' cost of implementing green technology runs into the millions of pounds, but only five per cent of our energy comes from renewable sources.

And he said incentives being offered to developers of green energy are being added to electricity bills as the UK struggles to hit EU directives on carbon emissions.

'With many nuclear power stations and coal plants ending their lives and being taken out of service we "can't rule out" people being left without power,' he said.

'The real problem is the cost of making sure this does not happen, and Britain's lights "do not go out".' 

He said: 'The country is going to have to make a choice whether to go along with green ideas of renewable generation or go back to coal and nuclear power.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295837/Britain-faces-years-blackouts-soaring-energy-bills.html#ixzz0uAHZNnEb

Britain Leads Europe's Offshore Wind Industry

London, UK -- British projects will lead the offshore wind energy market for the next eight years. This conclusion is drawn by GL Garrad Hassan in the new edition of its Offshore Wind Energy Market Report. Development of offshore wind will also continue to be strong in other Northern European markets such as Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden.

The report investigates twelve key European markets to identify those with a predominant influence on the future of the offshore wind energy industry.

The report identifies that key offshore development projects over the next few years will take place in seven countries: France, Ireland, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Italy and Poland. These markets are expected to become increasingly important up to 2020 and beyond.

The Offshore Wind Energy Market Report is being presented this week at the RenewablesUK conference in Liverpool. The new GL Garrad Hassan report shows that concerns over energy security, climate change and ambitious European renewable energy targets have led to an improved regulatory framework, and increased industry action in European markets.

Despite activities in other regions, the European offshore wind market is likely to out-pace the rest of the world for some years to come, mainly because of improved support mechanisms in the main offshore markets identified. The report investigates twelve key European markets to identify those with a predominant influence on the future of the offshore wind energy industry.

Individual country analyses include predicted outputs, regulatory environments, legal frameworks, targets, incentives and political attitudes. The offshore wind energy market report has been developed by GL Garrad Hassan's policy professionals and provides detailed information on market status, drivers and barriers, as well as regulatory framework and industry outlook.

Africa's biggest wind farm opens in Morocco

Morocco's King Mohammed VI inaugurated Monday a 250-million-euro (300 million dollar) wind farm near Tangiers, which an official source said was the biggest in Africa.

The new wind farm, which cost some 300 million dollars, is located in Melloussa, 34 kilometres (21 miles) from Tangiers in northern Morocco and has 165 turbines, with a production capacity of 140 megawatts.

The project was part-financed by the European Bank, which invested 80 million euros, while Spanish and German banks put in a total of 150 million euros.

"The EU gives priority to this kind of investment and is proud to have financed the project," said Guido Prud'homme, the European Bank's representative at the inauguration ceremony.

Morocco's Minister of Energy and Mining, Yamsmina Benkhadra, said the wind farm "is part of a global project estimated at three billion dollars. It will be completed in 2020."

The project, she said, would secure 42 percent of Morocco's energy production, with wind farms, solar and hydraulic sources each generating 14 percent of the total.

This would reduce Morocco's energy bill, Benkhadra said, and would "assure our energy security and a sustainable development."

A large wind farm in north Morocco opened in 2000 with a 54-megawatt capacity.