Designing Buildings - User contributions [en]

Wind energy

2012-12-04T20:45:34Z

Richard civilengineer:

= ''Wind Energy in the UNITED KINGDOM'' =

 

Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly untapped energy resource. Wind is currently the most developed renewable energy source in the UK.

 

== '''A/ The factors which make the UK a great place for harnessing the power of wind''' ==
*It has 40% of Europe’s wind due to its Northerly position in the North West of Europe, bearing the full brunt of weather systems coming in from the North Atlantic.
*It has the longest coastline in Europe (17,820 km according to the Ordnance Survey just for island of Great Britain) and has many shallow waters in its territorial waters, e.g. in the North Sea, making it ideal for off-shore wind.
*It has many sparsely populated upland areas (e.g. the Moors), mainly in the North of the British Isles which is the region which also happens to have the most wind resource

== '''B/ Wind installations in the UK ''' ==

The first British wind farm was established in 1991 at Delabole, Cornwall. 

Thanks to the Renewables Obligation government policy, UK wind energy capacity has flourished. There are currently (Dec 2012) 361 projects live in the UK, which equates to 4,136 turbines, 5,054 MW of on-shore capacity and 2,679 MW off-shore capacity, i.e. a total of 7,7733MW.

The United Kingdom is the world leader in off-shore wind in 2012. 

 

[[File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG|RTENOTITLE]] 

'''Projected capacity'''

==

==

== '''B/ Public perception of wind power''' ==

There are some vocal opposition groups to wind power who object to new wind farms being built in their area, and they put forward claims such as they are a danger to wildlife or a blight on the scenery.

However, by and large, the British view wind power in a favourable light. In surveys done for RenewablesUK, the body which champions UK wind and marine energy, and for the Sunday Times, it emerged that in 2012:
*77% of Britons are in favour of electricity from renewables
*73% of Britons support offshore wind and 66% onshore wind installations
*only 17% and 40% of Britons support additional gas/coal and nuclear power stations respectively

==

== '''D/ Advantages and disadvantages of wind power''' ==

== Advantages ==
*The main advantage is the low carbon nature of wind power. This is a completely clean energy, bar the impact occurring from the manufacture and construct on of the pylons, pales and turbines. The scientific community has warned that an urgent transition to a low carbon economy is required if we are to avert a global catastrophe due to global warming of the atmosphere by over 2 degrees Celsius due to ever-increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The concentration of CO2 has reached 390ppm in 2012, up from 280ppm in pre-industrial times, corresponding to 375,000,000,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere since 1750. 
*Wind power is also clean and silent. 
*The wind blows the strongest in the Winter months when energy demand is at its highest 
*Many jobs are created in designing, manufacturing, and servicing the equipment. 

 

== Disadvantages ==
*The main disadvantage is the unpredictable nature of wind speeds resulting in turbines being immobile, although this problem does not usually affect the British Isles much.
*Problems storing the generated power can be another issue.

==

== '''E/ International Comparisons''' ==

'''Worldwide'''

There are 250 GW installed capacity worldwide in 2012. The UK ranks 8th; however on a per-capita basis the UK deson't make the top 20.

The 8 countries with the most installed capacity are : (2011 figures, GW)
*China (62.4)
*USA (46.9)
*Germany (29.1)
*Spain (21.7)
*India (15.9)
*Italy (6.7)
*France (6.6)
*'''''United Kingdom (6.5)'''''

'''Europe'''

The UK had the 5th largest installed capacity in Europe by the end of 2011; this reflects its fairly late uptake of wind power compared to Germany or the US.

Germany has by far the most capacity, followed by Spain.

''Installed capacity in Europe, end of 2011 (MW)''

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
|-
| style="width:58px" |
Ger

| style="width:58px" |
Spain

| style="width:58px" |
France

| style="width:56px" |
Italy

| style="width:56px" |
'''UK'''

| style="width:56px" |
Port

| style="width:56px" |
Den

| style="width:65px" |
Swe

| style="width:56px" |
NL

|-
| style="width:58px" |
29,060

| style="width:58px" |
21,674

| style="width:58px" |
6,800

| style="width:56px" |
6,747

| style="width:56px" |
'''6,540'''

| style="width:56px" |
4,083

| style="width:56px" |
3,871

| style="width:65px" |
2,907

| style="width:56px" |
2,328

|}

Regarding new capacity installed, Germany was number one in Europe in 2011 at 2,100 MW with the UK following at 1,300 MW, of which 752 MW was offshore wind. Spain came third (1,050 MW) and then France (830 MW).

'''Sources:'''

[http://www.decc.gov.uk/ www.decc.gov.uk] Department of Energy and Climate Change

([http://www.renewableuk.com/ http://www.renewableuk.com], the “The UK's leading renewable energy trade association”)

[http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/Wind_in_power_2011_European_statistics.pdf http://www.ewea.org](European Wind Energy Association) 

[http://www.wmo.int/ http://www.wmo.int] (World Meteorological Organization)

[[Category:Student_engineer_essay_competition]]

Wind energy

2012-12-04T20:43:12Z

Richard civilengineer:

= ''Wind Energy in the UNITED KINGDOM'' =

 

Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly untapped energy resource. Wind is currently the most developed renewable energy source in the UK.

 

== '''A/ The factors which make the UK a great place for harnessing the power of wind''' ==
*It has 40% of Europe’s wind due to its Northerly position in the North West of Europe, bearing the full brunt of weather systems coming in from the North Atlantic.
*It has the longest coastline in Europe (17,820 km according to the Ordnance Survey just for island of Great Britain) and has many shallow waters in its territorial waters, e.g. in the North Sea, making it ideal for off-shore wind.
*It has many sparsely populated upland areas (e.g. the Moors), mainly in the North of the British Isles which is the region which also happens to have the most wind resource

== '''B/ Wind installations in the UK ''' ==

The first British wind farm was established in 1991 at Delabole, Cornwall. 

Thanks to the Renewables Obligation government policy, UK wind energy capacity has flourished. There are currently (Dec 2012) 361 projects live in the UK, which equates to 4,136 turbines, 5,054 MW of on-shore capacity and 2,679 MW off-shore capacity, i.e. a total of 7,7733MW.

The United Kingdom is the world leader in off-shore wind in 2012. 

 

[[File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG|RTENOTITLE]] 

'''Projected capacity'''

==

==

== '''B/ Public perception of wind power''' ==

There are some vocal opposition groups to wind power who object to new wind farms being built in their area, and they put forward claims such as they are a danger to wildlife or a blight on the scenery.

However, by and large, the British view wind power in a favourable light. In surveys done for RenewablesUK, the body which champions UK wind and marine energy, and for the Sunday Times, it emerged that in 2012:
*77% of Britons are in favour of electricity from renewables
*73% of Britons support offshore wind and 66% onshore wind installations
*only 17% and 40% of Britons support additional gas/coal and nuclear power stations respectively
==

== '''D/ Advantages and disadvantages of wind power''' ==

== Advantages ==
*The main advantage is the low carbon nature of wind power. This is a completely clean energy, bar the impact occurring from the manufacture and construct on of the pylons, pales and turbines. The scientific community has warned that an urgent transition to a low carbon economy is required if we are to avert a global catastrophe due to global warming of the atmosphere by over 2 degrees Celsius due to ever-increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The concentration of CO2 has reached 390ppm in 2012, up from 280ppm in pre-industrial times, corresponding to 375,000,000,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere since 1750. 
*Wind power is also clean and silent. 
*The wind blows the strongest in the Winter months when energy demand is at its highest 
*Many jobs are created in designing, manufacturing, and servicing the equipment. 

 

== Disadvantages ==
*The main disadvantage is the unpredictable nature of wind speeds resulting in turbines being immobile, although this problem does not usually affect the British Isles much.
*Problems storing the generated power can be another issue.
==

== '''E/ International Comparisons''' ==

'''Worldwide'''

There are 250 GW installed capacity worldwide in 2012. The UK ranks 8th; however on a per-capita basis the UK deson't make the top 20.

The countries with the most installed capacity are : (2011 figures)
*China (62.4 GW)
*USA (46.9GW)
*Germany (29.1 GW)
*Spain (21.7 GW)
*India (15.9)
*Italy (6.7)
*France (6.6)
*'''''United Kingdom (6.0)'''

'''Europe'''

The UK had the 5th largest installed capacity in Europe by the end of 2011; this reflects its fairly late uptake of wind power compared to Germany or the US.

Germany has by far the most capacity, followed by Spain.

''Installed capacity in Europe, end of 2011 (MW)''

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
|-
| style="width:58px" |
Ger

| style="width:58px" |
Spain

| style="width:58px" |
France

| style="width:56px" |
Italy

| style="width:56px" |
'''UK'''

| style="width:56px" |
Port

| style="width:56px" |
Den

| style="width:65px" |
Swe

| style="width:56px" |
NL

|-
| style="width:58px" |
29,060

| style="width:58px" |
21,674

| style="width:58px" |
6,800

| style="width:56px" |
6,747

| style="width:56px" |
'''6,540'''

| style="width:56px" |
4,083

| style="width:56px" |
3,871

| style="width:65px" |
2,907

| style="width:56px" |
2,328

|}

Regarding new capacity installed, Germany was number one in Europe in 2011 at 2,100 MW with the UK following at 1,300 MW, of which 752 MW was offshore wind. Spain came third (1,050 MW) and then France (830 MW).

'''Sources:'''

[http://www.decc.gov.uk/ www.decc.gov.uk] Department of Energy and Climate Change

([http://www.renewableuk.com/ http://www.renewableuk.com], the “The UK's leading renewable energy trade association”)

[http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/Wind_in_power_2011_European_statistics.pdf http://www.ewea.org](European Wind Energy Association) 

[http://www.wmo.int/ http://www.wmo.int] (World Meteorological Organization)

[[Category:Student_engineer_essay_competition]]

Wind energy

2012-12-04T20:28:59Z

Richard civilengineer:

= ''Wind Energy in the UNITED KINGDOM'' =

 

Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly untapped energy resource. Wind is currently the most developed renewable energy source in the UK.

 

== '''A/ The factors which make the UK a great place for harnessing the power of wind''' ==
*It has 40% of Europe’s wind
*It has the longest coastline in Europe (17,820 km according to the Ordnance Survey just for island of Great Britain) and has many shallow waters in its territorial waters, e.g. in the North Sea.
*It has many sparsely populated upland areas, mainly in the North of the British Isles which also happen to have the most wind resource

==

== '''B/ Wind installations in the UK ''' ==

The first British wind farm was established in 1991 at Delabole, Cornwall. 

Thanks to the Renewables Obligation government policy, UK wind energy capacity has flourished. There are currently (Dec 2012) 361 projects live in the UK, which equates to 4,136 turbines, 5,054 MW of on-shore capacity and 2,679 MW off-shore capacity, i.e. a total of 7,7733MW.

The United Kingdom is the world leader in off-shore wind in 2012. 

 

[[File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG|RTENOTITLE]] 

'''Projected capacity'''

==

==

== '''B/ Public perception of wind power''' ==

There are some vocal opposition groups to wind power who object to new wind farms being built in their area, and they put forward dubious claims such as they are a danger to wildlife.

However, by and large, the British view wind power in a favourable light. In surveys done for RenewablesUK, the body which champions UK wind and marine energy, and for the Sunday Times, it emerged that in 2012:
*77% of Britons are in favour of electricity from renewables
*73% of Britons support offshore wind and 66% onshore wind installations
*only 17% and 40% of Britons support additional gas/coal and nuclear power stations respectively

==

==

== '''D/ Advantages and disadvantages of wind power''' ==
*The main advantage is the low carbon nature of wind power. This is a completely clean energy, bar the impact occurring from the manufacture and construct on of the pylons, pales and turbines. The scientific community has warned that an urgent transition to a low carbon economy is required if we are to avert a global catastrophe due to global warming of the atmosphere by over 2 degrees Celsius due to ever-increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the concentration of which has reached 390ppm in 2012, up from 280ppm in pre-industrial times, corresponding to 375,000,000,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere since 1750.
*Wind power is also clean and silent.
*The wind blows the strongest in the Winter months when energy demand is at its highest
*Many jobs are created in designing, manufacturing, and servicing the equipment.
*The main disadvantage is the unpredictable nature of wind speeds resulting in turbines being immobile, although this problem does not usually affect the British Isles much.
*Problems storing the generated power can be another issue.

==

==

== '''E/ International Comparisons''' ==

'''Worldwide'''

There are 250 GW installed worldwide in 2012. The UK ranks 8th; however on a per-capita basis the UK is not even in the top 20.

The countries with the most installed capacity are : (2011 figures)
*China (62.4 GW)
*USA (46.9GW)
*Germany (29.1 GW)
*Spain (21.7 GW)
*India (15.9)
*Italy (6.7)
*France (6.6)
*'''UK'''''' (6.0)'''

'''Europe'''

The UK had the 5th largest installed capacity in Europe by the end of 2011 and reflects our fairly late uptake of wind power compared to Germany or the US.

Germany has by far the most capacity, followed by Spain.

''Installed capacity in Europe, end of 2011 (MW)''

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
|-
| style="width:58px" |
Ger

| style="width:58px" |
Spain

| style="width:58px" |
France

| style="width:56px" |
Italy

| style="width:56px" |
'''UK'''

| style="width:56px" |
Port

| style="width:56px" |
Den

| style="width:65px" |
Sweden

| style="width:56px" |
NL

|-
| style="width:58px" |
29,060

| style="width:58px" |
21,674

| style="width:58px" |
6,800

| style="width:56px" |
6,747

| style="width:56px" |
'''6,540'''

| style="width:56px" |
4,083

| style="width:56px" |
3,871

| style="width:65px" |
2,907

| style="width:56px" |
2,328

|}

Regarding new capacity installed, Germany was number one in Europe in 2011 at 2,100 MW with the UK following at 1,300MW, of which 752 MW was offshore wind. Spain came third (1,050MW) and then France (830MW).

'''Sources:'''

[http://www.decc.gov.uk/ www.decc.gov.uk] Department of Energy and Climate Change

([http://www.renewableuk.com/ http://www.renewableuk.com], the “The UK's leading renewable energy trade association”)

[http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/Wind_in_power_2011_European_statistics.pdf http://www.ewea.org](European Wind Energy Association) 

[http://www.wmo.int/ http://www.wmo.int] (World Meteorological Organization)

[[Category:Student_engineer_essay_competition]]

Wind energy

2012-12-04T20:26:45Z

Richard civilengineer:

= ''Wind Energy in the UNITED KINGDOM'' =

 

Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly untapped energy resource. Wind is currently the most developed renewable energy source in the UK.

 

== '''A/ The factors which make the UK a great place for harnessing the power of wind''' ==
*It has 40% of Europe’s wind
*It has the longest coastline in Europe (17,820 km according to the Ordnance Survey just for island of Great Britain) and has many shallow waters in its territorial waters, e.g. in the North Sea.
*It has many sparsely populated upland areas, mainly in the North of the British Isles which also happen to have the most wind resource

==

== '''B/ Wind installations in the UK ''' ==

The first British wind farm was established in 1991 at Delabole, Cornwall. 

Thanks to the Renewables Obligation government policy, UK wind energy capacity has flourished. There are currently (Dec 2012) 361 projects live in the UK, which equates to 4,136 turbines, 5,054 MW of on-shore capacity and 2,679 MW off-shore capacity, i.e. a total of 7,7733MW.

The United Kingdom is the world leader in off-shore wind in 2012. 

 

[[File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG|RTENOTITLE]] 

'''Projected capacity'''

==
==

== '''B/ Public perception of wind power''' ==

There are some vocal opposition groups to wind power who object to new wind farms being built in their area, and they put forward dubious claims such as they are a danger to wildlife.

However, by and large, the British view wind power in a favourable light. In surveys done for RenewablesUK, the body which champions UK wind and marine energy, and for the Sunday Times, it emerged that in 2012:
*77% of Britons are in favour of electricity from renewables
*73% of Britons support offshore wind and 66% onshore wind installations
*only 17% and 40% of Britons support additional gas/coal and nuclear power stations respectively

==
==

== '''D/ Advantages and disadvantages of wind power''' ==
*The main advantage is the low carbon nature of wind power. This is a completely clean energy, bar the impact occurring from the manufacture and construct on of the pylons, pales and turbines. The scientific community has warned that an urgent transition to a low carbon economy is required if we are to avert a global catastrophe due to global warming of the atmosphere by over 2 degrees Celsius due to ever-increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the concentration of which has reached 390ppm in 2012, up from 280ppm in pre-industrial times, corresponding to 375,000,000,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere since 1750.
*Wind power is also clean and silent.
*The wind blows the strongest in the Winter months when energy demand is at its highest
*Many jobs are created in designing, manufacturing, and servicing the equipment.
*The main disadvantage is the unpredictable nature of wind speeds resulting in turbines being immobile, although this problem does not usually affect the British Isles much.
*Problems storing the generated power can be another issue.

==
==

== '''E/ International Comparisons''' ==

'''Worldwide'''

There are 250 GW installed worldwide in 2012. The UK ranks 8th; however on a per-capita basis the UK is not even in the top 20.

The countries with the most installed capacity are : (2011 figures)
*China (62.4 GW)
*USA (46.9GW)
*Germany (29.1 GW)
*Spain (21.7 GW)
*India (15.9)
*Italy (6.7)
*France (6.6)
*'''UK'''''' (6.0)'''

'''Europe'''

The UK had the 5th largest installed capacity in Europe by the end of 2011 and reflects our fairly late uptake of wind power compared to Germany or the US.

Germany has by far the most capacity, followed by Spain.

''Installed capacity in Europe, end of 2011 (MW)''

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
|-
| style="width:58px" |
Ger

| style="width:58px" |
Spain

| style="width:58px" |
France

| style="width:56px" |
Italy

| style="width:56px" |
'''UK'''

| style="width:56px" |
Port

| style="width:56px" |
Den

| style="width:65px" |
Sweden

| style="width:56px" |
NL

|-
| style="width:58px" |
29,060

| style="width:58px" |
21,674

| style="width:58px" |
6,800

| style="width:56px" |
6,747

| style="width:56px" |
'''6,540'''

| style="width:56px" |
4,083

| style="width:56px" |
3,871

| style="width:65px" |
2,907

| style="width:56px" |
2,328

|}

In 2011, Germany was number one at 2,100 MW with the UK following at 1,300MW. Of which 752 MW was offshore wind, then by Spain (1,050MW) and France (830MW).

'''Sources:'''

[http://www.decc.gov.uk/ www.decc.gov.uk] Department of Energy and Climate Change

([http://www.renewableuk.com/ http://www.renewableuk.com], the “The UK's leading renewable energy trade association”)

[http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/Wind_in_power_2011_European_statistics.pdf http://www.ewea.org](European Wind Energy Association) 

[http://www.wmo.int/ http://www.wmo.int] (World Meteorological Organization)

[[Category:Student_engineer_essay_competition]]

Wind energy

2012-12-04T20:26:19Z

Richard civilengineer:

= ''Wind Energy in the UNITED KINGDOM'' =

 

Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly untapped energy resource. Wind is currently the most developed renewable energy source in the UK.

== '''A/ The factors which make the UK a great place for harnessing the power of wind ==

*It has 40% of Europe’s wind
*It has the longest coastline in Europe (17,820 km according to the Ordnance Survey just for island of Great Britain) and has many shallow waters in its territorial waters, e.g. in the North Sea.
*It has many sparsely populated upland areas, mainly in the North of the British Isles which also happen to have the most wind resource
==

== '''B/ Wind installations in the UK ''' ==

The first British wind farm was established in 1991 at Delabole, Cornwall. 

Thanks to the Renewables Obligation government policy, UK wind energy capacity has flourished. There are currently (Dec 2012) 361 projects live in the UK, which equates to 4,136 turbines, 5,054 MW of on-shore capacity and 2,679 MW off-shore capacity, i.e. a total of 7,7733MW.

The United Kingdom is the world leader in off-shore wind in 2012. 

 

[[File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG|RTENOTITLE]] 

'''Projected capacity'''
==
==

== '''B/ Public perception of wind power''' ==

There are some vocal opposition groups to wind power who object to new wind farms being built in their area, and they put forward dubious claims such as they are a danger to wildlife.

However, by and large, the British view wind power in a favourable light. In surveys done for RenewablesUK, the body which champions UK wind and marine energy, and for the Sunday Times, it emerged that in 2012:
*77% of Britons are in favour of electricity from renewables
*73% of Britons support offshore wind and 66% onshore wind installations
*only 17% and 40% of Britons support additional gas/coal and nuclear power stations respectively
==
==

== '''D/ Advantages and disadvantages of wind power''' ==
*The main advantage is the low carbon nature of wind power. This is a completely clean energy, bar the impact occurring from the manufacture and construct on of the pylons, pales and turbines. The scientific community has warned that an urgent transition to a low carbon economy is required if we are to avert a global catastrophe due to global warming of the atmosphere by over 2 degrees Celsius due to ever-increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the concentration of which has reached 390ppm in 2012, up from 280ppm in pre-industrial times, corresponding to 375,000,000,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere since 1750.
*Wind power is also clean and silent.
*The wind blows the strongest in the Winter months when energy demand is at its highest
*Many jobs are created in designing, manufacturing, and servicing the equipment.
*The main disadvantage is the unpredictable nature of wind speeds resulting in turbines being immobile, although this problem does not usually affect the British Isles much.
*Problems storing the generated power can be another issue.
==
==

== '''E/ International Comparisons''' ==

'''Worldwide'''

There are 250 GW installed worldwide in 2012. The UK ranks 8th; however on a per-capita basis the UK is not even in the top 20.

The countries with the most installed capacity are : (2011 figures)
*China (62.4 GW)
*USA (46.9GW)
*Germany (29.1 GW)
*Spain (21.7 GW)
*India (15.9)
*Italy (6.7)
*France (6.6)
*'''UK'''''' (6.0)'''

'''Europe'''

The UK had the 5th largest installed capacity in Europe by the end of 2011 and reflects our fairly late uptake of wind power compared to Germany or the US.

Germany has by far the most capacity, followed by Spain.

''Installed capacity in Europe, end of 2011 (MW)''

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
|-
| style="width:58px" |
Ger

| style="width:58px" |
Spain

| style="width:58px" |
France

| style="width:56px" |
Italy

| style="width:56px" |
'''UK'''

| style="width:56px" |
Port

| style="width:56px" |
Den

| style="width:65px" |
Sweden

| style="width:56px" |
NL

|-
| style="width:58px" |
29,060

| style="width:58px" |
21,674

| style="width:58px" |
6,800

| style="width:56px" |
6,747

| style="width:56px" |
'''6,540'''

| style="width:56px" |
4,083

| style="width:56px" |
3,871

| style="width:65px" |
2,907

| style="width:56px" |
2,328

|}

In 2011, Germany was number one at 2,100 MW with the UK following at 1,300MW. Of which 752 MW was offshore wind, then by Spain (1,050MW) and France (830MW).

'''Sources:'''

[http://www.decc.gov.uk/ www.decc.gov.uk] Department of Energy and Climate Change

([http://www.renewableuk.com/ http://www.renewableuk.com], the “The UK's leading renewable energy trade association”)

[http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/Wind_in_power_2011_European_statistics.pdf http://www.ewea.org](European Wind Energy Association) 

[http://www.wmo.int/ http://www.wmo.int] (World Meteorological Organization)

[[Category:Student_engineer_essay_competition]]

Wind energy

2012-12-04T20:24:55Z

Richard civilengineer:

= ''Wind Energy in the UNITED KINGDOM'' =
 

Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly untapped energy resource. Wind is currently the most developed renewable energy source in the UK.

== '''A/ The factors which make the UK ''''''a great place for harnessing wind power''' ==
*It has 40% of Europe’s wind
*It has the longest coastline in Europe (17,820 km according to the Ordnance Survey just for island of Great Britain) and has many shallow waters in its territorial waters, e.g. in the North Sea.
*It has many sparsely populated upland areas, mainly in the North of the British Isles which also happen to have the most wind resource

== '''B/ Wind installations in the UK ==

The first British wind farm was established in 1991 at Delabole, Cornwall. 

Thanks to the Renewables Obligation government policy, UK wind energy capacity has flourished. There are currently (Dec 2012) 361 projects live in the UK, which equates to 4,136 turbines, 5,054 MW of on-shore capacity and 2,679 MW off-shore capacity, i.e. a total of 7,7733MW.

The United Kingdom is the world leader in off-shore wind in 2012. 

 

[[File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG]] 

'''Projected capacity'''

== '''B/ Public perception of wind power''' ==

There are some vocal opposition groups to wind power who object to new wind farms being built in their area, and they put forward dubious claims such as they are a danger to wildlife.

However, by and large, the British view wind power in a favourable light. In surveys done for RenewablesUK, the body which champions UK wind and marine energy, and for the Sunday Times, it emerged that in 2012:
*77% of Britons are in favour of electricity from renewables
*73% of Britons support offshore wind and 66% onshore wind installations
*only 17% and 40% of Britons support additional gas/coal and nuclear power stations respectively

== '''D/ Advantages and disadvantages of wind power''' ==

*The main advantage is the low carbon nature of wind power. This is a completely clean energy, bar the impact occurring from the manufacture and construct on of the pylons, pales and turbines. The scientific community has warned that an urgent transition to a low carbon economy is required if we are to avert a global catastrophe due to global warming of the atmosphere by over 2 degrees Celsius due to ever-increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the concentration of which has reached 390ppm in 2012, up from 280ppm in pre-industrial times, corresponding to 375,000,000,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere since 1750.
*Wind power is also clean and silent.
*The wind blows the strongest in the Winter months when energy demand is at its highest
*Many jobs are created in designing, manufacturing, and servicing the equipment.
*The main disadvantage is the unpredictable nature of wind speeds resulting in turbines being immobile, although this problem does not usually affect the British Isles much.
*Problems storing the generated power can be another issue.

== '''E/ International Comparisons''' ==

'''Worldwide'''

There are 250 GW installed worldwide in 2012. The UK ranks 8th; however on a per-capita basis the UK is not even in the top 20.

The countries with the most installed capacity are : (2011 figures)
*China (62.4 GW)
*USA (46.9GW)
*Germany (29.1 GW)
*Spain (21.7 GW)
*India (15.9)
*Italy (6.7)
*France (6.6)
*'''UK'''''' (6.0)'''

'''Europe'''

The UK had the 5th largest installed capacity in Europe by the end of 2011 and reflects our fairly late uptake of wind power compared to Germany or the US.

Germany has by far the most capacity, followed by Spain.

''Installed capacity in Europe, end of 2011 (MW)''

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
|-
| style="width:58px" |
Ger

| style="width:58px" |
Spain

| style="width:58px" |
France

| style="width:56px" |
Italy

| style="width:56px" |
'''UK'''

| style="width:56px" |
Port

| style="width:56px" |
Den

| style="width:65px" |
Sweden

| style="width:56px" |
NL

|-
| style="width:58px" |
29,060

| style="width:58px" |
21,674

| style="width:58px" |
6,800

| style="width:56px" |
6,747

| style="width:56px" |
'''6,540'''

| style="width:56px" |
4,083

| style="width:56px" |
3,871

| style="width:65px" |
2,907

| style="width:56px" |
2,328

|}

In 2011, Germany was number one at 2,100 MW with the UK following at 1,300MW. Of which 752 MW was offshore wind, then by Spain (1,050MW) and France (830MW).

'''Sources:'''

[http://www.decc.gov.uk/ www.decc.gov.uk] Department of Energy and Climate Change

([http://www.renewableuk.com/ http://www.renewableuk.com], the “The UK's leading renewable energy trade association”)

[http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/Wind_in_power_2011_European_statistics.pdf http://www.ewea.org](European Wind Energy Association) 

[http://www.wmo.int/ http://www.wmo.int] (World Meteorological Organization)

[[Category:Student_engineer_essay_competition]]

Wind energy

2012-12-04T20:20:55Z

Richard civilengineer:

'''Wind Energy in the ''''''United Kingdom'''

Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly untapped energy resource. Wind is currently the most developed renewable energy source in the UK.

'''A/ The factors which make the ''''''UK'''''' a great place for harnessing wind power'''
*It has 40% of Europe’s wind
*It has the longest coastline in Europe (17,820 km according to the Ordnance Survey just for island of Great Britain) and has many shallow waters in its territorial waters, e.g. in the North Sea.
*It has many sparsely populated upland areas, mainly in the North of the British Isles which also happen to have the most wind resource

'''B/ Wind energy installations in the ''''''UK'''

The first British wind farm was established in 1991 at Delabole, Cornwall.

Thanks to the Renewables Obligation government policy, UK wind energy capacity has flourished. There are currently (Dec 2012) 361 projects live in the UK, which equates to 4,136 turbines, 5,054 MW of on-shore capacity and 2,679 MW off-shore capacity, i.e. a total of 7,7733MW.

The United Kingdom is the world leader in off-shore wind in 2012.

file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\11\clip_image002.gif

'''Projected capacity'''

'''C/ Public perception of wind power'''

There are some vocal opposition groups to wind power who object to new wind farms being built in their area, and they put forward dubious claims such as they are a danger to wildlife.

However, by and large, the British view wind power in a favourable light. In surveys done for RenewablesUK, the body which champions UK wind and marine energy, and for the Sunday Times, it emerged that in 2012:
*77% of Britons are in favour of electricity from renewables
*73% of Britons support offshore wind and 66% onshore wind installations
*only 17% and 40% of Britons support additional gas/coal and nuclear power stations respectively

'''D/ Advantages and disadvantages of wind power'''
*The main advantage is the low carbon nature of wind power. This is a completely clean energy, bar the impact occurring from the manufacture and construct on of the pylons, pales and turbines. The scientific community has warned that an urgent transition to a low carbon economy is required if we are to avert a global catastrophe due to global warming of the atmosphere by over 2 degrees Celsius due to ever-increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the concentration of which has reached 390ppm in 2012, up from 280ppm in pre-industrial times, corresponding to 375,000,000,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere since 1750.
*Wind power is also clean and silent.
*The wind blows the strongest in the Winter months when energy demand is at its highest
*Many jobs are created in designing, manufacturing, and servicing the equipment.
*The main disadvantage is the unpredictable nature of wind speeds resulting in turbines being immobile, although this problem does not usually affect the British Isles much.
*Problems storing the generated power can be another issue.

'''E/ International comparisons'''

'''Worldwide'''

There are 250 GW installed worldwide in 2012. The UK ranks 8th; however on a per-capita basis the UK is not even in the top 20.

The countries with the most installed capacity are : (2011 figures)
*China (62.4 GW)
*USA (46.9GW)
*Germany (29.1 GW)
*Spain (21.7 GW)
*India (15.9)
*Italy (6.7)
*France (6.6)
*'''UK'''''' (6.0)'''

'''Europe'''

The UK had the 5th largest installed capacity in Europe by the end of 2011 and reflects our fairly late uptake of wind power compared to Germany or the US.

Germany has by far the most capacity, followed by Spain.

''Installed capacity in Europe, end of 2011 (MW)''

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
|-
| style="width:58px" |
Ger

| style="width:58px" |
Spain

| style="width:58px" |
France

| style="width:56px" |
Italy

| style="width:56px" |
'''UK'''

| style="width:56px" |
Port

| style="width:56px" |
Den

| style="width:65px" |
Sweden

| style="width:56px" |
NL

|-
| style="width:58px" |
29,060

| style="width:58px" |
21,674

| style="width:58px" |
6,800

| style="width:56px" |
6,747

| style="width:56px" |
'''6,540'''

| style="width:56px" |
4,083

| style="width:56px" |
3,871

| style="width:65px" |
2,907

| style="width:56px" |
2,328

|}

In 2011, Germany was number one at 2,100 MW with the UK following at 1,300MW. Of which 752 MW was offshore wind, then by Spain (1,050MW) and France (830MW).

'''Sources:'''

[http://www.decc.gov.uk/ www.decc.gov.uk] Department of Energy and Climate Change

([http://www.renewableuk.com/ http://www.renewableuk.com], the “The UK's leading renewable energy trade association”)

[http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/Wind_in_power_2011_European_statistics.pdf http://www.ewea.org](European Wind Energy Association) 

[http://www.wmo.int/ http://www.wmo.int] (World Meteorological Organization)

[[Category:Student_engineer_essay_competition]]

File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG

2012-12-04T20:16:22Z

Richard civilengineer: uploaded a new version of "File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG"

File:Installed wind capacity UK.JPG

2012-12-04T20:13:34Z

Richard civilengineer:

Wind energy

2012-12-04T20:06:47Z

Richard civilengineer: Created page with " '''Wind Energy in the ''''''United Kingdom''' Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly unta..."

'''Wind Energy in the ''''''United Kingdom'''

Wind is a clean, plentiful renewable energy source. The UK being a very windy place has yet to significantly tap into vastly untapped energy resource. Wind is currently the most developed renewable energy source in the UK.

'''A/ The factors which make the ''''''UK'''''' a great place for harnessing wind power'''

*It has 40% of Europe’s wind
*It has the longest coastline in Europe (17,820 km according to the Ordnance Survey just for island of Great Britain) and has many shallow waters in its territorial waters, e.g. in the North Sea.
*It has many sparsely populated upland areas, mainly in the North of the British Isles which also happen to have the most wind resource

'''B/ Wind energy installations in the ''''''UK'''

The first British wind farm was established in 1991 at Delabole, Cornwall.

Thanks to the Renewables Obligation government policy, UK wind energy capacity has flourished. There are currently (Dec 2012) 361 projects live in the UK, which equates to 4,136 turbines, 5,054 MW of on-shore capacity and 2,679 MW off-shore capacity, i.e. a total of 7,7733MW.

The United Kingdom is the world leader in off-shore wind in 2012.

file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Owner\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\11\clip_image002.gif

'''Projected capacity'''

'''C/ Public perception of wind power'''

There are some vocal opposition groups to wind power who object to new wind farms being built in their area, and they put forward dubious claims such as they are a danger to wildlife.

However, by and large, the British view wind power in a favourable light. In surveys done for RenewablesUK, the body which champions UK wind and marine energy, and for the Sunday Times, it emerged that in 2012:
*77% of Britons are in favour of electricity from renewables
*73% of Britons support offshore wind and 66% onshore wind installations
*only 17% and 40% of Britons support additional gas/coal and nuclear power stations respectively

'''D/ Advantages and disadvantages of wind power'''

*The main advantage is the low carbon nature of wind power. This is a completely clean energy, bar the impact occurring from the manufacture and construct on of the pylons, pales and turbines. The scientific community has warned that an urgent transition to a low carbon economy is required if we are to avert a global catastrophe due to global warming of the atmosphere by over 2 degrees Celsius due to ever-increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the concentration of which has reached 390ppm in 2012, up from 280ppm in pre-industrial times, corresponding to 375,000,000,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere since 1750.
*Wind power is also clean and silent.
*The wind blows the strongest in the Winter months when energy demand is at its highest
*Many jobs are created in designing, manufacturing, and servicing the equipment.

*The main disadvantage is the unpredictable nature of wind speeds resulting in turbines being immobile, although this problem does not usually affect the British Isles much.
*Problems storing the generated power can be another issue.

'''E/ International comparisons'''

'''Worldwide'''

There are 250 GW installed worldwide in 2012. The UK ranks 8th; however on a per-capita basis the UK is not even in the top 20.

The countries with the most installed capacity are : (2011 figures, http://www.wwindea.org/webimages/WorldWindEnergyReport2011.pdf)
*China (62.4 GW)
*USA (46.9GW)
*Germany (29.1 GW)
*Spain (21.7 GW)
*India (15.9)
*Italy (6.7)
*France (6.6)
*'''UK'''''' (6.0)'''

'''Europe'''

The UK had the 5th largest installed capacity in Europe by the end of 2011 and reflects our fairly late uptake of wind power compared to Germany or the US.

Germany has by far the most capacity, followed by Spain.

''Installed capacity in Europe, end of 2011 (MW)''

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"
|-
| style="width:58px" |
Ger

| style="width:58px" |
Spain

| style="width:58px" |
France

| style="width:56px" |
Italy

| style="width:56px" |
'''UK'''

| style="width:56px" |
Port

| style="width:56px" |
Den

| style="width:65px" |
Sweden

| style="width:56px" |
NL

|-
| style="width:58px" |
29,060

| style="width:58px" |
21,674

| style="width:58px" |
6,800

| style="width:56px" |
6,747

| style="width:56px" |
'''6,540'''

| style="width:56px" |
4,083

| style="width:56px" |
3,871

| style="width:65px" |
2,907

| style="width:56px" |
2,328

|}

In 2011, Germany was number one at 2,100 MW with the UK following at 1,300MW. Of which 752 MW was offshore wind, then by Spain (1,050MW) and France (830MW).

'''Sources:'''

[http://www.decc.gov.uk/ www.decc.gov.uk] Department of Energy and Climate Change

([http://www.renewableuk.com/ http://www.renewableuk.com], the “The UK's leading renewable energy trade association”)

[http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/files/library/publications/statistics/Wind_in_power_2011_European_statistics.pdf http://www.ewea.org](European Wind Energy Association) 

[http://www.wmo.int/ http://www.wmo.int] (World Meteorological Organization)

[[Category:Student_engineer_essay_competition]]

User:Richard civilengineer

2012-12-04T19:58:46Z

Richard civilengineer:

My name is Richard Walter.

I am a MEng Civil Engineering student at City University.

My email address is richard.walter.1@city.ac.uk

I am interested in renewable energy, designing buildings and many other civil engineering applications.

User:Richard civilengineer

2012-12-04T19:57:26Z

Richard civilengineer: Created page with " My name is Richard Walter. I am a MEng Civil Engineering student at City University. I am interested in renewable energy, designing buildings and many other civil engineering ..."

My name is Richard Walter.

I am a MEng Civil Engineering student at City University.

I am interested in renewable energy, designing buildings and many other civil engineering applications.