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Comparative costs of wind, other renewables and nuclear A number of reports have appeared recently that compare the generation cost of wind energy with the costs of other renewable energy sources and of nuclear. There is a wide variation between the estimates, but onshore wind emerges in a strong position compared with most other renewables. There are places where hydro and geothermal energy are cheaper, but these locations are not widespread. Offshore wind is currently less competitive, although, depending on the location, may be cheaper than the solar technologies.
Gearbox supplier forges ahead with new concepts Germany’s Winergy is one of the oldest and the world’s largest wind turbine gearbox suppliers in terms of annual megawatts installed. The company has production locations in Germany, China, India and the USA, and it currently manufactures gearboxes up to 6.5 MW power rating.
Wind manufacturer panel argues siting, gearboxes and policy The Windpower 2011 convention took place in late May in Anaheim, California. The event got underway with its traditional keynotes by celebrities, government leaders and American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) executives. TV mogul Ted Turner led the way. A big fan of wind, he has started his own venture capital firm to sponsor renewable projects known as Turner Renewable Energy.
NREL working on gearbox validation and testing to improve overall reliability The gearbox has been something of an Achilles Heel for wind with several manufacturers having to spend millions changing out faulty gearboxes. While it is a couple of years now since that last flap of this kind, owner confidence in the gearboxes supposed 20-year lifespan is not high.
Narrowing wind turbinetechnology priorities There are many areas of wind technology that are under development; but which ones should have the highest priority in terms of impact on overall cost of energy (COE)? That was the question facing Ruth Marsh of research firm DNV.
These stories plus... Wind turbine output and performance reports from over 7000 individual wind turbines–including side-by-side comparisons of capacity factors, kWh output, output per square meter of swept area, and more.
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