Wind energy
provides 3 percent of the global demand for electricity and will soon be
delivering more electricity than nuclear power plants. Investment last year
amounted to 50 million euros.
Wind energy
is booming around the world. In Spain and Denmark, wind energy provides 20
percent of the electricity supply and in Germany 10 percent. Experts predict
that the figure will rise to between 20 and 25 percent in Germany by 2020.
According
to statistics released by the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), wind
turbines with a total output capacity of around 40 gigawatts were newly
deployed last year. By the end of 2011, global output was around 237 gigawatts.
This equates to the energy output of around 280 nuclear power plants. To
compare: there are currently some 380 nuclear power plants around the world -
but that's a figure which will diminish as nuclear power plants are
decommissioned over the next few years.
Output to
quadruple by 2020
The
increase in capacity is proceeding quickly: every year there are 20 percent
more turbines and the WWEA forecasts that output will quadruple to over 1,000
gigawatts by 2020.
Chinais
taking a leading role in this process: in 2011, almost half of the new capacity
was created there and it's now ahead of both the US and Germany as the leading
wind-energy nation in absolute terms. But EU countries like Denmark, Spain and
Germany beat China on wind energy per head. Only 3 percent of China's power
comes from wind.
Cheap and
clean
Wind energy
is good for the environment and climate-friendly, but the reason for the
worldwide boom is mainly the price. Electricity from wind turbines is often the
cheapest source of energy. According to Stefan Gsänger, director of the WWEA,
the current price for a kilowatt hour of electricity from new wind turbines on
land is between 0.05 to 0.09 euros ($0.06 - $0.11). "That's why wind
energy is one of the most popular sources of energy," Gsänger told DW.
 |
| Gsänger says wind energy still requires political support |
In
comparison, electricity from modern coal-burning power plants costs around 0.07
euros ($0.09) in Europe. But calculations by the EU and the German Ministry of
the Environment indicate that the true cost of coal electricity is twice that.
The soot from power plants is responsible for respiratory diseases, putting a
financial strain on the healthcare system. The cost of electricity from modern
power plants powered by other fossil fuels or nuclear power is also higher than
that from land-based wind turbines.
Guaranteed
price
Even though
wind energy is already among the cheapest of energy sources, Gsänger believes
it still needs political support in the form of a guaranteed rather than a
higher price. A legally binding purchase price is needed before banks are
prepared to offer credit. Gsänger named the example of Turkey: "There, the
guaranteed price is lower than the market price. Nevertheless, the guarantee is
necessary in order for banks to finance wind farms. And I see that as a
prospect in other countries."
Microcredit
finance
The right
financial tools are important if wind energy is to be successful. Unlike
fossil-fuel power plants, the costs of wind energy are tied up above all in
investment. In less developed regions, finance is a major problem - that's why
there's scarcely any wind energy in many African nations.
As a way of
dealing with that problem, Gsänger would like to see the use of microfinancing
schemes, such as the Nobel Prize winner Mohammad Yunus has set up in Bangladesh,
financing small wind turbines: "That means that businesses who supply the
wind turbines also provide the credit. The electricity consumers then pay it
back monthly but only have to pay once the turbines are delivering
electricity."
 |
The logistics involved in offshore wind farms means the energy they
produce is more expensive
|
Turbine trends
There have
been major developments in wind turbine technology over the past few years.
There are now taller wind turbines for low-wind regions and extra large rotor
blades for greater efficiency. More offshore wind parks are also being built.
The installation and maintenance of wind turbines at sea is expensive, costing
0.18 to 0.20 euros ($0.19-$0.25) per kilowatt hour - twice as much as for
electricity produced from wind turbines on land.
Another
very different trend is that of small wind turbines for use in houses, small
villages and industrial purposes. Over half a million turbines have been
installed to date, the majority in the USA and China. Wind turbines are
particularly cost effective for many people in developing countries and regions
which would otherwise be unable to have electricity. Even users in developed
countries increasingly benefit from using wind energy which is cheaper than
that provided by most energy suppliers. Experts predict that the market for
small wind turbine technology will grow significantly in the long-term.
Community-owned
wind farms
 |
| Small turbines are being used in households and on a local level |
Over half
of all wind turbines in Germany are owned by local residents, farmers and local
authorities. Hermann Albers, president of the German Wind Energy Association,
believes that this has massively improved the acceptance of wind turbines among
local communities as they directly profit from the sale of electricity.
The
enthusiasm for large wind farms owned by private investors is nowhere near as
strong, Albers told DW. Albers is himself a farmer and has established a number
of community wind farms together with other farmers and local communities over
the past 20 years. "Nowadays, we experience a high level of acceptance for
community wind farms. In many cases, over half of the local population wants to
invest in wind energy. People have really understood the opportunity it provides."
The WWEA
sees community-owned wind farms as the best way of speeding up the global
introduction of environmentally friendly energy generation. Its upcoming World
Wind Energy Conference, which is taking place in Bonn from July 3 to 5, has
been given the motto: "Community Power - Citizen's Power."
Author: Gero Rueter / hw
Editor: Michael Lawton
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