Size matters when it comes to renewable power generation. (Or, perhaps better put, scale.) And the wind industry has seen turbines grow to enormous proportions. Now there is a new king among the the giant pinwheels: Named “The Britannia” (we guess “The Titanic” was already taken), the turbine tower stands about 100 meters tall with a 150-meter blade diameter, and it can kick out an impressive 7.5 megawatts. Clipper Windpower has sold its first Britannia, which it says is the world’s largest wind turbine.
The sale was made to the British Crown Estate, the monarchy’s land-holdings portfolio that today is run as a statutory corporation. The prototype turbine will be used to tap Britain’s offshore wind in an attempt to meet Britain’s ambitious goal of generating 33 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2020. Currently, only 300 megawatts of wind capacity are operating in British waters.
If Clipper’s Britannia prototype proves popular, this partnership with Crown Estate could greatly boost England’s offshore wind capacity. Crown Estate is one of the largest property owners in the UK, and its holdings include over half of the nation’s foreshore and almost all of the territorial seabed, up to 12 nautical miles out. It also enjoys the right to lease seabed for the generation of renewable energy on the continental shelf within the Renewable Energy Zone, which extends out to approximately 200 nautical miles. When it comes to offshore wind power, it’s good to be the king.
We expect opposition to alternative energy sources to come from the usual suspects: fossil fuel companies, their investors and the claque who trudge the political world seeking a reactionary cause to justify their tawdry voice. Wind power has added another class. The phony enviro who defines ecology as including the view from their holiday cottage.
33gigawatt goal. Thats 4400 brittania sized windmills. I hear the scots dont want them since they feel the mills interfere with the peat farming (a big export believe it or not).
They grow coal?
If wind gets any more successful, then the environmentalists will start to protest it. They really hate commerce.
And here’s why Ted Kennedy doesn’t want a windmill in his backyard:
Those who promote wind energy are blowing smoke. They are monstrosities that CONSUME LAND, destroy viewscapes, and are incredibly expensive, paid for by taxpayers mostly through corporate tax breaks and subsidies. When you calculate these factors into your “energy savings” you end up negative.
33 JiggaWatts
To put things into perspective on what can be done with 1 GigaWatt for a short amount of time
To Quote “Back to The Future”:
Doc: “How could I have been so careless? 1.21 gigawatts! Tom, how am I gonna generate that kind of power? It can’t be done, can it?”
Marty: “Doc, look. All we need is a little plutonium.”
Doc: “Oh” I’m sure that in 1985 plutonium is available in every corner drugstore, but in 1955, it’s a little hard to come by. Marty, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’re stuck here.”
Europe is leading the way. Americans are content with bitching endlessly about fuel and energy costs. Even if th USA ‘stabilizes’ the middle east there’s only so much of that stinky black stuff left. Perhaps if those BILLIONS of dollars spent to bring ‘peace’ to the middle east were spent on investigation of alternative energy… Nah, just an idea, the american scientific community is bought and paid for…
BTW I’ve lived in Spain over 20 years and in the last 5 wind mills are popping up like daisies, I like their impact on the scenery.
Actually the Crown Estate “is part of the heredity possessions of the Sovereign”, meaning it is a trust owned and ultimately controlled by the Queen. King George III agreed to give Parliament the excess rental profits from the lands in exchange for a stipend called the civil list. This deal can be renewed by each new monarch, which each succeeding one has chosen to.
Note that in the event of the end of the monarchy, the Crown Estate would revert to private control. Any property appreciation ultimately flows to the owners via the trust.
This arrangement is reminiscent of the Fed in the US, privately owned by the banking cartel but delivers a portion of its income to the Treasury.
I refer you to the Crown Estate’s FAQ:
http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/tce_faqs.htm
“The Crown Estate belongs to the reigning monarch”…The Government also does not own The Crown Estate.”
In summary, the monarchy retained control of the properties by putting them into a trust and giving up rental income. Someday they’ll cash in on their multi-century investment.
Wind plants generate electricity when there is wind, which is more likely to be when the electricity isn’t needed. They need to figure outhow to store this electricity cheaply.