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Wind energy should be seriously considered

Global Arab Network - - George Haddad

Monday, 24 August 2009 16:26

Twenty years ago there was a single wind turbine on the Danube Island in Vienna next to a conventional power station. It was odd-looking and may have been the only one in Austria for research purposes at a time when wind energy was very little on anybody's mind.

Of course wind power is one of the old forms of energy for milling crops or pumping water in many countries, but was overtaken by other forms of modern energy systems for efficiency, economy and practicality.

All this is now changing. I recently travelled west and east of Vienna and at least at two wind farms that I could see from the road, it was hard to count the number of wind turbines installed.

By the end of 2008, the installed capacity of wind turbines for electricity generation in Austria was 995 mega watts (MW), seven times more than what it was in 2002.

Austria is the seventeenth largest wind energy producer in the world, and Germany is probably No 1 in Europe with over 18,000 units and more than 22,000 MW installed capacity. World growth rate of wind energy is close to 30 per cent a year.

The reasons for this wide proliferation in the last decade are the advances made in design and construction, and the increase in a turbine's capacity from a few hundred kilowatts to units of as much as 2.5 MW. Industrial countries' policies of reducing dependence on fossil fuels to meet their carbon emissions targets and commitments to climate change agreements have played a major role in promoting this zero emission form of energy. The appreciation of oil prices and other fossil fuels in recent years has added impetus to this drive. Countries with a well developed electricity sector are more able to integrate the electricity from wind turbines with their grid.

Incentive schemes in many countries have encouraged development of wind farms even in expensive locations - like the mountain site in the south of Austria with an altitude of 1,900 metres - but the uncertainties about the future of such incentives are a barrier for further expansion in addition to the sometimes difficult integration with the conventional generating schemes.

The inherent problem of wind variability reduces the generated power to 20-40 per cent as compared to the high capacity factor of conventional plants. Also, some communities still object to wind farms because of their visual impact and the noise they generate, though these problems can be minimised by proper site selection.

Taking the above into consideration, the International Energy Agency predicts double-digit growth in the coming years where wind power could provide nine per cent of world energy by 2030. Other sources such as the Global Wind Energy Council are even more optimistic, provided government support for projects is continued.

An important factor to consider for wind energy is a good estimation of wind variability and resources. An average wind speed of 7 metres per second at 80 metres high is thought to be necessary for a successful scheme. Similarly, higher towers could make larger blades generate more.

Economics of wind turbines has improved and costs are reduced by a factor of four in the last twenty years and there is room for more. However, like every engineering project costs have increased in the last few years but are on decline again. Depending on the maturity of the site, investment cost in wind farms could be $1.2 $2.2 million per MW of installed capacity which is still higher than costs for conventional power plants but the operating cost is much lower at $75 $97 per MWh.

The importance given to the environment and renewable energy in the UAE is in no doubt. Perhaps the authorities would initiate at some point in time the study of wind resources all over the country and especially near the already established infrastructure as a first step for a successful implementation of wind power. Oil producing countries should not shy away from renewable energy schemes.

Global Arab Network

Saadallah Al Fathi is a former head of the Energy Studies Department in the Opec Secretariat in Vienna. Special to Gulf News

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