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'''Wind power in Scotland''' is the country's fastest growing [[renewable energy]] technology, with 2574 [[megawatt|MW]] of installed capacity as of April 2011.<ref>[http://www.scottishrenewables.com/ Scottish Renewables]</ref> Scottish [[wind farm]]s include the United Kingdom's largest wind farm (322 MW) at [[Whitelee Wind Farm|Whitelee]] in [[East Renfrewshire]], as well as two very large offshore [[wind turbine]]s (5 MW each), located in the [[Moray Firth]]. The [[Clyde Wind Farm]] is a 548 [[megawatt]] (MW) [[wind farm]] under construction near [[Abington, South Lanarkshire|Abington]] in [[South Lanarkshire]], [[Scotland]], which will be Europe's largest onshore wind farm when completed.<ref>[http://www.sse.com/Clyde SSE Clyde Project website]</ref> There are many other large onshore [[wind farm]]s including some, both planned and operating, which are in [[Community wind energy|community ownership]]. The siting of turbines is sometimes an issue, but surveys have shown high levels of community acceptance for wind power in Scotland. There is further potential for expansion, especially offshore given the high average wind speeds, and a number of large offshore wind farms are planned.
'''Wind power in Scotland''' is the country's fastest growing [[renewable energy]] technology, with 2574 [[megawatt|MW]] of installed capacity as of April 2011.<ref>[http://www.scottishrenewables.com/ Scottish Renewables]</ref> Scottish [[wind farm]]s include the United Kingdom's largest wind farm (322 MW) at [[Whitelee Wind Farm|Whitelee]] in [[East Renfrewshire]], which has a 217 MW extension under construction, set for completion in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk/about_windfarm/construction_updateconstruction_update?side |title=Whitelee Wind Farm Update |author= |date= |work= }}</ref> The [[Clyde Wind Farm]] is a 548 [[megawatt]] (MW) [[wind farm]] under construction near [[Abington, South Lanarkshire|Abington]] in [[South Lanarkshire]], [[Scotland]], which will be Europe's largest onshore wind farm when completed.<ref>[http://www.sse.com/Clyde SSE Clyde Project website]</ref> Two very large offshore [[wind turbine]]s (5 MW each) are located in the [[Moray Firth]]. There are many other large onshore [[wind farm]]s including some, both planned and operating, which are in [[Community wind energy|community ownership]]. The siting of turbines is sometimes an issue, but surveys have shown high levels of community acceptance for wind power in Scotland. There is further potential for expansion, especially offshore given the high average wind speeds, and a number of large offshore wind farms are planned.


The [[Scottish Government]] has a target of generating 31% of Scotland's electricity from [[renewable energy]] by 2011, and 100% by 2020, which was raised from 50% in September 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/09/23134359 |title=Target for renewable energy now 80 per cent |date=23 September 2010 |publisher=Scottish Government }}</ref> The majority of this is likely to come from wind power.<ref name=white/>
The [[Scottish Government]] has a target of generating 31% of Scotland's electricity from [[renewable energy]] by 2011, and 100% by 2020, which was raised from 50% in September 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/09/23134359 |title=Target for renewable energy now 80 per cent |date=23 September 2010 |publisher=Scottish Government }}</ref> The majority of this is likely to come from wind power.<ref name=white/>
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The 322 MW [[Whitelee Wind Farm]] was completed ahead of schedule in May 2009. It is Europe's largest onshore [[wind farm]], built by [[Scottish Power Renewables]]. The wind farm uses 140 [[Siemens]] 2.3-MW [[wind turbines]].<ref name=white>[http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/05/europes-largest-onshore-wind-farm-is-switched-on-in-scotland?cmpid=WNL-Friday-May22-2009 Europe's Largest Onshore Wind Farm Is Switched on in Scotland] ''Renewable Energy World'', 20 May 2009.</ref>
The 322 MW [[Whitelee Wind Farm]] was completed ahead of schedule in May 2009. It is Europe's largest onshore [[wind farm]], built by [[Scottish Power Renewables]]. The wind farm uses 140 [[Siemens]] 2.3-MW [[wind turbines]].<ref name=white>[http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/05/europes-largest-onshore-wind-farm-is-switched-on-in-scotland?cmpid=WNL-Friday-May22-2009 Europe's Largest Onshore Wind Farm Is Switched on in Scotland] ''Renewable Energy World'', 20 May 2009.</ref>


In late 2010 construction started on a 75 turbine extension to Whitelee which will bring the installed capacity up to 539MW, enough to power the equivalent of up to 300,000 households. Completion is due in May 2011. <ref>{{cite web| title=SPR Awards Whitelee Extension Contract|url=http://www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk/news/spr_awards_whitelee_extension_contract|publisher=Scottish Power Renewables|accessdate=1 June 2011}}</ref>
Whitelee Wind Farm has a 75 turbine extension under construction, which will add an additional 217 MW of capacity. Work on this extension is set for completion in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk/about_windfarm/construction_updateconstruction_update?side |title=Whitelee Wind Farm Update |author= |date= |work= }}</ref>


==Under construction or proposed==
==Under construction or proposed==

Revision as of 03:05, 26 November 2011

Wind power in Scotland is the country's fastest growing renewable energy technology, with 2574 MW of installed capacity as of April 2011.[1] Scottish wind farms include the United Kingdom's largest wind farm (322 MW) at Whitelee in East Renfrewshire, which has a 217 MW extension under construction, set for completion in 2012.[2] The Clyde Wind Farm is a 548 megawatt (MW) wind farm under construction near Abington in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, which will be Europe's largest onshore wind farm when completed.[3] Two very large offshore wind turbines (5 MW each) are located in the Moray Firth. There are many other large onshore wind farms including some, both planned and operating, which are in community ownership. The siting of turbines is sometimes an issue, but surveys have shown high levels of community acceptance for wind power in Scotland. There is further potential for expansion, especially offshore given the high average wind speeds, and a number of large offshore wind farms are planned.

The Scottish Government has a target of generating 31% of Scotland's electricity from renewable energy by 2011, and 100% by 2020, which was raised from 50% in September 2010.[4] The majority of this is likely to come from wind power.[5]

Current offshore wind turbines

REpower 5 MW wind turbine under construction at Nigg fabrication yard on the Cromarty Firth

Scotland's first offshore wind turbine was placed near the Beatrice Oil Field, 15 miles off the east coast in the Moray Firth, North Sea, in August 2006. This was the world's largest wind turbine at the time, an REpower 5M, with a maximum output of 5MW. A second identical turbine joined it and the wind farm began supplying electricity in August 2007.[6] As of February 2010, Beatrice Wind Farm is the deepest and northernmost offshore wind installation in the world.[7]

This was the first time such large offshore wind turbines had been tested, and the first time any wind turbine generators have been assembled in such deep (44 metres) water.[8] Such large wind turbine generators are ideally suited to the offshore environment due to high consistent wind speeds and minimal turbulence. According to historical measures of wind speeds at the Beatrice offshore location, it is expected that the turbines will run 96% of the time (8440 hours per year), and at 10 MW full power 38% of the time (3300 hours per year).[8]

Large wind farms

Black Law Wind Farm

The 54-turbine Black Law Wind Farm has a total capacity of 124 MW.[9] It is located near Forth in Lanarkshire and was built on old opencast coalmine site, with an original capacity of 97 MW[10] from 42 turbines. It employs seven permanent staff on site and created 200 jobs during construction. A second phase saw the installation of a further 12 turbines. The project has received wide recognition for its contribution to environmental objectives.[10] Over the period April 2009 to March 2010, Black Law Wind Farm produced 19.19% of its rated capacity.[11]

Braes of Doune Wind Farm

The Braes of Doune Wind Farm opened in 2007 and is located close to Stirling. The wind farm has 36 Vestas 2 megawatt wind turbines. The farm was built and is run by Airtricity.[12]

Farr Wind Farm

Farr Wind Farm is located some 10 miles south of Inverness, and comprises 40 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 92 MW. Every year the wind farm generates enough clean electricity to meet the average annual needs of some 54,000 homes.[13]

Hadyard Hill Wind Farm

Hadyard Hill Wind Farm, owned and operated by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), became the first wind farm in the UK able to generate over 100 MW of power. The 120 MW, 52-turbine wind farm in South Ayrshire cost £85 million and in a year generates enough electricity to power 80,000 homes, sufficient to supply every household in a city the size of York. The production of zero carbon electricity at the wind farm is expected to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by almost 300,000 tonnes a year, equivalent to taking 70,000 cars off the road.[14]

Robin Rigg Wind Farm

The Robin Rigg Wind Farm is a 180 MW development completed in April 2010, which is Scotland's first offshore wind farm, sited at Robin Rigg, a sandbank midway between the Galloway and Cumbrian coasts in the Solway Firth. 60 Vestas V90-3MW wind turbines are planned.[15][16]

Whitelee Wind Farm

The 322 MW Whitelee Wind Farm was completed ahead of schedule in May 2009. It is Europe's largest onshore wind farm, built by Scottish Power Renewables. The wind farm uses 140 Siemens 2.3-MW wind turbines.[5]

Whitelee Wind Farm has a 75 turbine extension under construction, which will add an additional 217 MW of capacity. Work on this extension is set for completion in 2012.[17]

Under construction or proposed

Clyde Wind Farm

The Clyde Wind Farm is a 548 megawatt (MW) wind farm under construction near Abington in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. When completed, it will be Europe's largest onshore wind farm. The 152-turbine project by Scottish and Southern Energy[18], which was approved by the Scottish Parliament in July 2008, capable of powering 320,000 homes, and will be larger than the 322 MW Whitelee Wind Farm near Glasgow.[19] Turbines will be built either side of the M74 motorway.[20] Construction of the wind farm, which is budgeted for £600 million, started in early 2009 and expected to finish in 2012.[21]

Offshore wind farms

In January 2010 contracts were awarded for a major expansion of offshore wind power in the seas around Scotland. Moray Offshore Renewables will develop offshore wind power in the Moray Firth, and SeaGreen Wind Energy will develop offshore wind in the Firth of Forth. These developments could lead to 1,000 new wind turbines generating nearly 5,000 MW of power. Jobs "could also be created in manufacturing, research, engineering, installation, operation and services".[22]

Wind variability

Most turbines in the European Union produce electricity at an average of 25% of their rated maximum power due to the variability of wind resources,[23] but Scotland's wind regime provides average capacity factor of 40% or higher on the west and northern coasts. A small wind farm on Shetland with five Vestas V47 660 kW turbines recently achieved a world record of 58% capacity over the course of a year. This record is claimed by Burradale windfarm, located just a few miles outside Lerwick and operated by Shetland Aerogenerators Ltd. Since opening in 2000, the turbines at this wind farm have had an average capacity factor of 52% and, according to this report, in 2005 averaged a world record 57.9%.[24]

A 2011 report authored by wind farm critic Stuart Young and supported by the John Muir Trust, said that Scotland’s wind farms are only delivering a fraction of the power their builders claim. The report looked at wind farm output over a 26 month period between November 2008 to December 2010 using data from the industry’s Balancing Mechanism Reporting System. The report concluded that wind power "cannot be relied upon to provide significant levels of power" and "that there is an urgent need to re-evaluate the use of the energy source in future".[25][26] There was an "angry response" to the report from the energy industry, and the body representing Scotland’s renewable energy refused to recognise the figures. Jenny Hogan, Director of Policy for Scottish Renewables, said: "We have no confidence in these unofficial figures", and added: "It could be argued the Trust is acting irresponsibly given their expertise lies in protecting our wild lands and yet they seem to be going to great lengths to undermine renewable energy which is widely recognised as one of the biggest solutions to tackling climate change".[26] An independent study investigated the JMT report by cross-referencing Renewable Obligation Certificates over the same study period and concluded that wind farms performed much better due to data problems with the BMReports website upon which the JMT Report was based.

Aesthetics and landscape issues

The Ardrossan Wind Farm.

Siting of some wind turbines has become an issue amongst those concerned about the value of natural landscapes.[27] The John Muir Trust has stated that "the best renewable energy options around wild land are small-scale, sensitively sited and adjacent to the communities directly benefiting from them",[28][29] although even community-owned schemes can prove controversial. For example, a small-scale scheme proposed by North Harris Development Trust has been supported by the John Muir Trust.[30]

The Ardrossan Wind Farm on the west coast of Scotland has been "overwhelmingly accepted by local people". Instead of spoiling the landscape, they believe it has enhanced the area: "The turbines are impressive looking, bring a calming effect to the town and, contrary to the belief that they would be noisy, we have found them to be silent workhorses".[31]

Community ownership

See also: Community wind energy
The wind turbines at Findhorn, which make the Ecovillage a net exporter of electricity.

Community-owned schemes in Scotland include a three V27 wind turbine system near the manufacturer Vestas's Scottish base in Kintyre,[32] operated by Gigha Renewable Energy Ltd. which is capable of generating up to 675 kW of power. Gigha residents control the whole project and profits are reinvested in the community.[33]

Findhorn Ecovillage has four Vestas wind turbines which can generate up to 750kW. These make the community net exporters of renewably generated electricity. Most of the generation is used on-site with any surplus exported to the National Grid.[34]

Boyndie Wind Farm Co-operative is part of the Energy4All group, which promotes community ownership.[35] A number of other schemes supported by Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company are in the pipeline.

Public opinion

A 2003 survey of residents living around Scotland's 10 existing wind farms found high levels of community acceptance and strong support for wind power, with much support from those who lived closest to the wind farms. The results of this survey support those of an earlier Scottish Executive survey 'Public attitudes to the Environment in Scotland 2002', which found that the Scottish public would prefer the majority of their electricity to come from renewables, and which rated wind power as the cleanest source of renewable energy.[36]

Beauly-Denny

A proposed 400kV upgrade to the existing 132 kV transmission network, seen as key to future expansion[37] has been held up in planning[38] for three years. There has been vocal opposition from some sectors[39] and strong support from other sectors.[40] The proposed 220km circuit is to run from Beauly, west of Inverness to Denny, west of Falkirk.

In 2008, the first major independent study associated with the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets concluded that the upgrade of the Beauly-Denny power line will be a key to future development.[41]

In January 2010, the Scottish Government approved the upgrade to the Beauly to Denny transmission line.[22]

Potential

It is estimated that 11.5 GW of onshore wind potential exists, enough to provide 45 TWh of energy. More than double this amount exists on offshore sites[42] where mean wind speeds are greater than on land.[43] The total offshore potential is estimated at 25 GW, and although more expensive to install could be enough to provide almost half the total energy used in Scotland.[42]

According to a recent report, the world's wind market offers many opportunities for Scottish companies, with total global revenue over the next five years estimated at £35 billion and continued growth forecast until at least 2025.[44]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wind power in Scotland.

References

  1. ^ Scottish Renewables
  2. ^ "Whitelee Wind Farm Update".
  3. ^ SSE Clyde Project website
  4. ^ "Target for renewable energy now 80 per cent". Scottish Government. 23 September 2010.
  5. ^ a b Europe's Largest Onshore Wind Farm Is Switched on in Scotland Renewable Energy World, 20 May 2009.
  6. ^ Beatrice Wind timeline
  7. ^ "Beatrice is currently the northernmost and deepest offshore wind farm in the world"
  8. ^ a b World's Largest Wind Turbine Generator
  9. ^ Thousands Flock To Black Law Windfarm Open Day
  10. ^ a b UK's most powerful wind farm could power Paisley
  11. ^ UK Renewable Energy Generation - Summary April 2009 to March 2010
  12. ^ Braes of Doune
  13. ^ Farr Wind Farm
  14. ^ Hadyard Hill becomes the first wind farm in the UK to generate over 100 MW of power
  15. ^ Windfarm: Robin Rigg
  16. ^ Robin Rigg Offshore Wind FarmProject
  17. ^ "Whitelee Wind Farm Update".
  18. ^ SSE Clyde Project website
  19. ^ Haworth, Jenny (2008-07-22). "Wind farms: now we've got the biggest in Europe". Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  20. ^ Johnson, Simon (2008-07-21). "Europe's largest onshore wind farm is to be built in Scotland costing £600m". Telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  21. ^ "Green light for massive wind farm". BBC News. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  22. ^ a b New offshore wind farm contracts announced BBC News, 8 January 2010.
  23. ^ "ECN report on Renewables" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-02-04.
  24. ^ Burradale Wind Farm Shetland Islands
  25. ^ Young, Stuart (March 2011). "Analysis of UK Wind Power Generation". Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  26. ^ a b Judy Armstrong (April 11, 2011). "Sparks fly over John Muir Trust wind farm report". The Great Outdoors.
  27. ^ Wind power dilemma for Lewis, BBC report
  28. ^ "What's Your View on Wild Land?". Pitlochry: John Muir Trust. 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  29. ^ John Muir Trust. "Renewable Energy Policy". Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  30. ^ "North Harris Community Wind Farm Approved". John Muir Trust. 18 February, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Wind farms are not only beautiful, they're absolutely necessary
  32. ^ Vestas Celtic Retrieved 6 July 2007. [dead link]
  33. ^ Green Energy press release Retrieved 2007-02-01.
  34. ^ Findhorn Ecovillage
  35. ^ Boyndie Co-operative Retrieved 6 July 2007. [dead link]
  36. ^ Wind farms make good neighbours
  37. ^ BWEA position on Beauly Denny Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  38. ^ Beauly Denny Public Inquiry website, Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  39. ^ Pylon Pressure website - Beauly Denny Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  40. ^ Friends of the Beauly Denny Power Line Upgrade
  41. ^ Power-line opponents dealt blow by independent study
  42. ^ a b RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland and FOE Scotland (February 2006) The Power of Scotland: Cutting Carbon with Scotland's Renewable Energy.
  43. ^ Evaluation of global wind power
  44. ^ Huge potential growth forecast for Scottish wind industry

External links


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