Wind energy Archives

Google reveals ‘first-of-its-kind’ $20B renewable energy data center projects

December 11, 2024
Google has unveiled a $20 billion plan to develop a series of industrial parks across the United States powered by on-site wind and solar energy plants. These facilities will house the tech giant’s data center operations under what the company describes as a “first-of-its-kind” approach.

“Google is focused on evolving digital infrastructure development by co-locating grid-connected carbon-free energy and data center investments into closely-linked infrastructure projects,” Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Google, said in a statement. “This approach is an important complement to efforts to unlock development of new transmission infrastructure and to optimize utilization of the existing grid.”

Google tapped clean energy provider Intersect Power to help build the renewable energy infrastructure for these projects. The first industrial park is on track to be partially operational by 2026 and fully completed by 2027.

“This partnership is an evolution of the way hyperscalers and power providers have previously worked together,” Sheldon Kimber, CEO and founder of Intersect Power, said. “We can and are developing innovative solutions to rapidly expand clean power capacity at scale while reducing the strain on the grid.”

Google aims to reduce pollution by directly powering its data centers with renewables. That associated pollution comes from the large energy demands of such facilities when connected to the traditional power grid.

This strategy also relieves local utilities from the burden of upgrading their infrastructure. They can meet the electrical needs of those data centers. If local utilities had had to upgrade their infrastructure, it could have resulted in higher utility bills for nearby customers.

“This ‘power first’ approach to data center development is an evolved model that can significantly reduce delivery timelines of new power generation and the projects that will use it — and is designed to ease grid burden and improve overall reliability and affordability for all energy customers,” Porat explains.

However, some challenges associated with this plan remain. Intersect Power must still raise millions in funds to construct the necessary renewable energy plants.

These industrial parks are not reliant on energy from the grid. However, they will have to connect to it regardless for use as a backup supply of power. That process can require years of regulatory approval before finalization.
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Sweden’s renewable energy surplus threatens future of wind sector

December 9, 2024
Sweden, a global leader in renewable energy, faces an oversupply of clean electricity, becoming a problem for its wind power sector. The rapid expansion of wind turbines throughout the Nordic nation over the past two decades has resulted in power production exceeding the capacity of the national grid.

Nearly 96% of the country’s electrical demand is met through low-carbon sources. Wind power accounts for about a quarter of the nation’s power supply.

However, the surplus of wind energy drove energy prices below zero. Energy experts expected this trend to persist for several years.

While lower prices are beneficial for consumers, they have diminished the financial appeal of investing in new wind projects, complicating the future of Sweden’s wind industry.

The Swedish government phased out its primary subsidy program for renewable energy projects three years ago, leaving developers to rely on market-driven investments.

Following this policy shift, there haven’t been any new wind turbine orders in Sweden since the first quarter of 2023. It marked the longest hiatus in two years, and now, developers face diminished returns.

Adding to the challenge is Sweden’s push for new nuclear energy developments, which come with long-term price guarantees.

Though nuclear projects, like other renewables, receive no direct government subsidies, they benefit from incentives such as loan guarantees and other financial mechanisms unavailable to wind developers. Experts argued that these advantages, combined with the lower energy production costs of nuclear plants, will make it difficult for wind projects to remain competitive.
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Shell won’t invest in any new offshore wind projects, citing financial concerns

December 5, 2024
Shell, one of the world’s largest energy producers, has announced it will halt new investments in offshore wind energy. The company instead intends to concentrate on its existing offshore wind projects, and increasing spending on oil and gas operations.

The decision is part of a company-wide review initiated in 2023 to cut costs while prioritizing activities with higher and more immediate financial returns.

Earlier this year, Shell exited two offshore wind projects. Shell pulled out of a South Korea-based floating wind farm in February. In March, the company sold its stake in a company established to develop wind projects off the coast of Massachusetts.

In addition to these moves, Shell weakened its carbon emission reduction targets in 2024. The company cited strong near-term demand for natural gas and uncertainties in the renewable energy transition.

Shell’s decision mirrors a broader trend among energy giants like BP and Equinor. Both companies have also reduced renewable investments under investor pressure to increase profitability and maintain high shareholder payouts.

The offshore wind industry has faced significant challenges in recent years, including rising material costs and higher interest rates, further influencing Shell’s strategic shift.
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Biden spent $100B on clean energy, aims for more before Trump takes over

December 4, 2024
The White House announced it has now committed over $100 billion to renewable energy projects under President Joe Biden. This development comes as the current administration works to maximize the deployment of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

“Crossing the milestone of $100 billion awarded shows just how quickly we’re getting these funds out the door and into communities so they can make a real difference for the American people,” John Podesta, senior adviser to the president for clean energy innovation and implementation, said.

The Biden administration aims to allocate over 80% of the remaining IRA funding by the end of next month to prevent the incoming president from rescinding unspent money provided under this legislation. White House officials reportedly said they are on track to exceed this target.

Once funds are committed to a project through a signed government contract, they are legally protected and cannot be revoked, even under a new administration.

Trump indicated plans to eliminate unspent IRA funds and expressed interest in rolling back tax incentives for clean energy projects, including wind and solar installations. However, altering these subsidies would likely require congressional approval, a potentially challenging process despite a Republican majority.

Conservative-led states have been the primary beneficiaries of IRA funding. Nearly 60% of announced projects and 85% of investments tied to the legislation have been allocated to conservative congressional districts. In August 2024, 18 Republican House members urged Speaker Mike Johnson not to dismantle the IRA, warning that doing so could jeopardize significant investments in their states.
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The UK has paid wind energy providers $1.3B in 2024 to shut down production

December 3, 2024
The U.K.’s wind energy industry set a new record this year in the amount of power produced that has ultimately gone to waste. Despite surpassing 30 gigawatts of wind power capacity in 2024, enough electricity for approximately 10 million homes, the nation’s grid has not expanded sufficiently to handle the additional energy generation.

As a result of this problem, grid operators are often forced to pay wind farms to reduce or halt their operations during periods of congestion, with these constraint costs ultimately being passed on to consumers.

So far in 2024, the U.K. has spent $1.3 billion to curtail wind energy production due to grid limitations. This figure already exceeds the total costs for 2023, making it the second-highest on record, behind 2022, during which time energy prices were nearly three times higher.

When grid bottlenecks occur, operators prioritize energy sources closer to demand centers, often shutting down wind turbines in remote areas and relying instead on gas-powered facilities located around cities. Experts have raised concerns that this system will hamper the U.K.’s ability to meet its goal of decarbonizing the country’s energy sector by 2035.
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World’s first carbon capture facility powered by wind energy coming to Texas

November 22, 2024
The world’s first direct air capture (DAC) facility powered by wind energy is set to be built in Tom Green County, Texas. After 2030, the facility, dubbed Project Concho, is projected to remove 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. That is the equivalent of taking 116,628 gas-powered vehicles off the road for a year, according to the developers.

Unlike traditional carbon capture systems that trap emissions directly at their source, DAC technology can be deployed anywhere and pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. However, because carbon dioxide is more diluted in ambient air compared to emission sources, these systems require significantly more energy to capture those greenhouse gases.

Studies estimate that DAC operations can consume two to three times more energy than conventional carbon capture methods, raising concerns about their environmental efficiency when creating emissions in the process of removing them.

In an effort to ensure a cleaner and more sustainable approach to reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, Project Concho will run on wind energy.
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Nantucket’s offshore wind pushback begins again over new development

November 22, 2024
The island community of Nantucket, Massachusetts is facing renewed controversy over offshore wind projects. This time, local opposition is mounting against SouthCoast Wind, a proposed development which will be installed in the waters surrounding the town, consisting of 149 turbines that are expected to power over one million homes.

The debate follows an earlier incident over the summer at another nearby offshore development, the Vineyard Wind farm, in which a turbine failure led to debris washing up on Nantucket’s shores for weeks. At the time, residents expressed their frustrations with offshore wind projects to town leaders, and are now doing so again, voicing their opposition to SouthCoast Wind during a recent public forum.

“These wind projects are a detriment to our island,” one resident said. “We bear the burden visually and environmentally, and we get none of the benefit of this energy except to pay higher energy rates.”

Despite the local pushback, legal experts told the town that SouthCoast Wind is likely to move forward regardless of their position on the matter. The project falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), as attorneys for Nantucket told residents at the meeting that any appeals or litigation that the town engages in with this government agency will not change the timeline or the course of permitting for SouthCoast Wind.

The town’s lawyers recommended working with BOEM to negotiate better terms or compensation for the island, emphasizing that refusing to engage would limit their ability to appeal the agency’s permit approval of the project in the future. BOEM has offered Nantucket $150,000 to support mitigation efforts, but many residents see the sum as inadequate.

“Money is not enough. There isn’t enough money to make up for this,” one attendee at the town meeting said, while another labeled the offered sum as a “joke.”

Nantucket’s Select Board is expected to decide over the next few days whether to accept BOEM’s mitigation offer or seek alternative strategies to address residents’ concerns.
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Michigan communities push back against renewable energy permitting process

November 21, 2024
Nearly 80 municipalities across Michigan have filed a legal challenge against the state’s permitting process for large-scale solar and wind energy facilities. The appeal claims that the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) overstepped its legislative authority, prompting a debate over the balance of power between state and local governments in renewable energy development.

At the heart of the dispute is the MPSC’s interpretation of a series of bills that were signed into law in 2023 by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The legislation was designed to create a cooperative framework between the state and local governments regarding renewable energy project approvals. The MPSC established zoning standards for wind and solar facilities, while leaving site-specific decisions to local authorities.

However, municipal officials argue that the MPSC has unlawfully expanded its role, redefining key terms and adopting policies that strip local governments of their ability to determine where such facilities can be placed within their jurisdictions. Lawyers at the firm representing the municipalities claim that the MPSC’s approach has led to inconsistent interpretations of the law, asserting that the commission’s actions takes away the local communities’ right to even say where in the township a wind or solar energy facility can be placed.

One official from a community involved in this litigation, Jeff Sorensen, a Cooper Township supervisor, said they are bringing the appeal forward, not because these towns, cities, villages and counties are against renewable energy, but rather because they believe these renewable energy decisions should be kept at a local level.

“Basically what it has done, it has taken away local control for townships, cities and villages,” Sorensen said. “We all have different needs. Some people may welcome a whole township-wide worth of renewable energy, and it may be good for them, but others may not.”

The MPSC has yet to respond publicly to the appeal. However, the commission is set to hold a scheduled meeting Thursday, Nov. 21, will include a public comment session, providing an opportunity for community members to voice their concerns.
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China activates world’s most powerful onshore wind turbine

November 20, 2024
The world’s most powerful onshore wind turbine has officially been switched on in China. With blades reaching heights comparable to the Great Pyramid of Giza, the turbine boasts an energy capacity of 15 megawatts – enough to supply electricity to approximately 160,000 households.

This new onshore model more than doubles the power rating of its closest counterparts in the West, and even rivals the performance of the Western-world’s leading offshore turbines, which typically have a higher capacity than onshore models.

With China’s new massive onshore turbine now connected to the grid, it will next undergo a year of operational testing, including nearly 2,000 performance evaluations to ensure the reliability of its components and overall design under real-world conditions.

Industry critics have expressed previous concerns about the challenges associated with producing and deploying such large turbines, such as supply chain constraints and the logistical complexities of transporting oversized components.

However, China appears undeterred, as in addition to their latest large-scale onshore turbine, the country also announced plans last month for a 25-megawatt offshore wind turbine, which similarly would be the most powerful such structure of its kind.
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Corners cut, data falsified at GE Vernova plant that manufactured failed turbine

November 18, 2024
Debris from a shattered turbine blade at the Vineyard Wind farm may be done washing ashore, but fallout from the incident is still impacting the company behind the project. Allegations of rushed manufacturing and falsified quality data by turbine manufacturer GE Vernova have led to layoffs, suspensions, and ongoing investigations.

Fiberglass shards and other remnants of the damaged blade first started washing ashore near the Massachusetts-based wind farm in late July 2024 and continued for more than a month after the initial incident. In response, GE Vernova, the company that manufactured the turbine, launched an internal investigation to determine the cause of the failure.

GE Vernova is now reporting that improper practices at its Quebec manufacturing facility, where the faulty blade was produced, may have contributed to the incident.

According to reports, managers at the plant allegedly pressured workers to speed up production, leading to errors. As a result, nine managers have been laid off and 11 unionized employees have been suspended due to the alleged negligence.

The investigation also uncovered allegations of falsified quality data at the Canadian facility. Senior executives are said to have instructed employees to associate quality metrics from well-constructed blades with substandard ones. GE Vernova has not confirmed or denied these claims.

Amid heightened scrutiny, the company announced plans to remove some already-installed turbine blades at the Vineyard Wind farm and strengthen others following an inspection of the project.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has also stated that its own probe into the Vineyard Wind remains ongoing, and there is currently no timeline for its completion.
Related Stories

Google reveals ‘first-of-its-kind’ $20B renewable energy data center projects

Sweden’s renewable energy surplus threatens future of wind sector

Shell won’t invest in any new offshore wind projects, citing financial concerns

Biden spent $100B on clean energy, aims for more before Trump takes over

The UK has paid wind energy providers $1.3B in 2024 to shut down production

World’s first carbon capture facility powered by wind energy coming to Texas

Nantucket’s offshore wind pushback begins again over new development

Michigan communities push back against renewable energy permitting process

China activates world’s most powerful onshore wind turbine

Corners cut, data falsified at GE Vernova plant that manufactured failed turbine

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