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wiredInUSA - August 2015
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In the first half of 2015, Germany added
over three times the amount of offshore
wind capacity than in the same period of
2014. Data from VDMA, the engineering
association, showed that 1,765MW of
new offshore capacity was installed in
the first six months of 2015, compared
with 492MW in January–June 2014. With
regulatory hurdles and questions over
onshore connections resolved, investors
are attracted to the technology and are
helping Germany achieve its ambitious
plan to use more renewable power.
Current permissions and construction
activity mean capacity additions for the
whole of 2015 are likely to reach 2,250MW,
taking overall installed capacity to
3,300MW.
Legislation planned by the government
for 2016 will change the fixed-price
schemes of the past to auction-based
models. This will bring green energy into
the wholesale power market, and away
from the subsidies that allowed operators
to overcome initial problems, stand the
costs of new technology and exploit the
advantages of big turbines and steady
winds far out at sea.
Germany’s growing
green power
ABB will link the power grids of the United
Kingdom and Norway, increasing security
of power supply for both countries and
supporting the integration of more
renewable wind and hydroelectric power
into their networks. The order was placed
by Norway’s Statnett and the UK’s National
Grid.
ABB will supply HVDC converter stations at
both ends of the North Sea network (NSN)
link between Norway and the UK. “We are
very pleased to be working with Statnett
and National Grid to support the integration
of the European energy market,” said ABB
CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer. “HVDC is a core
technology pioneered by ABB and a key
business focus in our next level strategy.”
When wind power generation is high and
electricity demand low in the UK, power
will flow via the link to Norway, allowing it
to conserve water in its reservoirs. When
demand is high in theUK, but with insufficient
wind, electricity fromNorway’s hydroelectric
plants will flow to the UK.
The NSN link will have the capacity to
transmit 1,400MWof power, passing through
Norwegian and British waters. The 730km
link will be the world’s longest subsea power
interconnection, and is expected to enter
commercial operation in 2021.
Give and take power
link
Ulrich Spiesshofer