The Rise in Oil Price Spurs Germany to Build Massive Wind Farms

The German government has announced plans to build 30 wind farms in the North and Baltic Sea north of Germany with 2,000 windmills producing 11,000 megawatts of electricity. Each facility will cost $1.57 billion. The first farm will become reality this year. By 2030, a total of 25,000 megawatts are supposed to be produced when the grid of interconnected wind farms is finalized to increase the level of autonomy regarding foreign energy and oil supply. The wind turbines will be erected offshore in water up to 40 meters deep and connected to the mainland using cables, which are up to 100 km long.

The rise in the oil price has made this all the more pressing and the interest from investors shows that it is economically viable.

Germany's Bundestag or lower house of parliament passed a law last month aimed at increasing the amount of power generated by renewable energy sources like wind or solar power to 30 percent from the current 14 percent by 2020.

Wind energy currently makes up seven percent of the nation's energy consumption.

The new law was part of a long-awaited package aimed at fighting climate change agreed by Chancellor Angela Merkel's left-right coalition government. The government has agreed to honor a decision to close the country's 17 nuclear power plants by 2020 but remains divided over the issue.

Tiefensee, a member of Merkel's Social Democrat coalition partners, said that investing in windfarms was better than keeping the nuclear plants running. "We believe in renewable energy and not in nuclear energy."

Posted by Jason McManus.

Source links:

http://www.physorg.com/news134557678.html
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2002/2002-01-29-03.asp

Comments

[Saudi]

Please help me understand why only 3 wings?

I thought a few more wings would give more power?

if wight is not the reason and 3 wings are the optimum in this case then waht could it be?

[Laconis]

Saudi,

The reason for only three blades is the turbulence created by the blades. With 3 blades the air flow is not distrubed by the passing of the previous blade. If more blades were attached to the rotor the air turbulence would result in less overall torque being applied to the blades and may even cause damage to the windmill itself.

[Saudi]

Thanks a lot,
I made sense of your answer, but still have doubt on the reason of making the wings too thin! Wouldn't littlie bit more wider wing blade collects more wind force?

[Keyla]

Engineers and physicists came up with this design. Promise.

[Keyla]

Engineers and physicists came up with this design. Promise.