Wind power

The fastest growing energy source in Europe

Wind power is currently Europe’s fastest growing energy source and one of the cornerstones in the conversion of the energy system towards reduced emissions of greenhouse gases. Vattenfall is one of the world’s leading wind power developer and operators and is currently building nine wind farms in six countries. Between 2009 and 2011, investment will double the amount of electricity Vattenfall generates from wind power, taking it from 2 TWh to 4 TWh.

Vattenfall operates close to 900 wind power turbines in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK. The world’s largest offshore wind farm, Thanet Wind Farm off the coast of the UK, came into operation in September 2010. In partnership with Scottish Power Renewables, Vattenfall has also been awarded one of the zones in the UK’s Round Three for the development of offshore wind power.

In 2012, the construction of the Dan Tysk wind farm in the North Sea will commence in partnership with Stattwerke München. This wind farm is estimated to have an annual electricity generation of around 1 320 GWh.

Of course, wind power requires favourable wind conditions. Wind drives the generator’s blades and hub, which make up the turbine, or rotor. The turbine’s shaft is connected to a generator inside the casing. Between the turbine and the generator is usually a gearbox which steps up the slow speed of the turbine to a speed that suits the generator. A yaw system between the rotor and the tower automatically keeps the turbine pointed into the wind.

The strength of the wind out at sea is normally higher than on land, and therefore the potential for electricity generation is greater. However, the stresses on the equipment from wind, waves, salt water and ice are also greater. It is also more difficult to perform installation and servicing work at sea, and the distance to the coast requires special rules for connection to the grid. The rapid expansion of offshore wind power is increasing the need for a new high-capacity electricity network.

One of the main reasons for the strong growth of wind power is the EU’s goal of reducing CO₂ emissions. A number of targets must be met by 2020, including having renewable energy account for 20% of all energy consumption in the EU. Up to a fifth of this can come from wind power.

This corresponds to the energy need of more than a 100 million average households in Europe. Every EU country has some form of incentive scheme for renewable energy in order to support this development. Vattenfall is investigating opportunities for wind power in many countries and in many projects.