The progress of wind power around the world in recent years has been impressive. By the end of 2003, more than 39,400 MW of electricity-generating wind turbines were operating in 50 countries. Of these, more than 28,000 MW were installed in the EU, enough to meet 2.4% of EU-15 electricity demand.
In the UK, a combined maximum capacity of 7.2 GW was consented by the Crown Estate under the Round 2 approvals. This will require the installation of 1440 to 2900 wind turbines. In addition, there is a significant number of Round 1 consented schemes awaiting construction.
This means that there is a potential UK requirement during 2005-2010 of over 500 wind turbines per year. The requirement for the rest of Europe over this period is over 425 wind turbines per year. The fabrication of such numbers of towers and foundations in this time span will be a major challenge for industry. TWI has the technology to help fabricators meet this challenge.
Contact: power@twi.co.uk
