At Vestas, we believe in being open and transparent in how we do business around the world and the values we believe in. Over the past 30 years, we have built-up a wealth of knowledge as the world’s most dedicated wind turbine manufacturers. We are committed to sharing this unique expertise with governments and other stakeholders through a range of policies that address these specific issues:
- Wind resource mapping
- Spatial planning for large scale wind power integration, including issues relating to noise and wildlife
- Grid planning for large-scale wind power integration
It’s an initiative that comes at a time when many countries are placing greater emphasis on the value of wind power as part of their energy mix – recognising the important benefits it brings. Namely;
- An abundant, mature, and competitive source of modern energy
- A reduction in fossil fuel imports, creating greater energy independence
- A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
- The creation of greater local employment
Key recommendations of our policies
The trend towards wind power will trigger a range of regulatory and planning issues.
Our key policy recommendations provide governments with detailed insights on how to respond to these:
-
Plan now for all available wind resources:
Policymakers should take a long term approach that identifies all available national wind resources and the contribution they can make. This has been successful in many countries where wind power is already a significant part of the energy mix*.
Denmark generates about 20 percent of its electricity from wind power, while Spain generates about 11 percent and Germany, about seven percent. In 2009, China led the world by installing almost 14 GW of new wind capacity. The United States and Germany ranked second and third, respectively installing 10 GW and 1.9 GW of new capacity, while fourth-ranking Spain installed 1.6 GW. -
Set clear targets and timetables
Be clear about objectives and resolve all regulatory issues - encouraging the investor confidence needed to expand production capacity. A good example of this was the EU’s adoption in 2008 of a legally binding target of 20 percent renewable energy by 2020. Similar commitment has been shown by China, where the goal is 150 GW from wind power by 2020. -
Develop national and regional siting plans
Identify the most appropriate sites for large-scale developments, both onshore and offshore. Planning should consider factors such as long-term sustainability in terms of economic and environmental issues as well as public acceptance. -
Upgrade national/regional grid plans
Assess the condition of the existing electricity grid, which might already need upgrading to cope with future demand. With renewable energy a priority, grids should be extended to reach the areas where wind power is abundant. Any country aiming for large-scale wind integration would reap considerable benefits from carrying out their grid upgrade in parallel with the site planning process described above, so that rising energy demands can be met by growing wind power penetration.
