With more than 25 years of global experience, Vestas Wind Systems A/S is the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturer. Vestas has built up unique, in-depth knowledge about exploiting national wind power resources in optimal and sustainable ways, and the company wishes to share this expertise with governments worldwide via a series of Vestas policies that address many of the key issues involved in large-scale integration of wind power.
Specifically, the Vestas policies address:
- Wind resource mapping;
- Spatial planning for large scale wind power integration; also addressing issues relating to noise and wildlife;
- Grid planning for large-scale wind power integration.
This initiative is timely and important as many countries worldwide are rapidly increasing wind power penetration in their country’s energy mix. They are doing so because they recognize that wind power:
- Is an abundant, mature, and competitive source of modern energy;
- Reduces need for fossil fuel imports, thereby creating greater energy independence;
- Reduces climate changing greenhouse gas emissions; and,
- Creates local employment.
As this trend toward greater wind power integration continues, it will trigger a range of regulatory and planning issues that are best addressed early on. The Vestas policy recommendations provide detailed insights to governments world-wide to assist them in ensuring their wind power regulatory and planning frameworks are well designed for the modern energy future.
The Vestas policies include the following overall recommendations:
Plan now for all available wind resources:
Vestas urges policymakers to identify all available national wind resources as immediately as possible and to take a systematic, long-term planning approach to large-scale wind power integration in their power supplies. Wind power is already part of the energy “life line” in several countries around the world. In 2007, Denmark generated 21 percent of its electricity from wind power; Spain, almost 12 percent; Portugal, 9 percent; and Germany, 7 percent.
Other countries around the world are rapidly increasing wind power’s role in the energy mix. The United States, for example, led the world in 2007 installing more than 5,200 MW of new wind capacity. Spain and China ranked second and third globally, respectively installing almost 3,522 and 3,449 MW, while fourth-ranking India installed 1,730 MW of new wind capacity.
As wind power increasingly becomes part of global energy life lines, industrialized and developing countries alike would benefit from planning early for all available wind resources – among the world’s most inexhaustible, climate friendly modern energy sources.
Set clear wind power targets and timetables:
The new era of modern, renewable energy requires the same kind of determination and long-term commitment as was required to develop the fossil fuel era. Establishing clear targets for wind power requires concerted regulatory and other planning action by the governments involved to meet these targets. These targets also increase investor confidence, thus facilitating necessary investments in expanding production capacity.
The EU’s 2007 adoption of a legally binding target to reach 20 percent renewable energy in 2020 provides a good example of the sort of commitment and determination that is required. China provides another good example, having committed to achieving 10,000 MW of installed wind power by 2010 and 30,000 MW by 2020 (it is expected that these targets will be met ahead of schedule). If governments are serious about meeting rising energy demands and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they must act now. Setting clear targets is an important signal to many diverse stakeholders.
Develop national/regional siting plans for wind power:
National/regional siting plans identify appropriate on- and off-shore areas for large scale wind power developments. Countries pursuing large-scale wind power integration need to plan well in advance to ensure long-term sustainability in terms of economic and environmental issues as well as public acceptance.
Upgrade national/regional grid plans for the modern energy era:
Electricity grids are designed for fossil fuel technologies, which have different characteristics than modern renewable energy technologies. Regardless of these differences, grids in many countries are in strong need of upgrading to accommodate future energy demands. Such upgrades are expensive, long-term undertakings, and as countries plan for their energy futures, they should plan their grids with renewable energy technologies in mind. This includes extending grids to reach those areas where wind power resources are abundant, both on- and offshore.
Countries pursuing large-scale wind energy integration would benefit from promptly initiating upgrading of their national grid plans in parallel with the national/regional site planning process. An integrated approach to siting and grid planning will assist countries in modernizing their grids to accommodate rising energy demands and growing wind power penetrations. National/regional siting planing makes it clear in advance where grids must be reinforced and extended over time.
As a final remark, Vestas is planning to arrange external stakeholder engagement workshops on some of the above-listed Vestas policies to develop common ground with key stakeholders with an eye toward implementation of these policies.
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