Wind Gets Market Tough

Unsubsidized wind energy is arriving, onshore and off...

Sami Grover, April 18, 2017 (TreeHugger)

“Whether it's large offshore wind farms shattering cost reduction goals, or giant turbines generating a record amount of energy in a 24-hour period, there have been plenty of developments to celebrate in the wind energy sector recently…[But renewable energy advocates would be right to worry about what short-term political] winds may mean for long-term development…[On the other hand,] Deutsche Welle reports that for the first time ever, an offshore wind farm will be built without any subsidies at all…[The "He Dreiht" project will] have a capacity of 900 megawatts…Scottish Renewables suggests that onshore wind farms could compete subsidy-free in the UK, as long as they were allowed to take part in the country's competitive auction process…[The contracts for difference (CfD)] competitive auction process does not currently include onshore wind…[That exclusion is an example of the political obstruction but there are signs of political progress. Oil giant Shell is lobbying for the Dutch government to quadruple its offshore wind target for 2030 to an installed capacity of a whopping 20 gigawatts (GW)…” click here for more

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