[en] At the British Wind Energy Association's 16th Annual Conference, held in Stirling, over 60 high quality papers were presented, including a session devoted to 'Wind Energy in Scotland'. Under the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) wind energy has experienced rapid growth in England and Wales and with Scotland now having its own 'Scottish Renewables Obligation' (SRO) the opportunity to tap one of Europe's most important renewable energy resources now exists. The main contemporary issues concerning wind farming today, namely technical, social, economic and environmental were examined in the Geoff Pontin Memorial Lecture, which focused on these aspects in the context of grid integrated wind energy development. The remaining conference themes included machine development, aerodynamics and control, small machines, fatigue and dynamics, public attitudes, noise emissions, electrical integration, resource measurement, and standards, safety and planning. (author)

[en] The economics of wind energy have improved rapidly in the past few years, with improvements in machine performance and increases in size both contributing to reduce costs. These trends are examined and future costs assessed. It is argued that wind energy has a higher value than that of centralised plant, since it is fed into the low voltage distribution network and it follows that the price of wind energy is converging with its value. The paper also includes a brief review of the capacity credit of wind plant and an assessment of the cost penalties which are incurred due to the need to hold extra plant on part load. These penalties are shown to be small. (author)

[en] The background of any developmental process where a country or community is concerned is energy, and rural development is no exception. Common to all developing countries are the problems with reticulation mainly because of population distribution and distance from the source. (Author)

[en] Twenty two windfarms are operational or are under construction in the U.K. They have a total installed capacity of approximately 140 MW and will generate about 360 GWh in a full year and provide the electricity needs of about 250 000 individuals and save the emission of about 400 000 tonnes of CO₂ each year. Developments so far have required an investment of about Pound 140 million provided mostly by banks and large corporate investors. Financing these projects has broken new ground for renewable technologies and established a framework for the financing of windfarms built using future NFFO contracts. Obtaining planning consents for these windfarms has involved thirteen public inquiries, eight of which have been successful. Four of these remain unused and the result of another is awaited. Statutory and other bodies have responded to the rapid deployment of windfarms by issuing guidelines and these together with Public Inquiry documentation now provide invaluable guidance for the industry. The U.K. market is arguably the most 'open' in Europe and Danish Wind Turbine manufacturers have gained over 50 per cent of the total market. A Japanese manufacturer has gained 25 per cent whilst the major U.K. turbine supplier has gained 17 per cent market share. There are still over thirty manufacturers worldwide and signs that a combination of innovation and market pressures are continuing to reduce the costs of wind energy. (author)

[en] This paper examines how the output from a cup anemometer, used for wind speed measurement, can be recorded on magnetic tape and analysed using instrumentation normally employed to measure acoustic data. The purpose of this being to allow true simultaneous analysis of acoustic and wind speed data. NEL's NWTC (National Wind Turbine Centre) Anemometer Calibration Facility is used to compare pulsed and analogue outputs from a typical anemometer to the data obtained from a pitot/static tube for a range of different wind speeds. The usefulness of 1/24- and 1/12-octave analysis is examined and accuracy limits are derived for the 'acoustic' approach to wind speed measurement. The allowable positions for anemometer locations are also discussed with reference to currently available standards and recommended practices. (Author)

[en] This article highlights the tasks to be undertaken by the wind farm business starting with the initial site selection, through the planning stage and the consideration of technical matters, to the implementation and financial aspects. The current situation in the UK with regard to installed wind turbines, public attitude, and future prospects are discussed. (UK)

[en] This article traces the background to the best practice guidelines for the wind energy industry, and considers the impact of the non fossil obligations (NFFOs), and the British Wind Energy Association's (BWEA) initiative to produce best practice guidelines. The use of these guidelines to help BWEA members is discussed, and a flow chart of the recently drafted guidelines for wind energy development is presented. (Author)

[en] As part of a comprehensive study of the impact on the local community of the Myndd y Cemmaes wind farm, two surveys were carried out to determine the attitudes of the nearly population to wind energy and the wind farm at Cemmaes. One was carried out at the time of construction and the second six months after the farm was commissioned. This paper reports the findings of these surveys. (Author)

[en] From recent experience of the development of wind power in the UK, it is clear that it is no longer enough just to know the future technical potential of renewable energy, or even the regulatory and/or fiscal framework that would enable that potential to be realised. Increasingly we must concentrate on the practical politics of developing renewable energy that will ensure that high quality projects are accepted and embraced by the public. Drawing on UK experience, Friends of the Earth has recently published guidelines which outlines the good practice which we expect wind power projects developers to follow and local authority planners to insist upon. Friends of the Earth wants to ensure that well-designed, locally supported wind power projects are allowed to go ahead and the positive environmental benefits of wind power are gained. (Author)

[en] Blyth Harbour Wind Farm, constructed upon an exposed pier, is not a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is designated to become a RAMSAR location because of the presence of a significant population of the Purple Sandpiper. A study of the effect of the wind farm on the birds was started before the wind farm was constructed and is ongoing. Initial evidence of how the wind turbines have affected the 110 varieties of birds recorded within the harbour will be presented and compared to previous research carried out in Europe and the USA. Methodology has included intensive beach surveys, visits to wind farms in the UK and USA and consultations with wildlife advisory bodies. The study will continue until 1996. (Author)