Deals for 'new generation' renewable technologies – wind, solar, biomass - are entering the big time driving the market to new record highs, reports PwC in its annual global analysis of merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions in the renewable sector.

Some of the main points include:

• Total renewables deal value leaps 40% worldwide, driven by industry shake-out

• Reappraisal of nuclear post Fukushima gives extra boost to renewables' generation and prospects

Read More: http://press.pwc.com/GLOBAL/News-releases/renewables-ma-hits-new-record-highs/s/ce2bd04f-23cb-493e-b5c9-7813bb13423e

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What's said to be the world's biggest offshore power conversion platform will be built in Dubai before being shipped to the North Sea to serve new wind farms.

Read More - http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/01/north-sea-wind-clusters-demand-giant-platform/

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DONG Energy has announced that construction has begun on the Anholt Offshore Wind Power Plant in Denmark with 111 Siemens 3.6 MW wind turbines. The wind energy plant is expected to power 400,000 Danish households.

Read More:
http://www.dongenergy.com/EN/Media/Newsroom/News/Pages/Today-westartconstructionofAnholtOffshoreWindFarm.aspx

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A report released on Thursday by the Department of Energy (DOE) examining the role that rare earth metals play in the manufacture of wind turbines, electric vehicles, and photovoltaic (PV) thin-film solar cells finds that these clean energy technologies may see supply disruptions for five rare earth metals (dysprosium, neodymium, terbium, europium, and yttrium) in the short term, though risks will generally decrease in the medium and long term. - http://www.powermag.com/POWERnews/4279.html?hq_e=el

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This is the Enercon E-126, the first wind turbine with 6 MW rated power, rotor diameter: 126m (413ft), hub height: 135m(450ft). Two of these giant wind power units have been built for testing at an onshore location, Rysumer Nacken, near Emden, in the northwest of Germany.
Here each WPU is expected to produce about 18 Mio kWh per year, enough for more than 4,500 homes

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How far can wind power go toward reducing global carbon emissions from electricity production? - http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/energy-scale-part2-1025.html

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Compressed air energy storage company SustainX recently received a patent for technology that could help improve grid storage and make utility-scale r - http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/how-sustainxs-latest-patent-will-improve-grid-storage/9743?tag=nl.e660

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In an interview to the English news channel ET NOW, some of the prominent names of the Indian renewable energy industry shared their thoughts on why wind power was losing its speed in the alternative energy sector. Mr. Narasimhan Santhanam, Director, Energy Alternatives India [EAI] explained on how the Wind farms were initially set up in areas where there were no land acquisition problems and in the coastal region of the state; followed by Mr. Shivaram, vice-chairman & CEO, Orient Green Power, who elaborated on how the industrial demand and the incentivized packages like guaranteed Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) and a 80% discounted depreciation catapulted wind energy to its peak. These facts were reaffirmed by Mr. Banmali Agarwala, ED, Strategy and Business Development, TATA Power, who also said that the estimated capacity of wind energy was 12 GW. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I-W1x3uyAY

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BioDiversity Research Institute in Gorham and Stantec in Topsham are receiving a total of a little more than $5 million from the U.S. government to study offshore wind's potential impact on wildlife.

BioDiversity specializes in ecological research with programs in wetlands, waterfowl, migratory birds and wildlife and renewable energy, according to its website

http://www.mainebiz.biz/news48448.html

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Offshore wind installation tactics: Pre-assembly vs. onsite assembly

Installation techniques for offshore wind farms have evolved rapidly in the last couple of years via the experience of major projects in UK waters. Which approach is proving to be the most economical?

http://social.windenergyupdate.com/offshore-wind/offshore-wind-installation-tactics-pre-assembly-vs-onsite-assembly

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The head of the Department of Energy and Climate Change's (DECC) new offshore wind energy task force has vowed to "explore every avenue" in his search for dramatic reductions to the cost of the nascent technology.

Andrew Jamieson, chairman of industry body RenewableUK, was late last week appointed chairman of the new industry-led Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Task Force by Energy Minister Charles Hendry.

The group will produce an action plan next spring as part of efforts to bring the levelised costs of offshore wind down by 33 per cent within a decade to £100/MWh. The government recently said the UK could increase its target for offshore wind capacity from 13GW to 18GW by 2020, but only if costs fall by around a third.

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2103174/offshore-wind-tzar-lead-cost-cutting-taskforce

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REpower considers UK offshore turbine manufacturing base - German turbine manufacturer joins GE, Siemens and Vestas in hinting at plan for UK factory

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2101464/exclusive-repower-considers-uk-offshore-turbine-manufacturing-base

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Siemens chosen for Blackstone's 288MW German offshore project

Siemens Energy has been contracted to supply wind turbines for the 288MW German offshore wind development Meerwind. The company will deliver 80 turbines for the North Sea project which is set to become one of Germany's largest.

http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/investor-news/renewable-energy-news/by-technology/wind/siemens-chosen-for-blackstone%E2%80%99s-288mw-german-offshore-project.html

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6-MW direct-drive turbines the new norm for offshore

In two separate developments regarding direct drives, two companies say they are aiming at 6-MW ratings for offshore designs. In one, France-based turbine manufacturer Alstom and EDF Energies Nouvelles agreed to bid jointly on 3 GW of offshore construction. The consortium says it hopes to win tenders to build a third of the 3 GW with Alstom's 6-MW turbines. The company also says a partnership with French generator manufacturer Converteam will bring the company's direct drive, permanent-magnet generator to Alstom's under-development offshore wind turbine.

In a second development, Siemens has started testing its first 6-MW SWT-6.0-120 direct-drive wind turbine offshore in Høvsøre, Denmark. As a direct drive, it does not use a large gearbox, but rather directly turns the generator at the same speed as the rotor. The unit is expected to require less maintenance than a conventional turbine with a gearbox, making the direct-drive unit a good pick for offshore work. Although direct drive comes with a higher capital costs, the added reliability is expected to offset the extra cost.

http://www.windpowerengineering.com/design/mechanical/gearboxes/6-mw-direct-drive-turbines-the-new-norm-for-offshore/

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France Launches %u20AC10 Billion Offshore Wind Project (1,200 Turbines & 10,000 Jobs)

The French government of Nicolas Sarkozy has launched a %u20AC10 billion ($14.26 billion) tender to build about 1,200 wind turbines in 5 different offshore wind farms. The goal is to diversify France's energy generation (they are very reliant on nuclear, which accounts for about 80% of their electricity generation) with renewable sources and to have 23% of France's energy come from renewable sources by 2020. The wind farms will be located off France's coast on the North and West and should produce about 3.5% of the country's electricity according to government authorities. The farms should come online between 2015-2020.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/07/france-launches-10-billion-offshore-wind-project-1200-turbines-10000-jobs.php

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Phase 1 of Walney offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea operational

July 11, 2011


The first phase of the offshore wind farm being developed in the Irish Sea by Walney (UK) Offshore Windfarms Ltd, in which SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy plc) has a 25.1% stake, is now operational.

This means that 51 turbines, with a total installed capacity of 183.6 -megawatts (MW), have successfully completed commissioning tests and are now available to generate electricity. As a result, SSE has added 46MW to its total electricity generation capacity.

http://www.pennenergy.com/index/power/display/4476980647/articles/pennenergy/power/renewable/2011/july/phase-1_of_walney.html

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France grasps for offshore wind with long-delayed 3GW tender

France has catapulted itself into the offshore wind era with the launch of its long-awaited 3GW tender, which has been delayed repeatedly over the past year to the frustration of investors and industry.

Prospective developers have until 11 January 2012 to submit bids for the first five zones, which were delineated by the government earlier this year.

Winners will be "pre-selected" in April 2012, though the zones will not be formally allocated until the developers have undergone a final risk assessment in 2013 to confirm the "feasibility" of their projects. The wind farms are to be commissioned between 2015 and 2020.

A second 3GW tender will be launched in April 2012, with the same construction timeline.

http://www.rechargenews.com/business_area/politics/article266761.ece

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DeepCwind Tirelessly Developing Floating Offshore Wind

New Hampshire, USA -- Researchers at the University of Maine's DeepCwind Consortium have been working to make the goal of having 5 GW of offshore wind a reality by 2030 . With more than $1 million in grant funding provided by the Department of Energy (DOE), their first task is figuring out how to construct a cost- and energy-efficient deep offshore wind turbine.

Get in touch with the entire story at : http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/06/deepcwind-project-tirelessly-developing-floating-offshore-wind

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Can India (having the advantage of being a large peninsular country) be a potential place to establish offshore windfarms just like UK?

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