European offshore wind farms project

2000/12/01 Imaz Amiano, Eneko - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Energia berriztagarriak

The European Commission has launched a new project. The goal is to develop the energy obtained through marine wind farms and make it an important source of energy. The project, in which thirteen member states will participate, will be led by the Wind Energy Department of the Technical University of Delft, in the Netherlands.

The Concerted Action on Offshore Wind Energy in Europe (CA-OWEE) is the title of the project and aims to be the starting point to achieve the overall goal mentioned in the introduction. That is, the project aims to bring together, analyze and make available to anyone who can obtain benefits, the existing knowledge in Europe about marine wind farms.

The duration of the plan or project is year and a half, and in this work of gathering and disseminating information, technological, economic, environmental impacts, integration into the general electricity network and political aspects will be taken into account. Development agencies, users, consultants, research institutes and universities also participate in it. At the end of next year it is expected to expand all the information collected and analyzed through websites, articles and workshops.

The idea is to exploit marine wind power on a large scale through the use of high-tech, cost-effective and low environmental impact large turbines. However, one of the main challenges is to reduce the cost of electricity thus obtained to match that obtained through traditional power plants. In the last decade, the energy obtained from the wind farms built on earth has been considerably reduced and, ultimately, they intend to follow the same path with that of the sea.

All these projects and aspirations are being led by the Delf University of Technology, which will carry out them, since 1977, in research and education in wind energy. It currently has four faculties dedicated to aerodynamics, dynamics, electronics, construction and the environment, and marine wind parks.

The European Commission considers that in the near future marine wind farms can become an important source of energy. In ten years it foresees the creation of wind farms with a production capacity of hundreds of megawatts in the European seas. This would produce the same energy as many coal power plants.

They have not yet done more in the European Union, but in some states they have been working for several years (see Elhuyar. Science and Technology number 148). Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium already have quite advanced plans, and in the first three have built the first parks.