United Emirates - Wind turbine will provide energy to local electricity grid

Abu Dhabi will be using more eco-friendly energy, thanks to Sir Baniyas wind turbine that started operations recently and the upcoming 'wind energy' projects.

The emirate is likely to be the 'greenest area' in the region, in renewable energy parlance, as renewable energy is supplying electricity to a national electricity network in the region for the first time.

Projects:
Apart from the 850KW Sir Baniyas wind turbine, the largest of its kind in the region, 40MW of wind energy will be generated through projects in Al Gharbia, the western region of the emirate, soon.

More renewable energy projects will come up all over the emirate, said a statement from Nick Carter, Director General of the Regulation Bureau of Abu Dhabi, which is responsible for overseeing the water, waste water and electricity sector.

He said Sir Baniyas wind turbine will supply the local distribution network in western region.

At present, wind energy generation is more expensive than conventional energy generation, but is becoming more competitive with global price increase in gas and oil, he told Gulf News.

"It is embedded generation and it is producing energy at the user end of the electricity network so the generation costs can be higher, but still good value for money," said Carter.

For the first time in the region, a company was given license for the generation of electricity by wind power.

The bureau granted license to Masdar, or the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company.

Masdar owns and operates the Sir Baniyas 850KW wind turbine, which has recently been connected to the local distribution system owned by Abu Dhabi Distribution Company, said Carter.

"We are delighted to be able to support this project and have structured Masdar's licence to allow for the building and operation of up to 40MW of wind turbine energy in Al Gharbia region," he said. "Given Masdar's ambitions in renewable energy it is likely that further licences will be granted throughout the emirate."

Network:
Any contribution to the distribution system is a saving on energy anywhere in the system because of a transmission network that allows energy to be moved all over the emirate.

The wind turbine has been in operation since 2004 but not connected to the distribution network. It was done following the issuance of the license that allows the connection to a public electricity network.

Green Power:
Wind power is renewable and produces no greenhouse gases during operation, such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Areas where winds are stronger and more constant, such as offshore and high altitude sites, are preferred locations for wind farms.

Globally, the long-term technical potential of wind energy is believed to be five times the total current global energy production, or 40 times current electricity demand.

This could require large amounts of land to be used for wind turbines, particularly in areas of higher wind resources.