Latest news with #Vattenfall
Daily Express
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Wind turbines could soon be recycled into homes
Published on: Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Published on: Wed, May 28, 2025 By: ETX Daily Up Text Size: The Nestle is a tiny house built from a wind turbine nacelle. (Superuse pic) PARIS: Swedish energy producer and supplier Vattenfall has teamed up with Dutch architecture firm Superuse to develop an innovative concept for recycling end-of-life wind turbine nacelles into eco-friendly tiny houses. Today's wind turbines have an average lifespan of around 20 years, and dismantling them poses a number of challenges in terms of recycling their materials. While some parts, such as steel towers and blades, are now partially reused, the nacelles – the top of the turbine that houses its mechanical and electrical components – are difficult to recycle. As a result, this unique and somewhat extraordinary project aims to transform these nacelles into small homes, perfect for environmentally-friendly living. A first prototype, called Nestle, has already been assembled, featuring 36 sq m of living space with a modular living area, a mezzanine sleeping area, a kitchen and a bathroom. In terms of energy, this home uses a heat pump heating system and solar panels for energy self-sufficiency. The home also benefits from reinforced insulation with triple glazing and a ventilation system with heat recovery. Advertisement The prototype was built using a nacelle that had been in operation for 20 years at a height of around 100 meters at the Gols wind farm in Austria. Its dimensions are approximately four metres wide, 10 metres long and three metres high. The interior furnishings are partly made from recycled materials, including a table made from a wind turbine blade. In real terms, this type of home could be used for temporary or emergency housing, as well as primary residences for those who prefer minimalist, environmentally-friendly living. In addition to this project, Vattenfall is committed to recycling 100% of its wind turbine blades by 2030. Eventually, this strategy will also extend to nacelles.
Euronews
27-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Europe turns to offshore wind for energy and economic security
Rising from the Baltic Sea, Kriegers Flak is more than Denmark's largest offshore wind farm. It's a pioneering energy bridge between Denmark and Germany, helping balance electricity prices and strengthen energy security for both countries — all while providing a clean alternative to fossil fuels. As Europe seeks to secure its energy future, wind parks like Kriegers Flak are set to play a growing role. 'Europe needs more homegrown renewable electricity like this,' says Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, an industry body representing over 600 companies. 'That means more energy security, which in turn means economic security and national security.' The numbers are ambitious. The EU wants to grow its offshore wind capacity from 20 gigawatts today to 360 gigawatts by 2050. It's a massive undertaking, backed by policy support and rapid technological innovation. At the Port of Esbjerg on Denmark's west coast, the future is already taking shape. From here, Swedish energy giant Vattenfall remotely manages more than 1,200 offshore turbines across four countries. Algorithms are playing a growing role in this digital transition: according to Laura Ørsted, who heads Vattenfall's operational control centre, automation is key to keeping up with the growth in turbine numbers. As turbines get taller and more powerful, ports like Esbjerg are expanding to meet the logistical demands. Having already handled 80% of Europe's offshore wind installations, the port is now reclaiming more land to accommodate next-generation equipment. 'One of the challenges with offshore wind is that it needs very large port space, port capacity — and that's also why there aren't sufficient offshore wind ports in Europe today,' says Dennis Jul Pedersen, the port's CEO. 'We are lucky here that we have been able to develop the port in line with what the industry needs, and we will also be very, very busy going forward.' Getting turbines installed at sea isn't easy — or cheap. Specialised vessels like the Wind Osprey, operated by Danish offshore services company Cadeler, are critical. With extendable legs that reach down to the seabed, they form stable platforms for lifting and assembling massive components. 'Everything's getting bigger,' says Captain Matthew Christie of the Wind Osprey. 'We've just had a new crane fitted — it's longer and has a bigger lifting capacity, because the tower sections are taller now.' A single day of operation for these ships can cost hundreds of thousands of euros. And once the turbines are up, keeping them running smoothly is another major challenge. Offshore turbines are battered by salt water and storms. Unlike land-based units, they're hard to access — requiring boats or helicopters, and only during calm weather. This makes maintenance one of the most expensive parts of offshore wind operations, accounting for up to a third of total costs. 'The cost of maintenance is actually quite a large fraction of the total levelised cost of energy,' says Simon Watson, professor of wind energy systems at TU Delft. 'There's a big interest in trying to reduce that to make offshore wind energy more cost effective.' The sector is increasingly looking to robotics as part of the solution. In Latvia, a company called Aerones has developed a climbing robot that can inspect and repair turbine blades more quickly — and safely — than human workers. These robots can sand, coat, and inspect blades for damage, dramatically reducing downtime and keeping the turbines turning. 'The largest blades in the world are exceeding 120 metres,' says Aerones CEO Dainis Kruze. 'We optimise the robots for speed, so the turbines have far less downtime while we're doing the job.' At their Riga factory, Aerones is now producing dozens of these machines each month to keep up with demand. The long-term vision? Autonomous maintenance robots for every turbine, overseen by technicians rather than operated manually. 'As the robots become smarter, we try to implement algorithms so the operator would be kind of overseeing the AI agents doing the work, not so much being involved himself, moving the robot left or right,' adds Aerones CTO Janis Putrams. Despite the challenges, momentum is strong. The WindEurope Annual Event in Copenhagen highlighted just how much investment, research, and international collaboration is going into this growing sector. By 2030, the European wind industry — both onshore and offshore — is expected to employ over 900,000 people and contribute more than €100 billion to the EU economy. 'There are the jobs, the growth, the investment that comes locally from building and operating these wind farms and manufacturing the turbines and all the equipment, the grid equipment, that is part of wind energy,' says WindEurope's Giles Dickson. As Europe works to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and unstable energy imports, offshore wind is fast becoming a pillar of its strategy. Scaling up isn't easy, but with innovation and smart investment, the continent is turning its coastal winds into a powerful force for change. Speaking with 'Ocean' at Denmark's Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm, Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, highlighted a key benefit of wind energy: lower electricity bills. 'Wind energy is cheaper than the fossil alternatives. So the more of these offshore wind farms we can build, and the onshore wind farms, of course, the more electricity bills will come down for consumers,' Dickson explains. As Europe faces rising energy demands and environmental pressures, offshore wind is increasingly seen as a reliable and affordable solution. European governments are prioritising offshore wind because it delivers affordable, secure, and locally generated power. Dickson points out, 'It's local energy generated here in Europe with equipment manufactured here in Europe — these wind turbines were made in Denmark.' This homegrown approach not only boosts energy security but also supports local manufacturing and jobs. Heavy industries, which consume vast amounts of electricity, are eager to tap into this clean energy source. 'They're knocking on our doors saying, can we please build more of these offshore wind farms so that they can consume the electricity, because they know it'll be cheaper to run their factories on electricity than it is to run them on fossil fuels,' Dickson says. The shift to wind power is helping European manufacturers cut costs and reduce their carbon footprint. Despite the progress, Europe's wind sector still relies on some key imported components. 'Some wind turbines have permanent magnets that have rare earths inside them, for example. And there, we are heavily dependent on China,' Dickson notes. The European Union is now working to diversify its supply chains, aiming to source these critical materials from other countries. 'It's going to take us 5 or 10 years. But you know, this is a top priority for us,' he adds. 'Because we don't want to replace the old dependency that we had on Russian gas with a new dependency on Chinese equipment for renewable energy.'
Free Malaysia Today
21-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Wind turbines could soon be recycled into homes
The Nestle is a tiny house built from a wind turbine nacelle. (Superuse pic) PARIS : Swedish energy producer and supplier Vattenfall has teamed up with Dutch architecture firm Superuse to develop an innovative concept for recycling end-of-life wind turbine nacelles into eco-friendly tiny houses. Today's wind turbines have an average lifespan of around 20 years, and dismantling them poses a number of challenges in terms of recycling their materials. While some parts, such as steel towers and blades, are now partially reused, the nacelles – the top of the turbine that houses its mechanical and electrical components – are difficult to recycle. As a result, this unique and somewhat extraordinary project aims to transform these nacelles into small homes, perfect for environmentally-friendly living. A first prototype, called Nestle, has already been assembled, featuring 36 sq m of living space with a modular living area, a mezzanine sleeping area, a kitchen and a bathroom. In terms of energy, this home uses a heat pump heating system and solar panels for energy self-sufficiency. The home also benefits from reinforced insulation with triple glazing and a ventilation system with heat recovery. The prototype was built using a nacelle that had been in operation for 20 years at a height of around 100 meters at the Gols wind farm in Austria. Its dimensions are approximately four metres wide, 10 metres long and three metres high. The interior furnishings are partly made from recycled materials, including a table made from a wind turbine blade. In real terms, this type of home could be used for temporary or emergency housing, as well as primary residences for those who prefer minimalist, environmentally-friendly living. In addition to this project, Vattenfall is committed to recycling 100% of its wind turbine blades by 2030. Eventually, this strategy will also extend to nacelles.
Business Mayor
11-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Danish firm shelves huge UK windfarm project over rising costs
The world's biggest wind power developer has cancelled plans for one of the UK's largest offshore windfarms, in a significant blow to the government's green energy targets. The Danish wind power company Ørsted said the Hornsea 4 project no longer made economic sense because of soaring costs in the industry's global supply chain, after it won a government contract last year. The decision to halt work on the project is a major blow to the government's plan to quadruple the UK's offshore wind capacity by the end of the decade to help create a virtually fossil-fuel-free electricity system. The fourth phase of the huge Hornsea windfarm, located off the Yorkshire coast, was expected to use 180 giant turbines to generate enough green electricity to power the equivalent of 1m homes, or 2.4 gigawatts of power capacity. Ørsted's chief executive, Rasmus Errboe, said 'the combination of increased supply chain costs, higher interest rates and increased execution risk' meant the project was unlikely to provide value for the company. The project is the latest to be derailed by increased costs caused by higher inflation and interest rates combined with problems in the global offshore wind supply chain in recent years. Last year Ørsted scrapped two offshore wind projects off the US coast because of concerns over rising costs and delayed the start of a third project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut by a year, to 2026. In 2023 the Swedish energy company Vattenfall stopped work on the multibillion-pound Norfolk Boreas windfarm in the North Sea, which was designed to power the equivalent of 1.5m British homes, because it was no longer profitable. Ørsted said on Wednesday that the wind industry faced short-term challenges such as supply chain issues and 'regulatory and macroeconomic developments'. Such problems have led to concerns over the UK government's renewable energy goals, piling pressure on its auction for new renewable energy contracts. The government plans to double the UK's onshore wind, triple its solar power and quadruple its offshore wind power capacity by the end of the decade. It hopes to relegate gas plants to just 5% of the UK's electricity generation by 2030 to create a clean power system. Dhara Vyas, the chief executive of Energy UK, which represents the industry, said the loss would 'raise the stakes' on the the next auction round, due in the summer, and it was 'vital that the government doubles down to ensure [it] is a success'. Jane Cooper, the deputy chief executive of RenewableUK, another industry group, said the auction's parameters should reflect the industry's costs. Cooper also called on the government to rule out the introduction of controversial plans to overhaul the electricity market by introducing 'zonal pricing', which she said would 'drive the cost of investment up even further'. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion A government spokesperson said it continued to have 'a strong pipeline of projects' to provide clean power by 2030 and it would work with Ørsted to get Hornsea 4 back on track. The spokesperson added: 'Through our mission we will deliver an energy system that brings energy bills down for good and bolsters Britain's energy security as part of our plan for change.' For US windfarm developers the economic challenges facing the industry have been compounded by the incoming Trump administration's vow to end offshore wind development 'on day one'. It has issued a stop-work order to a major offshore wind project developed by Norway's state energy company Equinor. However, Ørsted said the long-term outlook for offshore was strong because of the world's growing demand for electricity and a fresh focus on 'energy security and affordability' that renewable energy provides. It has been a turbulent time for Ørsted: it implemented a restructuring plan in 2024, and it cancelled dividend payouts to shareholders for the 2023-25 financial years in an attempt to bolster its finances. Its market value has plunged by about 80% since its peak in 2021. Britain's offshore energy industry took another blow on Wednesday when the largest oil and gas producer in the North Sea set out plans to shrink its Aberdeen-based workforce by a quarter. Harbour Energy blamed the UK government's windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas revenues – the so-called energy profit levy – for its financial struggles, which could lead to up to 250 jobs being cut from the company in the coming months.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Danish firm shelves huge UK windfarm project over rising costs
The world's biggest wind power developer has cancelled plans for one of the UK's largest offshore windfarms, in a significant blow to the government's green energy targets. The Danish wind power company Ørsted said the Hornsea 4 project no longer made economic sense because of soaring costs in the industry's global supply chain, after it won a government contract last year. The decision to halt work on the project is a major blow to the government's plan to quadruple the UK's offshore wind capacity by the end of the decade to help create a virtually fossil-fuel-free electricity system. The fourth phase of the huge Hornsea windfarm, located off the Yorkshire coast, was expected to use 180 giant turbines to generate enough green electricity to power the equivalent of 1m homes, or 2.4 gigawatts of power capacity. Ørsted's chief executive, Rasmus Errboe, said 'the combination of increased supply chain costs, higher interest rates and increased execution risk' meant the project was unlikely to provide value for the company. The project is the latest to be derailed by increased costs caused by higher inflation and interest rates combined with problems in the global offshore wind supply chain in recent years. Last year Ørsted scrapped two offshore wind projects off the US coast because of concerns over rising costs and delayed the start of a third project off the coast of Rhode Island and Connecticut by a year, to 2026. In 2023 the Swedish energy company Vattenfall stopped work on the multibillion-pound Norfolk Boreas windfarm in the North Sea, which was designed to power the equivalent of 1.5m British homes, because it was no longer profitable. Ørsted said on Wednesday that the wind industry faced short-term challenges such as supply chain issues and 'regulatory and macroeconomic developments'. Such problems have led to concerns over the UK government's renewable energy goals, piling pressure on its auction for new renewable energy contracts. The government plans to double the UK's onshore wind, triple its solar power and quadruple its offshore wind power capacity by the end of the decade. It hopes to relegate gas plants to just 5% of the UK's electricity generation by 2030 to create a clean power system. Dhara Vyas, the chief executive of Energy UK, which represents the industry, said the loss would 'raise the stakes' on the the next auction round, due in the summer, and it was 'vital that the government doubles down to ensure [it] is a success'. Jane Cooper, the deputy chief executive of RenewableUK, another industry group, said the auction's parameters should reflect the industry's costs. Cooper also called on the government to rule out the introduction of controversial plans to overhaul the electricity market by introducing 'zonal pricing', which she said would 'drive the cost of investment up even further'. A government spokesperson said it continued to have 'a strong pipeline of projects' to provide clean power by 2030 and it would work with Ørsted to get Hornsea 4 back on track. The spokesperson added: 'Through our mission we will deliver an energy system that brings energy bills down for good and bolsters Britain's energy security as part of our plan for change.' For US windfarm developers the economic challenges facing the industry have been compounded by the incoming Trump administration's vow to end offshore wind development 'on day one'. It has issued a stop-work order to a major offshore wind project developed by Norway's state energy company Equinor. However, Ørsted said the long-term outlook for offshore was strong because of the world's growing demand for electricity and a fresh focus on 'energy security and affordability' that renewable energy provides. It has been a turbulent time for Ørsted: it implemented a restructuring plan in 2024, and it cancelled dividend payouts to shareholders for the 2023-25 financial years in an attempt to bolster its finances. Its market value has plunged by about 80% since its peak in 2021. Britain's offshore energy industry took another blow on Wednesday when the largest oil and gas producer in the North Sea set out plans to shrink its Aberdeen-based workforce by a quarter. Harbour Energy blamed the UK government's windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas revenues – the so-called energy profit levy – for its financial struggles, which could lead to up to 250 jobs being cut from the company in the coming months. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
