'Bigger turbines, bigger problems': warning over wind power arms race quality toll - Recharge
‘Bigger turbines, bigger problems’: warning over wind power arms race quality toll | Recharge
Wind turbine manufacturers must end the “price competition spiral” of rushing out bigger models at lower costs to stop a reliability crisis in the industry, according to a new report, whose author says the woes at Siemens Gamesa are indicative of wider issues.
An earlier “boom” in the wind power industry led manufacturers to push through a dizzying array of designs on ever tightening time frames, according to the report published by O&M specialist Onyx Insight.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”