Spain Approves Installation Of Offshore Wind Farms
Spain, a leading producer of land-based wind energy, has some 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) of coastline which draw millions of sun seekers each year, helping to make it the world's second most visited nation after France. While more expensive than land-based wind farms, offshore wind parks can take advantage of stronger, steadier coastal breezes. But critics fear offshore wind parks will blot the landscape and hurt fishing. To allay these concerns the government said offshore wind farm projects will need clearance from the environment ministry.
The government will also identify the best places where the parks, which will be required to have a minimum size of at least 50 megawatts, can be set up and interested firms will then be allowed to reserve the area.
Spain, which along with Germany and Denmark, is among the three biggest producers of wind power in the 27-nation EU, plans to triple the amount of energy it derives from renewable sources by 2020.
The Netherlands opened its first major offshore wind farm earlier this year and several similar projects are in the works for Britain, Germany and the United States.
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LONDON - A power station that used to be the biggest polluter in western Europe has made a near-complete switch to renewable energy.
The Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, England, used to spew out millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year by burning coal. But over the past eight years, it has overhauled its operations by converting four of its six coal-fired units to biomass. The plant's owners say it now generates 15% of the country's renewable power.
The change means that just 6% of the utility's power now comes from coal. The ultimate goal is to stop using coal altogether.
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