(CNB) INDIA - 30 GW OF OFFSHORE WIND BY 2030

This image shows onshore wind turbines in Gujarat, India. Shiv Mer | Istock | Getty Images

German energy giant RWE and India’s Tata Power on Monday announced a collaboration that will focus on developing offshore wind projects in India.

The firms said a memorandum of understanding relating to the plans had been signed by RWE Renewables GmbH and Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited.

“India has excellent wind resources, which can help to meet the country’s increasing energy demands,” Sven Utermöhlen, RWE Renewables’ CEO for offshore wind, said in a statement.

“If clear regulations and an effective tender scheme are in place, we expect India’s offshore wind industry will gain a real momentum,” he said.

According to India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the country is home to roughly 7,600 kilometers of coastline. While India has a well-developed onshore wind sector, there are no operational offshore wind farms in its waters. Authorities there have said they want 30 gigawatts of offshore wind installations by the year 2030.

“The Indian Government is in the process of conducting detailed technical studies and devising the regulatory framework to establish the first auctions for offshore wind of the coast of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat,” RWE and Tata Power said.

The firms added they would undertake technical and commercial site assessments in order to “facilitate the establishment of an offshore wind market.”

They will also look to evaluate India’s supply chain for offshore wind and crucial infrastructure including ports and grid connections.

India’s MNRE says it wants the installed capacity of “non-fossil fuels” to hit 500 GW by 2030. Despite this lofty target, the country remains reliant on fossil fuels. As of Dec. 31, fossil fuels’ share of India’s total installed generation capacity stood at 59.8%, according to the Ministry of Power. CNBC - link - Anmar Frangoul - link - more like this (India) - link - more like this - link

(OFF) TRITON KNOLL POWERS UP

All 90 Vestas 9.5 MW wind turbines have been commissioned at the 857 MW Triton Knoll wind farm offshore Lincolnshire.

The wind farm, constructed by RWE on behalf the project partners, has reached this milestone on time, overcoming the challenges posed by the global pandemic, the developer said.

Standing at 164 metres tall, full operations of the 90 turbines are expected in the first quarter of 2022.

Julian Garnsey, Project Director for RWE and Triton Knoll, said: ”I am very proud of the Triton Knoll team’s achievement in completing the commissioning of the turbines on this nationally significant infrastructure project. The construction team has shown a huge amount of resilience in reaching this milestone. I want to thank our supply chain partners and all those that have worked so hard on our sites to keep the project on track, despite the many challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.”

The Triton Knoll project represents an investment of around GBP 2 billion that includes the construction of the wind farm and the grid connection.

The wind farm is jointly owned by RWE (59 per cent), J-Power (25 per cent) and Kansai Electric Power (16 per cent). RWE led the wind farm’s development as well as construction and will also operate and maintain it on behalf of the project partners. offshoreWIND.biz - link - Adnan Durakovic - link - RWE - link - more like this - link

(SEI) RWE & AUDI PIONEERING SECOND LIFE EV BATTERY USE

Image: RWE

German energy company RWE is piloting a 4.5MWh second life EV battery storage system alongside pumped storage.

The system is comprised of 60 lithium-ion batteries from Audi’s e-tron vehicle development programme and is being tested in providing temporary storage at the pumped hydro plant at the Hengsteysee reservoir, one of the two main reservoirs at Herdecke near Dortmund in west Germany.

The batteries at the end of life in vehicles have a residual capacity of typically more than 80%, opening the way for their use in stationary electricity storage systems. Depending on how they are used, they could still have a remaining service life of up to ten years.

“Powerful battery systems are essential for the energy transition. In Herdecke we are working with Audi to test ways to use decommissioned high voltage batteries from EVs by connecting them together to form stationary storage systems,” explains Roger Miesen, CEO of RWE Generation.

”Putting such second life batteries to further use is a sustainable alternative to factory new batteries. The experience from this project will help us identify the applications for which we can use battery systems of this nature most cost effectively.”

As the batteries weigh about 700kg each, RWE has built a 160m2 hall for the full system, with installation starting in October 2021 and commissioning in November.

RWE expects to begin marketing the storage capacity of the system early in 2022, initially to help maintain the frequency in the electricity grid. The plan is then to test other marketing methods on a flexible basis.

RWE intends to draw on the insights gained from the Herdecke storage system to build and operate larger storage systems based on EV batteries in the future. This will involve an innovative system in which pairs of modules are connected in series, thus boosting the operating voltage and reducing costs. Smart Energy International - link - Jonathan Spencer Jones - link - RWE - link - more like this - link

(OFF) RWE SIGNS 15 YEAR PPA WITH EDF

RWE has signed a fifteen-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with EDF who will purchase the renewable electricity from the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind farm which is set for full generation in 2026.

In what represents RWE and EDF’s largest renewable energy agreement to date, EDF will offtake all the wind energy that Sofia will produce, expected to be approximately 6.5 terrawatt hours (TWh) each year.

This equates to almost half of the electricity used in the North East of England annually, or the equivalent of the power needs of 1.2 million UK homes, RWE said.

With offshore installation expected to begin in 2023 and project completion due in 2026, Sofia will have a capacity of 1.4 GW, making it one of the largest single offshore wind farms in the world.

It will comprise 100 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines each standing at 252 metres tall. offshoreWIND.biz - link - Adnan Durakovic - link - more like this - link