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[waldron] 21/9/2017 09:18

WIND IN YOUR SAILS OR SALES

[waldron] 16/9/2017 13:22

Former Vice President Al Gore: Investors can lead climate change battle

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore said investors could be a linchpin in leading progress against climate change
Gore pointed to "really significant" cost reductions for climate-saving technologies, such as solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles

Leslie Shaffer | @LeslieShaffer1
Published 3:40 AM ET Wed, 13 Sept 2017 | Updated 6 Hours Ago CNBC.com










Former Vice President Al Gore pointed to investors, instead of governments, as a linchpin in leading progress on fighting climate change.

"Governments can be very fickle," Gore, who narrowly lost his bid to become U.S. president in 2001, said at the Milken Institute's Women Leaders' Summit in Singapore on Wednesday. "But once there is a big shift in the investment marketplace, then that generates a momentum that's really unstoppable."
Scott Barbour | Getty Images

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris agreement, an international accord aimed at reducing the impact of climate change, despite the objections of many large corporations.

But Gore said the role of investors has become more important as climate change worsens. He pointed to recent extreme weather events, including Hurricanes Harvey and Irma as well as devastating flooding in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

"This community [of investors] can avoid an avoidable risk and seize the greatest opportunities in the history of business and commerce by looking clearly at the new reality we face and deploying assets accordingly," Gore said.

He highlighted the "really significant" cost reductions for climate-saving technologies, such as solar, wind, batteries and electric vehicles, and noted that the fastest-growing profession is windmill technician.

The rise in global sea levels has accelerated since the 1990s amid increasing temperatures, with a thaw of Greenland's ice sheet pouring ever more water into the oceans, a team of international scientists reported in July.

In the U.S., the cost of climate change is expected to be steep. A Science study estimates that every one degree Celsius increase in global mean temperature will cost the U.S. 1.2 percent of its economic growth. Separately, a recent assessment by Lloyds estimated that flooding ranked high among the top five risks to global economic growth, and could cost upwards of $430 billion.

But Gore added that technological advances were providing solutions to slow climate change, noting that was one of the reasons for the recent release of his new documentary, "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power," the follow-up to his 2006 Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

Gore noted, however, that lobbying interests could intervene.

"The legacy power of fossil fuel companies in many countries is such that they still have the ability to slow down this transition," he said.

"But investors who can adopt a clearer view of where we're going in the future have the opportunity and, I would argue, the obligation to their asset owners and their clients to really advocate for a clear-eyed view of where we should be going instead of surrendering to the narrow interests that some of these lobbying communities are pursuing."

—CNBC's Matt Zdun and Lucy Handley contributed to this report.

[waldron] 11/9/2017 07:31

New report shows British companies benefitting from UK’s world-leading offshore wind sector
Wind farm technology in UK very much on track at all stages of development
Windfarm.jpg

A new report just released reveals a high number of UK companies are involved in the development, construction and operation of offshore wind farms in Britain.

The study shows that 48% of the expenditure in planning, building and running our offshore projects goes to UK companies. This means the offshore wind industry has almost hit its long-term target to source 50% of its work in Britain, to be achieved by 2020. The previous UK content report, published in 2015, showed that 43% of contracts surveyed had been awarded to British companies - a 5% increase.

This latest report was delivered by RenewableUK on behalf of the Offshore Wind Programme Board, a body of experts which includes The Crown Estate, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department of International Trade.

It analysed data supplied by eight major UK offshore wind farms, which reached a Final Investment Decision between 2010-2015. The findings show that UK content has grown at every stage of a wind farm's lifecycle: development, construction and operation.

British companies did especially well in the development stage with an average of 73% of work being awarded locally. This represents a 16% increase in the previous report's figure. The development phase includes all the major licensing, planning and surveying work which has to take place before a wind farm can be built.

This report is another indication of the strength and economic value of the offshore wind industry in the UK. The UK is now the largest single market for offshore wind in the world and has more installed capacity than any other country.

The sector is investing £11.5bn in the UK economy over the next four years, which is greater than the amount of spending in the aviation sector. It also surpasses the amount the country is spending on broadband and mobile network infrastructure.

Minister for Energy and Industry, Richard Harrington MP, said:

"The offshore wind industry is growing at a rapid pace, with £11.5bn of investment in new UK offshore wind farms due to take place over the next four years.

"This report demonstrates the strength of this growing sector and the positive impact it is having on the UK supply chain. We will continue to support offshore wind developments through our Industrial Strategy, helping to reduce carbon emissions while growing the economy."

RenewableUK's Chief Executive, Hugh McNeal, said:

"This report shows that offshore wind has become a key part of the UK economy, creating much-needed jobs not only in coastal communities like Hull, Grimsby and Great Yarmouth, but also across the country in the ever-expanding supply chain. A huge number of British companies are heavily involved in building the UK's world-leading offshore wind sector.

"Companies which build offshore wind farm in UK waters are committed to maximising the amount of local content they use, bringing inward investment and to local regeneration.

"The new projects now coming will forward provide a major opportunity for more UK companies to grow and take advantage of offshore wind's industrial opportunity."

Benj Sykes, Co-Chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council, said:

"As well as producing renewable energy at scale, offshore wind is also delivering significant benefits to the UK economy and this report underlines that British companies are an essential part of building and operating these major infrastructure projects.
"We're seeing the supply chain for offshore wind grow from strength to strength, delivering innovative new solutions to help reduce costs and making a positive impact on communities right across the country. Offshore wind also has a central role to play in the Government's Industrial Strategy, supporting the ambition to boost productivity, deliver low-cost decarbonisation and rebalance the

[waldron] 09/9/2017 14:05

There are over 341,000 wind turbines on the planet: Here's how much of a difference they're actually making
Anmar Frangoul
Published 3:33 AM ET Fri, 8 Sept 2017 CNBC.com
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William Campbell | Corbis News | Getty Images

From the intense heat of the Californian desert to the green hills of Scotland, wind turbines are popping up all over the world.

Humans have been using wind energy for thousands of years. Today, its scope and scale is big and getting bigger. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), at the end of 2016 more than 341,000 wind turbines were spinning and generating energy.

CNBC's Sustainable Energy takes a look at the nuts and bolts of wind power – how turbines work, wind energy's impact on the environment, and its role in the planet's energy mix over the coming years.
Offshore and onshore

With their considerable height and large blades, modern wind turbines are instantly recognizable.

How they produce energy can be broken down into several parts. Put simply, when the wind blows, a turbine's blades turn around a rotor. As the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) explains, the rotor is connected to a main shaft, which in turn rotates a generator to produce electricity.

Wind energy can be produced both offshore and onshore. While the U.S. offshore wind industry is still in its infancy – America's first offshore wind farm only began commercial operations last December– it is well established in other parts of the world.

According to the GWEC, at the end of last year Europe was home to 3,589 offshore wind turbines. Furthermore, almost 88 percent of the world's offshore installations were based off the coast of 10 European countries.

The U.K. is a world leader in offshore wind, representing just shy of 36 percent of installed capacity, with Germany and China close behind.
Environmental impact

The GWEC says that in 2016 wind power helped the planet avoid more than 637 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

The executive director of RenewableUK explained to CNBC how wind power had several plus points when it came to the environment.

"Wind energy doesn't require a fuel source… once we're built we don't need to mine for anything and we don't need to burn fossil fuels which, as we know, are contributing to climate change," Emma Pinchbeck said.

"It's sustainable as a form of energy production, but then it's also fairly sustainable as a form of infrastructure because of how we build it," she added. "The amount of energy that goes in to building a wind farm is 'paid off' after one year of generation from that wind farm."

There are some drawbacks, however. To give just one example, while the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) acknowledges that wind power has a "significant" part to play in the U.K.'s efforts against climate change, it adds that available evidence suggests that wind farms "can harm birds in three possible ways – disturbance, habitat loss and collision."
The future

Looking forward, the GWEC says that in the European Union, 520,000 people are expected to be working in the wind industry by 2020.

The DOE's Wind Vision Report says that wind could potentially support more than 600,000 jobs by the year 2050 and help avoid 12.3 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases.

Unsurprisingly, RenewableUK's Pinchbeck was incredibly positive about the future when it comes to renewables. "If I were an investor and I wanted to put my money on what the cheapest forms of energy were going to be, not just today but in ten years' time, it would be in renewables by a country mile," she said.
Anmar FrangoulFreelance Digital Reporter, CNBC.com

[the grumpy old men] 27/12/2016 17:34

The Wall Street Journal
Why some oil companies are now interested in offshore wind-power
By Zeke Turner and Sarah Kent

Published: Dec 26, 2016 9:44 a.m. ET


Oil companies seek to leverage their experience drilling at sea
AFP/Getty Images
A wind turbine backdropped by a supermoon on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife on Nov. 14, 2016.

The Netherlands wants to build the world’s largest offshore wind project, and an unlikely company is helping: Royal Dutch Shell PLC.

The oil-and-gas giant RDS.A, +0.55% is facing shareholder pressure to develop its renewable business. Add in falling construction costs for such projects, and Shell has decided to join a handful of other oil companies aiming to leverage their experience drilling under punishing conditions at sea.

Norway’s Statoil ASA STO, +0.61% is already building its third offshore wind farm, in the Baltic Sea, and is developing the world’s first floating wind farm off the east coast of Scotland. Denmark’s state-owned Dong Energy AS — once a fossil-fuel champion — is now the biggest player in the offshore wind market.

[waldron] 26/5/2016 08:28

Thursday 26 May 2016 8:06am
Danish utility and wind farm developer Dong Energy sets IPO price range
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Caitlin Morrison is Night Production Editor at City A.M.
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Burbo Bank Wind Farm Now Fully Operational
Danish company Dong develops windfarms (Source: Getty)

Dong Energy, the Danish state-controlled utility, has set its indicative price range for its planned initial public offering (IPO).

The firm's float price of 200 Danish crowns to 255 Danish crowns implies a market value of up to 106.5bn Danish crowns (£10.9bn). The flotation was previously expected to value the company around 80bn Danish crowns.

Dong, which also develops wind farms, said the price would be determined in a bookbuilding process which will run from today until 8 June, with the shares set to be traded on the Copenhagen stock exchange from 9 June.

Between 15.1 and 17.4 per cent of Dong's shares will be sold in the IPO, with the Danish state keeping control of a 50.1 per cent stake in the company. The kingdom of Denmark will remain the largest shareholder in Dong.

“The IPO is an important milestone in the development of Dong Energy," said Danish finance minister, Claus Hjort Frederiksen.

"The company has grown from primarily being a Danish utility business to becoming a growing international company with a leading position in the offshore wind sector. Dong Energy is well placed to build on its position as a truly great Danish business.”

[waldron] 15/5/2016 19:23

Dutch offshore wind tender attracts bids from Shell, RWE
May 15, 2016
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LONDON: Some of Europe’s biggest energy companies, including Shell, RWE and Vattenfall, are competing in a Dutch offshore wind tender seen as one of the biggest green energy projects on offer in Europe this year.

The Dutch government has an ambitious target to more than quadruple its offshore wind energy capacity by 2023 to lower climate-harming carbon emissions from energy production.

Many other European governments lack a clear framework to deliver renewable energy projects after 2020, making the Dutch tender an attractive one for investors.

In a first round, the government has offered two offshore wind sites at Borssele that can each house wind farms with a capacity of 350 megawatts (MW).

A second tender for two further sites at Borssele will close in September, making the entire project of 1,370 MW one of the biggest European offshore wind tenders in recent years. A fifth site of 20 MW is set reserved for innovation projects.

Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell in partnership with Dutch energy supplier Enerco and contractor Van Oord. German utility has found a co-investor in Macquarie Capital, while Swedish utility Vattenfall has announced a bid on its own.

Dutch media have named Denmark’s Dong Energy as another potential bidder.

Dong Energy declined to comment but said the Dutch market was interesting because it is a consistent programme with five tenders. The Netherlands has a yearly offshore wind tender programme in place out to 2019 that aims to push installed capacity to 4,500 MW by 2023.

[waldron] 12/5/2016 18:13

Shell participates in bid for Dutch offshore wind farm

May 12 Royal Dutch Shell is participating in a consortium bidding in a Dutch government tender to build two 350 megawatt wind farms off the Netherlands' southern coast.

Shell, bidding together with energy company Eneco and contractor Van Oord NV, will use turbines built by Vestas if its bid is successful, the companies said in a joint statement. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; editing by Susan Thomas)

[la forge] 05/4/2016 18:46

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Battery storage for Wind Power energy

Offshore Scotland, the Norwegian energy provider Statoil will launch Batwind, a new battery storage solution for offshore wind energy.



The new concept will be piloted in the world’s first floating wind farm, the Hywind pilot park off the coast of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Batwind will be developed in co-operation with Scottish universities and suppliers, under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Edinburgh on 18 March between Statoil, the Scottish Government, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and Scottish Enterprise.

Battery storage has the potential to mitigate intermittency and optimise output. This can improve efficiency and lower costs for offshore wind. The pilot in Scotland will provide a technological and commercial foundation for the implementation of Batwind in full-scale offshore wind farms, opening new commercial opportunities in a growing market.

Stephen Bull, Statoil’s senior vice president for offshore wind, said:

“Statoil has a strong position in offshore wind. By developing innovative battery storage solutions, we can improve the value of wind energy for both Statoil and customers. With Batwind, we can optimise the energy system from wind park to grid. Battery storage represents a new application in our offshore wind portfolio, contributing to realising our ambition of profitable growth in this area.”

Statoil will install a 1MWh Lithium battery based storage pilot system in late 2018. This equals the battery capacity of more than 2 million iPhones.

The pilot will be part of Hywind Scotland, an innovative offshore wind park with five floating wind turbines located 25 km offshore Peterhead. The wind park is currently under construction and start of electricity production is expected in late 2017.

A structured programme is now being established under the MoU to support and fund innovation in the battery storage area between Statoil and Scottish industry and academia. This programme will be managed by ORE Catapult and Scottish Enterprise.

Maggie McGinlay, Director of Energy and Clean Technology at Scottish Enterprise, commented:

“We’ve worked with Statoil for a number of years to deliver the Hywind project, so it’s fantastic to remain involved in this next stage of battery storage innovation. This is exactly the kind of innovation in the energy sector we’re keen to encourage and support as it may have potential to advance industry growth in Scotland.”

(NRK/Press release)

[sarkasm] 22/3/2016 08:14

Statoil Launches Batwind: Battery Storage For Offshore Wind

A new battery storage solution for offshore wind energy will be piloted in the world’s first floating wind farm, the Hywind pilot park off the coast of Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Batwind will be developed in co-operation with Scottish universities and suppliers, under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Edinburgh on 18 March between Statoil, the Scottish Government, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and Scottish Enterprise.

Battery storage has the potential to mitigate intermittency and optimise output. This can improve efficiency and lower costs for offshore wind. The pilot in Scotland will provide a technological and commercial foundation for the implementation of Batwind in full-scale offshore wind farms, opening new commercial opportunities in a growing market.

Stephen Bull, Statoil’s senior vice president for offshore wind, said:

“Statoil has a strong position in offshore wind. By developing innovative battery storage solutions, we can improve the value of wind energy for both Statoil and customers. With Batwind, we can optimise the energy system from wind park to grid. Battery storage represents a new application in our offshore wind portfolio, contributing to realising our ambition of profitable growth in this area.”

Statoil will install a 1MWh Lithium battery based storage pilot system in late 2018. This equals the battery capacity of more than 2 million iPhones.

The pilot will be part of Hywind Scotland, an innovative offshore wind park with five floating wind turbines located 25 km offshore Peterhead. The wind park is currently under construction and start of electricity production is expected in late 2017.

A structured programme is now being established under the MoU to support and fund innovation in the battery storage area between Statoil and Scottish industry and academia. This programme will be managed by ORE Catapult and Scottish Enterprise.

Bull said: “We are very pleased to develop and demonstrate this concept in Scotland, which has a huge wind resource, strong academic institutions and an experienced supply chain. The agreement between Statoil, the Scottish Government, ORE Catapult and Scottish Enterprise represents a unique opportunity for government, researchers and industry to work together to develop new energy solutions for the global market.”

Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said:

“The signing of this MoU will allow the signatories to work together in the development of the Batwind battery storage solution. This will help maximise the renewable generation of the Hywind offshore wind farm, whilst informing the case for energy storage and demonstrating the technology’s ability to support renewables in Scotland and internationally.R21;

“A recent industry and Government report, produced by the Carbon Trust, concluded that if the energy market was adapted to appropriately recognise the benefits of electricity storage to the wider system, this could lead to savings of up to £50 a year on an average energy bill and a system wide saving of up to £2.4B a year by 2030.”

Andrew Jamieson, Chief Executive of ORE Catapult, said:

“Our partnership with Statoil represents a great opportunity to identify and support areas in which Scottish universities and the supply chain can contribute and learn from this innovative project. Innovations such as the integration of battery storage technologies are another key element in the future energy mix and will enable a greater penetration of renewable technologies in Scotland and support the development of next generation ideas such as floating wind.”

“We are developing a programme that will match Scottish supply chain capabilities and research excellence with the technology challenges of developing innovative battery storage solutions, ensuring Scotland and the wider UK benefits from the economic opportunities presented by this internationally important project.”

Maggie McGinlay, Director of Energy and Clean Technology at Scottish Enterprise, commented:

“We’ve worked with Statoil for a number of years to deliver the Hywind project, so it’s fantastic to remain involved in this next stage of battery storage innovation. This is exactly the kind of innovation in the energy sector we’re keen to encourage and support as it may have potential to advance industry growth in Scotland.”

SOURCE: Statoil

[flyfisher] 01/2/2016 12:55

Cash received with TDW.

[flyfisher] 31/12/2015 10:48

Topvest, I don't see where we can get a further distribution in 3 years time, the company will be liquidated by spring. 60p shortly and up to 0.3p at liquidation is what I read, am I missing something?

[topvest] 03/12/2015 18:08

Looks like we could receive a further distribution in 3 year's time if the Rump Assets are sold for in excess of a certain amount. Looks like the Directors could make a packet on these - they pay £1. They have been clever to maximise the initial distribution, but...
1. Is the BlackRock price for the assets acquired really a fair price? It looks to me like their is a speed discount here.
2. Why de-list and give the residual business to management for £1 - they could still have run this as an AIM listed development company with us shareholders sharing some of the upside more directly.
Overall, can't help feeling that this is all very convenient. Shareholders get a reasonable payback (albeit still at a loss) and the directors get much more, as do BlackRock. I can't see any comment from Ecofin yet.

[flyfisher] 03/12/2015 17:41

I will vote for it, despite the bid being below what I see as fair value.

I was only here for the bid arbitrage, so I currently view the confirmed bid as a positive.

[topvest] 03/12/2015 17:27

I'm voting AGAINST not that my vote will make any difference.

[topvest] 03/12/2015 17:19

How are people voting? Interesting that they don't appear to have any irrevocable commitments from large holders. Think this is a low ball offer and they are painting a bleak picture. Then again, what's the alternative really? Can't see anyone else bidding as they are too close to BlackRock. Think we have been stitched-up. Management seem to do OK - they don't seem to be paying anything for all the contracts that they will get which will allow salaries to continue.

[topvest] 02/12/2015 10:36

Pretty poor offer versus the book value of the business. The directors appear to be stripping some value, rather than keeping the residual business listed.