Kurtis Reading

Wind power has made incredible inroads into the U.S. energy system thanks to big, efficient machines standing hundreds of feet tall. But the future of wind power may be underground.

After calling out the social network for using electricity generated with coal for its new green data center, it turns out that at least some of Greenpeace's servers are powered by coal as well as nuclear power.

An organisation has been set up to drive forward European policy towards the construction of a supergrid that will help the continents green energy revolution.

Friends of the Supergrid is made up of ten European companies from the sectors that will deliver the high voltage direct current (HVDC) infrastructure and related technology, and sectors that will develop, install, own and operate that infrastructure.

A pan-European electricity grid will be essential to fully harnessing all the new sources of renewable energy EU members plan to develop in an effort to meet its target of cutting carbons emissions by 30 percent by the year 2020.

The newly formed organisation will primarily focus on developing an offshore supergrid that will allow us to harness the full potential of northern Europe's offshore wind power. Friends of the Supergrid says the offshore supergrid is not an extension of existing or planned point-to-point HVDC interconnectors between particular states. "Even the aggregation of these schemes will not provide the network that will be needed to carry marine renewable power generated in our Northern seas to the load centres of central Europe," the organisation adds.

Open trade of electricity

The HVDC technology will be used "supernodes" to collect, integrate and route electricity to energy markets.

Mainstream Renewable Power's Chief Executive Dr Eddie O'Connor, says: "The UK Government has recently shown its commitment to large-scale offshore wind by announcing the development of up to 50GW by 2020.

"We now need to integrate this huge resource into Europe to enable the open trade of electricity between Member States."

At the end of last year nine countries signed up to the North Seas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative which aims to connect green energy projects around the North Sea region. With the network of cables, electricity will eventually be transmitted across the continent from wherever the wind is blowing, the sun is shining or the waves are crashing.

Membership will be kept to a maximum of 20 companies representing an industrial and geographic cross section. The base will be in Brussels.

So far the members are:

* 3E (company specialising in renewable energy and energy efficiency)
* AREVA T&D (provider of low-carbon power generation and electricity transmission)
* DME Blue Energy (a hydraulic engineering, dredging and offshore contractor)
* Elia (Belgian transmission system operator)
* Hochtief Construction AG (construction company)
* Mainstream Renewable Power (developer and operator of renewable energy plants)
* Parsons Brinckerhoff (energy and infrastructure project developer)
* Prysmian Cables & Systems (provider of high-technology cables and systems for energy and telecommunication)
* Siemens UK (engineering and technology company)
* Visser & Smit Marine Contracting (maritime contracting entity)

Image: Friends of the Supergrid

Related Articles:

Northern European supergrid | Spain making waves in RE sector | Biofuels: More polluting than fossil fuels?

(author unknown)

An organisation has been set up to drive forward European policy towards the construction of a supergrid that will help the continents green energy revolution.

Friends of the Supergrid is made up of ten European companies from the sectors that will deliver the high voltage direct current (HVDC) infrastructure and related technology, and sectors that will develop, install, own and operate that infrastructure.

A pan-European electricity grid will be essential to fully harnessing all the new sources of renewable energy EU members plan to develop in an effort to meet its target of cutting carbons emissions by 30 percent by the year 2020.

The newly formed organisation will primarily focus on developing an offshore supergrid that will allow us to harness the full potential of northern Europe's offshore wind power. Friends of the Supergrid says the offshore supergrid is not an extension of existing or planned point-to-point HVDC interconnectors between particular states. "Even the aggregation of these schemes will not provide the network that will be needed to carry marine renewable power generated in our Northern seas to the load centres of central Europe," the organisation adds.

Open trade of electricity

The HVDC technology will be used "supernodes" to collect, integrate and route electricity to energy markets.

Mainstream Renewable Power's Chief Executive Dr Eddie O'Connor, says: "The UK Government has recently shown its commitment to large-scale offshore wind by announcing the development of up to 50GW by 2020.

"We now need to integrate this huge resource into Europe to enable the open trade of electricity between Member States."

At the end of last year nine countries signed up to the North Seas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative which aims to connect green energy projects around the North Sea region. With the network of cables, electricity will eventually be transmitted across the continent from wherever the wind is blowing, the sun is shining or the waves are crashing.

Membership will be kept to a maximum of 20 companies representing an industrial and geographic cross section. The base will be in Brussels.

So far the members are:

* 3E (company specialising in renewable energy and energy efficiency)
* AREVA T&D (provider of low-carbon power generation and electricity transmission)
* DME Blue Energy (a hydraulic engineering, dredging and offshore contractor)
* Elia (Belgian transmission system operator)
* Hochtief Construction AG (construction company)
* Mainstream Renewable Power (developer and operator of renewable energy plants)
* Parsons Brinckerhoff (energy and infrastructure project developer)
* Prysmian Cables & Systems (provider of high-technology cables and systems for energy and telecommunication)
* Siemens UK (engineering and technology company)
* Visser & Smit Marine Contracting (maritime contracting entity)

Image: Friends of the Supergrid

Related Articles:

Northern European supergrid | Spain making waves in RE sector | Biofuels: More polluting than fossil fuels?

(author unknown)

Judge sides with MPAA in case against Real Network's RealDVD software that would allow consumers to make backup copies of purchased DVDs for personal use.

Judge sides with MPAA in case against Real Network's RealDVD software that would allow consumers to make backup copies of purchased DVDs for personal use.

The general thinking in companies marketing green products goes something like this: “It’s the young people we need to target! They’ll buy anything green.” But this perception is out of whack with reality, and Millenials (those aged 18-24) are less likely to have changed behaviors or made green purchases than the overall population.

Following in the footsteps of the Swedes and Germans, the Dutch Pirate Party has decided to join the national elections being held this spring. The Pirate Party booked a surprising victory by scooping two seats in the European Parliament last year, but has yet to score its first elected seat in a national Parliament.

Following in the footsteps of the Swedes and Germans, the Dutch Pirate Party has decided to join the national elections being held this spring. The Pirate Party booked a surprising victory by scooping two seats in the European Parliament last year, but has yet to score its first elected seat in a national Parliament.

An initiative to get sugary drinks out of U.S. schools has begun to work, with diet beverages and smaller portions replacing some full-size, full-calorie varieties in school vending machines, organizers said on Monday.

While clearing out the big pile of mails today, I came across this huge discussion on ubuntu-dev-discuss list about the colours of gnome-terminal. Honestly, I never thought this could be a point of discussion at all , but I was wrong. This article is just a brief summary of that discussion. This might not look of any use but its always good(and a .

While clearing out the big pile of mails today, I came across this huge discussion on ubuntu-dev-discuss list about the colours of gnome-terminal. Honestly, I never thought this could be a point of discussion at all , but I was wrong. This article is just a brief summary of that discussion. This might not look of any use but its always good(and a .

A group of researchers in Japan have succeeded for the first time in superconducting power transmission of direct current over two hundred meters.

A group of researchers in Japan have succeeded for the first time in superconducting power transmission of direct current over two hundred meters.

But instead of just whining about it, some organizations are actually doing something. A refreshing change.

Patent trolls would generally disappear, because a loophole in the current patent system allows them to wait for a technology to spread before retro-actively patenting it.

Canada's paper and cotton $10 and $20 bills will be replaced late next year with longer-lasting plasticized versions, the government announced in Ottawa.

North Korea has reportedly developed its own version of the Linux operating with a graphical user interface that closely resembles Microsoft Windows.

The GOP has signed up woefully few female candidates this year. But CPAC hero Ron Paul is helping to close the gap.

Despite fierce opposition to 'Frankenfoods' in Europe and elsewhere, fields full of genetically modified foods are sprouting up around the world. Are they a solution to the food crisis, or another environmental disaster in the making?