As our energy needs rise, as our supplies of fossil fuels run out and as the state of our planet become more precarious, we increasingly need to look at alternative energy sources to meet our requirements and to allow our modern lifestyles. Solar Energy. The sun, a huge burning ball of hydrogen, outputs vast amounts of energy every second. Even the minute fraction that falls on the Earth’s surface is more than enough to supply all our energy needs. MORE

· European Wind Energy Association 2010 stats just released, confirm UK position · Total EU offshore now close to 3 gigawatts, powering 2.9 million EU homes · 19 gigawatts consented in EU waters, sufficient to power 14 European capital cities Latest offshore wind statistics, released today by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), confirm that the United Kingdom is the European and world sector leader with 1,341 megawatts (MW) installed. MORE

Sweden’s Hexicon to supply Malta with 10% of its electricity with a platform-mounting floating wind farm. Despite the fact that the EU is willing to fund renewable energy in its climate laggard states, using cap & trade revenues from the sale of emission allowances, Malta still gets only 1% of its electricity from renewable energy. As an EU member Malta is required to produce at least 10% of its energy from renewables by 2020. MORE

Germany is Europe’s largest economy and has a growing renewable energy sector. However, the nation had yet to open an offshore wind farm despite other nations in Europe having done the same. Both Great Britain and Denmark are well grounded in the offshore wind farm sector, each of them having hundreds of megawatts of energy coming from turbines at sea. This is expected to be able to power 50,000 homes. Wind Power MORE

As users, we are mainly interested in having a constant supply of energy which is also affordable so we can go on with our life. Where the energy comes from is rarely something we are aware of unless it carries financial implications. But the reality is that the majority of our energy needs are met by forms of non-renewable energy , in particular fossil fuels. Why do we insist on using fossil fuels instead of switching to other (less-harmful) kinds of energy? MORE

A promising offshore wind energy project has languished on the East Coast for 15 years—and its enemies range from a Koch brother to the Kennedys. In 2001, Jim Gordon, a Boston-based energy entrepreneur who played a critical role in the development of natural gas–fired power plants in the 1990s, was searching for a way to produce energy on the East Coast. Gordon is optimistic about the project, but some experts and analysts think Cape Wind may never break ground. MORE

The German renewable energy giant Siemens Energy has just secured its first wind turbine orders within Africa, with orders for two new wind farms going up in Morocco. Siemens will supply turbines with a total capacity of 100 MW, 50 MW to the Haouma Wind Farm project in Northern Morocco, and 50 MW to Foum El Oued in Southern Morocco. China – the world leader in installed capacity plans to get 17% from wind. MORE

First of all, Dong Energy? Dong Energy has recently signed a deal with Siemens… Bwahahahaha… Siemens? OK, sorry, back to your regularly scheduled wind power news. Dong Energy is all set to erect (giggle) up to 500 offshore wind turbines in Northern Europe thanks to a recent agreement with Siemens AG. The wind turbines in question will have a total capacity of 1,800 megawatts and each will have an individual capacity of 3.6 MORE

Wind energy developers installed a record 41,000 megawatts of electricity-generating capacity in 2011, bringing the world total to 238,000 megawatts. With more than 80 countries now harnessing the wind, there is enough installed wind power capacity worldwide to meet the residential electricity needs of 380 million people at the European level of consumption. China’s ambitious Wind Base program will help ensure a widening lead for some years to come. MORE

Even amid policy uncertainty in major wind power markets, wind developers still managed to set a new record for installations in 2012, with 44,000 megawatts of new wind capacity worldwide. With total capacity exceeding 280,000 megawatts, wind farms generate carbon-free electricity in more than 80 countries, 24 of which have at least 1,000 megawatts. China installed some 13,000 megawatts of wind in 2012, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). MORE

Make wind power? In a summary of the policy environment for wind power in Egypt completed after the revolution earlier this year, Reve sums up the policy background to Egypt’s dramatic new post-revolution energy plans, which we have covered at GreenProphet too. Appropriately, for an energy-hungry nation that has been prone to blackouts, they’re big plans. Egypt had its wind potential assessed in 2003. MORE

Europe has been in talks for years regarding sending renewable energy across Europe from places like North Africa. A recent agreement between ten European Union members strives to be the beginning of such energy integration. Ten countries which border the North Sea in Europe have agreed to an electricity grid which would send energy from North Sea wind projects to all of the countries. The offshore wind farm planned for the North Sea is massive at 140 gig watts. MORE

The alternative energy sector was one of many sectors hit hard by the recent recession. Recently, the United States’ Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, suggested that the U.S. was lagging behind other countries’ investments into alternative energy, namely China. One of the sectors the government has been investing in steadily is wind energy, however. This is partially due to the $1 billion in federal grants which went into wind energy. Wind Power MORE

The announcement of nine vast new offshore wind farm zones with a total capacity of 32GW would, if fully developed, be enough to power every home in the UK. Despite the UK’s lead in offshore wind energy generation the UK currently trails behind other leading wind energy producing countries – particularly Germany, Denmark and Spain – in manufacturing, design and supply chain jobs. MORE

German manufactuer Siemens have constructed off-shore wind turbines with record-breaking rotors. Besides making it lightweight, in relation to its size of course, these construction processes also makes the wind turbine extremely strong. And this is a good thing considering that they will be hit with the energy of around 200 tons of air per second out in the sea where these wind turbines are designed to be used. MORE

Over 4, 000 visitors from around the world will gather in London this week for the biggest energy debate to take place in UK history. Thousands of industry professionals are expected to attend over three days of the European Future Energy Forum at London ExCel Convention Centre. Where is the money coming from in Europe to pay for renewable energy’ will be the question posed to energy ministers, engineering giants and leading bankers of our time. MORE

UK has half of newly installed European offshore wind farms in first half of 2010 European total approaches 2.5 gigawatts, a threefold increase since 2006 by Michael Smith (Veshengro) Renewable UK, the trade association for wind and marine energy - Britain’s fastest growing green energy sectors – welcomed today’s announcement from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) that European offshore wind capacity in 2010 has grown faster than in the same period in 2009. MORE