Energy World September 2015

Offshore wind is a relatively new technology, but Europe now has over 10 GW of generating capacity at 82 offshore farms. In the first of our articles this month on offshore renewables, we take a look at good operation and maintenance practices for wind farms at sea.

Further articles examine the shape and size of the market for offshore wind turbine manufacturers, and the use of magnetic gears to replace conventional gearboxes in the latest turbine designs. We also cover a couple of tidal energy developers planning to make large-scale tidal energy into another important offshore generating technology; as well as looking at early research into the effects of marine energy devices on the marine environment.

On the demand side, energy managers that need to calculate their company’s carbon emissions will already know of government-approved conversion factors for greenhouse gases. We feature an article on where and why these are used and how they change with time.

Last, two articles with an international focus – first; how countries in the Middle East and Africa are organising renewables support programmes, and second; Malcolm Brinded FREng FEI on making energy accessible as well as sustainable.