London passes more cash to wind sector

The British government awarded a local engineering company with a $1.9 million grant to develop certain components needed for wind turbines. David Brown Gear Systems won the grant to develop a wind turbine gearbox slated for Samsung wind turbines. It's the first company to receive a grant from the British Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Offshore Wind Components Technologies Innovation scheme. "This cash shows we are really shifting gear when it comes to supporting innovation and offshore wind," Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said. "Making wind turbines more efficient is common sense and will help bring down the costs making them more attractive to build and helping us increase the amount of electricity we get from clean, green sources." The United Kingdom is leading the world in offshore wind development. A report in The Guardian newspaper in London, however, suggests the appetite for wind energy is diminishing because of concerns over costs and subsidies. British Energy Secretary Ed Davey, in a response to the newspaper, said wind technology was one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy and subsidies would be cut to reflect lower costs. "A responsible energy policy for this country is one that rules in all of the key low-carbon technologies to help us keep the lights on and emissions down," he said. "Ruling any of them out would be folly."