Renewable energy is an extremely fast-growing sector on the planet, with more sustainable power initiatives being funded than ever before. As the requirement for pure, green power grows, and sustainable techniques improve, so many more initiatives of increasing scale and complexity are being built, creating an increasing demand for competent green resource engineers.

With that in mind, we have made an attempt to combine a list of the largest and most lucrative sustainable power initiatives to keep an eye on in 2021.

We have also tried to incorporate a multitude of different categories in order to represent the various sources of renewable energy available, such as solar, wind, wave, and hydroelectric.

1. Tbhawt Manufacturing OÜ, Estonia

Type of project: Wind Energy

Nikolai Grebenkine, the Project Coordinator at Tbhawt Manufacturing OÜ, says, “Small wind turbines are a fast-growing stream in the renewables market. At Tbhawt, we manufacture a new type of small wind turbine that produces dozens of MW and thus it successfully competes in price with high-capacity wind turbines.”

Nikolai continues, “We develop distributed energy generation systems on the basis of our eco-friendly wind turbine WTW-55 through combining it with solar panels and large wind turbines. As a result, our customers will obtain a cost-efficient business in the renewable energy market designed specifically for their individual needs avoiding mess or scam due to human error.”

2. Wudongde Hydropower Station, China

Type of project: Hydroelectric

The Wudongde Hydropower Station has been undergoing development for the past five years and started providing energy from the very first set of generators in the previous year. It is located on the Jinsha River that runs through the regions of Sichuan and Yunnan in southwest China. By December 2021, the constructed dam will be completely operating.

The dam, which stands at 240 meters, is one of the world’s tallest and has already been termed the world’s “smartest” mega hydropower station. 

As per the constructors, the dam will counteract the usage of 12.2 million tonnes of conventional coal, resulting in a reduction of 30.5 million tonnes of CO2 and 104,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide emissions per year.

3. Hornsea Project 2, UK

Type of project: Offshore Wind 

Since August 2015, the Danish business Ørsted has been working on Hornsea Project 2. It is part of the larger Hornsea Zone, which is about 89 kilometers off the coast of East Riding, Yorkshire.

One hundred sixty-five turbines with a nominal capacity of 8,000 kW will be erected in deep water. North Killingholme National Grid transmitting facility in North Lincolnshire will link the farms to the network.

The wind farm site, which included the installation of the HVAC substation, began onshore cable construction in 2019. By 2022, the project should be completed.

4. Ghana Wave Power Project, Ghana

Type of project: Wave

TC Energy has given Sea-based Energy a project to construct a wave power plant with a maximum potential of 100 MW off the coast of Ada, Ghana.

The initiative has been in the works over numerous years, with Swede Energy installing a 1MW test phase in May 2015. Only a few wave energy facilities are now operational across the globe, and this is expected to be among the largest. As wave energy converters, the park will be using a chain of buoys linked to linear generators. The movement of the buoys as they travel with the water generates energy. The energy is made acceptable for grid usage via switchgear.

5. Leh and Kargil Solar Power Projects, India

Type of project: Solar PV 

The 7.5GW solar energy plants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Leh and Kargil regions are divided into three parts. Every stage will feature 2,500MW, with 5,000MW being constructed in Leh’s Pang district and 2,500MW being constructed in Kargil’s Zangla district.

Solar energy production does indeed have a significant opportunity in the Himalayan highlands. The proposed project will interconnect to an 850-kilometer transmission system in Punjab.

“The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) plans to build solar power plants in Leh and Kargil with a total capacity of roughly 14 MW (megawatts) and a battery storage capacity of 42 MWh (megawatt-hour),” stated Mr. Singh, while he was making an announcement about the project.

Nevertheless, in the first month of 2021, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) announced that solar power developers’ Request for Selection (RfS) to build up the Leh and Kargil projects had been canceled. Despite this, the project is scheduled to be completed in 2023.

6. Shek Kwu Chau Energy From Waste, Hong Kong

Type of project: Energy from waste

As among the globe’s most heavily inhabited regions, Hong Kong generates a large volume of garbage and consumes a large quantity of energy. Via the development of a comprehensive waste treatment plant on a recovered island off the coast of Shek Kwu Chau, one of the region’s outlying islands remote from the major urban districts, the Environment Protection Department hopes to address two major challenges through one stone.

The facility will have a massive incinerator capable of treating 3000 tonnes of trash per day when fully operational, as well as a mechanical processing plant, an administration structure, a center for visitors, and many more similar facilities.

Conclusion

The renewable power industry is predicted to maintain its robust development and further growth in 2021, with numerous future initiatives anticipated to come online or commence development and constriction and many creative proposals.