The UK government has published a progress report on the state of the renewable energy industry in the UK and it shows clearly the economic benefits of investing in renewable sources.

According to last week’s report from the DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change), the renewable energy industry is responsible for more than £2.5 billion of investment in the UK economy and is set to create more than 12,000 new jobs this fiscal year. There is an EU wide initiative to source 20% of all energy from renewable sources by 2020 and, though the UK is committed to a smaller percentage (15%), this recent announcement marks a major step forward in meeting these targets.

A separate report from the European Commission provided further details on the UK’s progress:

• A threefold increase in the use of transport biofuels from 1% in 2007 to 3.3% in 2010.
• Greater use of wind generation, up by 46% from 7TWh in 2008 to 10.2TWh in2010.
• A 27% increase in renewable energy use representing 3.3% of total energy consumed.

Wind industry developers and consultants will have cause to celebrate today thanks to the introduction of WindLinx™, a unified wireless service from Wireless Innovation Ltd and NRG Systems. The new service, designed exclusively for those conducting wind measurement campaigns using NRG Systems’ communication modules, streamlines the wireless account set-up process and simplifies overall management of met tower data transfer from multiple sites around the world.

“WindLinx eliminates the need to juggle information from multiple wireless providers – it’s a one stop shop for the management of wireless communication services for met towers,” said Larry Jacobs, marketing manager for NRG Systems. “With this global wireless service, customers can now meet all of their wireless service needs through Wireless Innovation – a single provider that offers flexibility and competitive rates,” said Jacobs.

WindLinx™ allows for uniform activation of communications services (including Iridium satellite, GSM and CDMA). The WindLinx™ web portal, a key feature of the wireless service, allows for remote management and monitoring of wireless account activity.

“Wireless Innovation has supplied Iridium based satellite connectivity and complimentary back office services to NRG Systems’ customers for many years now,” said Jeff Martin, Commercial Director for Wireless Innovation. “We understand the communications needs of NRG’s customers and the challenges of working with multiple service types and their providers across geographic regions. The introduction of the capability of Cellubi allowed us to provide the cellular part of Windlinx. The unification of communications and benefits of a single back office management platform is a natural extension of the existing services and solution that can take care of all met tower communication needs, anywhere in the world.”

NRG System’s Symphonie™ iPacks will ship pre-configured for WindLinx wireless service, including a form instructing customers how to activate and manage accounts. Customers wishing to remain with existing service providers may continue to do so. NRG Systems and Wireless Innovation have been technical partners since 2004 with the successful introduction of NRG Systems’ Symphonie iPack Iridium satellite communication module. For additional information or a demonstration of the WindLinx™ wireless service visit www.windlinx.com.