Gravity base foundations have been used for years in the offshore oil and gas industry. A variation has already been used at Thornton Bank and gravity base foundations have been slated for several for Round 3 projects.
Despite a buoyant European offshore wind market, offshore construction & installation contractors that fall short of budget and technology challenges risk falling by the wayside.
Turbine reliability must step up a gear if wind power is to expand in line with ambitious targets.
Back in 2008, Xcel Energy began testing a one-megawatt wind energy battery-storage system, using NGK Insulators Ltd.’s sodium- sulfur (NaS) battery technology. The objective was to demonstrate the system’s ability to store wind energy and move it to the electricity grid when needed, and to assess the viability of greater wind penetration on Xcel Energy’s [...]
Wind energy professionals who are able to recommend qualified researchers and experts have the chance to receive a £200 cash referral bonus.
Turbine testing facilities are sprouting out around the globe. But will testing conditions provided by NAREC’s facilities and others provide the industry with even more robust components? And attract the vital private and corporate investment this energy sector requires?
When the likes of General Electric and Siemens are on to something, competitors usually take note. Both companies, giants in the renewables industry, are investing seriously in direct drive generators for offshore wind farms, replacing the more widespread gearbox technology.
At the end of May 2010 Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of Ontario released a report entitled “The Potential Health Impact of Wind Turbines”, prepared in response to public health concerns about wind turbines, particularly related to noise. The report presents a synopsis of existing scientific evidence on the potential health impact of noise generated [...]
New data-trending solutions are emerging for turbine operators that will allow them to stay one step ahead of gearbox problems, while maximising production.
The low-carbon investment needed to stop rising greenhouse gas emissions is impossible to achieve without massive applications of private sector capital. The private sector is looking urgently for investment signals out of the next United Nations Ministerial climate negotiations in Cancún at the end of the year.
WindEnergyUpdate speaks to Charlie Daum, director of development, Geronimo Wind, about avoiding the pitfalls of site selection and best practice for gaining site approval.
As the offshore wind energy industry matures, calls for industry-wide operational standards are increasingly louder. But questions surrounding the parameters and benchmarks persist.
Ultrasonic wind sensors have been slowly gaining popularity. Although they are still far behind the traditional three-cup anemometers. More and more wind project developers are turning to the ultrasonic anemometers. The National Weather Service (NWS) made the switch in 2005.
Dr Klaus Rave was unanimously elected new GWEC Chairman at yesterday’s Board meeting in Dallas for a two year term. Dr Rave follows Arthouros Zervos, who had been Chairman since the association was established in 2006.
A bladeless wind turbine whose only rotating component is a turbine/driveshaft could generate power at a cost comparable to coal-fired power plants, according to its developers at Solar Aero. The New Hampshire-based company recently announced its patent on the Fuller wind turbine, which is an improvement on a patent issued to Nikola Tesla in 1913.
On 20 April 2010, Siemens Wind Power AG launched its Class IA SWT-3.0-101 direct-drive turbine during the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Warsaw, Poland. The same day, GE announced that its 4 MW direct-drive turbine, developed based on ScanWind’s technology, will be available to the market before 2012. These announcements came one week after [...]
One matter that has the potential to cause severe project delays, at almost any location, is interference with radar.
Despite the economic crisis, the wind industry installed 24% more capacity in 2009 than in 2008 to over 34.2 GW, beating all estimates; 2010 will see the market growing to over 35.2 GW of new installations. Limited growth is expected in 2010, followed by a 16% market growth rebound in 2011 as the North American [...]
GE today introduced its latest, most comprehensive package of services for wind turbines—a “full service agreement” (FSA) designed to provide wind turbine owners with total support for all of their planned and unplanned maintenance and operations needs. The FSA is being introduced on all new GE 2.5xl wind turbines in Europe with plans to extend [...]
WindEnergyUpdate speaks to Henrik Welch, senior director of guarantees and project finance at Denmark’s Export Credit Agency (EKF), about how the wind energy sector could work on its project appeal.
The Global Wind 2009 Report was published today at the European Wind Energy Conference in Warsaw. It contains statistics for wind power installations in over 70 countries around the world, as well as detailed reports on key national markets. In addition, it includes GWEC’s five-year market forecast for 2010-2014. Click here to download the report. [...]
With many turbines now coming out of their warranty phase, the industry is holding its breath to see whether research and design breakthroughs have resolved gearbox failure issues that have dogged the turbine industry to date.
Global venture capital and private equity investment in Clean Technology and Renewable Energy bounced back significantly during 1Q10 with a 43% increase over 4Q09. The headline figure of $5.0 billion, comprising $2.1 billion of VC and $2.4 billion of PE investment, is moving back towards the level last seen in 4Q08 of $4.9 billion. Green [...]
Global wind energy markets are expected to continue their rapid growth, with the world’s wind power capacity increasing by 160% over the coming five years, according to the annual industry forecast presented by the Global Wind Energy Council today.
Xanthus Energy has designed what it describes as a self-installing gravity base, removing the need for specialist offshore plant and vessels. WindEnergyUpdate talks to Xanthus Energy CEO, Lewis Lack, to find out more.
Wind News and Information: Renewable Energy World
The energy needs of the entire human population could potentially be met by converting wind energy to electricity. While offshore wind power resources are abundant, wind turbines are currently unable to provide steady power due to natural fluctuations in wind direction and strength.
With offshore wind power set for major expansion in the UK and elsewhere, the choice of foundations will be crucial. What options are on the menu?
Executive Summary Worldwide capacity reached 159’213 MW, out of which 38’312 MW were added in 2009. Wind power showed a growth rate of 31,7 %, the highest rate since 2001. The trend continued that wind capacity doubles every three years. All wind turbines installed by the end of 2009 worldwide are generating 340 TWh per [...]
As turbines emerge from their warranty phase, wind farm operators face the stark reality that operation and maintenance costs will embark on a steep, upward trajectory, before leveling off over the next five years. What strategies can be deployed to mitigate these costs?
