Renewable energy consultants, AWS Truepower, have released their Wind Trends Bulletin for Q1 2016. Quarterly wind performance maps show deviations in the wind resource from average Q1 conditions in every region of the world. In the first quarter of 2016, winds were above normal relative to the long-term (1988 to 2014) first-quarter average across much…
Mainstream Renewable Power signs 300-MW Chile turbine supply agreement with Senvion
Global wind and solar company, Mainstream Renewable Power, has concluded a contract with Senvion, a global manufacturer of wind turbines, for the supply and installation of 93 wind turbines for two wind farm projects in Chile. The Sarco and Aurora wind farms are owned by Aela Energia, the joint venture between Actis (60%) and Mainstream…
Innovator and wind-flow software developer, Liz Walls
Engineer and software developer, Liz Walls, didn’t start her career in the wind industry. She grew up in Calgary, Alberta, near the center of the oil and gas industry of Canada. So it was no surprise that after graduation she landed a job in the field, and in 2002 began her career as a reservoir…
Meeting wind targets with proper asset management
By Larry Freeman, Business Development Manager & Justin Forbes, Marketing & Business Development EDF Renewable Services Asset management has been the process of organizing and maintaining projects. It was not a specific professional activity like it is today but a loosely organized set of best practices at a company. There were no job titles that…
Vestas challenges scaling rules with multi-rotor concept demonstration turbine
With a new concept demonstrator, Vestas challenges the core scaling rules that wind turbines have to grow in size to increase their energy output — which further leads to transportation and installation challenges in some markets. Many new load and control features will still need to be developed, tested, and proven to assess the technical and…
Seacat Services supports DONG Energy’s construction of the Race Bank Offshore Wind Farm
As offshore wind developers begin construction on current projects in the UK, there is a strong demand for experienced and highly capable supporting contractors equipped to facilitate the installation of new, increasingly sophisticated, sites. Seacat Services, an offshore energy support vessel operator, signed a two-year, four-workboat crew transfer deal to support DONG Energy’s construction operations…
Under the dome: Professor Hangan advances wind research
At a lecture a few years back at Ontario’s Western University, Professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Horia Hangan, discussed the challenges of measuring wind. “Wind is invisible and so we have to make it visible in some way,” he said. He then displayed a graph with a single line that zigzagged up and…
Gamesa to build a 40-MW wind farm for ReNew Power
Gamesa, a global technology provider of wind energy, has secured a new order from ReNew Power, one of India’s leading independent power producers (IPP), for the EPC construction of a 40-MW wind farm located in Ron, in the state of Karnataka. The agreement signed with ReNew Power encompasses the installation of 20 G97-2.0 MW class S turbines.…
Talking with turbines through the Internet of Things
Brian Roth, Product Marketing Engineer Antaira Technologies Chances are you’ve heard the term “Internet of Things” (abbreviated as IoT), which refers to a shared network of data and connectivity between devices, software, and even buildings or structures. IoT can turn off the oven after you’ve left home, remotely switch on or off office lights or…
Casting a spell: Accio Energy’s turbine-less wind generator gets offshore funding
Although the company name is based on magic (named after the summoning spell in the Harry Potter series), Accio Energy’s wind-power technology is rooted in science. The science of lightning. The basic elements used to create lightning are wind, water droplets, and charge separation. Accio’s electrohydrodynamic (EHD) wind-energy generation system uses all three, albeit producing much…
EDF EN Canada signs PPA with the IESO for its Romney Wind Energy Centre
EDF EN Canada Inc., a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, has signed a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) for a total of 60 MW of wind energy. Selected by the IESO in the Large Renewable Procurement I Request for Proposal (LRP I RFP), this renewable energy project represents a strategic…
Apex Clean Energy acquires Illinois wind farm
Apex Clean Energy has acquired the Sugar Creek Wind One project from American Wind Energy Management Corp (AWEM). The project has the potential to support 175 MW of wind energy capacity in Illinois. “Sugar Creek is a high-quality project in an important market,” said Mark Goodwin, President of Apex. “Building on AWEM’s strong foundation of…
Siemens to provide direct-drive wind turbines for a new wind farm in Japan
Siemens has secured its third wind-power order from Japan’s largest wind-power developer, Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation headquartered in Tokyo. Siemens will supply 13 direct-drive wind turbines of the type SWT-3.2-101 (rated at 3.2 MW each) for the 41.6-MW Eurus Higashi Yurihara wind-power plant. The plant is being developed in Yurihonjo city, located in the north of the…
ABB wins orders over $300 million to strengthen China’s power grid and lower environmental impact
ABB has won orders worth more than $300 million to supply advanced converter transformers for two long-distance ultra-high voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission links capable of transporting up to 10,000 MW of power at the 800 kV voltage level — setting a new world record in terms of capacity. The orders were booked in the first…
Power Climber Wind opens facility in Brazil and gains BNDES approval
Power Climber Wind, a division of SafeWorks, LLC, recently opened a new production facility in Recife, Brazil to better serve its customers in that market. Power Climber also obtained compliance with the local content rules of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). “We focused on developing local relationships capable of meeting our volume and quality standards,” said…
Innergex completes acquisition of seven wind-power projects in France
Innergex Renewable Energy has completed the acquisition of seven operating wind-power projects located in France, from German company wpd europe GmbH. The wind farms are located in the north and center of France. The aggregated installed capacity of all seven farms is 86.8 MW, and the annual long-term average level of electricity production is expected…
MidAmerican Energy announces $3.6 billion investment in renewable energy
MidAmerican Energy announced a major project that will provide a cleaner energy future for Iowa. The announcement is a giant step toward realizing the company’s vision of 100% renewable energy for customers in the state. MidAmerican Energy is filing a request with the Iowa Utilities Board to build Wind XI, a project that will add…
Enercon installs EP4 prototype turbine
Turbine manufacturer ENERCON has successfully installed EP4-126 4.2MW turbine at a site in the Netherlands. Operation of the Wind Class IIA WEC prototype is the first machine based on ENERCON‘s new 4-MW platform (EP4), and the forerunner for the E-141 EP4 (low-wind turbine) announced for the end of this year. “The launch of the prototype took place…
Goldwind installs ZephIR Lidar for optimization and certification of 6-MW turbine
Goldwind Science & Technology announced the successful installation of wind lidar system ZephIR DM by Beijing New Energy Technology Ltd. (BNET) on the company’s 6-MW prototype direct-drive permanent magnet wind turbine. Goldwind confirms ZephIR lidar systems will be used for optimizing the prototype turbine before it enters mass production, measuring power curves, and to understand…
Gamesa contracted to supply 33 MW for five wind developments in the UK
Gamesa, a global technology provider in wind energy, has been contracted to supply 33 MW for five wind farms being developed by REG Windpower, which have already been sold to funds managed by BlackRock. In total, the company will install 17 turbines of the 2-MW platform, and will maintain them for the next 10 years. Specifically, the company…