Senvion, one of the world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturers, acquired RodPack technology from Chase Corporation this November. The material is already used in the blade for the Senvion 6.2M152 and is anticipated to be integrated in future blade designs for onshore and offshore turbines. RodPack, which substitutes the standard glass fabrics used in the main girder,…
Designing wind turbines for safety and compliance in a global marketplace
Michael Hughes, CIH, CSP | Global Head of EHS for Onshore Wind Siemens Energy, Inc. A commitment to safety underpins the design of a wind turbine, while designers focus on transportation, practicability, cost, and functionality. Balancing these design goals must occur in a manner that does not compromise the safety of those who manufacture, install, or…
Block Island Offshore Wind Farm assembly operations to begin in Port of Providence
Deepwater Wind and GE are establishing a new temporary manufacturing facility at the Port of Providence for the assembly of turbine components for the Block Island Wind Farm. GE, which recently completed its acquisition of Alstom’s offshore wind unit, is supplying the 6-MW Haliade 150 offshore wind turbines for the Block Island Offshore Wind Farm.…
MidAmerican Energy to install an 115m concrete tower for the tallest land-based wind turbine in the U.S.
MidAmerican Energy Company’s new wind farm in Adams County, Iowa will include a first for the company: a concrete wind turbine tower. Once installed, the wind turbine itself will represent another first because it will be the tallest land-based turbine built in the country to date. It is designed to capture more wind power at…
AWS Truepower releases first monthly Wind Trends Bulletin
AWS Truepower’s monthly wind performance maps are released shortly after the end of each month. This new service offers an enhanced look at the company’s Wind Trends, which provide a quarterly snapshot of wind performance. The new monthly performance maps show deviations in the wind resource from average conditions in every region of the world…
Siemens reduces transport costs for offshore wind turbines by up to 20%
At the EWEA 2015 international wind industry trade fair in Paris this week, Siemens presented the company’s new offshore logistics concept. A key element of this is an improved transport solution. Siemens recently signed a long-term framework contract with transport service provider deugro Danmark A/S using two purpose-built transport vessels to efficiently link Siemens’ existing…
DNV GL’s new software helps reduce turbine development time and costs
DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, recently unveiled new software for turbines and wind farms. The Turbine.Architect tool helps to reduce the product development time and costs of wind turbines by using integrated algorithms based on decades of design experience. The Turbine.Architect software enables engineers and component developers to quickly assess…
Moventas introduces XL – Extra Life to address gearbox failures
Moventas, a wind gearbox manufacturer and service provider, recently announced a breakthrough suite of technologies that are designed to address gearbox failures in the GE 1.5 fleet. XL – Extra Life is the culmination of 35 years of gearbox expertise that Moventas has gained repairing GE 1.5 gearboxes in North America. XL will carry the…
The Switch launches a new utility-grade power converter
The Switch, a supplier of megawatt-class electrical drives for wind energy and industrial applications, has launched a new full-power converter (FPC) for utility-grade electricity production. The FPC+ concept builds on the company’s experience and an installed base of over 11 GW of power throughout the world. Designed for the highest level performance in electricity production,…
CanWEA’s annual conference moves to Calgary in 2016
The Canadian Wind Energy Association’s (CanWEA) Annual Conference and Exhibition is Canada’s largest wind-related event, and it took place in Toronto this past October. Next year the event shifts its focus to western Canada and moves to Calgary, which was selected because it is centrally located relative to the country’s western provinces. From November 1…
Siemens to supply turbines for 38-MW project in France
Siemens was recently awarded an order for the delivery, installation, and commissioning of 12 direct-drive wind turbines for Les Gourlous wind farm in France. The SWT-3.2-113 turbines will have a total capacity of 38.4 MW and will supply about 35,000 households with clean energy. Siemens will be providing long-term service for the new wind farm…
GEV Wind Power successfully completes on-turbine trials for Habitat shelter
GEV Wind Power’s first set of onshore trials for its innovative blade-maintenance Habitat have been successfully completed, presenting a major milestone for the company. The Habitat enables technicians to conduct essential repairs on remote wind turbines while remaining sheltered from the elements. It also provides O&M companies a greater scope throughout the year to schedule repairs because…
Gamesa commits to increasing the number of women in management
Gamesa has put its name to an initiative being championed by the Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality called “More women, better companies.” The aim is to increase the number of women in management. To this end, Gamesa has set itself some specific targets. By 2018, the company wants to increase the number of…
Vestas upgrades 3-MW platform and strengthens performance in all wind classes
Vestas has upgraded the company’s 3-MW turbine platform to enhance performance and meet customer requirements. The upgrade will increase power production and lower the cost of energy. It also serves to boost performance in all Vestas’ wind classes and will increase annual energy production by up to 12% depending on site-specific conditions. The upgrade’s most significant changes include: Larger…
Gamesa doubles net profit, driven by strong growth in turbine revenues
So far this year, Gamesa has experienced significant improvements in revenues, returns, and net profit in line with their business plan for 2015 through to 2017. Gamesa’s revenues increased by 30.4% to €2,533 million in the first nine months of 2015, driven by strong growth in wind turbine revenues (+35%). Activity surged 26% to 2,301…
EDF Energy Renewables to develop Scotland’s biggest onshore wind farm
EDF Energy Renewables (EDF) is taking on the development of the Dorenell Wind Farm, which is one of the largest onshore wind projects planned for construction in Scotland. EDF will develop and build the project, and will work with wind development company Infinergy. The site near Dufftown in Moray was developed by Infinergy and consent for a…
Nordex aims for profitable growth with Acciona Windpower
Nordex SE recently presented its medium-term strategic targets for the period through 2018. These plans are based on the assumption that it will be able to merge its operating business with that of Acciona Windpower (AWP) at the beginning of 2016. Nordex has already applied for anti-trust clearance of the acquisition of AWP. By pooling…
European repowering market hinges on accuracy of higher height wind data, says Vaisala
As a growing number of wind energy assets across Europe near the end of their operational lifetimes, plans to upgrade and repower existing sites using larger, more efficient turbines depend on the ability of developers to accurately assess the wind resource at higher hub heights. However, current methods of data extrapolation from short onsite met…
Logan’s Gap Wind Facility in Texas is now fully operational
Pattern Energy Group held a grand opening ceremony this week to dedicate its new 200-MW Logan’s Gap Wind facility in Comanche County, Texas. Now operating at full capacity, Logan’s Gap Wind will create enough clean energy to power 50,000 homes in Texas each year. “Presently, the majority of the revenue collected by Comanche County comes…
New cross-functional protective gloves offer highest wearability rating
In the wind industry, protection against cuts, accidental impacts, and weather must all be considered when choosing protective gloves, since some manufacturing or construction sites present multiple hazards. Comfort is also a concern that is all too often the last consideration, but a comfortable glove could make the difference between compliance and disaster. Safety Today’s new Brass…