The company provides direct drive, water cooled, permanent-magnet-AC generators coupled to a braking system. No gearbox means the design provides a low maintenance, high-efficiency generator.

Grid Tie Inverter software uses proprietary algorithms to increase the range in which sustainable energy sources can deliver 60-Hz ac to the power grid. “We estimate an increase in efficiency of up to 25%,” says Energetic Drives’ CEO Ian Griffiths of the company’s algorithms. “For example, a traditional wind turbine generator has to be turning at a sustained rate, from 1,200 to 1,800 rpm (depending on number of poles per generator), to produce useable electricity. Outside of that range, the power is called ‘dirty’ because it is inconsistent and unusable. The technology lets the wind turbine use it at a constant 120% of the generator rating with our cooling system employed. This development allows producing ‘clean’ power over a wider range of wind speeds, from 30 to 120% of the generator’s rating. The software also provides for a consistent flow of clean, synchronized, utility-power energy to the grid, compatible with IEEE 519 and 1547 certifications. It results in a dynamic tool for smart-grid compatibility.”

Windpower Innovations Inc, Queen Creek, Ariz, says its wholly owned subsidiary, Energetic Drives LLC has been unveiled as the “innovation division” of WindPower Innovations Inc. The company says that along with its other subsidiary, XH Industries, it will feature efficient proprietary gear-box designs, grid-tie components and electronics, and improvements to existing equipment.

Energetic Drives LLC

energeticdrives.com

from poor product perception. The TFD fittings, from Parker Hannifin Corporation’s Tube Fittings Division (TFD), could be part of any leak-free, well-functioning hydraulic system.

TFD fittings withstand harsh operating environments, particularly those that promote the rapid onset of red rust. Iron oxide signals oxidation and deterioration of the fitting base metal, which can degrade the fitting and compromise performance. Although the presence of red rust does not necessitate replacing a fitting, it can undermine users confidence in the integrity of the equipment on which it is installed.

In a recent salt spray test conducted by an independent test facility, the Miami Valley Materials Testing Center, TFD fittings remained free of red rust after 480 hours exposure. This significantly exceeds both the current SAE requirement of 72 hours and the proposed new SAE requirement of 96 hours of salt spray without red rust.

Parker Tube fittings Division

www.RavagesOfRedRust.com

China’s Sewind Co., one of its top five wind turbine manufacturers, produces 1.5 to 2 MW turbines.

Moog Industrial Group will provide 400 electric pitch-control systems for China-based Sewind Co. Ltd’s 2-MW wind turbines. The controls will go into on-shore and intertidal models. Sewind Co., one of the top five companies in China’s wind-energy industry, specializes in the design, manufacturing, and sale of large units.

Pitch systems control blade positions on wind-turbine rotors to ensure highest possible power capture and to protect the wind turbine. The pitch-control servodrives used in these systems operate under extreme temperature conditions within switch cabinets in the wind turbine rotor hubs, guaranteeing reliable operation. Moog says its pitch systems withstand extremely high mechanical loads in rotating turbines, while improving turbine operating efficiency.

“With worldwide emphasis on renewable energy sources and building a low-carbon economy, wind turbine operators will be searching for ways to increase wind turbine operation time,” says Moog’s general manager for the Asia Pacific Region Sean Gartland.

Sewind is a joint venture of the Shanghai Electric Group Co. Ltd. and China Huadian Engineering Co. Ltd. Sewind headquarters are in Shanghai with production bases in Shanghai and Tianjin.

Moog Industrial Group

Electric pitch-control systems from Moog adjust the rotor blades for safety and efficiency. The equipment can withstand temperatures from -30 to 70°C (-22 to 158°F) and operate inside a wind turbine's hub.Moog Industrial Group

moog.com/wind

Vestas will supply 190 of its recent 3-MW turbines for the Alta Wind Energy Center.

Vestas received a 570 MW order for 190, V90-3.0 MW turbines for Terra-Gen’s Alta Wind Energy Center near Tehachapi, California. The order has been placed by subsidiaries of Alta Wind Holdings, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terra-Gen Power, LLC. Terra-Gen’s V90-3.0 MW purchase is Vestas’ largest order for a single site. The Alta project also sets several important benchmarks:

• It will be one of the largest wind power plants in the United States.

• The bank financing, bond issue, and sale leaseback financing of the Alta project make it the largest financing of a North American wind-energy project and the first wind-energy leveraged lease placed in the debt capital markets.
“When completed, the project will be the largest wind farm for which we have supplied turbines in our 31-year history as well as the biggest in California,” says Martha Wyrsch, President of Vestas Americas. The contract includes delivery and commissioning as well as a five-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery begins scheduled for late 2010. The first 50 turbines will be commissioned by the end of 2010 and the remaining equipment will be online in the first half of 2011.

“The project represents an important expansion to the renewable generating base of California and helps us advance our nation’s goals of achieving energy independence in an environmentally responsible manner, ” says Terra-Gen CEO Jim Pagano.

Vestas’ manufacturing operations in Colorado will produce wind components for this order. Blades for the Alta project will be produced at Vestas’ blades factory in Windsor, Colorado. And most of the towers will be manufactured at Vestas’ new tower factory in Pueblo, Colorado.

Terra-Gen Power, LLC, is an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners and Global Infrastructure Partners. With more than 830 MW of generating capacity in operation and 720 MW of generating capacity under construction, Terra-Gen is one of the nation’s largest renewable energy providers and the only U.S. company that provides electricity on a utility scale from all three renewable-energy sources: wind, solar and geothermal power. Terra-Gen has 21 renewable-energy facilities operating in six states, and more than 5,000 MW of renewable energy capacity under development.

The Alta Wind Energy Center is supported by a 1,550 MW power purchase agreement with Southern California Edison to sell renewable energy. This order marks Vestas’ eighth North American deal announced in 2010, totaling 1,336 MW this year among four turbine types.

Vestas, a manufacturer of high-tech wind power systems, has supplied more than 40,500 wind turbines to 65 countries since 1979. The company is investing upwards of $1 billion in the USA to establish its North American manufacturing base, which includes a tower manufacturing facility, a nacelle-assembly factory, and two blade factories. The firm delivered its first wind turbine to North America in 1981 and since has supplied more than 11,000 turbines in this region.

Vestas

vestas.com

The wind tower section is protected with a shrinkable, three-layer fabric from Transfield Inc.

Custom fit covers for wind tower sections are available as an alternative to heavy and expensive custom tarps or conventional hand wrapping.  These covers protect the tower sections from dirt and water during shipping.  Various openings are allowed for different trailer configurations.

The covers are made from Shrinkable Fabric and consist of three layers: a UV-resistant and anti-condensation outer layer, a middle adhesive layer, and a soft inner layer. Covers are easy to install and the added ability to shrink the cover allows for a tight fit, resulting in protection from the factory to the field.

Transfield Inc.

www.transfield-usa.com

Developer First Wind will include power storage and controls to better balance the power output from its wind project on Ohau.

A developer of power-storage equipment for utility-scale tasks will supply a 15 MVA, 10 MWh battery and power-management controls for the Kahuku Wind Project on Oahu. This marks the second Hawaiian project for which Xtreme Power, Kyle, Texas (xtremepowerinc.com) has supplied equipment. The groundbreaking follows the company’s first commercial pilot at the Kaheawa Wind Project on Maui. The latest wind project, 30 MW from 20 GE wind turbines, is supported by a 1.5-MW Xtreme Power energy storage and power-management system. Results from the Maui project demonstrated the ability of Xtreme Power’s equipment to control ramp rates (up and down) during changes in wind conditions, and to simultaneously store surplus wind power for redeployment during times of peak demand. Both projects are owned by First Wind in Honolulu.

“This marks the second project in which we’ve chosen Xtreme Power as a key partner to help us deliver reliable wind power for the residents of Hawaii,” says First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor. “Hawaii has a huge natural resource in wind and together with Xtreme Power, we are able to effectively deliver that power.”

Overall, Xtreme Power says the project on Maui has demonstrated an ability to:

• Reduce power variability by more than 95%
• Mitigate the issues associated with wind turbine trips and overloads, delivering consistent power to the grid, and
• Effectively store and deliver surplus power.

The 10-MWh storage is possible thanks to capabilities in Xtreme Power’s PowerCells, individual 12 V, 1 kWh, advanced dry-cell batteries that use an unconventional solid-state chemistry. The cell’s characteristics allow assembling thousands in massive parallel and series matrices, ideal for use in large-scale utility applications requiring hundreds of MW while maintaining a manageable footprint. Low internal resistance results in a capability to rapidly charge and discharge large amounts of power.

Workers at the Vestas blade plant in Windsor, Colo., discuss production issues.

Vestas says it has created more than 1,000 highly skilled manufacturing jobs to meet growing production needs at its three Colorado factories. The Vestas’ blade factory in Windsor, tower factory in Pueblo, and nacelle factory in Brighton have been hiring to fill a variety of new jobs to prepare for several recently announced orders.

• Vestas Blades in Windsor now employs 650 people in areas such as engineering, purchasing, human resources, finance, administration, and production. The factory was hiring as of July 15, 2010, and looking for production and electro-mechanical workers.

• Vestas Towers in Pueblo — the largest wind tower manufacturing facility in the world — has filled more than 180 new positions in the past few months, bringing the total to 283 employees. The tower factory continues its ramp up and seeks skilled workers in areas including plasma cutting, welding, and painting. The tower factory will recruit at the Southern Colorado Jobs and Career Fair at the Pueblo Convention Center on July 22, 2010.

• Vestas Nacelles in Brighton, which opened July 7, 2010, employs more than 280 workers. Jobs there have included technicians, logistics personnel, production engineers, quality engineers, planners and team leaders.

According to Martha Wyrsch, president of Vestas-American Wind Technology Inc., the factories have been hiring but with care in response to a number of announced orders in the United States and Canada. This includes a 250-MW order placed by Enbridge/Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas) for 139 V90-1.8 MW turbines for the Cedar Point Wind project in Colorado’s Lincoln, Elbert, and Arapahoe counties.

“This latest order in Colorado is especially significant because it is local,” says Wyrsch. “With this order, we will deliver local product — manufactured by a highly skilled, well-trained local workforce — that will be used to build the second-largest wind project in the state.”

“Vestas is employing people in many desirable jobs ranging from engineering to welding to painting,” says Anthony Knopp, VP for Vestas Towers America. “We have taken advantage of the downturn to hire a number of highly skilled employees who have been turned loose from other industries. We’ve hired all functions related to tower building including steel fabricators, finishers, welders, assemblers, and maintenance personnel.”

Vestas says that In Colorado, as is true elsewhere throughout the company’s global manufacturing operations, employees receive exceptional benefits and opportunities for professional training and development, as well as competitive wages. “The company pays 100% of the premiums for health-care coverage for its employees and their families making our health and wellness program more competitive than almost all other employers in the market,” says Gary Held, manager of People & Culture for the new nacelle factory. “Vestas offers an employee educational assistance program, four weeks of annual vacation, and a range of other benefits designed to enhance health, wellness, and career and job satisfaction. We believe this attracts and retains the best talent in Colorado.”

In addition to direct jobs created by the company, a number of indirect jobs can be attributed to its growth in Colorado, including more than 2,500 construction jobs that helped build the three factories and hundreds of service industry jobs that have recently seen a boost in areas such as security, sanitation and maintenance, food and beverage supply, and tooling and fixturing.

“We are taking the approach that it is important to build the communities in which our employees live and work, and this means we need to have a big picture view of jobs,” says Wyrsch. “With that in mind, we are exploring opportunities with businesses neighboring our factories. We are encouraging suppliers to build the wind industry’s North American supply chain that will help create even more jobs for the wind business.”

A medium-voltage frequency converter, the ABB PCS 6000 Wind, provides a solution for wind turbine applications that require high power density and high reliability.

A medium-voltage frequency converter, the PCS 6000 Wind, works on wind turbines that require high power density and high reliability.  The 6000-series of liquid-cooled Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristor (IGCT) converters has a reputation for durable and reliable operation under harsh conditions. The PCS 6000 Wind matches well with large-scale wind turbines with the need for a 3 to 8-MVA grid power interconnection. Thanks to the combination of proven components and an innovative technology, the frequency converter has an unmatched reliability and efficiency. Medium-voltage technology results in lower currents, and therefore equipment that needs less space, less cabling, and has lower system losses.

A few of its main characteristics include:

• Medium voltage IGCT technology
• 4-quadrant operation
• Fuseless design
• Water cooling
• Compact and modular design

A few plusses include:

• Designed for high power wind turbines
• High reliability, efficiency, and power density
• Full grid code compliance
• Maximum control of turbine speed and power

The PCS 6000 Wind meets requirements of the multi MW wind turbines with full size converters. The converter has a reliability and efficiency unmatched on the market. Fast and accurate process control in combination with low-energy consumption results in top performance. The IGCT semiconductors are state-of-the-art in medium-voltage technology. This results in a less complex, and efficient and reliable converter that minimizes operating and maintenance costs.

Diagnostic Information Analysis System is the smart tool for supervising the process. In case of a problem, ABB service personnel can provide remote support to local service teams. The power converter control system records important signals and the status of the converter along with a timestamp during a fault. ABB service personnel can use a a built-in transient recorder to remotely analyze recording and give direct guidance to on-site personnel. Substantial benefits come from from proper installation and commissioning of the equipment. Factory testing and inspections, in addition to the traditional operational parameter setting done by ABB’s commissioning engineers, will reduce start up time, increase safety and reliability, and decrease life-cycle costs. In addition, operators can be trained by experienced specialists on site.

These bearings benefit from a deep groove ball design combining steel rings and bearing-grade silicon nitride (ceramic) rolling elements.  The units are lighter, harder, less dense, and more durable than all-steel bearing counterparts, and they conform to standard bearing boundary dimensions.

Resulting benefits include higher reliability than conventional bearings along with reductions in life-cycle costs, total operating costs, and maintenance requirements. The bearings can upgrade existing wind-turbine generators without redesigning them.

The bearings are available in many sizes. Custom designs are also possible.

With less than an 8.5-in. height, the shock and vibration-resistant lights offer the lowest profile to reduce the impact of wind sheer on the structure, making it well-suited for high-altitude applications and improved performance in inclement weather.

The D464 series of LED hazard lights can be set to steady burn or outfitted with a 20 to 40 flash-per-minute controller.

The energy-efficient design features optics to minimize ground  scatter and nearly eliminate community-light pollution. In addition,  sharp beam cutoff provides a lower level of scatter—below 0.1 millifootcandles—over a mile, while delivering an FAA required 2,000 candelas to passing aircraft. Compared to other LED and incandescent beacons that can scatter more than 0.3 millifootcandles and disturb residential areas, Dialight’s series almost eliminates observable light pollution on the ground.

Designed for easy retrofit from existing incandescent fixtures, the LED offers up to 10 or more years of life expectancy to reduce maintenance costs and frequency of risky tower climbs associated with outdated beacon equipment.