Long overdue: A national standard for wind tower service lifts

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Excerpt: “Recent wind towers 100-m tall are the new norm,” remarked an attendee at a recent wind conference. Towers are likely to reach even higher in coming years. That’s good for power production but not so good for the techs who must climb the towers to service equipment. It makes sense that in addi …

Kathie’s Question: Do Renewable Portfolio Standards help or hinder?

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Excerpt: While the feds have yet to enact a national renewable energy mandate, 29 states have already taken matters into their own hands. But with rising energy prices is now really the right time to mandate renewable energy? Robert Bryce of the Manhattan Institute’s Center for Energy Policy and the En …

Avoiding $100,000 a day losses

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Excerpt: Bringing a wind project to fruition is a multi-phased process. Financing and approvals are understandably foremost on developers’ minds, while risk management and loss prevention rarely top their “to do” lists. Yet every phase of the project: from planning, through to construction, maintenance …

Kathie’s Question: Have you done your part for the PTC?

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Excerpt: The Production Tax Credit extention for wind is a hot topic in the industry recently. In fact, it's more than just a prominant issue, the success and future of the entire wind energy industry is in jeapordy. The industry pushed hard for an extention before the end of last year. Unfortuanately, Co …

OEMs keen to secure partnerships as PTC fears accelerate projects

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Excerpt: With the on-going uncertainty over the production tax credit (PTC) extension, many factors are indicating that the American wind-manufacturing industry is picking up speed to cope with a rush of orders in 2012. In 2011, an additional 31% of wind capacity was installed compared to 2010, totaling …

Wind’s production tax credit: the real jobs bill

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Excerpt: America always does the right thing, but only after trying all the wrong things. Winston Churchill said something like that and he’s right again, especially in view of Congress denying an extension of the Production Tax Credit. The credit will expire on December 31, 2012 along with the financial l …

Regional conference lets Texas transmission community discuss issues

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Excerpt: To encourage the electric-transmission industry in Texas to gather and discuss its most critical issues, Energy Central's TransmissionHub announced a new conference called TransForum Texas. TransForum Texas will be held April 24 to 26, 2012, in San Antonio, Texas. Registration is open; early-bir …

U.S. tech firm wins appeal in European Patent Office

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Excerpt: Valence Technology Inc., a U.S.-based global manufacturer of advanced energy storage solutions for commercial applications, has prevailed in seeking the dismissal of an appeal by Hydro-Quebec (HQ) of a decision of the European Patent Office revoking a HQ European patent. The EPO Patent correspon …

Engineering-simulation firm gets an investment boost

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Excerpt: Romax Technology Ltd, an engineering and simulation firm, says it has a new investment partnership with Moonray Investors, part of Fidelity International. Romax, founded by Peter Poon in 1989, will remain majority-owned by the founder. The investment will let the company accelerate development o …

AMSC provides litigation update

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Excerpt: AMSC, formerly American Superconductor, an equipment manufacturer serving wind and grid industries, has provided an update regarding its legal actions in China. As previously reported, AMSC filed for arbitration and three civil lawsuits in the Chinese courts against Sinovel Wind Group Co., Ltd. and …