A better way to ride through faults

A full-power converter design by The Switch features fault ride-through (FRT) capability for better grid-side performance. The new converters match the most stringent grid code in the world to date, the German BDEW 2008 directive. They also comply with E.ON 2006, Transmission Code 2007 and Chinese grid code 2008. During faults, the converter stays connected to and supports the grid – even with zero-voltage ride-through capability. This results in future-proof grid compliance. The built-in FRT capability also creates a cost advantage. Even the smallest turbines on wind farms are being retrofitted with additional FRT upgrade kits that cost as much as new, complete converters by The Switch.

The new converter design is ideal for offshore installations, because the cabinet has been improved to minimize the impact of environmental influences in harsh ocean conditions. The upgrades include a more rugged enclosure and better sealing. In addition, the converter includes a built-in humidity control that removes humidity from inside the cabinet, making it highly reliable. The new converter, designed to match all turbine applications ranging from 1 to 6 MW, also reduces cabinet size by up to 30%. The length of The Switch 2 MW cabinet is now only 2.4 meters, which makes the placement of the converter easier in the nacelle or the tower. Higher power density is the design criteria also in higher power ranges.

“In China, the importance of FRT capability has been recognized only recently as a result of large power outages, and the slowdown in the market is closely linked to these quality issues. The new products exceed the maximum grid performance requirements in China,” says Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO. Sales of the new converter series will start early in 2012.

The Switch
theswitch.com

OEM launches a 2.5-MW turbine in China

 

Nordex has announced the official launch of its 2.5 MW Gamma generation wind turbines on the Chinese and Asian market. Comprising the N90/2500kW and N100/2500kW, the Efficiency Class 2.5 MW turbines address the market requirements and incorporate the latest research and developments. In developing the Gamma generation, Nordex has remained true to proven principles, using tested series engineering and assigning top priority to the dependability of all system components, to ensure improved product quality for better power yield. Based on the over 1,700, 2.5-MW units already installed and experience from more than a decade of operation, the Gamma Generation is designed for all wind classes and climatic regions in compliance with international grid codes and national standards in China. The quality meets international standards and is in line with the 18 national regulations for wind turbine technology effective from 1 November in China.

The N90/2500 and N100/2500 turbines are based on a common technical platform. A consistent modular design lets Nordex add type-specific components and customer options. Furthermore, the modular design makes delivery, installation, and maintenance fast and simple. The nacelle, hub and board crane have all been re-designed, with optimized yaw, pitch, and cooling systems.

“A new software version for Nordex Control 2 is used in the 2.5 MW gamma platform. With the new software, power yield is improved at partial load operation (vHub = ~ 5 to 10 m/s). It also helps improve output in the low and mid-wind range, while start-up hysteresis is reduced,” says Dr. Ni, Engineering Director of Nordex China. With the company’s global installation experience, Nordex 2.5-MW wind turbines comply with all grid codes across the globe. It has a flexible fault ride-through capability. During a low or high voltage ride throughs, the turbine can continuously output reactive power. The adoption of new circuit topology also gives the turbine a zero voltage ride through capability with a fast reaction speed.

Nordex
www.nordex-online.com

How to network a wind farm

 

Chinese manufacturer Dongfang Steam Turbine Works (DSTW) was working on a wind farm project of 66, 1.5-MW turbines and had to establish a SCADA system to remotely monitor on-site equipment and operations while recording operation data for real-time analysis. To make matters worse, Northeast China’s harsh weather called for rugged and reliable networking devices.
The company also decided the system needed network redundancy with a fast recovery for system reliability, and at least three fiber-optic ports for uplink and long distance outbound transmissions. In addition, network-management software had to monitor and manage the system without undue complexity.

After sufficient evaluation, the Chinese engineers selected MOXA/s rack mount managed industrial Ethernet switches an excellent fit for their network infrastructure requirements.

Moxa engineers suggested installing one industrial Ethernet switch (EDS-208A-M-SC) atop each wind turbine to connect to the equipment inside the turbine. This switch connects to another switch (EDS-408A-2S1M-ST-T) at the bottom of the turbine by a fiber optic port. The switch comes with three fiber optic ports, one of which is the uplink connection to the EDS-208A and the other two connect to adjacent wind turbines.
Due to high security and availability requirements, the company used a ring topology in the wind-farm network for fast redundancy in case of network failure. The control center uses Moxa’s rackmount managed industrial Ethernet switches (IKS-6726) to connect field switches with the SCADA system and network management servers. MXview 1.0 network management software then helps operators monitor network status by automatically discovering the network topology and displaying real-time alarm information. The software supports SNMP V1, V2c, and V3, and presents historical traffic statistics and event logs for troubleshooting. The equipment is rated for -40 to 75°C.

Moxa Industrial Network Solutions
www.Moxa.com

Bummer: China slows PM materials so OEMs looking elsewhere

Here’s a fly in the direct-drive ointment. China has been the world’s largest supplier of rare-earth materials, those used in high flux permanent magnets needed for direct-drive generators. The nation recently curbed production of the materials, most likely for its own use. China had supplied more than 90% of global rare earths, a group of 17 elements used in electronic technologies from electric motors to sonar systems. The country imposed controls on mining and exports after more than a decade of extraction depleted the resources and harmed its environment.

Turbine OEM Siemens, however, would like to develop supplies for rare earths in Australia, Russia, Greenland, and California to limit price increases and keep materials flowing to their products. Siemens Wind CTO Henrik Stiesdal says his company is developing a variant that uses no rare earth magnets at all. Siemens recently installed a 6-MW prototype direct-drive machine. According to Stiesdal, the company will offer geared turbines through 2015 as it transitions its products to all direct-drive technology.

In contrast, Vestas makes geared wind turbines with generators that the require only 10% of the material used in other direct-drive machines. So the generators do not depend heavily on the rare earths from China, according to the head of Vestas R&D Finn Stroem Madsen. “We will not deliver a technology that depends on a strategic raw material, such as the rare earths,” he says.

Vestas
www.vestas.com

Offshore builder chooses a Colossus press roll

Machine-tool builder Davi says it has another order for its Press-Roll 3-roll Colossus (with variable axis) with a 10 ft x 7.125 in. capacity, placed by a large offshore platform manufacturer in China. The country is gaining worldwide leadership in this industrial market. The machine joins other DAVI plate rolls used in this market segment in the world. “The manufacturing technology of the offshore segment is based on large thickness monopiles of small diameter,” says Davi President Orazio Davi. “Only a heavy-duty plate roll can bend the material. Our plate roll, the DAVI MAV Press-Roll, is the best machine for the job because of its reliable engineering, and quality manufacturing that ensures excellent results”.

Davi
www.davi.com

U.S. company installs climb assist in China

A U.S. manufacturer of turbine access systems will install one for a wind farm in Inner Mongolia. Power Climber Wind, a division of SafeWorks, LLC, has signed a contract with a large OEM to supply and install its IBEX climb assist systems for the Dashuiboluo windfarm located in Linxi.

The systems will be installed in 25 of the company’s 2.0-MW turbines, which generate up to 50 MW of wind power in the region. The climb assist offers excellent performance and safety, and is easy to install in any new or existing turbine. It puts complete control over the climbing effort and experience into the hands of the climber.

“We work in wind turbines globally and are honored to perform in China for the world’s largest WTG OEM,” says Ruben Bake, Vice President & General Manager. “Our IBEX climb assist provides a solution for them. It retrofits the wind turbines and improves the site technician’s safety and productivity, and ultimately the turbine performance.”

Power Climber Wind www.powerclimberwind.com

 

 

China wind gets a boost by licensing U.S. tech

A power-technology firm says it has licensed several of its proprietary AMSC Windtec wind turbine designs to Beijing Jingcheng New Energy Co., Ltd. (JCNE). The Chinese firm has been producing wind turbines since 2006 and now has a base of operations capable of producing 2,000 MW annually. JCNE is a “new energy enterprise” that is focused on wind-farm investments, construction, and operation as well as advanced wind turbine manufacturing.

In 2009, AMSC’s power electronics and control systems, which serve as the “brains” of wind turbine, were inside nearly 10% of the wind turbines installed worldwide. AMSC expects to continue increasing its market share as its wind turbine licensees in countries around the world continue their expansion.

Under the contract, AMSC has granted JCNE licenses to manufacture, market, and sell AMSC Windtec 2 MW, 3 MW and 5 MW full conversion wind turbines as well as a 3 MW SuperGEAR wind turbine. AMSC will receive upfront license fees for these wind turbine designs. JCNE also will purchase electrical control systems and core electrical components for each of the wind turbines covered under these licenses exclusively from AMSC. JCNE plans to begin producing 2 MW and 3 MW full conversion wind turbines in 2011 and the rest of the wind turbines later.

China installed over 13,000 MW of wind power in 2009, raising its total wind-power installations to about 26,000 MW. A recent report from the China Wind Energy Association (CWEA), strong growth in China’s wind power market continued in 2010. During the first six months of the year, the CWEA estimates that 7,800 MW of wind power was installed in China. This put China on a pace to surpass the U.S. by end 2010 to become the world’s largest wind market, with an installed wind capacity exceeding 40,000 MW. A Morgan Stanley research report predicts China’s wind power installed base to grow to about  300,000 MW by 2020. JCNE is AMSC’s sixth wind turbine manufacturing customer in China.

American Superconductor
www.amsc.com

Obama complains about Chinese wind-power

The Obama administration’s trade complaint against China over support for its wind-energy manufacturers won backing from U.S. business groups. The case, filed at the World Trade Organization in Geneva, is the first by the U.S. over green technology after months of complaints about Chinese efforts to force manufacturers to make those products in the country. A government fund for wind manufacturers requires recipients to use domestically made parts, violating WTO rules, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said in a statement announcing the case.

The complaint “appears to be an appropriate first step,” John Frisbie, the president of the U.S.-China Business Council in Washington, which represents investors such as General Electric Co., the biggest U.S.-based wind-turbine maker, said in a statement. GE and and Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world’s biggest maker of the turbines, have invested in manufacturing in China under the country’s rules. Vestas of Randers, Denmark, has its largest integrated manufacturing complex globally in Tianjin, China and a second factory in Hohhot, according to the company’s Web site. GE of Fairfield, Connecticut, formed a joint venture in China in September with Harbin Electric Machinery Co. to make and supply turbines for the Chinese market. GE spokesman Dan Nelson declined to comment on the trade case.

‘Level Playing Field’

“Our role as a global exporter of wind turbines relies on a level playing field in international markets,” Rob Gramlich, senior vice president of the American Wind Energy Association, a Washington trade group whose members include GE and Vestas, said in an e-mail. “Any practice that tilts the global playing field unfairly would be of serious concern to our members who want to play a role in China.”

China’s measures to develop its wind-energy industry are in line with WTO rules, and it will “closely watch” study how the complaint is handled in accordance with the regulations, the Ministry of Commerce said today.

China is now the largest wind-power market in the world in terms of installed capacity, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Its market is growing at 116 percent a year, compared with 40 percent in the U.S., according to the Global Wind Energy Council based in Brussels.

China’s Draw

The draw of China’s market does more to attract investment from companies such as GE and Vestas than any protectionist rules, said Michael Levi, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. “Every year people look at the U.S. market and wonder if recent investments will be maintained,” Levi said in an interview. “But China has a stable and growing environment,” spurring companies to build plants there, he said.

The complaint at the WTO, the international trade arbiter, escalates commercial strains between the U.S. and China, its second-largest trading partner, a month before President Hu Jintao is scheduled to visit Washington. China has said its aid to clean energy doesn’t violate trade rules and supports international efforts to reduce global warming. “The environment-friendly green-technology policies introduced by the Chinese government are for the purpose of energy protection and ensuring sustainable development, which are in conformity with WTO rules,” Wang Baodong, the spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in October. Wang didn’t respond to an e-mail asking for comment yesterday.

Special Fund

The U.S. trade office said that China’s Special Fund for Wind Power Manufacturing violates WTO rules by requiring recipients of aid to use Chinese-made parts and amounts to a subsidy, both of which violate WTO rules. Aid under the program since 2008 could total several hundred million dollars, the U.S. said.

The complaint against China was praised by lawmakers and business groups that had called for such action. “With China on track to make half of the world’s wind turbines and solar panels, American manufacturers cannot afford a delay on trade enforcement,” Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio said in a statement.

The WTO case filed yesterday was one slice of a complaint filed with the U.S. trade office on Sept. 9 by the United Steelworkers union. The union said export credits, preferences in bidding, forced transfers of technology and discrimination against firms outside the country give Chinese producers of renewable-energy products an unfair advantage.

Most of the union’s contentions remain under review, and future cases depend on getting sufficient evidence from American producers and unions, according to Nefeterius McPherson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.

The Obama administration has committed to addressing the remaining vast web of protectionist policies,” Leo Gerard, the Steelworkers president, said in a statement. “The goal is not litigation; it’s to end their practices.”

Under the rules of the WTO, the filing begins a 60-day period of mandatory consultations between officials from the two nations. After that, the U.S. can request a WTO panel of judges to rule on the matter.

-www.businessweek.com

Is the U.S. Wind Industry Losing Ground?

We’ve all read the news that the United States has, after four years of remarkable growth, relinquished its’ position as the most attractive country for renewable energy investments. But rather than state the news, I want to discuss why we are slowly slipping behind our foreign competitors.

One key factor in the U.S. decline is the failure of congress to provide any form of certainty to the market. You’ve no doubt heard that the pleas for a national Renewable Energy Standard (RES) have fallen on deaf ears as senators and representatives shy away from legislation that may negatively impact their re-election chances in November. Several pieces of pro-renewable energy legislation have been proposed and brought before Congress, but in the spirit of partisan behavior our beloved congress has failed to produce any results. As such, the tax credits and cash grants that have led to a booming renewable energy economy over the last four years are coming to an end, and no legislation is in place to support the industry afterward. On top of this (and a bit of a side note) the “Bush Tax Cuts” are coming to an end as 2010 concludes. Although this is not directly related to renewable energy, increasing tax rates also increases the level of investment uncertainty in our country.

So why is Congress having such a hard time passing a bill that will both improve our economic future and decrease our dependence on foreign energy? In a word: Money. It all boils down to money, cold hard cash. Businesses and their lobbyists are working away on Capitol Hill, whispering in the ears of our representatives, planting the idea that if the federal government supports renewable energy development than energy prices will jump to a level that is too high for businesses to maintain their global competitive advantage. Unfortunately this is just not the case. In fact, the U.S. has by far the lowest energy costs in the world. Our national average (commercial) price is under $0.05/kWh whereas our nearest competitor, China, spends roughly $0.11/kWh. Though, even if we were to put that point out of the way, there is still enough evidence to refute these anti-renewable energy lobbyists in just one point. The implementation of a national 15% Renewable Energy Standard will only increase our energy costs by a fraction of one cent per kilowatt-hour.

Furthermore, this discussion of costs is only looking at the short-term cost increases and brings into account the possible decommissioning of old and heavily polluting coal-fired plants. However, if we were to look at the long-term outcome we would find that the costs level out, or hit an equilibrium point, after somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 years. As we look further into the future, say 50 or 60 years, renewable energy and the hedge that it provides will likely prove beneficial on a national cost perspective.

Now, to wrap up my thoughts, I’d like to address the issue of infrastructure and innovation right here in the U.S. of A. Though we as a nation have among both the highest wind and solar potential in the world, we are severely behind in manufacturing infrastructure and innovation advances. Often we make the mistake of assuming that the U.S. is the world’s thought-leader, and that we inherently have (almost) the right to innovate while other countries will manufacture and produce. Though this may have been the way of the past, countries like China, India, and South Korea are stepping up to the plate while simultaneously we as a country are withering away, unsure of our future, and afraid (at least Congress is) to take a stance and become the leader in renewable energy.

Report examines China’s wind turbine blade industry

A report called China Wind Blade Industry, examines the country’s current status and forecasts its development trends. The $2,500 report first discusses wind turbine blade manufacturing and technology along with technology applications and related processes, raw materials, and equipments sources.

The report also covers China’s wind turbine blade production capacity, supply, demand, and 2010 to 2014 forecast. The report lists China’s 18 wind turbine companies for all kinds of blades (750kW, 850kW, 1MW, 1.25MW, 1.5MW, 2.0MW, 2.5MW, 3.0MW, and others) and capacity production. The report includes cost, price, profit, profit margin, and downstream wind turbine customers such as Sinovel, Gold Wind, DEC, and others, along with capacity expansion plans. The report introduces China’s blade companies capacity, market share, production market share, and total wind turbine blade supply from 2009 to 2014 as well as the country’s wind turbine blade demand from 2009 to2014, wind turbine blade shortage from 2009 to 2014,wind-turbine cost price, production value, and profit margins from 2009 to 2014, and wind turbine blade supply relationship with wind turbine companies. For more information:

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/2010-2014-Deep-Research-Report-on-China-Wind-Turbine-Blade-Industry-45308.html