The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has proposed to build on its Order No. 890 open access transmission reforms by establishing a closer link between regional electric transmission planning and cost allocation to help ensure that needed transmission facilities actually are built. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) is based on an extensive record: three…
Misalignment, looseness, and imbalance are all correctable problems
While condition monitoring technologies can track many signals, its purpose boils down to detecting wear and preventing the eventual failure of monitored components. Not all megawatt-class wind turbine drivetrains are monitored with the intent to catch degrading components. A few frequently encountered conditions are not caused by wear, making them correctable. These conditions, when left…
Partnership establishes $20million center for intelligent power
The University at Albany announced a partnership to establish a world-class center at its NanoTech Complex that will explore nanotechnology innovations for smart-grid ideas. The university says the partnership will create over 100 high-tech jobs in upstate New York and fuel development and use of clean and renewable energy technologies. Also involved in the partnership…
Wind turbine blade comes to DC with signatures and a message
GE Energy and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently delivered a petition from Americans in the form of a 131-foot wind turbine blade. The blade traveled more than 4,000 miles through 10 states gathering signatures from Americans who support a clean energy future. After it arrived in Washington, D.C., it was parked in front…
Repower has one GW installed in France
REpower Systems AG passed the 1GW milestone of wind energy systems installed in France. “One GW roughly corresponds to the output from one to two conventional electric power plants,” says Olivier Perot, Managing Director of Repower S.A.S. The manufacturer has installed about 500 turbines across the country since 2002. This corresponds to 20% of France’s…
Wind-turbine wing almost ready for takeoff
A California company is developing a flying matrix of wind turbines that will reach into the troposphere, as much as seven miles up. The multi-wing turbine, a concept from Joby Energy in Santa Cruz, says it can be scaled to carry many turbines. The initial concept shows a wing with 12 turbines. For takeoff, power…
Line of vibration-data collectors adds another
Vibxpert II is the latest addition to the Prueftechnik family of portable route-based vibration data collectors. The device is rugged, lightweight, and combines the advantages of a rapid processor with an energy-efficient color VGA display. Enhanced with an Fmax of 51KHz and up to 102,400 lines of resolution, all machinery problems can be captured and…
Catch the Wind signs sales agreement with BP Wind Energy
Catch the Wind Ltd. says it has sold two Vindicator laser wind sensors to BP Wind Energy. After installing and testing the units, BP Wind Energy has agreed to purchase sizeable quantities of additional units. The wind sensors measure wind speed and direction some 200 M ahead of a turbine letting it prepare for wind…
Treasury Dept issues guidance regarding grant and “Begin construction” requirement
Seattle-based law firm Stoel Rives LLC, specializing in environmental issues, provided the following comments on the additional guidance that qualifies the term “begin construction.” The company says the clarification is necessary because, “There has been a great deal of confusion and discussion regarding what it means to ‘begin construction’. The law firm adds that the…
Chinese wind company begins global expansion in Dallas
Mingyang Wind Power Industry Group Co. Ltd. Announced the opening of its new Dallas-based operations office. Of the large turbine manufacturers in China, the company is the only on not government owned. A major shareholder and strategic partner Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, is the world’s largest in China. The company’s 2,000 employees operate…
Shielded slides provide spot-on wind-tower welds
The advanced technology in wind turbines depends a lot on conventional manufacturing techniques, such as welding. One welding-machine manufacturer, AMET Inc, Rexburg, Idaho, (ametinc.com) recently called on a linear motion and assembly technology company, Bosch Rexroth, to help build a new generation of custom welding machines for the wind industry. Such welding equipment is used…
U.S. RE firm assists with 10GW production and more
The concept of “Build your own turbine,” in which customers can “design” their own, comes from an independent engineering company involved in designing electrical systems for wind turbines. AMSC Windtec, a subsidiary of U.S-based American Superconductor, designs a variety of megawatt-class wind turbines for both onshore and offshore. AMSC Windtec then licenses those designs to…
NREL to foster MW-scale test facility
The Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) will soon be the nation’s only facility that can conduct integrated megawatt-scale testing of all components and strategies. This is critical to deploying renewable energy and other energy-efficiency technologies into the nation’s electric grid at utility scale. The 175,000 sq. ft. facility will house laboratories and office space for…
Modernizing the Grid
Jon E. Jipping, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, ITC Holdings, itcholdings.com To meet the nation’s future energy needs, America must develop a high-voltage transmission backbone. In the not-too-distant future, millions of Americans will begin their days by unplugging their fully charged electric vehicles and driving to work. Imagine that the nation has greatly…
Why do wind turbine transformers fail so often?
Tom Steeber, Vice President, Pacific Crest Transformers, Medford, Oregon, pacificcresttrans.com Using conventional off-the-shelf distribution transformers to cut costs is downright foolish. The unusual duty cycle of wind energy calls for an updated design. A rush to install wind turbines has outstripped the usual developmental learning curve, one in which new technologies mature by trial and…
New ways to monitor and maintain turbine oil
Olli Rantanen, Heavy Duty Lube and Filtration, Parker Hannifin Corp., Urjala, Finland parker.com Maintaining lubricating and hydraulic oil once meant changing it on a set timetable. More recently, it makes sense to keep it as clean as possible, let the oil tell when it needs changing, and let it tell how equipment in the nacelle…
Siting the urban turbine
Guilliam Dupont/Application Engineer, Meteodyn/Philadelphia/meteodyn.com Small wind systems in urban environments are becoming a frequent feature of cityscapes. Before installing a small wind turbine, a site requires an accurate characterization of its wind to put the turbine to best use and protect it from turbulence damage. As with wind plants in rural areas, a site assessment…
Simple QA for wind-turbine bolts
Barnaby Myhrum, Application Engineer, Applied Bolting Technology, Bellows Falls, Vermont, appliedbolting.com It is common knowledge that torque control is a risky way to achieve consistent pretension in structural bolts. It all comes down to friction or what’s known as the k-factor. The k-factor is the relationship between the torque applied to a fastener assembly and…
Nordic Windpower’s N1000 1-MW turbine
Most wind turbine costs are headed in the wrong direction. A few years ago, according to one industry insider, a typical U.S. turbine installed cost $1.4 million/MW and a goal was to bring that figure down to $1 million. But costs are now closer to $2 million/MW for those onshore, and reportedly $3 to $4…
Myths and facts in community wind projects
Community-wind developers often encounter some opposition when developing projects. It may surface as misinformed, for example, insisting that the turbines kill birds and wind farms depress land values, among other things. They are not true but the charges deserve more detailed explanations to effectively dispel them. Hence, this column and others to follow will deal…