As the 2016 election enters its final stretch, new findings released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) show the rapid rise of American wind power has been accompanied by strong support from U.S. voters. The U.S. just reached the milestone of 75 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind-power capacity according to AWEA, triple that in…
PG&E seeks proposals from California renewable-energy developers
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced a call for proposals for renewable energy developers to build projects for a new clean energy program available to customers. PG&E is seeking proposals from local renewable energy developers across Northern and Central California to build small and mid-sized renewable projects ranging from 0.5 to 20 MW for the…
ABB to provide wireless network for highest capacity onshore wind farm in the UK
ABB is set to supply a secure wireless communications system to connect closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at two new substations being supplied by ABB for the Pen y Cymoedd wind energy project. This project is being developed in south Wales by Vattenfall, a leading European utility. The 76-turbine development, for which ABB is also providing the…
NorSea Group establishes new offshore wind company
NorSea Group (NSG) has set up an offshore wind company in Denmark, which can deliver the full range of offshore wind industry services. The company has already won orders in several countries, including Denmark, Germany, UK, and Taiwan. “European offshore wind markets continue to grow and the markets in Asia and North America are mushrooming,”…
Nordex supplies turbines for 27.5-MW wind farm in Ireland
The Nordex Group is supplying 11 N90/2500 turbines for Brookfield Renewable in Ireland. The Slievecallan East project (named after the nearby Mount Slievecallan) is located on the west coast of the Republic, and is due to start operation with a nominal output of 27.5 MW at the end of next year. Nordex will be supplying the…
U.S. renewables set new records during first half of 2016
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest “Electric Power Monthly” report, with data for the first six months of 2016, net U.S. electrical generation from non-hydro utility-scale renewables (including as wind and solar) increased by 17.0% compared to the first half of 2015. Combined, generation from all utility-scale renewable sources increased by 14.5% in January…
TRIAXYS wave buoy now available with AIS Aid to Navigation
AXYS Technologies (AXYS) has added AIS vessel tracking to the company’s signature wave buoy series, TRIAXYS. The SRT Chronos Aid to Navigation (AtoN) AIS is an IALA and IEC compliant device that broadcasts buoy position and weather information to local vessel traffic. This new feature protects the buoy from collision by notifying vessels of its whereabouts and…
E.ON begins construction on Twin Forks Wind Farm in Illinois
E.ON officially began construction of its Twin Forks Wind Farm in Macon County, IL, the third wind farm in Illinois for the Chicago-based company. Once Twin Forks’ 278-MW of generation is completed, E.ON’s wind farms will produce a total of 578 MW of electricity generation capacity in Illinois, or enough to power more than 180,000 homes. The…
Siemens to supply 64 turbines for 147-MW onshore project in the U.S.
Siemens has received an order to supply, install and commission 64 onshore wind turbines for the onshore Grant Plains Wind project in Oklahoma. The customer is Apex Clean Energy. The wind power plant with a total capacity of 147 MW, and will generate enough power to supply more than 50,000 U.S. households with clean renewable energy.…
DNV GL supports John Laing with its first investment in the offshore wind market
DNV GL successfully completed its due diligence work of the Nordergründe offshore wind farm in the North Sea, reviewing and quantifying the technical risks of the project. The John Laing Group commissioned DNV GL with the assessment and analysis of the project to make its investment decision and has announced its 30% stake acquisition of…
Baker-Polito Administration announces $700,000 in funding for offshore wind research
The Baker-Polito Administration recently announced $700,000 in funding for nine academic and research institutions across Massachusetts to advance studies relating to offshore wind development, building on the Commonwealth’s existing nation-leading offshore wind innovation activities. “Tapping into the Commonwealth’s world-class academic and research institutions will make Massachusetts a leader in the growing offshore wind sector in…
US Wind moves one step closer to bringing offshore wind to Maryland
US Wind, Inc., an offshore wind development corporation, announced the start of a marine survey to prepare the final layout design for an 80,000-acre wind-power project off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. US Wind contracted with Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey, and their vessel R/V Shearwater, to conduct data collection along the 35-mile route from…
MidAmerican Energy moves forward with $3.6 billion investment in Iowa’s Wind XI
MidAmerican Energy Company received the final order from the Iowa Utilities Board for Wind XI farm. Wind XI will add up to 2,000 MW of wind generation in Iowa, and is the largest wind project MidAmerican Energy has ever undertaken. The board’s action is a positive step toward the company’s 100% renewable vision. “This is an exciting day…
Siemens to supply turbines and service for third Apex Clean Energy project in Oklahoma
Siemens is filling an order from Apex Clean Energy to deliver and service 64 wind turbines for the Grant Plains Wind facility located in Grant County, Oklahoma. The 147-MW project is expected to be operational later this year. This latest collaboration follows Siemens’ successful completion of two previous orders from Apex Clean Energy in Oklahoma…
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners acquires Massachusetts offshore wind farm
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has acquired 100% of Offshore MW LLC, a company holding a 166,886-acre (675-square-kilometer) offshore wind energy lease south of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The lease was issued by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Offshore MW, LLC is eligible to participate in the utility tender program established by the recently enacted legislation in…
Nordex Group confirms negotiations with Acciona Energia in Chile
The Nordex Group has confirmed that negotiations are currently being held with its partner Acciona Energia regarding a 183-MW wind farm in Chile. In the latest round of tenders on the Chilean energy market Acciona Energia, a close partner of the manufacturer, has been awarded the contract to feed some 500 GWh of electricity into…
Commercial drone start-up raises $6.5M in funding for infrastructure inspections
PRENAV announced that it has raised $6.5 million in seed financing from lead investor Crosslink Capital, along with Haystack, Liquid 2 Ventures, and WI Harper Group. These organizations join existing investors Pejman Mar Ventures, Toivo Annus, and others. The commercial drone company is developing automated drones that are guided by computer vision. PRENAV drones are able to safely fly in complicated or GPS-denied environments…
Ergodyne’s N-Ferno line of thermal workwear is now made for cold & visibility
Ergodyne announced new Hi-Vis additions to its N-Ferno line of warming gear. Now, workers in cold weather can enjoy comfort and conspicuity in the latest thermal gear. “We’ve taken some of our best-selling thermal gear and enhanced them to provide more visibility on the job,” said Alsie Nelson, Associate Product Manager, Ergodyne. “These are ideal products for…
CWind and Rotos 360 deliver blade-repair services out of UK port
CWind, a provider of services to the offshore wind industry, and Rotos 360, specialists in turbine O&M, are providing blade-repair and maritime logistics services working out of the port of Grimsby in the UK. Rotos 360 is using the Gurit Renuvo UV cured blade repair method for which they achieved DNV GL certification two years…
Retractable tether keeps heavy tools close to body when climbing
Gear Keeper’s new RT3-5605 heavy-tool retractable tether’s low profile ensures stored tools stay close to the body for easy climbing and cramped quarters. The retractor employs a low, 7-oz force to avoid arm strain when extended, but is still strong enough to keep the line taught to avoid snagging or interference while work is performed. The retractor mechanism’s…