MidAmerican Energy Company has filed plans with the Iowa Utilities Board for the development of up to 552 megawatts (MW) of new wind generation in Iowa. The company is currently in the process of obtaining necessary permits and easements for the construction of wind farms at two new sites.Pending IUB approval, MidAmerican Energy plans to…
AWS Truepower releases Wind Trends Bulletin Annual Review for 2014
AWS Truepower’s Wind Trends Bulletin Annual Review provides wind plant owners, investors, and operators with a high-level analysis of wind resource performance influenced by climatic fluctuations. This aids in identifying potential issues with wind plant under-performance. Highlights of the 2014 Annual Bulletin include the following findings: winds were normal to above normal, with some exceptions,…
Blattner Energy expands office headquarters with renewables
Blattner Energy, a power generation contractor and leading provider of renewable energy construction in North America, announced that it will renovate and expand its headquarters building in Avon. This includes a two-story, approximately 23,300 square-foot addition. The company will add 87 new offices and work stations, an auditorium, and more. Like the original headquarters building,…
Setting international standards for wind energy safety
During the last week of April, international wind-related meetings took place at Bachmann electronic in Austria with the goal of reviewing and developing global standards for wind turbine safety and related services. A total of 81 top-level experts and decision-makers of industrial enterprises, certification companies, power plant operators, universities, and public authorities from 14 different…
Siemens to supply data center of Amazon Web Services with clean energy
Siemens will supply 65 wind turbines and 67 transformers for the Amazon Wind Farm (Fowler Ridge). The customer for this onshore project in Indiana is Pattern Energy. With a capacity of 150 megawatts (MW), the wind power plant will provide Amazon Web Services’ data center with eco-friendly electricity. Installation is scheduled to begin in July.…
Vaisala launches new thunderstorm tracking and lightning alert application
Vaisala has released the Thunderstorm Manager, a professional application for tracking approaching storms and warning of imminent threats from lightning for any location. Thunderstorm Manager combines data from Vaisala’s US National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and Vaisala’s GLD360, the network that delivers high-quality, truly global lightning coverage, to deliver comprehensive lightning information. With many thousands…
Capital Safety acquires solution provider for dropped-tool prevention
Capital Safety, a global provider in fall protection and home of the DBI-SALA and PROTECTA brands, announced that it has acquired Python Safety, a Woodstock, Georgia-based company that offers dropped object prevention solutions for tools and equipment. “We are very excited to have Python Safety become part of Capital Safety. This acquisition is a natural…
Centerbridge completes acquisition of wind turbine manufacturer Senvion
The wind turbine manufacturer Senvion SE, previously part of the Indian group Suzlon Energy Limited, has changed owners. Centerbridge Partners, through its Centerbridge Capital Partners private equity investing strategy, has successfully completed the acquisition of Hamburg-based Senvion. All the necessary administrative, legal and financial preparations for the transfer of ownership are now completed. The relevant…
GE improves wind farm efficiency with design optimization service
When planning a wind plant, collector cable systems play a critical role in how efficiently power can be delivered from the point of generation to the grid. An optimal collector system design can help minimize electrical losses, cable and trenching costs and substation configuration costs. The new Wind Collector Optimization Service from GE’s Digital Energy…
Vestas receives turbine order for their largest single-phase wind project in the U.S.
Vestas received an unconditional order in the United States for 200 of their V110-2.0-MW turbines for the Grande Prairie wind farm in Holt County, Nebraska. In megawatt terms, the project represents Vestas’ largest single-phase project ever in the United States. The order was placed by BHE Renewables, LLC, an affiliate of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which…
GEV Wind Power scoops top innovation award
GEV’s pioneering approach to mitigating days lost through adverse weather was a winner at the Energy Innovation Awards, which took place at the end of April. The company scooped the award for Best Offshore Renewables’ Innovation. Judged by a panel of industry experts, the awards ceremony is a celebration of technologies and projects that inspire…
Latin America’s wind power outlook for 2015
The wind power market in Latin America expanded by 326% in 2014 compared to the previous year. More than 4.1 gigawatts (GW) of wind power capacity was commissioned in the region, surpassing the previous year’s total of 1.3 GW. Brazil led the region with the connection of 2.5 GW in 2014. Elsewhere, record years in…
Ames Laboratory scientists create cheaper magnetic material for cars and wind turbines
Karl A. Gschneidner and fellow scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have created a new magnetic alloy that is an alternative to traditional rare-earth permanent magnets. The new alloy—a potential replacement for high-performance permanent magnets found in automobile engines and wind turbines–eliminates the use of one of the scarcest and costliest rare…
SgurrEnergy shortlisted in two categories for British Renewable Energy Awards
Renewable energy consultancy, SgurrEnergy, has been shortlisted in two award categories for the 10th British Renewable Energy Awards (BREA), hosted by the Renewable Energy Association. This double recognition follows a win in the project category during last year’s awards for their work on the development of the Salkhit project, Mongolia’s first wind farm. This year,…
Newark element14 introduces new CK range of ESD-safe, ergonomic tools
Newark element14 has introduced the CK Ecotronic range of stamped steel pliers, cutters, and strippers that have been designed with electrostatic discharge safety and ergonomics in mind. Each product’s blades feature special tool steel that are hardened for long-term cutting performance, while the handles are designed to dissipate ESD to protect components against failure. Additional…
Wind energy accelerates record growth in first quarter
Strong growth in the U.S. wind energy industry accelerated during the first quarter of 2015, with a near-record 13,600 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity under construction across 100 projects in 23 states. This bumper crop of new wind projects will be on display in less than three weeks when over 8,000 are expected to join…
Morgan Advanced offers new carbon brush grade for improved turbine performance
Morgan’s Electrical Carbon business has developed a new carbon brush grade suitable for wind turbine applications that drastically improves up-time in some of the most demanding conditions. The LL587 carbon brush grade maximizes performance through extended brush life combined with minimal wear to slip rings. Extensive field testing by Morgan Advanced Materials and several wind…
Rosendin Electric consolidates renewable energy divisions
Rosendin Electric, one of the nation’s largest private electrical contractors and an employee-owned company, announced the consolidation of its Renewable Energy divisions in its Southern California office. Dedicated to the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of renewable energy projects, the newly formed Rosendin Electric Renewable Energy Group bridges the company’s Solar Power and Wind Energy…
Industry veteran launches APQ, a one-stop shop for power quality solutions
Industry veteran Gary Anderson, former President of Arteche PQ, has launched APQ, LLC to provide a range of electrical power products and services that save users money. APQ’s power quality products will mitigate harmonics and improve the quality and efficiency of power operations. The company will serve North America, building on the quality line of…
NOAA buys WINDCUBE Scanning Lidars from Renewable NRG Systems
Renewable NRG Systems, a designer and manufacturer of decision support tools for the global renewable energy industry, announced the recent sale of two WINDCUBE 200S 3D Scanning Doppler Lidars to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). WINDCUBE 200S Lidars incorporate advanced techniques to measure the wind components on a large scale for short-term campaigns…