KidWind is an organization dedicated to engaging students and teachers with the science behind renewable energy, especially windpower. “Our goal is to build toward a more sustainable future,” says Joe Rand, the organization’s training and outreach director, in this Wind Talk podcast. Students are hearing about renewable energy on their own, and they want to…
Windows for windy cities
Professor Farzad Safaei, from the University of Wollongong in Australia, envisioned a modular wind-power generator, stackable, and suitable for the space between buildings in a city. After years of work, PowerWINDows is patented and may come to market through a collaboration between the university and Birdon, a leading engineering service in the country. Unlike the…
International Tower Lighting obstruction light has field-replaceable components
The IFH-1710 from International Tower Lighting uses LED technology and advanced optics in its red-light wind obstruction lighting system. The IFH-1710 connects with a single cable for ease of installation and meets FAA AC 70/7460-1K requirements. GPS flash synchronization comes standard and configures to match the flash rates of competitors. The lighting system has field-replaceable…
Flash Technology obstruction light uses latest LED technology
The 370i Vanguard wind-obstruction light from Flash Technology provides improvements over previous generations by using the latest LED technology. With more intelligent features, ensuring longer life and easier installation, the Vanguard 370i is a leader in wind obstruction lighting, the company says. By-pass circuitry and monitoring prevents string failures and allows the loss of individual…
Miller fall-protection harness boasts comfort and performance
Miller Fall Protection has released the AirCore Harness. With lightweight, corrosion-resistant aluminum hardware, this line of harness increases performance and comfort over designs by competitors, the company says. The harness is lightweight, reducing fatigue for all-day work and increasing productivity. The company says its 16% lighter than competitive harnesses with aluminum hardware. It’s 20% lighter…
Northern Power Systems turbine benefits Hawaiian farmers
Several farmers in North Kohala, Hawaii, are benefitting from an off-grid water-pumping system powered by a Northern Power NPS 100 wind turbine. Like many others in remote locations and island communities, North Kohala farmers have been searching for an alternative to using polluting, expensive diesel fuel to generate electricity. This microgrid project, known as SkyGrid…
Influencer 2013: Mike Gelskey
Mike Gelskey /CEO / Lift-It Manufacturing Mike Gelskey, CEO at Lift-It Manufacturing, began his career in the rigging business 40 years ago. At 17, he worked in a sling shop as a fabricator. “Earning 25 cents more an hour and weekends off, I thought I had died and gone to heaven,” Gelskey says. In 1979,…
Innovator 2013: Wendy Lin
Wendy Lin /Principal Engineer /GE Global Research Always attuned to math and science, Wendy Lin bucked the traditional, stay-at-home role of Asian woman favored by her parents and graduated from MIT and Stanford. Now, as a principal engineer at GE Global Research, she leads a team that’s developing a fabric-based wind blade. Resembling early aircraft…
Wind work around North America
Wind energy grew 28% in the U.S. in 2012, and it now generates enough power for 15.2 million homes. While 2013 has seen a slow-down, work continues, and the Global Wind Energy Council predicts a strong uptick in 2014. Here’s what’s happening now: Turnkey distributed generation Thorp, Washington Seattle-based energy firm McKinstry and the owners…
Rare earths, minerals used in windpower technology, could fall into short supply
According to a new IHS Chemical global market research report, a growing global dependence upon a multitude of diverse technologies – from lighting systems to windpower turbines – has left manufacturers and countries vulnerable to the availability and uninterrupted supply (largely from China) of some key elements used to produce these technologies called rare earths.…
Xcel Energy seeks a 25% increase in Colorado wind generation
Xcel Energy will seek to add about 550 MW of new wind generation in Colorado between now and 2016, bringing the company’s Colorado wind generating capacity to more than 2,700 MW In announcing the results of its wind request for proposal (RFP) to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Xcel Energy noted that the winning…
How strong is your fall-protection harness?
The American National Standards Institute, or ANSI, creates thousands of guidelines for nearly every business sector, including wind energy. The organization has worked for years on standards to protect those who must climb uptower. Standards can be lengthy and not easily read, so we asked Craig Firl, technical manager at Capital Safety, to put some…
Have you heard of the Aeroscraft?
If not, you should. Developers of the Aeroscraft – a 300-foot-long, variable-buoyancy vehicle – say it will cut costs and time off a conventional wind project timeline in several ways. For instance, it will: Minimizes overall installation project costs and cost to build roads Opens new markets for development by making remote locations more readily accessible…
Seven unique small-wind turbines
Small-wind turbines (SWTs) have been around for decades, but the industry is finally maturing. Interest in the distributed-power generators is coming from industries such as telecommunications and defense. Pike Research forecasts that global installations of SWTs will grow from an estimated 85.8 MW in 2012 to 172 MW in 2018, adding up to $3.3 billion…
Photoblog: WindTech and KidWind in Iowa
Present and future wind professionals came together in Estherville, Iowa, last week at WindTech, Windpower Engineering and Development‘s hands-on training event for wind technicians. The first WindTech of the 2013 season, it went great, and we’re looking forward to future events in California, Oregon, and Texas. You can read about them here. Per usual, I…
Wind Talk: IWEA director on Iowa’s windpower future, the PTC and WindTech
Harold Prior, executive director of the Iowa Wind Energy Association, says he is “bullish” about the future of wind energy in his state and across America. We caught up to him during WindTech at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, Iowa. WindTech is the premier hands-on training event for wind technicians. In this Wind Talk…
Windpower 2013 Photoblog: Day Three
Windpower Engineering and Development staff members have left Chicago and AWEA’s Windpower 2013 conference, but the photos endure. Below is the final installation of the Windpower 2013 photoblog. Enjoy! And that’s it for the AWEA Windpower 2013 photoblog series. I hope you had a great time in the windy city and helped make business move.…
Windpower 2013 Photoblog: Day Two
Windpower Engineering and Development staff thoroughly enjoyed the second day of AWEA’s Windpower 2013 conference. The crowd picked up, and there was a lot to see. This is the second of three photoblogs from the exhibition. If your company would like to be featured Wednesday, just tweet me: @wtwh_renewables. Here is today’s batch of featured…
Windpower 2013 Photoblog: Day One
Windpower Engineering and Development staff have landed at AWEA’s Windpower 2013 conference. Today’s post is the first of three photoblogs. If your company would like to be featured Tuesday or Wednesday, just tweet me: @wtwh_renewables. Here is today’s batch of featured Windpower 2013 photos: That’s all for tonight … Off to the #WP13TweetUp!
Wind Talk: AWEA offers the inside scoop on Windpower 2013
The AWEA Windpower 2013 conference and exhibition starts Sunday in Chicago. Like everyone else, we’re trying to make the most of it. For a little help, we called Lori Rugh, AWEA’s senior sales and marketing director. She gave us the inside scoop. “Plan, plan, plan,” she says. But plan what, exactly? In this WindTalk podcast,…