GE and Invenergy have announced the purchase of the first 2.5-120 Brilliant wind turbines in the world. Invenergy has ordered three units as part of an 86-turbine deal with GE for its Mills County, Texas, wind farm. The 2.5-120, announced in January, harnesses the power of the Industrial Internet to analyze tens of thousands of…
Wind Talk: An offshore wind victory in Maryland
Propelled by the effects of climate change and seeing an ideal location for offshore wind, the Sierra Club of Maryland spent years championing the Maryland Offshore Energy Act of 2013. Finally, on April 9, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed the legislation, which creates incentives to develop up to 500 MW of offshore wind capacity. Skepticism…
Souriau introduces UTS threaded receptacles
UTS threaded receptacles are the latest addition to Souriau’s UTS connector series. The receptacles are for industrial applications, such as junction boxes and even variable speed drives on induction motors, and fit in place of conventional cable glands. About 90% of connections on induction motor relays are made via cable glands – fittings that secure…
Ecofys explains how water heaters help wind turbines
A new study showed home water heaters can help integrate wind energy into the region’s power system. A study by Ecofys energy consultants demonstrates that residential electric water heaters and furnaces, refrigerated warehouses, and commercial heating and cooling loads can help the power grid accommodate variable wind energy. The project funded by Bonneville Power Administration…
SgurrEnergy and AREVA Wind launch offshore wind-measurement campaign
Leading renewable engineering consultancy, SgurrEnergy, in partnership with AREVA Wind, has announced the launch of a comprehensive offshore wind energy measurement campaign. The campaign, which the companies say is the largest of its kind, involves the deployment of three of SgurrEnergy’s G4000 Offshore Galion Lidar devices, a compact and advanced wind energy scanning Lidar, on…
Under breezy blue skies, wind and solar wed
Nothing shouts “I’m green” like a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). Contrary to solar installations, which often lie hidden on a flat roof, VAWTs stand up straight-and-tall, declaring energy efficiency – and, happily, benevolence for bats and birds. Still, contrary to their confident stance, they’re not terrifically powerful machines (with noted exception). For that reason,…
World-class wind tunnel opens in Vermont
The world’s largest wind tunnel for wind sensor calibration has opened in Williston, Vermont, and Governor Peter Shumlin and representatives from The University of Vermont (UVM) and NRG Systems were on hand for the event. Owned and operated by Svend Ole Hansen of SOH Wind Engineering, this facility will be used to calibrate wind sensors…
Downwind: A floating wind farm with lodging
A 750-meter-long floating wind farm with living space could harness energy from places too deep and seabed conditions too difficult for bottom-mounted wind development. Hexicon, a Swedish design and engineering company, says its wind-farm design will use a centralized turret mooring system that lets a platform and its turbines automatically align to the wind. The…
The real origins of wind turbine syndrome, with visuals
If I learned one thing from reading Australian professor Simon Chapman’s study on the origins of wind turbine sickness, it’s that turbines are terribly indecisive monsters. He points to a colleague’s study that describes 216 different diseases and symptoms linked to windpower turbines. Why can’t these things just pick a malady and stick to it?…
Partners 3TIER and Clean Electric expand to Russia and Ukraine
3TIER, a global leader in renewable energy assessment and forecasting, today announced that its partnership with Clean Electric is expanding to include Russia and Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine collectively have ambitious targets to add over 25 GW of renewable energy capacity within the next 10 years. Given these countries’ heavy reliance on fossil fuels for…
Wind Talk: AllEarth Renewables CEO discusses sequester and NIMBY
As solar panel prices “dropped like a rock,” AllEarth Renewables CEO David Blittersdorf shifted his company’s focus from home wind turbines to the AllSun Tracker, a dual-axis solar tracker. “You need to be flexible and operate with speed,” the 30-year veteran of renewable energy says in this Wind Talk podcast. Blittersdorf also discusses his Vermont-based…
From site assessment to O&M, distributed wind developer does it all
In an era of big corporations, one developer has gone decidedly small. One turbine at a time, Foundation Windpower has crisscrossed California and installed over 22 MW’s worth of wind machines. The company seeks out large businesses with high energy costs, such as a Safeway grocery distribution center in Tracy or a similar Walmart facility…
Q&A: U.S. needs new narrative as sequester threatens research funding
As the federal spending cuts known as sequestration begin to take shape, analysts are considering the potential impact it will have on programs. Mandatory spending, such as food stamps and social security payments, is protected. But discretionary spending, the category that includes research funding for solar and wind, is on the chopping block. Windpower Engineering…
Wind Talk: How to prevent corrosion on wind turbines
Welcome to another edition of Wind Talk, a Windpower Engineering and Development podcast series that gives you the opportunity to hear from industry newsmakers in their own words. In this podcast, Richard Grant, principal at Russell Corrosion Consultants, discusses the role coatings play in protecting wind turbines from corrosion and how the industry uses the…
Developers complete 139.4-MW Pennsylvania project
Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas) has announce the completion of the 139.4 MW Twin Ridges Wind Farm located in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The project was completed in December of 2012 and is now operational. RES Americas served as the balance-of-plant contractor for the project, which was developed and is owned by EverPower. The…
Wind Work: Eight island turbines
Situated along the slopes of the Haleakala volcano in Maui, Hawaii, a wind farm with eight Siemens turbines will generate enough electricity to power thousands of homes. More than 200 guests attended the Feb. 22 dedication ceremony, which included traditional Hawaiian chants and prayers. “Auwahi Wind Farm is critically important,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said.…
Space frame promises 100m blades, lower wind-power costs
Researchers have announced a project they say could fundamentally change the design and installation of wind blades, bring the cost of wind energy in-line with fossil fuels and allow for more developments in moderate wind-speed markets. The project hinges on a design that wraps tensioned architectural fabric around a metal space frame, much like early…
First WindTech event earns high grades
In Sweetwater, Texas, wind turbines rise above the horizon in every direction. It takes an army of wind energy technicians to keep them all running, and the quality of their training is critical to the longevity of the machines. In late November, wind energy technicians and students arrived at Texas State Technical College West Campus…
Wind work around the U.S.
In a bill that averts the so-called “fiscal cliff,” Congress passed an extension of the wind energy tax credits. Known as the PTC, its extension had been in question for much of the year which hobbled wind-project proposals across the United States. The extension will help new projects rise in 2013, but questions remain about…
Equipment World: 9 products for windpower professionals
A tie and support for cable bundles This cable tie and support provides a safer and easier method for bundling and supporting cables outdoors. The Ty-Rap Deltec Cable Tie and Support System tolerates harsh environments and temperatures as low as -85°F. While traditional metallic lashings can nick or cut through cable insulation, the Ty-Rap system…