Two undergraduates at the Georgia Tech School of Architecture recently claimed top honors in a competition to aesthetically combine land art and electrical generation. James Murray and Shota Vashakmadze’s design, called Scene-Sensor, would rise 90 feet over New York’s Freshkills Park and annually produce an estimated 5,500 MWh. The students say two mounds in the…
S&C adds tools to optimize smart grid efficiency
In conjunction with DistribuTECH 2013, S&C Electric Company has introduced new smart grid tools. The company says they will improve the efficiency and performance of utility power systems. The additions to S&C’s smart grid portfolio include new radios, controls and software that make it easier to deploy and manage the latest grid-based technologies for intelligent power…
Risk assessment critical in reducing project cost
In order to secure better financing terms for offshore renewable energy projects, it is crucial to understand and mitigate technical risks in the supply chain, according to the Energy and Water consultancy services division of Intertek, a provider of third party advice. As offshore wind projects proliferate internationally, developers are finding themselves saddled with higher…
Bearings in hot applications run longer with dry lube
The following is an excerpt from an article written by SKF. The company featured in its Evolution business and technology magazine. Many bearings operate in high temperature environments – but few lubricants can withstand the heat. SKF has developed bearings that incorporate dry lubrication for extreme temperature applications, providing benefits for customers, among others in…
Congress extends PTC
Congress has included the long-sought extension of wind energy tax credits in final passage of a bill to avert the “fiscal cliff.” President Obama is expected to sign the legislation. America’s 75,000 workers in wind energy are celebrating over the continuation of policies expected to save up to 37,000 jobs and create far more over…
Equipment World: Five of the latest wind products
How dirty is the oil? Particle counter tells OPCom II is an optical particle monitor. It consists of a measurement cell through which oil flows, a laser, and a photo diode. The laser shines through the measurement cell and strikes the photo diode. If a particle passes through the laser beam, it reduces the detection…
AWS Truepower releases wind trend bulletins
AWS Truepower, LLC, a renewable energy consulting and information service, has released its quarterly analytical Wind Trends Bulletins for Europe, India, and North America. Each report independently reviews wind resource performance based on AWS Truepower’s long-term simulated wind resource data set. Third quarter key findings indicate that wind speeds varied throughout these regions. Europe: Most…
Six legged ship lends a hand to building offshore wind farms
North Sea wind farm installations will soon get a hand from a six-legged ship capable of raising itself over water as deep as 75m. Lifting the ship above the water is necessary to stabilize it as workers assemble the tower, nacelle, and rotor. “The Pacific Orca is the largest wind farm installation ship ever built,”…
Condtion Monitoring: Condition monitoring horror stories
Article by David Clark, condition monitoring specialist, Bachmann Electronics, www.bachmann.info Condition monitoring, now more than ever, plays a huge role in the reliability of wind assets. With the number of turbines coming out of warranty and the Production Tax Credit soon to die, how do you keep an asset available, productive, and reliable as it…
Safety: Properly adjusting your harness can make all the difference
Article by Edward Bickrest, Miller by Sperian, www.millerfallprotection.com Workers on windpower job sites receive product training on properly adjusting their fall protection equipment, yet, life-threatening situations arise when users forget or ignore instructions. For example, a photograph below illustrates correct and incorrect methods of donning and adjusting a full-body harness. A snug fit means a…
Photoblog: An editor’s view of WindTech 2012
Last Thursday morning, boot-wearing Texans from around the state filed through the doors of Texas State Technical College. They were there for WindTech 2012, a hands-on educational event for wind technicians and students that was organized in part by this publication. I was posted just inside those doors, acting as the directions guy. “Are you…
How bolting system simplicity increases safety
Article by Jason Junkers, Director of Operations at HYTORC Wind, www.hytorcwind.com In the world of industrial maintenance there are three priorities above all else: safety, quality, and schedule. Depending on whom you talk to, one may take precedence over another. However, for the person performing the work, safety is always the number one consideration. While…
Wind energy alliance forms to broaden support
An ad-hoc coalition of citizens and companies will promote the wind energy industry and its role in cultivating jobs and revitalizing manufacturing has announced its launch. The Red State Renewable Alliance said its mission is simple: To tell the full story of the success of clean renewable wind energy in traditionally conservative areas of the…
Election 2012: Michigan voters deny renewable standard
By more than a million votes, Michigan residents voted against a constitutional amendment that would have established a renewable energy standard for the state. About 65% of voters opposed the Michigan Clean Renewable Electric Energy Standard, known as the 25 x ’25 initiative, according to unofficial poll results. “Voters clearly recognized that the state’s constitution…
Surge protection in stainless steel enclosures
Joslyn AC surge protectors in more than 1,300 standard configurations are available with stainless steel enclosures for corrosive applications, such as offshore wind. Available through Thomas & Betts’ network of distributors, the devices protect operations from the damaging effects of electrical power surges, transients, and noise from the service entrance to the equipment level. Suitable…
Chokes for low losses
A company offers inductive components for use in inverters for wind turbines. SMP says its chokes operate with low losses. Their compact design is maintenance-free for a long service life. The chokes are used in onshore and offshore installations. To ensure that the alternating current fed into the grid exhibits a sinusoidal waveform it is…
U.K. renewable energy capacity to equal thermal by 2025
Growing government support and significant untapped potential could lead the U.K.’s renewable energy capacity to almost match that of the traditionally dominant thermal sector by 2025, new research by alternative energy experts GlobalData shows. The company’s latest report predicts that the cumulative installed capacity of renewable energy plants will reach 79 GW by 2025 –…
States’ to complete electric transmission line-siting compact
A team of state legislators, federal agency representatives, and key stakeholders has nearly completed work on an electric transmission line siting compact. The compact serves as a policy option for state policymakers and is intended to improve interstate transmission line siting. The Council of State Governments, through its National Center for Interstate Compacts, convened the…
Henkel a category leader in Dow Jones Sustainability Index
For the sixth consecutive year, Henkel has been recognized as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe. Henkel again took first place in the Nondurable Household Products category and remains the only company in its sector to feature in the DJSI World and the DJSI Europe. The indexes…
Federal renewable policy changes could add up to tax savings
Federal government support has been crucial to growth in the solar and wind industries, and a new report by Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), “Supporting Renewables while Saving Taxpayers Money,” shows the government could sustain that support at much lower cost to taxpayers by replacing current tax credits with cash incentives. For example, a taxable cash…