Editor’s note: More than 7% of the energy generated in the U.S. is lost during transmission and distribution. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that half of this loss could be eliminated by the application of HTS. These savings could amount to $16 billion per year, reducing our use of fossil fuels, as well as…
Kevin Alewine will co-present webcast on reparing gearboxes and generators
On July 24 at 2pm EST, Kevin Alewine of Shermco Industries will participate as a co-presenter in a Windpower Engineering & Development webcast on repairing gearboxes and generators. Entitled “Repairing Wind Turbine Components: Gearboxes and Generators,” the webcast will address generator failure modes and the latest innovations in remanufacturing. Wind-turbine-gearbox and generator failures are a…
Alstom donates generator for student training at Echotech Institute
Ecotech Institute, the only college entirely focused on renewable energy and sustainability training, now has a generator capable of powering 15,000 average America homes. The generator is a donation from Alstom, an energy solutions and transport company. Matt Pevarnik, an account executive for Alstom who serves on Ecotech Institute’s advisory board, spearheaded the donation. “Now…
Infolytica takes wraps off MagNet simulation software and more
Infolytica Corporation has released the newest versions of its simulation suite of software: MagNet, ElecNet, ThermNet and OptiNet. Specializing in electromagnetic and electric fields, Infolytica offers easy to use software solutions for engineers searching to reduce cost and obtain a better design. MagNet v7.5 can now predict the surface force density on a component, including…
Compact FusionDrive combines medium speed gearbox with PM generator
FusionDrive, a gearbox and generator that create what the developers call the smartest drive train combination available. FusionDrive offers optimal availability by harnessing all the advantages of medium-speed wind power generation technology. Developer, The Switch, says its compact size offers the lowest weight in the market. FusionDrive is the result of bringing together the wind power…
The big generator debate: Permanent magnet designs versus double-fed induction versions
This post is the introduction to a longer paper by The Switch, a manufacturer of permanent magnet generators and their support equipment. In the wind power industry, the debate on which generator and converter option makes for the best modern wind turbine drive trains is still raging. Numerous technology experts and industry commentators promote the…
ETEL now offers short stroke actuators in US
ETEL now offers short stroke actuators in North America. These reliable Z Standalone Actuators are to be used in any application where force, throughput and long lifetime are required within a small form factor. These actuators are said to cope with the stringent requirements of Turret Testing Handlers, providing an average of ten independent Z…
Paper describes new concept in wind power harnessing
SheerWind and City College of New York’s peer-reviewed paper has been released in Energy-The International Journal. The paper “Invelox: Description of a new concept in wind power and its performance evaluation” was co-authored by Dr. Daryoush Allaei, SheerWind and Professor Yiannis Andreopoulos, City College of New York. Highlights from the paper include: • A new…
Vestas launches new upgrades to increase output of installed turbines
Vestas PowerPlus features a range of new technology upgrades to optimize the performance of existing wind power plants, enhancing the power production of its customers’ wind turbines up to by 5%. “The Vestas PowerPlus technology solutions are part of Vestas’ overall strategy of growing our service business and to respond to a strong customer demand…
The Switch: PMG with a FPC will emerge as drivetrain technology of choice
The Switch, manufacturer of permanent magnet generators and full-power converters, recently released a technology paper addressing the ongoing industry debate on drivetrain technology selection. With this paper, the Finnish manufacturer tackles the performance misconceptions still surrounding the main two drivetrain technologies that currently dominate the wind energy industry and explains why the permanent magnet generator (PMG)…
Boulder Wind Power expands generator and power conversion portfolio for geared and direct-drive wind turbines
Boulder Wind Power, a developer of advanced permanent magnet generators and full power converter technology for utility-scale wind turbines, announced an expansion of its product portfolio for onshore and offshore applications. Originally focused on developing and testing the core technology in direct drive applications, BWP now offers solutions for geared turbines while expanding its offering…
YASKAWA brings the full range of The Switch advanced drive trains to Japan
YASKAWA Electric Corporation, a global manufacturer of servomotors, controllers, inverters, and industrial robots, recently announced that it will be the sole supplier of The Switch megawatt-class permanent magnet generator (PMG) and full-power converter (PMG) advanced drive train packages for wind power and other renewable energy applications to the Japanese market. The Switch products will be…
MagNet for SolidWorks coming in 2014
Infolytica Corp says that MagNet for SolidWorks, a new software package developed by the company, will be officially launched in 2014. SolidWorks users who must design and analyze electromagnetic or electromechanical devices can use this new tool directly in their preferred CAD environment. MagNet for SolidWorks embeds an electromagnetic field simulator as an add-in to…
NREL 5 MW dynamometer and test facility to improve wind turbines
The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently took a giant step forward in the quest for more reliable, lower-cost wind power with the addition of the new 5-MW Dynamometer Test Facility at its National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). Premature failures of mechanical systems have had a significant impact on the cost of wind turbine…
MWh batteries and more powerful magnets almost ready for the wind industry
The wind industry would benefit greatly from an inexpensive way to store a few megawatt-hours of wind generated power that is not needed at the moment. Another boon would be more powerful permanent magnets that would allow larger and lighter generators for wind turbines. As it happens, two British companies say they have answers for…
Permanent magnet generator design ideas
Byron Boone, Product Manager, Boulder Wind Power, www.boulderwindpower.com Permanent Magnet Generators (PMGs), first introduced on a large scale to the wind industry in the early to mid-2000s, are expected to continue to increase market share from 17% in 2011 to nearly 40% by 2015. PMGs have a growing group of supporters because of the flexibility,…
Characterizing lifecycle behavior of permanent magnets is critical to emergent electrical machine applications
Permanent-magnet materials are used in many designs of new electrical machine applications, such as wind-turbine generators. A lot of this equipment will be expected to have long lifecycles. Meeting performance and lifecycle targets mean it will be critical to characterize the magnets in the design stage using advanced electromagnetic and multiphysics simulations, according to Cobham…
Boulder Wind Power technology leads to substantial cost of energy advantage
Boulder Wind Power (BWP) announced completion of a third-party review of its wind power technologies and cost of energy (COE) model. The independent assessment analyzed the technological and commercial risks associated with BWP’s direct drive generator, and resulted in an estimated 12 to 22% cost of energy advantage relative to four of the industry’s most…
The Switch 8.6 MW offshore PM generator passes initial no-load tests
The Switch, a manufacturer of permanent magnet generators and full-power converters, says its 8.6 MW permanent magnet generator (PMG) for offshore use has successfully passed initial no-load testing. The massive drive train component is scheduled to undergo complete full-load tests in the upcoming weeks. The Switch’s medium-speed, rear-mounted PMG design brings together the best of…
FluxMerge promises generators and motors 1.5% more efficient
Editor’s note: The developer of this technology says it’s also applicable to generators although motors are its primary focus, and it provides little information on how existing generators might be modified. Still, a 1.5% increase is worth considering. On a 100 MW wind farm, that improvement figure could translate into an additional 1.5 MW, equivalent…