A Safe Space For Bats New tehcnology reduces bat take at wind farms. Globally, bat populations are in decline. According to Bat Conservation International, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has deemed 22 bat species as “critically endangered,” meaning they face an imminent risk of extinction. Fifty-six other bat species are endangered…
February 2019 Issue: Take Two: Repowering Gives Aging Wind Farms A Second Act
The case for cleaner airports starts with renewables SURPRISINGLY, weather was blameless when a blackout delayed more than 1,000 passengers in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in December 2017. A fire — later traced to a failed switchgear — was the culprit, knocking out the airport’s electricity for some 11 hours that day. The airport’s primary…
The 2019 Renewable Energy Guidebook
THE RISE OF WIND POWER “GREAT THINGS NEVER CAME FROM COMFORT ZONES,” stated a recent advertisement in a community newspaper. The statement could have referred to the wind-power industry. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently released its 2018 third-quarter report, noting that seven states are near doubling their capacity to generate electricity from the…
October 2018 Issue: Building offshore wind in america
A few observations on the progress of offshore wind ast October, our founding editor Paul Dvorak wrote an editorial on the developing offshore wind industry in United States (go to tinyurl. com/AFewObservations for a refresher). This issue, we revisit a few of his observations to assess the industry’s progress over the last year. The good…
August 2018 Issue: New national standards to prevent dropped objects
Wind worth harvesting A big sign propped up at the entrance of my local farmers’ market read: If you ate today, thank a farmer. My dad grew up on a farm in the Canadian prairies, so this is wise advice to me. He’s shared plenty of stories about farming life, and the hard work and…
June 2018 Issue: Windpower, conservationists making wind farms safer for wildlife
What bugs me about conferences and other wind-industry annoyances As I approach my ninth year reporting on the wind industry, it becomes necessary to point out several things that bug me. Most of these observations are in the friendly spirit of self-improvement and they pertain as much to the industry as to things that surround…
April 2018 Issue: Wind makes a good neighbor
Wind makes a good neighbor Last year, my good friend Anna spent the summer in a small, rural Ontario Airbnb. She was unaware when booking the home that it was near a wind farm, and was concerned initially about noise and shadow flicker. Neither affected her and it turned out that she loved seeing the…
February 2018 Issue: Leadership in Wind Energy
How EVs will drive the wind industry and vice versa The automobile, long the symbol of go-anywhere freedom, not long ago became an object of scorn because of its high consumption of fossil fuel. Is it possible to redeem vehicles from such disrepute by substituting electric drives for internal combustion engines? Yes, it is. The…
January 2018 Issue: Renewable Energy Guidebook
Welcome to the 2018 renewable energy guidebook IF YOU’RE FAMILIAR WITH THIS PUBLICATION, you’ll notice we’ve changed our name from “handbook” to “guidebook.” In an effort to produce the best content possible, we took a moment to step back and consider what information in this “extra” edition would be the most beneficial to our readers.…
October 2017 Issue: Offshore industry potential + More
A few observations from the offshore wind industry A savvy Brit recently suggested that the U.S. offshore wind industry should take advantage of European experience. The reason, he said almost in confidence, was that “We’ve made most of the mistakes already.” It’s hard to argue with that logic. Letting novices head up unfamiliar…
August 2017 Issue: Three Strikes and Your Turbine Is Out (And More!)
Welcome to the 5,000-MW Club, Kansas There’s a new club in town, and another U.S. state has recently joined. The “5,000-Megawatt Club” has an exclusive membership of only five states so far. For entry, each one must officially exceed 5,000 MW of wind-generated capacity. The most recent honor goes to Kansas, which grabbed…
June 2017 Issue: Suiting Up for Safety + More
Consider these costs as you amble through life Most people don’t buy so much as bubble gum without asking, “How much does it cost?” So for your amusement I have assembled a list of costs arranged in an order that you may find entertaining. Hopefully, you’ll find the apples-to-oranges juxtapositions equally interesting. A…
April 2017 Issue: Innovators & Influencers + More
Mini lessons in leadership – 2017 At a leadership conference some years ago, we participated in an exercise to show the value of a group’s collective wisdom. That problem scenario had our group on a spaceship that had crash landed on the moon. The recovery site was some distance away. Which of the…
February 2017 issue: Foundations that float + more
01 Editorial: What if the nation went wild for wind power? 44 Projects: Decommissioning Canada’s oldest wind farm 66 Cover Foundations that float What if the nation went wild for wind power? By: Paul Dvorak Suppose our nation decided that as coal and nuclear-powered facilities reached the end of their useful life, they would…
2017 Renewable Energy Handbook Wind: The technical resource for wind profitability
A great time to invest in wind power The saying goes that good things come in threes, and the wind industry has certainly delivered on a trio of positives this past year. For one, the industry started 2016 with a five-year extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which provides wind developers with…
October 2016 issue: First Annual Offshore Issue
U.S. offshore wind industry officially launched. Now what? What’s the difference between a U.S. wind farm and one in Europe? This may sound like the lead-in to a joke, but the question is serious and comes from a wind-industry veteran at a recent AWEA event. The answer: Everything! In Europe, a land-based wind farm often…
September 2016 issue: A Better Way To Inspect Turbines & Transmission + more
01 Editorial: More darn-near impossible grand challenges for the wind industry 06 Windwatch: Research in Minnesota, MAKE Consulting looks ahead, Better blades ready for refits, Meet the wind tech 26 Retrofits New ideas for upgrading communication networks The next 10 darn-near impossible grand challenges for the wind industry The idea of grand challenges…
June 2016 issue: New ideas to boost production, AEP up 5% + more
02 Editorial: Wind energy inspires present and future generations 08 Windwatch: A chilling story of blade abuse, What to do with extra towers, Journal bearings in a planetary stage, Ask a wind tech, Wind work around North America 42 How small data from material science accurately predicts failure rates and more Decades of experience with…
April 2016 issue: Innovators & influencers issue, WINDPOWER 2016 + more
02 EDITORIAL Why can’t some utilities just work with the wind industry? 08 WINDWATCH Preview of WINDPOWER 2016 in New Orleans, Wikov gears, Guard for leading-edge erosion, Making construction, sustainable work, Ask a wind tech, Windwork around North America 40 INTERNET OF THINGS Talking with turbines through the Internet of Things Why can’t Ohio…
February 2016 issue: Leadership in Wind, improve lube seals, rise of renewables + more
01 EDITORIAL Showing Leadership in wind 06 WINDWATCH VariLoad, Fugro Trenching, 2015 leadership winners, Wind work around North America 14 COMPONENTS How a coil spring improves lube seals 18 RELIABILITY Building a framework for better floating wind systems 22 BOLTING Is a maintenance-free bolt connection possible on wind turbines? 26 FINANCE Rise of renewables spells…