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…
2016 Renewable Energy Handbook
WINDPOWER Engineering and Development – Welcome to the Handbook Editor’s welcome to the wind section…………. p.09 Wind Basics……………………………………………. p.10 Top wind stats and resource map………………. p.12 Components of a wind turbine………………….. p.16 Wind articles Bearings……………………………………………………p.18 Blades………………………………………………………p.21 Bolting……………………………………………………..p.24 Cables………………………………………………………p.27 Composites……………………………………………….p.30 Gears & gearboxes…………………………………….p.32 Encoders…………………………………………………..p.34 Motors & drives…………………………………………p.37 Hydraulics…………………………………………………p.38 Slip rings…………………………………………………..p.42 Switchgear………………………………………………..p.46 Filters……………………………………………………….p.48 Lubricants…………………………………………………p.51 Site assessment…………………………………………p.54 Logistics…
Windpower Engineering and Development Digital Edition October 2015
Are you ready for your cyber attack? The nature of warfare changes constantly. Static trench warfare played a big role in WWI, but improved air power and a more mobile battle tank brought much greater fluidity to WWII, making trenches obsolete. Later wars erased the idea of a front line altogether. WWII more importantly, became…
Windpower Engineering and Development Digital Edition August 2015
In this Issue: Digital twins and JIT training chop costs off O&M Home sweet bat home Gold wind 2.5 MW DD
Windpower Engineering and Development Digital Edition June 2015
Featured in Windpower Engineering and Development June 2015 Innovation & Influencers Issue Software: Online classes that count Lidar just for yaw correction Drones as blade inspectors now, other services soon