Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG has released its latest drone solution, 3DX Smart Pilot, specifically developed for complex site geographies that require quick, highly portable turbine blade inspection solutions. “The compact design of 3DX SmartPilot makes it particularly well-suited for inspections of wind farms operating in very remote locations but also for ad-hoc inspections. It’s…

Software developer Shoreline Wind has been selected by Ocean Winds, a global offshore wind developer, to supply its proprietary computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) that can handle the day-to-day operation of OW’s project portfolio. Since its start in 2014, Shoreline Wind introduced an integrated life-cycle asset management cloud platform, which provides solutions from early project…

EDP Renewables North America completed its Blue Canyon II Wind Farm repowering, shoring up the future of renewable power for Caddo and Kiowa Counties. EDP Renewables North America completed its first repowering project at the Blue Canyon II Wind Farm, which is one phase of the 423-MW four-phase project located in southwestern Oklahoma. EDPR NA…

Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG, a Swiss company pioneering UAV technology for wind rotor blade inspections, announces the launch of its latest 3DX High Productivity (HP) solution specifically designed for high volume inspection campaigns. Thanks to advanced automation and AI-enabled analytics, 3DX HP delivers a streamlined single-stop process, making it one of the most efficient…

Nexans has received the first order under the frame agreement to manufacture approximately 110 km of high-voltage subsea cables to South Fork Wind, a joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource. The 3-phase 138-kV high-voltage alternative current (HVAC) subsea export cables will be integrated with two fiber-optic cables and transmit 132 MW of electricity to Long…

Eptune Engineering has developed a series of innovations to improve wind turbine blade access and repair in harsh meteorological conditions. Wind turbine blades are one of the more costly components to maintain. The inspection and maintenance are commonly made by ropes or via suspended aluminum platforms that allow access to the wind blades. These activities…

Leeward Renewable Energy successfully repowered the Crescent Ridge Wind Project in Tiskilwa, Illinois. The 54.4-MW Crescent Ridge repower included decommissioning nine turbines, repowering 24 legacy turbines and constructing four new Vestas turbines. “We are pleased that our Crescent Ridge project is operational and are proud to have provided jobs and other economic benefits to the…

Skyward, A Verizon company, has announced preorder availability for Parrot ANAFI Ai, an off-the-shelf drone powered by Verizon’s 4G LTE network, as part of the Skyward Connected Drone Solution. Skyward enables mid-flight data transfer to begin processing of imagery into 2D orthomosaic maps while Parrot ANAFI Ai is still in the air, anywhere within Verizon’s…

Cordelio Power‘s 185-MW Glacier Sands wind project has reached commercial operations. The project, located in Mason County, Illinois, is composed of 43 Vestas V150-4.3 wind turbines and will sell 100% of its renewable energy under a 15-year contract with Microsoft. “We’re excited to commence operations at Glacier Sands, the inaugural project in Cordelio’s new U.S.…

Bureau Veritas, a testing, inspection, and certification service, has delivered an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for its design and development of “Hi-Float,” a floating offshore wind turbine foundation. Based on HHI’s experience with offshore projects, the offshore floating wind substructure Hi-Float is designed to support a 10-MW wind turbine with…

Dominion Energy Virginia awarded the largest submarine cable contract in U.S. history to Prysmian Group and DEME Group. The balance of plant (BoP) contract includes the complete package for the transportation and installation of the foundations and the substations and EPC services for the inter-array and export cables for the future largest commercial offshore wind…

By Jordan Freed, Director of Corporate Marketing & Product Strategy, Gastops There is an abundance of literature dating back over the past 20+ years about the challenge of premature gearbox failures, and the cost impact they have on wind turbine operation. While the principals of prognostics and health management (PHM) are well established, and the…

Ørsted and Eversource are jointly investing in a Nexans subsea transmission cable manufacturing facility in South Carolina to provide subsea cables for the companies’ offshore projects in the Northeast. In 2019, Ørsted and Eversource entered into a framework agreement with Nexans, committing to purchase subsea cables for their Northeast offshore wind farms. Nexans will manufacture…

Offshore wind supports manufacturer Gazelle Wind Power opened its first U.S. office in Austin, Texas. This is the company’s first office in the United States as it moves to capitalize on the country’s emerging offshore wind market. Gazelle Wind Power’s floating wind platform was designed to be lighter and more flexible than other offshore platforms.…

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy will establish an offshore wind turbine blade facility in Virginia for the emerging U.S. offshore market. Siemens Gamesa will develop more than 80 acres/32 hectares at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Portsmouth, Virginia, upon execution of a firm order for the 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial Project with Dominion Energy.…

Moog Focal is further expanding into the renewable energy sector with a move of its specialized slip ring manufacturing from the United States to a facility in Nova Scotia, Canada. The company is hiring to fill different roles now. Moog Focal is currently ramping up operations and has started the hiring process to grow production…

By James Moorman, VP of sales, Helukabel USA The wind industry wrapped up another banner year in 2020 by commissioning 16,913 MW overall as an industry. With over 60,000 wind turbines in operation across 41 states, OEMs, asset owners and independent service providers follow industry technology advancements to maximize the efficiencies of new turbines and…

Parker Accumulator and Cooler, a motion and control technologies manufacturer, has developed a line of replacement kits for bladder-style accumulators used in wind turbines. The kits let wind turbine technicians replace bladders in the field, avoiding potential downtime and power capacity disruption. The bladder replacement kits are engineered with rubber compounds that Parker formulated specifically…

Siemens Gamesa has upgraded its next-generation onshore wind platform increasing power output to 6.6 MW. The new SG 6.6-155 and SG 6.6-170 turbines will now offer higher individual power, with hopes to deliver a lower Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) for customers. Both turbines can now offer greater annual energy production made possible in part…

ONYX Insight has launched a new hardware solution that predicts where and when costly pitch bearing failures occur in wind turbines. This type of failure is a significant problem in the wind industry. Pitch bearings connect the rotor hub to the blades and experience high loading during the life of a turbine. There are many…