Late last year, energy company innogy made the final investment decision for the construction of the Scioto Ridge wind farm, a 242-MW project in Hardin and Logan Counties, Ohio. In preparation for construction, the contract for the supply of wind turbines has now been signed. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy will supply 72 wind turbines: 63…
Invenergy begins operation of battery storage system for MidAmerican Energy
Invenergy, a privately held global developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions, announced the start of commercial operations of a utility-scale battery storage system located in Knoxville, Iowa that Invenergy developed for MidAmerican Energy. The lithium-iron phosphate battery project will enable MidAmerican Energy to store electricity for later use. The storage project aims to enhance…
The role of underwriters in wind, a talk with Travelers
Insurance discussions for wind projects are an important but, at times, complex topic. Each wind project is unique with a different set of conditions and nuances, which may be magnified at offshore wind sites given the harsh marine environment. In this WindTalk podcast, we speak with Jonny Allen, Senior Underwriter and Head of Offshore Renewables…
Looming supply chain crunch threatens U.S. wind energy boom
While the U.S. wind energy installation outlook looks bright – more than 23 GW in new capacity forecast over the next two years – looming unforeseen supply chain bottlenecks could lead to project cancellations and postponements, putting as much as $2.1 billion of revenue at risk, a new study by Wood Mackenzie Power and Renewables found. “Between…
Invenergy completes financing for its 300-MW Santa Rita East Wind Farm
Invenergy, a privately-held global developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions, announced that it completed construction financing on its 302.4-MW Santa Rita East Wind Farm, located approximately 70 miles west of San Angelo, Texas. The Santa Rita East Wind Farm, now under construction, is the largest wind farm Invenergy has financed to date. The company…
Vineyard Wind nears final stage in Massachusetts’ environmental permitting process
Vineyard Wind announced that it has submitted a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA.) Earlier in the month, the United States’ Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS.) Both steps move the…
More than 680 GW of new wind power to come online over next decade
More than 680 GW of new wind power capacity will come online globally over the 10-year outlook, according to new research by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables. Wood Mackenzie recently upgraded its Global Wind Power Market Outlook Update: Q4 2018 by 2% compared to the outlook published in the third quarter. Most upgrades occur in the medium-term,…
Hawaiian Electric files PPA for Palehua Wind Farm
Hawaiian Electric Company is further advancing Hawaii’s clean energy goals with a new power purchase agreement with EE Ewa LLC to buy electricity from a 46.8-MW facility to be known as Palehua Wind. Hawaiian Electric filed the agreement for review by the Public Utilities Commission last week. If approved, Palehua Wind will be built on…
Pattern Energy acquires interest in Montana’s Stillwater Wind Farm
Pattern Energy Group announced the acquisition of a 35-MW owned interest in the Stillwater Wind facility from Pattern Energy Group 2 LP (Pattern Development 2.0). Stillwater commenced commercial operations in late October and is located in Stillwater County, Montana. Here are key highlights from the transaction: The cash purchase price for Pattern Energy’s 35-MW owned interest…
Manitowoc updates its diagnostic mobile app for cranes
Manitowoc Cranes has updated its smartphone app, which helps customers diagnose technical issues on their cranes. The free app enables users to understand the numeric diagnostic codes that are generated by their on-board control systems. In addition to diagnostic codes for Grove and Manitowoc branded cranes that run on Manitowoc’s Crane Control System (CCS) and GMK…
Siemens onshore power is helping build the world’s largest cruise ships
Siemens has received an order from MV WERFTEN Wismar GmbH to supply and install turnkey Siharbor onshore power supplies. The onshore power supply system will be used to build “Global Class” cruise ships. Measuring 340 meters (about 1,115 ft.) in length and providing space for more than 5,000 passengers, these vessels are the world’s largest…
RES wins Avangrid construction contract for Oregon wind project
Renewable Energy Systems (RES), a leader in the development, engineering, and construction of wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects in the Americas has been selected by Avangrid Renewables to construct a 200.85-MW wind farm in Gilliam County, Oregon. The construction contract represents Phase I of the overall 404-MW Montague Wind Farm and is expected…
ENGIE North America begins 196-MW East Fork Wind Project in Kansas
ENGIE North America announced the start of construction of the 196-MW East Fork Wind Project in Thomas County, Kansas. Located near the city of Colby in northwest Kansas, the East Fork Wind Project is the second phase of the larger Solomon Forks Wind Project (276 MW) currently under construction. The East Fork project, located immediately…
SaskPower goes with Potentia’s 200-MW Golden South Wind
Canadian utility SaskPower announced that Potentia Renewables Inc. is the successful proponent for the province’s latest utility-scale wind power project. Potentia’s Golden South Wind Energy Facility is a 200-MW project that will produce enough renewable electricity for approximately 90,000 Saskatchewan homes. “This new wind energy project further demonstrates our commitment to renewable energy as part…
Washington makes largest-ever purchase of renewables for state operations
Gov. Jay Inslee recently announced that eight state agencies will purchase over one hundred million kWh of electricity by 2021 from wind and solar projects built in Washington state. Overall, the purchase represents nearly one quarter of the electricity demand required for state agency operations, or enough electricity to power more than 6,000 homes. Participating…
Weather risks forcing wind developers to strengthen project economics
Global sustainable energy consultancy, K2 Management, has launched a report titled, Pre-Construction Projects: The battle to reduce uncertainty and improve business case bankability, at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Offshore WINDPOWER 2018 Conference, which kicked off this week in Washington, D.C. The report identifies major project development trends in the fast-growing renewables sector, based on data gathered…
Major U.S. companies procured nearly 4 GW of utility-scale wind & solar
Large U.S. companies are acting on renewable energy goals at a record pace. Through August of this year, they have already procured nearly 4 GW of utility-scale wind and solar capacity — breaking the previous full-year record, set in 2015, by nearly 750 MW. But the transmission infrastructure pipeline is likely not sufficient to meet…
Ports trying to keep pace with offshore wind development
By Mark Del Franco Contributor At the end of 2018, there were 14 offshore wind projects in various stages of development across the Eastern and Great Lakes coasts. While offshore developers secure financing, licenses, and components, several U.S. port operators are upgrading their infrastructure to accommodate this emerging renewable energy market. Liz Burdock, the executive…
Max Bögl’s Hybrid Tower 2.0 reaches hub heights of more than 620 ft
WindEnergy Hamburg, the world’s largest industry event for the wind industry, is being held next week in Hamburg. Max Bögl Wind AG will be there exhibiting new advances to their hybrid towers which combine concrete and steel. The result is a tower concept that requires less material while ensuring the highest level of stability. Wind-turbine…
First Subsea supplies platform mooring connectors for Windfloat Atlantic Project
Subsea mooring and cable-protection specialist, First Subsea, is supplying platform mooring connectors (PMCs) to Windplus SA for the 25-MW WindFloat Atlantic Project, offshore northern Portugal. The PMCs will be used to connect wind turbine generator platforms to mooring lines at a water depth of 85 to 100 m. The WindFloat Atlantic Project comprises three WindFloat…