Ergodyne‘s new Skullerz Lightweight Bump Caps offer durable head protection against bumps, scrapes, and bruises in areas with low ceilings, overhead beams, or other tight spaces and confined quarters. The new versions are designed to be lighter, cooler, and more comfortable than their predecessors. These bump caps weigh in at 40% lighter than the previous…
South Dakota approves 250.5-MW Triple H Wind project
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a construction permit for the Triple H Wind project, a wind energy facility capable of generating up to 250.54 MW of energy in Hyde Co. A settlement agreement presented by Triple H and PUC staff was previously accepted by the commission in May. However, issues not…
NARUC releases two new manual resources on cybersecurity risks to utilities
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), national association representing the state public service commissioners, has developed a comprehensive suite of resources related to utilities and security risks, collectively referred to as the Cybersecurity Manual. The aim is to help public utility commissions gather and evaluate information from utilities about their cybersecurity risk-management practices.…
A new way to assess oil quality in wind-turbine gearboxes
Written by Joe Hedges, President, Voelker Sensors, Inc. It is no surprise that gearbox failures have been linked to a lack of lubrication due to oil wear and contamination. Regular oil changes would seem to be the solution. However, changing oil in land-based wind turbines, or worse, swapping out their failed gearboxes, presents serious…
Ergodyne launches new line of hard hats with Class C or E protection
Ergodyne announced a major addition to their Skullerz lineup of personal protective equipment with the launch of their new hard hats — available in full-brim or cap style and Class C or Class E protection. This line of hard hats is a first for the company. “We’ve gotten some great feedback from our field testers…
Kiwi Energy customers can now choose to offset electricity use with wind
Energy retailer, Kiwi Energy, is offering an innovative electricity plan to its Ohio and New York customers. Kiwi Clean + Wind REC matches 100% electricity with Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) sourced from national wind. Today, there are different ways consumers can choose to power their homes with wind energy. In deregulated energy states,…
TGM Wind re-launches cleaning service for turbines
Kardie Equipment, A TGM Wind Services company, has re-launched its specialized wind-turbine cleaning service and expanded its cleaning capabilities. With 10 years of experience, the company offers both access and cleaning, using the largest fleet of Bronto Skylifts in North America. TGM Wind offers its customers a choice of hand-washing or pressure-washing, both of which…
Safety in the wind industry: PSG’s Oliver Auston shares his insight
Oliver Auston, Chief Innovation Officer with Pure Safety Group (PSG), joins us for a discussion on fall protection and safety in the wind industry. PSG is an independent provider of fall protection equipment and training. Learn more here. During our talk, Oliver also points out other organizations dedicated to standards and guidelines for work at…
Mark your calendars: Power Grid Digitalization Forum is in Montreal this October
Globally, electric utilities are looking to go digital as they modernize their systems to enable greater customer engagement and deploy new and emerging distribution technologies. The Power Grid 4.0 — Digitalization Forum, held in Montreal October 16 to 18, will provide a forum for professionals in the utility industry in North America to share best…
Vineyard Wind selects Sif for offshore monopiles
Vineyard Wind has selected Dutch company, Sif, to fabricate the turbine foundations for the Vineyard wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts. The 800-MW offshore project will feature 81 MHI Vestas V164-9.5MW turbines. Sif’s scope of work for the project will include manufacturing the monopiles, storing them at its MV2 facility in Rotterdam, and delivering…
Construction begins on first U.S. offshore wind project in federal waters
Dominion Energy has begun construction on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, which will bring an important new source of renewable energy to Virginia customers. The company is breaking ground to install a half-mile conduit, which will hold the final stretch of cables connecting the turbines, 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach…
Duke Energy to install NRG Systems’ Bat Deterrent System at its wind farms
Texas leads the nation in wind energy generation with thousands of wind turbines throughout the state. This is a boon for clean energy generation but not for the state’s large population of bats, which are often drawn to the spinning turbines. To help discourage them from approaching, Duke Energy Renewables is working with NRG Systems,…
LevelTen Energy’s Rob Collier talks PPAs and the PTC
In this WindTalk podcast, we speak with LevelTen Energy’s VP of Developer Relations, Rob Collier. LevelTen has developed an intelligent platform that matches businesses with renewable energy suppliers, and Rob is full of insight about renewable power purchase agreements, corporate buyers, risk, and standardized contracts. Rob also discusses wind energy and the PTC. LevelTen offers…
GEV Wind Power chooses Rhode Island for U.S. headquarters
GEV Wind Power, a global wind-turbine O&M company, will make Rhode Island the home of its U.S headquarters. According to the company, it will create approximately 125 jobs consisting of blade technicians, support staff and management. “As we gear up, there will be a tangible opportunity for Rhode Islanders to come and talk to us…
Crawling robots and drones may lower cost of wind O&M
Drones and crawling robots outfitted with special scanning technology could help wind blades stay in service longer, which may help lower the cost of wind energy at a time when blades are getting bigger, pricier, and harder to transport, Sandia National Laboratories researchers say. As part of the Department of Energy’s Blade Reliability Collaborative work, funded by…
The energy sector gets its own public, enterprise-grade blockchain
The Energy Web Foundation (EWF) announced that it has launched the world’s first public, open-source, enterprise-grade blockchain tailored to the energy sector: the Energy Web Chain (EW Chain). More than 10 EWF Affiliates — including utilities, grid operators, and blockchain developers — are hosting validator nodes for the live network. In addition, EWF is currently…
More than 1 GW of wind & solar projects auctioned off at unique New York event
Two wind energy and five solar power projects, with a total capacity of over 1 GW, have been auctioned off to investors at a unique event on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The Project Sales & Cocktails event, co-hosted by FTI Consulting’s investment banking subsidiary FTI Capital Advisors, Akin Gump Strauss…
Investor confidence in U.S. renewables remains high, finds ACORE
One year into its campaign to reach $1 trillion in U.S. private sector investment in renewable energy and enabling grid technologies by 2030, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) released a progress report tracking U.S. renewable investment. The report also assesses the policy and market pathways needed to achieve “$1T 2030: The American Renewable…
Hi-Line offers new Klein Tools impact socket sets
Tool and equipment provider, Hi-Line Utility Supply, offers the new Klein Tools 6-piece Impact Socket Set. This innovative lets user “do more with less,” delivering 12 impact sizes total across six sockets. It is ideal for electrical contracting, utility, and the wind industries. Each Klein socket features two coaxial spring-loaded sockets in one. The deep…
Kaiserwetter launches IRIS to identify and assess asset risks & performance
Kaiserwetter Energy Asset Management has launched IRIS, an energy IntelliTech innovation, to significantly reduce the time and cost of wind energy M&A transactions. The company will be demoing the data intelligence service along with its ARISTOTELES platform at REFF-Wall Street 2019 in New York City this week. IRIS uses proprietary algorithms and smart data analytics to quickly…