More Kansas wind will help power the homes and businesses of Westar Energy’s customers by early 2017. Westar Energy, Kansas’ largest electric utility, recently announced an agreement that will add nearly 300 MWs to its growing wind energy portfolio. In collaboration with Infinity Wind Power, the utility will construct the Western Plains Wind Farm, a 280-MW…
NREL finds renewable-energy generation economically viable in the U.S.
Editor’s Note: Analysts at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) devised a new method for measuring the economic potential of renewable energy across the United States. By applying this method, the NREL has found that renewable generation is economically viable in many parts of the country primarily because of declining technology costs. Here is a press release on their…
Ensuring continuous wind-farm operations in harsh environments
Michael A. Stout | Vice President of Engineering Falcon Electric The aim of wind-farm operators is to ensure optimal performance and consistent power generation, and maintain the safety and reliability of each turbine. With these goals in mind, there are a myriad of electrical and electronic components to consider for safe turbine operation that include blade-pitch…
Keeping wind-turbine controls working during power disruptions
Michael A. Stout | Vice President of Engineering | Falcon Electric The aim of wind-farm operators is to ensure optimal performance and consistent power generation, and maintain the safety and reliability of each turbine. With these goals in mind, there are a myriad of electrical and electronic components to consider for safe turbine operations. Such…
Hydroelectric and wind energy projects lead investments in the Americas
According to a new report by Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Center (CIC), the major economies in the Americas will invest over US$792 billion in power generation projects in the coming years to increase generating capacity by 380 GW. The United States heads the 13 countries analyzed with projects valued at almost US$388 billion, followed by Canada…
NextEra Energy finalizes deal to acquire 664 MW in wind capacity
NextEra Energy Partners announced that it has completed an agreement to acquire approximately 664-megawatts (MW) of operating renewable wind-power generation assets from the sponsor, NextEra Energy Resources. With the addition of the four wind generating facilities, NextEra Energy Partners’ portfolio expands to approximately 1,923 MW of contracted, clean energy projects. The additional facilities include: Ashtabula…
Blattner Energy expands office headquarters with renewables
Blattner Energy, a power generation contractor and leading provider of renewable energy construction in North America, announced that it will renovate and expand its headquarters building in Avon. This includes a two-story, approximately 23,300 square-foot addition. The company will add 87 new offices and work stations, an auditorium, and more. Like the original headquarters building,…
DWEA’s distributed wind energy vision
Editor’s Note: On the heels of the Department of Energy’s Wind Vision report, which calls for wind to reach 10% by 2020, 20% by 2030, and 35% by 2050, the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) has released a new white paper, proposing their own “Distributed Wind Vision.” Similarly, this paper provides a roadmap for the…
Non-hydro renewable electricity grows 11% in 2014, with wind up by 8.3%
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report, with data through the end of 2014, net electrical generation from non-hydro renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, wind) increased by 10.9% over the previous year. The contribution to net electrical generation by just solar more than doubled (102.8%), while wind…
Wind generates more than 10% of Texas electricity in 2014
In 2014, more than 10% of the electricity used in the grid covering most of Texas came from wind generation, according to the grid’s operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Wind’s share of the ERCOT generation mix grew from 6.2% in 2009 to 10.6% in 2014, as total electricity generation increased over the…