Atlantic Wind Transfers, the commercial wind-support services arm of Rhode Island Fast Ferry, joined local boat-builder Blount Boats and offshore wind-developer Deepwater Wind for an official Ribbon Cutting ceremony today. The companies will also tour the first offshore wind-farm crew transfer vessel in the U.S., which is currently under construction. The event at the Blount…
New standards set for offshore wind ports and marine operations
Offshore wind energy is a growing business, providing enormous potential to meet the world’s energy needs. But with their structures based at sea, building them has always posed a number of challenges. Now those challenges can be significantly reduced with a new standard for ports and marine operations for offshore wind energy structures. A relatively…
Business group focuses on seals, lubes, and mold release
The Freudenberg Group says it has developed a range of product systems and services for the fast-growing American wind energy market. The product portfolio ranges from sealing product from Simrit, lubricants from Kluber Lubrication, and release agents from Chem-Trend. According to the American Wind Energy Association and Pike Research, the North American wind energy sector’s…
Major Transmission Project Planned for the Atlantic Coast
Google doesn’t mess around when it comes to investments. Their sponsorship in a transmission project that could cost billions of dollars stands as a major voucher for the wind industry. One of the greatest hurdles to the renewable-energy industry’s growth is the nation’s outdated transmission system. Without a beefed-up transmission backbone, offshore wind developers would…
California rich in offshore wind
The amount of wind blowing off the California coast has high potential. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory atmospheric scientists are working with a Norwegian company to leverage that wind as a valuable energy source. LLNL has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sway, a renewable energy company that has developed floating towers for placing wind turbines…
Europe’s Financing Lessons for U.S. Offshore Developers
Turbine manufacturer Areva Wind recently won a contract worth €400 million to supply 40, 5-MW turbines for the Borkum West II offshore wind farm in the North Sea near Germany. Under the agreement with Trianel, an association of German urban electric utilities and communities, Areva will provide the turbines, commissioning, and maintenance services. Foundations, transport,…
Vestas launches a 7
Vestas Wind Systems A/S has taken the wraps off its next generation offshore turbine, the V164-7.0 MW with a rotor diameter of 164m. The company says North Sea conditions influenced the designs of the turbine. President of Vestas Offshore Anders Søe-Jensen says the offshore wind market is set to significantly expand over the coming years,…
European team to develop offshore-turbine installation vessel
A manufacturer of marine vessels and an international oil and gas services company have agreed to combine their fields of expertise to develop vessels for installing offshore wind farms. Wärtsilä (www.wartsila.com) will provide the new installation vessels with ship design, electrical power generation, propulsion machinery, and high-end automation. Aker Solutions will supply the jacking system.…
Recently upgraded turbine gets an up-rating
It costs millions to develop a new turbine so it makes sense to push the bounds of existing models. GE Energy has done so with the recently introduced 4.1-113 wind turbine. It says the 4.1-MW class machine brings a higher level of reliability to the offshore wind industry. The design builds on the company’s recent…
Cape Wind contract for offshore wind power approved
The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has approved the 15-year power purchase agreement between National Grid and Cape Wind Associates, as amended by a settlement agreement, following a five-month-long adjudicatory proceeding involving 17 intervenors and five limited participants.
Floating turbines: the future of offshore wind
A new collaboration between Denmark Technical University (DTU) and international partners from the wind industry and research community will explore the idea of 20-MW floating turbines.
Maryland steps forward in offshore wind
Maryland is moving closer to bringing offshore wind to its coast. Gov. Martin O’Malley and the Maryland Energy Administration announced that the federal government has accepted planning recommendations made by the state. Maryland is only the second state in the nation to reach this point in the process (after Delaware).
Who’s offshore?
Many companies exhibited their offshore inventory at the AWEA conference in Atlantic City earlier in October. Here’s a look at a few and what they have to offer. Vestas V112 3.0-MW offshore turbine The V112-3.0MW Offshore is designed to take full advantage of wind conditions at sea. It’s well suited for high offshore wind speeds…
4,000 GW of offshore wind-power potential, says NREL
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a report that assesses the electricity generating potential of offshore wind resources in the United States. According to the assessment, the U.S. has 4,150 GW of potential wind turbine nameplate capacity (maximum turbine capacity) from offshore wind resources. The estimate does not describe…
Partnership tests new remote sensing tool for South Carolina’s wind potential
Partners have begun testing tools to provide insight on how much energy potential South Carolina’s offshore winds offer. The goal is the deployment of offshore wind energy to diversify South Carolina’s energy resources and significantly increase the region’s energy independence. This includes the Savannah River National Laboratory (SNRL), the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) and…
CanWEA Attracts Top OEMs
Officials for the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) Annual Conference and Exhibition in Toronto say they sold out all 350-booth spaces to 235 exhibitors at the September event. The attendee count topped 2,000. What’s more, the conference drew ten utility and commercial wind turbine OEMs, a list that includes Acciona, Enercon, GE, Mitsubishi, Northern Power,…