Pattern Energy Group held a grand opening ceremony this week to dedicate its new 200-MW Logan’s Gap Wind facility in Comanche County, Texas. Now operating at full capacity, Logan’s Gap Wind will create enough clean energy to power 50,000 homes in Texas each year. “Presently, the majority of the revenue collected by Comanche County comes…
New cross-functional protective gloves offer highest wearability rating
In the wind industry, protection against cuts, accidental impacts, and weather must all be considered when choosing protective gloves, since some manufacturing or construction sites present multiple hazards. Comfort is also a concern that is all too often the last consideration, but a comfortable glove could make the difference between compliance and disaster. Safety Today’s new Brass…
Sand emerging as a key ingredient in race to develop viable energy storage systems
Energy storage development company, Latent Heat Storage, has developed a low-cost thermal energy storage system based on the latent heat properties of silicon derived from sand. The new device – known as TESS – is being developed in South Australia with the help of an AUD $400,000 government grant to take it from prototype to…
AltaLink shows support for wind power in Alberta
AltaLink, Alberta’s largest regulated electricity transmission company, recently submitted a proposal to Alberta’s Climate Change Advisory Panel with recommendations for lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This past September, AltaLink also completed construction and energized a new transmission line, which will deliver wind energy from renewable generators in southern Alberta for the benefit of all of those…
GE completes acquisition of Alstom’s power and grid businesses
GE has officially completed the acquisition of Alstom’s power and grid businesses, following regulatory approval of the deal in over 20 countries and regions. It is GE’s largest-ever industrial acquisition, and spans the EU, the U.S., China, India, Japan, and Brazil. GE reached an agreement with Alstom in 2014 to purchase Alstom’s power and grid…
GEV Group secures investment for expansion in the wind market
GEV Group has announced a £5.4 million investment by Maven Capital Partners, one of the UK’s leading private equity houses. The investment secures a minority stake in GEV Group, and will provide a significant boost to GEV Wind Power and its plans to develop its market position in the renewables’ sector. GEV Group has also announced…
A few ideas for an improved 21st century grid
By Jochen Kreusel Head of Smart Grids, Global | ABB, Inc. A couple decades ago, wind power slowly began to make its way into the mainstream electric power-supply system. At the time, it was assumed this source of renewable energy could easily connect to the existing grid without fundamental changes. As wind power has grown…
Storm-surge barrier also serves up tidal power
In early 1953, high tides and a major storm caused the North Sea to flood. The Netherlands, Belgium, and even parts of England and Scotland were affected. Recovery efforts eventually included the construction of an impressive nine-kilometerlong dam to prevent future flooding in the region. Oosterscheldekering, or the Eastern Scheldt storm-surge barrier stands as the…
Procter & Gamble plans to run its facilities on 100% wind power
Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced plans to meet its electricity demands with a long-term vision of using 100% wind power. The company serves nearly five billion people around the world with its brands, including Tide and Dawn. The wind-powered goal is now possible because of a partnership with EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE), which will see a…
Moxa’s MXview ToGo App provides real-time industrial network monitoring
Managing and monitoring industrial networks just got easier with Moxa’s new MXview ToGo mobile app. Often project managers and administrators are busy and on the move, making it difficult for them to stay informed of changes in the status of devices and networks or to troubleshoot situations that could impact network availability. Now, with MXview ToGo,…
Vestas installs its 55,000th wind turbine
Vestas has reached a significant milestone, with the installation of its 55,000th turbine in Germany. The V112-3.0 MW was recently installed at the 27-MW Wallroth-Schlüchtern wind park in Hesse, Germany. With the addition, Vestas now provides up to 70 GW of capacity in 74 countries across six continents. The company’s wind turbines can cumulatively produce enough…
Wind’s growing cost-competitiveness driving energy and economic diversification
Canada became one of only seven countries in the world to surpass 10,000 MW of wind-power capacity when the 270-MW K2 Wind project near Goderich, Ontario came on line earlier this year. The industry leaders, who met in Toronto this week for the Canadian Wind Energy Association’s (CanWEA) 31st annual conference, agreed that the technology’s growing cost-competitiveness…
ACCIONA Windpower and Nordex join forces to create a major player in the wind industry
ACCIONA Windpower and Nordex are joining forces to create a major new player in the wind industry. Nordex, a listed German wind turbine manufacturer headquartered in Hamburg, with a market capitalization of €2 billion, will acquire ACCIONA Windpower from ACCIONA S.A., a global renewable energy and infrastructure group. The transaction is valued at €785m, payable in…
ILSCO introduces new line of anti-turn mechanical connectors
ILSCO, the supplier of electrical connectors, grounding, and compression devices for utility and industry, is offering a new line of mechanical connectors. The connectors are manufactured from high-strength aluminum alloy and are suitable for use with copper or aluminum conductors. The chamfered wire entry helps simplify the conductor insertion. The aluminum mechanical lugs (Type ATTA and ATAU) come with…
ABB Power Consulting Group announces HVDC Seminar for utility planners and developers
Power and automation technology group, ABB, announced that its independent Power Consulting business will host a two-day, intensive training seminar entitled, “HVDC: Planning, Modeling, and Economic Justification.” The seminar, which will take place November 17-19 at ABB’s Power Systems North America headquarters in Raleigh, includes a two-day training session on High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)…
Renewables will boost Japan’s installed capacity to 390 GW by 2025, says GlobalData
Japan’s cumulative installed capacity will rise from 317.5 gigawatts (GW) in 2014 to an estimated 389.8 GW by 2025, representing a moderate Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 1.9%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s latest report states that while thermal sources will contribute the majority of installed capacity, with an expected overall…
Interior to auction 344,000 acres of New Jersey offshore waters for wind-power development
Editor’s note: As part of President Obama’s comprehensive Climate Action Plan to develop more clean energy resources and create more jobs, the waters off New Jersey’s shores are officially up for sale. In an attempt to attract more offshore wind development in the U.S., the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper…
GE names Stephan Reimelt as President & CEO of Power Conversion
GE Energy Management President & CEO Mark Begor announced the appointment of Stephan Reimelt as President and CEO of GE’s Power Conversion business. He succeeds Joe Mastrangelo, who will become President and CEO of Power Generation Products for GE Power & Water. Power Conversion is at the heart of generating cleaner and more efficient power…
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…
GCube unveils Weather Risk Transfer device for the wind industry
GCube, an underwriter for renewable energy initiatives, has launched a new Weather Risk Transfer device for the wind and hydroelectric energy sectors, providing project owners and stakeholders with a means to mitigate the financial impact of resource volatility. While intermittency is a given for the renewables sector, as the proportion of clean energy generation in…