ACCIONA Windpower, the ACCIONA Group subsidiary that designs, manufactures, and markets wind turbines, will supply 43 three-megawatt (MW) turbines–with a total of 129 MW–to a renewable energy sector company for a wind farm in Mexico. With this contract, ACCIONA Windpower has now sold 988.5 MW in Mexico, of which 38% correspond to its 3-MW turbine.…
Official CanWEA statement on report released by Council of Canadian Academies
The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) acknowledges the release of the report, Understanding the Evidence: Wind Turbine Noise by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). CanWEA will be fully reviewing the CCA report, which adds to the significant body of literature already available on the subject of wind turbines and human health. The CCA report…
Geislinger Compowind sets new standards for wind turbines
The Geislinger Compowind is the first innovative coupling of its kind to enhance the reliability of wind turbines. Installed between the rotor and the gearbox, the Geislinger Compowind protects the drivetrain by a significant reduction of non-torque loads. Deficient drivetrain reliability is still one of the main hurdles to get over to achieve competitive energy…
Vestas wins 21 MW order in Costa Rica
Vestas will supply and install seven V90-3.0 MW wind turbines at the Mogote wind farm to be constructed in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The wind power plant has an estimated annual production of 100 gigawatt-hours (GW/h), which corresponds to the residential electricity consumption of approximately 140,000 people in Costa Rica. The contract comprises supply and installation…
“Wind rush” underway across much of America as new turbines access higher wind speeds, opening new areas for development
Advanced wind turbines are accessing faster, steadier winds at higher altitudes, so they can generate more electricity, creating a modern-day “wind rush” as new areas in the Great Lakes states and the Southeastern U.S. become economical sites to develop more wind energy. “Wind turbine technology has advanced in just a few decades from the Model…
Vestas receives 40-MW order for wind farm in Maine
Vestas has received a firm and unconditional order in the United States for 13 V112-3.075-megawatt (MW) turbines for the Passadumkeag wind farm in Penobscot County, Maine. The order was placed by Passadumkeag Windpark, LLC, an affiliate of Quantum Utility Generation, LLC. The project’s scope includes supply and commissioning of the wind turbines and a five-year…
Nordex signs another 26 contracts for the N131/3000 turbine this year
In the first few weeks of the year, Nordex SE has been registering further growth in demand for the Generation Delta N131/3000 light-wind turbine. Customers from Finland and Germany have placed firm orders for a total of 26 units comprising in total 78-megawatt (MW) capacity of the latest Nordex product. Finnish asset management company Taaleritehdas…
Vestas receives 48 MW order in China
Vestas has secured an order for 24 V100-2.0 MW turbines in China, its third announced order in the country this year. The order has been placed by long-time Vestas customer CGN (Anxi) Wind Power Co. Ltd. CGN (Anxi) Wind Power currently has Vestas wind turbines totalling 960 MW installed in China.The CGN Fujian Anxi Longmen…
Hexion Inc. unveils bonding paste for longer, heavier wind turbine rotor blades
Hexion Inc., a supplier of epoxy resins, curing agents, and bonding pastes to wind turbine blade manufacturers around the world, introduces the EPIKOTE MGS Resin BP 535/EPIKURE MGS Curing Agent BPH 538 bonding system. This new bonding paste, developed specifically for today’s larger, high-performance rotor blades, combines outstanding strength and fatigue performance with the long…
Iowa State engineers study benefits of adding a second, smaller rotor to wind turbines
Hui Hu picked up a 3-D printed model of a typical wind turbine and began explaining two problems with the big, tall, three-bladed machines. First, said the Iowa State University professor of aerospace engineering, check out the base of each blade. They’re big, round structural pieces. They’re not shaped like an airfoil. And so they…
Small wind education helps consumers avoid mistakes
Editor’s Note: As posted on WINDExchange, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Program’s platform for disseminating credible information about wind energy, this release has been derived from audio from Mia Devine. Devine is the Northwest SEED Project Manager, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and empowering communities to develop their own solutions for conservation…
Greensolver launches blade inspection service
Greensolver, an independent wind and solar farm asset manager, recently launched its wind turbine blade inspection service, which provides developers, investors, and utilities a cost-effective way to rapidly assess and monitor the condition of their equipment. The launch of the service marks a milestone in the evolution of the operations and maintenance market and, for…
Eiffel Tower installs UGE wind turbines as part of monumental retrofit
In partnership with the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), UGE International Ltd., a leader in renewable energy solutions for business and government customers, has installed two onsite wind turbines at the Eiffel Tower. The project is part of a high-profile renovation and upgrade to the first floor of the monument. Located above the…
What’s community wind got over those mega farms?
Community wind refers to 100-kW to 100-MW projects owned in part by local community members, often land owners of the site. Though community wind represents only 4% of the overall wind market, it’s the fastest growing segment of the industry. The community-wind development model has several benefits over traditional absentee-owned mega farms. Landowners often have…
Cooling and controls let turbines generate more power
Grid Tie Inverter software uses proprietary algorithms to increase the range in which sustainable energy sources can deliver 60-Hz ac to the power grid. “We estimate an increase in efficiency of up to 25%,” says Energetic Drives’ CEO Ian Griffiths of the company’s algorithms. “For example, a traditional wind turbine generator has to be turning…
Korea manufactures turbines for remote mountain villages
Hanjin Ltd., a Korean manufacturer in the petrochemical industry and palletizing systems, has produced the HJWT1500, a MW-class wind turbine. The 1500/70 horizontal-axis turbine features a three-bladed upwind rotor with pitch power regulation and constant rotor speed, an asynchronous generator coupled directly to the grid, and an active yaw system. The 1500/77 upgrade has a…
Soft brake for turbines
Before engineers access a nacelle and hub for maintenance, the rotor must be stopped and secured in a particular position. Today, an electrohydraulic brake control can provide a soft stop to the required position. Then hydraulic controls can engage a rotor lock. Stopping a turbine by the drive train brake alone puts high torque on…