Managing Editor Amy Stankiewicz
I’m excited — and honored — to be able to introduce myself as the new managing editor for Windpower Engineering & Development magazine.
As a trade journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering news and trends in a wide range of industries, I’m entering the renewable energy sector with a great deal of interest in how wind power can continue to improve our environment and economy.
I’ve written for business, education, and the performing arts and have a particular interest in manufacturing engineering. It was inspiring to track the software and hardware advances that continually push the design engineering and manufacturing sectors forward when I was editor in chief of the computer-aided design magazine, Cadalyst.
A recent example of innovation in manufacturing engineering involves a rapid prototyping technology that offers much faster build speeds for production-quality parts. Carbon’s Continuous Liquid Interface Production enables design engineers to build physical parts from 3D models with a high degree of accuracy. The process may soon advance wind-turbine production as evidenced by Sandia’s recent unveiling of turbine blades fabricated from a 3-D printed mold.
Other advances in wind energy are also impressive, such as the design of ever-more powerful wind turbines.
MHI Vestas’ 9.5-MW offshore wind turbine will be tested at Clemson University’s wind turbine-testing facility at the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center. The turbine is the world’s largest and most powerful to date. It is slated to be part of the 224-MW Northwester 2 project, a collaboration between Parkwind and Vestas that will include 23 turbines.
GE Renewable Energy is also hard at work on its Haliade-X offshore wind turbine. Featuring a 12-MW direct-drive generator and a gross capacity factor of 63%, the Haliade-X reportedly will produce 45% more energy than any other offshore turbine available today. GE says it plans to invest more than $400 million over the next three to five years in development and deployment of the Haliade-X.
I’m looking forward to learning about the advances in wind energy and welcome your input and suggestions for coverage in Windpower Engineering & Development. Contact me at astankiewicz@wtwhmedia.com.
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