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While disruptions and delays kept the U.S. wind market from meeting expectations, 2021 still neared records as federal and state leaders helped offshore wind to finally take off.

In 2021, disruptions from COVID-19 affected wind markets around the world. Increasing commodity prices and the meteoric rise in freight costs pressured manufacturing margins and weighed heavily on project economics. Further, supply-chain disruptions delayed projects worldwide but had an acute impact in the U.S., India, and Taiwan. In the U.S., wind-capacity installations were down compared […]

New wind farms 50 to 100 miles offshore will be supported by either semi-submersible or spar-buoy floating foundations. These foundations and towers, supporting the wind-turbine generator’s nacelle and blades, incorporate new construction methods and materials resulting in lifespans measured in millennia rather than decades or centuries.

Offshore wind farms are at the heart of the world’s new environmentally sustainable floating infrastructures. Their efficient energy output will attract other new floating industries looking for offshore real estate, including desalination and water storage, hydrogen production and storage, liquid-air manufacturing and storage, data-center computing, storage, cooling, and much more. The long-term success of these […]

Understanding and managing the weather is the key to safe and successful offshore wind projects.

Offshore wind development is booming. Following a significant surge in demand for renewable energy and a growing wind-energy market, developers increasingly shift to offshore locations to capture stronger and faster winds. Several European countries already leverage the powerful offshore winds of the North Sea; China connected close to 17 GW of offshore wind capacity to […]

New offshore wind-farm technologies can ensure that helicopter crews get to and from a site safely.

Helicopters are an integral part of offshore wind operations. Whether transporting crew members, moving equipment, conducting rescue operations, aiding with turbine maintenance, or conducting inspections, helicopters have numerous applications that support a strong investment in efficiency, productivity, and safety. Without the right intelligence, changing weather can be a costly factor. In fact, just one helicopter […]

Massachusetts Maritime Academy partners with Building Pathways South to introduce offshore wind to pre-apprentice participants.

With the passing of the historic infrastructure bill in August 2021, the backbone of the United States will undergo a transformation over the next several years. Workers will be needed in all facets of the construction industry, and Building Pathways South (BPS), a pre-apprenticeship program in Southeastern Massachusetts, is preparing young men and women for […]

When looking for a wind-turbine site, it’s important to make sure environmental factors such as noise are considered.

This article focuses on the ecological noise problem and economical aspects justifying wind turbine installations. The environmental issue such as physical limits, noise levels, tower-design constraints, disturbances of local ecological system, effects on radio communications and television signals, zoning restrictions, and impacts on bird life must be studied in detail prior to the selection of […]

This article displays in detail the main stages needed to develop, manufacture, and install a Lenz vertical axis wind turbine.

Due to the current technological evolution trend, the use of renewable energies seems to be the best suited solution for environmental protection against pollution. This article aims to present the methodology used for the manufacturing and assembling processes of a drag-based, vertical-axis wind turbine, the steps for both processes being addressed broadly. The manufactured vertical-axis […]

Internal wind-turbine blade inspection using an innovative drone technology can cut inspection time in half, allowing 40 percent more of the blade to be inspected.

Ørsted A/S (formerly DONG Energy) is a Danish multinational power company based in Fredericia, Denmark. It is the largest energy company in the country, and a global leader in promoting practices that are friendly to the environment and designed to help reduce climate change. Ørsted has investments in a variety of green energy solutions, including: […]

The key to unlocking the potential of existing and new wind assets is to connect the dots and ensure turbines are sharing and acting on crucial data streams to operate for the benefit of the entire wind farm.

The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables is fully underway. Concerted action by industry leaders and investors is set to rapidly accelerate renewable energy growth. Although momentum is gaining, new approaches to asset optimization are needed to make best use of the influx of capital into projects. DNV’s “Energy Transition Outlook 2021” forecasts that […]

While new wind-farm construction is vital for the transition to sustainable energy, the maintenance and upgrade of existing facilities will play an increasingly important role in renewable energy delivery.

2020 proved to be a pivotal year for the global wind industry, as it recorded its best 12 months with the installation of more than 93 GW of wind power. In Europe specifically, 14.7 GW of new wind capacity was reported; 80 percent of which was installed onshore. Wind turbines typically require preventative maintenance checks […]

It’s important that operator-owners take fire risk assessments seriously in the global wind industry.

The aftermaths of most fires are difficult to contend with. Whether in the home, the workplace, in vehicles, or industrial machinery, when a fire is allowed to take hold, there can be overwhelming financial, legal, and life-threatening implications. It is no different when a wind turbine catches fire — and the impact is felt on […]

A new approach for a short-term wind speed model could optimize the design of offshore wind turbines.

Wind turbines in clean-energy production are like giant pinwheels that convert wind energy into electricity. Some of the strongest and most constant winds are those found offshore, feeding the need for floating wind farms and further research to advance renewable energy technology and methodology. Dr. Shu Dai, a doctoral graduate from the Department of Ocean […]

It’s important to tackle turbine downtime and lost energy to counter wind resource volatility.

Critics of wind energy waste no time reminding us that wind farms only generate power when the wind blows. Of course, it is not possible to control the weather, and wind-asset owners understand this. But with advanced digital tools that enable new operations and maintenance (O&M) strategies, owners and operators are increasingly taking back control […]

As the wind industry embraces the importance of Industry 4.0, it becomes more important that the available tools are capable of communicating across multiple platforms.

The next phase in the Industrial Revolution is here: Industry 4.0. Following on the heels of the last great revolution in industry — the introduction of computing and automation into the manufacturing processes — the concept of Industry 4.0 focuses heavily on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data. “Industry 4.0 is a big move,” […]