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Archives December 2013

Archives

December 2013

ARTICLES

A New Foundation?

Five ways to address the challenges facing future wind power construction and sustainability in the U.S. market.

Being part of the United States wind industry is challenging right now. For contractors to manufacturers, to developers, and every sector of the supply chain in-between, it’s challenging. The boom-and-bust cycles created by the lack of consistency in the United States market for renewable energy and the uncertainty surrounding the passage of the Production Tax […]
Julian Bell

Building Responsibly

Developer First Wind approaches clean energy generation by focusing on environmental and ecological impacts in the design and construction of wind farms.

Wind energy is both clean and renewable and it helps offset two of the most damaging impacts of conventional electricity generation—air pollution and natural resource depletion. For example, a traditional fossil-fuel plant of the same scale as the recently completed Sheffield Wind project in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom would burn 61,000 tons of coal or about […]
Josh Bagnato

High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Transmission Super Highway Benefits to the Plains and Southeast

Assessing two proposed HVDC transmission projects seeking to solve high energy demands in the South.

The South is the new frontier for the wind industry. As the rest of the country struggles with a lack of electricity demand growth, the South is expected to continue its robust growth demand in addition to retiring up to 30 gigawatts of coal-fired power plant capacity (Brattle Group 2012). In addition to developing in-region […]
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NEWS

Terex and Phoenix Crane Raise Awareness and Funds for Breast Cancer Research with Pink Crane

A new Terex T 340-1 Hydraulic Truck Crane recently completed its journey from Waverly, Iowa, to Atlanta, Georgia, sporting a fresh new pink paint job, donated by Terex Cranes. In addition to lifting material to help with the construction and renovation of structures, this new Terex crane will raise awareness and provide fundraising opportunities  to […]
December 10, 2013

E.ON Climate & Renewables to Install GE’s PowerUp Platform

GE has announced E.ON Climate & Renewables’ (EC&R) contract for GE’s PowerUp turbine platform. PowerUp is a customized software-enabled platform that increases a wind farm’s output by up to 5 percent. EC&R will enhance 469 of its GE 1.5-77 wind turbines with the PowerUp platform. The PowerUp offering agreement between EC&R and GE is an […]
December 10, 2013

MidAmerican Energy Begins Iowa’s Largest Wind Expansion

MidAmerican Energy Company announced additional details about the largest wind expansion in Iowa’s history. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to develop up to 1,050MW of additional wind generation in Iowa by the end of 2015. Construction activity is now underway at each of the five project sites, and MidAmerican Energy has released information […]
December 10, 2013

BayWa Taps Signal Energy for 20mw Wind Farm Project in New Mexico

Signal Energy Constructors, a major design/build general contractor providing engineering, procurement and construction services to the North American renewable energy industry, was recently awarded a full design/build contract from BayWa r.e. Wind LLC for the Brahms 20MW wind farm. The project is currently under construction and is scheduled for completion before the end of the […]
December 10, 2013

EDF to Acquire Longhorn Wind Project from RES Americas

EDF Renewable Energy announced it has reached an agreement with Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas) to acquire the 200MW Longhorn Wind Project in Texas. Construction is expected to commence later this year in order to qualify the project for the Production Tax Credit (PTC). The project encompasses approximately 14,000 acres in Floyd and […]
December 10, 2013

Clemson Dedicates Drivetrain Testing and Grid Simulator Facility

The Energy Systems Innovation Center—the world’s largest wind turbine drivetrain testing facility and the first-of-its-kind smart grid simulator—opened in November. The 82,264-square-foot, $98 million facility, which includes $53M of private and state contributions, stretches across 6.3 acres strategically located at the Clemson University Restoration Institute’s (CURI) campus at the former U.S. Naval Base in North […]
December 10, 2013

REpower Systems Rebranding as Senvion Beginning in 2014

REpower Systems SE, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Suzlon Group—the world’s fifth-largest manufacturer of wind turbines—will change its name in 2014; thereafter the company will be called Senvion. REpower has been using its name under license since 2001. The rights belong to a Swiss company that is now using this name itself. Therefore the […]
December 10, 2013

EPA Expands Lists of U.S. Organizations Using Most Green Power

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released updated lists of the top Green Power Partnership (GPP) organizations choosing to use clean, renewable electricity. For the first time, the national list expanded from the Top 50 to the Top 100 Partners using green power. In another move, several of the sector-specific lists expanded from Top […]
December 10, 2013

Nordex on Track to Achieve 2013 Financial Goals

In the first three quarters of this year, the Nordex Group posted a 47 percent increase in sales to approximately $1.4 billion. This growth was underpinned by business in the core EMEA market (Europe plus South Africa), where Nordex generated 91 percent of its sales. Business in the Americas and Asia accounted for six and […]
December 10, 2013

Consumers Energy Breaks Ground on Cross Winds Energy Park

Consumers Energy, its contractors, Tuscola County-area landowners and local government officials held a groundbreaking event in November to officially start construction of the company’s second wind park, the Cross Winds Energy Park. “Renewable energy will continue to be a vital part of our Balanced Energy Initiative, providing Michigan residents with the energy they need, whenever […]
December 10, 2013

National Wind Technology Center Debuts a Dynamic 5MW Dynamometer

As wind turbine capacity continues to grow, so does the need to test the electrical and mechanical power-producing components of those turbines. Currently, only a few test facilities worldwide have the capability to test wind turbine drivetrains with capacity ratings up to 5MW— and the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) at the National Renewable Energy […]
December 10, 2013

Nate Issues Third Edition of Fall Protection Training Standard

The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has announced that the third edition of the NATE Tower Climber Fall Protection Training Standard (NATE CTS) is now available. The NATE CTS was last revised in 2008 and the new edition includes updated references to the ANSI Z359 Fall Protection Code and Z490.1 Criteria for Accepted Practices […]
December 10, 2013

GE Stimulates Wind Energy Growth in the UK

As wind energy continues to be deployed throughout the United Kingdom, GE announced it is providing two new wind farms in central England with more than 40MW of installed capacity. GE has supplied the Chelveston Wind Farm with nine GE 2.85MW wind turbines and will also deliver nine GE 1.6MW wind turbines to the Burton […]
December 10, 2013

Siemens: Offshore Wind on its Way to Cost Reduction

Greater output, less weight, improved production and installation processes. Siemens intends to apply these approaches to reduce the costs of offshore wind power in the coming years. The company is presented its new 4MW and 6MW wind turbines at the EWEA Offshore Trade fair in Frankfurt/Main, Germany in November. At the conference accompanying the trade […]
December 10, 2013

Popular Science Recognizes GE with ‘Best of What’s New’ Honor

Popular Science magazine has recognized GE’s 2.5-120 brilliant wind turbine with its 2013 “Best of What’s New” award in the “Green” category. Announced in January, the 2.5-120 is GE’s first brilliant turbine, which harnesses the power of the Industrial Internet to analyze tens of thousands of data points every second, providing short-term predictable power and […]
December 10, 2013

EWEA CEO: Binding 2030 Target would Boost Economy

Offshore wind energy is a “no-regrets” option for green growth, job creation and de-carbonization, ministers and delegates heard at the opening session of EWEA OFFSHORE 2013 in Frankfurt. But the energy projects coming online today will run for 30 years, so to ensure the right choices are made, a binding renewables target for 2030 needs […]
December 10, 2013

Financiers Able to Invest EUR123 Billion ($165 Billion) in Offshore Wind

The offshore wind energy sector needs up to EUR123 billion ($165 billion) in investment between now and 2020 if it is to meet its target of 40GW of installed capacity, and the financial community is able to invest this amount, new research shows. What’s blocking the investment is the uncertainty caused by changing regulatory frameworks, […]
December 10, 2013

PRODUCT SHOWCASE: Windrush Introduces the Shipman Anchor Bolt Cleaning Tools

Cleaning the anchor bolts on a wind turbine tower for the purpose of re-tensioning and/or coating with a non-corrosive coating can be accomplished a number of ways. One of the most efficient and effective  methods used to clean rust from the anchor bolts is by using the Shipman Anchor Bolt cleaning tools. Towers often vary  […]
December 10, 2013

PRODUCT SHOWCASE: Larson Electronics Introduces LED Work Light

For more than 40 years, Larson Electronics has supplied the industrial and commercial sectors with the latest in high-grade lighting technology and offers a host of lighting solutions ideal for wind farm projects. As professionals in the wind industry ramp up their efforts and increase productivity, they are finding illumination to play a larger and […]
December 10, 2013

PRODUCT SHOWCASE: New Shaft Grounding Assembly Protects Again Premature Bearing Failure

Helwig Carbon has announced the launch of a new line of shaft grounding systems to protect motors from bearing failure, a major cause of motor downtime. The stock kits fit most motors and various shaft sizes. They are easy to install, maintain, and work effectively in contaminated environments. Helwig’s grounding assemblies divert static and induced […]
December 10, 2013

PRODUCT SHOWCASE: Cleco Debuts Lighter, More Powerful, and More Durable Grinders

Cleco Tools, a business unit of Apex Tool Group, LLC, has  announced the new Heritage Series of material removal products. The new 216, 236, and 25 Series Grinders utilize the latest in advanced alloy materials and improved motor technologies to deliver industrial grinders that offer increased durability and power, yet are lighter and more capable […]
December 10, 2013