Archives August 2017

Archives

August 2017

ARTICLES

MARKET OUTLOOK: Continuing an American Success Story

Wind power to keep booming in the years ahead.

Over the past few years, wind, solar, and natural gas have made up nearly all new electric generating capacity in the U.S. And earlier this year, wind energy surpassed conventional hydropower to become the country’s largest renewable resource, with enough installed to power 25 million homes. But what about the years ahead? Will this American […]
Hannah Hunt

MARKET OUTLOOK: PTC Phase-out Spurs Unprecedented Growth

The 10-year outlook for the U.S. wind industry highlights yet another boom-and-bust cycle.

The global wind industry is no stranger to seizing opportunity as incentive schemes expire. In key markets, including China and Germany, installation totals ballooned in the months and years before subsidy expirations. The U.S. is no different, and the legislated phase-out of the Production Tax Credit, or PTC, will drive an unprecedented four-year installation total […]
Anthony Logan

MARKET OUTLOOK: Sooner, Not Later

Oklahoma’s wind industry has moved to third in the nation for installed energy, as well as surpassing its renewable energy goal two years ahead of schedule.

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain… Renowned composers Rodgers and Hammerstein are much better known for their iconic musical numbers than being energy prognosticators, but when their first collaboration, “Oklahoma!,” premiered on Broadway in 1943, no one could have foreseen their lyrics coincidentally giving a nod to the future of renewable energy […]
Kenneth Carter

MARKET OUTLOOK: Wind Boom to Continue

PTC and innovation expected to drive growth in wind market, O&M, and jobs.

The wind energy market boom is expected to continue in 2017 as the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) drives new wind-project development and boosts the already lively O&M market. In fact, the industry has seen so much growth that “wind-turbine technician” was the fastest growing job in the U.S. last year. The past year saw […]
Lisa Cohn

Lubrication Technologies for the Wind Farm

Finding the proper lubrication for wind turbines is essential for the best performance and longevity.

When wind turbines go down due to equipment failure or maintenance issues, the resulting unplanned shutdowns and time-consuming maintenance fixes can exact a heavy toll. When such incidents occur, wind farms must deal with exorbitant crane mobilization expenses, lost energy production, soaring costs per kilowatt-hour, and untimely delays in obtaining replacement parts in a burgeoning […]
Dayananda Raju

Foam Rings and Turbine Foundations

Foam rings are still used in the grout trough of a turbine foundation to prevent the grout from making contact with the anchor bolts.

When it comes to wind-turbine foundations, it seems appropriate to reflect on the traditional way foundations have been built and how their structural integrity can be improved and, at the same time, save money and enhance safety. One of the traditional ways foundations are built has been by using foam rings in the grout trough […]
Joe Bruce

NEWS

Wind industry likely to be unaffected by Harvey

By Kenneth Carter Hurricane Harvey may have been downgraded to a tropical storm, but it still is pummeling Texas’ Gulf Coast and dumping an unprecedented amount of rain on Houston and other cities in its path. As of Sunday, about 22 percent of the U.S.’s oil production had been “shut in,” according to the Bureau […]
August 29, 2017