September 2010
ARTICLES
Bolting applications, part 1
If you see to the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. Thatâ’s certainly true in bolting applications, as this a two-part series makes clear.
It is never a pretty sight to see a wind turbine collapse. Whether it is material fatigue, defective parts, or severe weather that play a role, the fall is likely to be its final act, sending 200 tons of technology crashing to complete destruction. The industry landscape is mottled with such catastrophic turbine failures in […]
Next-generation wind turbines will be smarter, more efficient, and more reliable than ever before
According to Wikipedia, innovation is a change in the thought process for doing something, or the useful application of new inventions or discoveries. It may refer to an incremental emergent or radical and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. Since the global acceptance of the utility-tied, three-bladed upwind configuration over 30 years ago […]
Achieving successful repowering projects
Successful repowering projects can only be achieved by considering the transportation and logistics challenges of removal and replacement of wind power structures.
Renewable energy is certainly living up to its name. To provide greater wind production and lower operational costs, wind farm “repowering” is emerging as a significant factor in an evolving wind power marketplace. Components at highly productive wind farm sites older than 10 years are candidates for upgrading, especially where small- and mid-sized turbines are […]
NEWS
CH2M HILL to Manage Tres Amigas SuperStation Construction
Tres Amigas, LLC, a merchant transmission company, and CH2M HILL—a global full-service consulting, design, construction, and operations firm—announce that CH2M HILL has received a contract to provide program management services for building the Tres Amigas SuperStation in Clovis, New Mexico. Once completed it will tie together America’s three power grids for the first time. Construction […]
September 3, 2010
Siemens Receives Major Order for Oklahoma Wind Farm
Siemens Energy has secured an order for the supply of 98 wind turbines for the Crossroads wind power plant in Oklahoma. The owner of the project is OG&E (Oklahoma Gas & Electric). Siemens will supply 95 units of the SWT-2.3-101 to the Crossroads project. Furthermore, the contract includes three units of the new SWT-3.0-101, Siemens’ […]
September 3, 2010
Smart Grid Spending to Top $45 Billion by 2015
Cumulative global investment in smart grids—including smart meter implementations, as well as upgrades to the transmission and distribution infrastructure—will approach $46 billion by 2015 according to the latest forecasts from ABI Research. A smart grid is an energy generation, transmission, and distribution system equipped with an advanced two-way communications system that allows for greater visibility, […]
September 3, 2010
GroundSmart Products from CommScope
CommScope introduces GroundSmart grounding products into its BiMetals family of wire and cable solutions. These products help reduce the costs of managing and maintaining electricity transmission and distribution networks by deterring theft and vandalism. CommScope’s use of copper-clad steel in its GroundSmart products provides a safe, highly reliable alternative to the use of solid and […]
September 3, 2010
OnSite Software Upgrade from WindLogics
WindLogics has released OnSite 3.1, a software upgrade to its existing data management system. The OnSite system enables wind energy developers and operators to remotely monitor their met towers and maximize the value of their wind measurement investment. The upgrade provides enhanced functionality in response to customer feedback, including the dynamic generation of wind roses […]
September 3, 2010
Timken Wins Wind Energy Contract
The Timken Company has received a contract worth $26 million to supply wind turbine products and services to China’s Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Company, one of the world’s top five wind power equipment manufacturers. In 2009 Goldwind received new wind power capacity orders for about 2,722 megawatts, accounting for approximately 19.7 percent of the […]
September 3, 2010
New Version of WINDNavigator from AWS Truepower
AWS Truepower, LLC, announces a new version of its industry-leading wind prospecting and resource analysis application. windNavigator® 2.2 sets a new industry benchmark for on-demand high resolution wind data and allows wind project developers to expedite all aspects of project design and assessment. windNavigator 2.2 supports wind project siting, resource assessment, and now project design […]
September 3, 2010
Final Phase of Biglow Canyon Wind Farm Online
Portland General Electric Company announces the first turbines assembled for Phase 3 of its Biglow Canyon Wind Farm have begun generating electricity and supplying power to the Pacific Northwest’s electricity grid. Twenty-four turbines are currently generating power, with all 76 turbines in Phase 3 expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter […]
September 3, 2010
WindPower Innovations Launches Energetic Drives
WindPower Innovations, Inc., announces that its wholly owned subsidiary Energetic Drives, LLC, has been unveiled as its “innovation division.” According to John E. Myers, president of WindPower Innovations, “We welcome president and CEO of Energetic Drives, Ian K. Griffiths, to our management team. With background spanning multiple disciplines, Mr. Griffiths and his team of engineers […]
September 3, 2010
GE and SynapSense Expand Relationship
SynapSense Corporation, whose technology improves energy efficiency and cuts power and cooling costs in data centers, is deepening its relationship with GE by securing an investment and commercial partnership as part of a focus on digital energy services, the Smart Grid, and ecomagination. GE Energy Financial Services is joining SynapSense’s investors Emerald Technology Ventures, Sequoia […]
September 3, 2010
Offshore Inductive Inverter Components from SMP
SMP’s chokes for inverters in wind turbines are now also approved for use in offshore installations. These inductive components feature low losses, very low stray fields, and a highly compact design. The chokes’ cores consist of powder composites, which SMP has specifically engineered for this application. The direct current from the wind turbines must be […]
September 3, 2010
