Archives September 2013

Archives

September 2013

ARTICLES

Complete preparation goes a long way in preventing costly foundation failures

Complete preparation, including accounting for all factors prior to the pour, goes a long way in preventing costly foundation failures.

A recent report by GCube, a prominent renewable energy industry insurance provider, listed the top five categories of wind project insurance claims in 2012: blades, gearboxes, generators, transformers and foundations. Of these, average foundation claims were far higher than other claim types. An average claim for blade damage or failure was $240,000; average gearbox claims […]
Julian Bell

Schedule contracted maintenance tasks well in advance of your completion deadline

As more and more wind power plants come off of warranty, scheduling for specialty sub-contractors becomes an issue. Your approach scheduling services in the wind industry has a large effect on the success of your maintenance efforts. In the wind industry maintenance sector, “when, how, and who” really affects the bottom line of your profitability. […]
Jack Wallace

A case study surrounding the impact of Vortex Generators on wind turbine performance

Wind farm owners are constantly seeking new technology to help optimize and increase Annual Energy Production (AEP) and while Vortex Generators (VGs) have existed for some time, the latest technology and installation procedures have made VGs a popular topic in wind energy. UpWind Solutions, in partnership with SMART BLADE®, studied the design and installation of […]
Jean-Paul Cane

NEWS

Paldiski Onshore Wind Farm Officially Opened in Estonia

GE has announced the opening of the Paldiski Wind Farm on the Pakri peninsula in northwestern Estonia. With 18 GE 2.5-100 wind turbines, the Paldiski Wind Farm marks the commercial debut of the company’s wind turbine technology in Estonia, one of Europe’s most promising wind sectors. GE representatives were joined at the ceremony by officials […]
September 7, 2013

EWEA Offshore 2013 will Address Finance Concerns

Offshore wind in Europe has now reached a capacity of 6,040 MW, from 58 wind farms in the waters off ten countries. 1,045 of those MW were installed in the first six months of 2013 alone, when 277 new turbines came online. Across the Atlantic, offshore wind projects are still in their infancy, but a […]
September 7, 2013

AWEA Report: Wind Demand High Despite Late PTC Renewal

After coming to a standstill in the first half of 2013 due to Congressional delay in extending the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), activity in the U.S. wind industry is ramping back up as a strong wave of utilities sign up for more wind power, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s U.S. […]
September 7, 2013

GL Garrad Hassan Continues to Help Unlock New Capital for Offshore Wind

With the support of technical due diligence advice from GL Garrad Hassan, Sumitomo Corporation and its subsidiary Sumitomo Corporation Europe have agreed to invest significant amount of equity in two Belgian offshore projects. The Belwind 1 operational wind farm and Northwind project together account for 127 wind turbines and 381 MW of generating capacity with […]
September 7, 2013

Nordex’s First N117/2400 Wind Farm Installed in Finland

Nordex has installed its first N117/2400 wind farm in Finland, simultaneously passing an important milestone in this country. Comprising nine N117/2400 multi-megawatt turbines, the 21.6 MW Honkajoki wind farm has now been connected to the grid for Finnish wealth management company Taaleritehdas. Mounted on steel tube towers with a height of 120 metres, the turbines […]
September 7, 2013

Broadwind Reports Q2 2013 Results

Broadwind Energy, Inc. has reported sales of $51.4 million for the second quarter of 2013, a 9 percent decrease compared to $56.3 million in the second quarter of 2012. The decline reflected weaker activity in the Gearing and Services segments, partly offset by stronger revenue in the Towers and Weldments segment due in part to […]
September 7, 2013

Largest Federally-Owned Wind Farm Breaks Ground at U.S. Weapons Facility

Building on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, which calls for steady, responsible steps to reduce carbon pollution, the Energy Department today broke ground on the nation’s largest federally-owned wind project at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas. Once completed, this five-turbine 11.5 MW project will power more than 60 percent of the plant with clean, […]
September 7, 2013

Study Price of U.S. Wind Near an All-Time Low

Annual wind power additions in the United States achieved record levels in 2012, while wind energy pricing is near an all-time low, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Energy and prepared by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Roughly 13.1 GW of new wind power capacity were connected to the […]
September 7, 2013

PRODUCT SHOWCASE: Lightweight Dust Muzzle™ Works to Remove Fiberglass Dust During Maintenance

San Diego based-Dust Collection Products manufactures a complete line of dust collectors for the hand held tools used in the wind generator manufacturing trades. The most popular dust collector is the Dust Muzzle. It is an efficient, lightweight and affordable ($24.95) dust shroud that adapts to all electric and pneumatic right angle grinders. It is […]
September 7, 2013

PRODUCT SHOWCASE: New STAUFF Mini Water Vac Cleans Oil Continuously

The STAUFF Mini Water Vac purifies hydraulic system oil, eliminating water, gas, and particulate matter. The purified oil satisfies the most stringent quality requirements. The STAUFF Mini Water Vac dehydrates and cleans most types of oils such as lubricating, hydraulic, transformer, and switch oils while it neither removes nor alters oil additives. The water removal […]
September 7, 2013

PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PSI Repair Services Introduces Cost-Effective Replacement for Obsolete Inverters

PSI Repair Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries, introduced a new, cost-effective replacement today for obsolete Xantrex™ Matrix Inverters found in GE 1.5 MW S Series wind turbines. PSI’s replacement inverter is a form, fit, and function solution with advanced fault detection and higher efficiency parts than the OEM design. The drop-in replacement […]
September 7, 2013

PRODUCT SHOWCASE: Wind Turbine Bolting Tool Solutions from RAD Torque Systems

RAD® Torque Systems offers a fast, reliable and safe solution for the installation and removal of heavy-duty fasteners. All RAD torque guns have one thing in common; they use a patented planetary gear reduction technology which delivers one of the highest power-to-weight ratios of any controlled bolting system and never transmits working torque forces to […]
September 7, 2013