High-volume shredding of oversize turbine blades now possible
In the wind-power industry, when turbines are eventually decommissioned or wind farms upgraded in a process called repowering, wind-turbine blades must either be disposed...
Offshore Wind: The new gold rush
The offshore wind industry is gaining momentum thanks to ambitious environmental targets, competitive costs, and huge market potential. This renewable source of energy provides...
Elevating hub heights of offshore WTGs without elevating cost
Currently, the strength of a large direct drive wind turbine generator (DD/WTG) tower is achieved using various grades of steel that can affect the...
Safe continued operation of wind turbines
For design reasons, most wind-energy converters (WEC) have a design life of 20 years. At the end of this period, owners or managers can...
Providing predictive healthcare
The Brüel & Kjær Vibro (B&K Vibro) monitoring and diagnostic group plays a very special service role in the operation and maintenance of wind...
Wind powers through pandemic
2020 was not the year most people expected as the COVID-19 pandemic swept worldwide. However, it was a banner year for U.S. wind energy,...
Training a homegrown offshore wind workforce
Alan Glore’s decision to enroll in the business management program at the Centura College of Allied Health and Trades campus around the corner from...
Protecting turbines from high-frequency voltage
The generator within a wind turbine is capable of producing up to 5 MW of electricity. An unfortunate side effect of that is that...
Preventing lightning damage to turbines
Wind-turbine damage caused by lightning strikes seems unavoidable. After all, wind-turbine farms by their nature are located in a very active weather zones. But...
Using Lidar to reduce uncertainty in offshore wind development
Offshore wind development is gaining momentum around the globe. Expected to constitute more than 20 percent of total wind energy installations by 2025, offshore...
Powering Canada’s net-zero carbon future
Canada wants to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and it is pushing those goals with some interesting organizational changes.
And while 2050 may feel...
Winding down maintenance costs
It is no secret that the wind-turbine market is growing. Seen by many as the long-term answer to the future of power generation, the...
Wind: Largest Renewable Energy Source in the U.S.
The U.S. wind industry achieved two remarkable milestones in 2019 thanks to the ingenuity and hard work of the country’s wind-energy workforce. First, we...
Why women need to consider a career in renewables
Gender equality in the workplace is an increasingly pertinent issue. Across industries, there appears to be a continued imbalance with regards to the success...
New high-performance main bearing solutions for wind turbines
Today’s modern wind turbines can produce more than 7 MW of electrical power per unit — with offshore prototypes capable of achieving an output...
Improving the Service Life of Rotating Equipment
Wind turbines are typically designed to support a 20-year life cycle. Components are often subjected to extreme operating and climate conditions that can affect...
Challenges of Bolt Tensioning
If you are involved in wind-energy construction or operations and maintenance, you know that foundation anchor bolt tensioning requires careful attention to the equipment...
The Need for Remote Sensing
Autonomous vehicles. High-resolution maps. Weather forecasts. With advances propelling the technology forward over the past couple of decades, Lidar (light detection and ranging) has...
Concrete spar buoy made with new materials and formwork
More than 80 percent of the ocean resource potential is in deep water. That is ideal for floating offshore wind power. This power is...
Extending the Lifetime of Wind Turbines
Wind turbines have a planned service life of approximately 20 years. Nevertheless, it has been demonstrated that many turbines are able to operate beyond...
