January 2024

IPS, a North American solution provider for electromechanical equipment, rotating equipment, and power management systems, has acquired Wind Solutions LLC. The company, based in Sanford, North Carolina, specializes in repair upgrades, accessory components, and patent-protected yaw system components. Wind Solutions works with owner-operators and utilities across North America.

The acquisition strengthens IPS innovations in utility-scale renewable-energy power generation with in-house design, engineering, and modeling. Wind Solutions has built its business with innovation, intellectual property, and speed to market.

“We’re proud to join IPS and its North American network,” said CJ Winslow, Wind Solutions founder and president. “Our engineering and product development will strengthen IPS single-source capabilities for wind power and open new markets for our innovations.”

“IPS is excited to welcome CJ Winslow, Brad Baldwin, and their colleagues at Wind Solutions to IPS,” said John Zuleger, IPS President and CEO. “Wind Solutions has leveraged a strong intellectual property platform and a focus on wind customer needs to improve wind-turbine efficiency and reliability. This team brings valuable engineering and state-of-the-art technical talent that will help us build our service offering to wind customers across North America.”

Headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, IPS has service centers, distribution centers, and field service offices across North America, combining industry-specific experience with engineering resources.

More info www.ips.us

Gazelle Wind Power, the developer of a next generation floating offshore wind platform, has appointed clean-energy finance industry expert Álvaro Ortega as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Ortega is the former vice president of finance at Avangrid Inc., a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange and the U.S. subsidiary of global energy leader Iberdrola.

“Finding someone with a track record like Álvaro’s is rare. Due to his financial expertise and passion for renewable energy, his joining the team is a home run for Gazelle as we enter an exciting phase in our company’s development,” said Gazelle CEO and founder Jon Salazar. “As the financier of one of the first commercial-scale offshore wind projects in the U.S., his impressive resume and commitment to clean-energy development make him ideal for this position.”

As VP of finance at Avangrid, Ortega managed investor relations and treasury for the company, which has an approximate $12.1 billion market capitalization. Before that, Ortega served as CFO of Vineyard Wind, where he played a central role in achieving the financial close and commencement of construction for the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States, the 800-MW Vineyard Wind 1.

“There were several factors that drew me to Gazelle, the first being Jon’s passion and the world-class Gazelle team,” Ortega said. “Moreover, I believe the company is positioned to lead the industry because its technology excels under the most extreme conditions while utilizing fewer resources and less steel compared to its counterparts.”

Additionally, it offers a simpler assembly process and maintenance, which further enables the competitiveness and acceleration of offshore floating wind. This aligns with what the future of this industry demands.” Ortega has an MBA from Babson University, renowned for its entrepreneurship education. He holds a bachelor of science in Economics from the University of the Basque Country and a Certificate in Financing and Deploying Clean Energy from Yale University. Ortega will lead all financial aspects of Gazelle’s business as the company focuses on demonstrating its next generation design through a pilot plant in Agucadoura, with renewable energy developer WAM Horizon.

“In offshore development, the focus should not solely be on manufacturing the technology but also on making it affordable, especially during challenging times when supply chain costs have risen,” Ortega said.

More info www.gazellewindpower.com

The Oceantic Network, the leading organization working to advance offshore wind and other ocean renewable industries and their supply chains, celebrates the announcement by Eversource and Ørsted that its South Fork Wind project has delivered electricity to the New York grid.

This marks the first commercial-scale offshore wind project to deliver power to the U.S. grid and is set to power more than 70,000 homes once completed.

“Offshore wind electricity is flowing through New York power lines as a result of more than a decade of work to bring offshore wind online in the U.S.,” said Liz Burdock, founder and CEO of Oceantic Network. “The industry as a whole should be proud of the work done by many to get us where we are today – providing clean, renewable offshore wind energy at scale to communities and homes.

The Network applauds Eversource and Ørsted’s efforts to develop this project, which now serves as a proof point for offshore wind’s viability and benefits. We also congratulate the Long Island Power Authority, New York State Energy Research & Development Agency, and the countless community members, advocates, labor unions, and government officials, who have worked tirelessly to make this project a reality.”

More info southforkwind.com | oceantic.org