Monday, May 25, 2026
Facebook Linkedin RSS Twitter
Home June 2014

June 2014

CanWEA to Ontario PC Party: Reconsider Wind

admin
-
0
CanWEA to Ontario PC Party: Reconsider Wind

The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) recently urged the Ontario PC Party to reassess its energy policy platform, and to acknowledge that affordable energy for Ontario should include wind energy—a clean, renewable and cost-competitive source of electricity supply.

 “Independent analyses by the energy consulting firm Power Advisory LLC show that wind energy was responsible for only 5 percent of the increase in electricity bills between 2009 and 2012. The bulk of rising electricity prices comes from expensive upgrades to decades-old power plants and transmission systems,” said CanWEA President Robert Hornung. “The PC Party is mistaken when claiming renewable sources like wind energy are the key driver of rising electricity bills.”

Hornung added that the PC Party is confusing facts and logic by declaring wind energy is subsidized. “Wind energy can provide electricity more cheaply than new nuclear power and is cost-competitive with new hydro developments,” he says. “Wind energy developers absorb almost all of the upfront costs in developing their projects, which means no front-end or long-term risks to taxpayers and ratepayers. New wind-driven electricity is being secured through long-term, pre-set contracts that contribute to price certainty and to keeping Ontario electricity rates stable and competitive across North America.”

Wind energy projects continue to see falling costs as new turbine technology boosts output, and economies of scale reduce production and supply costs. Requiring no fuel costs to maintain the flow of electricity, wind energy is not subject to variable market pricing for fuel supplies bought outside Ontario.

Wind energy companies have spent over $5 billion since 2009 to develop Ontario’s wind energy industry. Every megawatt of new wind energy represents an investment of approximately $2 million; a large portion of which is spent in the local community. Largely through these efforts, wind energy today has supported new manufacturing facilities and new jobs for graduates—and now meets over 3 percent of the province’s electricity demand, doubling over the past four years to 5.2 terawatt hours, about what 550,000 average homes use each year.

Any energy platform should be more in step with how modern electricity systems are evolving around the world, Mr. Hornung adds. “Progressive governments are seeing how wind energy reduces carbon emissions, improve grid reliability, and leads to more predictable and stable electricity prices.”

Turbine Orders

admin
-
0
Turbine Orders

GE announces 3.9 GW of U.S. orders since ’13 PTC renewal

Manufacturer will add 2.8 GW to its U.S. installation tally by the end of 2015, credits advanced technologies and capabilities of latest turbine portfolio

GE announced a cumulative 3.9 GW of firm and unconditional wind turbine supply orders in the United States since January 1, 2013, the date of the Production Tax Credit extension. Of these orders, 1.1 GW of GE technology was placed into service in 2013. The remaining 2.8 GW will be commissioned or begin construction by the end of 2015.

GE has expanded its customer base to include developers such as Sumitomo and Starwood Energy, which both will be installing 200 MW projects using GE’s 1.7-100 wind turbines. Mesquite Creek Wind, jointly developed by Sumitomo and BNB Renewable Energy, is based near Lamesa, Texas, and Starwood Energy’s Stephen Ranch wind farm is located in Borden and Lynn counties, Texas. The 1.7-100 was introduced in 2013 and is part of the GE’s brilliant platform.

“We feel confident that, with our strong backlog of orders, we are strongly positioned for 2014 and 2015,” said Anne McEntee, president and CEO of GE’s renewable energy business. “As we continue to expand our brilliant wind product line, our customers are seeing efficiencies and capabilities greater than ever before in the wind industry. Through these advancements in technology, combined with strong execution and operations expertise, GE is continuing our commitment to our customers’ success and investment in the future of renewable energy.”

New GE 2.2-107 to debut in Brazil
Today, GE also announced the expansion of its brilliant wind platform to include the 2.2-107 wind turbine. The 2.2-107 provides a 12 percent increase in capacity factor and a 33 percent increase in power output.

Omega Energia in the Piaui region of Brazil, was the first developer to order the 2.2-10. Omega Energia selected the 2.2-107 in the A-5 Brazil energy auction in December.

The 2.2-107 machine is the latest in GE’s “brilliant” wind turbine lineup. The turbine is an evolution of GE’s 1.5-megawatt series of turbines and is well suited for Brazil’s Class II wind regime. As part of the contract, GE will provide the operations and maintenance on the 32 turbines for 10 years.

In 2013, 4.7 GW of wind were contracted in Brazil through the Brazil Energy Auction system, and GE secured contracts for more than 1 GW. GE also announced the installation of its 500th wind turbine in Brazil in September.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
 

Gamesa secures two Chinese orders totaling 148 MW

General Nuclear Power Group, for the supply of 50 G97-2.0 MW wind turbines at the Yangchajie wind complex located in the province of Yunnan, in southeast China. Fulfilment of this order is slated for the last quarter of 2014. In addition, Gamesa and CGN have agreed the potential supply another 100 MW during a second phase of this project in the course of 2015.

Gamesa has also signed an agreement to supply 24 G90-2.0 MW turbines to Fujian Energy for a wind farm built in Dahanshan of Fujian Province, in China.

Gamesa operates both as a turbine manufacturer and wind farm developer in China, where it has installed more than 3,500 MW and maintains 880 MW.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
 

Suzlon Group orders total 370 MW globally in Q4

Suzlon Group has signed contracts for 370 MW during the Q4 of FY 2013-14, adding to an already strong pipeline of orders globally in 2014. The company will be supplying these turbines for new wind farms in Germany, UK, India, Belgium, and elsewhere in Europe.
 

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
 

Gamesa to supply 100 MW to Greenko in India

Gamesa has signed an agreement for the supply of 100 MW to Indian wind power developer and operator Greenko. This order falls under the umbrella of the 300 MW framework agreement reached in 2013, under which orders for 250 MW for installation at various wind complexes have already materialized.

As well as supplying and installing 50 of Gamesa’s G97-2.0 MW turbines, the agreement contemplates the provision of the related operation and maintenance services for an initial five-year period.

The turbines will be installed in several wind farms being developed in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan, which are slated for commissioning in two phases: September 2014 and March 2015.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
 

New GE 2.2-107 to debut in Brazil

Today, GE also announced the expansion of its brilliant wind platform to include the 2.2-107 wind turbine. The 2.2-107 provides a 12 percent increase in capacity factor and a 33 percent increase in power output.

Omega Energia in the Piaui region of Brazil, was the first developer to order the 2.2-10. Omega Energia selected the 2.2-107 in the A-5 Brazil energy auction in December.

The 2.2-107 machine is the latest in GE’s “brilliant” wind turbine lineup. The turbine is an evolution of GE’s 1.5-megawatt series of turbines and is well suited for Brazil’s Class II wind regime. As part of the contract, GE will provide the operations and maintenance on the 32 turbines for 10 years.

In 2013, 4.7 GW of wind were contracted in Brazil through the Brazil Energy Auction system, and GE secured contracts for more than 1 GW. GE also announced the installation of its 500th wind turbine in Brazil in September.
 

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
 

Gamesa wins 144 MW supply contract in Brazil

Gamesa has signed a contract for the supply of 144 MW of its turbines to Eolicas do Sul, a subsidiary of the Río Bravo Investimentos y Eletrosul investment fund.

Under the terms of the contract, Gamesa will supply, transport, install, and commission 72 G97-2.0 MW turbines at six wind farms in the Chui complex being developed in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. The company will also perform the required civil engineering work and provide the facility’s O&M services for 15 years. Turbine delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of this year, with a commissioning date expected in the first quarter of 2015.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
 

Vestas lands 148 MW order from First Wind

Vestas recently received an order for 48 V112-3.0 MW turbines for the 148-MW Oakfield project in the state of Maine. The order is a call-off on the master supply agreement announced in December 2013 for multiple U.S. projects—the potential of which totals 718 MW. With today’s order, Vestas has secured 298 MW under this MSA.  

The V112-3.0 MW turbines—for which Vestas has already received almost 6 GW of orders—will be supplied for this project. The project will also include a 10-year service agreement.

Deliveries for the Oakfield project will take place in the second quarter of 2015, with commissioning expected by the fourth quarter of 2015.

Additionally, Vestas recently reported it has received an order for 39 V110-2.0 MW turbines for an undisclosed 78 MW project in North America.

Deliveries for the project will take place in the 3rd quarter of 2016, with commissioning expected by the 4th quarter of 2016.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
 

Senvion contracted for 27 turbines in France

Senvion SE, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Suzlon Group, concluded four contracts with ENERTRAG, one of the major renewable energy suppliers in Europe, for supply and installation of 27 wind turbines with a total rated output of 54.45 MW for four wind farms in France. Senvion will provide the full maintenance of the wind farms for 15 years.

Renneville wind farm, located in Champagne-Ardenne, is currently under construction. Nine Senvion MM92 2.05 MW turbines will be installed for this wind farm. Senvion will also supply 18 MM100 2 MW turbines for three wind farms in Chaourse, Anguilcourt, and La Ville-aux–Bois-lès-Dizy, located in Picardy region. The installation of Chaourse wind farm is planned for the end of this year.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


Siemens tapped for Iowa project

The Carroll wind power plant, located in western Iowa near the city of Carroll, has chosen Siemens to supply nine 2.3-MW geared wind turbines. The customer is Carroll Area Wind Farm LLC, a company of NJR Clean Energy Ventures. Installation of the Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines is scheduled to begin in October, and commissioning is expected in early 2015.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


Vestas receives order for repowering project in Germany

Vestas recently announced a firm and unconditional order from KGE Windpark Schipkau Nord GmbH & Co. KG. Vestas’ long-term customer Ventotec has developed this repowering project.

The wind power plant will be repowered in Brandenburg and is one of the largest repowering projects in Germany. Turbine delivery is planned to begin in the second half of this year with commissioning expected completed in the first quarter of 2015.

The contract includes supply, installation and commissioning of the 19 V112-3.3 MW turbines, along with a VestasOnline Business SCADA solution and a 15-year full-scope service agreement (AOM 4000).

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


Siemens selected for largest Dutch offshore project

The Gemini consortium recently selected Siemens to supply the largest-ever project financed offshore wind farm. For the Gemini project, Siemens will deliver 150 wind turbines with a capacity of 4 MW and a rotor diameter of 130 meters each.

The wind power plant is to be located in the North Sea, 85 km above the coast of Groningen. With an installed capacity of 600 MW in total Gemini will yield 2.6 TWh of electricity per year. The wind power plant will supply clean energy for one and a half million people after being fully commissioned.

For Siemens, this is the first order for an offshore wind power plant in Dutch waters. The innovative service concept banks on the ongoing presence of a service vessel and the steady ground readiness of a helicopter.
Siemens’ 15-year service and maintenance agreement for the Gemini project is the largest service order ever for Siemens Energy Service. It will introduce a highly advanced logistics concept for offshore sites.

Financial Services contributed to securing the Siemens bid by participating in the Gemini consortium via an equity investment. The multi-source financing model used in the project can help meet the increased capital investment required to finance the next stage in the offshore wind market’s development.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
 

Siemens to supply Ontario’s largest wind farm

Siemens Energy recently announced a major wind turbine and service order in Canada. Along with the South Kent Wind Farm in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, the 270-MW K2 Wind Ontario (K2 Wind) Project will be among the largest wind power plants in Canada. It is located in Goderich in southwestern Ontario and will feature 140 units of the Siemens SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines. The project owners are Samsung Renewable Energy Inc. (Samsung), Capital Power LP and Pattern Energy Group LP (Pattern Development). The transaction includes a long-term service and maintenance agreement.
 

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


New GE 2.2-107 to debut in Brazil

Today, GE also announced the expansion of its brilliant wind platform to include the 2.2-107 wind turbine. The 2.2-107 provides a 12 percent increase in capacity factor and a 33 percent increase in power output.
Omega Energia in the Piaui region of Brazil, was the first developer to order the 2.2-10. Omega Energia selected the 2.2-107 in the A-5 Brazil energy auction in December.

The 2.2-107 machine is the latest in GE’s “brilliant” wind turbine lineup. The turbine is an evolution of GE’s 1.5-megawatt series of turbines and is well suited for Brazil’s Class II wind regime. As part of the contract, GE will provide the operations and maintenance on the 32 turbines for 10 years.

In 2013, 4.7 GW of wind were contracted in Brazil through the Brazil Energy Auction system, and GE secured contracts for more than 1 GW. GE also announced the installation of its 500th wind turbine in Brazil in September.

NREL Hosts Race to Zero-Energy Homes

David Glickson
-
0
NREL Hosts Race to Zero-Energy Homes

The campus of the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) sprang to life on a late April weekend as 28 teams of university students and building industry experts converged at the lab for the Challenge Home Student Design Competition.

During the inaugural competition, funded by the Energy Department’s Building Technologies Office, teams of students presented their zero-energy-ready home design and construction plans to juries of national experts including the leading high-performance builders in the industry, building science professionals, and researchers.

“Buildings are critically important when it comes to reducing U.S. energy use, as they represent more than 70 percent of our electricity consumption and about 40 percent of our carbon emissions,” said NREL Center Director for Buildings and Thermal Systems Chuck Kutscher. “How we build in the future will determine how successful we are at addressing climate change. NREL is very pleased to host and support this design competition because it is a way for students to learn the techniques and strategies that will be necessary to make sure that the buildings of the future get designed and built properly.”

Preparing the sustainable building leaders of the future
The Challenge Home Student Design Competition aims to inspire the next generation of architects, engineers, and construction managers to be able to design and construct zero-energy-ready homes that are affordable and market ready. Each team included students and their faculty advisors. Teams were encouraged to be multidisciplinary in makeup and to work as closely as possible with industry professionals to help inform their decision-making process. Figure 1

On the Energy.gov blog, Chief Architect for the Building Technologies Office Sam Rashkin noted: “Each year, thousands of college and university students major in construction-related fields, including architecture, engineering, and construction management. These students enter into a competitive workforce that is increasingly demanding advanced knowledge and skills essential to delivering high-performance homes and buildings.

“The Challenge Home Student Design Competition will provide students with the skills and experience to start careers in clean energy and make them leaders in the movement to create truly sustainable homes.”

Student teams were asked to develop cost-effective designs that mainstream homebuilders can start using and homebuyers can start buying today.

“As an engineer in this field, I only wish that there had been a program like this available to me when I was a student,” said NREL Residential Buildings Research and Outreach Coordinator Cheryn Metzger. “The team concept has them working on a project, with different disciplines collaborating just as they will in the real world, all while working closely with experienced industry partners to help guide them through the process. The experience and knowledge gained by these students through their participation is priceless.”

Figure 2

And the winners are…

Figure 3

The team design presentations were followed by intense deliberation by the jurors. The industry experts judging the competition then presented two Grand Awards to the best overall designs.

The first award was given to the Montage Builders Northern Forest team. Montage Builders was a collaborative effort of students from three Syracuse, New York, area schools: Onondaga Community College, SUNY College of Environmental Science, and Syracuse University.

Figure 4

The Montage team developed an adaptable and accessible craftsman-style single-family detached home that embodied responsible development. The team demonstrated leadership in the sustainable redevelopment of a community in Syracuse by presenting an affordable design based on the median family household income for the area.

“We had an amazing experience participating in this competition,” said team member Michelle Tinner, a graduate student in Sustainable Construction Management at SUNY College of Environmental Science. “It was a unique collaboration, building a team with diverse backgrounds from three different schools. But it was that diversity of experience and perspective that was the key to our success.”

The Urban Harvest team from Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, was presented with the second Grand Award. The team developed a high-performance single-family attached townhome design that would fit well in any urban environment. The team addressed every aspect of the design requirements and integrated all systems artfully and effectively.

Figure 5

The Urban Harvest design was also recently selected to be a part of the Denver Super-Efficient Housing Challenge, and boasts a 90 percent reduction in annual energy consumption compared to an average Colorado residence. The design—along with homes by four other Challenge Home Student Design Competition teams—is slated to be constructed at the Denver Sustainability Park in Denver’s Curtis Park neighborhood in late 2014.

“The opportunity to do this design in a real-world environment, on a building that is likely to actually be built, was an invaluable experience for us,” said team member Antonio Cunha, a graduate student in Ryerson’s Department of Architectural Science. “In academia, most projects stay in the conceptual realm and never progress beyond a poster or a model. This process required us to apply what we have learned in the classroom with a much more realistic approach where we had to consider the same challenges and implications that we will use throughout our careers.”

In addition to the two Grand Awards, the judges presented 12 subject area awards as well as technical awards recognizing teams for best design solution, best technical integration, best production home adaptation, and best presentation.

More Than Just a Competition
A critical goal of the Challenge Home Student Design Competition is to facilitate the creation of a strong future workforce that can support the development of, and demand for, zero-energy-ready homes. To that end, students were provided with an opportunity to hear from industry thought leaders who presented their visions for the future of sustainable housing along with a series of technical presentations critical to advancing the students’ knowledge of high-performance home design, engineering, and construction.

Figure 6

“This is the future of our industry,” said Gene Myers, CEO of New Town Builders, a Denver-based builder of energy-efficient homes who served as a juror for the competition and also presented to the students. “It is important that we make this effort to develop a qualified workforce for the building industry. We need to nurture students who choose to engage in this topic, support the institutions that have made that possible, and encourage others to follow suit. A program such as this one is a great step in that direction.”

The full attention and engaged participation of the students throughout the program indicated that their thirst for more knowledge continued even after having completed their designs and presentations.

“We may end up knowing more than our future employers do about green building design as a result of going through this process and the information we are receiving,” said participant Martha Merzig, a graduate student in Integrated Design and Construction at Auburn University. “It’s an exciting thing to be equipped with that knowledge at such an early stage in our careers, and I have high hopes for what we are going to be able to do with it going forward into the future.”

A Perfect Setting
The student teams had the opportunity to present their concepts for zero-energy-ready homes inside the award-winning LEED Platinum and net-zero-energy Research Support Facility on NREL’s sustainable campus. And they were supported by the world-class staff from NREL’s buildings research teams who have dedicated their careers to energy-efficient and zero-energy buildings. This synergy provided an ideal backdrop for the competition, one that provided inspiration and motivation to the students and staff alike.

Figure 7

“Our campus is a showcase for the right way to build buildings, and there’s no other place where we could have held this competition and have the students be as engaged as they have been here,” said Metzger. “They’ve gotten to see this type of design in action, and their interest is piqued even further by that opportunity. They are truly excited to have the chance to be here.”

Figure 8

While developing and preparing their designs, the student teams regularly used research published by the laboratory as well as NREL-developed tools. This connection further demonstrated the synergistic relationship between the work of the students in this competition and the buildings research being done at NREL.

“We’ve got huge energy challenges in front of us, and it is a great opportunity to be able to engage directly with the next generation who will be tasked with helping us to innovate the future solutions to those challenges,” said NREL Senior Engineer for Residential Buildings Dane Christensen. “Hosting this event gave us the chance to show off the work that we are doing here, work that we are very proud of, and it also gave us an opportunity to hear from the students and see the very talented work that they are doing. It was very exciting to be able to witness their passion, dedication, and skill firsthand.”

12Page 2 of 2

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

Popular Columns

© 2018 Media Solutions inc. All rights reserved