Canada’s premier clean energy conference and exhibition is heading to Calgary, Alberta. Happening Oct. 23-25 at the BMO Centre, Electricity Transformation Canada (ETC) will feature an educational program and more than 100 exhibitors. Registration and housing for ETC 2023 is now open.

ETC 2023 will showcase progress, policies, and success stories on the pathway to net-zero, aiming to inspire attendees. This platform is the ideal place for renewable-energy and energy-storage leaders to network, collaborate and move the industry forward, showcasing technology solutions from distributors, engineers, investors, installers, and manufacturers.

Electricity Transformation Canada (ETC) is developed by the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), which represents the voice of wind energy, solar energy, and energy storage in Canada, in partnership with the Italian German Exhibition Group – one of the world’s largest and most active event organizers—and RE+ Events, a global event management organization with a focus on the clean energy industry. These entities support a shared vision of innovation and collaboration in Canada’s renewable energy and energy storage industries, as the key to future success and prosperity.

“We are looking forward to bringing ETC to Calgary this year, with a program that presents innovations in wind energy, solar energy and energy storage, looking even more broadly to the full transformation of the electricity sector in Canada,” said Vittoria Bellissimo, CanREA’s President and CEO.

In addition to the exhibition, ETC will host educational sessions and discussions with industry experts, government officials, and stakeholders. These sessions will delve into the technologies, policies, and investments that have driven Canada’s renewable energy success and future.

“There has never been a more exciting time to help expand the clean energy industry throughout Canada,” said Stephen Miner, President and CEO, RE+ Events. “Our goal with Electricity Transformation Canada is to support the renewable companies that strengthen the Canadian clean energy market and partnering with CanREA creates a powerful platform.”

MORE INFO  electricitytransformation.ca

Canada’s premier clean-energy conference and exhibition is heading to Calgary, Alberta. Happening October 23-25 at the BMO Centre, Electricity Transformation Canada (ETC) will feature a value-packed educational program and more than 100 exhibitors, making it the largest ETC yet.

ETC 2023 will showcase progress, policies, and success stories on the pathway to net-zero, aiming to inspire attendees. This platform is the ideal place for renewable-energy and energy-storage leaders to network, collaborate, and move the industry forward, showcasing technology solutions from distributors, engineers, investors, installers, and manufacturers.

Electricity Transformation Canada (ETC) is developed by the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), which represents the voice of wind energy, solar energy, and energy storage in Canada, in partnership with the Italian German Exhibition Group — one of the world’s largest and most active event organizers — and RE+ Events, a global event management organization with a focus on the clean-energy industry. These entities support a shared vision of innovation and collaboration in Canada’s renewable-energy and energy-storage industries, as the key to future success and prosperity.

“We are looking forward to bringing ETC to Calgary this year, with a program that presents innovations in wind energy, solar energy and energy storage, looking even more broadly to the full transformation of the electricity sector in Canada,” said Vittoria Bellissimo, CanREA’s president and CEO.

In addition to the exhibition, ETC will host informative educational sessions and engaging discussions with industry experts, government officials, and stakeholders. These sessions will delve into the innovative technologies, policies, and investments that have driven Canada’s renewable energy success and future.

“There has never been a more exciting time to help expand the clean energy industry throughout Canada,” said Stephen Miner, president and CEO, RE+ Events. “Our goal with Electricity Transformation Canada is to support the renewable companies that strengthen the Canadian clean energy market and partnering with CanREA creates a powerful platform.”

ETC invites all attendees to learn more about Canada’s renewable energy future. Get ready to gather resources, reports, and materials that offer comprehensive insights into the clean energy industry, as well as to enjoy extensive networking opportunities for collaboration and partnerships.

The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) is the voice for wind-energy, solar-energy, and energy-storage solutions that will power Canada’s energy future. Its diverse members are uniquely positioned to deliver clean, low-cost, reliable, flexible, and scalable solutions.

MORE INFO  electricitytransformation.ca

Global Wind Service, a leading provider of wind turbine installation and service, has announced the appointment of new Chief Operating Officer Nina H. Jensen, effective August 1.

Jensen will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of Global Wind Service and driving the company’s strategic growth initiatives within operation. She has a background in mechanical engineering supplemented with further education within business management. With more than two decades of experience in the oil and gas sector, she has a deep understanding of complex operational environments and a proven track record in managing large-scale projects. 14 years of her career has been within operations outside of Denmark in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and most recently in Italy.

Her expertise in optimizing processes, ensuring operational efficiency, and delivering exceptional results will be instrumental in advancing GWS’s commitment to providing wind turbine installation and service solutions with highest focus on safety, quality, and efficiency.

“I am very excited to join Global Wind Service and step into the renewables field. I look very much forward to continue the development of GWS’s operations and become part of their incredible team. They have an amazing team spirit and energy which fits perfectly to me both on a professional and personal level,” Jensen said.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nina to our executive team,” said Michael Høj Olsen, CEO of Global Wind Service. “I am confident that Nina’s knowledge and leadership experience from oil and gas will greatly benefit our organization as we continue to expand our presence in the renewable energy market. Of course, oil and gas and wind are two very different things, but many things, processes and ways of thinking about operations, safety and more most certainly resemble one another in many ways.”

The appointment of Nina H. Jensen reflects Global Wind Service’s commitment to attracting top talent with diverse backgrounds and industry expertise. By leveraging her experience, the company aims to drive innovation, operational excellence, and superior customer service across all areas of its business.

More info: www.globalwindservice.com/

The wood technology company Modvion is building a 105-meter wind turbine tower made of wood, the tallest of its kind, in Sweden. The tower will be the company’s first commercial installation and is being built for the energy company Varberg Energi, in the municipality of Skara in Sweden.

 “This is the start of a new green industry. By using Nordic raw materials and Swedish technology, we can enable climate-neutral wind power for a growing global market,” said Otto Lundman, Modvion CEO.

A 2-megawatt turbine will be mounted on the tower, produced by Vestas, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer, a shareholder in Modvion since 2021. Including the blades, the total height of the wind turbine will be 150 meters. This is the first time that Modvion’s tower technology will be paired with a turbine from Vestas. The wind turbine tower is planned to be in operation before the end of 2023.

The last wooden modules – made from laminated veneer lumber (LVL) – are being manufactured in Modvion’s factory in Gothenburg, which was inaugurated last year. The modules are assembled four by four at the construction site into seven sections that will make up the finished tower. Work on site began earlier this year with the laying of the foundation and now modules are transported to site where section assembly has begun.

“We’re excited to see this project become a reality. We will support Modvion’s strategy to scale up and work with them to deliver wooden towers as an offering to the growing wind turbine market,” said Todd O’Neill, CEO at Vestas Ventures.

The tower is the component that usually emits the most carbon. By switching to a wooden tower, carbon emissions are reduced dramatically during manufacturing while the material itself stores carbon. The result is a carbon negative component, storing more CO2 than is emitted during production.

The laminated wood that the modules are made from has a better strength-to-weight ratio than the types of steel used for wind turbine towers, enabling lighter towers. The patented modular design allows for simple transportation on standard roads, without the need for lengthy permit procedures. The technology enables cost-effective and tall towers compared to traditional steel towers.

“Wood enables building higher towers at a lower cost, which makes wind power more efficient since winds are stronger and more stable higher up. That gives you more electricity from each permit to build wind turbines,” said Otto Lundman.

More Info: www.modvion.com

Pemamek Ltd., a provider of welding and production automation solutions, has launched a line of milling machinery designed to meet the specific needs of the wind energy sector. It offers advanced solutions for longitudinal, circumferential, and edge beveling processes and the milling solutions are also suitable for the process industry, including pressure vessel manufacturing.

One of the advancements is the high-tech Direct Drive spindle technology that Pemamek has incorporated into the system together with the German KESSLER. The servo-driven and backlash-free technology offers less vibration and more lifetime for milling inserts. Furthermore, as in each PEMA welding and production automation solution, the efficient control system and real-time process feedback have become standard features.

“Several years ago, the advantages of direct drive machining technology were already demonstrated through initial machining operations using KESSLER’s torque motor technology. I am proud to have been involved in this journey, and I am thrilled to introduce the machinery featuring a torque motor, spindle shaft, bearings, and sensors, all integrated within the same compact and modular spindle unit, developed in collaboration with Pemamek and Kessler,” said Esko Lätti, Pemamek product manager.

With the new milling technology, Pemamek continues to lead the industry in providing state-of-the-art solutions for heavy-duty applications. By combining precision, efficiency, and reliability, Pemamek remains committed to driving progress in the heavy manufacturing industry.

More info: www.pemamek.com

Floating wind technology developer X1 Wind secured the Innovation Award at the prestigious Premios Eolo 2023, led by the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE).

AEE has more than 300 member companies representing more than 90% of the market. The Premios Eolo Awards established in 2008 recognizes contributions to promote and share the benefits that wind energy generates in society.

Its Innovation Award forms a central part of AEE and REOLTEC’s (Wind Energy Sector Technology Platform) action line, supporting innovation and development that drives international competition, market globalization, and cost optimization.

The recent ceremony was held at the Congreso Eólico Español in Madrid and attended by industry leaders, dignitaries, and politicians including Teresa Ribera, the third vice-president of Spain and minister for ecological transition and demographic challenge.

X1 Wind secured the accolade for its role leading the PivotBuoy Project, whose floating platform (X30) became the world’s first fully functional TLP (Tension-Leg Platform) floating wind platform and Spain’s first floating wind prototype to export electricity via a subsea cable.

The project focused on demonstrating the PivotBuoy mooring system configuration that combined the advantages of a SPM (single point mooring) with a small TLP mooring system. This allows the platform to reach deeper waters minimizing the footprint and impact on the seabed. Additional features of the platform include the lightweight and stable floater, which can be wet-towed by local vessels, simplifying and accelerating the installation process.

Maria Verges, X1 Wind systems engineering manager, who received the award, said the project not only validated a new structural and mooring configuration but also demonstrated its potential to significantly reduce costs within the floating wind industry.

“We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from AEE and REOLTEC on behalf of the entire X1 Wind team and the PivotBuoy Consortium, together with our extensive supply chain,” she said. “Thanks to the X1 Wind team for their commitment and dedication, which allowed the project to become a reality. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the European Commission and Spanish government for their support. Together, we have delivered a landmark project for Spain’s floating wind sector, raising the bar and demonstrating the best of Spanish innovation and engineering capabilities. The data collected during the X30 prototype’s operation, including self-alignment, stability, and production, yielded excellent results. These findings have provided crucial insights and are now being incorporated into our ongoing commercial-scale projects.”

As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced it would initiate the environmental review of a proposed 2,430-megawatt wind energy project offshore Massachusetts.

BOEM will publish a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) submitted by Beacon Wind, LLC. This is the 11th offshore wind energy COP review initiated under the Biden-Harris administration.

“BOEM is advancing the administration’s ambitious energy goals while remaining diligent in our efforts to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to ocean users and the marine environment,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “As part of our environmental review process, we seek input from Tribes, our government partners, the fishing community, and other ocean users to inform our next steps.”

The lease area is about 17 nautical miles south of Nantucket, Mass., and about 52 nm east of Montauk, NY. If approved, the development and construction phases of the Beacon Wind project could support up to an estimated 6,491 jobs.

Highlights from Beacon Wind’s proposal include:

Construction and operation of two wind energy facilities (Beacon Wind 1 and Beacon Wind 2) offshore Massachusetts with a total capacity of at least 2,430 megawatts of clean, renewable wind energy, which could power over 850,000 homes each year.  Installation of up to 155 turbines, up to two offshore substation platforms, and up to two offshore export cables, which are planned to make landfall in Astoria, New York, and Waterford, Conn.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department has approved the nation’s first two commercial scale offshore wind projects, held three offshore wind lease auctions – including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and the first-ever sale offshore the Pacific Coast in California, initiated environmental review of 10 offshore wind projects, and advanced the process to explore additional wind energy areas in Oregon, Gulf of Maine and Central Atlantic. BOEM has also taken steps to evolve its approach to offshore wind to drive toward union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain.

During the 30-day public comment period, BOEM will hold two virtual and two in-person public meetings for the Beacon Wind EIS on July 13, 2023 at 11 a.m. and July 26, 2023 at 11 a.m. (both Eastern time).

More info: www.boem.gov

Emerson, a global software and engineering leader, is helping process manufacturers improve performance and sustainability by breaking down the data silos that make it difficult to digitally transform their reliability and maintenance strategies.

AMS Device Manager Data Server securely extends intelligent field device data to outside systems to make it easier for reliability and maintenance teams to further capitalize on modern advanced analytics software, providing a step change in operational efficiency and smart manufacturing.

For decades, process manufacturers have relied on asset management software to carefully deploy and monitor plant production assets — such as measurement and analytical instrumentation, digital valve controllers, wireless gateways, and others — both within a single plant and across the enterprise. As plants have evolved, they’ve grown their technology stack to adopt a wide range of analytics, historians, machine learning, and advanced modeling to exploit and benefit from historically underused or inaccessible datasets from around the plant. AMS Device Manager Data Server publishes intelligent field device data nearly instantaneously to industrial software analytics solutions already in use by customers, eliminating the need for complex custom data integration and manual workarounds that often cause delayed results and siloed data. This data is relayed via secure industry protocols.

“To accelerate sustainability and profitability, today’s manufacturers are transforming via analytics — seeking to aggregate disparate, underused data, and further exploit it for positive business impact around the organization,” said Erik Lindhjem, vice president of Emerson’s reliability solutions business. “AMS Device Manager Data Server makes intelligent field device information such as configuration parameters, alerts, calibration data, and others available in near real-time for advanced use in other software and applications our customers already use.”

AMS Device Manager Data Server makes it easy to import critical instrument and valve data into common dashboarding tools and applications such as Microsoft PowerBI and Emerson software tools such as the Plantweb™ Optics platform, Plantweb Insight, Aspen MTell® and AspenTech Inmation™, plant historians, and others.

MORE INFO  emerson.com

Specialist Marine Consultants (SMC) has been awarded a contract from RWE’s Sofia Offshore Wind Farm to deliver offshore resources and services for the duration of the project’s offshore construction, commencing in 2023.

The turnkey package of works includes a range of services, such as an above-water offshore balance of plant works that includes statutory inspection and general maintenance of the TP, marine coordination resourcing, delivery of vessel inspections, project PPE management, specialist offshore construction resourcing, project consultancy support, and all associated project management.

“We are extremely proud to win the Sofia construction services contract. It is a major achievement for the company and testament to the entire SMC team who work onshore and offshore. SMC, following on from the success of the Triton Knoll project, where SMC undertook similar works on behalf of RWE, have taken great care to ensure we continued to develop our offering and to cement our position as a ‘best in class’ supplier of our respective services,” said Ian Coates, SMC managing director.

“Our recent achievements in this area, with solutions delivered to a range of clients globally, have allowed SMC to build and retain a strong team of specialists, focusing on local content and personnel development, something we know to have been a key priority for Sofia,” Coates said.

Rob McLauchlin, Sofia’s general site manager (offshore), said he is pleased to have a respected and experienced service provider join the Sofia team as it nears its next key phase of activity, offshore construction.

The 1,400MW Sofia offshore wind farm is located 195 km from the UK’s coast on Dogger Bank in the central North Sea and is one of the largest single offshore wind farms in the world, as well as one of the farthest from shore. It will comprise 100 14MW turbines across a 593 square-kilometer site, which is roughly the same size as the Isle of Man.

MORE INFO  www.sofiawindfarm.com

Frank Macchiarola will join The American Clean Power Association (ACP) as the organization’s Chief Policy Officer.

Macchiarola now serves as Senior Vice President of Policy, Economics and Regulatory Affairs at the American Petroleum Institute. In his new role at ACP, he will lead a policy team working to develop the regulatory and legislative framework necessary to efficiently deploy the full suite of advanced clean energy technologies. Macchiarola starts his new role at ACP on June 20, 2023.

Macchiarola joins an executive team that includes Chief Advocacy Officer JC Sandberg; Chief Communications Officer and Sr. Counselor to the CEO Rosanna Maietta; and Chief Strategy Officer Jason Clark.

“The clean energy sector is at a pivotal moment, and growing our team to embrace the opportunities before us will ensure this industry has the bench strength in place in order to match the moment. Frank is uniquely qualified to understand the speed and scale we need to move the organization forward and will partner with our dynamic team to make that happen. I have no doubt that together, we will bring both sides of the aisle, and different constituencies and communities, together to meet our common goal, which is an America powered by clean, domestic energy,” said Jason Grumet, ACP’s Chief Executive Officer.

“The energy industry is going through a generational change; an entire sector of the global economy is being transformed. I have spent my career working on energy policy and I am eager to get to work to advance ACP’s commitment to secure, affordable and clean domestic energy. I am excited to join the team at ACP and be a part of the next phase of the American energy revolution,” said Macchiarola.

MORE INFO  https://cleanpower.org/

Brüel & Kjær Vibro (B&K Vibro), one of the leading worldwide independent suppliers of condition monitoring solutions for rotating machinery, has named Ingo Anders as its new CEO.

Anders, who will be based at B&K Vibro’s headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, will lead the global organization in growth and operational management. With more than 25 years of experience in service operations, Anders most recently served as Vice President of Operations in the vacuum technique business unit, at Atlas Copco. He previously spent 14 years as the Head of Service Operations at Schaeffler.

“I am looking forward to collaborating with our expert team to strengthen our customer relationships and expand B&K Vibro’s reach into many industries, including oil and gas, renewables, pulp & paper and steel. Our company aims to make doing business into the field of condition monitoring and machine protection as ‘easy as a click,’” Anders said.

B&K Vibro delivers actionable insights that help its customers to fix faults faster. This is made possible by harnessing the company’s expertise in remote monitoring and by implementing value-added monitoring solutions, such as DDAU III for wind turbines, and VCM-3 for the industrial field monitoring market. These offerings have expanded with the launch of BKV Beyond, a new platform that extends condition monitoring from edge to enterprise.

“We will make Asset health management easy for our customers through a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and human expertise. Our flagship system, SETPOINT^®, is powered by AVEVA™ PI System™ to provide plant-wide, on-premise applications. Our new BKV Beyond platform leverages innovative technology to provide our customers with trusted actionable insights, rigorously verified by our team of monitoring experts. By harnessing the power of AI, our solution rapidly evaluates various data streams to identify potential issues before they escalate into significant problems. Plus, with our centralized approach, our customers can access these benefits anytime, anywhere. With these products and more, we are focused on pushing the limits of conventional condition monitoring solutions and increasing the value delivered for our customers,” said Anders.

MORE INFO  https://www.bkvibro.com/

The Salamander offshore wind joint venture is holding consultations allowing people to speak with the project team. The consultations will also be available virtually on the Salamander website until Friday, June 23.

Salamander is a joint venture between Ørsted, Simply Blue Group, and Subsea7 that will support the local supply chain and create jobs.

Salamander, to be developed 35 km off the coast of Peterhead, will generate enough green energy to power 100,000 Scottish homes. The joint venture aims to begin construction in 2026.

“We’re holding these consultation events so that local residents can learn more about this innovative development taking place on their doorsteps and be proud to be part of it. We also want to hear any ideas or concerns from the community so that we can take these into account at an early stage,” said Huw Bell, Salamander project director.

“Salamander presents an exciting opportunity for the Scottish energy sector and will serve a crucial role in the progression towards our decarbonization goals,” Bell said.

The project is a stepping-stone to the large-scale floating offshore wind projects coming to Scotland in the near future. It has been designed to give Scottish companies the opportunity to roll out new technologies at a smaller-scale, as they prepare to expand their operations. This means local companies will be best placed to compete for contracts and create sustainable, long-term jobs.

Salamander will also help deliver the Scottish government’s target of 11GW of offshore wind by 2030 and the UK government’s target of 5GW of operational floating offshore wind by the same date.

The virtual and in-person public exhibitions will give the public an opportunity to complete a feedback form where comments and questions on the proposal, as well as any requests for further information, can be submitted directly to the project team.

MORE INFO  www.salamanderfloatingwind.com  

Rope Partner, the premier provider of rope access and blade services for wind turbines, has acquired Gladiators Cleaning, an industrial cleaning company. The acquisition will allow Rope Partner to expand its offering to include cost effective and low environmental impact cleaning solutions for internal and external towers as well as nacelles and blades.

Rope Partner has been serving the wind power industry since 2001 and has experience in at-height maintenance, inspection and performance enhancing aftermarket  services that require specialized access approaches. The company’s extensive experience has helped clients across the globe with blade repair and improvements, tower mechanical and inspection scopes, reducing down time and maximizing output.

“Since partnering with Gladiators in 2019, our clients have capitalized on our offering of internal and external tower cleanings, including blades and nacelles with much success. Acquiring Gladiators furthers our ability to better amortize technician mobilizations and reduce standby by offering the ability to complete more work scopes in a single site visit. We are very focused on being the ‘Tip of the Spear,’ bringing new products and services to our customers and this patented solution is yet another value add that we will offer our customers,” said Eric Stanfield, CEO of Rope Partner.

“I have very high confidence in our combined value given our previous work history with Rope Partner. Their operational prowess and relationships matched with our technology and experience has resulted in further refinement of our offering across many successful projects. We are very enthusiastic about this new venture as one company,” said Broque Fraughton, owner of Gladiators Cleaning Services.

The acquisition of Gladiators, the leader in wind turbine power-washing, will help keep cleaning projects on schedule no matter how dirty the wind turbine. This patented cleaning tool uses citrus-based cleaners and microbes to eliminate hydrocarbons, along with extensive wastewater removal measures.

MORE INFO  https://www.ropepartner.com/

ONYX Insight recently launched a revolutionary new condition monitoring system, ecoCMS Flex, which will allow operators to upgrade their legacy CMS (conditioning monitoring services) systems affordably with rapid plug-in technology.

The leading provider of condition monitoring solutions’ new system will modernize older systems in an innovative, cost effective, and easy to install manner.

With legacy systems often using aging approaches to capturing data, or lacking the technology to recognize potential threats, ecoCMS Flex is designed specifically as an upgrade for legacy CMS systems. Operators can now upgrade existing legacy systems and reuse existing sensors and cables in the most efficient and cost-effective way

As ecoCMS Flex is compatible with any IEPE sensor, installation can be extremely quick when compared with a full CMS system installation, with the replacement system taking about one to two hours to install, depending on CMS types. As a result, ecoCMS Flex comes at a much lower cost to fleet managers as they no longer need to carry out a full overhaul of their aging systems, just the original CMS unit.

“We encounter many legacy and aging systems that are problematic for wind-fleet operators who are often put off by the cost of replacing their current CMS,” said Dr. John Coultate, VP – Advanced Sensing, ONYX Insight. “As a result, they are left with old systems, which are lagging behind when it comes to providing the necessary insights needed to optimize their operations and maintenance strategies; ecoCMS Flex turns this on its head with a cost effective, simple to install tool, which will significantly upgrade an operator’s CMS, and crucially, provide them with a far greater level of analysis with detailed and wide-ranging data insights into the health of their fleets.”

As a global provider of preventative maintenance solutions, ONYX uses advanced sensing technology and data analytics to support wind-farm operators to optimize their fleets by empowering them to identify potential faults and plan maintenance much more effectively.

“ecoCMS Flex solves critical flaws that many of the legacy CMS systems in the marketplace have,” said Henry Tanner, product manager, ONYX Insight. “This new upgrade provides more reliable software and IT systems, which bring all of the wind-turbine CMS data into one platform, allowing ONYX to assess and analyze the data and suggest actions where needed. Simply, our new product can identify when and where maintenance for turbines is needed more effectively than older systems can, and this allows fleet managers to make informed decisions when organizing their maintenance strategies.”

Configured with optimized sampling parameters, ecoCMS Flex improves fault detection with radically more advanced software than legacy systems, as well as having the capability to bring all CMS data into one platform with ongoing product support and data analysis provided by ONYX.

With ecoCMS Flex offering a rapid plug-and-play installation, it unlocks broader end-to-end predictive maintenance solutions for fleet managers while being a cost-effective solution to upgrading legacy systems across turbine fleets.

MORE IFNO  onyxinsight.com

ONYX Insight has secured a grant that will supercharge the adoption of blade sensing technologies for the wind industry in a bid to reduce downtime for wind operators across their turbine fleets.

The Nottingham-based company has been awarded the funding by the UK’s Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP), part of the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

 The funding will support a project over the next 18 months that will see ONYX Insight expand its predictive maintenance solutions from the drivetrain into the blades. The project will build on the success of ONYX’s wind turbine drivetrain condition monitoring product, ecoCMS

“The funding from OWGP provides us with a welcome grant to accelerate the development of advanced sensing for the blades,” said Bruce Hall, ONYX Insight CEO.

“It also acknowledges the work we have been doing to develop holistic approaches to CMS that provide ever more detailed and wide-ranging data insights for our customers,” Cox said.

As a provider of condition monitoring services (CMS) to the wind industry, ONYX Insight uses advanced sensing technology and data analytics to support wind farm operators in identifying potential faults and planning maintenance. The company collects data directly from more than 14,000 turbines across 30 countries.

“Identifying when and where maintenance for wind blades is needed has been traditionally difficult for the industry, with operators often having to rely on drone technology, manual maintenance by technicians, or having to act once a fault occurs,” said Henry Tanner, ONYX Insight product manager.

“Blade failures can incur expensive blade repairs and replacements, result in secondary damage to the wind turbine structure, not to mention huge safety implications for the industry. Predictive maintenance allows operators to tackle progressive blade faults sooner at a relatively low cost. The grant will enable us to continue our to develop holistic approaches to CMS that provide ever more detailed and wide ranging data insights for our customers,” Tanner said. 

Catastrophic blade failure in onshore settings can cost upwards of £300,000 in materials, equipment, labor, and unscheduled downtime, and can be much higher in an offshore setting. However, if this same fault is predicted and remedied when it is less severe, repairs can be significantly less.

It is anticipated that the adoption of blade monitoring technologies will increase over the coming years, delivering significant financial and time savings for wind operators, with blade failure being one of the leading contributors to offshore and onshore asset downtime after gearbox faults.

OWGP funding is provided to projects that focus on the commercialization of technologies, products and services that will either support offshore wind decarbonization or improve the reliability of offshore wind developments. 

MORE INFO  https://onyxinsight.com/  

Codling Wind Park is establishing a dedicated €500,000 Fisheries Fund to benefit the fishing industry operating within and around the Codling Bank area of the Irish Sea. The fund will have a €100,000 annual budget to support different initiatives for the next five years.

The fund will support opportunities for both inshore and offshore fishing by fishers associated with the Codling Wind Park. Fishers are being asked to bring forward their own ideas about how the fund should be used. The project’s Fishing Engagement Manager meets regularly with local fishers and will discuss the terms of reference and progress proposals for the fund directly with them.

Codling Wind Park also confirmed it will consider other ideas to support fishers including helping establish a lobster hatchery.  The lobster hatchery would involve raising and releasing young lobsters back into the Irish Sea to increase fishing opportunities in the area. The project is engaging with fishers on this proposal, which would support a sustainable and productive fishery in the area.

Codling Wind Park has also published a Fisheries Charter or code of practice that will guide its engagement with fishers and its care of marine life on the Codling Bank. The Fisheries Charter, which will be the first code of its type between an offshore wind developer and fishers in Ireland, commits Codling Wind Park to sustainable development practices and responsible stewardship of the waters and seabed on the Codling Bank.

“The purpose of this fund is to support initiatives that could be of benefit to fishing communities, rather than benefitting one individual fisher over another. For example, adding value to a fishery, improving port infrastructure, improving safety, or exploring innovation and fishery diversification,” said Scott Sutherland, co-project director of Codling Wind Park.

“We want to hear from the fishers about what they think this fund should be used for,” said Sutherland.

“We are making a commitment to the fishers who use Codling Bank that we want to help them build a sustainable future. We have been engaging with fishers for a long time now on a wide variety of issues. One of the key benefits of this engagement is that we have been able to share with each other our different perspectives and see how the development can and will co-exist with the fishery. We are also very proud to be the first developer in Ireland to publish a Fisheries Charter which commits the project to engaging fairly with fishers, to boosting marine biodiversity and to developing sustainable fishing practices,” said Thomas Gilbert, co-project director.

Codling Wind Park, a 50/50 joint venture between Fred. Olsen Seawind and EDF Renewables, will be located about 13 to 22 km off the Co. Wicklow coast between Greystones and Wicklow Town. When operational, it will generate up to 1,450 megawatts (MW), enough electricity to power up to 1.2 million homes and support Ireland’s 2030 offshore wind targets. The renewable energy project is also examining design options to support biodiversity across the Codling bank. The final design is being completed and will be presented to the public later in the year ahead of the project’s planning application.

MORE INFO  https://codlingwindpark.ie/

ArcVera Renewables, a provider of consulting and technical services for wind, solar, and energy storage projects, has announced the expansion of its business development team with the appointment of industry veteran Adam Smith. Smith brings a mix of technical and commercial expertise, which will strengthen ArcVera’s efforts to grow its customer base across all technologies and geographies.

Starting in the wind industry in 1994, Smith has built a solid track record as a technical consultant and developer for wind and solar projects throughout the United States and Mexico.

“I am very happy to welcome Adam at ArcVera at a time when the IRA has such a major positive impact on the renewables industry. It is generating abundant opportunities for us to support greenfield projects in need of prospecting and early development technical support. Adam’s knowledge, expertise, and experience dating back to the early days of the renewable energy industry will make him a very valuable asset to our team’s efforts to bring new business home,” said David Simkins, Director of Business Development – Global at ArcVera Renewables.

ArcVera Renewables has experienced strong growth over the last few years. The company aims to take advantage of the renewable energy policy environment developing in the U.S. but also in its established global markets of India, South Africa, and Latin America.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to work alongside a talented team of professionals who are passionate about driving the renewable energy industry forward. ArcVera’s total dedication to providing trustworthy, insightful and accuracy-driven project services to clients makes it a really exciting company to work for. I am proud to be part of this amazing team,” Smith said.

MORE INFO  www.ArcVera.com

The Maryland General Assembly passed the Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) Act, paving the way for a new clean energy future for the state. Baltimore-based US Wind Inc. applauded the bill’s sponsors Delegate Lorig Charkoudian and Sen. Katie Fry Hester, committee chairs Brian Feldman and CT Wilson, and House and Senate leadership for passing the landmark legislation. The bill is on its way to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk, where he is expected to sign the legislation into law.

“The POWER Act is a real game changer for Maryland,” said Jeff Grybowski, US Wind CEO. “It sets a path for the people of Maryland to reap the benefits of huge amounts of clean energy in the coming years. It also tells the entire offshore wind industry globally that Maryland is back big time as a major player. Companies looking to invest in offshore wind have to seriously consider Maryland.”

The legislation would quadruple Maryland’s offshore wind generation goals from about 2 GW to 8.5 GW by 2031, improve its transmission infrastructure, and provide a pathway to future procurement of offshore wind energy in the state. The 8.5 GW of offshore wind energy targeted in the POWER Act is enough to supply clean energy to more than 2 million homes in Maryland while creating tens of thousands of family-sustaining American jobs, as the bill ensures that offshore wind projects provide equitable opportunities for local unions and minority, women, service-disabled, and veteran-owned businesses to join in Maryland’s clean energy future.

US Wind also announced its partnership with Haizea Wind Group to manage and operate Sparrows Point Steel, Maryland’s first permanent offshore wind factory in Baltimore County, MD. The facility will manufacture steel components for the U.S. offshore wind industry, including monopiles and towers, while creating hundreds of jobs for local unions and minority businesses.

MORE INFO  https://uswindinc.com/

Siemens Gamesa has announced the GreenerTower, a wind turbine tower made of more sustainable steel. Towers consist of approximately 80% steel plates. The new GreenerTower will ensure a CO₂ reduction of at least 63% in the tower steel plates compared to conventional steel. Siemens Gamesa’s new thorough qualification process will verify that only a maximum of 0.7 tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions are permitted per ton of steel, while maintaining the same steel properties and quality.

“Wind power is one of the cornerstones of the green energy transition. With more than 600 GW of new capacity to be installed worldwide in the next five years, it is important for the wind industry to reduce its carbon footprint. Our project to address emissions with greener steel is one such solution. With the launch of the GreenerTower, Siemens Gamesa leads the efforts to further push wind circularity and net-zero emissions,” said Maximilian Schnippering, head of sustainability at Siemens Gamesa.

Tower production accounts for more than one-third of all wind-turbine-related CO₂ emissions. If all towers installed by the company in one year were exchanged with GreenerTowers, it would be the same as removing more than 466,000 cars from the roads in Europe for a year. This new CO₂-reduced tower will be available as an option for both onshore and offshore wind turbines for projects to be installed from 2024 onward.

The GreenerTower has already closed its first order. RWE and Siemens Gamesa have agreed to introduce 36 GreenerTowers at the 1,000-MW Thor offshore wind power project in Denmark. In total, 72 SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbines are planned to be installed starting in 2026.

“Offshore Wind already has one of the lowest life-cycle carbon footprints of power generation technologies. At RWE we are fully committed to working towards circularity and net-zero emissions. We are already testing the world’s first recyclable wind turbine blades by Siemens Gamesa under real-life conditions. By piloting the GreenerTower at our Thor offshore wind farm, RWE is now once again taking the lead by helping to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of wind turbines,” said Sven Utermöhlen, RWE Offshore Wind CEO.

The German steel manufacturing company Salzgitter AG, with its heavy plate mill Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH, is the first supplier to be qualified. The process to produce greener steel entails increased use of scrap steel, less energy-intensive steel manufacturing processes, and an increased use of renewable energy sources. As one of the measures to decarbonize steel production, for example, the electric arc furnace will be fed with green electricity from offshore wind projects.

On average, 1.91 tons of CO₂ are emitted during the manufacturing process for every ton of steel. By setting an ambitious threshold of 0.7 tons CO₂-equivalent emissions per ton of steel, Siemens Gamesa reduces the footprint of the largest component in terms of CO₂-equivalent emissions.

MORE INFO  https://www.siemensgamesa.com/en-int/-/media/siemensgamesa/downloads/en/sustainability/environment/siemens-gamesa-greenertower-infographic.pdf

As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently announced the publication of its Gulf of Maine Call for Information and Nominations. This Call invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible commercial wind-energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

This represents an early step in the commercial planning and leasing process, and the first required by BOEM regulations.

“BOEM is committed to transparent, inclusive, and data-driven processes, and public input is essential to helping us determine areas that may be suitable for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “We are still early in the planning and leasing process, and we look forward to the multiple future opportunities for engagement.”

BOEM published the Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development on the Gulf of Maine Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) — Call for Information and Nominations in the Federal Register on April 26, 2023, which initiated a 45-day public comment period. BOEM will accept nominations and comments through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 12, 2023.
After the public comment period closes, BOEM will review and analyze commercial nominations and public comments submitted in response to the Call. BOEM will also consider information from government and Tribal consultations and the Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force to further evaluate the appropriateness of the Call area for offshore wind-energy development.

“The feedback that we have received prior to this announcement has been extremely valuable in informing the process and understanding the unique dynamics that the Gulf of Maine presents,” said BOEM Project Coordinator Zach Jylkka. “The success of BOEM’s commercial leasing process hinges upon continued public input, and we are fortunate that many passionate and knowledgeable individuals and organizations are willing to share their experiences and expertise to help shape these important outcomes.”

In August 2022, the Department of the Interior announced a “Request for Interest” (RFI) to gauge whether commercial interest existed in obtaining wind-energy leases within an area in the Gulf of Maine comprising about 13.7 million acres.

BOEM worked collaboratively with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) to conduct a spatial analysis of the RFI area. This analysis, in combination with public comments on the RFI, led to the creation of a draft Call area. BOEM hosted a series of information exchanges on the draft Call area from January to February 2023 to get feedback from tribes, states, existing ocean users, and the general public. The final Call area reduces the RFI area to 9.8 million acres, a nearly 30 percent reduction.

In the final Call area, BOEM removed approximately 160,000 acres from future consideration to avoid Georges Bank. The Call area remains broad to provide flexibility to minimize conflicts with other uses. BOEM will use a powerful spatial analytical tool, called an ecosystem-wide suitability model, developed in partnership with NCCOS, to help identify where conflicts may exist and inform decisions regarding the most appropriate wind-energy areas to meet the states’ and Biden-Harris administration’s offshore renewable energy goals.

Through the information exchanges on the draft Call area, BOEM has identified four areas that BOEM specifically seeks public input on during this next phase of review, including: Lobster Management Area I, Platts Bank, Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Restricted Areas, and Georges Bank (the immediately adjacent area along the southern boundary of the Call Area). This is not an exhaustive list; however, it represents the areas that were most commented on in the most recent public engagement. BOEM looks forward to receiving more information during the Call comment period regarding the suitability of these areas for potential renewable energy development.

BOEM aims to address and better understand any concerns from the public and encourages input and feedback to help inform its decision-making. Throughout the Gulf of Maine planning process for possible commercial leasing, there will be more opportunities for public input.

BOEM will host its third Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting May 10-11, 2023, in Bangor, Maine.

The purpose of the meeting is to update Task Force members and the public on BOEM’s commercial and research offshore wind-energy planning activities and to discuss next steps for the Gulf of Maine. The public is encouraged to attend this meeting.

MORE INFO  www.boem.gov/Gulf-of-Maine