ArcVera Renewables, a global provider of consulting and technical services for wind, solar and energy storage projects, has revised its growth objectives upwards as market demand expands in key renewables project services segments. The company is looking to fill multiple roles in all business areas to support its new targets.

Over the past three years, ArcVera Renewables has experienced strong development with an average 20% year on year growth. With the Inflation Reduction Act policy driver set to create positive market conditions for renewable energy deployment in the United States, the company forecasts another 30% demand increase for its services in 2023 and beyond. In its new strategy update, ArcVera expects to continue reaping the benefits of its diversification into solar and storage, in support of hybrid and green hydrogen projects, with solar energy services becoming a key engine of its growth alongside onshore and offshore wind.

“This steady performance is largely supported by our company’s long-term commitment to continuous innovation, and an intrinsic desire to help renewable energy projects succeed across the globe. It has been strengthened by timely investments in key overseas markets, notably South-Africa, Brazil and India. We are now actively seeking new administrative and technical talents to join our teams of atmospheric scientists, engineers, data analysts and commercial specialists to deliver technical excellence for our clients’ projects around the world and contribute to maintaining our leadership position at the forefront of renewable energy technical innovation,” said ArcVera Renewables’ CEO Gregory Poulos.

For the last four decades, ArcVera has built its success by leveraging expertise at the intersection of science, technology, and engineering to meet clients’ most complex project technical challenges. Its teams mobilize technical expertise and decades of global experience to provide trustworthy, insightful, risk-mitigating, and accuracy-driven renewable energy project services.

“2022 has been a great year for ArcVera and its clients. We were particularly excited to see the billion-dollar acquisitions of Scout Clean Energy and TriGlobal Energy, two loyal clients, whose projects we have proudly supported from company inception. These success stories underpin what ArcVera really stands for, which is to provide our clients with a significant technical edge to increase their projects’ value. We will keep doing what we do best and seize the new opportunities presented by the IRA to accelerate our growth next year,” said Poulos.

MORE INFO  www.ArcVera.com

Vestas has finalized installation of the V236-15.0 MW prototype turbine at the Østerild National test center for large wind turbines in Western Jutland, Denmark. The prototype has successfully produced its first kWh of power and will now undergo an extensive test and verification program to ensure reliability before full type certification and serial production begins.

“This is a great step forward in our ambition to accelerate the green energy transition and it is a major milestone for Vestas and our partners. Colleagues across Vestas have worked very hard and collaborated closely to ensure the rapid progress in developing and assembling the V236-15.0 MW prototype, and this achievement is a testament to the dedicated work of the many Vestas employees involved. With this wind turbine we set new standards for technological innovation, industrialization and scale across renewable energy to create a sustainable offshore wind industry,” said Anders Nielsen, Vestas Chief Technology Officer.

The prototype development and assembly work has taken place across Vestas’ R&D and production sites in Denmark. The blade molds have been developed at Vestas’ blade factory in Lem and the 115.5m prototype blades have been manufactured at Vestas’ offshore blade factory in Nakskov. The prototype nacelle has been developed and assembled at the offshore nacelle factory in Lindø port of Odense. The test program for the generator, converter and grid system integration has already started at LORC test facility in Denmark.

With a swept area exceeding 43,000 square meters, the V236-15.0 MW moves the boundaries of wind energy production to around 80 GWh/year, enough to power around 20,000 European households and displace more than 38,000 tons of CO2 every year.

The V236-15.0 MW is designed to perform while reducing the number of turbines at park level, strengthening the project business case. The globally applicable offshore turbine offers 65 percent higher annual energy production than the V174-9.5 MW, and for a 900 MW wind park it increases production by five percent with 34 fewer turbines. It offers partial-load production, resulting in a more stable energy production, and a capacity factor over 60 percent depending on site-specific conditions.

Vestas has announced preferred supplier agreements for the V236-15.0 MW turbine for a total of more than 8 GW in five different markets.

MORE INFO  www.vestas.com

Global Wind Service (GWS) is celebrating its 15-year anniversary in wind. Since securing its first contract in Esbjerg, Denmark, GWS has worked on close to 2000 projects in 40 countries around the world.

The company employs more than 1,700 people from 39 different nationalities, working across 13 local business units and on site.

“Global Wind Service has come a long way over the past 15 years. From being a smaller entrepreneurial provider of manpower, co-founded by Lars Bo Petersen and Michael Nielsen who is still active and shareholders in GWS, to now being one of the preferred project partners globally, for complete wind turbine services. We have managed to grow together with our clients and adapt to industry needs. We can all be very proud of what we have achieved – it is something that would not have been possible without all our dedicated and skilled colleagues,” said Michael Høj Olsen, CEO of GWS.

As projects have become more complex and challenging, GWS has invested in training, processes and in systems to meet higher standards for safety, quality and technical expertise. In 2021 Global Wind Service Academy was established in Szczecin in Poland to further develop and strengthen competences and to make sure GWS can educate technicians with the right mindset and skills.

“It’s only by working together, that we can reach the ambitious targets set out by the different governments for a greener planet,” Olsen said.

Key accomplishments over the past 15 years include taking a leading position within offshore installation and service; the installation of the first offshore wind turbines in U.S. at Block Island in 2016; installation of the first offshore wind farm in France, Parc Éolien en mer de Saint-Nazaire, in 2022; and playing a role in the growing offshore market in Taiwan with local establishment and colleagues.

Other accomplishments include the establishment of a team of more than 250 specialized blade technicians and back-office staff, as well as the entering of markets such as Turkey, Lithuania, Serbia, etc. to support partners and clients in the installation of onshore wind farms.

MORE INFO  www.globalwindservice.com

The IPLEX G Lite-W videoscope combines portability with imaging features packed into a small, ergonomic form. It enables users to visually inspect inside a wind turbine gearbox without disassembling it to spot issues before they turn into lengthy shutdowns.

Wind turbine gearboxes contain lubricating oil, which can adhere to the videoscope’s lens and cause blurry images. The IPLEX G Lite-W videoscope’s sealed tip keeps oil out while channels on the oil-clearing tip adaptor use capillary action to draw oil away from the lens, helping keep images clear.

To reduce the chance of damage during an inspection, the IPLEX G Lite-W videoscope is designed to meet IP65 standards and built to pass U.S. Department of Defense testing (MIL-STD). The insertion tube’s durable articulation mechanism helps protect the scope from damage when used in tight spaces.

The videoscope’s optics balance the need to see areas of the wind turbine gearbox up close, such as bearings and gear teeth, spot defects in large spaces and be small enough to fit into the spaces between turbine bearings to look for damage. An optional LED guide tube offers illumination to spot defects in large, dark spaces while the semiflexible guide tube makes it easy to position the videoscope to capture images. Users need one hand to control and maneuver the 4 mm scope to difficult-to-reach areas.

Weighing 1.16 kg (2.56 lb.), the compact IPLEX G Lite-W videoscope is easy to carry safely to the top of a wind tower nacelle. Its ergonomic design enables users to control it while wearing gloves in tight confines. When the inspection is complete, the scope’s smooth, oil-resistant coating makes cleaning fast and simple.

MORE INFO  EvidentScientific.com

Texas has generated more than $12 billion in PTC revenue by itself. Oklahoma generates $58,125 worth of PTC revenue per MW per year, with Kansas second at $57,893 per MW per year and Nebraska third with $57,266 per MW per year.

The Production Tax Credit (PTC) in the U.S. has been a powerful tool for asset owners to ensure the favorable financial health of their projects. More than 75% of the 138GW of operational capacity in the United States has taken advantage of the PTC. Historically, it has provided between a $10 to $26 per MWhr incentive on top of the power purchase contract price or merchant market rate.

NextEra Energy Resources has been the largest beneficiary of PTC revenue based on net production data through December 2021, but this perspective is skewed given the size of the fleet in the U.S. The normalized PTC revenue per installed MW per year indicates that many of the top asset owners in the USA are hovering around the capacity weighted market average of $47,416.

IntelStor also benchmarked the capital efficiency of an asset owner’s project CapEx expenditure relative to the amount of PTC revenue they earn. Some asset owners are only able to recoup single digit to low double-digit returns, but some savvy asset owners have managed to see a return on their project CapEx of upwards of 40 – 50% just through PTC revenue alone. While this is project-site dependent, it underscores why site selection, the right equipment supply, and a proactive maintenance approach can have a profound influence on financial outcomes.

Out of the top 10 wind energy asset owners in the USA, EDF North America’s fleet of Vestas turbines is the most productive at generating PTC revenue with $65,664 per MW per year. Next on the list is Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s Siemens Gamesa fleet at $61,100 per MW per year and EDP Renewables’ fleet of Siemens Gamesa turbines at $54,427 per MW per year.

MORE INFO  www.intelstor.com

Windcat Workboats, a European provider of specialist crew transfer vessels to the offshore wind power industry, has installed Reygar’s Digital Daily Reporting System, Digital DPR, across its entire fleet of more than 50
workboats.

The Digital DPR (DDPR) app runs from a touchscreen tablet onboard and is easy to use for busy workboat skippers. It reduces the administrative burden of daily progress reporting as well as improving report accuracy and timeliness.

“DDPR saves a lot of time on what is otherwise a long and detailed task. The daily progress report is automatically generated and sent out at the end of the shift in a format that is simple to digest,” said Aaron Trebilcock, Windcat Workboats master.

Reygar’s time-saving reporting technology has gone through comprehensive trials on several Windcat Workboats CTVs over the past 18 months. Feedback from skippers and management was positive and fleet wide rollout was completed in mid-October.

“We are committed to meeting the reporting needs of our customers with a digitalized vessel fleet. We also want to look after our crews and back-office teams by reducing the reporting burden and streamlining where possible,” said Phillip Goffin, Windcat IT manager.

DDPR either works alongside Reygar’s award-winning BareFLEET vessel monitoring system, where installed, or runs as a standalone solution. The app can be customized to gather DPR data including crew details, fuel and consumables use, various task types, transits, passenger transfers to turbines and working hours data. Data input live from the vessel can be seen instantly in the cloud by shore staff, with users also able to access cloud based KPI data.

“By providing our customers with a standalone version of this reporting solution we can make the benefits of digitized reporting available to all fleet operators, whether they use our BareFLEET monitoring system or not. We enjoyed working closely with the team at Windcat to ensure that our DDPR app incorporated the needs of different stakeholders both within and outside their organization,” said Chris Huxley-Reynard, Reygar CEO.

MORE INFO  www.windcatworkboats.com

Pattern Energy has named Hunter Armistead as its new CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Armistead, Pattern Energy’s current chief development officer, will succeed Michael Garland in the role. Garland will retire after his successful tenure as CEO of Pattern and its predecessors since 2009.

“This is an extraordinary time for the renewable energy sector and the entire Pattern team is exceptionally well positioned to deliver on the opportunities ahead. Given his long history as a leader of this company, the strength of his commercial instincts, and his passion for Pattern’s vision, I believe Hunter is uniquely capable of leading this company in a way that provides consistency, continuity and leadership across the business both internally and externally,” said Garland.

“It has been a tremendous journey since we founded Pattern in 2009, and it is my honor and privilege to take on the CEO role. Pattern began with a modest pipeline, a few dedicated professionals, and a vision to accelerate the world’s energy transition. To see Pattern and our industry evolve into what we have become has been a beautiful ride and is one that has only just begun. I am 100% committed to driving the next chapter in our growth in a manner that is consistent with our mission, our culture and our values,” said Armistead.

“I have seen first-hand Mike Garland’s exceptional leadership of the company since 2009. During his long service he has led Pattern through many successful phases of development. We are most grateful for all he has done. We conducted a thorough search for his successor and concluded that Hunter Armistead was the ideal candidate. He cares deeply for the company’s culture and people and brings great experience and understanding of the company’s business to the role,” said Lord John Browne, chairman of the board.

MORE INFO  www.patternenergy.com

Vestas has signed a multi-year agreement with long-time partner TPI Composites Inc. (TPI), a supplier of wind turbine blades and services, to strengthen its scalable global supply chain network for current and future wind turbine blades.

“The continued and expanded partnership highlights how we are increasingly collaborating with partners, and how we continue to evolve and re-shape the industry together. We have been working together with TPI since 2014 and during that time, they have become one of our most trusted and strategic blade partners. With this agreement, we are happy to continue this journey, leveraging their global footprint and providing scalable, high-quality, and sustainable supply together”, said Tommy Rahbek Nielsen, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Vestas.

TPI and Vestas work together on global manufacturing and supply chain operations, based on Vestas’ specifications and requirements, and TPI is supplying a range of blade variants to Vestas’ 2 and 4 MW platforms as well as the EnVentus platform. TPI will continue supply of blades from its existing global production footprint, while optimizing the production setup in current facilities, and evaluate new locations for possible future growth in strategic markets.

Vestas and TPI are equally investigating further collaboration possibilities for the V163-4.5 MW and V236-15.0 MW turbines and assessing the optimal manufacturing and production location setup for these new blades.

The new agreement is a continuation of the existing Vestas and TPI partnership agreement, and further builds on the expanding capabilities of TPI and core strengths of both companies. Sharing manufacturing operations across the renewables industry is more relevant than ever to ensure sites are not sitting idle and creates a flexible, scalable, and efficient supply chain that enables industrial scale to meet global net-zero ambitions

“We are proud of our long and successful partnership with Vestas and are pleased that Vestas has chosen to further expand its relationship with TPI. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the supply of current and future blade models, blade design, and other services globally,” said Bill Siwek, CEO, TPI Composites Inc.

MORE INFO  www.vestas.com

DNV, the independent expert in risk management and assurance, is moving ahead in collaboration with Reodor Studios to create a digital service that will make it easy to plan for sustainable decommissioning and recycling when a wind farm has reached the end of its life cycle.

In the 1970s, the wind-power industry boomed, and thousands of wind farms were built around the world. Now, 50 years later, the world faces a historic challenge: What do you do with a 300-ton wind turbine when it has reached the end of its life? ReWind, a brand-new digital service, aims to address this key issue for the wind industry.

Today, most decommissioned wind turbines are buried underground, for lack of a better solution. In 2020, Bloomberg highlighted the situation in Casper, Wyoming, where 870 wind-turbine blades are buried under a landfill. WindEurope estimates that 25,000 metric tons of wind-turbine blades will have to be recycled by 2025, and 52,000 metric tons by 2030.

DNV‘s specialist team analyzes and develops reports for wind-farm owners and operators, showing, among other things, which materials the wind turbines contain, how they can be disposed of in the best possible way, what can be recycled, and how. Now, in collaboration with Reodor Studios, a Norwegian corporate venture and innovation studio, DNV will shape this into a digital service.

“This service will enable wind-farm owners to quickly assess turbine recyclability percentage and options, end-of-life planning, and sustainable decommissioning,” said Matthew Geraghty, founder and ReWind venture lead at DNV.

The use of wind energy will grow, and with that, the need to replace older turbines and equipment to keep pace with developments. Indeed, DNV’s 2022 Energy Transition Outlook report forecasts that by 2050, wind will provide almost 50 percent of on-grid electricity in Europe, and 40 percent in North America and Latin America. New turbine types and bigger turbines, blades, and towers will raise capacity factors for onshore wind from 26 percent now to 34 percent, and from 38 percent to 43 percent for offshore wind by 2050.

“This is the first time in history that we have faced such a challenge,” said Lucy Craig, director of Growth, Innovation & Digitalization, Energy Systems at DNV. “A wind turbine has a life cycle of around 20 to 30 years, and now, many wind turbines are approaching the end of their life cycle. Today, the process of recycling and decommissioning these is extremely complicated and manual, and large quantities of wind turbines end up in landfills, for lack of better solutions. Introducing this digital service helps the owner plan for decommissioning, map costs, and assess recycling options.”

In order to create a digital service that meets all its customers’ needs, DNV has initiated a collaboration with Reodor Studios. By combining Reodor’s expertise in building digital products and services with DNV’s world-leading domain knowledge, the ReWind team can work faster, increase the chances of scaling successfully, and build a well-tested service that can make the process of decommissioning wind turbines smoother for wind-farm owners and operators.

“Capital Dynamics Clean Energy is committed to responsible investment and ESG implementation throughout the investment lifecycle,” said current customer of the service Gintare Briola, Head of Portfolio Management, CEI at Capital Dynamics. “ReWind’s recyclability study for our wind farms helped us gain a better understanding on the recyclability of the equipment, the existing and developing recycling methods, including for composite blade waste, and forecasted decommissioning costs. ReWind also provided recommendations for various stages of the project life cycle that we at Capital Dynamics hope to implement to minimize environmental impact and reduce lifetime emissions.”

“DNV, which already has a large customer base of wind-power operators and owners and sits on world-leading knowledge of wind power, has foreseen the need for this service, both through dialogue with the customers, but also through hard data,” said Kate Butchart, strategic adviser at Reodor Studios. “Add to that Reodor’s creativity and experience in building products and services, and I believe it’s a perfect match to create a solution that can potentially solve a huge industry — and global – need.”

The digitization project is now ongoing, with the team working on validating market needs, developing a service concept, business model, and a scalable growth strategy based on customer insights.

More info: www.dnv.com

Using audited data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which is a part of the Department of Energy (DoE) in the United States of America, IntelStor has now completed the most detailed analysis of the efficiency of wind power ever in the country.

Including decommissioned turbines and wind parks, the U.S. has a total pool of more than 85,500 onshore and offshore wind turbines, and more than 151.7 GW worth of onshore and offshore wind power installed capacity which can be analyzed.

The analysis shows that the U.S. has a 34.84 percent combined lifetime average net capacity factor (NCF) for the entire installed base of more than 85,500 wind turbines.

The evolution of lifetime average net capacity factor over time shows a marked increase in average performance from 20-plus years ago. For assets installed around the year 2000, the U.S. had an average net capacity factor of just 26.45 percent. By 2003, that fleetwide average figure exceeded 30 percent for the first time. It took another 10 years from that point until 2014 before lifetime average fleetwide performance was above a 40 percent net capacity factor.

South Dakota, with an average of 42.78 percent across all wind parks, edges out Nebraska and Kansas to lead the U.S. in lifetime average net capacity factor of assets that are still operational, as well as those that have been decommissioned.

BlackRock (average 45.62 percent NCF), Ørsted (average 43.35 percent NCF,) and Xcel Energy (average 43.05 percent NCF) have the highest fleetwide capacity factors based on asset ownership, which is concentrated in Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Nebraska, Colorado, and Minnesota.

The three largest asset owners in the U.S., NextEra Energy Resources (average 36.78 percent NCF); Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), including MidAmerican Energy Company and PacifiCorp (average 37.10 percent NCF); and Iberdrola’s Avangrid Renewables (average 31.23 percent NCF) have an older and more geographically diversified fleet, which has dragged their performance down relative to others.

Since lifetime average net capacity factor (NCF) is highly dependent on the specific site conditions of a wind park, variations in average wind speed from state-to-state or even site-to-site within a state, can create a bias to the benchmarking analysis that is solely based on NCF. Therefore, it is also important to look at asset performance benchmarking based on energy yield analysis as well.

In the U.S., more than 51.76 percent of all operational onshore wind-energy assets show they meet or exceed their P50 performance quotation. Approximately 34.25 percent of operational assets meet or exceed a P75, but not their P50, while 12.69 percent meet or exceed a P90, but not their P75 energy yield. Only 1.3 percent of the wind turbines installed in the U.S. fall below their P90 performance quote based upon their lifetime average AEP and capacity factor analysis.

Xcel Energy, with a total of 4.38 GW of operational capacity installed in the United States, has truly exceptional performance with 96 percent of their fleet operating at or above a P50 energy yield ranking.

Some of the largest asset owners in the U.S. have a performance ranking probably as expected, with NextEra Energy Resources seeing more than 66.7 percent of their operational capacity in the P50 range. Similarly, Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) has just a fraction below 78 percent of their installed fleet operating at or above a P50 energy yield.

However, Iberdrola’s Avangrid Renewables, Energias de Portugal Renewables (EDPR) North America, and RWE as the next three in line for total installed capacity all show significantly lower performance amongst their fleet. Iberdrola’s dependence on legacy Gamesa turbines globally has certainly dragged down their performance in the U.S., along with their current lack of repowering prowess when compared to the other large asset owners.

Engie, American Electric Power (AEP), Southern Company, and Alliant Energy are the most noteworthy among the top 25 asset owners by installed capacity in the U.S. aside from Xcel Energy. This is due to respective fleets with no assets which perform below a P75 energy yield rank.

GE Renewable Energy has the largest installed base in the U.S. with 60.8 GW operational, but also the largest portion of their operational fleet performing at or above a P50 energy yield, a total of 61.59 percent. Vestas is in the No. 2 spot with a total of 61.1 percent of its 38.2 GW operating at or above a P50 energy yield, and Siemens Gamesa rounds out the top three with 23.3 GW installed, but only 36.75 percent operating at a P50 energy yield.

Age-related performance degradation of wind turbines can have profound impacts on asset profitability through the unrecovered loss of lifetime average performance in the later years of the asset life. In the U.S., dating back to the earliest installations in the 1980s, IntelStor can currently estimate a total of 114.4 TW/h of wind-energy production were lost due to curtailments and underperformance issues, underscoring the importance of proper fleet care and management.

The U.S. has a capacity weighted average asset performance drop-off of more than 10 percent in average annual AEP after approximately 11 years for the entire onshore wind installed base, including both operational and decommissioned capacity. The asset age since the commissioning date that shows the highest frequency of performance drop-off is 10 years, with a standard distribution curve around that time frame.

The major asset owners in the U.S., who tend to self-perform their maintenance, actually have a relatively longer period of asset operations prior to the age-related performance drop-off. However, it is also noteworthy that they still show a comparable frequency of performance drop-off vs. OEM maintenance or maintenance services from an independent service provider.

Now, with more than 47 GW of assets in the U.S. that are at least 10 years old or older, there is ample opportunity for all states, all project developers, all asset owners, and all investors to collectively take maximum advantage of the available wind resources in the U.S. and repower older wind parks with more efficient technology.

MORE INFO  www.intelstor.com/store

Perceptual Robotics has given the wind inspections and maintenance industry a preview of its unique capabilities by holding demonstrations with potential partners.

The company, which has offices in the UK and Europe, welcomed eight companies across Spain to take part in its demonstration day at Sotavento Experimental Wind Farm in Lugo, Spain. Perceptual Robotics engineers flew an M300 drone and used its unique Dhalion system to autonomously inspect a G47 wind turbine at the site.

Two demos were held, with attendees receiving a first-hand preview of the Dhalion system and an inspection as it happened. Perceptual Robotics engineers then showed post flight what data processing looked like and how inspection images and results were presented and analyzed in the system’s web portal.

“This was an excellent opportunity for different stakeholders in the industry to see up close how our system works in real operating conditions. We had people from all aspects of the industry attending, from asset and utility owners to drone companies and inspection organizations. By sharing our extensive experience of inspecting these massive structures, we can bring about the change the industry needs to make inspections more cost effective, timely and safer for all,” said Kostas Karachalios, CEO of Perceptual Robotics.

Perceptual Robotics’ Dhalion system is designed for autonomous in-depth turbine inspections, collecting and analyzing high-quality data from turbines in fewer than 20 minutes.

Earlier this year, the company announced that the advanced technology of robotic systems and artificial intelligence had proven to be almost 15% more accurate in detecting faults in wind turbines thanks to an Innovate UK Research and Development project, which had been ongoing in collaboration between Perceptual Robotics and the University of Bristol. The project showed the partners’ unique system had a 14% improvement in fault detection accuracy when compared with expert humans carrying out the same inspections.

MORE INFO  www.perceptual-robotics.com

Deployment of Droplock Ecological Scour Protection has been completed 12 miles off the shore of Long Island, NY in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The project partners are ECOncrete Tech Ltd., provider for bio-enhancing concrete technology, and Holcim US, a cement producer. The concrete unit requires up to 30% less material, minimizes native habitat degradation, and supports ecological uplift in offshore wind projects.

“The unit’s ecological properties mimic natural marine habitats’ features while providing the armoring functionality required for scour protection,” said Dr. Ido Sella, ECOncrete Tech CEO and co-founder. “Offshore wind projects that integrate nature inclusive technologies are able to gain ecosystem services not achievable before. The ecological uplift and long term functionality of ecologically sensitive solutions can mitigate some of the associated impacts of offshore infrastructure. The ecological performance will be verified through comprehensive scientific monitoring comparing the bio-enhanced system to the standard rock based scour protection to set new industry standards for responsible construction.”

“This deployment of materials is exciting and timely. The Nature Conservancy believes there is great potential in intentionally designing and constructing materials used in offshore wind energy development in ways that are intended to create habitat for fish and other marine life,” said Carl LoBue, Nature Conservancy ocean program director.

“Renewable energy from wind is a critical part of building a more sustainable world and our Net Zero commitments. We also recognize wind generation needs to be built in a way that minimizes the ecological and environmental impacts,” said Michael LeMonds, VP, Environment, Land & Public Affairs at Holcim US. “Meeting our renewable energy goals together with ECOncrete Tech shows how an innovative approach using well-established building materials can protect natural habitats and help them flourish.”

This project provides the first and only structural solution that benefits both foundation resiliency and the local marine ecosystem. In a recent report, The Nature Conservancy (recommended ECOncrete’s nature-based design for cable protection and scour protection.

MORE INFO  www.econcretetech.com

X1 Wind’s floating platform has been successfully installed at the PLOCAN test site in the Canary Islands.

As summer trade-winds abated, a suitable weather window allowed X1 Wind and partners from the EU-backed PivotBuoy Project to complete the installation process, connecting the fully-functional floating wind prototype to the mooring system and dynamic cable pre-installed last June.

X1 Wind Operations Manager Jorge Casanovas said operations will soon commence collecting valuable data to validate performance in open ocean conditions for the first time.

“As installation work comes to a close another exciting chapter begins for X1 Wind as we prepare for operations to deliver first power to the PLOCAN smartgrid,” he said. “This is the result of a massive team effort, and we would like to extend our appreciation to all project partners and local suppliers who have supported so diligently throughout the build and installation process. We are especially thankful to those partners and suppliers that have played an instrumental role in the final installation phase, developing a ground-breaking mooring, connection and installation solution for our X30 prototype. Now successfully installed, we will begin monitoring the platform in real-time with multiple sensors integrated within our in-house SCADA system.”

The X30 platform has been developed with key design features to streamline the installation process, including a light-weight and stable floater which can be wet towed by local vessels. The PivotBuoy Project focuses on demonstrating a mooring system configuration that combines the advantages of a SPM (single point mooring) with a small TLP (Tension-Leg Platform) mooring system, allowing the ability to reach deeper waters and minimizing the footprint and impact on the seabed.

Fitted with a Vestas V29 turbine, the 1:3 scale prototype has been stationed at a 50m water depth in a downwind configuration, creating a passive weather-vane effect that eliminates the need of an active yaw system. The scalability of X1 Wind’s technology will enable the firm to provide platforms for the 15MW scale turbines and beyond and to deploy them at very deep sites.

“This is a key milestone for our company and for the floating wind sector in general being able to install a floating wind platform using a TLP mooring system and requiring only small vessels. This reduces not only the costs but also the impact on the seabed. Data obtained from the X30 will contribute to de-risk the technology, improve the design, and obtain the certification of our commercial-scale platforms in preparation for upcoming tenders in Spain and other countries worldwide,” X1 Wind CEO and co-founder Alex Raventos said.

After completing the installation, the PivotBuoy project will be tested in fully operational conditions until March 2023, feeding the electricity produced to PLOCAN’s smartgrid, after it has been commissioned.

MORE INFO  www.x1wind.com

The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization (MBCFO), the Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman’s Association (PSLCFA), and Castle Wind LLC (Castle Wind), a joint venture between Trident Winds Inc. and TotalEnergies Renewables USA are forming the Morro Bay Lease Areas Mutual Benefits Corporation (Morro Bay MBC).

The purpose of the Morro Bay MBC is to facilitate communication, coordination, and cooperation between the California Central Coast commercial fishing industry and offshore wind project developers, as well as to provide financial resources in furtherance of California Coastal Act policies.

Morro Bay MBC creates a pathway for the industry to demonstrate to the fishermen and fishing communities, to BOEM, and to the California Coastal Commission, the commitment of project developers to responsible offshore wind development that protects and supports a sustainable commercial fishing industry.

“We recognize the imperative behind developing our offshore wind resource for the benefit of all Californians and appreciate that developers like Castle Wind understand the importance of minimizing and compensating for the possible impacts of the offshore wind farms off Morro Bay on the fishing community,” said Tom Hafer, President of the MBCFO. “The newly formed Morro Bay MBC will help ensure that the Central Coast fishing industry is meaningfully included in the development of this new industry.”

“We, as a humanity, are facing a climate emergency and have to put all our efforts towards achieving a clean energy future,” said Alla Weinstein, CEO of Castle Wind LLC. “With any energy project of this magnitude, there are likely to be impacts. Our approach has been to acknowledge, as early as possible, that impacts may occur, which is why we have been working directly with the Central Coast fishermen since the inception of Castle Wind. By establishing the Morro Bay MBC at this early stage in the process, Castle Wind has created a platform for the developers to mitigate anticipated impacts of offshore wind to the commercial fishing industry without causing stakeholder fatigue.”

The Morro Bay MBC furthers the 2018 mutual benefits agreement signed by MBCFO, PSLCFA, and Castle Wind, which was exclusive to the three signatories. The Morro Bay MBC’s structure is open to all project developers who will secure site leases in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area, and to fishermen that can prove they have been fishing in that area even if they are not members of MBCFO or PSLCFA.

The board of the newly-formed organization – which includes two representatives from each MBCFO and PSCFA, two representatives from Castle Wind, two seats for representatives from other project developers, and one Harbor Master – will be working together to encourage other project developers to join the Morro Bay MBC prior to the upcoming lease auction.

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

After a thorough and competitive process, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind (Atlantic Shores), a 50/50 partnership between Shell New Energies and EDF Renewables, recently announced its selection of Vestas as the preferred supplier for its 1.5 GW offshore wind project in New Jersey.

Vestas will provide its V236-15.0 MW™ offshore wind turbines, with installation expected in 2027. Once installed, the project will generate enough clean energy to power more than 700,000 U.S. homes.

This preferred supplier agreement (PSA) was signed shortly after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued an Executive Order increasing the state’s offshore wind target by 50 percent to achieve 11 GW by 2040.

“The Murphy administration has set bold offshore wind development and emissions reduction goals, and we’re backing up those commitments to a more sustainable Garden State through focused action and concrete investments that address climate change while creating good family sustaining jobs,” said Jane Cohen, executive director of the New Jersey Governor’s Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy. “Atlantic Shores’ selection of Vestas as the preferred supplier of its New Jersey offshore wind project marks another crucial step toward our state’s transition to a green economy and realizing our clean energy future.”

“(The) announcement by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and Vestas is an exciting step forward for one of New Jersey’s first offshore wind projects,” said New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Joseph L. Fiordaliso. “This key development milestone helps keep the state on track for achieving Governor Murphy’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050 and our nation leading goal of 11GW of offshore wind by 2040.”

With this project, New Jersey, Atlantic Shores, and Vestas are together taking a leading role in meeting the state’s clean energy goal, while also advancing the Biden administration’s goal to support the deployment of 30 GW of offshore wind in the United States by 2030.

“We are proud to partner with Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind as the preferred supplier for its project and deploy our flagship V236-15MW™ turbine to help New Jersey achieve its goal of rapidly developing offshore wind and creating new clean energy jobs,” said Laura Beane, president of Vestas North America. “Scaling offshore wind in the U.S.A. depends upon consistent policy and predictable, steady volume over a long period of time, and New Jersey’s newly stated 11-GW offshore target combined with stable federal policy signals this intent.”

Given the state’s significant investment in the New Jersey Wind Port and keeping in line with the Atlantic Shores’ commitments to New Jersey as part of its selected Project 1 proposal, Vestas intends to establish a nacelle assembly facility at the New Jersey Wind Port in Salem County where the assembly and testing of the hub, cooler top, and heli-hoist modules will take place. The facility will supply Atlantic Shores’ inaugural project in its portfolio.

In addition, Vestas will deliver a comprehensive wind turbine service solution as soon as the project commences operations. These services will be executed from a state-of-the-art operations and maintenance base established by Atlantic Shores in Atlantic City, that will also provide additional local employment opportunities over the life of the project.

“Since our award in June 2021, Atlantic Shores has conducted an extensive due diligence and procurement process to find the right turbine supply partner that will enable us to deliver the best value to the state of New Jersey, including local content commitments,” said Joris Veldhoven, CEO of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind. “We are proud to have concluded that process with the selection of Vestas as our preferred supplier, and we look forward to moving forward together to successfully deliver our Project 1.”

“Congratulations to Atlantic Shores on a major milestone investment decision as part of its development of one of the largest offshore wind projects in the U.S., which is a sign of tremendous confidence in Governor Phil Murphy’s offshore wind economic development strategy that has positioned New Jersey to be the capital of American offshore wind,” said NJ Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan.

If the agreement with Atlantic Shores is converted to a firm order for Vestas, Vestas will disclose the order in a company announcement in accordance with the company’s disclosure policy.

MORE INFO  us.vestas.com/en-us

Perceptual Robotics has entered an innovative new inspections partnership with global renewable investments company EuroEnergy.

The company, which has bases in the U.K. and Europe, has been carrying out wind-turbine inspections at EuroEnergy’s site in Greece earlier this year successfully using its unique DOT drone and Dhalion system.

EuroEnergy, which is a subsidiary of Libra Group, has now bought a Perceptual Robotics’ Dhalion drone, allowing them to conduct their own drone inspections going forward while receiving all the benefits of inspections’ analysis and reports from the Bristol-based company.

The Dhalion system is designed to undertake autonomous in-depth turbine inspections, collecting high-quality data from turbines in less than 20 minutes, and quickly analyze the data collected.

EuroEnergy is a renewable energy investment company with operating assets in Greece and Romania with a track record of acquiring, developing, and operating more than 500 MW renewable energy assets across biogas, solar, and wind power. The Libra Group is focused on six sectors: aviation, renewable energy, maritime, hospitality, real estate, and diversified investments, with subsidiaries active across six continents.

Theofanis Mermigkousis, COO of EuroEnergy, said Perceptual Robotics had impressed them by offering a different type of inspection for its wind turbines.

“As one of the leading renewable energy companies with operating assets in Greece and Romania, ensuring we can keep our turbines at maximum output is essential to the success of EuroEnergy,” he said. “Perceptual Robotics’ Dhalion drone has the benefit of being fully automated while allowing us to track the progress of any damage on our turbines over multiple inspections. This means we can ensure we are maintaining our assets to the best of our ability, cutting costs and increasing safety. We are delighted to enter into this partnership with Perceptual Robotics.”

Perceptual Robotics initially carried out inspections at EuroEnergy’s Tripoli site in the summer, doing everything in house to demonstrate the technology.

Engineers at EuroEnergy have now undergone training with Perceptual Robotics to operate their own Dhalion drone, allowing the company to carry out their own inspections in house on wind turbines and explore together solar panels inspection. Perceptual Robotics will continue to produce the results of each inspection within 48 hours, with EuroEnergy able to access the data anywhere in the world.

Kostas Karachalios, CEO of Perceptual Robotics, said the two companies were exploring the possibility of using Dhalion to inspect EuroEnergy’s solar sites in the future.

“This is the beginning of a great partnership between EuroEnergy and Perceptual Robotics,” he said. “We are thrilled they have singled-out Dhalion as their inspection system of choice after experiencing the success of the system for themselves at inspections we carried out this summer. We look forward to strengthening this relationship over time with the possibility of inspecting EuroEnergy’s solar and other assets.”

MORE INFO  www.perceptual-robotics.com

The Business Network for Offshore Wind, the leading non-profit working to accelerate offshore wind development and build a dedicated manufacturing supply chain in the United States, welcomed U.S. Congressman Bobby Scott, Maritime Administrator Rear Admiral Ann Phillips (United States Navy, Retired), and more than 350 business leaders and maritime industry experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the nation’s port and vessel infrastructure at the OSW Port & Vessel Summit in Norfolk, Virginia.

“Ports and vessels are the foundation of America’s offshore wind industry,” said Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “As the pipeline of offshore wind projects continues to grow up and down our coasts, it is critical that we work together to address challenges like upgrading our existing ports, tackling the shortage of specially designed transport vessels, and leveraging new investments from the Inflation Reduction Act. The 2022 Offshore Wind Port & Vessel Summit convened key maritime industry leaders, state and federal officials, private sector companies, worker representatives, and utilities to discuss and showcase the tremendous port and vessel business opportunities that are rapidly unfolding across the industry.”

“Virginia’s workforce, infrastructure, and geography make it well positioned for offshore wind,” Scott said. “In building offshore wind generation and an offshore wind supply chain, it is essential that we do it right: ensuring that we cut emissions while creating good-paying jobs, and also ensure that communities benefit from these investments. The Inflation Reduction Act goes a long way in ensuring that American workers will not only manufacture the components and build the turbines, but also will make enough to sustain their families.”

Speakers focused on a wide range of issues that will be critical to resolve over the next decade as more turbines are installed in East Coast waters, from financing port infrastructure improvements and autonomous vessel technology, to ensuring the availability and capacity of vessels, scaling the nation’s shipyards, and achieving a net-zero supply chain. Businesses also received critical information about how to best position themselves to take advantage of the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which has numerous provisions that benefit the offshore wind industry, including the vessel manufacturing credit.

“Recently, I was able to designate vessels that service offshore wind-farm facilities as vessels of national interest — the first vessels so designated under this authority,” said Maritime Administrator Rear Admiral Ann Phillips (United States Navy, Retired). “This reflects the Administration’s commitment to supporting these vessels and construction of them to service offshore wind terminals. Within MARAD and the Department of Transportation, we will do whatever we can to support this effort, working closely with partners through government and industry and ensuring that we have the vessels, the capacity, and the mariners to build this new industry.”

MORE INFO  www.offshorewindus.org/port-and-vessel

The Board of Directors for Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC, (Atlantic Shores), a 50/50 partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF Renewables North America recently appointed Joris Veldhoven as the company’s first Chief Executive Officer.

“I am excited and humbled to lead the continued growth of Atlantic Shores, one of the nation’s leading offshore wind developers, as we continue to set the standard for offshore wind development in the United States,” Veldhoven said. “As a company, we are uniquely positioned to both mitigate climate change and generate positive impact on those who live in the local communities in which our projects will be built. I am grateful to work with a talented, diverse, and highly skilled team focused on building the future of clean, renewable offshore wind energy.”

Atlantic Shores has grown significantly since its inception in 2018, bringing together its parent companies’ decades of experience developing offshore and onshore projects across the globe. The joint venture is comprised of more than 100 experts dedicated to delivering its 5-plus-GW portfolio, and is strategically positioned to meet the growing demands of its markets in New York and New Jersey.

In June 2021, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awarded the organization an Offshore Renewable Energy Credit to deliver enough renewable energy to power 700,000 homes in the State of New Jersey. The lease areas will be developed in stages, with Project 1 slated to begin construction in 2024.

“It is a true pleasure to see Joris take the helm of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind,” said Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO, EDF Renewables North America. “Joris’ strategic acumen coupled with business intellect has positioned him to smoothly transition into this important role. Joris is the right person at the right time to lead the venture into future success. I am grateful for the exceptional performance of the entire Atlantic Shores team and excited by the opportunity ahead to convert this hard work into carbon free electricity for the residents of New Jersey and New York.”

Veldhoven previously served as Atlantic Shores’ commercial and financial director where he focused on developing the domestic supply chain, building local partnerships, creating economic benefits for the community at large, and helping to lead the company’s overall growth. Veldhoven has also been the global wind supply chain manager for Shell New Energies Wind and, over the span of a decade, has held various commercial roles with Shell in The Netherlands, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates.

“Joris has been a key member of the Atlantic Shores team and has helped shape and grow the company since the start,” said Amanda Dasch, Shell Vice President Offshore Power Americas, RE&S. “As New Jersey and New York work toward reaching their offshore wind procurement targets, Joris will provide strategic direction to be the partner of choice in providing more, affordable renewable power generation for their communities.”

MORE INFO  www.atlanticshoreswind.com

The International Wind Congress will be in Berlin, Germany, November 7-8. It focuses on wind energy, and it will provide its participants — developers, operators, EPC(I)s, Electricity TSOs — with a place to discuss their projects in a closed-door format.

The two-day business program features more than 45 case studies from wind-energy experts, including Energinet, Maple Power, The Scottish Government, Hexicon, and Equinor. The topics of discussions include:

• Repowering and recycling of aged assets.
• Digital optimization with big data, AI, and drones.
• Wind-farm challenges.
• Enlargement of turbines.
• Factors in offshore wind-farm development.

Also, the framework of achieving 2030 goals by using new technologies and making new projects will be discussed. The closed-door format ensures only key representatives of companies and decision-makers will be in attendance; therefore, the exchange of views and consultations are expected to be mutually productive.

The list of confirmed participants already includes representatives from more than 20 wind farms, including Thor Offshore Wind Farm, Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm, Nordsee One, ScotWind, and Albatros.

MORE INFO  windcongress.com

The boundaries of onshore wind continue to be pushed higher with the launch of a new product of the Siemens Gamesa 5.X platform with a rated power of 7 MW.

The new SG 7.0-170 turbine will offer one of the most competitive levelized cost of energy (LCOE) in the industry, enabling customers to provide more clean power. The variant has evolved from the original SG 6.6-170 turbine and is particularly aimed at medium- to high-wind sites globally.

The powerful Siemens Gamesa 5.X wind turbine has attracted strong interest from customers since its launch with sales of about 4.5 GW to date from Brazil to Finland.

“This is a natural evolution of the species,” said Siemens Gamesa’s CEO Jochen Eickholt. “The Siemens Gamesa 5.X has already offered our customers one of the most powerful machines providing green energy in the onshore landscape, and we can now boost its capacity even higher. This will provide real benefits for our partners, and we will work closely with them to guarantee we continue to deliver sustainable energy to the world with this benchmark turbine.”

The first Siemens Gamesa 5.X turbine was installed in Sweden at the 231-MW Skaftåsen project. Since that first project, customers have placed orders for the wind turbine in many other countries including Brazil, Finland, Germany, Romania, and Spain.

MORE INFO  www.siemensgamesa.com