Siemens Gamesa has signed its first wind-power project in Ethiopia with state-owned electricity company Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), strengthening its leadership in Africa as the country begins to expand its green energy capacity to meet ambitious renewable targets.

The 100-MW Assela wind farm will be between the towns of Adama and Assela, approximately 150 kilometers south of the capital, Addis Ababa, and will contribute to clean and affordable power for the country’s electricity grid.

The country has set an ambitious target to supply 100 percent of its domestic energy demand through renewable energy by 2030. According to the African Development Bank, Ethiopia has abundant resources, particularly wind, with a potential 10 GW of installation capacity and having installed 324 MW at present.

“Siemens Gamesa is intent on expanding its leadership across Africa, and in turn help a growing transition to green energy across the continent,” said Roberto Sabalza, CEO for Onshore Southern Europe and Africa at Siemens Gamesa. “So, we are extremely pleased to begin work in Ethiopia and look forward to collaborating with both EEP and the country to continue to promote their drive to install more renewables and meet transformational energy targets.”

According to a Wood Mackenzie forecast, about 2 GW of wind power would be installed in Ethiopia by 2029.

The wind farm will be made up of 29 SG 3.4-132 wind turbines and is expected to be commissioned by the start of 2023. The project will generate about 300,000 MWh per year. Siemens Gamesa will provide full engineering, procurement, and turnkey construction.

The Assela wind project will be financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Danida Business Finance (DBF) adding to a loan agreement signed between the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MoFEC) and Danske Bank A/S.

Ethiopia has many renewable resources covering wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, and the country aspires to be a power hub and the battery for the Horn of Africa. The country’s National Electrification Program, launched in 2017, outlines a plan to reach universal access by 2025 with the help of off-grid solutions for 35 percent of the population.

Siemens Gamesa is among the global leaders in the wind power industry, with a strong presence in all facets of the renewable energy business: offshore, onshore, and services. With more than 107 GW installed worldwide; Siemens Gamesa is an ideal partner for Ethiopia at this critical juncture in the East African nation’s accelerating energy journey.

MORE INFO  www.siemensgamesa.com

Pure Safety Group (PSG), the world’s largest independent height safety product development, manufacturing and training company, recently hired Dale Bartelson as senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Bartelson will oversee sales, business development, training, customer service, and commercial marketing for PSG in North America and Latin America.

Bartelson has close to 20 years of experience in the industrial and safety markets. Prior to joining Pure Safety, he held a variety of sales and channel leadership positions at 3M, including national sales manager for the corporation’s Industrial and Safety Markets Center. His experience also includes developing Fastenal’s safety portfolio, before taking on director-level positions at GOJO and Capital Safety, the fall protection company that was acquired by 3M in 2015. Bartelson holds an undergraduate degree from Winona State University and an MBA from the University of St Thomas.

“Dale has a deep commitment to delivering safety solutions to customers,” said PSG CEO Jeff Ward. “He is a trusted resource in the safety community among businesses wanting to continually advance their safety portfolio and approach. His knowledge of fall protection products and innovation, and his ability to partner with companies to plan, particularly for their height safety needs, makes Dale an asset to our customers and our growing organization.”

MORE INFO  www.puresafetygroup.com

Enel, through its U.S. renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power North America, has begun operating a 199-MW expansion of the Cimarron Bend wind farm in Clark County, Kansas, making the overall 599-MW facility the largest renewable plant owned by the Enel Group currently in operation worldwide.

The 236.5-MW White Cloud wind farm also began operations in Nodaway County, Missouri. The two wind farms bring Enel’s total renewable capacity added in 2020 across the U.S. and Canada to 865 MW. The investment in the construction of White Cloud amounts to about $380 million, while that of the Cimarron Bend expansion amounts to more than $281 million.

“We are progressing at full speed toward a sustainable energy future,” said Salvatore Bernabei, Enel Green Power CEO. “In a challenging year across all sectors, our teams have demonstrated exceptional dedication to the achievement of our business goals while continuing to prioritize health and safety. These milestones further prove our track record in the development, construction and operation of high-quality generation assets, enabling the accomplishment of sustainability targets by us and our renewable energy offtakers.”

The start of operations at the Cimarron Bend expansion, on which construction began in the second quarter of 2020, further cements Enel Green Power’s status as the largest wind operator in Kansas by managed capacity. The overall 599-MW facility is expected to generate a total of more than 2.7 TWh per year, equivalent to avoiding about 1.7 million tons of CO2 emissions. Enel will sell the facility’s energy output through a 150-MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Evergy, an investor-owned utility based in Kansas City, Missouri, and a 30-MW PPA with the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC), a joint action agency [1] of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA) [2].

White Cloud, on which construction began in summer 2019, is due to generate about 950 GWh annually while avoiding the emission of more than 621,000 tons of CO2 per year. Enel Green Power North America signed a PPA with Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) in which the Springfield, Missouri-based electric cooperative will purchase the entire energy output from the plant.

In Missouri, Enel also operates the 300 MW Rock Creek wind farm in Atchison County, which sells its entire output to Evergy.

The construction process for Cimarron Bend and White Cloud followed Enel Green Power’s Sustainable Construction Site model, a collection of best practices aimed at minimizing the impact of plant construction on the environment. The Cimarron Bend construction site team adopted a recycling program and is set to be donating office supplies as well as equipment to local schools in need with the aim to extend the products’ useful lives alongside diverting them from landfills. The White Cloud operations and maintenance (O&M) building is a refurbished and repurposed space, an approach adopted to reduce the costs and environmental impact from construction of new O&M buildings.

In the final stages of construction, Enel closely monitored the emergent COVID-19 pandemic and responded to protect the health of its workers and the community. While abiding by the guidance of public officials, the company implemented strict travel guidelines and enhanced sanitation, as crews implemented safe working habits and physical distancing instructions. Furthermore, Enel North America announced more than $1.3 million in contributions to relief efforts across the U.S. and Canada.

Enel Green Power has three projects under construction in the United States: the 299-MW Aurora wind farm in North Dakota and two solar-plus storage projects in Texas: Lily (181 MW) as well as Azure Sky (284 MW). As part of the Enel Group’s three-year strategic plan announced in November, the company is planning to bring an additional 3 GW of renewable capacity online in North America by 2023.

MORE INFO  www.enelgreenpower.com

A new material for wind blades that can be recycled could transform the wind industry, rendering renewable energy more sustainable than ever before while lowering costs in the process.

The use of a thermoplastic resin has been validated at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Researchers demonstrated the feasibility of thermoplastic resin by manufacturing a 9-meter-long wind-turbine blade using this novel resin, which was developed by Pennsylvania company, Arkema Inc. Researchers have now validated the structural integrity of a 13-meter-long thermoplastic composite blade, also manufactured at NREL.

In addition to the recyclability aspect, thermoplastic resin can enable longer, lighter-weight, and lower-cost blades. Manufacturing blades using current thermoset resin systems requires more energy and manpower in the manufacturing facility, and the end product often winds up in landfills.

“With thermoset resin systems, it’s almost like when you fry an egg; you can’t reverse that,” said Derek Berry, a senior engineer at NREL. “But with a thermoplastic resin system, you can make a blade out of it. You heat it to a certain temperature, and it melts back down. You can get the liquid resin back and reuse that.”

Berry is co-author of a paper titled, “Structural Comparison of a Thermoplastic Composite Wind Turbine Blade and a Thermoset Composite Wind Turbine Blade,” which appears in the journal Renewable Energy.

The other authors, also from NREL, are Robynne Murray, Ryan Beach, David Barnes, David Snowberg, Samantha Rooney, Mike Jenks, Bill Gage, Troy Boro, Sara Wallen, and Scott Hughes.

NREL has also developed a technoeconomic model to explore the cost benefits of using a thermoplastic resin in blades. Current wind-turbine blades are made primarily of composite materials such as fiberglass infused with a thermoset resin. With an epoxy thermoset resin, the manufacturing process requires the use of additional heat to cure the resin, which adds to the cost and cycle time of the blades. Thermoplastic resin, however, cures at room temperature. The process does not require as much labor, which accounts for about 40 percent of the cost of a blade. The new process, the researchers determined, could make blades about 5 percent less expensive to make.

NREL is home to the Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology (CoMET) Facility at the Flatirons Campus near Boulder, Colorado.

“The thermoplastic material absorbs more energy from loads on the blades due to the wind, which can reduce the wear and tear from these loads to the rest of the turbine system, which is a good thing,” Murray said.

The thermoplastic resin could also allow manufactures to build blades on site, alleviating a problem the industry faces as it trends toward larger and longer blades. As blade sizes grow, so does the problem of how to transport them from a manufacturing facility.

This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing Office. NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

More info: nrel.gov

Global sealing technology expert James Walker has launched a new innovative version of its Walkersele® rotary lip seal, following an in-depth research and development project in collaboration with wind-turbine and bearing OEMs.

The new product, Walkersele® X-Gen, meets the challenges of the increasing size of turbine designs — maintaining effective sealing against deflected shafts or housings and increased offset, plus enhanced retention of sealing forces over the full circumference of the sealing face.

Walkersele X-Gen also addresses the issues created by the use of high-performance greases for lubrication rather than oil, which brings a new dynamic to the operation of the bearing seal and an additional challenge for any sealing solution.

In cooperation with bearing and turbine OEMs, James Walker has undertaken a comprehensive test program covering all elements of rotary seal design. These include spring retention, lip loading, torque, friction, leakage and wear, plus sealing capability at a variety of significant offsets. Testing was focused on protecting and extending the service life of critical bearing applications and drive mechanisms.

The result is a new patented seal construction specifically configured to optimize sealing capability on large diameters where increased levels of offset from loaded bearings and out-of-round shafts and seal housings can create significant issues.

More info: www.jameswalker.biz

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy recently announced that Marc Becker is to return to the company as CEO of its industry-leading offshore business.

Becker served as managing director for Germany and head of Offshore Sales and Projects at Siemens Gamesa before leaving the company in early 2020. In the latter role, and previously as COO of Siemens Wind Power, Becker played a key role in building the company´s strong leadership position in the rapidly growing offshore segment.

Becker, who is to be the permanent replacement for Andreas Nauen, who was promoted to CEO of the company in June, will be based in Hamburg and start his new role February 1. Pierre Bauer will continue as interim CEO in the meantime.

“I am delighted to bring Marc back to the company to lead offshore,” Nauen said. “He has an outstanding track record in offshore wind energy and has the experience, expertise, and industry network to lead our future growth in this critical area. With the addition of Marc, we will complete a strong and revitalized team to lead the turnaround that will deliver long-term sustainable growth and profitability to Siemens Gamesa.”

“Siemens Gamesa is the undisputed leader in offshore wind, and I´m looking forward to rejoining the company and working to extend that leadership,” Becker said. “There is huge potential for offshore wind to lead the fightback against climate change, and with the talented team at Siemens Gamesa as well as the industry´s best technology, we are well positioned to play a leading role.”

Becker will join a senior management team that was overhauled in the second half of 2020. Lars Bondo Krogsgaard, former CEO of Nordex Acciona and co-CEO of MHI Vestas, joined as CEO of onshore earlier in November. Juan Gutierrez took over as CEO of Service in August. Beatriz Puente joined as Chief Financial Officer on December 1 from NH Hotels, where she has served as Executive Managing Director Finance & Administration since 2015.

For more information: www.siemensgamesa.com

Wind turbines are, by design, green solutions for the production of power. Wind turbines produce zero carbon emissions; however, the blades themselves pose an environmental challenge as the blades depreciate. To address this concern, the Georgia Institute of Technology in partnership with Logisticus Groupwas awarded the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) grant.

The Partnerships for Innovation Program within the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) provides researchers from science and engineering disciplines funded by the NSF with the opportunity take their research and technology from the discovery phase to the marketplace for the benefit of society.

Russell Gentry, professor in the Georgia Tech School of Architecture, serves as the project’s principal investigator. The three-year grant continues Gentry’s research on the reuse of retired wind blades and builds on the proprietary technology developed as part of the Re-Wind Tripartite Research program funded by the U.S. NSF, Science Foundation of Ireland, and the Department for the Economy of Northern Ireland.

“In our foundational NSF grants, our team demonstrated the potential for wind-blade re-use and the positive environmental benefits that will come from the re-use of these amazing composite materials in civil infrastructure,” Gentry said. “This potential is embodied in the two patents we are pursuing and in the follow-on Partnership for Industry grant from NSF. The team is now advancing our hardware and software technology and has partnered with companies in the wind energy and electrical transmission industries to pilot these technologies.”

Logisticus Group joins the project as the key provider of transportation for the retired wind-turbine blades. As one of the largest wind-blade transporters, Logisticus Group brings supply expertise for the complex logistics of transporting decommissioned wind-turbine blades, which are approximately 50 meters in length.

“We are thrilled to partner with Georgia Tech on this project,” said Will Stephan, founder of Logisticus Group. “Their team has always had a passion to conduct research and development on proprietary technology when it comes to reusing wind blades. We feel, as a company, that we need to be a part of the solution to find ways to recycle and repurpose these blades.”

Wind-turbine blades are made from high quality fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials, which are not biodegradable or recyclable. Currently, turbine blades are landfilled or incinerated at their end-of-life stage. Georgia Tech and Logisticus will conduct research and development to commercialize mass-market architectural, engineering, and construction products from repurposed FRP composite of decommissioned wind turbine blades.

The team, comprised of Georgia Tech faculty, laboratory staff, and graduate and undergraduate students in architecture and engineering, will develop commercial products using Generative Design software, architecture studios and workshops, structural and Finite element analysis, life-cycle analysis, Lidar technology, and full-scale testing of prototypes in Georgia Tech’s 20,000 sq. ft Digital Fabrication Laboratory.

“The success of our project comes from the diverse talents and viewpoints represented on the team,” Gentry said. “It’s rare to have architects, engineers, and social, geospatial, and environmental scientists working on the same fundamental problem. As we move to commercialize, we are building an entrepreneurial team and linking with industry. We look forward to seeing our re-use applications implemented in the next three years.”

Prior to receiving the NSF PFI grant, researchers at Georgia Tech developed proprietary algorithms for a tool called the “Blade Machine” and created unique testing methodologies to rapidly characterize any wind-turbine blade currently in production for architectural and structural analysis and design purposes.

In October 2020, the team participated in the NSF’s I-Corp Innovation Program.

More info: www.logisticusgroup.com

Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, recently announced that the company has selected GE as its preferred supplier of wind turbine generators for its Vineyard Wind 1 project, the first utility-scale offshore wind installation in the United States.

“The selection of GE as our preferred turbine supplier means that a historic American company will play a vital role in the development of the first commercial scale offshore wind power in the U.S.,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Lars T. Pedersen. “This is a huge moment not only for the future of our project, but also for the future of an industry that is poised for exponential growth in the coming decades.”

Vineyard Wind 1 will be using GE Renewable Energy’s industry-leading Haliade-X wind turbine generators, the most powerful in operation to date. With this selection, GE Renewable Energy is poised to play a pivotal role in the development of offshore wind power in the U.S., which will be a major source of investments and job creation up and down the supply chain in communities across the region.

“GE Renewable Energy is proud to partner with Vineyard Wind for the first major offshore wind project in the U.S.,” said John Lavelle, president and CEO, Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy. “To be selected as the preferred supplier is an important sign of confidence for our proven technology and for all our employees around the world. We look forward to making this important contribution to the growth of offshore wind in the U.S.”

As a part of reaching this important milestone, Vineyard Wind has decided to temporarily withdraw its Construction and Operations Plan (COP) from further review by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to allow the project team to conduct a final technical review associated with the inclusion of the Haliade-X into the final project design.

“While the decision to pause the ongoing process was difficult, taking this step now avoids potentially more federal delays and we are convinced it will provide the shortest overall timeline for delivering the project as planned,” Pedersen said. “We intend to restart the BOEM process from where we left off as soon as we complete the final review.”

The company expects its review to take several weeks, after which Vineyard Wind will resume the Federal permitting process with BOEM. With buffer built into the project schedule, Vineyard Wind still expects to reach financial close in the second half of 2021 and to begin delivering clean energy to Massachusetts in 2023.

Vineyard Wind 1 is an 800-MW project 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and is slated to become the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the United States. The project will generate cost-competitive electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million tons per year.

More info: www.vineyardwind.com

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) released the NOIA Offshore Wind Priorities List for Biden Administration and the Importance of Gulf of Mexico Energy Production to the United States.

The documents are a pair of offshore energy priority proposals, detailing offshore oil, natural gas, and wind policies that President-elect Joe Biden should pursue to bolster U.S. offshore energy as a strategic asset, as well as possible legislation for consideration by the incoming Administration.

“President-elect Biden and the incoming Administration should recognize that offshore energy provides a unique solution to some of their top priorities,” said NOIA President Erik Milito. “American offshore energy is a foundation of domestic energy, accessible jobs and economic opportunity, and billions of dollars of government revenue. Offshore energy production occurs miles from onshore populations, so it avoids adverse environmental justice issues. On top of that, offshore-energy revenues provide the funding for vital parks-and-recreation programs that promote environmental justice solutions for local communities. The ecosystem of oil, natural gas, wind and service and supply companies are not just driving energy and climate innovation, they are providing a way to scale and deploy real-world solutions. There are not many industries that can provide these broad benefits in such a sustainable and responsible manner.”

Offshore oil and natural gas production is an American energy and economic anchor. A study by Energy & Industrial Advisory Partners found that, in 2019, the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry supported more than 345,000 jobs, across every U.S. state, $28.6 billion in GDP, and $5.4 billion in government revenue, including $1 billion that was directed to the Land & Water Conservation Fund.

The outlook for offshore wind is bright. A recent Wood Mackenzie paper indicates that new near-term prospective offshore wind leases could end up generating 37 GW of new electricity, supporting 80,000 jobs annually and creating $166 billion in total investment by 2035.

• Key offshore wind policies highlighted in the NOIA policy paper include:
• Leasing and permitting of offshore renewable energy.
• Appoint renewable energy permitting czar inside executive office of the president.
• Offshore wind investment tax credit implementation regulations.
• Reverse or alter the recent withdrawal of offshore wind leasing acreage.
• Improve coordination on the Pacific Coast between industry and the Department of Defense.

More info: www.noia.org

Vestas Wind Systems, a world leader in sustainable energy solutions, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., a leading global manufacturing and engineering firm, have signed an agreement to expand their partnership in sustainable energy.

The strengthened partnership entails that Vestas will acquire MHI’s shares in the MHI Vestas Offshore Wind (MVOW) joint venture and MHI will acquire 2.5 percent in Vestas and be nominated to a seat in Vestas’ Board of Directors.

Through the strengthened partnership, Vestas makes an emphatic long-term move in offshore wind energy to become a leading player in offshore wind by 2025 and to expand the two companies’ overall leadership in sustainable energy. A new offshore wind turbine platform will also be imminently introduced to improve efficiency and drive the levelized cost of energy further down. The companies also aim to meet customer needs across a wider range of the value chain and increase their global leadership in sustainable energy solutions. To that end and underlining the long-term goal of the agreement, Vestas and MHI will also plan for collaborating in green hydrogen as well as a joint venture in Japan to secure accelerated growth for onshore and offshore wind energy.

“Vestas is the leader in onshore wind, but to accelerate the energy transition and achieve our vision, we must play a larger role in offshore wind,” said Henrik Andersen, group president and CEO of Vestas. “On behalf of all of Vestas, I’m therefore very excited that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shares Vestas’ vision to become a leading player in offshore wind energy in the long term and will strengthen our partnership by becoming a large shareholder and part of Vestas’ Board of Directors. Offshore wind is key to creating a sustainable planet for future generations and offers unique growth, and with (this) announcement, we underline that we want to be an integral part of both.”

“We are very pleased to be able to expand our cooperation and collaboration with Vestas, now more than ever, under the backdrop of increasing need for cleaner and more economical energy worldwide,” said Seiji Izumisawa, president and CEO of MHI. “We will continue to strengthen business cooperation by leveraging our respective strengths to support the growth of clean energy around the world, especially in Japan.”

In Japan, the two companies will establish a joint venture for sales of onshore and offshore wind-power turbines, and Vestas will, as part of the collaboration, plan for establishing parts of its regional supply chain and production in Japan should market volume and cost-competitiveness allow.

The demand for offshore wind energy has accelerated in recent years and is expected to reach about 25 GW per year by 2030. This development is driven by a 67 percent decline in levelized cost of offshore wind energy since 2012 and growing applicability of offshore wind energy, which is mainly driven by high system value, proximity to load centers, better permitting, and public acceptance, as well as large-scale Power-to-X solutions, an area in which MHI has particular expertise and can contribute to across the value chain.

Through the agreement, the two companies seek to accelerate their overall growth journey by integrating onshore and offshore platforms and leveraging Vestas’ strengths in both segments. Specifically, this entails a stronger integration between onshore and offshore technology and modular frameworks.

“On behalf of Vestas, I look forward to welcoming Kentaro Hosomi, CEO, Energy Systems, MHI, to our Board of Directors,” Andersen said. “We hope to benefit from his visionary and strategic mindset as we seek to create a more sustainable planet for future generations.”

Vestas’ planning of the expected integration of MVOW into the Vestas group will commence immediately and run until transaction closing, focusing on synergies in sales, technology, manufacturing footprint and procurement to sustain customer relationships, lower costs, and building a strong shared Vestas culture. Until transaction closing, the executive management of MVOW will consist of Johnny Thomsen, CEO of MVOW; Tatsuichiro Honda, co-chief executive officer and chief financial officer of MVOW; Kentaro Hosomi, deputy chairman of MVOW and CEO, Energy Systems, MHI; and Andersen, chairman of MVOW and group president and CEO of Vestas.

On a stand-alone basis, MVOW is expected to report a consolidated revenue for 2020 of approximately 1.4 billion euros, with an EBIT margin of about 4 percent.

Closing of the transaction is expected to take place within either the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021.

More info: www.mhivestasoffshore.com

A2Z Drone Delivery, LLC, developer of a patented tethered freefall drone delivery mechanism, recently launched its flagship product, the RDS1 (Rapid Delivery System), which maintains a safe hover of up to 150 feet (45.71 meters) while its delivery mechanism controls the payload’s freefall for a safe and accurate touchdown.

Offered as a modular add-on system or as a ready-to-fly platform based on the DJI® Matrice 600 Pro, the RDS1 is designed for payloads up to 2 kg (4.4 lbs.). With a range of up to 3.5 km (2.17 miles), the RDS1 is ideal for rapid deployment of time-sensitive first aid and life-saving medical supplies, or to deliver material to destinations where landing the drone is problematic such as a tossing ship or dense forest.

The RDS1 addresses some of the consumer-protection concerns with drone delivery. By delivering payloads from a safe hover altitude, the RDS1 protects recipients from spinning UAV propellers, while mitigating privacy concerns of low-flying drones and abating intrusive rotor noise. The RDS1’s patented freefall delivery mechanism reduces time-on-station to ensure onboard power can be put to use in other ways. Built on the familiar DJI flight control interface, the A2Z Drone Delivery app combines manual control system operations with an onboard sensor array to manage the package’s freefall and gently stop its descent just above the ground. Rated at 100 pounds tensile strength, the RDS1’s Kevlar® tether and elastic fabric pouch can be reeled back up for reuse or to retrieve materials from personnel on the ground.

“Our rapid delivery system is ideal for situations where a drone cannot safely approach close proximity to its delivery location such as delivering radios or medical supplies to a search and rescue team in a forest or as a more efficient option to deliver and retrieve port documents from awaiting cargo ships,” said Aaron Zhang, founder of A2Z Drone Delivery, LLC. “While other drone delivery platforms are designed to hover close to the ground, our tethered free-fall delivery technique enables efficient and accurate placement without the UAV approaching people, structures, or other obstructions like trees and wires.”

RDS1 Features

The company’s proprietary delivery mechanism incorporates a Lidar sensing system that streams continuous data to the onboard firmware, which controls the payload’s rapid descent. Additional integrated features include:

• Payload status detection: Monitors payload throughout flight and delivery, enabling eventual beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) missions.
• Pre-flight weight check: Ensures the flight platform is not overloaded and controls payload deceleration.
• Rapid descent calculation: Automatically determines when to slow the payload freefall at the proper distance from the ground.
• Manual delivery control: Intelligent onboard systems provide safeguards while allowing pilots to manually control tethered payload delivery and retrieval.
• Emergency payload abandonment: Allows the pilot to quickly detach the drone from its payload amid flight emergencies.
• Transverse tether winding: Ensures the tether is tightly woven on the reel to maximize capacity and prevent knotting.
• Passive payload lock: Safeguards against payload loss or tether slippage in case of unforeseen power fluctuations and eliminates the need for additional payload housing.

“As we bring this first iteration of our unique rapid delivery system to market, we’re eager to work with our customers to adapt the system to meet their unique mission demands and set our product roadmap to suit their needs,” Zhang said. “We have already initiated development of a ‘tap-and-go’ payload auto-release mechanism to remotely deposit the payload without an awaiting recipient, and while our flexible payload pouches can already accommodate diverse demands, our design team is nimble enough to adapt the delivery system to just about any payload the flight platform can support.”

More info: www.a2zdronedelivery.com/rds1

Leading global infrastructure operator Ferrovial has been selected for the manufacturing and assembly of the SATH floating platform in the DemoSATH project lead by Saitec Offshore Technologies in collaboration with RWE Renewables.

The construction package will last 14 months and covers site preparation, concrete precasting, procurement of steel bulkheads, and assembly of the floater along with management of the supply chain.

The award of the construction contract is a significant milestone for the project and kicks off the on-site works in the already granted area of the Port of Bilbao (northern Spain). Work will start in November 2020 under strict health and safety rules to protect against COVID-19 and will create about 60 local jobs during the peak of the project.

In February 2020, RWE Renewables and Saitec Offshore Technologies announced they were joining forces to test a floating platform for wind turbines off the Basque Coast. The DemoSATH project will deploy the first multi-megawatt floating offshore wind turbine connected to the Spanish grid. RWE Renewables will finance part of the project costs and contribute its extensive experience as the second largest player in offshore wind globally, gaining access to the resulting findings in return.

The SATH Technology floater is based on a twin hull, made of modularly prefabricated and subsequently braced concrete elements. It can align itself around a single point of mooring depending to the wind and wave direction.

“Our ambition is to rapidly advance toward commercial production,” said David Carrascosa, chief technology officer of Saitec Offshore Technologies. “DemoSATH is therefore not only proving the technical feasibility of the SATH technology but is also demonstrating how these structures can be mass produced. Ferrovial is the perfect partner to rely on and to ensure we meet our objectives.”

“We are pleased to see that the DemoSATH project is entering the manufacturing phase now and making good progress towards offshore installation in 2022,” said Sven Utermöhlen, chief operating officer, Wind Offshore Global of RWE Renewables GmbH. “We see great potential for floating wind farms worldwide, especially in countries with deeper coastal waters where this opens up attractive opportunities. As part of this large-scale demonstration project, we are gaining experience with an innovative concrete-based platform technology that will help us to position ourselves in this growth market.”

“This is Ferrovial’s first floating offshore wind project, and it represents a great opportunity to add value to the project, based on our experience in marine construction and landmark pre-stressed concrete structures,” said Alberto Val, Ferrovial construction manager in Basque Country. “Moreover, this project has a large innovation component, not only because of the materials but also because of the manufacturing and assembly processes that it will develop.”

For the prototype, the structure and the 2-MW wind turbine will be assembled in the port of Bilbao. The base of the structure will be about 30 meters wide and 64 meters long. The platform, including the turbine, will be towed to its anchorage point in a test field (BIMEP) two miles off the coast at a depth of 85 meters. Hybrid mooring lines, composed by chains and fiber anchored to the seabed will hold the floating body in position. The unit is expected to go into operation early 2022. The power generated by DemoSATH will provide enough annual electricity to meet the power needs for 2,000 homes and will prevent emissions of more than 5,100 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

The objective of the project is to collect data and gain real-life knowledge from the construction, operation, and maintenance of the unit. DemoSATH will test the offshore behavior of the platform, in addition to the construction procedure to be used in the future for mass production. The various sections of the floater will be first precast and then assembled in order to prove the efficiency of the industrial fabrication conceived by Saitec Offshore Technologies for upcoming commercial wind-farm developments.

SATH technology will also demonstrate its capacity as a local content enabler, largely due to the use of concrete as main construction material. The DemoSATH project will spend 90 percent of its construction budget with the local supply chain (less than 50 kilometers from the site.)

More info: saitec-offshore.com

Clir Renewables, a leading provider of performance assessment software for renewable energy, recently called on asset owners to benchmark the performance of their renewable energy equipment at portfolio, rather than project, scales.

While a number of high-profile manufacturers have recently announced losses owing to the repair and replacement of turbines with blade or tower defects, very few of these serial faults are made public until they affect the manufacturers’ balance sheet. Therefore, in order for asset owners to understand what issues might be recurring, a lack of transparency around “big picture” operational data must be addressed.

Clir argues that in the absence of industry-wide transparency on serial defects, owners need to use their asset and project data to build a portfolio-wide understanding of asset health and act on issues before they affect performance or result in a critical failure.

Today’s turbines are four times as large as the average assets installed in the wind power boom of the 1980s, with the next generation of turbines set to reach new heights offshore. However, as complex, highly innovative new technology is rolled out across the globe, major unknowns around asset performance in specific environments remain. As such, recurring issues are often only recognized and addressed many years later.

“Often, serial defects do not surface until the asset has been operational for more than 10 years; however, if operational and performance data from new turbines was freely shared between the manufacturer, the owner, and the operator, defects common to certain models could be identified and addressed early,” said Gareth Brown, chief executive officer, Clir Renewables.

“At Clir, we are taking three key steps to overcoming the issue of missing data on serial defects,” he said. “Firstly, by facilitating owner-to-owner collaboration on specific issues. This gives our clients the ability to either jointly tackle an issue or learn from each other’s first-hand experience. Secondly, by building a knowledge base of known issues that have been identified through our supported asset base and complimented by decades of in-house domain expertise. Lastly, by arming clients with the right information during turbine-supply-agreement or service-and-maintenance-agreement negotiations to ensure the most favorable terms are in place should defects occur.”

“Unfortunately, this level of information sharing is not the norm,” Brown said. “However, by analyzing turbine data holistically from Day 1 of operations, benchmarking performance against every other turbine of that model in the owner’s portfolio and against Clir’s supported portfolio as a whole, common issues — serial or otherwise — can be tackled before they impact operations.”

Recently, Clir announced that more than 5GW of renewable energy assets have been signed up to the firm’s platform over the last year.

More info: www.clir.eco

When it comes to wind park operations, data is invaluable — indeed, it is utterly critical to a healthy business. The general consensus in the industry, however, is that that 80 percent of the employee time spent on wind-farm data is used in cleaning it up, while only 20 percent is spent on actual analysis and optimization.

SCADA International has now addressed this challenge with the launch of Robotic Data Intelligence, a patented new software solution that automatically cleans, organizes, and reports wind-farm data. By doing so, the innovative software ensures the data enhancement that underlies operational optimization.

“Gathering and cleaning data are two of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks in operating a wind park,” said Thomas Bagger, CEO of SCADA International. “Nevertheless, they are vital elements of a successful operation. But while high-quality data supports good decision-making, poor or missing data can mean missed opportunities and lost income.”

The new software was designed to complement OneView® SCADA software and its well-known data-collection features. While OneView® SCADA retrieves data and provides precise calculations of up and downtime, production losses, and availability, Robotic Data Intelligence organizes and qualifies that data. And that makes it possible to dedicate more time on analysis and optimization and less on validation.

“The reason wind-park operators use so much time to systemize the data they’ve gathered is that unfortunately, errors in event sequences are not unusual,” said Bo Lovmand, SCADA International’s R&D director. “For instance, a reset can mean anywhere from a couple of minutes to several months of incorrect calculations. With this new software solution, such errors will be discovered immediately — and automatically. Robotic Data Intelligence gathers data from several sources, cleans it by weeding out incorrect and duplicate data, and formats it all in accurate, easy-to-understand summaries.”

The new software was developed in consultation with a group of experts who specialize in different types of wind turbines. In that way, SCADA International has ensured the best overview of operating situations, regardless of the makeup of a particular wind turbine fleet.

Bagger notes Robotic Data Intelligence is undergoing further development in order to make it possible to customize advanced reporting systems.

“One of our chief goals is to improve transparency in calculating turbine availability, both operational and contractual,” he said. “By doing that, we’ll make it possible for wind-park operators to develop optimization strategies that utilize existing equipment and free up more time to find solutions instead of identifying problems.”

More info: scada-international.com

The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) is excited to welcome wind energy, solar energy, and energy storage industry leaders and partners at the Canadian Renewable Energy Forum to be held virtually November 9-10, 2020.

The Canadian Renewable Energy Forum builds on the legacy of long-established annual wind and solar energy industry events in Canada and has been expanded to encompass issues and opportunities for the wind energy, solar energy, and energy-storage industries in Canada within a single program. The Forum’s 10 concurrent sessions will focus on key elements of Canada’s energy transition including electricity market reform, hybrid projects combining renewable energy and energy storage, rapidly growing corporate and customer demand for renewable energy, and more.

Of note, the Forum will open November 9 with a panel on Canada’s Energy Transition. Michelle Chislett (managing director, Canada and U.S. Development, Northland Power and CanREA Board chair) will moderate a discussion between Frank Davis (Country Head – Canada, Pattern Energy Group), Brian Douglas (VP – Sales, HES PV), Jeff Jenner (CEO, Potentia Renewables), and Annette Verschuren (Chair and CEO, NRStor).

On November 10, the Forum will open with the Innovation and Collaboration plenary that will bring together chief executives from regulated utilities and provincial system operators: Sophie Brochu (President & CEO, Hydro-Québec), Michael Law (President & CEO, Alberta Electric System Operator), Mike Marsh (President & CEO, SaskPower) and Terry Young (Interim President & CEO, Independent Electricity System Operator).

The day will close with the Canada’s Energy Future plenary, moderated by Chris Severson-Baker (Interim Director, Business Renewables Center Canada), where attendees will hear from sustainability leaders of companies such as Telus, RBC, and Oxford Properties, as well as the City of Edmonton on their interests in accessing renewable energy for their customers.  

CanREA is using a global virtual events platform to deliver a real forum experience in a virtual environment like no other. Attendees will be able to converge and connect with all participants, attend plenaries and education sessions, and come together in the designated “Power Together” networking sessions and showcase opportunities.

MORE INFO  renewablesassociation.ca/event/canadian-renewable-energy-forum-wind-solar-storage

WindEnergy Hamburg will not be on the Hamburg exhibition campus this year. Instead, Hamburg Messe und Congress plans to host a fully digital event in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its global impact on trade fairs and international traveling.

“Following extensive consultations with our co-organizer, WindEurope, our partners VDMA, BWE and GWEC, and the exhibition committee, we have decided to host WindEnergy Hamburg 2020 as a new digital event,” said Bernd Aufderheide, president and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. “In the face of growing infection rates in many countries and international travel restrictions, planning a physical trade fair with participants from all around the world is next to impossible. Our decision gives our exhibitors and visitors a reliable basis for planning and provides us with an opportunity to make the wind industry’s leading networking event a great success on the digital stage.”

Hamburg Messe und Congress is working vigorously on the development of digital formats that will allow all participants in WindEnergy Hamburg to have a successful trade fair experience in the present unusual situation.

“We are in the process of reinventing and expanding the trade fair concept,” Aufderheide said. “Through our digital program, we want to bring the industry together this year despite the difficult circumstances. When we meet again on the Hamburg Messe und Congress exhibition campus in 2022, some of these new services might turn out to be welcome additions to the proven trade fair concept.”

The digital program will include company and product profiles along with comprehensive, up-to-date background information, plus education, business, and networking opportunities. It will even be possible to make appointments for meetings in virtual meeting rooms, among other features.

“We are trying to replicate as many aspects of WindEnergy Hamburg in the digital space so that exhibitors in particular will have an opportunity to present themselves and interact with the global community,” Aufderheide said.

One of the highlights that had been planned for the event, the Premium Conference by WindEurope, will likewise be held digitally.

“This year’s WindEurope Conference comes in a new form,” said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson. “For the first time, alongside the main conference program, there’ll be a ‘Wind TV’ channel, which will give access to exclusive live and on-demand content, so, you won’t just be tuning into Teams/Zoom panels.”

The high-level virtual conference will focus on how to unleash wind’s full potential. The coverage will include permitting, community engagement, electrification, renewable hydrogen, technology and innovation, and the wind-energy supply chain.

More info: www.windenergyhamburg.com

Avangrid Renewables, a leading developer of utility-scale solar, onshore and offshore wind projects, recently announced the appointment of Bill White as head of U.S. offshore wind and Sy Oytan as deputy CEO of Vineyard Wind. Through its partnership with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Avangrid Renewables is jointly developing Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, and Park City Wind, which will supply Massachusetts and Connecticut, respectively, with clean renewable energy.

White will lead the development and implementation of Avangrid Renewables’ overall offshore wind strategy in the U.S. Oytan will be joining White’s team and will oversee business management, finance, development, and delivery for the Vineyard Wind and Park City projects.

“Throughout his career, Bill has helped lay the foundation for the U.S. offshore wind industry,” said president and CEO of Avangrid Renewables Alejandro de Hoz. “His experience, expertise, and relationships will further strengthen Avangrid Renewables’ position as an industry leader. Sy’s background in offshore wind-project development and delivery makes him a tremendous addition to our team. His expertise will facilitate the successful development of these two groundbreaking offshore wind projects for Massachusetts and Connecticut.”

In addition to the two southern New England projects, Avangrid Renewables is developing its wholly-owned Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind project, a proposed 2,500-MW offshore wind project off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina. In total, Avangrid Renewables has an offshore wind development pipeline of nearly 5 GW, enough to power approximately 2 million American homes.

“I’m proud to join the pioneers of the North American offshore wind industry,” White said. “Avangrid Renewables is leading a new American energy transition that will create thousands of jobs while producing clean, affordable energy to tackle our mounting climate emergency. I am thrilled to join such a strong team dedicated to launching the future of U.S. clean energy offshore.”

Prior to joining Avangrid Renewables, White served as president and CEO of EnBW North America, the U.S. offshore wind subsidiary of the German utility. He was previously the senior director of offshore wind sector development for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center where he led the state’s offshore wind planning efforts and directed initiatives to support the responsible siting of offshore wind projects.

Additionally, White served in the White House as a special assistant to the president and as assistant secretary at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. He is a graduate of Boston College’s School of Management and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Vineyard Wind is breaking new ground with the first large-scale offshore wind farms in the waters of the United States,” Oytan said. “Joining the team that’s helping make this project a reality and growing a new U.S. industry is a terrific opportunity.”

Oytan joins Avangrid Renewables from Arup, where he led offshore wind development efforts for the multinational engineering firm. Previously, he worked for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority where he spearheaded a range of offshore wind port and supply chain development initiatives for the State of New Jersey. During his career, he led the development, delivery, construction, and advisory on 6.5 GW of onshore and offshore wind-energy projects in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He has also held a variety of leadership positions at Siemens Gamesa and Schlumberger. He is a mechanical engineer with a master’s degree in industrial management from Clemson University.

White and Oytan will be based, respectively, in Avangrid Renewables’ and Vineyard Wind’s offices in Boston, Massachusetts.

More info: www.avangridrenewables.com

Global Wind Organisation (GWO) training providers in North America returned to action quickly after COVID-19 lockdown eased, with courses in the first six months of 2020 increasing by 56 percent compared to the same period in 2019.

The results are published in GWO’s Half Year Report, Training in the Pandemic, which reveals that while activity across the global network fell by as much as minus-86 percent during March, April, and May owing to COVID-19 lockdown, North American training centers were still able to train more people in 2020.

This growth was driven by several newly established training centers opening their doors and adding capacity to the network as wind-energy employers in North America increasingly request the standard for their workforces.

“Despite the pandemic, GWO remains on course to meet the annual target our members set last year to double the number of new training centers, courses completed, and certification bodies able to audit GWO training centers,” said Wesley Witt, head of Quality Management and Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and chair of GWO North America Committee. “I thank all our GWO training providers across North America who have safely delivered training throughout the past several months by making modifications to facilities and classrooms, among other actions, while continuing to help achieve our vision of an injury free work environment.”

Global safety training volumes fell minus-15 percent in the first six months of 2020 compared with the same period one year earlier. While the total of courses declined in Europe, growth also continued in Asia/Pacific.

“It was encouraging to see how quickly GWO training providers returned following lockdown,” said Jakob Lau Holst, CEO of Global Wind Organisation. “In most cases, they have continued this increased activity into Q3. Our members are the world’s largest employers in wind power, and they have supported training providers during COVID-19 by developing standards and requirements for virtual classroom training and blended learning solutions with digital elements. There are now over 40 training providers around the world certified to provide digital or virtual courses. At the beginning of 2020, there was just one, so there are more options available should the worst effects of lockdown return.”

“The first half of 2020 was the most challenging period many of us has ever experienced, and, unfortunately, it appears, for a number of countries, the spread of the virus has increased again,” said Paul Robbins, chief health and safety specialist at Vestas and chair of GWO. “However, our commitment to safety is the priority. Technicians will be required to install and maintain our growing wind power infrastructure in spite of many risks posed by COVID-19, and I believe the GWO network is well prepared to support our workforce and ride out the worst effects of any repeat situation this winter.”

More info: www.globalwindsafety.org

Croda International Plc, which uses smart science to create, make, and sell specialty chemicals that improve lives, recently announced a new partnership with Sentient Science for the recommended use of Croda’s Rewitec additives for wind-turbine gearboxes and main bearings.

In 2019, Croda acquired Rewitec GmbH and began to offer Energy Technologies customers nano- and micro-particle-based additives to increase the durability of machinery by lowering friction and reducing wear. Sentient Science validated Rewitec’s DuraGear gearbox oil additives for use in wind-turbine gearboxes in 2017.

This brand-new partnership will see Sentient apply physics and data science expertise, combined with Croda’s Rewitec additives, to calculate the lifetime extension of critical rotating components. It will also examine how Rewitec’s GR400 grease additive, developed specifically for main bearing durability improvements, can improve equipment lifetime.

Sentient Science provides DigitalClone^® for wind operations and maintenance, which uses a unique combination of physics and data science to give a holistic view of the health and remaining useful life of an asset’s critical systems and components. This information is used for predictive maintenance programs to reduce operations and maintenance costs and ultimately to prolong asset life. Sentient is able to calculate and demonstrate durability improvements imparted through using Croda’s Rewitec technology, which provides asset owners the option of extending the lifetime of their assets instead of costly part replacements.

“The competitive energy market is forcing energy producers to optimize maintenance practices and reduce operational expenses,” said Scott Gardiner, business development specialist for energy technologies at Croda. “Major correctives are the largest cost drivers in the wind-energy market, specifically gearbox or main-shaft replacement. The cost of this replacement can completely change the asset’s profitability during its lifetime. The Rewitec technology is currently helping customers reduce failure rates and extend the life of these critical assets. We are excited that customers can now utilize Sentient’s DigitalClone^® to provide RUL projections in conjunction with our Rewitec technology.”

“As wind turbines age, operators are seeing a higher number of onshore and offshore wind assets running with damage, specifically in critical rotating components like gearboxes and main bearings,” said Ed Wagner, GM of wind operations at Sentient. “Our customers have been waiting for data to compare next generation additives, like Rewitec, against up-tower part replacements. And while this may not be a solution for every wind turbine, we do have data to substantiate improvements in gearbox life and expect to show the same in main bearing life.”

More info: sentientscience.com

Leading renewable energy consultancy and service provider, Natural Power, was recently appointed by BayWa r.e. Wind LLC as Independent Engineer of Record for its 250-MW Amadeus Wind project north of Rotan, Texas, currently under construction.

“We appreciate the opportunity to serve as Independent Engineer on Amadeus in support of tax equity and construction debt financing,” said Chris Mertes, head of Advisory at Natural Power in North America. “Natural Power and BayWa r.e. take the role of Independent Engineer seriously, and the experience and results we provide will be of significant benefit to the wind project’s long-term success.”

The team undertook a full review of the project’s engineering designs, turbine technology, operating contracts, financial models, and permits prior to the start of construction. Beneficial aspects were highlighted, and areas of potential risk were flagged for further investigation and resolution. Natural Power will continue to support the project with construction monitoring through completion.

Once operational, the project will deploy GE wind turbines across nearly 25,000 acres of federal, state and privately held lands, and could generate enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 75,000 homes annually.

“BayWa r.e. selected Natural Power for this critical role based on its reputation for providing careful, actionable due diligence on wind projects, as well as the widespread acceptance of their work product by the tax equity community,” said Florian Zerhusen, CEO, BayWa r.e. Wind LLC.

Earlier this year, BayWa r.e. Wind announced it had secured a tax equity commitment from a consortium led by GE Energy Financial Services. The project has also executed a hedge agreement with Morgan Stanley and, in the most difficult market since the financial crisis of 2008, closed on a construction loan with Commerzbank. BayWa r.e. has used 5 percent safe harbor equipment to qualify the project for 100 percent PTCs.

In the past 12 months, Natural Power’s U.S.-based advisory team has provided technical due diligence on nearly 15 GW of renewable project capacity within North America, including 11.5 GW of late-stage, pre-construction wind projects, delivering work for major sponsors, and tax and equity investors.

More info: www.naturalpower.com/us