North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed Executive Order NO. 80: North Carolina’s Commitment to Address Climate Change and Transition to a Clean Energy Economy.

The order directs state agencies in North Carolina to take several steps to address and mitigate the impacts from climate change. This Executive Order creates an environment that will expand the opportunity for both land-based and offshore wind in North Carolina by moving the state further towards a clean energy economy, according to the Southeastern Wind Coalition (SEWC).

In addition to significantly expanding the opportunity for wind energy in the state, EO 80 also addresses the growing opportunity for workforce development. As the offshore wind industry moves to the U.S., states must take early and intentional action in order to capture some of the 40,000 jobs this industry is expected to bring. The workforce study outlined in Executive Order 80 is exactly the kind of forward-looking step that signals to the industry that North Carolina is serious about its desire and intentions to be a meaningful participant in the offshore wind industry.

The SEWC expressed its gratitude to Gov. Cooper for his forward-looking vision and recognition of the benefits wind energy can provide both to North Carolina’s generation portfolio, and the state’s economy.

More info: www.sewc.org

Ingeteam, the world-leading supplier of electrical conversion equipment, recently announced it received DNV GL’s certification for its Ingecon^®Wind stator-equipped 2MW DFIG converter.

With this latest achievement, Ingeteam completes the range of its products covered under DNV GL certification, such as the medium voltage full power converters and the statorless DFIG converters; and demonstrates its ability to consistently meet DNV GL’s quality and safety requirements across multiple drive-train topologies.

Ingeteam’s low voltage DFIG power converters have been developed with a modular FRT solution to optimize cost-effectiveness and fulfil the strictest international grid codes. It is a mature technology used by many of the main turbine manufacturers, offering key advantages with regards to costs and sizes savings.

The DNV GL Component Certificate confirms that Ingeteam’s converter is designed, documented and manufactured in accordance to design assumptions, specific standards and technical requirements, globally. It also makes the process of new turbine development easier, speeding up the integration of components to wind turbine platforms.

“To this day, DFIG converters remain the most proven, efficient and cost competitive drive train topology,” said Ion Etxarri Sangüesa, R&D Quality Team Leader of Ingeteam Wind Energy. “Our DFIG converter series offer cost-optimized products for each market and application. Those converters present a very grid-friendly behavior, including FRT, SCR and SSR, which explains why they are used all over the world, and, in particular, why they do very well in emerging markets such as India or Brazil. Our 2MW DFIG converters can be modulated to bring customized solutions that will effectively minimize wind turbine LCOE.”

“We are very pleased to continue our partnership with Ingeteam and support the company in their efforts to demonstrate the quality standards of their products,” said Kim Mørk, executive vice president of Renewables Certification at DNV GL. “This new certification is another step forward in the excellent working relationship we have developed with Ingeteam over the years. The certificate emphasizes the quality requirements of Ingeteam in safety and reliability of their products.”

More info: www.ingeteam.com

Altitec, a leading turbine rotor blade inspection and repair specialist, recently highlighted the need for South Africa to expand its pool of blade repair technicians to support operations and maintenance in the sector.

As shown by Altitec’s 2018 Blade Repair Atlas, published in October, newer wind farms, those under five years old, typically require more active monitoring and maintenance. Nearly all of South Africa’s installed wind energy capacity is under five years old.

The development of wind energy in South Africa has gathered momentum in 2018 since Energy Minister Jeff Radebe signed 27 agreements with independent power producers on behalf of Eskom in April, which included 12 wind energy projects with a capacity of more than 1.3 GW. Looking to the future, the government expects South Africa’s total installed capacity to reach 11.5 GW by 2030.

New wind energy capacity will drive employment in the country, not only during construction, but also over the longer term throughout the operational life of the assets. Altitec’s Blade Atlas, which breaks down the activity of their rotor blade technicians on wind farms worldwide, younger wind farms require an average seven repairs per turbine, compared with only 2.2 repairs per turbine for farms older than five years.

Three-quarters of Altitec’s inspections and repairs around the world were carried out on wind farms younger than five years old, while 15 percent of operations were undertaken on wind farms in South Africa. Altitec segments its repairs in to three distinct types. The report shows that internal works made up 12 percent of all repairs by type in 2018, external repairs were 31 percent, with replacement of aerodynamic add-ons making up the 47 percent of all repairs Altitec carried out in the year.

“With the planned growth in wind farms over the next decade, South Africa will need a local cohort of highly-skilled rotor blade repair technicians to ensure the wind turbine fleet remains in optimal operation,” said Riccardo Buehler, director of Altitec South Africa. “The Altitec Academy in Cape Town provides local training built on global experience to guarantee technicians have the skills to inspect and record damage to blades, and identify and conduct the necessary repairs.”

More info: www.altitec.co.za

Chinese operators remain the leaders of the global wind asset market, according to new research from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.

The report, Global Wind Power Asset Ownership 2018, notes Chinese asset owners continue to dominate the global wind power sector following the merger of former top-ranked power producer Guodian Group and seventh-ranked mining and energy company Shenhua into industrial titan CHN Energy.

“Despite the conglomerate’s heavy focus on coal extraction and coal power generation, its wind fleet is more than twice as large as second-ranked utility Iberdrola’s,” said lead author Anthony Logan, research analyst, North America Wind.

“Many turbines installed during recent years of breakneck growth in China’s wind sector, are reaching the end of their turbine OEM (manufacturer) warranty period,” said Xiaoyang Li, an analyst with Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables’ Asia Pacific team. “This coming transition, coupled with the low prices seen at new wind energy tenders, is forcing large asset owners to prioritize availability and annual energy production, driving a significant focus on operations and maintenance.”

“Chinese asset owners, long confined to their domestic market, are now looking to build and buy wind assets abroad,” she said. “Australia has been a particularly attractive overseas market, thanks to its open market and high project profits.”

In offshore wind, four large utilities dominate the capital-intensive market, typically developing and selling off about 50 percent of their projects to a more fragmented pool of institutional investors. The growth of the offshore wind sector will affect asset ownership in Asia Pacific from 2022 onwards, boosting the utility market share in Japan and South Korea.

 “In the U.S., 2017 saw domestic owners NextEra, BHE, Invenergy, and Duke complete just 20 percent of their collective average 2015-2016 installation volume as they and several other domestic asset owners used the year to allow their development arms to rebuild exhausted project pipelines,” Logan said. “Canadian and European firms, on the other hand, developed significant new capacity in the country. So far this year, the U.S. has seen institutional investors move to buy portfolios as independent power producers (IPPs) scramble for capital in time to use the Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit (PTC) before it runs out in 2020.”

In Latin America, competitive auction dynamics in 2017 and 2018 indicate that global IPPs with utility subsidiaries will increasingly build ownership share in the region. Enel divested a majority stake in most of its Mexican renewable power assets to CDPQ and CKD IM via a newly deployed “build, sell, operate” strategy which improves its ability to bid competitively at long-term auctions.

The expiry of subsidies in Northern and Western Europe drove a record year in the region and affected asset owner segmentation; utilities dominated asset ownership in the U.K., while community ownership in Germany peaked. Across Europe in the first half of 2018, utilities and large IPPs drove consolidation to secure a project pipeline that will ensure their positioning in an increasingly competitive market.

In Asia Pacific excluding China, wind asset owners remain tied to their domestic markets with no activity in other key markets of the region, with the exception of Eurus Energy. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy consolidated its market-leading position in India, supplying turbines to asset owners around Asia Pacific as well. Due to increasing competition, leading asset owners in Australia did not add new capacity in 2017.

Looking ahead, the phasing out of subsidies in the U.S. and Canada will force a market decline in the early 2020s, which will significantly destabilize the traditional model of independent power producers. Utilities with ambitious rate-basing plans and institutional investors will gain market share in their place. In Europe and the Middle East, competitive auctions will see large IPPs and utilities own more capacity, as they are better able to leverage cost over smaller players.

China will see an increase in ownership share by the turbine OEM segment due to the gradual erosion of the IPP segment. Most Tier I and II turbine OEMs have already reserved wind sites to develop internal wind projects and are looking for development opportunities in the distributed wind power market.

More info: www.woodmac.com

Following years of committed partnership, field testing, and data-backed results with worldwide customers, AMSOIL has been selected by ZF Wind Power for gearbox lubrication during end-of-line testing at all of its manufacturing locations.

Those locations include Lommel, Belgium; Witten, Germany; Tianjin, China; Coimbatore, India; and its service facility in Vernon Hills, U.S.

The agreement solidifies AMSOIL as the global leader in wind gearbox oil reliability and performance. The company’s global presence and unparalleled customer service have not gone unnoticed by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

“We are proud to partner with ZF Wind Power, a company known for its strong technological leadership, strategic partnerships, and strong focus on R&D,” said Dave Meyer, AMSOIL VP, Wind & Industrial. “That reputation makes the decision to partner with AMSOIL a significant validation of our products and service. The agreement is consistent with ZF’s vision to provide the highest quality products on the market.”

AMSOIL PTN 320 Synthetic Gear Oil offers advanced gear protection in the crucial run-in period and is engineered to last. After more than nine years in use, it still passes rigorous OEM test requirements designed for new oil, proving its durability. The premium industrial lubricant’s superior performance and long drain interval saves money and protects the environment.

ZF Wind Power is a globally established designer, manufacturer, and supplier of advanced gearbox solutions for wind turbines, currently operating four state-of-the-art manufacturing plants with an annual output capacity of approximately 18,000 MW. In addition to its manufacturing presence in Europe, India, China, and the U.S., ZF maintains worldwide sales and service operations.

More info: amsoilwind.com

E.ON recently announced it is partnering with GE to repower its Panther Creek I and Panther Creek II wind farms in West Texas.

“We’re excited to embark on our first repowering project in the U.S.,” said Silvia Ortin, chief operating officer, North America and E.ON Climate & Renewables Board Member. “The repowering of our Panther Creek wind farms provides us with the opportunity to increase lifetime earnings from the sites. In addition, it allows us to capture up-to-date turbine efficiency improvements and a resulting increase in power generation.”

The repowering includes the replacement of a significant portion of the components, effectively increasing the annual production for all 172 wind turbine generators (WTGs) totaling 258 MW on the sites.

“This is the largest repowering project we’ve undertaken at E.ON, and we expect this trend to continue as we see our turbine fleet mature,” said Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, CEO, E.ON Climate & Renewables. “While our Panther Creek wind farms have been excellent performers for us in the past, this project allows us to improve reliability while gaining valuable lessons learned for any future repowering activities.”

The erection and commissioning of the project will be conducted by GE as part of the equipment delivery contract and is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2019.

“GE and E.ON worked collaboratively to develop a repower strategy for Panther Creek that will extend the life of the wind farms, and materially increase the AEP of the existing turbines,” said Vikas Anand, general manager of GE’s Onshore Wind business in the Americas. “The twofold benefit of repower will ensure that renewable energy is available to E.ON’s customers for years to come.”

Panther Creek I came online in September 2008 and consists of 95 GE 1.5 MW SLE turbines for a total of 142.5 MW. It is the first of a three-phase project in West Texas and is in Howard and Glasscock counties.

Panther Creek II came online in December 2008 and consists of 77 GE 1.5 MW SLE turbines for a total of 115.5 MW. Its footprint spans parts of Glasscock and Sterling counties.

More information: www.ge.com/renewableenergy

E.ON recently announced it is partnering with GE to repower its Panther Creek I and Panther Creek II wind farms in West Texas.

“We’re excited to embark on our first repowering project in the U.S.,” said Silvia Ortin, chief operating officer, North America and E.ON Climate & Renewables Board Member. “The repowering of our Panther Creek wind farms provides us with the opportunity to increase lifetime earnings from the sites. In addition, it allows us to capture up-to-date turbine efficiency improvements and a resulting increase in power generation.”

The repowering includes the replacement of a significant portion of the components, effectively increasing the annual production for all 172 wind turbine generators (WTGs) totaling 258 MW on the sites.

“This is the largest repowering project we’ve undertaken at E.ON, and we expect this trend to continue as we see our turbine fleet mature,” said Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, CEO, E.ON Climate & Renewables. “While our Panther Creek wind farms have been excellent performers for us in the past, this project allows us to improve reliability while gaining valuable lessons learned for any future repowering activities.”

The erection and commissioning of the project will be conducted by GE as part of the equipment delivery contract and is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2019.

“GE and E.ON worked collaboratively to develop a repower strategy for Panther Creek that will extend the life of the wind farms, and materially increase the AEP of the existing turbines,” said Vikas Anand, general manager of GE’s Onshore Wind business in the Americas. “The twofold benefit of repower will ensure that renewable energy is available to E.ON’s customers for years to come.”

Panther Creek I came online in September 2008 and consists of 95 GE 1.5 MW SLE turbines for a total of 142.5 MW. It is the first of a three-phase project in West Texas and is in Howard and Glasscock counties.

Panther Creek II came online in December 2008 and consists of 77 GE 1.5 MW SLE turbines for a total of 115.5 MW. Its footprint spans parts of Glasscock and Sterling counties.

More information: www.ge.com/renewableenergy

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced it has signed an agreement with Southern Power, a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, for Southern Power’s 200-MW Reading Wind Facility. This initiative, which will offset up to 12 percent of Royal Caribbean’s emissions beginning in 2020, is the latest addition to the company’s extensive sustainability efforts, which include programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through innovations at sea and in port.

This project, Southern Power’s 11th wind facility, is in Osage and Lyon counties, Kansas, and is Southern Power’s first to be validated as a carbon offset project under the Verified Carbon Standard. The agreement with Royal Caribbean provides Southern Power with the economic basis to construct the project. Royal Caribbean was advised on the execution of this agreement by Schneider Electric Energy & Sustainability Services.

“This agreement complements our longstanding strategic initiatives to reduce the company’s emissions and become a more sustainable operator,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “We are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our environmental footprint, both in the short and long term, and thanks to our partnership with Southern Power this is the latest step in our journey.”

The facility is expected to generate roughly 760,000 MW/h per year over the duration of the 12-year agreement, which translates to enough clean energy to offset 10-12 percent of Royal Caribbean’s annual carbon emissions starting in 2020. With this innovative program, Royal Caribbean is able to apply a new approach while continuing its primary initiatives to advance sustainability efforts across the company’s fleet.

“Southern Power is thrilled to partner with Royal Caribbean to provide the company with a carbon offset project that will further complement Royal Caribbean’s expansive sustainability initiatives,” said Southern Power President and CEO Mark Lantrip. “Reading Wind celebrates the first project in our joint development agreement with RES America Developments Inc. (RES), qualifying for 100 percent production tax credits and is an important addition to Southern Power’s portfolio. We’re proud to support Royal Caribbean’s innovative approach toward advancing its sustainability through this project.”

The 200-MW project was originally developed by RES who will lead the construction of the project alongside Southern Power. Reading Wind is expected to consist of 62 wind turbines manufactured by Siemens Gamesa. The project is expected to break ground in the second quarter of 2019 and is expected to be complete by the second quarter of 2020. Southern Power will operate and maintain the facility upon completion.

Royal Caribbean’s Commitment to Sustainability

Royal Caribbean has a longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship, which the company expanded in 2016 to set ambitious and measurable goals to reduce the company’s environmental footprint. In addition to the agreement with Southern Power, Royal Caribbean is also employing several technologies and innovations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create more efficient vessels, including:

• Advanced Emission Purification systems, which remove approximately 98 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions.
• Air lubrication systems to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency.
• Energy management software, an industry first, to achieve top fuel efficiency.
• The introduction of new fuels such as liquefied natural gas, in the near future.
• Onboard the ship: the use of energy-efficient equipment in galleys and the replacement of incandescent bulbs with fluorescent and LED lighting, as well as the introduction of fuel cells.

Royal Caribbean also encourages guests to make a positive impact on the environment through Save the Waves, its onboard stewardship program focused on reducing waste; reusing and recycling; and properly disposing of remaining waste.

More information: www.rclcorporate.com.

O&M managers need to more actively and closely monitor the health of turbine blades at newer wind farms under five years of age, with the average of seven repairs required per turbine significantly exceeding that of the 2.2 repairs for older wind farms.

This is according to leading blade repair and inspection specialist Altitec, which has recently launched its 2018 Blade Repair Atlas, which provides a detailed breakdown of its operations across the UK, Europe and further afield.

The global growth of the wind industry has seen continued innovation in turbine technologies, with ever larger capacity models coming online. This has also resulted in increased blade spans, leading to new O&M challenges and a need to ensure blades are serviced regularly and to a high standard.

Altitec’s Blade Repair Atlas indicates newer projects are likely to require more active monitoring and maintenance of the condition of turbine blades, even though owners and operators may expect to prioritise the needs of older wind farms.

“We recommend that all wind farms undergo regular blade inspections, no matter their age, to ensure they continue to perform at their optimal levels and that energy production remains as high as possible. But our records indicate that, during the first five years of a wind farm’s operational lifetime, O&M managers may be more prone to overlooking the need for blade maintenance,” said Tom Dyffort, managing director of Altitec Group. “Ultimately, this will only result in more serious faults developing, more repairs being required and longer periods of turbine downtime.”

The Atlas also provides in-depth analyses of the most frequently required internal and external blade repairs. Repairs to the internal blade structure, in particular, require close attention and intensive repair work by technicians.

In Altitec’s experience, retrofit lamination makes up some 60 percent of all internal damage repairs, requiring extensive preparation of and cleaning of the blade before the inner laminate can be treated. Additional leading causes of internal damage includes that to the bulkhead brackets (23 percent) and bulkhead sealing (17 percent) at the root end of the blade.

External repairs, however, constitute the vast majority of repairs to turbine rotor blades, and typically involve patching and replacement of areas of the blade’s surface layers. These can often become damaged and distorted due to the mechanical stresses placed upon them as the blades flex and twist under loading, as well as general wear from the effects of weather.

The Atlas records the leading causes of damage requiring external repairs as being a blade’s gelcoat (58 percent), top coat (20 percent) and leading edge (14 percent).

More information: www.altitec.co.uk

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released three wind energy market reports demonstrating that as wind installations continue across the country and offshore wind projects move beyond the planning process, technology costs and wind energy prices continue to fall.

The reports cover three market sectors: land-based utility scale, distributed, and offshore wind.

Highlights from this past year include larger, more powerful wind turbines and lower technology costs and wind power prices for on land and offshore applications, as well as U.S. distributed wind capacity crossing the 1 GW threshold.

The 2017 Wind Technologies Market Report, prepared by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, found the following:

• The U.S. wind industry installed 7,017 MW of capacity last year, bringing total utility-scale wind capacity to nearly 89 GW.
• In total,41 states operated utility-scale wind projects. Texas leads the nation with more than 22 GW of wind capacity, while Oklahoma, Iowa, California, and Kansas have more than 5,000 MW.
• Another 13 states have more than 1,000 MW.
• In 2017, wind energy contributed 6.3 percent of the nation’s electricity supply, more than 10 percent of total generation in14 states, and more than 30 percent in four of those states: Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.
• Bigger turbines with longer blades are enhancing wind-plant performance. Wind projects built in the past few years have seencapacity factors increase by 79 percent compared to projects installed from 1998 to 2001.
• The average installed cost of wind projects in 2017 was $1,611 per kW, down 33 percent from the peak in 2009-2010.
• The U.S. wind industry supported more than 105,000 jobs and saw $11 billion invested in new wind plants in 2017.

The 2017 Distributed Wind Market Report, prepared by DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, highlights the following:

• In total,S. wind turbines in distributed applications reached a cumulative installed capacity of 1,076 MW. This capacity comes from roughly 81,000 turbines installed across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
• In 2017, Iowa, Ohio, and California led the nation in new distributed wind capacity installed as a result of large-scale turbines installed by commercial and industrial facilities and electricity distribution utilities.
• Thirty-five percent of distributed wind projects installed in 2017 were at homes, and 25 percent were agricultural installations.
• S. manufacturers of small wind turbines and their supply chain vendors are located in 27 states.
• Between 2015 and 2017, U.S.-based small wind turbine manufacturers accounted for more than $226 million in export sales.

The 2017 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Update, prepared by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, found the following:

• The U.S. offshore wind industry recently took a leap forward as commercial-scale projects were competitively selected in Massachusetts (800 MW), Rhode Island (400 MW), and Connecticut (200 MW).
• New York, New Jersey, and Maryland also have offshore wind projects in the development pipeline.
• The U.S. offshore wind project pipeline has reached a total of 25,464 MW of capacity across 13 states, including the 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm commissioned in 2016.
• In Europe — where most offshore wind development has occurred to date — recent offshore wind project auctions have continued the trend of developers committing to lower electricity prices for projects that will be operating in the 2020s.
• New offshore wind turbinesare being developed with 10 to 12 MW of capacity (compared to an average capacity of 2.3 MW for land-based turbines and 5.3 MW for offshore wind turbines installed in 2017). As a result, demand is increasing for specialized ships that will be able to install these very large turbines in U.S. waters.
• About 60 percent of the U.S. offshore wind resource lies in deep waters. Developing a project in deep waters requires wind turbines onfloating foundations.
• In the U.S., floating offshore wind projects have been proposed off the coasts of Maine, California, and Hawaii.

More information: https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/2017-wind-market-reports

Chartwell Marine, a pioneer in next generation vessel design, has announced the launch of the Chartwell 24, a brand-new crew transfer vessel (CTV) design for the international offshore wind markets.

The catamaran design has been developed in conjunction with CTV operators, wind-farm owners, and turbine manufacturers, responding directly to lessons learned in the construction and long-term operations & maintenance (O&M) phases of European projects.

While the optimum composition of an offshore wind fleet remains a topic of debate, CTVs continue to play a critical role throughout development and operations. This role has evolved in line with the increasing demands of supporting large-scale deep-water wind farms, encompassing not only the safe, comfortable and expedient transfer of technicians to and from the turbines, but also a wide range of essential logistical support activities that keep a project running on schedule.

In this context, CTVs and their operators must offer considerable versatility, while maintaining the highest possible standards of safety and technical availability. As the industry looks to balance these objectives, vessel designs are becoming increasingly standardized — but there is still room to refine this formula. In turn, operators in new markets such as the U.S. and Taiwan have the opportunity to start on the front foot by taking advantage of the most advanced vessel technology available.

The Chartwell 24, developed off the back of 10 years of data and experience in offshore wind vessel design, aims to hit a ‘sweet spot’ in vessel size and capability that has been achieved by the most effective vessels currently operating in the European market. It aims to build on those proven capabilities, while responding to new requirements emerging as the offshore wind industry expands worldwide.

Specifically, the vessel, which is capable of carrying 24 industrial personnel alongside 3-6 crew, also boasts the largest CTV foredeck in the market, enhancing its cargo capacity. With four engines — and options for hybrid propulsion — the Chartwell 24 enables power sharing, enhancing efficiency and adding redundancy that maximizes vessel reliability and availability. As scrutiny grows on vessel emissions worldwide, this also means the vessel is well placed to meet international requirements, such as EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier 3.

Crucially, the Chartwell 24 introduces a number of safety related innovations, including a step-free deck that almost entirely eliminates trip hazards, and purpose designed walkways with handrails and sliding safety rails positioned for safe, effective and repeatable crew transfer. From an operational perspective, skippers benefit from full all-round visibility, uncompromised by deck cargo.

“With the Chartwell 24, we’re responding directly to tried and tested vessel support approaches adopted throughout Europe, taking and building upon the best of proven designs and equipping international operators and wind farm owners with a boat that is built for purpose, and meets their needs from day one,” said Andy Page, managing director pf Chartwell Marine. “For crews and wind-farm technicians, that will translate into a high degree of safety, comfort, and operational familiarity. For CTV operators and project owners, that will result in incremental gains in efficiency, availability and reliability that ultimately improve the way offshore wind farms are constructed and operated.”

More information: www.chartwellmarine.com

Brazos Wind Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Shell Wind Energy, has signed an operations and maintenance contract with E.ON Energy Services LLC (EES) for its site near Fluvanna, Texas.

E.ON will perform scheduled maintenance services on the 160-MW site.

Shell owns and operates the Brazos Wind Farm, which uses Mitsubishi 1000A turbines. E.ON will perform scheduled maintenance and trouble-shooting for the site in daily coordination with Brazos.

“Shell is a responsible and experienced owner of wind farms with which E.ON is excited to forge a collaborative working relationship,” said John Franklin, senior vice president for E.ON’s North America Operations. “There is a new trend emerging with owners looking to actively manage their wind farms and still engage qualified contractors to help them meet their goals. This is a new approach where the owner and contractor work collaboratively regarding site maintenance.”

“We expect to see other owners follow Shell’s lead in exploring this approach,” he said. “As an owner ourselves, we understand how important it is to control costs and maintain production. We are confident this partnership will help Brazos accomplish both.”

E.ON operates more than 400 of its own Mitsubishi turbines and brings a wealth of experience to the site.

More information: www.eon.com

AWEA is excited to announce that U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will speak at this year’s AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition.

The Secretary is a vocal advocate for an energy-secure future and believes offshore wind will play a big role in that future. He joins other notable keynote speakers for the event including: the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum Kjell Børge Freiberg, Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.

By investing in a sponsorship for this established event now, your business will be seen as a market leader in the future of the U.S. offshore segment. Secure a sponsorship opportunity while they’re still available.

Click here to register.

Vortex Bladeless, a Spanish R&D startup under a H2020 program of the European Commission is developing a new kind of wind turbine without blades nor gears that does not rotate but oscillates.

This new technology brings exciting advantages: harmless to birds, no mobile parts in contact, silent movement, low maintenance, no oil needed, no wastes produced, always oriented to wind direction with a quick response to changes, low manufacturing costs, etc. Vorticity wind turbines are a solution specially designed for residential usage and on-site generation, offering a perfect combination with solar energy installations.

Thanks to the funding from EU’s Horizon 2020 SME-Instrument, Vortex Bladeless has been able to take a big leap in the development of this new technology. On this journey, it has worked alongside many universities and top research centers such as Altair Hyperworks USA and Barcelona SuperComputing Center.

After the last optimization steps, Vortex has started to work in the certification of first products. Meanwhile, the company wants to launch a beta testing campaign in October. The goal with this campaign is to get real feedback of future clients with different profiles and environmental conditions, in order to improve the design and minimize risks before the commercial launch.
Since the central European market is one of the most important parts of the company’s plans, Vortex is growing its influence in Germany as participants of international events such as the “EIC Innovators’ Summit” (Berlin, September 10-11) and “Wind Energy Hamburg” (Hamburg, September 25-28). Here the company hopes to find new partnership agreements with companies and public administrations to face the mass manufacturing and commercialization of its revolutionary bladeless turbines.

More info

The Southeastern Wind Coalition is pleased to provide information about an exciting event in the offshore wind industry.

The one-day 2018 Virginia Offshore Wind Executive Summit brings together the supply-chain business community with federal and state government officials to accelerate Virginia’s inclusion of large-scale offshore wind within the state’s energy mix. 

Join Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Orsted North American President Thomas Brostrom, as well as representatives from Dominion Energy, Siemens Gamesa, U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management, and many others as they discuss port infrastructure, supply chain procurement, and market opportunities. 

More info

Ingeteam, an independent global supplier of electrical conversion and turbine control equipment, recently announced an in-house R&D study that allowed them to work out the optimal electrical power conversion designs for offshore wind turbines up to 15 MW.

The research, taking into account the complex set of parameters at play in LCOE, enabled the company to develop a medium voltage power converter based on the parallelization of several conversion lines (core product) reaching up to the 15 MW power range. Ingeteam said its new design is the ideal solution for scaling up offshore turbine platforms and will present its converter and the associated research at the Global Wind Summit in Hamburg next month.

Ingeteam’s R&D study assessed the complex relationship between the cost of the power conversion stage and its reliability and maintainability metrics (MTBF and MTTR respectively[1]) to determine the lowest LCOE. Based on the study findings, Ingeteam found that the optimal solution for the offshore wind market is a medium voltage power converter based on the parallelization of several conversion lines (core product) reaching up to the 15 MW power range. The power conversion line designed by Ingeteam offers the best investment/availability ratio, with efficient operation, easy maintenance and improved reliability

“With current technologies, as well as the expected progress in materials and engineering integration, we think that offshore wind turbines will continue to rapidly increase their power capacity,” said commented Ana Goyen, director of Ingeteam Wind Energy. “Therefore, a robust medium voltage power converter has been developed focusing on a market that demands a low levelized cost of energy (LCOE) without compromising quality or performance in wind turbine platforms that are continuously scaling up.”

Ingeteam’s new core product is capable of reaching the 15 MW power range and has been conceived considering the modularity of the system as a key feature. It therefore allows multiple solutions depending on customer requirements regarding the integration in the wind turbine. The design of the converter offers maintenance friendly characteristics with front access and withdrawable main components that directly contribute to minimize the OPEX related to the service of the wind turbine.

This medium voltage converter has been specially designed for the offshore market with fully enclosed cabinet and a liquid cooling system that guarantees the safe operation of the converter even in harsh environments. With efficiencies higher than 98 percent at rated operating conditions, the proposed solution contributes significantly to minimize the production losses of the wind turbine.

Ingeteam has developed the control algorithms of its full power converters to guarantee the fulfillment of the most demanding grid codes, such as German EON-2006 and Indian CERC-CEA. Additionally, country-specific power quality requirements are fulfilled by applying advanced modulation strategies. Ingeteam’s medium voltage converter solution is able to control the torque of different types of generators (IG, PMG or EESG) with the highest performance dynamics but always remaining within winding and bearing limits. Finally, the control algorithms can be adapted to operate with single and multiphase stator generators in order to optimize the whole wind-turbine solution.

More info

U.S. distributed wind market surpassed the 1 GW milestone with 81,000 turbines generating power across 50 states, according to the 2017 Distributed Wind Market Report released recently by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

In 2017, 21 states added 83.7 MW of new distributed wind capacity. Iowa leads all states with 63.5 MW installed distributed capacity.

“Despite minimal policy support, the market is poised for further growth in response to the recent ITC extension,” said Jennifer Jenkins, AWEA’s Distributed Wind Program Director. “We are working with industry to leverage the ITC, its proven success in reaching this important milestone, and drive new markets like C&I and microgrids.”

In contrast with utility-scale wind farms, which are larger with an average capacity of roughly 200 MW, distributed wind systems are generally connected behind the meter or to a local distribution grid. Distributed wind can range in size from a 1 kW or smaller off-grid wind turbine, to a 10kW turbine at a home or farm, to several multi-megawatt wind turbines at a university campus, manufacturing facility, or small community.

More info: https://www.awea.org/DistributedWind_Reaches1GW

Renewable energy career-training college Ecotech Institute invites the community to attend its “Crash-A-Class” event Saturday, August 18, 2018.

Ecotech Institute is a college dedicated to preparing graduates for careers in the energy industry. Open to the community, this free event will feature complimentary lunch and offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience what it’s like to be an Ecotech Institute student.

WHAT: A special event providing visitors with an exclusive chance to experience the hands-on learning that Ecotech Institute offers and find out more about specific career-training programs available at the school.

WHEN: Saturday, August 18, 2018 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. MST.

WHERE: Ecotech Institute, 1400 South Abilene Street, Aurora, Colorado 80012.

RSVP: The event is free and open to the public.

More info: ecotechinstitute.com/rsvp

Pattern Development joined New Mexico officials to recognize the job creation and other economic benefits of the state’s growing wind energy industry.

Construction is mobilizing around the Grady Wind project, a 221-MW project in Curry County. Officials included State Senator Pat Woods, Cabinet Secretary of the State of New Mexico Energy Minerals Natural Resources Department Ken McQueen, Curry County Commissioner Robert Thornton, Pattern Energy Senior Director of Business Development Ward Marshall, CRELA Board Member Paul Stout, and Clovis Industrial Development Corporation Economic Development Director Chase Gentry.

Grady Wind, expected to create hundreds of jobs for New Mexicans during the construction phase, will also deliver other financial benefits such as land lease payments to local landowners and new tax base for the host communities of eastern New Mexico. Once placed into operation, Pattern Development’s affiliate Pattern Energy will own and operate the Grady Wind facility, along with the neighboring 324 MW Broadview Wind facilities.

“The Pattern Development team is excited to continue helping New Mexico become a western regional leader in the wind-energy industry,” said Adam Renz, External Affairs and Government Relations specialist. “The Grady Wind facility represents an important step in New Mexico’s evolution as a major renewable energy producer. As wind and solar energy development grows, New Mexicans will reap the economic benefits.”

Once in operation, the Grady Wind facility will provide enough clean energy to power nearly 90,000 homes each year. Currently, the solar and wind energy industries employ more than 5,500 in-state workers. Of these, between 3,000 and 4,000 are employed by the wind industry, either directly or indirectly.

More info: patternenergy.com

As part of Vestas’ Service strategy to optimize the performance of wind-energy assets, Vestas is expanding its partnership with leading gearbox provider ZF to offer global service solutions for customers’ gearboxes. By expanding the partnership with ZF, Vestas will offer customer solutions that can lower repair costs, decrease downtime, and limit additional future repairs.

Leveraging the companies’ complementary service capabilities and global footprint, the partnership also promotes mutual knowledge transfer, cooperation on training, and joint documentation development. Through the partnership, Vestas becomes ZF’s preferred supplier to perform uptower repair work, and ZF becomes Vestas’ preferred supplier for shop repairs and replacement units. Vestas has a long track record of efficiently repairing gearboxes on site without removing them from the turbine, saving significant time and reducing cost.

This expertise will result in unparalleled speed and efficiency offered to fleet owners worldwide. “By partnering with ZF, we can return the turbine to service faster than anyone in the market and leverage our extensive volume with ZF to have best-in-market pricing, terms, and lead times,” said Christian Venderby, GSVP, Service. “And depending on the customers’ asset management strategy, we can now deliver everything from a standalone uptower repair to a complete exchange and turnkey solution globally.

With this new partnership, we are expanding our gearbox capabilities and are, at the same time, lowering the total cost of ownership — all to the benefit of our customers.” ZF develops, manufactures and repairs gearboxes for the wind industry at plants and repair shops in Germany, Belgium, China, the US, and India. Going forward, Vestas and ZF will also collaborate on new repair and gearbox service products that can benefit the rest of the industry.

More info: www.vestas.com