Women of Wind Energy (WoWE) announced a new name and logo May 16 during a live, virtual event before hundreds of supporters across the country. Under the new name, Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), the organization will continue to build on more than 10 years of success working to advance women across the renewable energy spectrum.

In order to fully live the organizational mission to support a robust renewable energy economy, WRISE (pronounced rise) is opening its programs and services to go beyond its wind-energy legacy.

In response to ongoing conversations with stakeholders and recent industry trends, WRISE will continue to work with the wind industry but will broaden its scope to include solar, energy storage, energy efficiency, energy management, and power marketers focused on renewables, transmission, distributed generation, and smart-grid technologies.

“It is an exciting time as the renewable-energy sector grows and women enter the workforce in increasing numbers,” said Kristen Graf, WRISE executive director.  “We look forward to working with a broader community of industry professionals to advance, connect, and empower women across various fields who are engaged in moving the world toward a renewable energy future.”

WRISE will build upon its many successes including:

• 3,000-plus network participants
• 480-plus one-on-one and peer-group mentoring participants
• 80-plus Rudd Mayer fellows and Wind at Our Backs scholars
• 35 chapters across the U.S. and Canada
• 25 awards given for Woman of the Year, Rising Star, and Champion
• 21 webinars covering renewable energy and energy storage topics
• Seven annual leadership forum events

“This is a pivotal time for the energy sector and an exciting time for our organization,” said Jennifer Martin, WRISE president and co-chairwoman of the Stoel Rives LLP energy practice. “Working with women and men from the different technologies will allow us to fully embrace our mission to achieve a strong diversified workforce and support a renewable energy economy.”

WRISE is developing a website to support the expanded scope and direction, while keeping our mission the same and continuing to be a leading organization in this confluence of technologies.

Alongside its more than 3,000 supporters, the organization has been strongly supported by corporations that align with our mission by sponsoring a myriad of programs or more foundationally as an overall contributor.

Source: WRISE

Maryland’s Public Service Commission awarded offshore wind renewable energy credits (ORECs) to the companies US Wind and Skipjack Offshore Energy, LLC to build wind projects totaling 368 MW of capacity miles off the state’s coast. Completing these projects will generate nearly 10,000 new direct and indirect jobs and $1.8 billion of in-state spending.

“This fully brings the Mid-Atlantic into the game,” said Andrew Gohn, eastern region director for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “Maryland’s decision to award these ORECs is a big win for American job seekers, manufacturing, and energy security.”

Conditions to the OREC approval include a requirement that these companies invest at least $76 million in Maryland steel-making and a further $39.6 million in upgraded infrastructure at the Tradepoint Atlantic shipyard.

America’s first offshore wind project came online late last year in waters off Block Island, Rhode Island. The Block Island Wind Project, a pilot project, has a total capacity of 30 MW. Growing offshore wind to scale will help attract new manufacturing and investment to states such as Maryland that have business-friendly policies.

Source: AWEA

For more information, go to www.awea.org

Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), announced that Amy L. Farrell, a proven strategist and expert in energy, environmental, and regulatory policy, has been named AWEA’s senior vice president for government and public affairs.

Farrell will oversee federal regulatory affairs, state policy, public affairs, and industry research. She will serve on AWEA's executive team and work closely with Jim Reilly, who continues as senior vice president for federal legislative affairs. Her first day at AWEA will be June 16. 

Farrell will bring years of association leadership and government experience to the organization, which represents 1,000 member companies. 

“Amy’s strategic thinking and broad experience across trade associations, a top-ranked energy corporation, and the White House will serve our members well as wind power takes its place among America’s leading energy sources,” Kiernan said. “She knows how to lead teams to advance successful policies and regulations. She has made a career of bringing diverse stakeholders together to achieve common goals. We are delighted to have her join in serving our member companies and sustaining rapid growth of American wind power.” 

Farrell will join AWEA from the American Petroleum Institute, where she sits on the executive leadership team as the group director for market development, and works across the organization and with member companies to increase natural gas demand. From 2013 through 2015, Farrell played a similar role as vice president for market development at America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA), after helping that organization establish its market demand mission and advocacy strategy.

Before transitioning to the market development role, Farrell’s primary focus was advocacy on energy and environmental policies that directly affect oil and natural gas company operations. She served as vice president for regulatory affairs at ANGA and, before that, as a corporate issues adviser at ExxonMobil.

Prior to joining the private sector, Farrell held a series of senior government positions in the George W. Bush Administration. She served as special assistant to the president for economic policy in the National Economic Council in 2008, and as associate director for environment and regulation in the Council on Environmental Quality from 2006 to 2008. She held several positions at the EPA from 2004 to 2006, including deputy assistant administrator in the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances and special assistant to administrators Stephen L. Johnson and Mike Leavitt. She began her career as a policy analyst in the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs from 2000 to 2004.

"As wind-energy positions itself as a key contributor to an all-of-the-above energy strategy, it's critical to have people who can drive understanding of the benefits of wind,” said Chris Brown, president of Vestas Americas and chairman of AWEA’s Board of Directors. “We are lucky to have someone of Amy's keen analytical approach to help us guide this transition.”  

“The wind industry is at an exciting crossroads, and I am honored to join the AWEA leadership team during this transformational time in domestic energy policy,” Farrell said. “I look forward to working with AWEA’s members to advance the greater use of wind energy and a greater recognition of the role wind plays in delivering affordable, reliable, and clean energy.” 

Farrell holds a master’s of public policy from Indiana University and a bachelor’s from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Source: AWEA

For more information, go to www.awea.org

America’s wind power workforce installed 908 utility-scale turbines in the first quarter of 2017, totaling 2,000 MW of capacity.

This is the wind industry’s strongest start in eight years, according to a new report, U.S. Wind Industry First Quarter 2017 Market Report, released May 2, 2017, by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

“We switched on more megawatts in the first quarter than in the first three quarters of last year combined,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA. “Each new modern wind turbine supports 44 years of full-time employment over its lifespan, so the turbines we installed in just these three months represent nearly 40,000 job years for American workers.”

The early burst of activity reflects how 500 factories in America’s wind-power supply chain and more than 100,000 wind workers are putting stable, multi-year federal policy to work. The industry is now in year three of a five-year phase-down of the Production Tax Credit, and Navigant Consulting recently forecast a strong 2017 for wind power, similar to 2015 and 2016.

New wind-turbine installations in the first quarter spanned the U.S. from Rhode Island and North Carolina to Oregon and Hawaii. Great Plains states Texas (724 MW) and Kansas (481 MW) led the pack.

Texas continues as the overall national leader for wind-power capacity, with 21,000 MW installed, enough to power more than 5 million average homes. North Carolina became the 41st state to harness wind power, bringing online the first wind farm built in the Southeast in 12 years.

Horace Pritchard, one of nearly 60 landowners associated with the North Carolina project explained what it means to him and his neighbors.

“Farms have been growing corn, soybeans, and wheat for a long time here, and the wind-farm revenue means a lot of families are protected from pricing swings, floods, or droughts going forward,” Pritchard said. “We’re just adding another locally grown crop to our fields with very little ground taken out of production, and the improved roads really help with access. So it’s a great fit here.”

Expanding wind farms continue to benefit rural America, since more than 99 percent of wind farms are built in rural communities. According to AWEA’s recently released 2016 Annual Market Report, wind now pays more than $245 million per year in land-lease payments to local landowners, many of them farmers and ranchers.

Along with rural benefits, American wind manufacturing facilities remain busy in the first quarter as projects continue to be built. With 4,466 MW in new construction and advanced development announcements recorded in the first quarter, the near-term pipeline has reached 20,977 MW of wind capacity. That’s about as much as the entire Texas wind fleet’s existing capacity.

Demand remained strong in the first quarter. There were 1,781 MW signed in long-term contracts for wind energy, the most in a first quarter since 2013. Utilities and Fortune 500 brands frequently use these long-term contracts, called Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), to purchase wind energy. Home Depot and Intuit, maker of TurboTax, both signed up for wind power this quarter, joining a host of Fortune 500 companies such as GM, Walmart, and Microsoft that are buying wind energy for its low, stable cost.

In addition to leading brands, low-cost wind power reliably supplies a growing number of cities, universities, and other organizations — including the Department of Defense. This quarter, a Texas wind farm came online to supply a PPA with the U.S. Army. Powering a military facility demonstrates that wind power is ready to reliably serve our most vital electricity needs, boosting American energy security in more ways than one.

More information of wind power’s economic benefits can be found in the U.S. Wind Industry 2016 Annual Market Report.

Source: AWEA

For more information, go to www.awea.org

(Photo: Avangrid Renewables’ Amazon Wind Farm U.S. East. Courtesy: AWEA)

Seco Tools will highlight new turning insert grades and chipbreaker inserts within its exclusive Duratomic coating product line as well as other advanced turning and milling solutions at EMO 2011. The company will occupy stand A42 in Hall 4 at the event, which takes place September 19-24 on the Exhibition Grounds in Hannover, Germany.
 
Duratomic-Coated Products
Two new Duratomic-coated turning grades are the TK1001 and TK2001. These are the latest additions to Seco’s well-established and extremely popular Duratomic family of turning and milling insert grades. Additionally, there will be a large offering of geometries and chipbreakers designed for the ISO K10-K20 range of cast materials, such as grey and ductile irons. Extremely reliable and versatile, these grades offer better wear resistance, allowing for higher cutting speeds and improved productivity.

Seco will also showcase its new M5 and FF2 chipbreaker inserts. As a result of these inserts, there are now 125 new available items spanning Seco’s Duratomic line to its recently introduced Cermet technology. The versatile M5, a positive-lock chipbreaker for general turning, is ideal formedium and rough machining applications, while the negative style FF2 chipbreaker is perfect for the fine finishing of general applications.

Seco’s exclusive Duratomic technology is a process that creates a durable coating by uniquely arranging aluminum and oxygen atoms to provide increased toughness and abrasion resistance.

Turning Solutions
In addition to its new products with Duratomic coating, Seco will spotlight its highly productive and reliable MDT 2MM insert and versatile MF2 chipbreaker. The MDT 2MM is exceptional for grooving, parting andprofiling small and micro parts. It offers a cutting edge width of just 2 mm (0.078”), and the width is available in two new insert sizes, MDT19 and MDT28, where the numerical code indicates insert length.

Designed primarily for Swiss-style machine applications, MDT19 inserts feature compact sizes and are shaped to provide insert-indexing accessibility, even when space is restricted. With a longer reach, larger toolholders and broader product range, the MDT28 size offers solutions for general machining applications. MDT28 allows for parting off bars up to 2” in diameter, and both insert sizes feature much thinner widths than the existing 3 mm and 4 mm tools in the MDT product family, resulting in tremendous material savings when parting.

MDT 2MM inserts are available in multiple geometries. The FT- geometry provides strong performance for grooving and parting, while the FTR6 and FTL6 geometries were designed to reduce burring and center pips when parting off in more demanding applications.

To maximize applicability, MDT 2MM inserts are available in CP500 and CP600 grades. CP500 offers high-speed capability and applies to general grades with high wear resistance, while CP600 provides additional toughness for more difficult applications, such as interrupted cuts.

The versatile MF2 is a finishing and semi-finishing chipbreaker for steel and stainless steel applications. Featuring positive rake angles, the MF2 offers a free cutting action that makes it ideal for boringapplications. It is also fully compatible with Seco’s Jetstream Tooling™ to ensure efficient chip removal and heat control. To maximize its full potential, the MF2 inserts are available in a wide variety of grades such as CP500, TM4000, TP1020, TP1030, TP1500, TP2500, and TP3500. In fact, the new TP1020 and TP1030 grades were engineered for superior surface finish generation.
 
Milling Solutions
Seco, well known for its wide, innovative and powerful range of cutters and inserts for milling, invites EMO show visitors to witness the company’s recently launched Minimaster Plus for demanding millingapplications in steel, aluminum and difficult-to-machine materials. Also displayed will be Seco’s MM4500 new milling grade for tough applications as well as the Jabro™ JHP 770 and JHP 780 solid carbide end mills.

The Minimaster Plus replaceable tip milling system is a highly productive, precision-focused product that makes tool-length re-measurement a thing of the past. It offers a large selection of shanks and inserts for a multitude of applications. Twenty-four versions of the shank are available, along with square shoulder and ball nose inserts that have through-tool coolant on all two and three flute designs. The inserts come in two grades for machining all types of materials and E- and M-geometries for a smooth cutting design. Insert diameters range from 0.375” to 0.625”, and corner radii are available from 0.0157” to 0.122” to match a variety of design requirements.

While optimized for cutting duplex stainless steel, Seco’s MM4500 has the necessary properties to machine a wide range of materials such as Inconel and titanium alloys. In fact, this toughinsert provides reliable wear and works great in unstable conditions where there are long overhangs, interrupted cuts or vibrations. Additionally, this grade is excellent at low to moderate temperatures and performs with or without coolant.

As two new geometries in Seco’s High Performance Machining (HPM) product family, the Jabro™ JHP 770 and JHP 780 offer a high metal removal rates with secure and chatter-free machining in roughing applications. The JHP 770 is designed for machining in titanium, while the JHP 780 performs exceptionally on heat resistant superalloys typically found in aerospace components.

Seco Tools is a leading provider of metalcutting solutions for milling, turning, holemaking and toolholding. The company prides itself on building close relationships with customers to effectively understand and address their needs. For more information on products and services from Seco Tools, please contact Lisa Seidl, Seco Tools, at (248) 528-5444, lseidl@secotools.com, or visit www.secotools.com/us.

Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León, the California Senate’s most powerful member and legislative champion of the state’s hallmark 50 percent renewable energy standard law passed in 2015, will provide a keynote address at North America’s largest wind power trade show May 23 in Anaheim.

WINDPOWER, American wind power’s largest annual gathering, is where industry leaders from across the U.S. and around the world come together to demonstrate new technology, new approaches, and make deals to shape the coming year.

“We’re excited to have Senate Pro Tem de León join us in Anaheim,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA. “California is an early pioneer of wind-farm development, and that’s paid off for the state with 3,000 jobs and over $12 billion in investment. Senate Pro Tem de León has demonstrated real leadership, playing a top role in raising the state’s clean renewable energy target to 50 percent by 2030.”

De León will speak at 10 a.m. Tuesday, directly preceding AWEA’s Industry Leaders Panel – the marquee General Session panel at WINDPOWER. The discussion will feature Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EDF Renewable Energy and incoming board chairman of AWEA; Pete McCabe, vice president of Onshore Wind for GE Renewable Energy; Karen Lane, CFO of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Onshore Americas; and Greg Wolf, CEO of Leeward Renewable Energy. This year’s panel will cover implementation of wind energy into the 2020s, opportunities in tax reform, emerging political issues, and more.

In 2017, given the importance of California in creating new investment opportunities for renewable energy, AWEA launched its California Caucus, based in Sacramento and led by Danielle Osborn Mills.

“As the wind industry’s premier annual event returns to California, we are thrilled to feature Senator de León’s leadership, which demonstrates the importance of state actions in growing a clean energy economy,” Mills said. “Wind energy plays a key role in a clean, balanced, and affordable electricity portfolio for California.”

Wind energy is one of the best ways for California to reach its clean-energy goals, while helping to keep energy costs low for consumers. De León authored the California Renewable Portfolio Standard, which will grow renewable energy to supply 50 percent of the state’s electricity by 2030. And he is exploring legislation that would expand California’s energy leadership, requiring 100 percent of the state’s electricity from sources such as wind and solar by 2045.

Source: AWEA

For more information, go to www.awea.org

American wind power added jobs over nine times faster than the overall economy amid robust growth for another year, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), which released its 2016 U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report April 19 at the Minnesota State Capitol. Installing more than 8,000 MW of new wind power for a second straight year, the U.S. industry invested more than $14 billion in 2016 in new wind farms built in rural America and now supports a record-high 102,500 jobs.

“Thanks to another year of strong, steady growth, wind increasingly powers the U.S. economy, adding nearly 15,000 jobs just last year and bringing total wind-industry employment to over 102,000 jobs across all 50 states,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA. “By building new wind farms, we are investing in rural and Rust Belt America. And last year, wind energy became America’s No. 1 source of renewable generating capacity, further advancing U.S. energy security.”

Minnesota Republican Rep. Tom Emmer addressed a letter of support for this year’s release to AWEA commenting on wind energy’s success. In the letter. 

“Wind power is a critical component of an all-of-the-above energy approach focused on reducing consumer costs, furthering advances in renewable technologies, and moving our country closer to total energy independence,” Emmer said. “I will continue to support policies that further a comprehensive approach to improve our country’s energy outlook and ensure that American wind production remains a key component of that strategy.”

With total U.S. wind capacity at 82,143 MW at the start of the year, there’s now enough wind to power 24 million typical American homes. And with utilities and major American brands like General Motors, 3M, and Target continuing to buy large amounts of wind power through long-term contracts that lock in stable, low energy prices, demand keeps expanding for clean, low-cost wind energy.

“Bigger, better technology enables new wind turbines to generate 50 percent more electricity than those built in 2009, and at 66 percent lower cost,” Kiernan said. “With stable policy in place, we’re on the path to reliably supply 10 percent of U.S. electricity by 2020.”

Continuing to expand wind energy will widely benefit the U.S. economy, according to a recent analysis. By the end of President Donald J. Trump’s four-year term, American wind power will support more than 248,000 wind-related jobs, including those in communities surrounding wind farms and factories, according to a recently released analysis by Navigant Consulting. From now through 2020, wind power will create $85 billion in economic activity, Navigant found. The results of that analysis also indicate that over its lifetime, a single modern wind turbine supports 44 years of full-time employment.

Joining AWEA for the report’s release were Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy; Chris Brown, president of Vestas Americas and AWEA board chairman; and Doug Fredrickson, vice president of Blattner Energy. Each emphasized how growing wind energy creates opportunities for workers or helps save money for American homeowners and businesses.

“As the nation’s top utility wind provider for more than a decade, we’ve demonstrated how this renewable resource can deliver both economic value and environmental benefits for our customers, and that is why we’re continuing to make significant investments in wind energy.” Fowke said.

“The facts are clear: American wind power is a massive driver of jobs and economic growth for the U.S. economy,” Brown said. “The average modern wind turbine installed here in the U.S. creates 44 years of full-time employment over its lifetime. Each project means tens of millions of dollars flow to rural areas through jobs, taxes, and lease payments to farmers and ranchers, enriching those families and communities.”

“Wind power’s steady growth and policy stability helps Blattner create thousands of new American construction jobs at our projects throughout the U.S.,” Fredrickson said. “We are proud of the positive economic impact and opportunities Blattner is able to make in communities across America.”

Productivity gained in 2016

Thanks to American ingenuity and the country’s world-class wind resources, new wind farms generate 50 percent more electricity than those built in 2009. According to the 2016 market report, 95 percent of the American wind power capacity installed last year used turbines from a manufacturer with at least one U.S. factory.

Domestic wind-related manufacturing jobs grew 17 percent to more than 25,000 U.S. factory jobs, as three new factories opened in 2016 to begin supplying the wind industry, and at least five more plants expanded their facilities.

Expanding wind farms continues to largely benefit rural America, since more than 99 percent of wind farms are built in rural communities. According to the report, wind now pays more than $245 million per year in land-lease payments to local landowners, often farmers and ranchers.

More than 74 percent of U.S. congressional districts have operational wind energy projects or active wind-related manufacturing facilities, according to the report, including 77 percent of Republican districts and 69 percent of Democratic districts.

American wind power is not only installing more capacity, it is also delivering more electricity to the grid. Wind generation grew nearly 19 percent during 2016, and as of the start of this year, it provides 5.5 percent of the nation’s electricity.

At the state level, wind generated more than 30 percent of the electricity produced in Iowa and South Dakota in 2016. Kansas, Oklahoma, and North Dakota generated more than 20 percent of their electricity from wind, while 20 states in all now produce more than 5 percent of their electricity from wind energy. The primary grid operator serving Texas (ERCOT) and the grid operator serving more than a dozen states across the middle part of the country (SPP) competed for new wind-power penetration records. Wind supplied up to 50 percent of ERCOT’s demand recently and 52 percent of SPP’s. 

Wind power across the Upper Midwest

The report’s release underscores the economic benefits across the Upper Midwest of growing wind energy. Wind now supplies 26 percent of Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas’ electricity production, supporting more than 18,000 wind jobs and $28 billion in private investment in the region.

“In the Upper Midwest we’ve seen the emergence of a wind-powered economy that benefits from low cost energy, good job prospects and greater energy security,” Kiernan said. “These states’ pioneering spirit has shown America that we can achieve the Department of Energy’s ‘Wind Vision’ to reach 20 percent wind energy by 2030.”

Wind was 80 percent of all new electric generating capacity installed over the last five years across Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Adding large amounts of wind power has already kicked the regional economy into high gear, and state policies like Minnesota’s Renewable Energy Standard — celebrating its 10th anniversary — are key drivers that help states capture job growth and investment in wind power.

WINDPOWER 2017 in Anaheim

The trends highlighted in this year’s annual market report will be on full display from May 22-26 in Anaheim, California, at AWEA’s WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition, the U.S. industry’s largest annual gathering. The event brings together industry leaders from all 50 states and around the world to demonstrate new technology and new approaches and to make deals that shape wind energy for the following year.

Source: AWEA

For more information, go to www.awea.org

Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were flat for a third straight year in 2016 even as the global economy grew, according to the International Energy Agency, signaling a continuing decoupling of emissions and economic activity. This was the result of growing renewable power generation, switches from coal to natural gas, improvements in energy efficiency, as well as structural changes in the global economy.

Global emissions from the energy sector stood at 32.1 metric gigatons last year, the same as the previous two years, while the global economy grew 3.1 percent, according to estimates from the IEA. Carbon dioxide emissions declined in the United States and China, the world's two-largest energy users and emitters, and were stable in Europe, offsetting increases in most of the rest of the world.

The biggest drop came from the United States, where carbon dioxide emissions fell 3 percent, or 160 million metric tons, while the economy grew by 1.6 percent. The decline was driven by a surge in shale gas supplies and more attractive renewable power that displaced coal. Emissions in the United States last year were at their lowest level since 1992, a period during which the economy grew by 80 percent.

"These three years of flat emissions in a growing global economy signal an emerging trend, and that is certainly a cause for optimism, even if it is too soon to say that global emissions have definitely peaked," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. "They are also a sign that market dynamics and technological improvements matter."

In 2016, renewables supplied more than half the global electricity demand growth, with hydro accounting for half of that share. The overall increase in the world's nuclear net capacity last year was the highest since 1993, with new reactors coming online in China, the United States, South Korea, India, Russia, and Pakistan. Coal demand fell worldwide, but the drop was particularly sharp in the United States, where demand was down 11 percent in 2016. For the first time, electricity generation from natural gas was higher than from coal last year in the United States.

With the appropriate policies, and large amounts of shale reserves, natural gas production in the United States could keep growing strongly in the years to come. This could have three main consequences: it could boost domestic manufacturing, supply more competitive gas to Asia through to LNG exports, and provide alternative gas supplies to Europe.

In China, emissions fell by 1percent last year, as coal demand declined while the economy expanded by 6.7 percent. There were several reasons for this trend: an increasing share of renewables, nuclear and natural gas in the power sector, but also a switch from coal to gas in the industrial and buildings sector that was driven in large part by government policies combatting air pollution.

Two-thirds of China's electricity demand growth, which was up 5.4 percent, was supplied by renewables — mostly hydro and wind — as well as nuclear. Five new nuclear reactors were connected to the grid in China, increasing its nuclear generation by 25 percent.

"In China, as well as in India, the growth in natural gas is significant, reflecting the impact of air-quality measures to fight pollution as well as energy diversification," Birol said. "The share of gas in the global energy mix is close to a quarter today, but in China it is 6 percent and in India just 5 percent, which shows they have a large potential to grow."

In the European Union, emissions were largely stable last year as gas demand rose about 8 percent and coal demand fell 10 percent. Renewables also played a significant, but smaller, role. The United Kingdom saw a significant coal-to-gas switching in the power sector, thanks to cheaper gas and a carbon price floor.

Market forces, technology cost reductions, and concerns about climate change and air pollution were the main forces behind this decoupling of emissions and economic growth. While the pause in emissions growth is positive news to improve air pollution, it is not enough to put the world on a path to keep global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees C. In order to take full advantage of the potential of technology improvements and market forces, consistent, transparent, and predictable policies are needed worldwide

Source: International Energy Agency

For more information, go to www.iea.org

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Walter Cruickshank announced the completion of the nation’s seventh competitive lease sale for renewable wind energy in federal waters. A Wind Energy Area of 122,405 acres offshore Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, received the high bid of $9,066,650 from Avangrid Renewables, LLC, the provisional winner.

Also participating in the lease sale were Wind Future LLC, Statoil Wind US LLC, and wpd offshore Alpha LLC. 

"The success of this lease sale reflects the continued interest of coastal communities to develop their offshore energy resources," Zinke said. "Renewable energy, like offshore wind, is one tool in the all-of-the-above energy toolbox that will help power America with domestic energy, securing energy independence, and bolstering the economy. This is a big win for collaborative efforts with state, local, and private-sector partners."

Before Thursday, BOEM had held six competitive lease sales, which generated $58 million in high bids for more than 1 million acres in federal waters, including a lease sale for 79,000 acres offshore New York that generated a winning bid of $42.5 million. BOEM also recently marked the operational launch of the nation’s first commercial offshore wind farm — the five-turbine, 30-MW Block Island Wind Facility developed by Deepwater Wind for $290 million.

BOEM has been working with the North Carolina Renewable Energy Task Force since 2010 to identify an area of sufficient size for offshore wind development, while avoiding ecologically sensitive areas and multiple-use conflicts. The North Carolina lease area, designated OCS-A 0508, begins about 24 nautical miles from shore and extends 25.7 nautical miles in a general southeast direction. Its seaward extent ranges from 13.5 nautical miles in the north to .6 of a nautical mile in the south. A map of the lease area can be found here.

 “Today’s auction is a historic moment for North Carolina and the Southeast,” said Katharine Kollins, president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition. “This auction saw several bidders late into the auction’s rounds, demonstrating the industry’s intense interest in this area. Not only does this lease demonstrate the financial commitment from the industry to developing an offshore wind farm off North Carolina’s coast, it also insures North Carolina’s economy will benefit from the hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment the wind farm will ultimately generate.”

Using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s estimates of 3 MW per square kilometer, the lease area has a potential generating capacity of 1,486 MW, enough energy to power more than 500,000 homes. The actual size of the wind-energy project will be determined by the developer.

Before the lease is executed, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission will conduct a review of the auction, and the provisional winner will be required to pay the winning bid and provide financial assurance to BOEM. The lease will have a preliminary term of one year, during which the lessee may submit a Site Assessment Plan (SAP) to BOEM for approval. The SAP will describe the facilities (e.g., meteorological towers or buoys) the lessee plans to install or deploy for the assessment of the wind resources and ocean conditions of its commercial lease area.

Following approval of the SAP, the lessee will then have four and a half years to submit a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) to BOEM for approval. This plan will provide a detailed proposal for the construction and operation of a wind-energy project within the lease area.

Once BOEM receives a COP, it will conduct an environmental review of the proposed project and reasonable alternatives. Public input will be an important part of BOEM’s review process. If BOEM approves the COP, the lessee will then have a term of 25 years to construct and operate the project.

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Southeastern Wind Coalition

For more information, go to www.boem.gov/north-carolina/

A coalition of groups representing a broad spectrum of U.S. manufacturing, construction, energy, and environmental workers, are calling for Congress to include electric transmission provisions in any proposed infrastructure legislation and streamline expansion of U.S. electrical infrastructure.

A co-signed letter by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), WIRES, and other groups, was sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. In the letter, coalition members urged Congress to promote grid investments that lessen the economic impact of electrical outages and ensure the country’s high-voltage transmission system is productive and secure.

“Just like highways and bridges, transmission is infrastructure that keeps the U.S. economy moving — and growing,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA. “Investment in new transmission lines will modernize the U.S. grid and deliver more clean energy to population centers. This investment also will help to keep the lights on and costs low for American homeowners and businesses. Recognizing transmission as essential infrastructure is another way Congress and the administration can keep promises of advancing all forms of energy while growing U.S. energy independence.”

“Modernizing, expanding, and protecting the electric grid is a national priority,” said NEMA President and CEO Kevin Cosgriff. “Upgrading and extending the more than 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines in the United States is necessary in its own right to ensure that low-cost and reliable electricity continues to flow to the nation’s businesses, hospitals, schools, and homes. But importantly, it also supports high-quality construction and manufacturing jobs. Unlike other infrastructure projects, the primary obstacle facing electrical infrastructure tends not to be a lack of federal funding. Rather, labyrinthine transmission siting and permitting processes are major barriers slowing grid investments.”

 “Modern electricity infrastructure is the missing piece of the puzzle that will allow the greater use of clean, abundant sources of energy in communities across America,” said SEIA’s President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “We’ve seen lower cost clean energy expand dramatically in parts of the country with modern infrastructure, and that is a trend that will only continue with supportive and sensible policy.”

 “A robust and highly integrated transmission grid is the gateway to the intensely electrified North American economy of the 21st Century,” said Jim Hoecker, counsel to WIRES and former chairman of FERC. “Along the way, it will yield over 150,000 jobs each year and save consumer nearly $50 billion annually. However, all that depends on rationalizing a regulation regime that typically holds projects hostage for a decade and penalizes innovation.”

Transmission infrastructure consists of the steel poles and wires that deliver electricity across large distances to areas where it’s needed, like cities and heavy manufacturing facilities. A strong grid is essential for a free market in electricity as new power lines help diversify the grid. New transmission also creates jobs and rural economic development at one end of the line while delivering lower electricity prices at the other.

Source: AWEA

For more information, go to www.awea.org

Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, and North Dakota all sourced more than 20 percent of their electricity generation from wind power during 2016, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). It shows wind supplied more than 5.5 percent of electricity nationwide, up from 4.7 percent in 2015.

With 99 percent of wind turbines in rural areas, wind power’s steady growth as a share of the nation’s electricity supply has been accompanied by a surge of investment in rural America. The industry invested more than $13.8 billion in new turbines last year, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), in addition to operating a fleet now over 52,000 turbines.

“Wind is now cheaply and reliably supplying more than 20 percent of the electricity in five states and is a testament to American leadership and innovation,” said Tom Kiernan, AWEA CEO. “For these states, and across America, wind is welcome because it means jobs, investment, and a better tomorrow for rural communities.”

EIA’s new data show wind turbines operating in 40 states generated a record total of 226 million MWh during 2016, approximately four times the amount of solar electricity production and approaching what hydroelectric dams generate in America.

In Oklahoma, wind’s share of total electricity generation grew from 18.4 percent in 2015 to 25.1 percent in 2016. In Iowa, wind grew from 31.5 percent to 36.6 percent — the highest in the nation — and in Kansas, wind’s share increased from 24.1 percent to 29.6 percent. The Dakotas also saw significant gains, with South Dakota becoming the second state in the country to generate more than 30 percent of its electricity from wind energy, and North Dakota rising to 21.5 percent wind.

Other states are close behind, according to EIA. In total, 14 states produced more than 10 percent of their electricity from wind in 2016. Twenty states generated more than 5 percent. New Mexico in particular posted impressive generation gains, with the state’s total annual wind generation growing by nearly 73 percent from 2015 levels, bringing the state to a 10.9 percent wind share in 2016.

Investment in wind projects results in new revenues for rural communities, which pay for roads, teacher salaries, and emergency services. Wind is a new cash crop for farmers and ranchers who lease small portions of their land for wind-project development, while retaining the rest for agriculture. These land lease payments added up to $245 million last year — steady income helping families make ends meet and keep farms in the family.

“Wind power is cheap, clean, and infinite, and it saves Oklahomans hundreds of dollars annually on their utility bills,” said Brad Raven, District One commissioner for Beaver County Oklahoma. “When you consider that landowners receive millions in annual royalties from wind projects, you have an energy sector that is literally saving rural Oklahoma.”

As wind power grows beyond 25 percent of Oklahoma’s electricity supply, the state’s residents will reap even greater economic benefits. The same is true across the nation.

Looking ahead, America’s grid operators have expressed confidence that they are ready for further expansion of wind power. The Southwest Power Pool, which operates the electricity grid from Montana to the northern tip of Texas, recently exceeded 50 percent wind penetration for a period of time in early February.

“Ten years ago we thought hitting even a 25 percent wind-penetration level would be extremely challenging, and any more than that would pose serious threats to reliability,” said Bruce Rew, Southwest Power Pool’s vice president of operations. “Now we have the ability to reliably manage greater than 50 percent. It’s not even our ceiling.”

 A 2016 study from the National Renewable Energy Lab found that the Eastern Interconnection, which is the electricity grid comprising most of the Eastern U.S., could reliably and affordably obtain 30 percent of its electricity from wind and solar within the next 10 years using today’s technology and tools.

Source: AWEA

For more information, go to www.awea.org

It’s cheaper and cleaner to replace retiring coal-fired power plants with wind and solar power and energy efficiency upgrades rather than to saddle the nation with more costly and climate-polluting natural gas plants, according to a report released Thursday, March 2, by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Adopting cleaner energy and efficiency in buildings, homes and consumer appliances also will provide more stability to the nation’s electric grid. And it will shield Americans from electricity bill spikes from potential natural gas price increases, said the NRDC’s report, “Clean Energy and Efficiency Can Replace Coal for Reliable Modern Electricity Grid.”

The report comes as President Donald J. Trump is expected to try to rein in the Clean Power Plan, which is designed to cut dangerous carbon pollution emitted by power plants. That action could come as early as next week.

Trump and the coal industry and their allies have blamed the Obama Administration’s efforts to combat climate change for the coal industry’s downturn.

Industry on the Ropes

But in fact, a variety of forces have put the industry on the ropes. They include a combination of competitive natural gas prices, plunging renewable technology costs, lower demand growth, and environmental standards. Together they have prompted power companies to retire dozens of aging high-polluting coal plants, and that trend is expected to continue, the report said.

“The shift away from coal, and the ongoing retirement of aging coal plants, presents our country with an historic opportunity,” said Starla Yeh, the report’s co-author and a senior policy analyst in NRDC’s Climate and Clean Air Program. “The U.S. is perfectly positioned to lead a global transition to clean energy, modernize its electricity grid, enlist tens of thousands of Americans in new efficiency and clean energy jobs — and help protect the planet from climate devastation.”

Even Robert Murray, CEO of the largest U.S. private coal mine, said earlier this year that coal employment "can't be brought back to where it was before the election of Barack Obama.”

And Brian Corbett, spokesman for DTE Energy, which provides electricity to several million customers in Michigan, has said: "Many of our coal plants are aging and need to be replaced with cleaner, modern generating technologies, which is what our customers are asking of us, and we plan to continue working to achieve these goals.”  

Already, the clean energy sector is one of the fastest growing job-creators in the U.S. economy — 3 million jobs and counting, according to recent U.S. Department of Energy data. These jobs include more than 2 million Americans working in energy efficiency, nearly a half million in clean power generation, and 400,000 in advanced electric grid and clean transportation.

Much more can be done to save even more energy and money, simply by promoting more efficient appliances, buildings, lighting and the like, which will continue delivering reliable energy at a lower cost. 

In addition, in the past seven years alone, the costs of generating electricity from wind and solar — including capital outlay, operation and maintenance costs, and financing — have dropped 66 percent and 85 percent, respectively, the report said.

These plummeting technology costs, along with growing demand for renewables to meet state renewable energy standards, have driven a major gain in wind and solar generation that is expected to continue, according to the report.

States Ramp Up Renewable Energy

As a result, many states are ramping up clean-energy generation.

Iowa, for example, is on track to become the first state to generate 40 percent of its power from wind. And five states — California, New York, Hawaii, Oregon, and Vermont as well as the District of Columbia — have set a goal of getting at least 50 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. Those areas are home to one-fifth of the country’s population.

With smart planning, renewable power can be more reliable, more able to meet peak energy demands, and less subject to cost fluctuations than building new natural gas plants.

Taken together, the report shows replacing retiring coal plants with increased efficiency, renewable energy, and improved grid management — instead of building costly new natural gas pipelines and power plants — can help the U.S. avoid locking into a fossil fuel-dependent future. This clean energy expansion also will deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits, while minimizing the downside impacts from natural gas on public health and the environment.

The environmental risks to get natural gas from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are significant. But so, too, are the carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas plants.

The extraction and transporting of natural gas also results in dangerously large emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Expanding natural gas power plants would set back efforts to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change scientists predict will occur with inaction, the report notes.

NRDC urges states to strengthen energy efficiency and renewable energy investments and engage in smart planning to help boost investments in making the nation’s electricity grid more flexible and accommodating to electricity generated from clean energy. This will move America forward to a brighter more affordable and reliable clean-energy future.

Click here to read the NRDC’s report.

Source: NRDC

The first offshore turbines arrived off the coast of New England last year in the form of a $300 million utility-scale scheme called Block Island. Now, new projects are starting to follow suit and the U.S. Offshore Wind Industry is starting to gather pace.

There is every reason to believe the U.S. will follow the same course as Europe and embrace offshore wind as part of a wider drive to decarbonize electricity generation. For example, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has enacted a law that requires its utilities to buy 1.6 GW of their energy from offshore sources by 2027.

Now key stakeholders (governments, developers, banks, private financiers) are trying to decide how much and when to invest, the best partners to pick for a project’s specific requirements, and which suppliers are needed to deliver these projects on time and within budget.

Key barriers to entry include how the energy policy under the Trump administration will evolve in the next four years, the existing rules in individual states and how they may develop, the relative competitiveness of offshore against fossil, nuclear, and alternative forms of renewables, and what development is expected on the engineering and technology side of things. 

The leading players in the North American Offshore Wind sector will gather in New York in May to chart a course for a sector that is fast becoming part of the United States’ future energy mix.

The U.S. Offshore Wind 2017 conference and exhibition, at the Long Island Hyatt Regency May 8-9, aims to pool the industry’s experience and expertise to enable boards to make informed choices when drawing up their business strategies. The speakers will include senior executives from many of the European and U.S. companies that have created the modern offshore industry, such as Dong Energy, which has built more offshore wind farms than any other developer; giants such as E.ON and Iberdrola; integrated energy companies such as Statoil; and US developers, such as U.S. Wind, Vineyard Wind, and LEEDCo.

The conference provides a guide to everything needed to run a winning project, each session led by one of the industries’ main players.

“The second annual U.S. Offshore Wind Conference brings together the top leadership of the offshore wind industry in a unique format and with an exciting agenda, which hits the sweet spot of the challenges facing the sector: permitting, market development, reducing cost of energy, and financing projects in the U.S.,” said Paul M Rich, director of project development for U.S. Wind. “Come meet the champions of the offshore wind industry, roll up your sleeves and engage in an action-packed event.”

Questions expected to be addressed include:

• How big will the market become, and how quickly will it happen?
• Where are the best places to site a project with an eye on the existing infrastructure and supply base, not to mention the political and regulatory environment (focus on New York State, Massachusetts, and California)?
• What are the ways to overcome the many regulatory hurdles a developer faces, including the best way to obtain permits and grid connections
• What is the best way to minimize costs and maximize margins, and how was lower LCOE accomplished in Europe?
• How to build a wind farm in the U.S.; everything from setting up a logistics hub and designing foundations to choosing the right turbine and navigating the Jones Act.
• What will operations and maintenance strategies look like for developments in the Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific, Great Lakes, and Hawaii?
• What lessons can be learned from European wind companies, and how can this knowledge be transferred to the U.S.?

Source: Adam Minkley, Wind Energy Update

For more information, go to www.windenergyupdate.com/offshore-usa or contact Minkley at adam@WindEnergyUpdate.com

American wind power just achieved its second strongest quarter ever for newly installed energy generating capacity according to a new report released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Wind surpassed hydropower dams to become the largest source of renewable electric capacity in the U.S. and the fourth largest overall. 

Business leaders from General Motors and the U.S. wind energy industry met February 9 to mark this historic milestone and release AWEA’s “Fourth Quarter 2016 U.S. Wind Industry Market Report” at General Motor’s Arlington Assembly Plant, soon to be 100 percent wind-powered.

“American wind power is now the No. 1 source of renewable capacity, thanks to more than 100,000 wind workers across all 50 states,” said Tom Kiernan, AWEA CEO. “Growing this made-in-the-U.S.A. clean-energy resource helps rural communities pay for new roads, bridges, and schools, while bringing back manufacturing jobs to the Rust Belt. With our two-thirds cost reduction over the last seven years, household brands like General Motors, Walmart, and more are buying low-cost wind energy to cut costs and power their businesses. American wind power is on track to double our output over the next five years and supply 10 percent of U.S. electricity by 2020.”

Texas Leads the Way

“With more wind-energy production and more wind workers than any other state, if you want to know how wind works for America, just ask a Texan,” Kiernan said.

At the close of 2016, the American wind fleet totaled 82,183 MW, enough to power 24 million average American homes. And with the addition of North Carolina’s first utility-scale wind farm announced recently, there are now more than 52,000 individual wind turbines in 41 states plus Guam and Puerto Rico.

GM’s Arlington Assembly Plant produces more than 1,000 SUVs a day and is 50 percent powered by wind energy. Starting in 2018, Arlington Assembly will be GM’s first plant to have all of its electricity needs met with wind energy.

The company purchases energy from two Texas wind farms, RES’s Cactus Flats in Concho County and EDPR’s Los Mirasoles Wind Farm in Edinburg. Non-utility purchasers, such as GM, Microsoft, and the Department of Defense, represent 39 percent of wind purchased through long-term contracts in 2016, totaling 1,574 MW. More than half of that capacity is in Texas.

“At GM, we’re committed to efforts in our facilities that create business value and strengthen communities where we live and work,” said Rob Threlkeld, GM global manager of renewable energy. “Using wind power delivers on this by securing more stable energy costs while reducing our impact on the environment.”

Building Turbines

While buying low-cost wind energy helps make other industries more competitive, building wind turbines is also big business in the U.S. The wind industry employs 25,000 Americans at more than 500 factories in 43 states. This includes 40 wind-manufacturing facilities across Texas. In 2016, at least seven companies across the U.S. expanded existing manufacturing facilities to meet growing orders, and GRI Renewable Industries opened a new tower facility in Amarillo, Texas.

More than 100,000 American workers now manufacture, construct, and maintain the U.S. wind turbine fleet, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In total, wind supports more American jobs than nuclear, natural gas, coal, or hydroelectric power plants.

New growth in the fourth quarter of 2016 includes 6,478 MW, the second strongest quarter for U.S. wind power installations on record. For the year, wind developers added 8,203 MW of wind power capacity representing more than $13.8 billion in new investment. With 99 percent of wind projects located in rural areas, much of this investment is flowing to communities that need it most.

Rural Areas See Benefits

Rural and Rust Belt America are among the greatest beneficiaries of wind-power development. Wind projects in these areas often become the largest contributors to the property tax base, helping to improve schools, roads, and other public services. Of the $13.8 billion invested by the U.S. wind industry last year, $10.5 billion was invested in low-income counties.

Wind is a new drought-resistant cash crop for farmers and ranchers who host wind turbines on their land. Nationwide, wind projects provide private landowners with more than $245 million in land lease payments annually. Texas landowners receive more than $60 million of that, in many cases helping to keep farms and ranches in their families.

Wind power is in high demand from utilities and other buyers because it often provides the least expensive energy available. Wind power can bring costs down further and create American jobs thanks to policy stability that passed in 2015 with bipartisan support in Congress.

“Wind power isn’t a red or blue industry, it’s red, white, and blue,” Kiernan said. “Low-cost, homegrown wind energy is something we can all agree on. States like Texas and Iowa are leading the way in terms of wind turbines and wind jobs.”

Texas is the undisputed leader in wind energy, with approximately three times more wind generating capacity than any other state and nearly a quarter of American wind jobs. The state continues to expand wind power, becoming the first state to pass 20,000 MW of wind capacity last year, which is roughly one-fourth of national capacity. More wind is on the way in Texas. Even with the 1,790 MW installed in the fourth quarter of 2016, there is still 5,401 MW under construction and another 1,288 MW in advanced development.

The Texas model for energy development stems from genuine commitment to an “all of the above” energy mix.  Free markets allowed wind to prosper in Texas, creating a low-cost, balanced energy portfolio for the state. Texas has captured $38 billion in wind investment to date and supports up to 25,000 wind jobs today. The state has also benefited from investment by corporate energy buyers who want to build data centers and factories close to the wind farms that power their facilities.

Texas Infrastructure

A key part of the success story in Texas has been a strong backbone of transmission infrastructure — the power lines that deliver all forms of energy to homes and businesses. Texas’ CREZ (Competitive Renewable Energy Zone) transmission lines and the state’s long-standing recognition that a strong grid is essential for a free market in electricity have become the national model for transmission investments that more than pay for themselves. Looking ahead, transmission projects like Pattern Development’s proposed Southern Cross Transmission Project will allow Texas to benefit by exporting its abundant wind energy to customers in the Southeast.

Wind power growth is now spreading up from Texas into the Plains states and across the Midwest. In fact, 89 percent of newly completed capacity in 2016 is in these states.

The U.S. offshore wind industry also launched in the fourth quarter of 2016 with the commissioning of the 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island. Gulf Island Fabrication in Louisiana manufactured the foundations for the Block Island project, reflecting a broader opportunity for oil and gas suppliers to earn additional business in offshore wind. 

As a result of the generating capacity of wind turbines in the U.S. standing at more than 82,000 MW, greater than the 80,000 MW of hydropower generating capacity, wind power is now the fourth largest source of generating capacity, behind gas, coal, and nuclear.

Source: American Wind Energy Association

For more information, go to www.awea.org

Women of Wind Energy (WoWE) announced Elizabeth Kaiga has joined its board of directors.

“As we transition our program work at Women of Wind Energy to include all renewables, we are thrilled to add Elizabeth to our board,” said WoWE Executive Director Kristen Graf. “Her valuable experience and expertise across the renewable energy sector will help guide WoWE on its mission to promote the education, professional development, and advancement of women to achieve a strong diversified workforce and support a robust renewable energy economy.”

Kaiga is a director within the Renewable Energy Practice at CohnReznick LLP, where she leads business development initiatives. She has more than 15 years of energy industry experience that includes power utilities, oil and gas, and renewable energy. Kaiga has developed and implemented innovative energy industry and client development growth strategies for national and global professional service firms. Prior to joining CohnReznick LLP, Kaiga held similar positions within the Energy & Utilities Practice at ICF Consulting, Arthur Andersen LLP, and Marsh & McLennan.

Kaiga is an advisory board member of the Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC) and also a leadership council member of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE). She is on the Solar Power International Education Committee that drives content for the largest solar power conference in the United States. As a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion initiatives, Kaiga has been actively involved with WoWE in various capacities and leads WoWE’s Houston Chapter.

“I am honored to join the board of Women of Wind Energy,” Kaiga said. “I have been an avid supporter, and welcome the opportunity to contribute further toward WoWE’s mission and goals. I look forward to working with the rest of the board and membership network in this endeavor.”

“Elizabeth joins our board at a pivotal time for the energy sector and WoWE as an organization as we transition our program to work more broadly across renewable energy,” said Jennifer Martin, WoWE president and co-chair of the Stoel Rives LLP energy practice. “I’m very happy to welcome her and her extensive renewable industry experience to the WoWE board.”

Source: Women of Wind Energy

For more information, go to www.womenofwindenergy.org

The program for Wind O&M Dallas 2017, the world’s foremost conference for global wind energy stakeholders, recently was announced by Wind Energy Update.

The conference is scheduled for April 10-12, and it marks a turning point in the wind-energy industry by helping executives achieve genuine wind park ROI and learn to maximize value from every single turbine collectively.

“In order to truly succeed in this industry, issues such as major power purchase investments from industrial giants, the explosion of independent service companies, advanced energy storage technology, the utility of data driven software, and more, demand a complete re-think,” said Kerr Jeferies, project director at Wind Energy Update. “And, it’s for this reason that we’re proud to invite 600-plus of the world’s top wind stakeholders, from right across the value chain, back to Dallas next spring for our most value-added, business-driven program ever.”

All-new case studies, workshops, seminars, keynote panels and networking will ensure attendees will leave with all the critical tools, insights, and connections they need to protect the integrity and transform the productivity of their portfolio well into the future.

Powerful C-Level keynote addresses include Patrick Woodson, chairman, E.ON Climate & Renewables; Chris Brown, president, Vestas; Mark Albenze, CEO of Siemens Wind Power & Renewables; Andy Holt, CEO of Renewables, GE Renewable Energy; Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA. They will break new ground by raising the bar for the O&M industry’s imminent $3 billion growth spurt.

While a good O&M strategy for wind energy will make or break the business case for a single turbine park, an innovative yet considered and well-executed asset management approach will unlock expansive long-term economic opportunities for entire wind portfolios.

“We’re excited to be presenting a brand new ‘Asset & Risk Management Track’ to go alongside our premier ‘Rethink Reliability – The Core O&M Topics Track’ to ensure that asset value can be protected, nurtured, and grown by asset managers chasing risk, revenue and reward as well as field technicians and engineering specialists can,” Jeferies said.

Importantly, this annual gathering — which has enjoyed a 30 percent growth in attendee quality year-after-year since 2012 — provides the platform leaders need to establish thought leadership, dominate market thinking, and harness the collective strength of this global market.

Major stakeholders from E.ON, Duke Energy, Pattern Energy, EDF Renewable Energy, SunEdison, Siemens, Goldwind, GE Renewable Energy, and Vestas already have confirmed their attendance at this — the most important wind stakeholder meeting to hit Texas in years. NGC Transmission & Equipment, EDF Renewable Services, and Tech Safety Lines have joined as Diamond, Silver and Bronze sponsors respectively.

“This annual gathering, above all others, continues to tap into the progressive business models that’ll secure the industry’s future, making it the can’t-miss event for all top energy decision makers,” said Victoria Auckland, project director at Wind Energy Update.

Click here for more information

Siemens has received a further order for an offshore wind power plant from Scotland. The company is to supply, install and commission 84 wind turbines, each with a 154-meter rotor diameter designed to generate 7 MW of power, for the “Beatrice” project. Furthermore, the scope of supply comprises the offshore grid connection to the mainland in consortium with Nexans, which will supply the connecting export cables. Siemens will deliver the onshore and offshore substations consisting of two offshore transformer modules (OTM) that are smaller in weight and size and, thus, saving costs. The customer, Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd. (BOWL), is a partnership formed between SSE (40 percent), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35 percent), and SDIC Power (25 percent). The offshore wind power plant's capacity of 588 MW will be sufficient to supply more than 400,000 U.K. households with ecofriendly electricity. Siemens will additionally be responsible for servicing the wind farm over a period of 15 years.

“This is a significant order for our new 7-MW-class wind turbine,” said Michael Hannibal, CEO of the offshore market unit of the Siemens Wind Power and Renewables Division. “We are looking forward to working with our customer on this large offshore wind power project off the Scottish coast.”

The Beatrice offshore wind farm will be located approximately 14 kilometers off the Scottish coast. The SWT-7.0-154 wind turbines will be erected on jacket foundations in ocean depths between 35 and 56 meters. Siemens plans to produce the corresponding wind turbine blades for Beatrice at its Hull facility. Installation of the wind turbines is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2018. Following commissioning of the plant in 2019, Siemens will also be responsible for service and maintenance for the wind turbines within the framework of a long-term service contract extending over a period of 15 years. The contract also covers remote monitoring and diagnostics for the wind turbines so as to ensure their long-term availability and performance. The logistics concept for this plant also includes the use of a helicopter.

“We are pleased to be working side-by-side with the BOWL partnership over the next 15 years to provide clean safe reliable power to the citizens of the U.K.,” said Mark Albenze, CEO of the power generation services wind power and renewables business unit at Siemens. “We are excited about this project and are looking forward to providing our advanced offshore logistics.”

For the grid access solution, Siemens will deliver two offshore transformer modules, which are one third smaller in size and weight compared to a conventional alternating-current (AC) platform. Siemens’ partner in delivering the offshore grid connection, Nexans, will be responsible for design, supply and installation of the export cable, both offshore and onshore. The OTM’s will be linked together to provide the required transmission capacity. Focusing on the core electrical equipment and removing a number of optional ancillary systems made this space and weight reduction possible, which also results in a reduced maintenance regime. The grid access solution will be project managed and engineered from the Siemens Energy Management Renewable Energy Engineering Centre in Manchester, U.K.

With its nearly 2,100 installed wind turbines offshore and their total capacity of more than seven GW, Siemens is the leading provider of offshore wind turbines worldwide. The company also has long-term service contracts for a total capacity of 6.7 GW in the offshore wind power business. Furthermore Siemens has commissioned offshore grid connections with a total capacity of more than 6 GW, making it the leading provider of offshore grid access for both AC and DC technology.

“We are proud to announce the first reference for our newly developed offshore transformer module together with our customer,” said Mirko Düsel, CEO of the transmission solutions business unit at Siemens. “The application of light weight distributed substations is an important lever for reaching Siemens’ goal of reducing the costs of wind power generated offshore to below 10 euro cts/kWh by 2020.”

For more information, go to www.siemens.com/wind.

EdgeData, LLC, a Grand Forks, North Dakota-based software firm, recently announced the launch of BladeEdge, an innovative software analytics portal that is customized for the wind energy industry, at the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) Windpower Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana. BladeEdge software transforms raw data from aerial inspection into actionable intelligence for wind turbine manufacturers, inspection and repair providers and operations and maintenance companies.

“It is an exciting time in the wind energy industry,” said Lonnie Bloomquist, CEO and chairman of EdgeData. “Technology is advancing rapidly, allowing companies the ability to gather and have access to volumes of data. The challenge is turning the data into business value.” BladeEdge not only offers the ability to manage inspection and maintenance records in a single portal, the software also includes a streamlined interface providing access to the data intelligence in an effort to better manage wind farm assets.

BladeEdge is the first automated analytical software tool in the industry. Data is captured using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS, or drones) and uploaded into a sophisticated software portal. The portal includes tools, such as revenue loss calculators, that can be leveraged to help make more informed business decisions regarding maintenance and repair.

EdgeData has been working in conjunction with several wind farm operators and LM Wind Power, the worlds’ leading independent blade manufacturer, to develop the portal. In addition to offering automated condition assessments, the process increases worksite safety, minimizes annual energy production (AEP) losses due to poor blade conditions, identifies necessary repairs prior to costly service, and extends the lifespan of the turbines.

“The BladeEdge portal brings maturity to the wind industry by presenting big-data in an easily consumable manner,” Bloomquist said.

BladeEdge was previewed during the AWEA Windpower Conference &Exhibition May 23-26 in New Orleans and became commercially available after the show.

For more information, go to www.bladeedge.net.

With reference to Vestas Wind Systems A/S’ company announcement No. 20/2016 on May 31, 2016, Parc éolien Nicolas-Riou S.E.C., a limited partnership owner at 50 percent by EDF EN Canada Inc, a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, and at 50 percent by the community partners Énergie Éolienne Bas-Saint-Laurent (ÉÉBSL) and the Régie intermunicipale de l’énergie Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine (RIEGÎM), has placed a firm and unconditional order for 65 V117-3.45-MW turbines, to be deployed at the Nicolas Riou wind project in Québec, Canada. When complete, this order will take the installed capacity of V117-3.3/3.45 MW turbines globally across the 800-MW mark.

The order comprises supply and commissioning of the wind turbines as well as a 10-year active output management (AOM) 5000 service agreement, which is a full-scope service package to maximize uptime, performance and energy production.

Turbine delivery is expected to begin in Q2 2017 with final commissioning scheduled for Q4 2017.

“We are pleased to build on our long-standing global relationship and to add to our over 2 GW of Vestas turbine orders throughout North America,”said Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EDF EN North America.  “Our first implementation in the country with Vestas — the 2014 Blackspring Ridge project in Alberta — was marked by an exemplary team applying stringent safety standards as well as flexibility to meet the project’s construction demands.  We look forward to another successful experience bringing Nicolas-Riou to completion.”

Vestas has deployed approximately 2,800 MW of turbines across all 10 Canadian provinces.

“We are very proud to build on our footprint in Canada and introduce our 3 MW platform to the Canadian market,” said Chris Brown, president of Vestas’ sales and service division in the United States and Canada. “This project will be the first V117-3.45-MW turbines in Canada, where the combination of a robust design and a large rotor make this turbine an outstanding choice to minimize the cost of energy throughout the life of the project.  We’re happy to add this latest agreement to our strong strategic relationship with EDF EN Canada.”

Vestas most recently partnered with EDF EN Canada on the 300 MW Blackspring Ridge Wind Project in Alberta, comprising 166 V100-1.8-MW turbines. The Nicolas-Riou wind farm project is the largest 50/50 community project in Canada.

For more information, go to www.vestas.com.

Moventas is investing in the U.K. wind service market and offers a multi-brand gearbox service portfolio for the U.K. and Ireland’s most popular fleets. In July, Moventas’ OEM quality facility in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, will complete a substantial upgrade with a full-load test rig for after sales service use.

Moventas Gears U.K., formerly DB Wind U.K., is in the final stages of refurbishing and upgrading its Huddersfield workshop in West Yorkshire. The gearbox specialist has made a capital investment in a 3.6-MW load test rig, flexibly designed to accommodate Moventas’ multi-brand service approach. Supported by the U.K. government, the Huddersfield upgrade is part of a regional growth initiative. The test field will be operational this July and ready to support customers in the second half of 2016.

Moventas is the first gearbox service partner in the U.K. to provide multi-megawatt full load testing, which is an essential part of most gearbox service operations. From now on, serviced gearboxes no longer need to be sent to mainland Europe for testing, which minimizes logistics costs and carbon footprint.

“With 35 years of wind turbine gearbox experience, industry leading technology and state of the art manufacturing facilities, Moventas is ideally placed to support the servicing of the U.K. installed base of wind turbines from its modern, well -quipped service facility in the center of the country,” said Jim McColl of ClydeBlowers, who is also the chairman of the Moventas board.  “I am proud to say that the U.K. wind industry can really benefit from our highly qualified service team, experienced in the service and repair of gearboxes for all makes of multi-megawatt wind turbines.”

Moventas is able to service as many as 20 different turbine brands’ gearboxes, which add up to 60 models. Focusing on the most popular fleets, Moventas U.K. covers a large aspect of the market in the area — Vestas V80 and V90, Senvion MM82 and MM92, and Nordex N80 and N90, as well as the Siemens 2.3.

Moventas U.K.’s field service team can perform a number of up-tower jobs for Vestas and Siemens fleets and offers local condition management expertise. Moventas’ objective is to extend gearbox life on existing fleets, contributing to cost-savings of wind O&M and, therefore, lowering the cost of wind energy.

For more information, go to www.moventas.com.