Sky Harvest Windpower Corp. announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire a vertical axis wind turbine manufacturing and sales business from a private Canadian company in consideration of the issuance of 650,000 shares of its common stock, cash payments totaling $65,000, and the grant of an option to the vendor to acquire up to 550,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $0.10 for a period of five years. This grant is pursuant to the company’s previously announced 2011 stock option plan. In addition, Sky Harvest has agreed to pay the vendor a royalty of $200 for every vertical axis wind turbine that it sells for a period of ten years. The vendor will also receive 500,000 voting shares of the subsidiary company that holds the turbine assets if that company’s shares trade publicly on a recognized stock exchange or quotation system. As part of the agreement, Sky Harvest has acquired the intellectual property rights relating to the turbine design, and leasehold interests in both manufacturing facilities and equipment.

Sky Harvest has received written expressions of interest for the purchase of over 13,000 vertical axis turbines from parties in four different countries. The sale of such number of turbines would generate revenue of approximately $250 million. Sky Harvest has also entered into discussions with additional parties with compatible technology regarding the potential joint venture development of additional wind turbine products.

Unlike most wind turbines which have blades that rotate around a horizontal axis, a vertical axis wind turbine has blades that spin vertically around a horizontal mast. They are primarily used in remote areas to provide electricity to communication towers, mines, and communities that typically rely on diesel or propane for power generation, which results in reduced costs to the user, as well as a smaller environmental impact through the reduced use of fossil fuels and no risk of on-site diesel spills. These turbines are also suitable for rural areas of developing countries where grid infrastructure is minimal or non-existent. They can also be mounted near the upper portion of commercial smoke stacks and are powered by the updraft. The principal advantages of a vertical axis wind turbine include low noise levels, minimal vibrations due to low RPM, the ability to utilize wind from any direction, ease of installation and maintenance, durability, and very low impact to wildlife. In addition, the Sky Harvest turbine is self-starting and begins to move at wind speeds as low as two meters per second and commence generating power at wind speeds of three meters per second. The additional advantages of the Sky Harvest turbine when compared to its competitors are its ability to withstand temperatures well below freezing and to operate without a driveshaft or gearbox.

“We are excited about the potential market for our vertical axis wind turbine given that there are many areas of the world where horizontal turbines are not feasible due to a lack of infrastructure or public resistance to large-scale projects,” Sky Harvest’s President, William Iny, said. “The initial interest that we have received from prospective customers is overwhelming and not only reflects the features of our turbine, but also the potential market for this type of product. Our board believes that this manufacture-ready segment of our growing business will bring additional value to our shareholders. Through the development of highly engineered vertical turbines, our goal is to become the pre-eminent, reliable supplier to the telecommunications and remote community power generation sectors.”

For more information, visit www.skyharvestwind.com or call 877-700-7021.

277 new offshore wind turbines, totaling 1,045MW, were fully grid-connected in Europe during the first six months of 2013. This is double compared to the same period in 2012 when 523.2MW were installed. In addition, 268 foundations were installed and 254 turbines erected, all during the first 181 days of the year. “Offshore wind power installations were significantly higher than in the first six months of last year,” said Justin Wilkes, director of policy at the European Wind Energy Association. “But financing of new projects has slowed down with only one project reaching financial close so far this year. This, together with a lack of orders being placed for offshore wind turbines, substructures and components, reflects the regulatory uncertainty in key offshore markets including Germany and the UK. It highlights the significant challenges faced by the offshore wind sector.

“Offshore wind is a new industry that creates jobs, reduces fossil fuel imports and in which Europe is a world leader with huge export opportunities. The installation rate shows what the European offshore wind industry is now capable of. But to attract investment to the sector governments need to provide a stable regulatory framework and the EU should set a binding renewable target for 2030,” Wilkes said.

Total offshore capacity in Europe is now at 6,040MW in 58 wind farms across ten countries—up from 4,336MW in June 2012.

21 offshore wind farms are under construction or in preparation, with a total capacity of 5,694MW.

The 277 wind turbines fully grid-connected in  the first half of 2013 were in seven wind farms: Thornton Bank (BE), Gunfleet Sands 3 (UK), Lincs (UK), London Array (UK), Teesside (UK), Anholt (DK), BARD offshore 1 (DE).

For more information, visit www.ewea.org.

Vestas has secured 10-year advanced service contract renewals with GDF SUEZ Energia Italia, which heads the Italian-based energy business of the GDF SUEZ Group, for six wind power plants in Italy with a total capacity of 130 MW—comprising 31 units of V90-2.0 MW and 80 units of V52-850 kW wind turbines.

The service contract extensions include a 10-year service agreement with Vestas’ Active Output Management (AOM) 5000 service scope, a complete service package to ensure minimised lost production, including everything necessary to maximise output but with further aligned incentives. AOM 5000 offers an energy based availability guarantee that aligns service and maintenance execution with low wind periods.

Under the agreement, GDF SUEZ Energia Italia will also benefit, for the entire fleet, from the Vestas Weather & Power Forecast—a high-quality, site specific, continuous weather and production forecasting system. It enables the optimization of maintenance schedules by identifying low wind periods during which service is to be performed. It also improves customers’ business by delivering precise power forecasting, and it fulfils the grid requirements established.

“We decided to renew our 111 Vestas wind turbines’ service and maintenance agreement for another ten years on the basis of our long-lasting business relationship with Vestas and its ability to meet a number of specific requests—not least, maximizing our wind power plants’ value by increasing the turbines’ reliability and availability, reducing down time and improving lifetime performance of our wind turbines in the country,” said Pascal Renaud, generation director for GDF SUEZ Energia Italia.

“We are very proud that GDF SUEZ Energia Italia has chosen to sign 10-year advanced service renewal contracts for their entire Vestas installed fleet in Italy. The GDF SUEZ Group is one of the largest and most experienced utilities in the world that demands excellence within its organisation and from Vestas. Vestas is therefore very pleased to have been chosen by the customer on the basis of the confidence built over years and our ability to listen and act on their requests,” said Nicolas Wolff, general manager of Vestas France. “We are pleased with the trust GDF SUEZ shows in our organization as this is a huge recognition of our service performances.”

The six wind power plants produce approximately 250,000 MWh per year, which is enough to meet the residential electricity consumption of about 220,000 people in Italy and save the environment from almost 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions on an annual basis. Installed between 2006 and 2010, the power plants are located in the regions of Campania, Molise and Sicily.

For more information, visit www.vestas.com.

Suzlon Group subsidiary REpower Systems SE have installed the last of the 48 total REpower 6M turbines in the Belgian offshore wind farm Thornton Bank. The customer for this project is the Belgian offshore project development company C-Power, which was set up by four Belgian investors and counts REpower customers RWE Innogy and EDF EN amongst its shareholders.

“We are very proud to have installed the largest fleet of 6 megawatt turbines worldwide,” Andreas Nauen, CEO of REpower Systems SE, said. “Thornton Bank confirms the long-term potential of the market. We offer our customers the best technology combined with industry leading experience in building projects in complex and challenging environments.”

The 2013 construction phase covers all 18 REpower 6M turbines. Each of the turbines has a rated power of 6.15 megawatts. REpower completed Phase III successfully and on time: that proofs the company’s well-developed logistics concept and the good cooperation between the teams during the installation of the turbines. After the completion of all three construction phases, the wind farm has a total output of 325 megawatts —enough to supply 600,000 people or a city the size of Glasgow with electricity. In terms of investment volume, the contract marks the largest financing for a completed project to date in the offshore wind industry overall. Companies from Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden are involved in Thornton Bank, making the wind farm a showcase project for the European offshore wind industry.

For more information, visit www.repower.de. 

Slatercom-WCD, located in Salem, Oregon, has announced the availability of the industry-standard Dialight D1RW Series- LED Medium Intensity FAA certified obstruction lighting system, designed to utilize existing xenon flash head cables. Existing xenon medium intensity lighting systems typically use either a five- or six-conductor flash head cable and are noted for being quite troublesome and expensive to repair. The new Dialight LED lighting system comes ready to install without changing the existing flash head cable thus saving considerable time replacing flash head cable. Systems are in stock for immediate delivery. The complete system is covered by a five-year warranty.

FAA rules require all obstruction lighting systems to be monitored and logged daily—either visually or electronically. Slatercom lighting systems are typically provided with alarm monitoring capability that can be connected into remote monitoring equipment. In remote locations such as wind farms, visually monitoring and logging of obstructions (as required by the FAA) is not convenient or even practical.  Slatercom-WCD offers several options for monitoring including the Slatercom Cellular Alert System, RMS Live Monitoring, WEB600 IP based monitoring system and the SAT4 satellite based system. These systems can provide cell phone, text or e-mail notification of lighting system problems and prevent heavy FAA fines for non-compliance. In addition, an automatic log of lighting system status done a daily basis can be downloaded to comply with FAA rules. These logs are typically kept on the server for at least one year.

Most wind farm met towers are installed prior to construction of the wind farm to facilitate data collection for wind farm design. These sites typically are located in areas that lack commercial power. Slatercom offers extremely efficient (less than 100 watts/ day) FAA “A” series lighting systems for these applications. The Slatercom Solar Harvester solar system utilized in these systems provide the seven-day autonomy as required by the FAA for solar powered systems. The solar systems are engineered site specific, guaranteeing a properly-sized system for the installation location. 

Interior wind turbine lighting is often provided by the manufacturer using florescent or incandescent lighting fixtures. Slatercom is one of the largest Dialight  LED “White Lighting” distributor. Slatercom stocks a large selection of linear (florescent replacement) fixtures, down lights, wall packs and many versions of high bay lighting fixtures. These long life, energy efficient fixtures can provide decades of trouble free performance. 

For more information, visit www.slatercom.com, call 503-581-5550 or e-mail info@slatercom.com.

Founded on the idea of creating multi-purpose hybrid footwear that combines form and function, KEEN understands that life extends from work to play and everywhere in between. The KEEN Utility line was a natural extension of that idea, bringing versatile and progressive work footwear that stands on its own to men and women everywhere.

This fall, KEEN Utility takes this idea of hybrid footwear to the next level with the introduction of the Tucson. The outdoor-inspired silhouette is reminiscent of a much-loved hiking boot while blending all the innovative work boot performance features KEEN Utility has developed and incorporated into the entire collection.

“Each season we strive to innovate both within our product line as well as the industrial footwear industry,” said Mark Reilly, Division Director for KEEN Utility. “The love for outdoor adventure and active lifestyles runs deep in the KEEN DNA. The Tucson allows us to blend that outdoor look and comfort with the functionality of top-notch protective footwear.”

Hitting select retailers this month, the KEEN Utility Tucson work boot features an outdoor-inspired silhouette with all the technical features required for a hard day on the job site. Crafted with a waterproof, nubuck leather upper the boot features a sleek, low profile midsole and open mesh inserts to increase air circulation. A KEEN.Dry waterproof, breathable membrane lets moisture out but never in and a hydrophobic/hydropholic two-zone comfort technology lining helps to keep feet cool and dry.

The Tucson features KEEN Utility’s signature asymmetrical steel toes that are contoured to the natural shape of the left and right foot, providing ASTM-rated protection with a roomy toe box for maximum comfort without sacrificing safety. The oil- and slip-resistant non-marking rubber outsole exceeds ASTM Mark II non-slip testing standards, proving the Tucson is one boot ready for whatever the workday puts in its path. Available in mid and low heights with steel and soft toes.

For more information, or to find a KEEN Utility retailer near you, visit www.keenfootwear.com.

The CoroMill® Plura compression end mill for composites from Sandvik Coromant targets manufacturers machining carbon-fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP). Unlike conventional end milling cutters, the CoroMill Plura tool combines positive and negative helix design to “compress” the top and bottom of the component edge. This minimizes any potential for delamination, a common defect when machining CFRP and several other types of engineering composites using higher helix cutters.

The new Plura end mill has been designed for edge milling applications on workpieces with a minimum thickness of 6mm. It features optimized micro geometry that offers six effective cutting edges for achieving a surface finish (Ra) of well below 0.0001 in. (4 µm), in combination with high material removal rates. Users should keep the split-line in the middle of the material for best results. It is also important to remember that when the tool cuts fibers going against the grain on the top or bottom surface there is potential for more splintering than when the tool cuts along the fiber direction.

Conventional up-milling strategies are recommended as these typically deliver less vibration. Among the cutting data users can expect to see is cutting speeds of 656-1,312 ft./min. (200-400 m/min), and feed rates of 0.001-0.002 in./tooth (0.03-0.06 mm/tooth) for roughing or 0.008-0.0015 in./tooth (0.02–0.04 mm/tooth) for finishing.

The CoroMill® Plura compression end mill for composites makes use of GC1630 grade for extended life, and comes in diameters ranging from 0.24-0.63 in. (6.0-16.0 mm), and lengths (total) from 2.99-3.94 in. (76 to 100 mm).

For more information, visit www.sandvik.coromant.com.

STAUFF introduces the PPC-04-plus, the latest generation of hand-held hydraulic testers. The STAUFF PPC-04-plus features robust construction and an oil-resistant rubber coating to withstand impacts, vibration, dust and moisture (protection class up to IP67) and is designed for use in particularly harsh conditions. This compact mobile tester measures pressure, temperature, flow rate, frequency and speed in mobile and industrial hydraulic systems.

The STAUFF PPC-04-plus is available with either two analog sensor inputs or a CAN interface (PPC-04-plus-CAN) for connecting up to three digital sensors.

Even in low-light situations, measured values can still be read quickly and reliably from the multi-line, backlit LCD graphic display.

Using the USB port and the included software, measurement values can be easily read and transferred to the PC, where they can be displayed, analyzed and further processed.

The STAUFF PPC-04-plus joins the family of portable hydraulic testers, which includes the larger STAUFF PPC-Pad, which features a large-format (3.5” x 4.5”) LCD screen and up to six analog inputs, and the smaller PPC-06/08-plus series, which features a digital readout LCD screen.

 For complete product information, e-mail diagtronics@stauffusa.com, or call 201-444-7800.

TWR Lighting, Inc./Orga Aviation offers the L450 LED “All-In-One Solution” The new L450 product range of red and red/white, medium intensity LED obstacle lights incorporate the most advanced optical engineering design and LED technology enabling the development of the most cost effective solutions for the medium intensity obstruction light market. The new L450 products are focused on minimizing the visual impact that obstacle lights can have on the surrounding environment, while at the same time further reducing power consumption. The L450’s “All-In-One Solution” concept, follows the designs successfully adopted over the past 10 years in the L350 product with the light having a built in power module, controller and GPS synchronizer.

Also available is the L450 RED LED/Infrared LED “All-In-One Solution”.  This new L450-864-IR-G product incorporates both red led and infrared led technology into a single medium intensity obstacle light. Using the most advanced optical engineering design for both an FAA L864 LED and Infrared LED technology enables this fixture to provide the most reliable nighttime marking of structures where military and civilian aviation night vision goggle (NVG) technology is required.

In addition to LED lighting for Wind Turbines TWR Lighting, Inc. offers a complete line of LED lighting systems including the LEDBEACON3 24VDC Beacon and PV solar power systems for use on meteorological towers 60-100 meters in height. These systems were designed specifically for remote solar applications and offer the lowest power consumption thus minimizing both the capital costs and cost of ownership.

In 2001 TWR Lighting Inc. partnered with Orga Aviation and introduced the first lighting systems to the U.S. designed specifically for the wind turbine market. The company has manufactured and distributed FAA/ICAO-approved obstruction lighting since 1981, and operates out of a recently expanded 50,000-plus sq.-ft. headquarters in Houston, Texas.

For more information, visit www.twrlighting.com.

Capital Safety, home of the DBI-SALA® and PROTECTA® brands of fall protection equipment, recently expanded its already successful product lines—the PROTECTA® PRO™ Welder’s Harness, and the DBI-SALA® Sealed-Bok™ SRL.

The PROTECTA® PRO™ Welders Harness is uniquely engineered to endure harsh welding environments. Featuring Modacrylic over Kevlar and Polyester webbing that is both heat resistant and flame retardant, the Welders Harness resists heat bursts and weld splatter. Specifically, the webbing can withstand char temperatures up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, absorbing heat and lasting longer than the standard harness. With a lightweight design that dramatically improves comfort and a 420-pound user capacity, the Welders Harness is an affordable, economical option for workers who weld at height.

The DBI-SALA® Sealed-Blok™ family recently expended its product offering with the addition of a 175-foot SRL. The Sealed-Blok™ series now includes SRLs ranging from 15 feet to 175 feet. Featuring heavy-duty, durable aluminum housing and stainless steel end-plates, the 175-foot Sealed-Blok™ SRL delivers superior sealed performance, resisting water, contaminants and even corrosion. Dynamic components are safely sealed inside the IP68-rated housing, making this SRL ideal for the toughest working environments, including offshore platform access in the oil and gas and wind energy industries. With a built-in carrying handle, certified as a secondary anchor point, the Sealed-Blok™ SRL is certified for “dropped objects” protection.

Both products comply with current OSHA and ANSI industry standards.

For more information, visit www.capitalsafety.com, or call 800-328-6146.

VolturnUS 1:8, a 65-foot-tall offshore wind turbine prototype, connected to the Central Maine Power Company on June 13, making it the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in North America.
The turbine is 1:8th the scale of a 6MW, 423-foot rotor diameter design. It is sited off the coast of Castine, Maine.

“Today will constitute a historic moment for offshore wind in the Americas,” Habib Dagher, director of the Advanced Structure and Composites Center at the University of Maine and leader of the DeepCwind Consortium said during a ceremony marking the occasion. Dagher was joined at the event by Peter Vigue, president and CEO of Cianbro Corp.; Jake Ward, UMaine vice president for innovation and economic development; and William Brennan, president of Maine Maritime Academy.

The VolturnUS technology is the culmination of more than five years of collaborative research and development conducted by the University of Maine-led DeepCwind Consortium. The DeepCwind research program is a unique public-private partnership funded by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation-Partners for Innovation, Maine Technology Institute, the state of Maine, the University of Maine and more than 30 industry partners.

Jose Zayas, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind and Water Power Technologies Office who was in Brewer, Maine for the turbine’s May 31 launch, says the Castine offshore wind project represents “a critical investment to ensure America leads in this fast-growing industry, to bring tremendous untapped energy resources to market and create new jobs across the country.”

Data acquired during the 2013 deployments off Castine will be used to optimize the design of UMaine’s patent-pending VolturnUS system. The program goal is to reduce the cost of offshore wind to compete with other forms of electricity generation without subsidies.The UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center has partnered with industry leaders to invest in a 12MW, $96-million pilot farm. The deployments this summer will de-risk UMaine’s VolturnUS technology in preparation for connecting the first full-scale unit to the grid in 2016.

Maine has 156GW of offshore wind capacity within 50 miles of its shores and a plan to deploy 5GW of offshore wind by 2030. The 5GW plan could potentially attract $20 billion of private investment to the state, creating thousands of jobs.

For more information, visit composites.umaine.edu and www.deepcwind.org.

Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas), a leader in the construction of wind and solar projects in North America, is pleased to announce it has been selected as the balance of plant (BOP) constructor for phase two of the Lower Snake River wind farm. Portland General Electric (PGE) announced this week that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the development rights to the wind project from Puget Sound Energy Inc. (PSE), and that RES America Construction Inc. will serve as general contractor.

Phase two of the Lower Snake River wind farm, which is located near Dayton, Wash., northeast of Walla Walla, is expected to employ up to 300 construction workers, and once operational, create about 18 full-time jobs. The 267MW project will utilize 116 wind turbines manufactured by Siemens Energy Inc., each with a nameplate generating capacity of 2.3 MW.  When complete in 2015, the project will provide enough clean, renewable energy to power 84,000 homes.

“RES Americas enjoyed working with Puget Sound Energy to finalize development of phase two of the Lower Snake River wind farm, and we look forward to constructing it for Portland General Electric,” RES  Chief Operating Officer Andrew Fowler said.  “The acquisition of this project is a significant addition to PGE’s renewable energy portfolio, and will ensure that PGE’s customers receive even more power from clean, renewable resources.”

RES Americas was the original developer of the Lower Snake River wind farm, and in 2009 sold the development assets to PSE, at which time PSE assumed the role of owner and developer of the project.  RES Americas also performed the BOP construction on the 343 MW Lower Snake River Wind Project – Phase I, which was completed in 2012. PSE owns and operates that project.

PGE’s acquisition of phase two of the project from PSE is the result of a request for proposals for renewable resources that PGE issued last fall.  PGE found that of the 64 bids representing 39 distinct generating projects that were submitted in response, phase two of the Lower Snake River wind farm was the best-performing proposal.

Combined with PGE’s existing owned and contracted renewable power generating resources, PGE’s acquisition of phase two of the Lower Snake River wind farm will allow PGE to comply with state standards requiring the utility to supply 15 percent of the power it delivers to customers from qualifying renewable sources beginning in 2015.

For more information, please visit www.res-americas.com.

Ecotech Institute recently received a large gearbox for its Wind Energy Technology program, giving students the chance to learn on equipment that many will eventually use in their career. Winergy, a subsidiary of Siemens, donated the 20-ton Eickhoff gearbox, which is a major component in a wind turbine that gears up the rotational speed of the drivetrain and generator rotor. The donation gives Wind Turbine Technician students additional equipment to learn first-hand how to do borescope inspections, bolt fastening and troubleshoot gearboxes.

“We are so thankful for this generous donation. Within the wind industry, it is commonly understood that proper maintenance, as well as predictive analysis of oil and vibrations, can extend the life of the gearbox,” said Shawn Lamb, program director of wind energy technology at Ecotech Institute. “It’s important for our students to learn these maintenance skills, because the longevity of this component can make or break a wind farm’s business model and profit structure.”

For more information, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com/wind-energy-technology-schools.cfm or www.winergy-group.com.

Intertek has successfully completed a long-standing cable package engineering and support contract at London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

Now in full operation, London Array is set to provide renewable energy to over half a million British homes each year, and, as part of this extensive project, Intertek provided valuable construction, cable engineering and installation support.

The activity began in 2001 and has seen Intertek Energy & Water Consultancy Services (formerly Metoc) carry significant cable routing and feasibility studies during the evolution of the project. These vital studies helped aid the installation of the four export cables, each over 50 km in length, to the on and offshore substations, saving vital time and helping the project to meet scheduled completion deadlines.

Throughout the lifecycle of the brief, Intertek provided dedicated on-site cable engineering expertise and resource to the project, thereby enabling the developer and all associated project partners, to help reduce risks and maintain schedule.

“Having worked closely with the project development team at London Array since its inception, we’re proud to have played a role in helping bring the initiative online—especially given the sheer size and scale of the project,” said Frank Beiboer, managing director, Intertek Energy & Water Consultancy Services. “Through the provision of specialist expertise and dedicated internal personnel, it’s fantastic to be able to celebrate and share this important industry milestone and measure of success.”

Richard Rigg, London Array Project Director, added, “Intertek carried out a number of significant cable routing studies during the development of the London Array Offshore Wind Farm. More recently, Intertek has provided expertise in the form of personnel to manage elements of the installation and commissioning of the four export cables and technical advice in preparation for the transfer of the cables to an Offshore Transmission Owner.”

“While a project of this scale will inevitably experience a variety of challenges, Intertek has consistently produced high quality work that hashelped to keep the project on track and has contributed to London Array becoming a real success story for UK energy.”

For more information, visit www.intertek.com.

Vestas has secured a four-year service and maintenance renewal from We Energies for a combined 180 wind turbines at three wind power plants in Wisconsin.

The renewal contract, which begins late this year, covers 309MW worth of wind turbines at the Glacier Hills, Blue Sky Green Field and Byron sites.

“This service contract extension demonstrates our strong relationship with the largest utility in Wisconsin, and shows their confidence in both our products and service team,” said Chris Brown, president of Vestas’ sales and service division in the United States and Canada. “Our turbine availability at Glacier Hills is higher than 99 percent in the past year, and at Blue Sky Green Field, it’s been above 98 percent since early 2012. These were important factors that allowed us to secure this agreement.”

Vestas began its partnership with We Energies in 1999, supplying the utility its first wind turbines, two V47-660 kW in Byron. Vestas then provided 88 V82-1.65 MW turbines for the Blue Sky Green Field project in northeast Fond du Lac County that went online in 2008. In December 2011, We Energies and Vestas finished its latest project, the Glacier Hills Wind Park, which consists of 90 V90-1.8 MW turbines near the towns of Randolph and Scott in Columbia County.

The service contract extension includes Vestas’ Active Output Management (AOM) 4000 maintenance program which guarantees turbine availability. This service option includes the VestasOnline® surveillance system to remotely control and monitor the turbines as well as predict potential maintenance issues. This allows Vestas to plan maintenance so the turbines are operational for the maximum amount of time.

The three wind plants are capable of generating enough electricity to power more than 80,000 households in Wisconsin.

For more information, visit www.vestas.com.

HELUKABEL has recently brought their expanded global logistics center in Hemmingen near Stuttgart, Germany online. The $50 million project allowed the company to more than double its warehousing capacity providing a foundation for further growth in the future.

The goal of the expansion is to allow HELUKABEL to continue to provide rapid order delivery and maintain its role as a valued supplier in the global market. The heart of the approximately 1.85 million sq. foot complex is the fully-automated, high-bay storage and retrieval warehouse. The logistics expansion adds 23,900 pallet locations to the existing 16,600 stock locations in the high-bay racks. Using state-of-the-art conveyor and control systems, the high-bay warehouse offers a high degree of automation that speeds up material flow and guarantees on-time deliveries.

“This new building is a milestone in the history of our company,” said Helmut Luksch, managing director of HELUKABEL GmbH. “What this means for our U.S. and Canadian customers is that our Chicago and Toronto-based warehouses are constantly supported by our just-in-time warehouse, which stores our 33,000-plus line items, to greatly enhance their stock availability. With the logistics network that we have in place, items can arrive from Germany in a time frame comparable to shipments from Chicago or Toronto.”

The new automated small parts stocking area offers 33,400 locations for HELUKABEL®’s cable accessory business as well as a staging area for pre-packed order items. Heavy cable drums with a weight of up to four tons can be found in the heavy load storage area, with 670 bays built in a silo configuration. Order picking and packing stations have also been enhanced with anatomically designed handling equipment for improved efficiency.

For more information, visit http://www.helukabel.de/us/us/home.html.

Seajacks International has entered into a contract with Samsung Heavy Industries to build the world’s largest and most advanced offshore wind farm installation vessel. The vessel has been specifically designed to meet the demands associated with working UK Round 3, Scottish territorial waters and the other North West European markets. Seajacks also has options for the construction of an additional two units.

Named Seajacks Scylla, the new vessel is based on the Gusto MSC NG14000X design and will be the fifth new self-propelled jack-up to join the Seajacks fleet since 2009. The vessel will be equipped with a 1500 ton leg-encircling crane, incorporate usable deck space in excess of 5000 square meters, and have over 8000 tons of available variable load.

Sailing at speeds of 12 knots-plus, Scylla will be outfitted with 105-meter-long legs that have the ability to install components in water depths of up to 65 meters.

“Seajacks Scylla is a significant milestone for Seajacks and for the offshore wind industry,” Blair Ainslie, CEO of the Seajacks Group, said. “She is a Round 3 vessel and is more technically advanced than any other installation vessel that we see on the market today. Drawing on our extensive experience … the design of Seajacks Scylla has been developed to meet the installation needs of jumbo-monopiles, jackets and turbines of future wind farms in deeper waters and further from shore.”

Seajacks Scylla will be delivered in the second half of 2015.

For more information, visit www.seajacks.com and www.shi.samsung.co.kr/eng/.

Officials at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), representatives from UL LLC (Underwriters Laboratories) and other dignitaries broke ground for a large scale wind turbine testing facility on June 4 at WTAMU’s Nance Ranch.

The ground-breaking ceremony marked a unique collaboration between WTAMU and UL in association with The DEWI Group, a UL company. The entities have signed a five-year contract to establish one of the largest wind turbine test facilities in the world at WTAMU. The UL/WTMAU Advanced Wind Turbine Test Facility will provide services for both large wind and small and micro wind manufacturers as well research and design testing capabilities.

The facility will be in the middle of the Great Plains Wind Corridor, with favorable wind conditions year round. Wind turbine manufacturers will be able to erect turbines for extended periods of time. The facility opens new testing capacity for turbine manufacturers seeking certification to international standards, helping reduce time-to-market and lower costs, as downtime can essentially be eliminated.

“This facility allows UL, with the addition of knowledgeable services from our DEWI Group, to collaborate with WTAMU in providing small and large wind turbine manufacturers with a location that offers favorable wind resources,” Evelyn Butler, director of Business Development—Energy & Power Solutions at UL LLC, said. “This site is excellent for installing wind turbines for extended periods, for research, performance measurements and certification purposes. Due to these ideal wind conditions, UL’s turnaround time is unparalleled—allowing product to get to market faster—a win-win for manufacturers.”

WTAMU, a pioneer in wind energy research, offers several unique resources that made the project feasible, thanks to its location, availability of space, abundance of wind and proven expertise.

“We are the only university in the country with significant land and class four winds,” Dr. Don Topliff, dean of the College of Agriculture, Science and Engineering, said. “Plus, WTAMU has more than 40 years of experience in wind-energy research and turbines. These factors certainly make an attractive combination for this type of venture.”

UL is providing the funds to build the facility, and WTAMU is providing the land as well as the personnel to operate the UL/WTAMU Advanced Wind Turbine Test Facility. The initial site of the facility will encompass 60 acres of land near Nance Ranch with an additional 2,400 acres available for development and growth. Key personnel will be Adam Holman, laboratory director, Byron Neal, wind energy research engineer, and Fred Oder, research technician along with WTAMU student workers. They will work with wind manufacturers to provide certification of wind turbines and its components, testing programs and consultations and data collection.

For more information, visit windenergy.org or ul.com/wind.

GL Garrad Hassan has launched a project to bring fresh thinking to the design of offshore wind turbines. Project FORCE (turbine optimization FOr Reduced Cost of Energy) will build on GL Garrad Hassan’s expertise in turbine design, control system engineering and structural modeling. The project will systematically consider new technologies that can be applied to offshore wind turbines and their support structures with the target of reducing the cost of energy from offshore wind farms.

Adopting an open-minded approach, Project FORCE will focus GL Garrad Hassan engineering expertise on the design of low cost offshore wind turbines in the 7-10MW range. Technologies to be considered include rotor design and innovative control systems which reduce structural loads at the same time as regulating turbine power.

“Investing in R&D has always been a high priority for GL Garrad Hassan. The results of Project FORCE will enhance the support we can offer our clients—as well as leading the industry towards a cost-sustainable future.” said Dr Tim Camp, Head of GL Garrad Hassan’s Turbine Engineering Competence Centre.

The UK government’s Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Task Force showed that offshore wind can achieve a levelized cost of energy of £100/MWh by 2020 and The Crown Estate’s Cost Reduction Pathways project identified “Technology Acceleration”’ as one route to achieving significant cost reductions.

GL Garrad Hassan’s Project FORCE addresses the challenge of cost reduction, focussing in particular on the use of new and innovative technology in offshore applications.

In an integrated design and cost analysis environment, Project FORCE will center on advanced control and rotor technologies. Possible technologies include:

• Advanced control systems including high order individual pitch control, multi-variable and Lidar assisted solutions;
• High speed, structurally flexible, downwind rotor blades;
• Fully integrated wind turbine, controller and support structure design;
• Use of topology optimization software to further improve wind turbine main structural components.

The results of the project will be made available to the industry later this year.

For more information, visit www.gl-garradhassan.com.

Wind turbine developers will soon have open access to a £50 million testing facility in the UK based on unique and leading-edge technology. The state-of-the-art facility has been specifically designed for full-scale testing of large nacelles. GE’s Power Conversion allows them to develop and build the next generation of wind turbines that will be increasingly efficient, reliable and cost-effective.

This wind turbine test platform is being built at the National Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC http://www.narec.co.uk). It is designed to allow manufacturers to speed up the development time of their systems. In order to achieve this, a tailor-made, 35-meter-high, 3,000-sq.-meter facility to house the test rig was constructed on designs allowing it to be capable of handling the performance, endurance and compressed life testing of complete nacelles (the unit at the top of the tower housing the electricity generation system).

The installation that GE has designed and will commission is comprised of the direct-drive, permanent magnet motor, one of the first of its kind, which will run at up to 30 rpm and with a maximum force of 14.3 million nm, resulting in a power of over 20,000 hp, which is equivalent to the driving power of 150 passenger cars.

GE is responsible for the turnkey package for the test facility from the grid supply to the motor shaft, including a heavy-duty, medium-voltage drive system and comprehensive automation and visualization equipment, as well as overlooking the overall installation with the wind load simulator.

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is investing £25 million in the NAREC facility, through the design, development and commissioning of the test rig by GE Power Conversion and MTS Systems Corporation. It is a public-private partnership between global energy and engineering companies and the U.K. government to bring together engineering projects that accelerate the development of affordable, secure and sustainable technologies.

For more information, visit www.gepowerconversion.com.