On the floor of the House of Representatives, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA) offered amendments calling for immediate action to prevent the imminent collapse of the wind energy industry and the loss of 37,000 American jobs, including 1,000 in California.

The fast growing wind industry is crucial to securing energy independence and employs over 75,000 workers across the U.S. However, the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which supports the development of this emerging industry, is set to expire at the end of the year. The PTC, which is contingent upon energy production, helps wind energy businesses by attracting private investment.

“The wind energy industry in this country is about to come to a screeching halt,” said Congressman Garamendi. “Instead of wasting billions padding the pockets of Big Oil, we should invest in the clean energy industries of the future, so once again we can Make It In America.”

Congressman Garamendi submitted two amendments to the so-called Strategic Production Act, a bill that greatly benefits oil and gas producers, while wasting the enormous growth potential of renewable energy. Garamendi’s first amendment called for a study of how the expiring tax credits would impact the expected increase in wind energy production over the next four years. The second amendment expressed the sense of Congress that wind energy is of the utmost importance to the supply of our future energy needs and thus the job creating wind energy PTC should be extended. The House Republican Majority prevented both amendments from being considered.

Local wind energy companies like NextEra and Enxco have been able to successfully expand production over the past few years in both Solano and Alameda counties, but if the PTC is not extended these expansions will likely cease, leading to avoidable job layoffs.

Congressman Garamendi is the author of H.R. 487, The Manufacture Renewable Energy Systems: Make It In America Act, which would create American jobs by requiring federal tax dollars for renewable energy systems are spent only on projects manufactured in the United States. As a state legislator, Garamendi wrote the first ever state clean energy tax credit.

The major companies in the wind industry have decided to go with HUSUM WindEnergy in 2014. Today, two years before the leading international wind trade fair in 2014, bookings have already been taken for half the exhibition space. Before the 2012 exhibition opens its doors in almost three months, the organizers are completing a variety of infrastructure projects.

In the run-up to the 2012 edition of the international wind industry meeting in September the organisers, Messe Husum & Congress, are taking stock.

“We have long been fully booked for this year, and have firm bookings for 50% of the exhibition space for HUSUM WindEnergy in 2014,” says Peter Becker, managing director of Messe Husum & Congress.

Various major wind industry businesses have already secured their space for 2014, including international turbine manufacturers such as Samsung, Vestas, Enercon, and Vensys, as well as major suppliers like WKN and Beckhoff AutomationFor chairman of the Vensys board, Jürgen Rinck, the advantages of Husum as an exhibition venue are obvious.

“HUSUM WindEnergy is the mother of all wind trade fairs. We have been showing here since 2005 and we will be back in Husum in 2014. Husum is the longest established trade fair for our industry and is notable for its high level of internationality. We particularly value the optimistic, happy and infectious atmosphere of HUSUM WindEnergy, which is the best possible foundation for showing successful projects.”

The construction of a new access road, a logistics hall and a car park for an additional 1,000 cars are ongoing, but will be completed in time for the exhibition in September. “We are investing another 450,000 euros in the exhibition grounds, and we will have no problem at all in coping with the expected 36,000 visitors“, says Peter Becker.

A new radio mast has already been erected at the fairground, which will provide glass fiber Internet access to all exhibition halls. Erection of the lightweight exhibition halls will begin in mid-July, all of which will be equipped with effective air-conditioning.

Once these are up the real excitement will kick in for the Husum crew. “We are really looking forward to this year’s show. With 1,200 exhibitors it will be the biggest HUSUM WindEnergy since we started back in 1989,” adds Becker.

Romax has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to perform a major redesign of the research gearbox for the dynamometer testing facility at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center (NWTC).

The gearbox will be redesigned by this summer and rebuilding will commence later in 2012.  Engineering and drafting services provided by Powertrain Engineers Inc. will assist Romax in this project.

In an effort to document and assess the design process, NREL previously completed a redesign/rebuild of two heavily used gearboxes that subsequently underwent in-field operation and dynamometer validation testing. With the help of industry and academic partners, NREL has highlighted significant findings to reduce the number of gearbox failures seen by the wind turbine industry.

Ashley Crowther, the VP Engineering, at Romax’s Wind Technology Center in Boulder, Colorado, is positive about gearbox reliability, saying, “Gearboxes are a reliable workhorse for so many industries, they increase the output velocity and provide a large saving in the costs of the electrical machine.  Programs such as this one at NREL are important as they improve the knowledge across the industry allowing the progression of the wind turbine gearbox into a reliable product.”

The redesign has the primary goal of allowing for the exploration of the effect of design details on the loads and deflections within the gearbox and a secondary goal of improving the design from the previous configuration. Romax has developed a detailed drivetrain engineering model of the current gearbox and performed extensive validation of the model versus a wealth of test data generated so far by the program.

Chris Halse, Engineering Manager at Romax, said, “We have shown by simulation and test several key issues with the 3 pointed mounted arrangement, such as the high sensitivity of the designs to rotor loads, if the gearbox is not correctly supported in the planetary stage. By improving this aspect of the design we can return to simulation and test and demonstrate the engineering approach to ensure future gearboxes don’t have such problems. An original goal of the project was to ensure modelling tools are up to the tasks of predicting gearbox behaviour and we have certainly shown Romax is on top of that.” For more information, visit www.romaxtech.com.

The Supervisory Board of REpower announces the appointment of Marcus A. Wassenberg as Chief Financial Officer, and Vinod R. Tanti as Chief Operating Officer. Tulsi Tanti, Chairman of Suzlon Group and Chairman of REpower’s Supervisory Board, said, “For some time now we have been looking to both strengthen REpower’s Executive Board and also leverage some of the many synergy benefits between Suzlon and REpower. We believe today’s Supervisory Board appointments progresses this in both regards.”

Wassenberg has held a senior position at REpower since 2009. He brings to the CFO role strong management skills and a proven track record of realizing efficiencies in progress and change within the organization. Tanti, as COO, brings the strong supply chain strength of Suzlon into REpower to maintain and improve cost-efficiency, while meeting the highest standards of reliability and quality, in a highly competitive market. “The Suzlon Group is committed to REpower for the long-term and wishes to further develop the profitable and sustainable growth of the company. By appointing these senior and experienced professional executives to the company, I believe we will create significant value for our stakeholders over the near and mid-term.”

“I have worked closely with Marcus Wassenberg for a number of years now and know he will make an important contribution on the EB as CFO,” said Andreas Nauen, CEO of REpower. “I am also delighted to welcome Vinod Tanti to REpower. His rich experience and deep knowledge of supply chain management will benefit us significantly.”

Wassenberg holds an economics degree from Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, and has held a number of senior finance and managerial positions in a range of sectors. Most recently he has been senior vice president of management control, where his duties included managing accounting, invoicing, and controlling for both REpower and its subsidiaries. Before joining REpower he held a number of senior positions at the Cirrus Group.

Tanti is a civil engineer with over 24 years’ experience, including the last 16 years in the wind sector. As a senior member of the Suzlon Group he has been involved in all facets of the business, especially in organizing the low cost country supply chain into a highly aligned, lean, productive and competitive organization.

Encorp LLC, a distributed energy control company, recently completed the integrated monitoring and controls system as part of a first-of-its-kind smart microgrid at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, Calif.

The microgrid, developed by Chevron Energy Solutions, is among the most advanced in the country. It integrates a diverse collection of onsite renewable energy sources at the 1-million-square-foot, maximum-security jail to ensure around-the-clock power reliability and reduce utility costs.

The Encorp system helps aggregate the jail’s onsite generation sources of solar photovoltaics, fuel cells, wind turbines and emergency backup diesel generators with an advanced 2 megawatt energy storage system to reduce the facility’s energy costs by an estimated $100,000 each year to safeguard it against power loss.

Six Encorp Gold Boxes™ help control the jail’s daily 2-plus megawatt power demand by seamlessly balancing onsite generation and utility power to provide synchronous power. The seamless conversion of energy sources mitigates power disturbances.

An Encorp SCADA system automatically monitors and controls the operation by aggregating and analyzing real-time data from the different power sources that is sent to a central computer for operators to easily view.

With the completion of the smart microgrid, Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail is considered one of the most energy efficient jails in the U.S., with one of the most advanced power systems in the world. Part of what makes the microgrid “smart” is the Encorp computer system, which allows the jail to monitor how much power it’s bringing in and how much it’s generating onsite. This state-of-the-art Encorp technology also allows the jail to disconnect seamlessly from the grid and operate independently if needed. In all, the smart microgrid enables greater efficiency, reliability, security and resilience of electricity delivery systems.

“Encorp microgrid equipment supports the high-security needs of the jail, helping to ensure safety of inmates and staff,” said Michael Clark, Encorp President. “Encorp equipment helps tie the disparate onsite energy sources together so they can communicate in the same language and perform at optimum levels. The Santa Rita Jail microgrid is the latest example of Encorp’s success integrating different forms of distributed generation sources.”

For more information, call Encorp at 888-295-4141 or visit www.encorp.com.

Northeastern Junior College (NJC) in Sterling, CO, is beginning its fifth year of wind technology training programs. Situated in an area, which is a hot bed for wind development with more than 800 megawatts produced wind energy in an 80-mile radius of the school and two more sites going up this summer that will be producing an additional 200-300 megawatts. Six different turbine technologies are currently operating in the area near NJC near the Nebraska state line NJC, with the help of industry partners, developed an Associate of Applied Science degree in wind technology to produce competent and well-rounded technicians that can adapt to different technologies and situations. The local wind companies have helped by supplying equipment, and donations to advance the college’s program. The students complete a 240-hour internship in the wind industry to gain valuable work experience and must also take general education classes that advance computer, communication, and soft skills.

The NJC wind program recently graduated the second class of 17 technicians in May 2012. Within three months of graduation, 14 of the 17 students were employed as technicians with GE, NextEra Energy, Invenergy, enXco, and Blattner Energy. The remaining three students are continuing their education in business or engineering.

What sets NJC’s wind program apart is its strong safety practices and on the job training attitude. Twenty-two students are allowed into the program each fall. The small class size allows for more hands on and one-on-one instructor time. Tuition, fees, and books for the program are approximately $10,000 for the full two year A.A.S. degree.  Students leave NJC with an OSHA 10 hour certificate, CPR and First Aid certificate, and an associate’s degree. At NJC, the three instructors in the wind training program have a combined eight years of wind industry experience as technicians with three different companies. For more information, visit www.njc.edu or contact Jim Lenzen, assistant director of Renewable Energy at (970) 521-6740.

Spectro, Inc., one of the largest worldwide suppliers of oil and fuel analysis instruments to industry and military markets, has established a local sales and support office in Beijing, China under the leadership of China Sales Manager Alex Shi.

Shi previously held the roles of account manager at 3M Corporation, project manager at Sinovel Wind Corporation and marketing development manager at Keithley Instruments.

“China is the fastest-growing, lubrication-consuming market in the world,” said Spectro Inc.’s President and CEO Brian Mitchell. “As such, we felt it was very important for us to have a physical presence along with local representation and communications to establish and maintain effective sales and customer support channels. Further, our products can be used in other fluid applications beyond lubrication compounds. By understanding the local and regional needs more clearly, we can explore those other applications and refine solutions for them.”

For more information, please visit www.spectroinc.com. 

New SKF reinforced all-rubber HSS radial shaft seals introduce improved solutions for reliable protection against contaminant and extended service life for large-size bearings in wind turbine drivetrains. These high performance seals are designed for easy installation or uptower replacement during planned maintenance procedures. For new designs their minimal space requirements allow for smaller and lighter bearing housings, potentially reducing turbine weight.

These seals feature a well-proven, spring-loaded sealing lip design with a defined radial load for reliable sealing performance. Available in solid and split versions, the seals can be equipped with an optional SKF Springover specially engineered to keep the spring in correct position.

For more information, call 1-800-440-4SKF or email: skfusainfo@skf.com or go to www.skfusa.com.

Hughey & Phillips (H&P) new HORIZON^TM line L-810 low-intensity products provide an LED based solution for the FAA L-810 steady burning lights and can be powered using a solar array for renewable energy applications.

The HORIZON^TM line of LED obstruction lighting is the next expansion of H&P’s obstruction lighting portfolio. The HORIZON^TM L-810 is a steady burn Obstacle Light and is available in both single and double configurations operating at a range of 95-277VAC and also in a range of 9-48 VDC. Both configurations are available as new fixtures and as replacements light modules for existing incandescent obstruction lights.

For more information, call 877-285-4466, or visit www.hugheyandphillips.com.

Castrol Industrial North America, Inc. announces the launch of the Performance Biolubes product line. The Performance Biolubes technology platform adds a range of bio-based lubricants, and metalworking fluids to Castrol’s existing line of lubricants supplied to the aviation, industrial manufacturing, marine and energy markets. Initially these products will be available in North America with plans for future roll out to Castrol’s global operations.

At its inception in 1991, the Performance Biolubes technology began as a research project at the University of Northern Iowa. Guy Chiatello, Senior Technical Advisor of Castrol Industrial’s Performance Biolubes team commented, “We are on the cusp of a major change in the lubricants industry, and Castrol is striving to lead that change with the addition of the Performance Biolubes cutting edge technology into their portfolio. That’s what’s exciting to me.” The addition of the Performance Biolubes product line expands Castrol’s customer offering through incorporating products that are built from bio-based oils, and are free of chlorine and secondary amines.

Dave Fuerst, President of Castrol Industrial North America said, “With this expansion in our offering, Castrol will have an impressive line of environmentally responsible products available to our industrial customers. New technology is a core element of Castrol’s strategy to increase our momentum in the B2B lubricants market and to capture the market transition to more environmentally responsible products.”

For more information call (630) 961-6993 or visit www.castrol.com.

The Timken Company’s Online Intelligence System (OIS) identifies potential bearing and gear issues before they become major problems for wind turbine owners. With operating conditions that change as frequently as the wind, mechanical equipment used in wind turbine applications encounters variable speeds, loads, temperatures and more, making it difficult to consistently and accurately monitor the machine’s health.

“It takes significant technical expertise to perform condition monitoring in extreme applications,” said Hans Landin, director of process industries original equipment and wind energy for Timken.  “Timken offers a comprehensive wind turbine service platform that includes online monitoring systems, a qualified wind field service organization, and upgraded solutions that can help lower the total cost of ownership for our customers.”

The Timken OIS is a breakthrough condition monitoring/data collection and reporting system specifically designed for these extreme ranges of a wind turbine application. The Timken OIS utilizes a combination of vibration, high-definition shock pulses and analog/digital inputs to identify main-shaft bearing, gearbox and generator problems before they develop into life-limiting conditions.

Early detection allows for better maintenance planning, reduced downtime and increased cost savings. Timken’s technology advantage and analysis helps wind turbine owners plan their maintenance and lower overall costs to keep equipment availability at a high level.

For more information, visit www.timken.com.

Parker Hannifin Corporation unveils the first in a series of stand-alone cooling units for cooling down tower power converters in 1.5 – 8.0 MW sized wind turbines. The 50 KW capacity cooling unit on display at the show, is targeted for 1.5-2.5MW sized wind turbines, and will be followed by additional models with cooling capacities of 18 – 200KW.

Parker Precision Cooling Systems has adapted its long-established two-phase evaporative cooling technology into a system that efficiently cools critical wind turbine power generation systems, with higher efficiency, safety and power density, compared to water cooling. The stand alone cooling system is meant for down tower installation, to cool offshore and onshore new wind turbine converter systems, and also easily enables retrofit or upgrade of existing wind turbine converter legacy cooling systems.

For more information, please contact Parker Precision Cooling Systems at www.parkerprecisioncooling.com. 

Trendelkamp introduces its new personnel and maintenance lifts for towers (inside) and a newly designed blade access platform (360°) for easy access and service on blades and wind energy facilities. 

Due to its modular design the lifts, (lift capacity of 660 lbs.) with an easy access sliding door can be assembled on site in less than two hours.

The easy to trailer new designed blade access platform allows the service crew a fast and mobile set-up at site in approximately one hour, and is a safe and efficient inspection, maintenance and repair option on all sizes and heights of blades.

For more information, please call (770) 931-9199, e-mail: tlp@trendelkamp.com or go to www.trendelkamp.com.

Rebranding effort signifies commitment to the wind industry-rooted in a fresh mission and vision that is data-driven and customer-focused

CHANTILLY, VA, Aug. 1, 2012 /CNW/ – Catch the Wind Ltd. (TSX-V: CTW, providers of predictive Optical Control Systems(OCS) for optimized wind energy generation, today announced the complete rebrand of the company, now operating through its wholly-owned subsidiary (formerly Catch the Wind, Inc.) as BlueScout Technologies, Inc. Combined with its proven technology and ambitious product development roadmap, the new brand is positioned to reconfirm the company’s commitment to making wind energy more competitive through innovation.

“Our name, BlueScout, is about the future. Our passion is to use our technologies and skills to help our customers in the wind industry understand and manage their wind resource more effectively. We will use this rebranding to show our customers, investors and partners our commitment to helping turbines reliably produce cleaner, renewable energy. To us, the blue of the skies holds intelligence to be discovered and applied, and our passion for exploration is embodied within the concept of scouting what is ahead,” said Jo S. Major, Ph.D, President and CEO of BlueScout Technologies, Inc.

BlueScout reveals a new image, complete with a fresh logo, mission, vision, values, and domain name. The company’s optically based wind forecasting technology for control systems, the BlueScout OCS-210, is a next generation turbine control system for utility-scale wind turbines. From its position on top of the nacelle, it measures wind speed and direction in the approaching free-stream inflow and employs predictive control architectures to increase energy production and reduce harmful effects of wind turbulence on wind turbines. The optical wind sensor, BlueScout OWS-150,is a lightweight, portable, all-weather wind assessment tool that precisely measures wind speed and direction of vertical profiles above the ground or off shore water surface—reaching the full blade height of most utility scale wind turbines.

Major continued, “BlueScout aspires to develop a unique capability using an understanding of wind characteristics, gained through more than three years of controlling operational wind turbines, to fundamentally change the control philosophy of the wind industry. To realize these goals, we will consistently innovate in collaboration with our customers, always looking to push the envelope of thought leadership, and relentlessly work to use measurement data to dramatically improve reliable performance.”

In the coming days the company will provide an operational update – details to be announced separately. The company will continue to be traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the stock symbol “CTW” until such time as its trading symbol is changed to reflect this rebranding, which the company expects will occur later this month. In addition, at the company’s upcoming shareholders meeting the company will seek the approval of shareholders to change the name of the parent company’s name from “Catch the Wind Ltd.” to “BlueScout Technologies Ltd.” All prior trademarks of the company will no longer be used following this rebranding.

About BlueScout Technologies, Inc. (formerly known as Catch the Wind Inc.)

BlueScout Technologies (CTW.V) increases energy production and decreases operating costs by applying groundbreaking microgeographical wind flow sensing to turbine control systems that increases the effectiveness and availability of wind turbines. BlueScout combines precise, optically based wind forecasting with advanced predictive control architectures to ready the turbine for the imminent wind inflow changes – optimizing energy production and reducing the harmful effects of wind turbulence on the turbine. With extensive operating data on multiple wind turbine models, BlueScout is the leading, value-added innovator in wind turbine performance and optimization.

The team consists of experienced high-tech, R&D and manufacturing engineers; innovative entrepreneurs and proven leaders.  The BlueScout team has unique expertise and shares a firm commitment, as part of the wind power industry, to continuously improve the reliability of wind power generation through innovation. For more information, visit www.BlueScout.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release, include, but are not limited to, economic performance and future plans and objectives of BlueScout Technologies. Any number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although BlueScout Technologies believes that the assumptions and factors used in making the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. BlueScout Technologies disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

BlueScout and the BlueScout logo are trademarks of BlueScout Technologies Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Catch the Wind Ltd.

Wind Systems partnered with Capital Safety and Snap-On Tools to raffle Snap-On toolboxes and ExoFit NEX Global Wind Energy Harnesses at the AWEA Windpower 2012 show in Atlanta, GA.

Raffle tickets were provided each day of the event to those visiting the Wind Systems booth where they received free subscriptions to the magazine and information about other exhibitors at the show held at the Georgia World Congress Center.

“We had a great time at Windpower 2012 and we’d like to congratulate AWEA for all their hard work,” said David C. Cooper, president and CEO of MSI, and publisher of Wind Systems and Gear Solutions magazines. “We had a great turnout each day of the show and we were extremely pleased with the turnout each day at our booth generated by these prizes donated for the giveaway.”

Winner of the first day’s drawing for the harness was Michael Burns of Burns Brothers Performance and Scott Kailer of JR Custom Metal won the toolbox.
 
Patrick Laird of Laramie County Community College won the harness the second day, while Telicia Craft of MH&W International took home the toolbox.

Third day winners included Nick Bach, a student who won the harness, and Dan Hadfield with Gard Specialists winning the toolbox.

Winners of the ExoFit Global Energy Safety Harnesses provided their measurements to Capital Safety so that their harnesses were custom-fit for their use.

The toolboxes and harnesses were shipped to the winners following the show.

AWEA Windpower 2012 was the first major wind energy conference and exhibition to take place in the Southeast, attracting thousands of corporate leaders and wind power professionals with concurrent educational sessions, committee meetings, and more than 900 exhibitors representing 60 countries.

“With more than 90 wind-related manufacturing facilities located in the Southeast – 20 of which are in Georgia – and the proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson International, the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta was a natural fit to host Windpower, and we are excited that AWEA chose Atlanta as the host city this year,” said Metro Atlanta Chamber Vice President, Supply Chain & Advanced Manufacturing Development Bob Pertierra. “Wind energy, renewable energy and clean technology represent one of the fastest-growing segments for economic growth in the world.”

To sign up for a free subscription to Wind Systems visit www.windsystemsmag.com. For a free subscription to Gear Solutions, go to www.gearsolutions.com.

The MERLIN Avian Radar System was purchased by the Management Unit of North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM), a division of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), and was delivered to Belgium in January 2011 to collect data on bird activity along the coast at Zebrugge.

MUMM studies the effects of offshore wind parks on all forms of sea life but of particular concern here were Terns nesting on the mainland and flying out to the shoals to feed. In March 2012 DeTect radar technicians transferred the MERLIN radar system from its mobile trailer to the C-Power platform.

“This is a very important and exciting project for DeTect” said Edward Zakrajsek, Manager of DeTect EU in London.  “DeTect technicians, headed by our Project Manager Andreas Smith, had to work quickly and accurately to reassemble the system onto the platform hours before it was transferred to a barge and towed out to sea.”  The wind park comprises 56 5-6 megawatt (MW) turbines that stand at 158 meters above sea level with rotor swept diameters of 63 to 64 meters. “These are some of the largest wind turbines in the world,” continued Mr. Zakrajsek, “and DeTect’s MERLIN avian radar technology is a key component for ensuring generation of environmentally-sound, clean, renewable energy.”

For more information, visit www.detect-inc.com or call 850-763-7200.

Baker Renewable Energy announced today it has installed a wind energy system at James Madison University featuring a 7.5-kilowatt Bergey wind turbine. Baker Renewable Energy installed the turbine as part of the Small Wind Training and Testing Facility, an educational initiative launched by the Virginia Center for Wind Energy (VCWE). The wind system is capable of producing 10,000-12,000 kWh of energy a year when operating at average annual wind speeds of 5 m/s, which is enough to power an average-sized house for a year.

Baker Renewable Energy installed the turbine on JMU’s East Campus, adjacent to the CISAT library. It, along with a small solar array, will provide clean power to the new building, while wind instruments on the tower will measure wind flow to provide VCWE with data on area wind patterns.  The turbine has a total rotor diameter of 23 feet, which when added to the 120-foot-tall, Rohn self-supporting lattice tower, places the total height of the system at 131.5 feet.

“We are excited to have been involved in this project, especially since it benefits the greater community in so many ways,” said Jason Epstein, executive vice president of Baker Renewable Energy.  “In addition to providing continuous, clean energy and reducing utility costs, the turbine will also offer a hands-on educational opportunity for students who are interested in the renewable energy field, further supporting the industry in Virginia.”

This initiative will allow VCWE to provide educational outreach to JMU students, area entrepreneurs and local K-12 schools. JMU professors will be able to use the facility as a teaching tool geared toward student entrepreneurs who may be interested in wind power-oriented business. Such a curriculum, and the advancement of the wind industry, will help diversify the state’s energy resources.

“Our goal is to cultivate a community that is educated in wind energy; therefore, we need to inform decision-makers, members of the public and local students about wind power development initiatives in Virginia,” said Dr. Jonathan Miles, professor in the College of Integrated Science and Technology, coordinator of the International Masters Program and director of the Virginia Center for Wind Energy at JMU. “We are grateful to Baker Renewable Energy for supporting our efforts to bring economic development, high environmental quality and reliable and affordable energy to the Commonwealth.” “The wind industry continues to gain visibility and traction across the Southeast and we are glad to support its development,” added John Matthews, president of Baker Renewable Energy. “The turbine provides a valuable training tool that will help to develop the Virginia workforce.”

Baker Renewable Energy has completed a number of other wind projects in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The company installed a wind turbine for the North Carolina Solar Center, for the utility Santee Cooper in South Carolina and for the Wind for Schools program in Virginia, which assists in providing wind turbines and curricula to schools across the country through a Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) platform. BRE has also worked with other schools such as New River Community College to install smaller wind systems.

For more information, visit www.windpowerVA.org or www.bakerrenewable.com.

Consert Inc., and Novatel Wireless, Inc., are the winners in the Green Telecom and Smart Energy Solutions category of the 2012 International CTIA Wireless Emerging Technology (E-Tech) awards program.

The CTIA E-Tech Awards honors the most innovative new products in 15 categories spanning the areas of mobile apps, consumer electronics, enterprise and infrastructure. Hundreds of entries were judged by a panel of recognized industry experts, media and analysts and were scored on innovation, functionality, technological importance, implementation and overall “wow” factor.

“This is a tremendous honor for Consort and only further highlights our successful partnership with Novatel Wireless,” said Jeff Ebihara, Consert vice president of sales and marketing. “To be nationally recognized by the wireless industry for our leadership in the smart energy solution space speaks volumes about our impact on the industry.”

The Consert Virtual Peak Plant™ (VPP) Solution, utilizing the Novatel Wireless Expedite® E396 PCI Express Mini Card for 3G, unites the best interest of utilities with those of consumers, empowering them to monitor and reduce energy consumption, and save money and the environment at the same time. The partnership enables the Consert Solution to operate over the Verizon Wireless 3G network. By using Novatel Wireless’ 3G Expedite E396 PCI Express Mini Card for home energy management, the network can offer services in real-time, as opposed to once every 15 minutes or once an hour or once every 24 hours, which is common for other utility smart grid networks.

With consumers setting, monitoring and reducing energy consumption from any Internet-enabled device, utility companies have the opportunity to gain operational savings, address peak load with measurable and verifiable certainty, and realize new revenue streams.

“Having our industry leading embedded modules recognized in our partners’ solutions in the 2012 International CTIA Wireless E-Tech awards program shows the importance of delivering modules that can be integrated with extreme flexibility and superior performance for mobile data applications,” said Rob Hadley, CMO, Novatel Wireless. “We had multiple award recognitions this year that highlight the ongoing commitment of Novatel Wireless to deliver the most innovative mobile broadband solutions and are very pleased to be recognized with Concert for this solution for the Smart Energy segment.

For more information, visit www.consert.com or www.novatelwireless.com and www.CTIA.org.

AMSC, a global solutions provider serving wind and grid leaders, announces that Inox Wind Limited, part of India’s Inox Group of Companies, placed a follow-on order for 50 of AMSC’s electrical control systems (ECS) for Inox’s 2 megawatt (MW) wind turbines. AMSC expects to ship all of these systems to Inox in 2012. This is the fourth volume order that AMSC has received from Inox in the past two years.

“Inox is producing some of the best performing and most attractive wind turbines for the Indian market, which have been designed with consideration for Indian site conditions and low cost of operation and maintenance,” said Devansh Jain, director of Inox Wind Limited. “We were among the first manufacturers to begin producing 2 MW turbines locally in volumes and have quickly established a leadership position in the market. This position is strengthened by our vertical approach, which includes best-in-class manufacturing as well as project development. We look forward to continuing our growth with AMSC at our side.”

AMSC’s ECS are an integrated, high-performance suite of power electronics systems that include the wind turbine power converter cabinet, internal power supply and various controls. Together, these systems serve as the “brains” of the wind turbine and enable reliable, high-performance operation by controlling power flows, regulating voltage, monitoring system performance, controlling the pitch of wind turbine blades and the yaw of the turbines to maximize efficiency.

The ECS are being utilized in Inox’s 2 MW doubly-fed induction turbines, which were designed by and licensed from AMSC in 2009.

“Already the third largest wind power market in the world, India is supporting renewables in a significant way. In fact, the country recently introduced generation-based incentives for wind power, which incentivize project developers to select turbines that lower their leveled cost of energy and maximize their power output,” said Daniel P. McGahn, President and CEO, AMSC. “This policy is sure to benefit a fully integrated player like Inox, who is committed to providing high-quality, competitively priced wind turbines with exceptional performance and reliability.”

For more information, visit www.amsc.com.

New legislation creates further streamlining for wind project permitting in Maine. Governor Paul LePage signed legislation LD 1798 to revamp the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC). The reforms within the legislation include moving all permitting review for grid scale wind projects in the Unorganized Territories to the jurisdiction of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MeDEP).

Previously, LURC or MeDEP depending on the location of the project would conduct review of wind permitting. Occasionally this could cause difficulties when projects overlapped jurisdiction boundaries. With the recent improvements wind project permitting will have a standard procedure and review process throughout the state. The improvements signal the Legislature’s ongoing support for wind development, and their desire to continue to provide all applicants with certainty and predictability for the entire state.

The wind permitting streamline process began in 2008 with LD 2283, passed by the 123rd Legislature and signed by former-Governor John Baldacci.

For more information, visit  www.mainewindindustry.com.