The number of wind turbines used globally has grown exponentially over the last few years and with it so has the need for efficient and safer inspection methods. Ray Faulkner from iRed, an industry-leading thermographic consultancy and training centre, explains how Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs/Drones) are establishing a strong case for involvement. Renewable energy has… Read more »
In February 2015, the Indian government announced its plans to almost quadruple its renewable power capacity to 175 GW by 2022 as part of the plan to supply electricity to every household in the country. This includes 60 GW from wind energy. Further, India made a commitment at COP21 to raise the share of non-fossil-fuel… Read more »
Ever wonder how wind turbines operate autonomously, with such little human intervention, in the middle of the sea? Rico Shoeni, Market Manager for Industry at HUBER+SUHNER, gives PES an inside look at the latest developments and the type of technology currently in development to power offshore wind farms. With the ever-increasing effects of global warming,… Read more »
The world of high-pressure hydraulics is constantly in motion. Within this dynamic the Dutch hydraulics specialist Holmatro is continuously developing high-quality solutions for industrial applications. After more than 50 years’ experience as a supplier to the shipbuilding and oil & gas industries, Holmatro developed the first TP levelling set in 2009, used in the construction… Read more »
At the beginning of March 2017 PES asked Steve Sawyer, secretary general GWEC, for his informed perspective on current wind production worldwide and his short term predictions. Overall, the wind industry globally started the year in good shape, with solid prospects for 2017 and beyond. Although we didn’t reach the 60 GW mark in 2016,… Read more »
Words: Geoffrey Taunton-Collins, Weather Risk Analyst, GCube Underwriting Ltd. As with any asset type, consistently ensuring reliable returns from renewable energy assets requires charting a course through a series of financial risks. For the wind industry in particular, given the fickle nature of the elemental force underpinning it, resource underperformance is becoming the principal concern… Read more »
The market for energy has always been affected by climate, global policies and new technologies. According to Energy and Climate Academy, who works worldwide in further education for the energy and climate sector, there are changes ahead. The future parameter for success is not another invention, but the ability to be able to process the… Read more »
Renting accommodation, locker rooms or temporary storage space is a cost effective way of ensuring worker comfort during offshore installations. PES finds out about the ELA Container Offshore GmbH mobile room solutions, their various sizes and the different accommodation configurations available to meet customers’ requests. ELA Container Offshore GmbH produces stand-alone offshore containers, to be… Read more »
Suddenly the news is spreading. The installation market is developing so fast that large floating cranes seem to be the answer to the ever-increasing turbine size in the wind industry. Jack-ups have long been the installation vessel of choice in the offshore wind industry; however we are now seeing various contractors using large offshore floating… Read more »
Raymond Fisch, Senior Vice President, at BBC Chartering, talks to PES about the changes in the shipping market, the importance of training and the strong ethos which runs throughout the company. PES: Welcome back to PES Wind magazine. It’s been two years or so since we last spoke. Thanks for talking with us. For our… Read more »
The American Wind Energy Association is heading back to the U.S. which has championed the wind energy industry for decades for WINDPOWER®. PES brings you the latest information on this unmissable event. If you are invested in U.S. wind energy or looking to enter the market, AWEA WINDPOWER 2017 Conference & Exhibition is the place… Read more »
The renewables market, particularly wind, is a key sector for ALE. Building on experience in the power sector, we have used our knowledge and expertise to develop smarter solutions to the challenges created by the increasing heights of wind turbines and associated components. In relation to the on-shore wind enery market, ALE offers a bespoke… Read more »
Why is using a transducerized tooling system important to me and my customers? To understand the importance you must understand the accuracy difference between Transducerized and Current Controlled tooling. Current Controlled (Open Loop) tools are a dedicated system consisting of a tool, cable and controller. They are pre-calibrated in a lab using an external transducer… Read more »
In this, first of four articles, we look at how ActSafe Powered Ascenders are making wind turbine maintenance quicker and more efficient. We are all familiar with the adage “time is money”, and in offshore wind energy nothing could be more true. Getting people and material onsite quicker and allowing work tasks to be completed… Read more »
Offshore wind turbines suffer from severe corrosion and with limited access to them, the choice of the right corrosion protection is crucial. The most widely used protection methods are anti-corrosion coatings, often in combination with cathodic protection (in the submerged zone). However, these coatings often suffer from premature failure due to mechanical damage, application errors… Read more »
A new innovative approach to windfarms could, at last, make them more popular and community friendly. Bringing the benefits and the profits home to local communities. Daniel Dubbelhuis, Account Manager Netherlands at Lagerwey tells us how. Large multi megawatt parks in concentrated areas developed by and for the local community, anonymous big developers – ensure… Read more »
The new B-Box HV model complements the B-Box series of easy-to-install modular and scalable battery cabinets March 28th 2017 – BYD Co. Ltd., the world’s largest supplier of rechargeable batteries, launched its newly expanded line-up of B-Box Battery Energy Storage Systems in Europe. With the newly introduced B-Box HV, the easy-to-install modular battery cabinets are… Read more »
Supports Trojan Strategic Worldwide Expansion into New Market Segments SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif., March 28, 2017 – As part of its global innovation strategy, Trojan Battery Co., LLC, the world’s leading manufacturer of deep-cycle batteries, has named Ivan Menjak as director of global product solutions. In this role, Menjak will be responsible for managing Trojan’s… Read more »
PES talks with Billy Stevenson, Managing Director, Deutsche Windtechnik Ltd, to find out about the growth in wind power in the UK and the prospects for the future. PES: Welcome to PES Wind magazine. Thanks for talking with us. Would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of your organisation and… Read more »
What’s the key to profitable high volume manufacturing? In almost any industry, two of the vital ingredients are reproducibility and controllability. Michael van der Gugten, Sales and Marketing Executive, Smit Thermal Solutions, explains to PES why it’s no different for thin film solar Reproducibility, controllability and a high-volume mind-set Smit Thermal Solutions provides thermal equipment… Read more »
The latest UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) technology allows swift, thorough inspections to assess turbines. Drones can be used either as part of routine reporting or for detailed inspections in preparations for rope access teams. This has many significant health and safety benefits for the technical teams in terms of assuring all anchor points are secure and preparing in… Read more »
Words: Thomas Arnold and Thomas Zirngibl, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH The recently revised TR6 Technical Guideline of the German Public Association of the Renewable Energy Sector (Fördergesellschaft Windenergie (FGW)) is designed to ensure the provision of reliable yield forecasts. Wind reports based on the Guideline play a critical role for producing reliable estimates of… Read more »
PES talks to Rick Huntley, Director of Safety and Compliance, at Sentinel Aviation and discovers exactly how important safety is in this company. Two of the directors are ex-military and bring this added experience. He also explains that this relatively new industry is already entering a cut throat price war due to the number of… Read more »
Words: Lindsay Roberts, Senior Policy Manager, Scottish Renewables Renewable energy is now our largest source of power and with over 5.5GW installed onshore, wind provides the lion’s share of that capacity. Can the Scottish and UK Governments work with industry and regulators to remove a series of barriers as suggested in a report by Everoze… Read more »
The Dutch Government’s offshore wind energy programme is making significant waves in the energy sector, after Dong Energy bid a record-low price for the contract to build and operate the first two projects offered in the country’s five-year tender programme. That could only happen because of the steps taken by the State in designing an… Read more »
The Race Bank Wind farm is being constructed by DONG Energy approximately 27 kilometres off Blakeney Point on the North Norfolk coast and 28 kilometres off the Lincolnshire Coast and Chapel St Leonards. It covers an area of 7511ha. Export cables bring the power from the wind farm to the substation onshore. These export cables… Read more »
Words: Steve Sawyer, secretary general at GWEC The dramatic drop in price of solar and wind generated electricity, for solar in particular, has grabbed a lot of attention lately. Prices in the range of $US 0.03-0.04/kWh have come through in tenders from Peru to Mexico and Morocco to South Africa. It is almost to the… Read more »
Steve Sawyer, Secretary General, GWEC, gives a global overview of wind power during 2015, a very positive year culminating in the Paris agreement in December. He predicts a steady growth in the industry over the next five years. Wind Power Leads All New Power Generation More than 150 nations gathered in New York, on Earth… Read more »
Words: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Wenske, Deputy Director IWES Northwest Dr.-Ing. Maik Wefer, Division Director Structural Components IWES Jan Wenske and Maik Wefer of Fraunhofer IWES, show PES how testing should be regarded as a method to accelerate time to market of new designs and stand out by offering approved overall system reliability – instead of… Read more »
We look at the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA)’s view of the future energy landscape beyond 2020. Current targets set out for 2030 in Europe will see the wind energy sector and other renewable technologies transform the power sector and bring positive impacts to the European power system and the economy as we pivot towards… Read more »
Words: Paul Goodwin, Global Maritime, Pablo Ruiz-Minguela, TECNALIA, José Luis Aguiriano, OCEANTEC For all the growth in solar and wind energy over the past few years, one often over-looked and untested renewable source is that of wave energy. Yet, wave energy is generally considered to be one of the most concentrated renewable energy sources today… Read more »
Thijs Haselhoff, New Business Development Manager at Altheris Sensors & Controls and Eric Préfontaine, Business Development Manager at OpSens Solutions, responsable for the Energy market, together tell PES about this new state-of-the-art technology and explain why fibre optic sensors are perfectly suited to the Renewable Energy market. PES: Welcome to PES magazine. Thanks for talking… Read more »
To realise the climate targets set out in the Paris Agreement, over the next few years, we will be seeing a strong increase in the number of offshore wind farms in the North Sea. This will create all sorts of new opportunities for the offshore wind industry. PES spoke to Joost Eenhuizen, Business Manager Maritime… Read more »
PES investigates how the Altura Zenith unmanned aerial system performs at sea in high winds, as Aerialtronics announces separate radical technical developments with NVIDIA and the IBM Watson Internet of Things Platform on the cloud. Overcoming gales to inspect wind turbines in the Baltic Sea is one reason why Euro Drone Inspections use the Altura… Read more »
PES hears from the Belgian company, ADEDE, about the challenges they face during the search for unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the sea and on land. This work is often hazardous and sometimes uncovers some significant archaeological finds. Offshore UXO survey The offshore environment provides huge technical challenges, one of which is UXO. And more importantly,… Read more »
Following hot on the heels of Hamburg we turn our attention to the eagerly anticipated Offshore Energy Amsterdam. Here is our preview, just for you. The international oil, gas and renewable trade event is just around the corner and before it kicks off, the Offshore WIND Conference (OWC) will take center stage. OWC will again… Read more »