Working at the world’s first take-back and WEEE compliance scheme for photovoltaic modules, PV CYCLE staffs are often confronted with the question of why pay for something that has not yet occurred. While about 9 million tonnes of photovoltaic – or PV – modules had been installed in Europe by the end of 2015, only… Read more »
What happen in 2016 and what can we expect in 2017 2016 was a record breaking year for solar in the Middle East. With record low tariffs on Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA) 800 MW Phase III project and Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority’s (ADWEA) Sweihan project, we could call it a successful… Read more »
As photovoltaics emerge as the leading generation source of the future, with installations topping wind for the first time in 2016, the underlying production machine has reached maturity. While relatively recently, in the early 2010’s, uncertainty remained around the prospects of competing photovoltaic technologies. Thin-film companies championed CIGS and CdTe as the materials of choice… Read more »
Celebrating its 10–year anniversary, Intersolar North America will once again be the first major solar event of the year. It takes place July 11-13 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and is co-located with ees North America and SEMICON West. These combined events bring together professionals from the solar, energy storage and semiconductor industries… Read more »
PES brings you previews to the Intersolar shows, kicking off with the Intersolar Europe and followed closely by Intersolar US. These shows reflect the expansion of solar energy across the globe and bring you the latest technology, innovation and a chance to meet the regular players in the market and new ones. Prepare to be… Read more »
Driven by the accuracy requirements of the solar renewable energy industry, solar radiation measurement reaches the next level. Sensor technology is improving, user access to calibration is getting easier, practices for instrument maintenance and measurement uncertainty evaluation are now being standardised. Hukseflux Thermal Sensors, a technology leader in this field, is actively involved. The weakest… Read more »
New multi-megawatt solar installations are growing rapidly, which is great news for the environment and the economy. With that growth comes falling prices, both for power purchase agreements (PPAs) and solar gear including PV modules, inverters and other equipment. But what about the people reading this article who got into large scale solar earlier in… Read more »
Six years ago, ZF Wind Power took the challenge to set the benchmark in the industry pioneering wind gearboxes to power the new giants of the sea. The project started with an early cooperation between the customer and ZF with one main focus: reliability. Dr. Dirk Strasser, Manager Wind Gearbox Design at ZF Wind Power,… Read more »
Words: Al Maiorino It seems the US is finally being blown away with the idea of wind power. At last traditional forms of energy are being reviewed and clean, sustainable wind energy is being taken seriously. There is to be a 200 turbine windfarm off the coast of Long Island. “Today is a big day… Read more »
PES invited award-winning Scottish technology company PhotoSynergy Ltd (PSL) to give us an insight in to their suite of new products, produced in response to industry led requests to find practicable, cost-effective solutions in a variety of sectors where safety of life is paramount. The company, in collaboration with a number of key technology partners,… Read more »
Words: Gerry Lalonde, CEO, Orenda Energy Solutions. Planning consent is still grey area for the small/medium wind turbine market and it is about time we had consistency and predictability rather than disparate decision making that often blights and inhibits progress across the UK. It has been known for years that planning authorities decision making varies… 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 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 »
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 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 »
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 »
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 »
Words: Stephen Holden, Maintenance Account Director, Global Marine Systems Limited Although there have been power cables in the marine environment for many decades, there have been relatively few in number until fairly recently. Those that exist are predominately national or short haul international cables and in terms of total kilometres are rather limited. Certainly this… Read more »
Words: Petri Aho, Senior Vice President, Service Sales EMEA & APAC. This year Moventas launched a new suite of services called Extra Life. Extra Life suites incorporate gearbox services for the most popular, aging fleets, namely GE, Siemens and kilowatt class turbines. By removing known failure modes and replacing them with core Moventas technologies, gearbox… Read more »
Words: Thomas Arnold, Team Leader Measurements and Technical Testing for Wind Energy Turbines, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH Treading a path to and from the filing cabinet is all part of the daily routine of many wind farm owners and operators. Many details of the condition of their wind farm can only be found there…. Read more »
Words: Kim Mørk, Executive Vice President of Renewables Certification, DNV GL Energy The wind power industry has changed massively over the last 10-15 years. New concepts, technologies and devices have arisen and certification has played an essential role in bringing these developments to market. But today the wind industry is much more mature, and the… Read more »
PES brings you a preview from the leading international wind energy expo, which expects more than 1,200 exhibitors. It is the largest international business platform onshore and offshore and reflects the global market and the whole of the value chain. It is the meeting point for decision makers from all parts of the world. Hopefully… Read more »
In the late 1990s, Hermann Albers, president of the German Wind Energy Association, was already pointing out that existing networks would not manage to accommodate the growing supply of green power. “Instead of taking action, grid operators began new planning, much too late because they didn’t believe in the success of renewables”, he frequently complained…. Read more »
Micro grids are having a big impact on remote areas of the world. Romina Arcamone Garcia, Market Manager, Renewable Energy & Backup Power at Trojan Battery Co., LLC explains to PES how 24/7 energy is now possible in these areas. The establishment of off-grid networks, also known as mini grids or micro grids, around the… Read more »
Driven by one of the globe’s fastest growing solar markets, Ecoppia is increasingly focussing on India. PES finds out why. Ecoppia’s new Vice President for Asia has had a very busy few weeks. Since joining Ecoppia, Nalin Sharma has been getting many enquiries from the leading companies in India’s utility solar space. As the country’s… Read more »
Energy and electricity are usually associated with the colour green. Not anymore. Today, grey is the colour of the European energy market according to Professor Leonardo Meeus from Vlerick Business School, Belgium, who provides PES with an insight in to the new market model choices being made across the EU and things that need to… Read more »
Renewable energy generation, data collection, changing analytics, the grid edge… In a continually evolving industry how does the renewable asset manager keep up with the changes? Edmee Kelsey, founder and CEO of 3megawatt GmbH, gives PES her analysis of the situation…. These are turbulent times for Renewable Asset Managers. Every day there is something new… Read more »
Mini Grid Applications are becoming more and more in demand from remote locations. They save on the costs of fossil fuel and logistics. PES finds out more from Omron… Improving access to modern energy services in rural areas is a priority for many developing countries (South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Argentina etc.), with more than 1.5… Read more »
As utility solar becomes increasingly competitive, companies seek gains in efficiency and production. Ecoppia and CEO Eran Meller are delivering just that with the market’s only automated cleaning solution – and the industry has noticed. Several months ago a dust storm swept through Israel’s southern Arava Valley, depositing a fine layer of dust over utility… Read more »