Moventas’ CMaS Condition Management System has been developed to monitor how the gearbox and other drivetrain components are performing, 24/7. Even more importantly, it anticipates possible upcoming failures, and responds by delivering timely updates and alerting maintenance crews. David Moss compares two contrasting approaches. Condition monitoring or condition management?I have a friend, let’s call him… Read more »
Olivier Texier takes a look at the main challenges behind wind power forecasting, how some grid operators and/or energy off-takers introduce power forecasting constraints for wind power plant, and what the implications might be for developers and financiers. With the increased penetration of intermittent renewable energy such as wind and solar into modern grids, there… Read more »
Are America’s key communities really ready to embrace wind to the extent that the industry would like? Perhaps not, claims the Center for Rural Affairs, citing a number of possible obstacles. But – and this is a big but – there are ways forward, and ways to address the major community and landowner concerns. We… Read more »
When we last published our Power List in 2000, the wind energy landscape looked very different indeed. Since then, billions have been made and lost and investors have come and gone. We’ve tweaked our list this year to take into account not only the reported wealth of the individuals involved, but their influence on our… Read more »
The entire history of power generation, from Benjamin Franklin’s kite experiments 250 years ago, to deep sea drilling for oil and gas is a complex tale of imaginative inventiveness riding up against economic realities. As wind power takes hold across the world, developers are constantly looking for new ways to make the technology lighter, faster,… Read more »
Essential stress-management strategies for business survival In today’s business world, most wind sector executives expect to be available 24/7 and to work an 18 hour day on average, but Cognitive Neuroscientist and Business Improvement Strategist Dr Lynda Shaw believes that executives and top management are becoming increasingly isolated and are struggling to cope with the… Read more »
As we head deeper into 2014, it’s abundantly clear that the US’s energy mix is now all the stronger thanks to wind. We look at how far the country’s energy market has come in recent years and consider its effects on the environment and the economy. From the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains to… Read more »
An essential part of any wind power executive’s armoury, the IEA’s annual roadmap charts how far the for wind technology has come and, more importantly, where it’s headed. We present an exclusive extract. There is a pressing need to accelerate the development of advanced energy technologies in order to address the global challenges of clean… Read more »
Increased efforts in wind technology R&D are essential to realising growth within the industry, with a main focus on reducing the investment costs and increasing performance and reliability to reach a lower LCOE. We consider a strategy (and timeline) for guaranteed success… Wind energy technology is already proven and making progress. No single element of… Read more »
With an estimate of nearly a quarter of a million birds killed by monopile turbines in the US alone every year, there’s no doubt that it’s an issue that needs to be taken seriously by the industry. But as turbines get taller, is it a growing issue? We present the very latest research from the… Read more »
Despite past success and ambitious targets, constructing onshore wind projects in Scotland is not without its difficulties. Rhys Bullman, Principal Ecologist at environmental firm SLR Consulting, looks at why ornithology is nearly always towards the top of the list of important issues to get right. The wind energy industry in Scotland has always been ambitious,… Read more »
A revolutionary concept that will harness the full capacity of grid connections by incorporating ground-mounted solar panels on the same site as wind turbines, ‘solar wind’ is set to be a success story for the coming year… Words: Paul Evans, Associate Director and renewable energy specialist, Wardell ArmstrongWith an estimated total capacity of onshore wind… Read more »
EWEA 2014 is the annual event of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). This year, the highlight of the industry calendar is heading to Barcelona, and is shaping up to be a must for all companies wanting to understand how they can play a leading part in the energy revolution. The last few years have… Read more »
New Department of Energy data shows that the states that use the most wind energy have seen the largest electricity rate declines, while consumers in the states that use the least wind energy have fared far worse. PES crunches the numbers… The 11 states that produce more than seven per cent of their electricity from… Read more »
The International Energy Agency’s annual outlook is one of the sector’s most hotly anticipated intelligence reports, and we’re proud to present an exclusive extract. Read, digest, react and start taking your operation to the next level – especially if you’re active in Brazil… Many of the long-held tenets of the energy sector are being rewritten…. Read more »
Claims from respected bodies such as the IEA suggest that China’s wind output could overtake the combined might of the EU and the US within 20 years. What will fuel this spectacular growth, and what will it mean for the rest of the marketplace? PES investigates… In 2012 (most recent figures), 12,960 MW of new… Read more »
Wind turbines are large, complex pieces of machinery, similar to those manufactured in the car and aerospace industries. But are our employees – at every stage of the supply chain – being supported by similar and correct Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) procedures? And what are the risks they being presented with? PES investigates… OSH… Read more »
The completion of a project to overhaul the power supply for a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean will meet the needs of the community for years to come. Despite a number of challenges, wind has proven to be a crucial part of the community’s energy mix. PES investigates… Before work began to improve… Read more »
In this issue we present a first for PES: we have gathered our panel of experts from wind associations across the planet for our roundtable interview. We’re proud to offer unprecedented analysis from those at the very forefront of the industry. PES: Welcome to the magazine. Can you tell us a little about yourself and… Read more »
Modernising the electric system will help many nations meet the challenge of handling projected energy needs – including integrating more power from wind sources. But why are we generally dragging our feet on this issue, and where is future innovation and global growth coming from? The US Department of Energy provides some answers… Advances to… Read more »
Failed appeal for Argyll site highlights importance of conservation legislation It is more than ironic that in a country where the government is heavily committed to maximising production of energy from renewable sources one of the main barriers to achieving this aim is conservation legislation, much of which, increasingly, originates from the European Union. In… Read more »
It’s back, and it’s better than ever before. Once again, we’ve asked some of the most incisive and intelligent commentators from the world of wind to contribute to our roundtable debate – the most talked-about feature in PES. Our experts are here to offer invaluable analysis from the forefront of the industry. PES: Welcome to… Read more »
With the US finally open for business, and China and Japan looking to expand into their vast coastal resources, is it finally time for Europe’s wind sector to spread its wings into untapped territories? Is Eastern Europe ripe for further development? We take a look at the conditions and deliver our assessment… Europe is the… Read more »
David Dumeresque of Tyzack Partners discusses how to stand out from the crowd in an ever-changing sector. With the global population growing by an estimated 80 million people every year, including a significant increase in middle-class consumers, it is forecast that by 2030, the nine billion people living on this planet will need 40% more… Read more »
Profitable development of forested land for renewable energy production has become possible only recently, based on changes in legal framework conditions, technological innovations and high wind-turbine towers. In Germany, some of these projects have been realised successfully and more seem likely to follow in the future. However, there is still considerable demand for research. The… Read more »
The world’s premier networking event dedicated to the offshore wind sector, OFFSHORE 2013 is an unmissable diary entry for every industry executive. PES presents an exclusive preview. Held from 19-21 November at Messe Frankfurt, Germany, EWEA OFFSHORE, the world’s largest offshore wind energy conference and exhibition, presents an international platform for the offshore wind energy… Read more »
Barack Obama’s new climate change policy is not only a validation of our industry, it is a positive portent of future growth. In a recent speech, the U.S. President outlined his commitment to wind power and to a cleaner future for all. Here, we present the highlights. On Christmas Eve, 1968, the astronauts of Apollo… Read more »
It’s less costly to get electricity from wind turbines than coal-fired power plants when climate change costs and other health impacts are factored in, according to a new study published in Springer’s Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. In fact, using the official U.S. government estimates of health and environmental costs from burning fossil fuels,… Read more »
The recently-published (seventh) edition of the annual DOE report highlights the key trends and important new developments from the past 12 months. An essential snapshot of the industry – which also informs the sector’s growth for the coming year – we’re delighted to present an exclusive extract. Annual wind power capacity additions in the United… Read more »
Operations and Maintenance is expected to account for nearly one-third of offshore wind’s costs in the United States, and consequently, there is a large potential for reducing these through advanced O&M strategies. NREL and ECN, along with a panel of subject matter experts who provided input, have proposed a few suggestions… The following O&M strategies… Read more »
This annual snapshot makes for essential reading for any domestic wind executive, charting as it does, the game-changing statics for the industry. We present a hot-off-the-press exclusive extract. At the end of 2012, U.S. wind turbines in distributed applications reached a 10-year cumulative installed capacity of more than 812 MW from more than 69,000 units… Read more »
With a dataset of 50,000 home sales among 27 counties in nine states, and of homes were within 10 miles of 67 different wind facilities, the study produced by Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is easily the most far-reaching ever produced. Does it give credence to the anecdotal evidence? Find out more in our… Read more »
Although there’s currently just a solitary turbine operating off the American coastline, Cape Wind has finally gotten the green light, which means that the next 12 months are crucial for the continent’s offshore industry. PES investigates if it’s up to the challenge… In June this year, after years of offshore wind power projects being cancelled… Read more »
New York State’s Department of State (DOS) has completed a two-year study to generate and assemble the most comprehensive dataset of physical, biological, geographic, and socioeconomic information available for the Atlantic Ocean waters. For planners and wind farm operators planning on expanding into this wind-rich territory, it’s essential reading… New Yorkers rely on the ocean… Read more »
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s latest report offers an assessment of regional supply and demand conditions affecting the future of renewable energy in America’s West. Can the region become a powerhouse for wind supply in the coming years? Find out in our exclusive extract. Several Western states have renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requirements that have… Read more »
PES presents an exclusive overview of the U.S. market, fresh from the desks of the American Wind Energy Association. The U.S. wind energy industry achieved its best year ever in 2012, shattering numerous records. It installed 13,131 megawatts (MW) of capacity and surged past the 60-gigawatt (GW) milestone for total installed wind power capacity. Last… Read more »