With the increasing demand for renewable energy, solar energy production is rapidly growing around the world and the size of solar plants is increasing as well. More and more nations come to realise the potential of planting solar panels in deserts which creates value on low fertility grounds. Extending up to several million square metres… Read more »
Category: Talking Point
Technologies fit for a new era for utility-scale solar
The deployment of solar PV across the world is on an upward trajectory, with recent reports highlighting the growing popularity of both commercial and utility-scale projects. Despite the disruption of the past 12-18 months, in its most recent Renewable Energy Market Update, the International Energy Agency (IEA), said that in 2020, annual renewable capacity additions… Read more »
Lidar lives
She may have started life in rural England, but today ZX Lidar’s Unit #106 is tramping the complex terrain of Greece, as she helps to pioneer the country’s clean energy transition. ‘Eunice’ may be named after a sea nymph, but she’s really a star when it comes to understanding the wind. Starting life in the… Read more »
Wrestling risk in green projects: take time to think before acting
The increasing attention given to large-scale renewable energy projects over the last five years, has been driven primarily by larger companies. This has included specialist renewable energy organisations, such as Vestas or Orsted, alongside traditional oil and gas companies who are increasing their focus on renewable investment and generation. Some smaller organisations, both upstream energy… Read more »
Lifetime of pipelines transporting H2
Hydrogen is regarded as the alternative energy carrier of the future. However, its transport over long distances calls for a special safety concept. Energy managers wishing to transport hydrogen in existing and new pipelines must furnish evidence of their pipeline’s service life by way of fracture mechanics. TÜV SÜD’s experts supply fracture mechanical analyses as… Read more »
Making plans for plain sailing offshore
In July 2021 the UK government published updated requirements for the supply chain plan element of Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction round 4 (AR4). So, as we move forward and prepare for the next round, we must use experience from previous CfD auctions and share insights into key challenges for developers to consider, particularly in… Read more »
Riding the IoT wave for improved workability
Safe and efficient offshore wind operations are reliant on accurate, instantaneous and trusted information from many parameters including environmentals, such as the sea state or weather conditions. With the advance of digitalisation, a considerable volume of data sets is now even more accessible than before. However, while the amount of data is plentiful, analysing and… Read more »
US offshore wind energy
Combining European expertise and US content Developing offshore wind energy production facilities presents interesting operational requirements and logistical challenges, especially along the US Northeast Coast. Environmental conditions in the Northeastern US are challenging, harsh and some areas have relatively deep water for production of offshore wind energy. However, GustoMSC does not foresee any insurmountable problems…. Read more »
Wind turbine construction, installation and maintenance: torque vs tension
Torquing and tensioning are two very different ways to tighten a bolt. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. A wind turbine can contain as many as 25,000 bolts, with each one contributing towards either the turbine’s structural integrity or how it functions. So, it’s worth knowing how both torquing and tensioning work. Before… Read more »
Floating offshore wind an essential component of decarbonisation efforts
With the Paris Agreement strengthening the global response to climate change, countries around the world are facing increasing pressure to phase out carbon-intensive fuels in favour of clean energy. Onshore and offshore wind power, especially large-scale floating turbines, can play a leading role in the clean energy revolution, with global capacity expected to increase tenfold… Read more »
‘Being there where the wind industry develops’
As a leading energy logistics service provider, DHSS is the single point of contact for offshore energy related companies in the field of ships agency services, port logistics and helicopter operations. ‘We unburden all stakeholders involved in the offshore energy industry; from vessel owners to charterers and service-related companies,’ says Wim Schouwenaar, founder and owner… Read more »
Reducing wind turbine gearbox and bearing failures
Around the year 2000, wind turbines of around 1MW and 70m in diameter were common but 20 years later, giants are now being installed. This is especially so offshore, where barriers to installation are lessened. Siemens Gamesa’s latest 14MW offshore wind turbine, with its 222-meter rotor diameter, dwarfs its immediate predecessors and even larger turbines… Read more »
Critical bolting demands innovative thinking
The wind industry has a huge number of bolted joint connections and for the most part they are critical to both performance of the turbine and safety of those working on or around it. The primary installation method for assembly of equipment, construction of turbines and for maintenance is the tightening and checking of threaded… Read more »
Recycled rubber components: engineering more sustainable products for the solar market
TCT-Europe is a UK based, European company focused on the design, engineering, prototyping and volume manufacturing, using compression moulding, of products made from recycled rubber crumb. The company was set up three years ago, with operations in the UK and Poland, to take advantage of the growing innovation in sustainable materials emerging in Europe. According… Read more »
A partner with forward thinking solutions
Facing the fast and dynamically growing photovoltaic (PV) capacity worldwide, the market leader for PV connections is prepared to serve and improve the safety of this still young industry. Stäubli Renewable Energy offers tailored services along the PV project lifecycles for eBoS (electrical Balance of System) applications and is investing in product innovation, resources and… Read more »
Why AC coupled doesn’t hold up in a blackout
Do you know the difference between AC and DC coupled connections? Is it even relevant to most people thinking of investing in energy storage? What does an AC battery do when compared with a DC version? Which is best for back-up power in a power outage? These are just some of the questions people regularly… Read more »
The path to climate neutrality
Being ‘climate neutral’ means only releasing as much greenhouse gas as can be recaptured or absorbed. Many nations have set themselves this goal, however the path to doing so is lengthy and exacting on all involved. Germany, for instance, has declared its intention to be climate neutral by 2045. To do this in the time… Read more »
Reaching cost-efficient climate neutrality: the essential reboot of the European PV Industry
Climate neutrality by 2050. That is the stated goal. But how does Europe achieve it? The European Photovoltaic (PV) sector has faced an era of rapid and complex change over the past two decades. If we flashback to the early 2000s, some argued that European PV manufacturing growth would be continuous and dominant. That did… Read more »
Quality made in Germany
In Rangsdorf, 30 minutes outside Berlin, surrounded by beautiful fields and lakes, an impressive building appears. This is where Germany’s only manufacturer of solar mounting systems, Mounting Systems GmbH, is located. The company specialises in the development and manufacture of the entire product range for pitched and flat roofs, as well as solar carports and… Read more »
Solar powering the digital oilfield
What exactly is meant by the digital oilfield? From its origins in the early 1970s when the first pressure/temperature gauges were fitted into subsea wells and data logging via satellite began, the digital oilfield concept has evolved from simple data gathering activity to the automation, control, and optimization of nearly every process involved upstream (exploration,… Read more »
One-stop-shop solution for wiring PV plants
PV projects are divided into specific phases before the plant is finally connected to the grid. The installation phase in particular is key for success. HIS is there from the start and optimizes the project along the value chain, as well as after the COP. Whether high quality single components, pre-assembled solar cables or individually… Read more »
Living in a digital world
The market for sustainable energy is growing and in today’s fast-paced, always-on world giving potential new customers the information they need, when they want it is a challenge for installers and suppliers. The answer lies beyond the online calculator tool. Things are looking good for the PV industry as more and more homeowners are considering… Read more »
Calibrate, document, design and simulate
A newly developed app from ETU Software enables quick and precise measurements of a building, by taking digital measurements based on a photo and target-oriented inputs to simulate the photovoltaic system. This allows the user to document and provide initial estimates while still on site. SimpleMeasure saves time in the bidding phase and enables the… Read more »
Bigger, better, bifacial
EKO Instruments are betting big on bifacial PV, delivering industry-leading accuracy with the most comprehensive package of bifacial and albedo measurement solutions available. Bifacial photovoltaic (BPV) technology has been around for a long time, but only since 2012, when the first cost-effective bifacial panels entered the market, has it started to attract serious market consideration…. Read more »
Appropriate PV module over ratio can increase in power generation
What is PV module/inverter DC-AC over ratio? In a typical design of a photovoltaic system, the capacity of the PV modules (total DC power) exceeds the capacity of the inverter (AC power): this is called the DC-AC over ratio. This approach of over ratio is increasingly widely used. Reasonable over ratio design can optimize the… Read more »
Using thermal laser separation to cut solar cells in half-cells or stripes
Over the past years, cutting solar cells into half-cells has grown to become a mainstream strategy in PV manufacturing. Significant gains in both power rating and mechanical strength at module level are demonstrated by using these technologies. It is also one of the key developments that has allowed the recent switch to larger cell formats… Read more »
New sizing of wind turbine generators (WTGs) requires a new perspective of wind towers
The wind market is continuously evolving to bigger and more powerful WTGs, both onshore and offshore, each one has its limitations, but they need to include new solutions and continue to reduce the associated LCoE. Until now, the onshore market has represented approximately 70% of the total MW installed (GWEC), but offshore is growing. Onshore… Read more »
Offshore wind targets: what might stop us hitting them?
If everything goes smoothly, then the UK’s offshore wind industry should be well on track to hit the Government’s target of 40 Gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity by 2030, but this is not an industry that’s accustomed to everything going smoothly. Chris Towner, Partner and renewable energy specialist at law firm Womble Bond Dickinson, looks… Read more »
Offshore wind: where next?
The pace of the clean energy revolution is speeding up in an international effort to curb global warming and offshore wind power is set to play a pivotal role in achieving the CO2 reduction targets of many of the world’s coastal countries. It is widely perceived that offshore wind is set to grow by around… Read more »
Enabling data to drive the future of offshore robotics
Vaarst, the new technology spin-off company from Rovco launched March 2021, with the vision to bring artificial intelligence, machine learning and autonomy to all offshore robotics. Enabling the integration of their technology into all robotic vehicles, both new and as a retrofit solution to existing ROVs. A technology company borne from a services business Rovco,… Read more »
Tech disruption in offshore wind
Think of a future where the offshore wind supply chain connects in real time. Picture a wind turbine technician installing, maintaining, and fixing components with the support of shore-side staff connected through their eyes and ears. The experts are supporting the technicians through every step of a critical job. Envision the crew of a CTV… Read more »
Fully protected
The offshore wind energy industry has seen enormous growth in recent years and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Those in the industry will know the stats: the offshore wind energy market is forecast to reach $42bn by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 13.6% from 2020 to 2025. The focus for… Read more »
Supply chain success is critical for offshore wind
As applicants prepare submissions for Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind programme, the leasing round for offshore wind farms in Scottish waters, our industry must sharply turn its attention to the formation and delivery of successful supply chain partnerships that will enable us to apply our knowledge of developing wind power whilst taking learnings from the long-established… Read more »
Enabling emission reducing wind solutions with smart green shipping
In October 2020, the UK government announced a target of 1GW of floating offshore wind by 2030, which combined with a 60% target for local content set by the UK Offshore Wind Sector Deal, sets manufacturing sites around the UK with a requirement for a significant scale up in fabrication. This provides a real challenge… Read more »
Game-changing feeder solution integrates proven technology to support alternate T&I model
The first wind turbines were often installed using existing jack-ups, originally built for civil construction or oil and gas service markets. Then the industry invested in a fleet of purpose-built wind turbine installation vessels (WTIV) jack-ups. Now, current trends and developments in the offshore wind industry are shaping the installation fleet of the future. An… Read more »
The 8 most important considerations when selecting your next hydraulic torque wrench
Operating and maintaining a single generating station or wind farm and distributing that power in an ever changing and highly regulated market is an enormous challenge. Utility leaders are under constant pressure to meet rising demands, maintain regulatory compliance, shift to a diverse energy mix, and implement sustained cost reductions, without impact to quality and… Read more »