Words: Matthias Brandt, Board Director, Deutsche Windtechnik The global wind energy market has always been subject to constant change, but it has rarely changed as rapidly as it is right now. Political realities are evolving, and they are forcing the market to produce results based on one clear objective: absolute cost reduction. Increasing cost pressure… Read more »
PES is excited to introduce TSR, a small Spanish engineering company that has developed technology through R&D, to provide affordable services that can compete in price, with traditional methods in the wind energy sector, solving problems that historically, would have involved risks, non-competitive stopping times and an increase in operating personnel. With the growing number… Read more »
It’s an exciting time at the Port of Rotterdam. It already has a flourishing business network and is set to get even bigger with the development of the Offshore Center Maasvlakte 2. Joost Eenhuizen, Business Manager, Port of Rotterdam Authority, provides PES with a look in to the future at this unique project in Europe…. Read more »
Operating for nearly 100 years, Peterson is the leading international logistics provider to the global energy industry and prides itself on thinking in generations, which is enshrined as a core company value. PES went to find out all about this reputable world company, which has always kept pace with the latest technology and innovations. The… Read more »
As of 2011 OWI-lab, in co-operation with the Vrije Universiteit, Brussels (VUB), has been conducting a long term structural monitoring campaign at all Belgian offshore wind farms. The measurements focus on the structural health of the substructure (SHM) rather than the wind turbine itself. PES is pleased to share this important research, which is sure… Read more »
PES brings you Offshore Project Support, your complete service provider in the offshore wind industry. Smarter cost reduction and a more efficient offshore wind industry? It’s possible. Offshore Project Support (OPS) from the Netherlands combines the knowledge, experience and equipment of four different offshore companies. Together, they are ‘the toolbox at sea’. A complete service… Read more »
As renewable energy adoption grows worldwide, major utilities increasingly rely on wind power to serve homes and businesses with emission-free, clean electricity. Because of this growing interest in cleaner energy sources, the wind industry is experiencing a period of significant growth worldwide, exceeding 500 gigawatts and employing more than 1.2 million people. This growth has… Read more »
I know what you are thinking, right now you may be considering installing an offshore windfarm and here I am telling you about the problems of getting rid of the thing again. But! The topic is relevant whether you are installing a windfarm, nearing an end to the operational life, or actually in the process… Read more »
Ideol has been in the news these last few weeks because Floatgen, France’s first offshore wind turbine, has successfully reached two key milestones Bruno G. Geschier, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, at Ideol, came in to PES to talk us through this ground breaking project. Beyond the completion of the floater construction and the September… Read more »
There are currently five consented offshore wind developments planned for off the North East coast of Scotland, so the region is trailblazing in terms of investment and tangible projects getting off the ground. Part of AREG’s strategy is to identify and drive forward projects that will bring economic development value to the region. We want… Read more »
It is clear that the solar revolution is sweeping across the globe, with or without governmental incentives. Particularly in North America, the largest job creator in the past year has been singularly the solar industry. But a deeper analysis reveals that most of the growth over the past decade has been in utility-scale sector, although… Read more »
Schneider Electric and AdSolar collaborated to build a unique solution giving energy independence and self-sustainability to a high end residential estate development in South Africa using a community level centralized storage with decentralized power generation. Background At a time of rolling black-outs on the South African electricity grid, AdSolar was tasked with designing a power… Read more »
PV Plant downtime is dead time and therefore investors’ eyes light up when we can demonstrate exceptional PV plant uptime performances in capricious environments around the globe. But precisely how reliable does solar PV need to be? The industry’s aim, for sure, is to compete with traditional non-sustainable energy sources, such as coal and gas,… Read more »
Demand for glass/glass PV module construction is growing due to the inherent benefits that allow both the back and front panel of the module to produce electricity. This is especially true in highly reflective environments like deserts, near water, rooftops, and above parking lots. The dual layers of glass also reduce the need for bulky… Read more »
Words: Antti Turunen, Head of Global Service, ZF Wind Power The wind energy industry has grown up. Sophisticated technologies and a tough market call for more than just a professional repair of faulty equipment. Up to the medium power range it has become a commodity market where quality has become a given and where typical… Read more »
PES is pleased to bring you a preview of the latest multipurpose vessels: the new R-Class, from Spliethoff, buit in the Zhejiang Ouhua shipyard in China. The ships will be just the ticket for the offshore wind industry. Amsterdam-based shipping company Spliethoff has placed an order for six multipur-pose vessels at the Zhejiang Ouhua Shipbuilding… Read more »
PES brings you Offshore Project Support, your complete service provider in the offshore wind industry. Smarter, cost reducing and more efficient offshore wind industry. It’s possible. Offshore Project Support (OPS) from the Netherlands combines the knowledge, experience and equipment of four different offshore companies. Together, they are ‘the toolbox at sea’. A complete service for… Read more »
Later this year, the blades on the world’s first full-scale floating wind farm will start to turn, harnessing the winds that hurtle from the continental shelf. Hywind Scotland will literally sit on the North Sea, 26 kilometres to the East of Aberdeen. But while big winds make it a perfect site for energy generation, they… Read more »
Coming off a record year in 2015, where a ‘perfect storm’ of circumstances pushed the Chinese market to 30 GW and the global market past 60 GW, 2016 was a solid if mostly unspectacular year for the wind power industry. More than 54 GW of clean renewable power was installed across the global market, which… Read more »
The reduction in the Feed-in-Tariff has created numerous challenges for the solar PV industry and managing operational costs has been fundamental to the continued success of many businesses. In pursuing their efforts to address operational costs, owners of large domestic solar PV portfolios, such as social housing landlords, local authorities and investors face many challenges… Read more »
The solar cell technology PERC enables PV cell manufacturers to decrease costs and increase efficiency. PES gets an insight on the state-of-the-art and next generation PERx technology from Mirko Meyer, Product Manager Meyer Burger, Germany, AG. The success story of photovoltaics has always been a technology story which is still being written. Numerous PV technology… Read more »
As the world transitions to a low carbon electricity system, one of the key challenges is responsiveness. Traditional forms of power generation provide a reliable base load that can be dialled up and down as needed. In contrast, renewable energy generation is intermittent and cannot be increased as efficiently in response to peaks in demand;… Read more »
Market development of PV storage solutions in Germany There was hardly any awareness of storage systems in the German market until the introduction of a federal subsidy program for the usage of home storage systems in 2013. In the beginning the new technology was met with scepticism from various market players; however, the federal subsidy… Read more »
In a drive for even lower costs and higher efficiency, the photovoltaic industry is hugely dominated by the standard rectangular panels of 60 or 72 cells optimised for installation in large fields and flat roofs, in dry and accessible environments. This has proven a good model for utility-scale electricity production but people want more. This… Read more »
What is torqueing and why is it important to be able to record it? PES finds out from Norbar, the torque tool specialists. In this context, torqueing is principally the measured application of rotational force to a threaded fastener. When the torque is either under or over the manufacturer’s specification, it can cause considerable damage… Read more »
Words: Kurt E. Thomsen I know what you are thinking, right now you may be considering installing an offshore windfarm and here I am telling you about the problems of getting rid of the thing again. But! The topic is relevant whether you are installing a windfarm, nearing an end to the operational life, or… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 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 »
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 »
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 »