Offshore wind structures are exposed to an extremely corrosive environment. As a result, corrosion rates of steel are high, >0.5 mm/year, and coating systems must perform extremely well. Jo van Montfort from Bjond, gives PES his professional viewpoint on some of the pitfalls of the current certification processes and outcomes. This means all stakeholders involved… Read more »
Meyer Burger has been providing the most accurate cell and module measurement equipment worldwide for over 30 years. Solar cells and modules are sold based on performance categories. Therefore, precise performance measurement is critically important. Cell and module inspection systems detect possible quality insufficiencies and measure the performance. The PV market is driven by the… Read more »
Silicon heterojunction solar cells (SHJ) have gained more attention during this past decade as a good candidate for being the next generation of mainstream photovoltaics. This might be explained as a consequence of high solar cell power conversion efficiency at a moderate cost. The efficiency potential of SHJ solar cell is now demonstrated, with outstanding… Read more »
Standardization efforts by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for measuring PV devices have played a key role in the widespread application of this technology. With the maturing and diversification of the PV industry new standards, which define power measurements beyond standard test conditions (STC) are becoming more relevant. Such measurements, which are used for yield… Read more »
New developments of transparent plastic materials in frontsheets and backsheets as valid alternatives to glass. The strong development of new types of cells and modules, like bifacial ones, has on the one hand been accompanied by glass-glass solutions and on the other has encouraged many manufacturers of plastic films to develop new products that are… Read more »
A wind turbine that has reached the end of its designed service life does not necessarily have to be shut down and dismantled. Using suitable methods and tools as well as the necessary competence and experience, independent experts today are able to assess whether a plant has service life reserves after the designed service life… Read more »
The new trend in the installation of wind turbines is the choice of remote areas, where wind conditions are very often optimal leading to new investments for the implementation of wind energy parks. On the other hand, such locations have to deal with extreme inhospitable climatic conditions: extreme cold and/ or hot temperatures, strong winds… Read more »
During recent times we have seen huge investments worldwide into the design and installation of wind turbines both on and offshore. This trend is set to continue in the coming years. As well as developments in the power range, there has also been some dramatic changes to the equipment needed to install these assets. Strategies… Read more »
Everyone understands that there are quite a number of critical bolted connections in a wind turbine. Inaccurate bolt tension can easily turn into a wind turbine engineer’s nightmare. Luckily the industry has developed a number of solutions to overcome bolting issues. With 25 years’ experience in gear reduction torque tools, RAD Torque Systems has become… Read more »
The evolution of technology within the wind sector has experienced a very rapid development during the last years. Every year the most important manufacturers present new turbines. The price at auctions has gone hand in hand with this development, experiencing drastic reductions. Thus, manufacturers have upgraded the power rate of their newest turbines trying to… Read more »
The good news has been public knowledge for a long time: all forecasts show strong worldwide expansion of renewable energies. This is particularly true of wind energy. One interesting aspect is to closely examine the expertise that is decisive for expansion at country or continental level. This includes the area of maintenance of wind turbines…. Read more »
Offshore power cables are the Achilles heel of the offshore wind industry. Without them, no energy is delivered to the main land. Unfortunately, these cables are often damaged by external reasons, most by collision with anchors or fishing nets. The Belgian start-up company, Marlinks, has a solution and PES wanted to know more. Motivation for… Read more »
Since the beginning of this year, US states together, have committed to over 8,000MW of offshore wind by 2030. And now, these long-term commitments by states have started to materialize in near term actual projects. PES brings you the latest update from GustoMSC. Building a long-term industry on near term projects In May this year… Read more »
India has been witnessing an unprecedented surge in the installation of solar plants since the announcement of the National Solar Mission in 2010. With more than 25GW of installed capacity as on August 2018, the country is chasing the ambitious target of 100 GW Solar PV installations by the year 2022. With increasing installations on… Read more »
The role foundations play in the deployment of larger, heavier, more powerful wind turbines, in deeper waters and further from shore, has perhaps not received the attention it deserves. But it is crucial in driving down offshore wind’s levelised cost of energy to the point where it can compete with fossil fuel and nuclear sources…. Read more »
Changing the face of wind turbine blade inspections… PES met up with WiPoX and ABJ Drones WindVue division to discuss innovative wind turbine blade inspection methods and unique technologies that aim to change the basis of how wind blade inspections are undertaken. Renewable energy continues to move forward in leaps and bounds showing huge current… Read more »
The history of the global PV industry is one that is defined by innovation. And now, more than ever, the continuing growth and sustained health of the solar sector is further enabling companies to invest in R&D. From tech start-ups to global electronics companies, new components that deliver marginal improvements or game-changing solutions, the efficiency… Read more »
With bifacial PV devices a large gain in solar power generation in the range of 10%-20% can be achieved in the field. Despite this, selling bifacial devices at higher prices is still a difficult task. With peak-performance of solar cells and modules at standard testing conditions being the price meter, true bifacial testing is a… Read more »
High purity argon (greater than 99.999%) is used as a shield gas in the production of silicon ingots, to be fabricated into wafers for solar cells and micro-electronic devices. The argon is used to control the impurity levels present during the manufacturing process to an acceptable level. In response to rising costs, the trend in… Read more »
Solar panel manufacturers strive to minimize cost and maximise efficiency of their modules. Their success is confirmed by the substantial decrease in $/Wp factor for the modules. In 2006, crystalline silicon based module prices were approximately 5.2$/Wp. By 2017, this had dropped to 0.42$/Wp, over an order of magnitude decrease in ten years. There has… Read more »
Ron Corio is the founder of Array Technologies, pioneers of solar tracking technology. Array Technologies built its first tracker for bifacial modules in 2009 and has been studying bifacial modules coupled with utility scale trackers at a test-site for the last year, and recently launched a new partnership with a national laboratory in New Mexico…. Read more »
PES is delighted to bring you this latest advanced technology solution from ZF Wind Power. Over the last few years total wind turbine noise, which is mainly generated by the interaction of the wind and the wind turbine structure, has changed from being one of the properties of a wind turbine to a true differentiator… Read more »
Jose Vega-Lozano, Director at Aerial Vision Ltd, gives PES a thought provoking look in to the world of UAV providers. He suggests caution and questioning before deciding who to use: make sure your chosen company can deliver what you need and what you expect. There are many drone services out there, but which one is… Read more »
PV energy has become indispensable for power companies. About 390 GW are installed around the world and a growth of 113 GW is expected this year. PES investigates the importance of monitoring. Why PV monitoring is important There are many reasons for the success of PV energy. It is decentralised, has a simple technology and,… Read more »
Dirk Tegtmeyer, CEO Ingenieurbüro Mencke & Tegtmeyer GmbH, gives PES a short look into the near future and explains why quality is paramount as PV conquers the world and nobody can stop it. Even in Germany, where politicians tried to shut down PV installations and industry, the news gets better every year. The last tender… Read more »
Kipp & Zonen continue with their quest to improve the DustIQ, which can now be locally calibrated for the exact dust composition on site. This means the PV panels can be monitored 24/7 and cleaned whenever necessary. PES delves deeper to bring you the latest on this affordable and compact, cost saving, optical measuring tool…. Read more »
Electroluminescence (EL) imaging, as a versatile tool for spatially resolved defect analysis on Si-solar cells, has recently gained a lot of traction in its industrial application. In this article we discuss quality control and process control abilities of this technology and how it is applied in solar cell production. We demonstrate how an IV tester-integrated… Read more »
The price of photovoltaic (PV) systems continues to decrease, adding PV as a cost effective cleaner energy solution. While solar photovoltaic grid penetration increases worldwide, new technical challenges arises in the electric grid side. Little progress has been made to incorporate managing schemes in solar power systems to improve the utility management. PV growth, its… Read more »
24SEA has been involved in various projects over the last years all focussing on foundation monitoring. Typically, up to 10% of the foundations within offshore wind farms are equipped with a Foundation Structural Health Monitoring (FSHM) system, consisting mainly of installing accelerometers and strain gauges in the transition piece. In the recent projects, for both… Read more »
Over the past couple of years we have heard more and more about successful floating wind turbine projects. It seems there is huge potential for these floating wind farms. These structures bring with them numerous different security issues. PES brings you an update on the partnership between Orga and Sabik Offshore. It lights up the… Read more »
The global power cable provider NKT believes an even stronger focus on sustainability is emerging in the offshore industry to meet the global demand for renewable energy. The company is continuously investing in projects ensuring sustainability in all areas of its offshore operations and has already seen its energy efficient cable-laying vessel play an important… Read more »
With increasing competitiveness of renewable energy compared to traditional forms of power production, Power Purchase Agreements are becoming attractive for both off-takers as well as power producers. However, PPAs bring along a new risk dimension requiring profound expertise in the wind energy business. Theresia Langosz-Römbell, Organisation Development, CSR & Communications Manager at Luxcara, provides PES… Read more »
Is there anything that can be done to prevent or protect against corrosion? This is a question which preoccupies many in our industry. There are many types of corrosion, which in fact is a natural process, so it seems it’s like trying to hold back the tide. Is there anything that we mere humans can… Read more »
We have said this before but how much lighter and more efficient can these heavy lift jack-up vessels get? PES brings you SOUL, the 4th generation of wind turbine installation vessels. After successfully launching their revolutionary heavy lift jack-up vessel design, SOUL-partners, SeaOwls and Ulstein, continued their mission to develop the optimal range of heavy… Read more »
PES is pleased to share this practical advice on saving time and money, in getting approval for wind farm projects, from Al Maiorino, the President of Public Strategy Group, Inc.,. This is based on his years of experience in successful and varied campaigns throughout the USA and abroad. Renewable project companies have moved light years… Read more »
Words: Sasaenia P. Oluwabunmi, Kayode E. Oluwabunmi & Athanasios J. Kolios Abstract: The development of adequate energy sources to satisfy the ever increasing energy demand in the world has led to the deployment of several offshore energy installations. Offshore Oil & Gas and renewable energy installations have had a lot of growth in recent years;… Read more »