The use of wind power in the United States is the fastest growing energy trend on record. According to a second quarter 2012 report published by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the country added 1,200 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity during the April to June 2012 timeframe, bringing the nation’s total cumulative wind capacity… Read more »
Dramatically cutting carbon pollution – by replacing dirty energy with clean alternatives like offshore wind – is the best path forward if we are to protect coastal and marine wildlife from these dangers of a warming world. But even renewable energy must be designed with nature in mind. PES looks at recent reports that suggest… Read more »
It is to be expected that not every turbine will be required to work under the same conditions, and in the past, developers have gone with the accepted wisdom that each turbine should be the same across a site, which means an inevitable compromise on the efficiency of energy production – until now. PES speaks… Read more »
The U.S. wind power industry is facing uncertain times. With 2011 capacity additions having risen from 2010 levels and with a further sizable increase expected in 2012, there are – on the surface – grounds for optimism. A new report; published recently by the US Department of Energy, looks at complete data from 2011 to… Read more »
The Crown Estate today announced that the consortium, First Flight Wind, has been selected to develop an offshore wind farm off the south east coast of County Down, Northern Ireland. Subject to obtaining all necessary consents from the Department of Environment and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, the project could deliver up to… Read more »
ZF Services UK Ltd has signed up to the RenewableUK Wind Energy Charter, which sets out how the wind energy industry intends to deliver continued investment to the UK and its economy. The charter is formed around three core principles: investment in the UK’s energy security, the creation of tens of thousands of long-term jobs… Read more »
Prysmian Group, the world leader in the energy and telecom cables and systems industry, is participating in the creation of Norstec, an association uniting the main players in the energy industry at the global level with the aim of supporting the production of renewable energy using offshore wind farms in the Northern Seas. Norstec, supported… Read more »
HELUKABEL® will be showcasing their latest advancements in wind cable technology at the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA)’s 28th Annual Conference and Exhibition, being held October 14-17, 2012 in Toronto, ON. CanWEA is a premier wind energy event that will bring together over 2,500 experts and 250 exhibiting companies from all over the world to… Read more »
On October 6 2012, Siemens began field testing of its new 154-meter rotor for the six-megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine in Østerild, Denmark. The direct-drive wind turbine is equipped with the world’s longest rotor blades – each blade measures 75 meters in length. With a record rotor diameter of 154 meters, each SWT-6.0-154 turbine can… Read more »
Sonnenbuehl-based SoWiTec Development GmbH & Co. KG (SoWiTec) has engaged DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability through a frame agreement to provide a range of project development support, technical services, third party expertise, and project management assistance related to 20-50 proposed wind power projects in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Russia. “DNV KEMA’s global… Read more »
Red Lion Controls, the global experts in communication, monitoring and control for industrial automation, today announced that the company’s industry-leading panel meters have received the 2012 Readers’ Choice Award from Control Design magazine. This achievement marks the 12th consecutive year that the prestigious accolade has been awarded to Red Lion. “Winning this award for the… Read more »
Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC) regrets the failure of the talks with Husumer Wirtschaftsgesellschaft mbH (HWG) which sought to achieve agreement on procedure for organisation of a wind energy fair. “Right up to the last minute we had been hoping for an agreement,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress… Read more »
Wind Energy: TÜV Rheinland Receives New Accreditation IEC 61400 accreditation granted by DAkkS / Type and component certification of onshore and offshore wind turbines / Husum WindEnergy 2012, September 18 to 22, 2012, Messe Husum exhibition center: Hall 3, Booth 3E06 Cologne/Hamburg, September 14, 2012. TÜV Rheinland has been accredited by the German Accreditation… Read more »
Leading coatings manufacturer Hempel announced today the release of Hempadur Multi-Strength 35460, a new solvent-free version of its best-selling protective coating for offshore wind turbine foundations. As well as helping wind turbine manufacturers reduce solvent emissions, the new coating offers a six-hour drying time, one of the fastest in the industry and is gentler on… Read more »
Mita-Teknik will be presenting exciting new additions to their already extensive product portfolio at HUSUM WindEnergy 2012. Through several product seminars held at their booth, you will be granted new insights to the company’s latest advances in Making Wind Competitive. News On the News front, they present the new Retrofit Concept, which focusses on prolonging… Read more »
Dow Corning Corporation, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, has announced that its high-performance Molykote® brand Smart LubricationTM solutions and Dow Corning® brand silicone sealant solutions for the wind energy industry will be featured by Distributors Group Europe (DGE) during HUSUM WindEnergy 2012, which takes place September 18 through 22 at Messe… Read more »
Independent global renewable consultancy and software company, 3E, are teaming up with Baze Technology. BazeField Wind Farm Management system will now be incorporated into part of 3E’s SynaptiQ Wind software portfolio. SynaptiQ Wind is a multi-user, multi-technology software platform for wind portfolio management as well as reporting and business intelligence. It will now be powered… Read more »
The international marine contractor Van Oord continues to shine in our sector through its Offshore Wind Projects division, which focuses on Europe. We last spoke to the company’s Johan van Wijland (Director of Offshore Wind Projects) in 2011, and caught up with him again this summer – an exciting time for the company. PES: Welcome… Read more »
In a statement released today, Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO of The Switch, called for the adoption of an industry-wide networked model to overcome the rigidity of the vertical integration that still stifles the entire industry, making it difficult to adjust rapidly to the slowdown and to maintain a high level of innovation. “In the… Read more »
A relatively new addition to the wind sector, WINDSOURCING.COM uses cutting-edge technology to service sales and procurement processes. We asked Stefan Weber to talks us through the pioneering online service… PES: Welcome to PES magazine. Can you begin by explaining a little about your company and how you serve the wind industry?Stefan Weber: WINDSOURCING.COM is… Read more »
The number of wind farms connected to the electricity grid is steadily rising, and proof of grid compatibility is mandatory for grid connection. But what criteria do wind turbines and wind farms have to meet for certification in Germany, for example? PES investigates… Before wind farms can be connected to the German electricity grid, they… Read more »
Wind energy infrastructure, be it onshore or offshore, relies heavily on the use of steel for most of its key components, whether it be turbines, towers, foundations or transformer stations… the list goes on. As a result there is a significant amount of work required to transform ‘bare’ steel into something able to produce the… Read more »
A well-respected figure in the industry, Stuart Clough joins us to discuss offshore wind farms and APEM’s Remote Sensing team, which uses the most powerful medium format camera in the world. The importance of environmental surveys to offshore wind farm developmentLocation is important to the energy sector, but none more so than wind farms, where… Read more »
Using industrial Ethernet switches to assure maximum uptime A high-speed, industrial-grade network infrastructure offers wind farm operators many benefits, including improved operational management, visibility and access to key data. Real-time data access enables operators to monitor wind turbine uptime, performance and power output – even from remote locations. This data, which is used to track… Read more »
We return to the pioneering EU funded project, which ran from May 2010 to June this year. coordinated by the European Wind Energy Association, it provides an in-depth analysis of the national and international Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) practices; policy recommendations for developing existing and potentially new MSP for the development of offshore renewable power… Read more »
A 1.5bn wind farm that could have powered almost 400,000 homes has been rejected by the British government because it might kill 90 small birds a year. Clearly, our avian friends present us with a (costly) problem that is not going away… Over £10m, and three and a half years of planning, have been wasted… Read more »
In the early part of 2011, we wrote about a new global branding initiative for the industry that was set to “change how the world consumes energy, one product at a time”. It was a lofty claim, for sure, but has WindMade begun to deliver on its ambition? Or even started to make a difference?… Read more »
Our round-up of the season’s best wind power quotes returns – with a heavy dollop of politics. It seems as though we’re not all singing from the same European hymn sheet, and that there are some wildly diverging views about the way forward. Plus ça change… “Having seen a year in which the solar industry… Read more »
Regular contributors to PES, Damen are boat builders of some note. A major force in the European wind industry, they’ve carved a niche by tailoring their products to our precise needs. We spoke to the company’s Jan-Hein Reeringh and Remko Bouma. PES: Welcome back to PES magazine. How’s business been since your last appearance –… Read more »
A reliable operator of several German terminals, Buss Port Logistics is known for providing a sterling service to the wind industry’s most demanding clients. PES takes a closer look at the company. Buss Port Logistics operates efficient multi-purpose terminals in Hamburg and other ports, and represents a diverse range of port-specific services. The terminals handle… Read more »
PES is proud to introduce a new regular columnist to the magazine: Christian Holmgaard, CEO and Senior Consultant Project Manager for WTG Partners – a well-respected and well-known Danish consultancy. In this, the first of his missives, he discusses the (manifold) merits of turbine inspections… We see many companies that are looking to invest in… Read more »
Husum / Hannover, 5 September 2012. An independent jury has nominated HOCHTIEF Solutions, Kenersys Europe and SkyWind for the international Windalliance Technology Award. The award ceremony will take place at the leading international trade fair HUSUM WindEnergy on 19 September in Husum. In addition to the innovative character of the products and solutions submitted, the… Read more »
INNOVATION, the new heavy lift jack up vessel inaugurated today in Bremerhaven, will be used for the upcoming installation of AREVA M5000 proven technology. Purpose-built for offshore installation, it sets a new milestone for AREVA Wind’s comprehensive offer and further strengthens the group’s competitive offshore business model. The powerful vessel was built by HGO InfraSea… Read more »
The European wind turbine manufacturing industry has “little meat left on its bones” and is heading for a “critical” 12 months in 2013, according to international financier Rabobank. In its latest quarterly renewables report, the Dutch bank said that 2012 would be “a defining year in the survival” of major players in the market, such… Read more »
In this article Vicky Kenrick from international recruitment consultancy, Allen & York, explores the reasons for this surge in potential by examining electricity and turbine prices and the state of the investment market, before concluding with an overview of the job opportunities being created. Wind power is the world’s single fastest-growing source of energy, and… Read more »
As our industry matures, H&S is becoming ever more important, which is why we decided to devote our entire roundtable to the sector in this issue. As always, we’ve brought together a roster of some of the finest minds in the industry, and pitched them a selection of challenging questions. Their answers are in equal… Read more »