Category: Wind

Current considerations for investment into wind projects

Renewable energy appears to be one of the areas that have been less affected by the financial market’s turmoil and economic downturn. In fact, green energy is widely regarded as a fairly safe haven for investors in many countries, offering long-term prospects with low risk because of reliable technology, rated off-takers and attractive returns. Wind… Read more »

A lean, green, transportation solution

With wind turbines helping the worldshift to a greener energy supply, moreand more environmentally-consciousmanufacturers – and their customers– are interested in utilizing a greenertransportation mode to get their windturbines to their destination. CN is in astrong position to support this importantemerging market, with a shipping solutionthat is truly seamless, and a definitegreen advantage.Emissions reduction is… Read more »

Poised for global expansion

A family-owned company, Vest Kran is one of the leading full-service providersof engineered heavy lifting and logistics in Scandinavia. PES talks to Njaal R. Solange about the firm’s expansion into global markets and its dedication to maintaining high standards. PES: Welcome to PES magazine. Can you tell us a little about the history of your… Read more »

Shipping oversized wind components across a massive rail network is a highly complex process

Union Pacific is one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, is North America’s premier railroad franchise, covering 23 states across the western two-thirds of the United States. PES speaks to Ken Adams who heads up the company’s wind team … PES: Welcome back to PES magazine. First, can you… Read more »

Eliminating Fundamental Design Flaws Before They Become A Liability

SIMPACK AG offers general purpose three dimensional Multi-Body Simulation Software which is uniquely suited to the analysis and design of any type of wind turbine design. Built upon well-proven technology used in other application areas – such as the gear wheel element developed for the Formula 1 racing industry – the company delivers a pre-eminent… Read more »

An eye on the future of wind turbine transportation

Gulf Stream Marine commands attention for its innovations and flexibility. Now more than ever, both help the company maintain its position as a leader in the specialized field of wind turbine transportation. Company CEO, Jan Rietdijk, explains … PES: PES first caught up with Gulf Stream Marine last year. What is new with the company?… Read more »

Were Emerging As A Key Transportation Provider In The Wind Energy Market

As Vice President of Industrial Products Sales for BNSF Railway, Katie Farmer has witnessed railroad’s evolution into a 21st century transport provider for 21st century industries such as wind power. PES talks to Katie about the company’s growing influence and its ‘total transportation package’. PES: Welcome to PES magazine. Can you explain a little about… Read more »

A quick response to global customers

PES last spoke to Emerson Network Power’s Jeky Li Gang (International Sales Manager, Department Of Wind Power Product) in 2009, just after the company had posted a record trading year. We caught up with him once more to find out how the Chinese company has evolved and to discover what they’ve planned for the coming… Read more »

Invenergy tries to woo Brown County for wind farm project

Invenergy LLC officials say they have a track record of profitable projects and satisfied customers to support their efforts to bring a wind farm to Brown County. “If one looks overall at this, they’ll see there’s a high level of comfort,” said Kevin Parzyck, project manager for the proposed 100-turbine Ledge Wind Energy Project in… Read more »

DOW WIRE & CABLE AT WINDPOWER 2010

Dow Wire & Cable, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, will be participating in the WINDPOWER 2010 Conference and Exhibition, May 23-26, 2010 at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, TX. The company formulates, tests and validates medium voltage (MV), high voltage (HV) and extra-high voltage (EHV) materials ideal for underground (UG) and… Read more »

SGS Exhibits at the RenewableUK Offshore Wind 2010 Conference and Exhibition in Liverpool, UK

SGS is one of more than 100 exhibitors at RenewableUK’s (formerly known as British Wind Energy Association, BWEA) annual offshore wind energy event. The RenewableUK Offshore Wind 2010 conference and exhibition will take place on June 29-30, 2010 at the Arena & Convention Centre in Liverpool, United Kingdom. SGS Renewable Energy Services will be exhibiting… Read more »

Wind Park Management solution can help turn saved milliseconds into millions of saved of Euro

April 20, 2010 Rockwell Automation’s EtherNet/IP-based Wind Park Management solution offers a speed of response so fast that not only does it remove the need for millions of euro’s worth of capacitor banks, but it also surpasses the requirements of proposed 2013 utility-end-user requirements 60 milliseconds may not sound like a lot, but it makes a huge… Read more »

Wind energy reduces electricity prices, says independent study

Wind power reduces electricity prices and CO2 emissions, a study published today by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) reveals. The review ‘Wind Energy and Electricity Prices’, a comprehensive assessment of studies of the impact of wind energy on electricity prices, was carried out by the independent consultancy Pöyry AS on behalf of EWEA. It… Read more »

Wind: 50% of EU electricity in 2050

Wind energy will meet 50% of the EU’s electricity demand in 2050, top wind energy personalities told Europe’s largest wind energy conference and exhibition. Topping the agenda at the opening day of the European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC 2010) in Warsaw was Europe’s long-term energy supply. “2050 might seem like a long way… Read more »

100% renewable energy by 2050

Supporting today’s publication “RE-thinking 2050 – A 100% Renewable Energy Vision for the European Union”, by the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), Christian Kjaer, Chief Executive of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), said: “EWEA fully supports EREC’s vision of Europe moving towards 100% renewable energy by 2050. We have abundant wind, sun and other… Read more »

Wind Works Power Corp. Awarded 80MW of Power Contracts in Ontario

Wind Works Power Corp. is pleased to announce that from the first contracts offered through the Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) Feed-in-Tariff program, we have been notified that we will be offered 7 power purchase agreements for a total of 80 megawatts (MW), for the following projects: Ganaraska: 20 MW Settlers Landing: 10 MW Snowy Ridge:… Read more »

NextEra Energy Resources remains nation’s No. 1 wind energy owner, according to new AWEA report

NextEra Energy Resources, the competitive energy subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc., remained the nation’s largest owner of wind farms at the end of 2009, according to the Annual Wind Industry Report released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). NextEra Energy Resources ended 2009 with more than 7,500 megawatts of installed wind capacity in… Read more »

No slow-down for global wind energy

Global wind energy markets are expected to continue their rapid growth, with the world’s wind power capacity increasing by 160% over the coming five years, according to the annual industry forecast presented by the Global Wind Energy Council today. GWEC expects that the global installed wind capacity will reach 409 GW by 2014, up from… Read more »

Widening horizons for new energy investors

A struggle for dominance in the fast-growing electric-vehicle charging business is pitting some of China’s biggest state-owned companies, as a domestic “new energy” movement — from battery-making to wind power — gathers steam. One battle is being played out in Shenzhen, where China National Offshore Oil Corp. (Cnooc) and Putian Group have teamed up to… Read more »

Siemens gets Thunder Bay wind turbine contract

Siemens Energy announced Wednesday that it has been contracted to supply 43 wind turbines for a clean energy project near Thunder Bay, Ont. Siemens said the turbines will be delivered to Montreal-based Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc., which also purchased 43 turbines last fall for a project near Chatham, Ont. Financial terms of the deal… Read more »

GE Leads U.S. Wind Market But Faces More Competition

General Electric Co. installed more wind turbine capacity than rivals in the U.S. last year, but faces new competition from Asian companies, according to a report from the Washington, D.C.-based American Wind Energy Association, scheduled for release Thursday. GE installed nearly 4 gigawatts, or 40% of new U.S. wind turbine capacity in 2009, up from… Read more »

The standard in safety

Underwriters Laboratories’ time-tested system supports governmental product safety regulations, and helps companies meet the challenge of accessing global markets while bringing safer products to consumers. Building on the company’s product safety heritage, UL has expanded into environmental claims verification and sustainability standards development, as well as verification services supporting supply chain integrity. Wind energy is… Read more »

Price is important, but service and reliability are decisive factors

It’s fair to say that for certain ancillary industries, trading has been tough. The logistics and transportation sectors have suffered in recent months, stifled by a slowing of new wind projects. Nevertheless, Matias Setälä, Director of Silvasti Logistics, is one of many executives who remains bullish about the future. PES asked him why he believes… Read more »

Oceans provide ultimate solution for German transport pioneers

Hamburg-based COLI Schiffahrt & Transport GmbH & Co KG has been in the break bulk business for more than 35 years, gaining an enviable reputation as a specialist in transporting wind power components by sea. Felix Peinemann, Director of Shipping, explains how the company has built its success on customised solutions for the wind power… Read more »

Dependable power plants for a clean environment

Economic prosperity, progress and environmental protection – for the turbine manufacturer, Nordex, these go hand in hand. Since 1985 the company has been developing increasingly efficient turbines that help meet the global demand for energy while reducing the impact on the environment. PES investigates. As an internationally expanding company, Nordex has a footprint in all… Read more »

Turkeys Wind May Answer Energy Problems

Earlier this year American trend forecaster Gerald Celente, who has an interesting track record of accurate economic predictions, pointed to a bright future for Turkey. The country, he said, was in an excellent position to ride out the world’s current financial woes because ‘it has learnt from past experiences’. “Turkey owes this potential to a… Read more »

Managing risk

Although the wind energy industry is booming, the sector presents several technical, environmental, and financial challenges that investors and developers need to understand thoroughly in order for their businesses to be successful. DNV offers combined expertise in appraising and evaluating such risks and opportunities, as Dr. Claus Fridtjof Christensen, DNV Global Wind Energy, explains. PES:… Read more »

My vision

Nicolas Fichaux, of the European Wind Energy Association and the European Wind Energy Technology Platform (TPWind), talks about the challenges facing the renewables energy and his own personal achievements. PES: Welcome to PES magazine, can you firstly explain a little about your role within the wind industry?Nicolas Fichaux: I am Head of the Policy Analysis… Read more »

Fraunhofer research: moving ahead with wind energy

Just over 60 years ago, on March 26, 1949, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft was founded in the large conference hall of the Bavarian Ministry of the Economy. At the time, the idea was to develop new structures for research after the war’s destruction, and to spur reconstruction of the economy. Today, the globally-respected institute analyses current macro… Read more »

Development Accompanying Assessment: a new and efficient approach for development and certification

The certification of wind turbines or components is state-of-the-art and a must in most places around the world. Furthermore, certification to harmonised requirements is an active support of export. Therefore it is important for manufacturers, banks and insurances of wind turbines and components to know the different certification processes as well as guidelines. This exclusive… Read more »

Seven steps of the project life cycle

IntroductionThe current economic crisis sparked by the credit crunch of 2008 has had a significant impact on renewable energy markets. As a result of the global economic downturn, the lending market has contracted, making securing financing for renewable energy projects dramatically more difficult than in the past. Equity investors have in turn become fewer. Despite… Read more »