Online trade is the big winner of the Corona crisis. This also applies to the spare parts and repair market for wind turbines. A Hamburg company, a pioneer in this niche in 2013, is now gaining momentum despite, or because of Corona. Stefan Weber, Founder and Managing Director of Windsourcing.com GmbH, shares his thoughts with… Read more »
Category: Wind
Ensuring wintertime profits with blade heating
The anti-icing blade heating technology is the enabler for windfarm power production in extreme icy conditions in Quebec, Canada. The efficient use of heat keeps the turbines operating up in the mountains, in the most demanding, freezing conditions, such as Lac Alfred wind farm. It consists of 150 wind turbines, with total capacity of 300MW… Read more »
Expanding horizons
PES was delighted to speak with Valentin Hartmann, a partner in Waterworks Offshore CONCEPTS. He was enthusiastic about their new venture, as they branch out into the ship finance market. A bold new chapter is beginning in this young dynamic company, encompassed in a slight change of name. They have already established links with investors,… Read more »
Robotics: the next era
TSR Wind is a lively, go-ahead company in our industry, Juan Rivas, Commercial Director, was excited to share some of their solutions with PES. There’s no doubt that robotics is making a big difference to the cost, efficiency, safety and downtimes of inspections for the asset owners, and to cap it all off the analysis… Read more »
Global growth for offshore wind must lead to zero emissions goal
The 2nd offshore wind boom is upon us and this time it is going global. During 2021 project installation will be underway in UK, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Norway, Spain, Portugal along with US, Vietnam, Taiwan and China. By 2025 many more countries will join this rush to install the cheapest form of largescale… Read more »
Integrated quality control in offshore wind: part 2
Following on from our interview with Wim Keen in the last edition, PES had some questions for Maik Rienecker, founder of Steel Inspect and father of the unique Q7 concept for optimal quality management of offshore windfarm EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation) projects. He was happy to explain the Q7 concept in more detail and… Read more »
How can we make the most out of wind energy with smarter grid and market integration?
As we move towards net zero carbon emissions targets, significant efforts to connect more clean energy resources to the grid are being made. Globally, the energy industry is welcoming innovations in renewable energy and Distributed Energy Resource (DER) assets. As a result, correctly managing and distributing the energy from these DER assets to enable the… Read more »
Digital automated independent solutions: a necessity for asset managers and an opportunity for O&Ms
Wind industry business models are shifting their focus. They used to be mainly driven by financial aspects of the business plan and the debt used to finance it, while technical operations, often subcontracted, came in second place. The priority of the wind industry was to ensure robust turbines with a high degree of availability, with… Read more »
Combatting corrosion with traditional and new methods
PES Wind caught up with Ed Hall, President of Oxifree, to discover the latest corrosion solutions. Our readers have always been interested in this sector, as it has a real impact on maintenance and life span of the wind turbines. Research and development are at the forefront. The core product encapsulates the part, rather than… Read more »
The real value of condition monitoring
Before considering the impact that condition monitoring systems (CMS) have on our industry, it is important to first establish what CMS entails and how it came to be such an established piece of hardware in the renewable energy sector. A condition monitoring system would normally comprise of a series of sensors strategically placed on fundamental… Read more »
How independent real-time ocean insights support offshore wind insurance
Miros is a technology company that specialises in measuring the ocean surface. With over 35 years of experience engineering dry-mounted, radar-based sensors robust enough to weather the harsh and unpredictable conditions of the North Sea, the company develops innovative solutions for real-time, local environmental monitoring for the global offshore and maritime industry. By making essential… Read more »
Riding a wave of green innovation
MHO-Co is on a mission towards a greener and more economically viable service to the offshore industry. And the future is already here. Right now, the Danish shipping company is building the world’s first hybrid CTVs which are to be introduced in 2021. And they hope to take the technology even further with support from… Read more »
CTV access to wind turbines: improving efficiency and reducing costs
Mainprize Offshore has operated in the North Sea for over thirty years, and the family behind the company has a fishing heritage that dates back generations. This team has extensive experience in the offshore oil and gas industries, and has been going from strength to strength since entering the offshore renewables sector in 2012. Mainprize… Read more »
A real unique selling point!
Liftket‘s CEO Jürgen Dlugi, tells PES about the company’s expansion in the wind industry. In 1953 they started off by supplying electric chain hoists and are now able to offer a complete service crane globally, suitable for on and offshore work. Well aware of safety needs, they provide full training and tailor made packages to… Read more »
Extended validation and certification of new generation power converters reduce the cost of energy
As market demand for wind turbines has grown, so too have the demands for quality and performance, in order to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) and demonstrate that the technology is not just a clean solution for electric power generation, it is also a profitable addition to the energy mix. This is especially… Read more »
Making a difference in windfarm transformers
The electric energy industry has long been a conservative business taking very deliberate and measured steps in adopting new technologies. The renewable energy markets have forced companies to adapt to a fast-paced and rapid technology development cycle. The exponential growth and the demand for more power in a smaller envelope continue to drive rapid development…. Read more »
Sector coupling could aid energy transition
Since the 2015 Paris Agreement, there has been a global consensus that the transition to a CO2-neutral energy supply needs to be achieved worldwide within the next few decades. At the same time, considerable technological progress has been made with both onshore and offshore wind energy, for example, and, as a result, the energy generated… Read more »
Wind turbine energy generation: reliability problems and solutions
While wind is enjoying significant growth, studies confirm that wind turbines suffer from reliability issues: The EU’s RELIAWIND study found that electrical systems accounted for the highest failure rate, but gearbox failures accounted for the highest amount of downtime (14 days)1. The National Renewable Energy laboratory found that the majority of wind turbine gearbox failures… Read more »
Wind energy’s most important event goes digital
WindEnergy Hamburg, the world’s leading wind energy event, is taking place in 2020 despite the crisis. However, organizer Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH is not inviting visitors to its local exhibition campus this time but to the World Wide Web. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, WindEnergy Hamburg 2020 will be a fully digital event held… Read more »
The next energy frontier: floating wind farms
The global energy transition is underway. The uptake of renewables is accelerating, as the technology undercuts fossil fuel based energy generation and governments seek to achieve international climate targets. Renewable energy is now also accepted as an opportunity to drive green economic growth and job creation to help support the recovery from the impacts of… Read more »
Optimizing blade O&M: allying technology with blade expertise
Blade O&M has become a focus for BladeInsight, formerly Prodrone. André Croft de Moura, CEO and founder, spoke enthusiastically to PES, about his vison for the future of drone inspections, with added value. This blade centric company has already embraced the idea of predictive maintenance and is continuing to provide quality, agility and a focus… Read more »
Uncertainty and certainty
All over the world, people are asking two questions: How will COVID-19 have a continued effect, and what will the next American President do? The pandemic has caused manufacturing plant closures resulting in predictable havoc, but we have also seen COVID-19 disrupt supply chains that were once rock-solid, in ways nobody could have anticipated. It’s… Read more »
Smart connected bolting: taking the smart factory to the field
The smart factory is a term we all know well and is used in reference to the implementation of Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing environment. Significant benefits such as improved quality, higher productivity and cost reductions have transformed industries such as automotive and electronics in recent years through implementation of smart connected assembly solutions. Wind… Read more »
State-of-the-art inspections
At PES we were curious about Aero Enterprise, so we decided to call Robert Hörmann, CEO/CTO and Peter Kurt Fromme-Knoch, CEO/CFO to find out more about this fast developing, innovative company. They are very happy to be part of the BUSS Energy Group, finding much mutual benefit and profiting from the global reach. However, they… Read more »
The the Prime Minister has set out his Ten Point Plan, covering clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies.
Responding, Morag Watson, Director of Policy at Scottish Renewables, said: “The Prime Minister’s recognition that renewable energy is at the heart of a green industrial revolution is to be welcomed. It remains vital, however, that the infrastructure and regulation changes required to underpin the required shift are prioritised, with proposals to alter to the way the electricity… Read more »
Offshore wind leaders urged to collaborate for radical advances to reduce subsea cable failures
The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult is urging the offshore wind sector to sign up to a world-first data collection platform that aims to vastly reduce subsea cable failures. In a global industry first, ELECTRODE will track cable failure trends and service downtime, as well as the effectiveness of current methods of monitoring, detection and… Read more »
Nabrawind and Peikko develop an innovative rock foundation for projects in Namibia
Combined solution minimises foundation size and environmental footprint Nabrawind and Peikko have developed an innovative rock foundation for wind turbines that will be first implemented in the Elizabeth Bay wind farm developed by the renewables Franco/Namibian company InnoSun Energy. Peikko, European leader in solutions for Onshore Wind Turbine Foundations, has a long and strong track… Read more »
PolyTech ice detection for Senvion turbines available
The PolyTech ice detection system is still available for Senvion wind turbines as usual and is fully integrated into the control system. This deep integration enables the automatic starting and stopping of the wind turbines. Functionality and added value are accessible without restriction both for existing systems and for new retrofits. The PolyTech ice detection… Read more »
The Nordex Group optimizes annual energy production of legacy turbines with vortex generators
Hamburg, 17 November 2020. The Nordex Group has optimized the aerodynamics of the rotor blades of a total of 80 N100/2500 wind turbines for the long-standing Turkish customer, Eksim. By installing the vortex generators, the power output of the older generation turbines will be increased by up to 2%. The Nordex Group offers its customers… Read more »
Practical online tools for happy installers and customers
(Wels, 17/11/20) Fronius relies on quality and is known for providing the best service on the market. Start-up, monitoring and after-sales support have also been completely reinvented with the latest generation of inverters. This has resulted in three useful apps for installers, service technicians and end customers. Fronius has expanded its range of tried-and-tested… Read more »
WIND POWER INDUSTRY CHALLENGED TO VALUE HUMAN INGENUITY ALONGSIDE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Industry insight report from ARMSA Academy proposes a new decision-making philosophy to unlock safer and more productive projects Wind companies leaving money on the table by treating digitalisation as the sole route to project optimisation Report marks official launch of ARMSA Academy, a digital performance support platform to help wind industry professionals reduce levelised costs… Read more »
Electric vehicle registrations surpass National Grid’s System Transformation projections
Data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that by October more than 75,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) had been registered over 2020, representing more than the total BEV registrations for 2018 and 2019 combined. Further analysis into these figures by Cornwall Insight shows that the pace of electric vehicle (EV)… Read more »
New Professional RHIB Boat series from ProZero International
Tuco Marine Group launches new Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat series as part of the company’s wide range of ProZero boats for professional users. The new range complements the ProZero series with new RHIB ́s below the approx. 8m length that have been the smallest in the ProZero range until this new launch. “Delivering ProZero boats… Read more »
RWE expands portfolio and increases result
Adjusted EBITDA increases by 13% to €2.2 billion; adjusted EBIT up 29% to €1.1 billion; adjusted net income at €762 million. Wind and solar power portfolio expected to increase to about 10 GW by year-end RWE involved in more than 30 projects in the promising field of hydrogen RWE continues to expand its renewables business:… Read more »
Vestas and ZF Wind Power Launch First Serially Produced EnVentus Powertrain
World’s first serial powertrain for Vestas’ EnVentus platform is launched onto the wind market Vestas and ZF Wind Power bundled forces to anticipate the growth trajectory of renewable energy Customers all over the world will benefit from more flexible solutions and a wide range of customized turbine variants Lommel, Belgium. ZF Wind Power and Vestas… Read more »
Cornwall Insight comments on Renewables Obligation mutualisatio
Commenting on the announcement that Ofgem has confirmed mutualisation has been triggered for the 2019-20 compliance period (CP 18) of the Renewables Obligation (RO), Tim Dixon, Wholesale Team Lead Cornwall Insight, said: “This will be the third consecutive year in a row that mutualisation will have been triggered. This CP is slightly different from the… Read more »