PES met up with Brigitte Beck, CEO at Solare Datensysteme GmbH. Their new portal, developed over 2 years, with input from customers, provides plant operators with an even faster and deeper fault analysis, saving considerable time and expenditure. They are at the cutting edge of digitalisation and that is where they aim to stay. ‘The… Read more »
Every company that owns solar plants wants to generate the highest return. In order to achieve this, the system’s maintenance teams need to constantly ensure the optimal functioning of all system components, especially the panels and inverters. A solar monitoring system enables you to be informed of your PV system’s performance. The industry standard: solar… Read more »
Jonas Dobner, Application and Project manager at Pfeiffer Vacuum dropped in on PES Solar. Needless to say, we were very interested to hear about their latest vacuum technology and solutions. These are already making an impact in the renewable energies segment and used in leak detection and various types of lithium batteries in the company… Read more »
Yes it is, if we take what we have learned from asset management in other industries and apply it to operational safety in battery energy storage systems. Utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) are becoming a more common feature of the UK electricity network for the purpose of frequency regulation and balancing. There is also… Read more »
Bill Mellema, Director of Engineering and Brad Berwald, Product Manager and Technical Training Manager, at Morningstar Corporation, met up with PES to bring us up to date on the solutions offered by this innovative, employee owned company. Here the workers are proud of their products and provide only the highest quality and efficiency to the… Read more »
Grid integration is a key issue in the expansion of renewable energies throughout Europe. The requirements for power generation plants at all voltage levels have changed significantly with the pan-European harmonisation of grid connection requirements and the resulting adaptations to the national foundations. The aim of the EU regulation is to create a stable electricity… Read more »
Reliable measurement of solar irradiance, and other environmental parameters, is crucial to accurately calculating the performance ratio (PR) of a solar energy plant. IEC 61724, published in March 2017, is the latest and most comprehensive international standard to address these issues. But what does it mean? IEC 61274-1 Photovoltaic system performance – Part 1: Monitoring… Read more »
Abstract: we analyze available measurement time in a sun simulator in highest-throughput production of silicon solar cells. We explain how this time is distributed on the different measurements, which need to be performed to characterize a solar cell. For high-efficiency solar cells, we elaborate how it is possible to reduce the required measurement time to… Read more »
Dr Rob Grant FRSC, CEO at Gas Recovery and Recycle Limited, dropped in on PES to bring us up to date on their argon recycling process. They have experienced tremendous growth already and more is expected. The ArgonØ™ is good for the environment and through recycling, delivers cost reductions to companies implementing it. No wonder… Read more »
PES dropped in on Tony Etnyre, the CEO at FTC Solar, Inc, a new company, with a very experienced, committed team. Their latest PV tracking system, Voyager, is easy to install, cost effective and suitable to use on the most challenging sites. Their close collaboration with their customers is of paramount importance and flexibility is… Read more »
Following the acquisition and integration of ABB’s solar inverter business, completed in the first quarter of 2020, FIMER took a decisive step forward in its strategy. Leonardo Botti, Head of Global Sales and Product Management explains how FIMER is shaping a new era in solar as digitalization will level the energy playing field, enhance Distributed… Read more »
Our reliance on fossil fuels is ending. Not because we’ve run out of oil, gas, or even coal. Not even because the harmful environmental impact of these resources is finally, sadly, irrefutable; except to the most dogmatic of climate change deniers. No. Our reliance on fossil fuels is ending because of the advances we have… Read more »
Atonometrics was founded in Austin, Texas, in 2007, with the mission to provide high-quality test and measurement equipment to the small but growing photovoltaics industry. The company founders came from a long background in test and measurement equipment for the semiconductor industry. The experience of the management team included over 30 years of R&D, product… Read more »
PES had a great catch up with Mark Kingsley, CEO of Alion Energy, California. Leaders in solutions for trackers and O&M robotics and currently enjoying the bifacial surge in our industry. Although the current Covid 19 situation presenting some challenges, he has no doubt about the future opportunities. PES: Hi Mark, it’s a pleasure to… Read more »
In case you missed it, Bloomberg New Energy Finance just revised its already bullish estimates for the growth in storage deployments upward – again, predicting a 122-fold boom in the installation of stationary energy storage over the next two decades. For its part, solar continues its high double-digit growth, making it the fastest-growing form of… Read more »
This has been clearly demonstrated by the outbreak of COVID-19 with countries across the world needing to rapidly put in place the necessary infrastructure to combat the virus and subsequently dealing with the wider economic consequences of the health crisis. While some industries, such as aviation and retail, have limited operations to reduce the spread… Read more »
With the global health crisis of Covid-19 impacting the health and economic security of the world many industries are needing to modify the way they now do business, not just in the short term, but also for the foreseeable future. SolarEdge, a world-wide manufacturer of smart solar energy solutions, has announced it will be hosting… Read more »
Miros is a technology company that specialises in measuring the ocean surface. With 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 data… Read more »
Since 1997, DHSS has been involved in offshore energy projects, carried out in the Southern North Sea. The company established its name in the industry, as a provider of vessel agency services and helicopter operations, for complicated offshore projects. Thus, providing an important interface, between offshore and onshore, delivering tailor made services. First contact with… Read more »
Recent discussions, about offshore wind resource estimation, demonstrated the need for more sophisticated wake models to reduce the risk of overestimating power production. In this context, ZephyScience developed a new computation methodology, empowered by its cloud-computing services. This topic emerged over the past few months: wake models used up until now by the wind resource… Read more »
PES Wind caught up with Stefan Weber, the founder and Managing Director of WINDSOURCING.COM. It was a great meeting and we were impressed with the new additions to their solutions. From a small online service to an online B2B shop, 9 years later, boasting some of the top players in the wind industry as customers,… Read more »
Spares in Motion (SIM) has a solution for wind energy O&M pitfalls. Reducing costs and obtaining spare parts as needed is increasingly important, especially as uptime demands skyrocket and maintenance contracts end. SIM explains to PES how their database is facilitating these goals for owners and operators today. We are a nearly half way through… Read more »
Here is proof that it’s better to work together than try to reinvent the wheel. PES is thrilled to bring you this perfect example of such a collaboration between two companies. The end result saved time and costs, which are now a big plus for the end users. ‘Working with Scopito has enabled us to… Read more »
Ports display the economic growth engines in the economy of countries. Increased activity requires larger ports, capable of handling a larger volume of traffic representing buoyant import-export balances. However, the epitome of ports also presents the consumables of natural resources, represented by the goods moving over the quay side. It could be argued that ports… Read more »
OEG’s Local Equipment Room modules installed on the London Array offshore substation topside structures. Credit London Array © courtesy of London Array OEG Offshore entered the wind power and renewables market in 2010, with a substantial contract award for the landmark London Array Offshore Wind Farm, in the Thames Estuary. A decade on, the company… Read more »
In response to the global market requirement for more efficient and targeted O&M strategies for operational wind farms, there is an increasing need for operators to focus on turbine performance and reliability. Having recognised this as a priority to support operational teams and to advise on strategies to optimise sites, our approach has been to… Read more »
Energy grids have undergone immense change in recent years with the introduction of smart devices, new hardware, and software solutions that enable communication and data exchange. While these shifts signal a positive trend toward widespread renewables adoption, utility companies struggle to analyze and improve the power grid’s efficiency. Even with more connected devices and new… Read more »
DFIG topology wind turbines have been widely used in the wind energy market during the last years to cover the medium and lower power ranges, between 2 and 4 MW. Nowadays, this fact has changed and the OEMs are developing DFIG wind turbines that could go above power rates of 6 MW. The wind sector… Read more »
Abstract: full-scale mechanical testing of blades is an integral part of the certification of wind turbines. With ever-larger rotor diameters, the importance of testing and validation is growing with the aim of minimizing operational risks. Dual axis testing can lead to a more realistic loading scenario compared to traditional single axis testing. A recent demonstration… Read more »
There is a green revolution in ship technology going on these days. We are currently witnessing a wave of zero emission propulsion ideas entering the market like battery powered car ferries for short routes, power shaving batteries onboard offshore hybrid service vessels and cruise liners that can enter protected fjords purely on batteries. Such efforts… Read more »
PES went to talk with Dylan Jones, at Mareel, about the first anniversary of the company, the business and the future. It has been a great year, being a member of the Northern Offshore Group has been a rewarding positive experience, both for the company and employees. These cultures were already very much aligned and… Read more »
The concept ‘vessel intake’ is at the forefront of windmill component design, and it will make possible more profitable logistics projects when different variables are considered under a collaborative approach. The wind industry is facing a never-ending pressure on costs. All industry players, including first and second-tier suppliers, are developing different initiatives around cost reduction…. Read more »
PES once again had the pleasure of speaking with Hans Gatzemeier, CEO of ELA Container Offshore, Germany. This is a company where being successful means providing the highest quality goods and service and where the need of the client is paramount. This is the first of serval interviews we look forward to this year with… Read more »
Assessments and analyses for lifetime extension of wind turbines There’s a sizeable wave rolling in towards the wind energy industry: this year, in Europe alone, more than ten percent of installed capacity will be reaching its 20th year of operation, and by 2025, the figure will be almost 30 percent. To keep them running or not,… Read more »
In the search for alternative ways to make foundation installations quieter, faster and easier, the offshore vibro driving technology has developed in leaps and bounds over the past 20 years. The ever-increasing demand for reducing the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) and protecting the underwater wildlife, has triggered out of the box thinking for the… Read more »
W2W market maturing at last It’s clear that the Walk to Work (W2W) concept is here to stay in both wind energy and the oil and gas industry. The major operators and turbine EPCs have all commissioned dedicated W2W vessels from various operators. The last 4 years has seen a number of new operators enter… Read more »