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 »
Archives: Exclusive Articles
The correlation between lubrication and safety is closer than you think
Safety is of paramount importance when working at the dizzy height of a wind turbine. Brad Prickett, the senior lubrication engineer at ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants, located in Houston, gives PES his insight on how this can be improved. This is his area of expertise as he has worked with wind turbine operators since the… Read more »
Condition-based maintenance is perfect for renewable energy
Words: Kristian Holm, VP Renewables & Utilities at Kongsberg Digital A typical wind turbine is equipped with a huge number of sensors, signal processors, and other types of monitoring equipment to ensure that it maintains its autonomous operations. These data points provide a myriad of data which can be used to optimise the operation of… Read more »
Islet of the Grindstones
PES brings you Jan De Nul’s experience of constructing the Tahkoluoto wind farm. The geographical location, the elements and the difficult terrain all posed different types of challenges. Previous knowledge gained on other ventures, suitable equipment and engineering skills were crucial to the success of this project. Possible ice and rocky soil: these were the… Read more »
Accept the competitive challenge and keep the wind blowing
Auctions are becoming the standard instrument for granting state support in almost all European markets. In economic terms, this is the right step to take as it subjects renewables to market forces and rewards the most efficient projects. This was evident in the latest UK Government Contract for Difference (CfD) auction round, designed to support… Read more »
Wind installation – the future unfolding with the foldable offshore crane
Words: Wouter Slob, Tender & Concepts Engineer, Huisman, the Netherlands The development of current and future offshore wind farms is picking up with wind installation contractors further optimising their toolboxes for efficient installation of offshore wind turbines. Up to now the jack-up vessel has been the platform of choice for installation of wind turbines; providing… Read more »
Transformed into the largest substation provider in just 15 years
In 2002 the first ever offshore high voltage substation was delivered by HSM Offshore. This was under an EPCI contract from Eltra/Energinet, for the Horns Rev A project, off the Danish West coast. Things have gone from strength to strength since then, as this report to PES shows. Earlier this year the company signed the… Read more »
A 100% renewable energy future
A PES exclusive from Steve Sawyer, GWEC Secretary General. This is his perspective on the options for a world using 100% renewable energy, based on research and years of experience in our industry. Ever since the oil shocks of the 1970s, and the early emergence of commercial wind turbines, solar hot water heaters, and the… Read more »
Marine operations standards in offshore wind
Words: Steven Foong, Global Maritime This article will look at the marine operations standards and guidelines that are emerging; areas that need to be considered in putting in place such standards; and how it is also incumbent on the marine providers themselves to put the necessary mechanisms in place internally. There’s no doubt that offshore… Read more »
Safety first
Words: Scott Starr, Firetrace International, Marketing Director Wind turbine fire protection: investing to protect the bottom line. Fire is the second leading cause of accidents in wind turbines after blade failure1, with the average overall cost of a wind turbine fire being around $4.5m2. Given that $112.5bn was ploughed in to wind power globally in… Read more »
International service for wind turbines is in a transformational phase
Words: Matthias Brandt, Board Director, Deutsche Windtechnik The global wind energy market has always been subject to constant change, but it has rarely changed as rapidly as it is right now. Political realities are evolving, and they are forcing the market to produce results based on one clear objective: absolute cost reduction. Increasing cost pressure… Read more »
The safety of knowledge
Words: Ignacio Serrada and Alfonso Hernández, members of Offshore and Modular Department By the end of October, the first shipment of transition pieces (TP) for the MERKUR offshore wind project had been completed. The brief was to take full responsibility for organising the transportation and associated engineering, to ship these components from the manufacturer’s premises… Read more »
It’s show time!
As the wind industry continues its unprecedented growth, over 8,000 participants are expected to gather this November for the WindEurope Conference & Exhibition 2017 in the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, November 28th to 30th 2017. PES brings you a taster of the exciting things on offer. Have you got your tickets? We’ll see… Read more »
Is long-term corrosion protection of offshore wind structures just a dream?
Bjond’s key word is innovation and their engineers are experts with a passion for complexity. Jo van Montfort, Sr Consultant, Director at Bjond tells PES about the short comings in the offshore wind industry, with regards to corrosion and how they want to change this. He says key factors include collaboration across the industry to… Read more »
Bright science taking solar to new heights
The power of the sun is immense. But capturing this power efficiently and turning it into sustainable energy is no easy task. Solar module manufacturers and project developers are therefore always on the lookout for new technologies and materials that amplify the power generated by solar systems. As a renowned materials supplier with a long… Read more »
Powering up digitalization of wind power transmission
Innovative sensor technologies, advanced modelling and new business models are all corner stones in how ZF Wind Power is digitalizing the manufacturing business. For ZF Wind Power digitalization and the Internet of Things (IoT) is an integrated part of this transformation. For a long time, the wind power industry has been among the front-runners when… Read more »
Environmental impact
Does a bottlenose dolphin change its ranging movement because of a wind turbine? Or a razorbill change its migration route? How do human beings change behaviours with an offshore wind farm nearby? PES brings you a pioneering scientific research programme from Vattenfall, which aims to answer these questions and more. Four projects have initially been… Read more »
… don’t worry, be heavy!
PES met up with Holger Dechant, CSO at Universal Transport, to learn about their new slogan and the risks involved in oversized component transportation. It’s really not as simple as it looks. PES: Welcome back to PES. Thanks for talking with us. We know the wind industry is an expanding sector, how is this impacting… Read more »
Offshore gateway
It’s an exciting time at the Port of Rotterdam. It already has a flourishing business network and is set to get even bigger with the development of the Offshore Center Maasvlakte 2. Joost Eenhuizen, Business Manager, Port of Rotterdam Authority, provides PES with a look in to the future at this unique project in Europe…. Read more »
Wind powering forward
Operating for nearly 100 years, Peterson is the leading international logistics provider to the global energy industry and prides itself on thinking in generations, which is enshrined as a core company value. PES went to find out all about this reputable world company, which has always kept pace with the latest technology and innovations. The… Read more »
At the top of the Nordic wind turbine foundation market
Even though the foundation may seem like a minor detail in a wind power development project with a EUR 50–200 million price tag, slow progress in foundation design, production and assembly will postpone the day when the investment starts to generate profits. With that in mind, Peikko has created a holistic solution consisting of the… Read more »
Monitoring substructures – a long term experience
As of 2011 OWI-lab, in co-operation with the Vrije Universiteit, Brussels (VUB), has been conducting a long term structural monitoring campaign at all Belgian offshore wind farms. The measurements focus on the structural health of the substructure (SHM) rather than the wind turbine itself. PES is pleased to share this important research, which is sure… Read more »
Geography should not be a barrier to harnessing green electricity from your own small turbine
Gerry Lalonde, CEO, Orenda Energy Solutions, tells PES how he feels wind energy could be exchanged from one location to another. This is certainly food for thought and could make a big difference to small turbine owners, or perspective owners with no space near their current location. One of the chief concerns facing the small/medium… Read more »
One contract, a complete service package
PES brings you Offshore Project Support, your complete service provider in the offshore wind industry. Smarter cost reduction and a more efficient offshore wind industry? It’s possible. Offshore Project Support (OPS) from the Netherlands combines the knowledge, experience and equipment of four different offshore companies. Together, they are ‘the toolbox at sea’. A complete service… Read more »
The key to reliable emergency backup power for wind pitch control
As renewable energy adoption grows worldwide, major utilities increasingly rely on wind power to serve homes and businesses with emission-free, clean electricity. Because of this growing interest in cleaner energy sources, the wind industry is experiencing a period of significant growth worldwide, exceeding 500 gigawatts and employing more than 1.2 million people. This growth has… Read more »
The key to reliable emergency backup power for wind pitch control
As renewable energy adoption grows worldwide, major utilities increasingly rely on wind power to serve homes and businesses with emission-free, clean electricity. Because of this growing interest in cleaner energy sources, the wind industry is experiencing a period of significant growth worldwide, exceeding 500 gigawatts and employing more than 1.2 million people. This growth has… Read more »
Is future congestion a worry?
I know what you are thinking, right now you may be considering installing an offshore windfarm and here I am telling you about the problems of getting rid of the thing again. But! The topic is relevant whether you are installing a windfarm, nearing an end to the operational life, or actually in the process… Read more »
Floating offshore wind gathers momentum
Ideol has been in the news these last few weeks because Floatgen, France’s first offshore wind turbine, has successfully reached two key milestones Bruno G. Geschier, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, at Ideol, came in to PES to talk us through this ground breaking project. Beyond the completion of the floater construction and the September… Read more »
All the fun of the fairs
Once again PES has all the inside information from the upcoming wind fairs. This time it’s HUSUM Wind and the Offshore WIND Conference, Amsterdam. This is a great opportunity to meet the new comers to our industry, see all the latest developments, catch up with regular contacts and make new ones. So reserve the dates… Read more »
Next generation offshore wind tools
Construction of offshore wind farms has advanced rapidly over the last few years and is maturing into a market where subsidy funding is diminishing. Numerous companies joined in to develop the offshore wind market and are further developing their assets to provide services to this market. PES shares this insight in to one company’s continued… Read more »
Rope inspection
Height Specialists was established in 1995. It is a specialist company that provides rope access inspection, maintenance and modifications for on and offshore inspection, maintenance services to clients, operating in various industrial sectors, as well as at promotions and public events. The business started as a one-man venture but today operates as fully a qualified… Read more »
Installation vessels, a new bottleneck?
Our industry is ever changing and the increase in size, height, length and weight of the new foundations and turbines have created a need for new lifting equipment able to handle these loads. PES is pleased to bring you an innovative solution from GustoMSC, who will be able to assure deliveries and installations to the… Read more »
Optimising offshore wind commissioning logistics
The development of appropriate logistic concepts is a key factor for an economically successful offshore wind park. In the past the analysis and optimisation of these concepts have mostly focused on either the logistics for transport & installation (T&I) or operation and maintenance (O&M). Less attention has been paid to the important phase of commissioning…. Read more »
Accurate accessibility prediction for SOV thanks to HIL simulator
Testing has been the name of the game for a while now. In the long run research design and testing helps save time and keep costs down. PES finds out first-hand how this worked for Damen, who turned to Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) to test its pioneering Service Operations Vessel (SOV), together with the… Read more »
Is long-term corrosion protection of offshore wind structures just a dream?
Bjond’s key word is innovation and their engineers are experts with a passion for complexity. Jo van Montfort, Sr Consultant, Director at Bjond tells PES about the short comings in the offshore wind industry, with regards to corrosion and how they want to change this. He says key factors include collaboration across the industry to… Read more »
Heavy-lift diligence
Raymond Fisch, Senior Vice President Strategic Projects, BBC Chartering dropped in to PES to bring us up to date on the latest news from this no. 1 global, heavy-lift specialist. Despite the volume in increased traffic, planning diligence, customer care and quality are never compromised. PES: Welcome back to PES Wind magazine. Thanks for talking… Read more »