Exclusive Articles
Making Europes Offshore Wind Schemes Commercially Viable The Supply Chain Opportunity
It’s a fuel that will never run out. The raw material is abundantly available across many parts of Europe and the ‘extraction’ is based on clean technology. The ‘fuel’ in question, of course, is offshore wind and across the region many countries have ambitious plans to make it a key part of their future energy… Read more »
Dissecting the pros and cons of 15+ year service contracts
We’re delighted to welcome back Christian Holmgaard, CEO and Senior Consultant Project Manager for WTG Partners. In this issue, he turns his critical eye to the thorny issue of long-term contracts. Today several of the major wind turbine manufactures offer long-term OMS contracts with coverage for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, with all spare parts and… Read more »
Failure Is Not An Option
Operation, maintenance and survivability are key issues for offshore, and, as we report, software reliability is vital to those three pillars. The ‘failure’ headline is a famous and inspirational quote attributed (wrongly) to Gene Kranz during the Apollo mission in 1970. Whoever coined the phrase is not important, but 40 years on it is still… Read more »
At the heart of the industry
A world leader in offshore wind installation and service solutions, A2SEA A/S is dedicated to providing the wind industry with safer, sustainable, and more cost-efficient operations. We spoke to Kaj Lindvig, Senior Advisor. PES: Welcome to the magazine. Before we get on to the main issues of the day, would you like to introduce your… Read more »
A revolution in wind turbine safety
Wind farms are an increasingly common landscape element in many regions. And with good reason. After all, wind turbine generator systems are one of the cleanest sources of energy available. However, just like other machinery, they too must adhere to strict safety requirements. Progressive safety solutions from B&R give wind turbine manufacturers all the tools… Read more »
Residential buffer zones for wind turbines: the evidence
A bill attempting to set minimum distances from residential premises has been put before legislators across Europe on a number of occasions, yet it has not progressed beyond initial reading stages. However, it has been widely publicised and some local authorities have proposed policies with similar criteria. In this feature, PES sets out the current… Read more »
Wind prospecting: when measurements matter
Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy source and Europe remains at the forefront of the market. By 2020 it is predicted that between 12 and 14% of the EU’s electricity demand will be fulfilled by wind generated power – saving an amount of CO2 equivalent to taking 165 million cars off the roads…. Read more »
Exploring new frontiers
Taking place for the very first time in Vienna at Messe Wien Congress Center on 4th-7th February 2013, EWEA 2013 Annual Event will unite the wind industry once again and return with a new theme that fosters progress and industry growth; EWEA 2013 will focus on significant opportunities for the industry. EWEA – The European… Read more »
The cost of wind
Like other renewable energy technologies, wind is capital intensive, but has no fuel costs. The key parameters governing wind power economics are the investment costs; operation and maintenance costs; capacity factor; economic lifetime; and the cost of capital. We take a closer look at the latest figures, courtesy of the International Renewable Energy Agency. Although… Read more »
Poland Makes Moves Into Europes Big League
The only country in the EU to have emerged from the economic crisis without going into recession is in rude financial health – as is its wind energy economy. For now. PES investigates. In November last year, Siemens Energy announced that it had received orders worth €880m in the wind power industry since July; a… Read more »
