Exclusive Articles
Real-time data on the crest of a wave
Offshore wind farm operations are hugely affected by weather conditions. Finding the right weather windows and suitable sea states is a challenge and often it’s a race against time to finish the operations within safe conditions. Radac explains how real-time wave data can help. The weather has a huge role to play in offshore wind… Read more »
Taking up position with heavy load handling
PES sat down with Darren McQuillan, Vice President, Global Business Development, at Bardex Corporation, to find out more about the company’s positioning as an engineering solution provider and how it brings together all aspects of project management, execution, contract management, and everything else associated with floating offshore wind. PES: Thanks for taking the time to… Read more »
Offshore blade test challenges: infrastructure and methods
Blades for offshore turbines have long since passed the 100 m threshold, and there is no end in sight. With increasing sizes and loads, the structural reserves of blades are being squeezed ever further by design engineers. Consequently, thorough validation at full-scale level is of the utmost importance to ensure reliability over the entire lifetime…. Read more »
Strong tailwind in one of Denmark’s most important wind energy hubs
Aalborg and its port have become major players in the international wind energy industry, as a leading hub for production and blade testing. PES caught up with Michael Rosenkilde Lind, Chief Commercial Officer at Port of Aalborg to understand more about how it came to hold this position and the kind of industry partnerships it… Read more »
Revolutionising offshore wind farm inspections: the power of underwater robots
Underwater inspections are critical to offshore wind farm operations. They help determine whether an area is suitable for development, gathering geophysical and geotechnical information. They also keep offshore wind monopiles, turbine jackets, and foundations safe and functional. Offshore wind farms are home to harsh aquatic conditions, including strong currents, tidal erosion, and marine growth. These… Read more »
Empowering wind turbine owners
The global push towards sustainable energy sources has led to a significant surge in wind power adoption. As the industry evolves, ensuring the efficiency, reliability, and longevity of wind turbines becomes paramount. Recognising the critical role of turbine blades in harnessing energy, a pioneering project named Owners Requirement Phase 2 is bringing together wind turbine… Read more »
Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH): challenges in drivetrain development
As onshore wind turbines are installed closer to urbanised areas and in ever-increasing numbers, wind turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are faced with increasingly stringent noise regulations. To date, this situation has been mostly restricted to the European continent, but other regions in the world are starting to follow this trend very rapidly. Turbine and… Read more »
Establishing floating lidar as the standard for offshore wind resource measurements
Today, Floating Lidar Systems (FLS) are considered to be the established and de facto standard technology for offshore wind resource assessment measurements in the wind industry. Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES has accompanied this development from the beginning, not only as an expert in the development of guidelines and recommendations, but also by… Read more »
Switching up to 5G
This autumn, a unique offshore wind ‘living lab’ in Grimsby, UK, was switched on to launch what is being heralded as a new digital future. It is hoped that the £2.8m project will accelerate the development of a new generation of digital technologies that are essential to the huge expansion of offshore wind farms. PES… Read more »
Going for gold in offshore wind: preparing for success
In these challenging times, access to detailed data, insight and tools within the wind energy sector can make the difference between success and failure. As the profile of offshore wind continues to grow, companies with significant experience and resources gained from other industries can make substantial contributions toward enhanced efficiencies across the offshore wind development… Read more »