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Author Topic: Wind Power  (Read 26709 times)

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AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #120 on: April 16, 2016, 08:07:06 pm »
       


U.S. Wind Energy Blew Away Records in 2015
Climate Nexus | April 14, 2016 9:50 am

U.S. wind energy output hit record levels last year, producing nearly 5 percent of the nation’s electricity, according to a new report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Employment in the sector also rose 20 percent in 2015, with 88,000 workers now employed in wind energy across the U.S. More than 8,500 megawatts of wind capacity was installed last year, almost doubling the total from the year before

Texas continues to lead the nation in wind power, but other states are closing the gap with large projects in the works.

AWEA expects more than 14,000 megawatts of new wind capacity this year, with support from incentives like federal tax credits and pollution cutting regulations.

http://ecowatch.com/2016/04/14/wind-energy-records-2015/
« Last Edit: July 10, 2016, 03:04:50 pm by AGelbert »
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AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #121 on: April 16, 2016, 09:26:53 pm »
Denver Post

Colorado wind power rising; 1,880 turbines and Xcel, Vestas plan more

Colorado set national records with 54 percent of Xcel's electricity over two 24-hour periods generated by wind.

By Bruce Finley
Posted: 04/12/2016 10:17:33 AM MDT
Wind power can produce as much as 67% of electricity in Colorado

BRIGHTON — Colorado wind power is rising with 1,880 huge turbines erected across the prairie, twisting white blades as long as soccer fields, a cleaner source of energy replacing fossil fuels.

It has reached the point where the wind turbines generated 67 percent of Xcel Energy's Colorado-made electricity one morning in November and 54 percent for two 24-hour periods in October — feats unmatched around the nation, industry officials said Tuesday.

Falling costs, a state mandate, a federal subsidy and sheer momentum are driving the shift to renewable energy.
The proliferation of turbines here — doubling the number in 2009 — reflects a takeoff of wind power nationally that has cut carbon dioxide emissions by 132 million tons, American Wind Energy Association research director Michael Goggin said.

(Picture at link)
Governor Hickenlooper hails rise of wind power at Vestas plant on April 12, 2016. (Bruce Finley, The Denver Post)

Quote

"That's the equivalent of taking 28 million cars off the road    [img with=50]http://www.clipartbest.com/cliparts/xig/ojx/xigojx6KT.png[/img]
, and this is going to help Colorado comply with the Clean Power Plan," Goggin said.[/size][/b][/color]

Shifting from coal and gas to wind power "will help bring the United States into compliance with international climate change commitments. It will show that the U.S. can be a leader," he said.

Politicians and investors are embracing the shift. Long a backer of oil and gas extraction along the Front Range, Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday opened a national industry forum at a Vestas Americas turbine factory in Brighton — one of four Vestas plants in the state that employ 3,700 workers.

"This is a state issue for us. We view it as one of our highest priorities," Hickenlooper said.

Colorado initially looked to natural gas as a bridge away from coal-fired electricity, but "wind is going to take an increasingly large share of that as well," he said.

Quote

Today, "wind turbine technician" ranks as the fastest-growing occupation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Utility giant Xcel Energy is playing a key role, purchasing electricity from 21 Colorado wind farms.

"We've cultivated wind as our most cost-effective renewable energy option because we recognize that this source of energy is not only a benefit to the environment but also a major economic driver for the state," Xcel's Colorado operations president David Eves said. "Our plan is to expand our wind offerings to provide hundreds of new jobs for Coloradans, make a billion dollars in new investments, keep energy costs low for our customers and improve the environment."

On Tuesday, Eves and Vestas Americas chief Chris Brown revealed a plan to build Colorado's largest wind farm on the Eastern Plains. If the Public Utilities Commission approves, this project would add 300 more wind turbines and produce 600 megawatts of electricity.

(Picture at link)
Workers at Vestas put the finishing touches on a nacelle, a wind turbine generator, Tuesday at the Brighton plant. The state set a national record over several days last fall for the amount of electricity generated by wind turbines. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

Industry analysts said wind's role will continue to expand.

And Vestas CEO Brown said the massive fiberglass blades made in Brighton may expand, too.

While installation of more transmission lines will be essential, shifting to clean energy in the future will hinge on "capturing more wind" with blades, he said.

Quote
Even a 1-meter lengthening of blades that now stretch 100 meters from tip-to-tip could more than double  :o    the amount of electricity produced, he said.

Quote
"We want to have taller towers and bigger blades."   

Bruce Finley: 303-954-1700, bfinley@denverpost.com or @finleybruce
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29756225/study-wind-power-increasingly-overshadows-fossil-fuels-colorado
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AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #122 on: April 28, 2016, 07:48:23 pm »

World's Biggest Windmills Now Make Jumbo Jets Look Tiny   ;D

SNIPPET:


Quote
Even the plunge in crude prices since  2014 has failed to derail industry growth. 

“The doubling of turbine size this decade will allow wind farms in 2020 to use half the number of turbines compared to 2010,” said Tom Harries, an industry analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “This means fewer foundations, less cabling and simpler installation -- all key in slashing costs for the industry.”

The average turbine installed in Europe was 4.1 megawatts last year, 28 percent larger than in 2010, according to the London-based researcher, which expects 6.8 megawatts to be the norm by 2020. Harries said Siemens has hinted it’s working on a 10 megawatt turbine.  :o 


Excellent article with great pictures!

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-04-28/world-s-biggest-windmills-now-make-jumbo-jets-look-tiny

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AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #123 on: April 29, 2016, 07:46:55 pm »
Ulstein Launches First X-Stern   

April 28, 2016 by gCaptain

Freshly-painted-and-getting-ready-to-perform-wind-power-service Credit: Ulstein Group

Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein has launched the first vessel featuring the new X-Stern hull design at their Ulstein Verft shipyard in Ulsteinvik, Norway.

The service operation vessel for the offshore wind industry is one of two being constructed for Bernhard Schulte Offshore, and will be working for Siemens.

The vessel is actually the first built by Ulstein Group for work in the renewable energy segment  , in this case offshore wind supporting wind farm operations and maintenance, technician accommodation and transport, and safe reliable access to offshore installations.


The X-STERN was first introduced in 2014 as the successor to Ulstein’s popular X-BOW hull. The X-STERN is designed so that a vessel can be positioned with the stern faced towards the weather instead of the bow, leading to improved weather resistance, greater operability and reduced power and fuel consumption while on DP mode.

Both vessels for Bernhard Schulte are based on the SX175 design measuring 88 meters in length, a breadth of 18 meters, speed of 13.5 knots, and accommodation for 60 people.

Ulstein received the order for the vessels in January 2015 by Germany-based Bernhard Schulte through its offshore wind affiliate WINDEA Offshore, marking the first order for the X-STERN hull.

https://gcaptain.com/photos-ulstein-launches-first-x-stern/

📢 There is NO STOPPING the worldwide RENEWABLE ENERGY REVOLUTION!
Renewable energy= -> Fossil Fuelers

« Last Edit: June 07, 2021, 04:36:38 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #124 on: May 10, 2016, 11:07:19 pm »
DONG Energy Declares Option for Second Wind Farm Service Vessel 

May 9, 2016 by gCaptain 

DONG Energy has declared option for a second wind turbine Service Operation Vessel with Norwegian-based shipping company Østensjø Rederi requiring the construction of a newbuild vessel.

The newbuild will be sister vessel to the SOV awarded by Dong Energy last year and will function as a mother ship for wind turbine technicians servicing the Hornsea Project One wind farm located approximately 75 miles off England’s Yorkshire coast.

The 81.1-meter-long vessel will be a DP2 Service Operation Vessel with high station keeping capabilities, with 60 single cabins and accommodation for up to 40 wind turbine technicians and a crew of 20. The vessel will featured a motion compensated gangway system with an adjustable pedestal for safe operations and uptime. The vessel is also expected to be equipped with a helideck deck.

Delivery is anticipated for Q3 2018 from the shipbuilder Astilleros Gondan in Spain.

The Service Operation Vessels are designed by Rolls Royce in close cooperation with Østensjø Rederi. This will be the thirteenth vessel Østensjø Rederi builds at Astilleros Gondan, including three tugs and the one SOV already under construction.

“The new award is a further recognition of Østensjø efforts to expand our business into the renewable energy sector, following the strategy to diversify our operations. We are therefore very pleased that DONG Energy again has awarded us an exciting and important opportunity, says Kenneth Walland, CEO of Østensjø Rederi AS.

The contract with DONG Energy spans a firm period of five years with option for five more years.

The first SOV is scheduled for delivery in September 2017 and will service the Race Bank Offshore Wind Farm located in the North Sea about about 17 miles from the North Norfolk coast.

https://gcaptain.com/dong-energy-declares-option-for-second-wind-farm-service-operation-vessel/
« Last Edit: July 10, 2016, 03:06:20 pm by AGelbert »
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AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #125 on: May 31, 2016, 10:31:02 pm »
Galapagos Islands getting major renewable energy expansion

Megan Treacy (@mtreacy)
Energy / Renewable Energy
 May 30, 2016
Galapagos wind © EOLICSA

The Galapagos Islands are most famous for the unique animal species studied by Charles Darwin and it's those species that have been the driving force behind the archipelago's quest to derive all of its energy from renewable sources instead of imported diesel fuel which still meets the majority of its energy needs.

Back in 2001, a fuel tanker bringing diesel fuel to San Cristóbal, the provincial capital, struck a reef and spilled about 570,000 liters of diesel oil which threatened the plants, birds and marine life that only call the Galapagos home. After that event, an international group created the $10 million San Cristóbal Wind Project which saw the installation of three 51-meter-tall wind turbines and two sets of solar panels in 2007.

That project, operated by the energy company EOLICSA, has managed to cover 30 percent of the electricity needs of San Cristóbal, the second largest island in size and population, and replaced the use of 8.7 million liters of diesel fuel since it began operation.

By helping its population avoid many tanker loads worth of risky diesel fuel imports since 2007, a global renewable energy project on the Galapagos Islands has offered hope that human population can ward off a catastrophic climate change and usher in an energy revolution.

 A new planned expansion would boost renewable energy to covering 70 percent of the island's electricity needs on the way to hitting 100 percent. The new project would also serve as a blueprint for how to get the rest of the island chain to catch up. Currently, renewable energy only supplies 20 percent of energy demand for the other 18 islands, most of which are uninhabited.

The wind power project on San Cristóbal is notable not just because of how it has slashed fossil fuel usage, but because it has actually helped boost the health and numbers of the endangered species there. The project included an Environmental Management Plan when it was created that outlined ways to protect the unique bird populations, especially the Galapagos Petrel which is critically endangered.

The turbines are located on a hill far away from Petrel nesting sites and where there is little of the endangered Galapagos Miconia plant. Three kilometers of transmission lines were buried to avoid interfering with Petrel flights between their nests and the sea. The group has also carried out programs to reduce invasive species like feral cats, rats and plants that threaten the endangered species.

All the work has paid off. No Petrels have been harmed in the wind project's lifetime and the efforts to control pest species have led to an increased hatching success rate from 85 to 96 percent and the Petrel population seems to be growing. The environmental management portion of this project has shown that bird populations can be protected alongside wind turbines if the right precautions are taken.

The next stage of the project will see another wind turbine added, more solar power installed and an energy storage system to make the renewable energy more consistent and reliable.

http://www.treehugger.com/renewable-energy/galapagos-islands-getting-major-wind-energy-expansion.html
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AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #126 on: June 04, 2016, 02:36:44 pm »
New York Has a Plan to Make Long Island Offshore Wind Cheaper 

June 3, 2016 by Bloomberg

By Joe Ryan

(Bloomberg) — New York State is mounting a broad effort to reduce the cost of building a wind farm off the coast of Long Island, an ambitious push to generate clean power in U.S. waters. 

The state’s Energy Research and Development Authority plans to bid for a federal lease to develop a 81,000-acre (127-square-mile) site in the Atlantic Ocean. If it wins, New York would undertake initial site studies and pursue an agreement to sell the electricity. The state would then hold an auction of its own, selling development rights to the highest bidder.
81,000-acre (127-square-mile) site in the Atlantic Ocean

New York officials see offshore wind as critical for meeting the state’s goal to get half its power from renewable sources by 2030. By doing the initial planning and guaranteeing a buyer for the power, the state intends to make the project appealing to developers, driving down costs and making it more likely the wind farm will be built.

“This is a resource that has to be, and will be, developed,” John B. Rhodes, president and chief executive of the New York State authority, said in an interview Friday. “It is our job to do it as surefootedly and cost efficiently as possible.”

Lower Risk

Offshore wind is among the most expensive sources of power in the world. While it has thrived in Europe, the technology has languished in the U.S. as utilities balked at the price. If New York succeeds in lining up a buyer, the state would remove much of the risk for developers, and ultimately make the power cheaper for consumers, said Willett Kempton, a professor at the University of Delaware who studies offshore wind.
Quote

This is New York telling the country that offshore wind is going to happen, ”
Kempton said in an interview. “No other state has done this before.”

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to auction off the lease for the site by the end of the year. The area, about 11 miles (18 kilometers) south of the city of Long Beach, is large enough to accommodate turbines capable of generating 900 megawatts, rivaling a nuclear power plant.

The first wind farm in U.S. waters, a 30-megawatt project off Rhode Island, is being built by Deepwater Wind LLC and scheduled to be operational by the end of the year.



© 2016 Bloomberg L.P
https://gcaptain.com/new-york-has-a-plan-to-make-long-island-offshore-wind-cheaper/
Renewable energy=                                   =Fossil Fuelers


The REAL carbon cost of fossil fuels

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AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #127 on: June 05, 2016, 07:18:00 pm »

06/03/2016 01:33 PM   
Iowa Will Soon Run on 40% Wind Energy

SustainableBusiness.com News

In April, Warren Buffet's MidAmerican Energy utility made a big announcement:

It will build the largest wind project in the US in Iowa (if approved by the state). The 2 gigawatt (GW) Wind XI will have 1000 turbines and could be producing electricity by 2018.

The utility's goal is to provide 100% renewable energy to Iowa customers and this $3.6 billion investment will get it to 85%. It would be the largest wind farm MidAmerican has built.

"We have a bold vision for our energy future. We don't know of another U.S. energy provider that has staked out this 100% position. Our customers want more renewable energy, and we couldn't agree more," says Bill Fehrman, MidAmerican Energy CEO.

And it will push Iowa's renewable electricity to over 40%, up from 31% now  :o - the most of any state, and where electricity rates are among the lowest in the US.

So, who says we can't get to 100% renewables fast?!   


 "Just over a decade ago, Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign cut its teeth organizing against three proposed coal plants in Iowa. After years of work by a handful of organizations that stopped several proposed coal plants and secured the retirement of other existing coal plants in the state, MidAmerican is now moving Iowa in a decidedly different direction," says Bruce Nilles, Senior Director of Beyond Coal.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy is one of 13 corporations to sign President Obama's latest effort on climate change, the American Business Act on Climate pledge.

 The pledge: By the end of 2017, MidAmerican Energy will double renewable energy investments to $30 billion, bringing its portfolio to over 4 GW of wind - 57% of its retail energy load, and Pacificorp will buy over 1 GW of solar and wind, bringing its portfolio to over 4.5 GW - about 22% of its retail generating load. 75% of its coal-fired power plants will close in Nevada by 2019. 

In Colorado, Xcel Energy is proposing the biggest wind farm in the state, the 600 megawatt Rush Creek Wind Project with 300 turbines. Similarly sized wind farms are also moving along in Texas.

All this is indicative of the US wind boom 

Wind supplies close to 5% of US electricity and is expected to reach 10% by 2020 and 20% by 2030.

The industry employs 88,000 people, up 20% over the past year, and will grow to 380,000 jobs by 2030, according to the American Wind Energy Association's (AWEA) Annual Market Report.

"The challenge is to make renewable technology so cheap that it's the obvious choice," says Chris Brown, President of Vestas America and chair of AWEA.

Wind projects or wind-related manufacturing facilities (there are 500 in the US) are in all 50 states and over 70% of Congressional districts.

While China leads on sheer wind capacity, the US produces the most wind energy, enough for 17.5 million American homes.

Worldwide, wind led new power generation in 2015 and will nearly double over the next five years, says the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) Annual Market report.

 Read our article, 2015: Another Banner Year for Renewable Energy Worldwide.

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26638
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #128 on: June 06, 2016, 06:19:49 pm »
Cleveland Soon to Be Home to the Nation’s First Offshore Wind Farm in Fresh Water

Lorraine Chow | June 6, 2016 2:49 pm

North America’s first offshore freshwater wind project has received a $40 million boost from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

In somewhat of a surprise decision, the funding was awarded to Lake Erie Energy Development Co (LEEDCo) for its “Icebreaker” project, which consists of six 3.45-megawatt turbines located 8-10 miles off the coast of Cleveland.

The local wind power firm was chosen over Dominion Resources, which had proposed a two-turbine, 12-megawatt project off Virginia, and Principle Power, which had proposed a five-turbine, 30-megawatt project off Oregon. LEEDCo was previously considered one of the “alternate” projects.

According to Cleveland.com, “LEEDCo’s decision to adopt the European-designed Mono Bucket’ foundation, which eliminates pile driving in the bedrock below the lake bed, may have been crucial to the DOE’s decision to fully fund the project.”

A DOE analysis stated that the “innovative Mono Bucket foundation will reduce installation time, costs, and environmental impacts compared to traditional foundations that require pile driving. The Mono Bucket not only is a solution for the Great Lakes, but also has broader national applicability for offshore wind installations off the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.”

Lorry Wagner, LEEDCo’s president, told EcoWatch via email the team is “thrilled” to receive the federal award. “We always knew our project was a great one and over the last two years our progress demonstrated that,” he said.

Offshore wind power generation is a resource begging to be tapped. The U.S., however, lags behind other countries in utilizing this clean, renewable form of energy. In the U.S., offshore wind has a projected 4,223 gigawatts of electric generating potential, with Lake Erie’s waters alone accounting for more than 50 gigawatts of that power, as LEEDCo explained in an article.

According to Wagner, one reason why the U.S. has been slow in adopting offshore wind projects is due to political roadblocks  .

“It always comes down to policy and we have not had much for offshore wind,” he said. “It is also true that onshore has been so successful, that offshore tends to get lost in the big picture. It will take a combination of policy and successful projects that will enable the industry to take hold.”

LEEDCo’s Icebreaker is currently the only freshwater wind project in development in the U.S.

Wagner explained that freshwater is ideal for a wind farm since the turbines are not exposed to elements such as salt water corrosion, hurricanes or the associated large waves in oceanic waters.

He also noted that Lake Erie is ideal for the Icebreaker project because it has uniformly shallow waters and has plenty of wind.

“There are over 2 gigawatts of available interconnect along the Ohio shore and we have an incredible manufacturing base that can industrialize the industry,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) announced the DOE’s $40 million grant to LEEDCo late last month at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, with remarks from LEEDCo senior officials, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Bodish and other Cleveland officials.

“Lake Erie is the Saudi Arabia of wind, and today’s award should be a gusher for northern Ohio,” said Kaptur, who serves as the Ranking Member of the U.S. House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. “This wind power project will begin to unleash Lake Erie’s full renewable power potential and contribute to creating a more competitive energy marketplace.”

“This announcement today seems perfectly suited to Cleveland, the first city in America where the electric wind turbine was invented. With this announcement today, Cleveland carries American innovation forward in this new millennium,” Kaptur said.

This is the fourth such award for LEEDCo. With the latest funding round, the non-profit will eventually receive nearly $51 million in federal support. The award money will go towards the design, manufacturing and construction phases of the Icebreaker as long as it continues to meet the DOE’s requirements. The project’s finish line is expected by the end of 2018.

LEEDCo has a 50-year lease from Ohio for its offshore project and is working to complete the remaining permits it needs from federal and state agencies. LEEDCo has secured a power purchase agreement for 65 percent of future output.

“The strength of the Icebreaker project, as opposed to its competitors, lies in LEEDCo’s commitment to leverage offshore wind energy with local Ohio-based jobs in the steel, construction and transportation industries,” Kaptur said. “This means local job possibilities beyond wind generation are on the horizon.”

Wagner told Cleveland.com that LEEDCo already has 15 local companies involved in the project and hopes to attract more, adding that fabrication and construction will create 500 jobs.

“Ultimately, we want to become the technology leader in the U.S. industry for offshore wind and environmental monitoring,” Wagner told EcoWatch.

The DOE also awarded another $40 million to the University of Maine’s New England Aqua Ventus I, a floating, 12-megawatt wind project off Maine’s shores.

http://ecowatch.com/2016/06/06/cleveland-offshore-wind-lake-erie/

Agelbert NOTE: Excellent. There is quite a bit of wind in the great lakes. It is fairly constant as well. It's high time we used that endless renewable energy resource.

For the naysayers that will poop poo wind turbines because of the risk to birds, I recommend they adopt some real world perspective and do an apples to apples comparison of the energy sources we now use.

Fossil-fueled facilities are 17-34 times more dangerous to birds on a per GWh basis than wind power. Heliostats, less dangerous than wind power to birds, have caused the deaths of hundreds of birds and wind turbines may have killed about 7000 birds, but fossil-fueled stations killed 14.5 million and nuclear 327,000.

Birds have excellent vision. Tiny wind powered LEDs on the turbine blades would prevent killing birds at night, when most of them are killed by moving blades.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2016, 03:07:26 pm by AGelbert »
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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #129 on: June 24, 2016, 09:52:11 pm »
Ulstein Delivers First X-Stern Wind Farm Service Vessel   
June 23, 2016 by Mike Schuler


Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein has delivered the first of two new offshore wind farm Service Operation Vessels to Bernhard Schulte Offshore.

The vessel is the first to feature the new X-Stern designed by Ulstein. Its name will be revealed during a ceremony on June 30.


The vessel is based on Ulstein’s SX175 design, developed to meet the demands of servicing and maintenance of offshore wind installations. Its primary task will be to provide transport and accommodation services for technicians to the Gemini Offshore Wind Park, located approximately 53 miles north of Groningen, Netherlands.

Gemini Offshore Wind Park

The X-STERN was first introduced in 2014 as the successor to Ulstein’s popular X-BOW hull. The X-STERN is designed so that a vessel can be positioned with the stern faced towards the weather instead of the bow, leading to improved weather resistance, greater operability and reduced power and fuel consumption while on DP mode, making it ideal for


Ulstein received the order for the vessels in January 2015 by Germany-based Bernhard Schulte through its offshore wind affiliate WINDEA Offshore, marking the first order for the X-STERN hull.


The hull of the vessel arrived at the Ulstein Verft shipyard in Ulsteinvik, Norway in January 2016 after arriving from Poland, where the two hulls were constructed.

Quote

The 600 megawatt Gemini wind farm is operated by SIEMENS Wind Power Service. Once operational in 2017, the wind farm will be able to produce enough renewable energy to power about 780,000 Dutch households. ;D

Vessel Particulars:
•Vessel type: Service Operation Vessel (SOV) for offshore wind turbines
•Design type: ULSTEIN SX175
•Construction yard: Ulstein Verft AS
•Design company: Ulstein Design & Solutions AS
•Length: 88 m
•Beam: 18 m
•Deadweight: 3,150 t
•Draught (max): 6.4 m
•Speed: 13.9 knots (bow first), 12.1 knots (stern first)
•Accommodation: 60 persons Cargo deck area: 380 m2
•Dynamic positioning: IMO Class II (DYNPOS AUTR)
•Main propulsion system: Two azimuth thrusters, each driven by a frequency controlled variable speed electric motor.
•Additional thrusters: One retractable azimuth thruster, two side thrusters forward


https://gcaptain.com/photos-ulstein-delivers-first-x-stern/
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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #130 on: July 07, 2016, 11:11:40 pm »

Dong Energy to Develop World’s Cheapest Offshore Wind

July 6, 2016 by Bloomberg

By Celeste Perri

(Bloomberg) — The Danish utility Dong Energy A/S won a contract to develop two wind farms off the coast of the Netherlands that the Dutch government deemed the cheapest in the world.

Dong, the world largest offshore wind developer, offered to develop the projects for 7.27 euro cents a kilowatt-hour (8 U.S. cents), excluding connection fees for TenneT of 1.4 cents a kilowatt-hour, the Dutch economic affairs ministry said in a statement on its website Tuesday. The government said the move will allow it to spend 2.7 billion euros less than it had anticipated over the 15 years it will subsidize the project.

Map_borssele-UK_comIf completed, the projects will accomplish a goal Dong set four years ago to bring wind farm development costs under 100 euros per megawatt by 2020, the company said in a statement.

“This demonstrates the great potential of offshore wind,” Samuel Leupold, executive vice president and head of wind power for Dong, said in the statement. Dutch economic affairs minister Henk Kamp said Dong’s bid represents a “major breakthrough in the transition to sustainable energy.”


Better Turbines
Dong will build the Borssele 1 and 2 wind farms about 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) off the Dutch province of Zeeland. The company plans to complete the projects by July 2020.
Quote
They will have a combined capacity of 700 megawatts, enough to power about one million Dutch households, Dong said.       
Offshore wind remains one of the most expensive ways to generate power. Dong, along with other developers, has cut costs dramatically in recent years with techniques that include making more efficient wind turbines and blades, improving foundation designs and boosting transmission-cable capacity.

The Netherlands is planing five new wind farms in the coming years to produce energy for more than 5 million households, the government said.

–With assistance from Joe Ryan.

© 2016 Bloomberg L.P

https://gcaptain.com/dong-energy-to-develop-worlds-cheapest-offshore-wind/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #131 on: July 10, 2016, 04:33:54 pm »
Risky choices paying off for UMaine’s wind project
Using unconventional materials and real-world testing, a university-led consortium is poised to become a global leader in offshore turbines

By Tux Turkel Staff Writer

tturkel@pressherald.com | @TuxTurkel | 207-791-6462


 

Waves crashing over a 1:8 scale model of the VolturnUS floating wind turbine during a storm on Nov. 1, 2013, would be the equivalent of a 70-foot high surge, if the project was full size, University of Maine researchers have calculated. Their experience with the scale model off Castine has given confidence to predictions that full-scale floating wind turbines could survive a 100-year storm in the Gulf of Maine. Courtesy of the University of Maine

Gale-force winds and heavy rain lashed the Maine coast on Nov. 1, 2013. Power went out in parts of Hancock and Washington counties.

Quote
It was a perfect day to stay indoors  , and watch history being made in ocean energy. 

At their computers, University of Maine researchers and their partners were monitoring data streams coming from 60 sensors on the VolturnUS wind turbine, their experimental, floating platform anchored off Castine. On a shoreside video feed, they could see waves nearly 9 feet high washing over the concrete platform, which was one-eighth the size of a full-scale unit. That was the equivalent of a full-size platform bearing the brunt of a 70-foot wave, bigger than any that could be expected in the Gulf of Maine every 100 years. *

But what they saw next was even more amazing: The turbine spinning 40 feet above the ocean had a pitch angle of only 5.9 percent, meaning that it was staying nearly vertical, despite the churning sea.     That motion measurement mirrored the team’s computer models, vindication that they could predict how the platform would perform far offshore


“That was the ah-ha moment,” said Habib Dagher, director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and the lead researcher on the project.

Dagher and his team made calculated gambles on several innovative strategies – from the unconventional materials used to make the platform and tower, the unusually large scale of the test platform, and the sheltered-yet-stormy location chosen to test them. Those calculations now are paying off.


MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

Three years later, the university-led consortium known as New England Aqua Ventus has the most advanced floating technology being developed in the United States.

Last month, the project was the only floating technology to win a $40 million federal grant, critical to building two full-size platforms for testing off Monhegan Island in 2018. Those platforms would hold 6-megawatt turbines, each with the capacity to power 3,000 average homes.

“Right now, it’s fair to say that the Maine project will be the first floating wind turbine in the United States,” said Walter Musial, manager of the offshore energy program at the federal government’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

The government estimates that 60 percent of America’s offshore wind energy potential is in water too deep for steel towers to be buried in the seabed, as is common in Europe. Aqua Ventus offers the promise of tapping that power at a cost that can compete with fossil fuels, by mass-producing dozens of giant platforms and anchoring them far offshore, out of sight but close enough to bring a new, clean energy source to coastal cities. It also could create a new industry to build and service the platforms in Maine.

“The platform has to hold 400 tons 395 feet above the water and float in 70-foot waves during a hurricane,” Dagher said. “That’s what we’re trying to achieve.”

INSPIRED BY CONCRETE

Virtually all of the world’s ocean wind projects are made of steel. But Maine lacks steel mills and iron ore mines. What it does have is limestone deposits and New England’s only cement manufacturer, Dragon Products Co. in Thomaston. It also has a world-class composites center at UMaine that has years of experience developing breakthrough concrete and composite designs, from affordable, quick-build bridges to boat hulls that can handle high-speed stress. That’s where the Aqua Ventus team went for inspiration.

Their design – now being refined for a full-scale model – resembles three, upside-down concrete bridge columns that each will be 120 feet tall. They will be partly submerged and connected by 150-foot-long horizontal beams. The rotor of each wind turbine will spin 395 feet above the sea, turning blades 500 feet in diameter.

Platform of VolturnUS floating wind turbine

The platform will be built and assembled on land and towed to sea, just as the Castine prototype was. Once anchored on site, the hollow beams will be filled with seawater. These and other features pull down the platform’s center of gravity, making it more resistant to wind and wave motion.

“The design is simple to build,” Dagher said. “Bridge contractors can do this, and it can be produced locally. That drives costs down significantly.”   

This approach is meant to solve challenges that make offshore wind energy costly to develop.

Steel is more expensive per pound than concrete and has less mass. Steel towers assembled offshore also need special “jack-up” vessels and cranes to lift them. Steel corrodes, unlike concrete. And steel is heavy, compared to the composite fiberglass tower holding the VolturnUS turbine. It’s half the weight of a comparable steel tower.

“Concrete was perceived to have a higher risk initially,” Musial said. “But a lot of those risks have been mitigated by the 1:8 scale project.”

The merits of concrete and composites caught the eye of DCNS Group, a French defense company that has been expanding in marine energy technology and has ocean energy projects in France and Nova Scotia. It has become a partner in the venture.

“From the design viewpoint,” said Frederic Le Lidec, DCNS’s marine renewable energy director, “we have conducted our own extensive due diligence on the VolturnUS hull technology, and reached a very positive conclusion about the quality of the UMaine design work, and potential commercial benefits of the technology.”

SEARCHING FOR BEST SITE

Offshore wind has borrowed a technique  ;D from the oil and gas industry to test miniature versions of new structures in wave basins, essentially big swimming pools that simulate ocean conditions. The models typically are built to a 1:50 scale. VolturnUS had a similar 1:50 test, but Aqua Ventus then chose to build an intermediate-scale model and set it out in the real world. No other floating wind project has done that.

“The VolturnUS 1:8 scale experiment off Castine provided very important data to validate the modeling tools and the performance of the design both in operational and extreme storm environments,” Le Lidec said.

Full-size pilot projects rarely experience 100-year weather events, so it’s hard to predict their performance in the worst conditions. The data collected by the 1:8 scale platform, Le Lidec said, can assure investors that the platform will perform at a commercial scale in the nastiest weather.

To find the best site for VolturnUS, researchers used wind- and wave-measuring buoys to study locations along the Maine coast. After a year of data collecting, they settled on a spot off Dice Head in Castine that had a high probability of seeing the desired 1:8 scale waves and wind.

Dice Head Lighthouse

Castine (Dice Head on the left)

The $1 million prototype was built by Cianbro Corp., an Aqua Ventus partner, and towed out in June 2013. The prototype remained in the water for 18 months, during which time the platform and turbine experienced 40 storms with intensities that could be expected within 50 and 500 years. It was a good move to test off Castine, Musial said, instead of the open water off Monhegan.

NOTE: Dice Head is closest to your view

“They were able to demonstrate a lot more at the site,” he said. “Penobscot Bay was sheltered enough that it didn’t wipe the whole machine out. The design would have been exceeded at Monhegan.”

‘NO ONE TALKED ABOUT CONCRETE’

The Aqua Ventus team now is finalizing the full-scale design package and is on track to gain formal commitments from unnamed investors next year. At the same time, it’s collecting data at the proposed Monhegan test site using a laser technology that can clock wind speeds 395 feet in the air, the hub height of the wind turbines8)

While the Aqua Ventus technology has won support from the U.S. government, other floating designs are competing for global attention and investment.

UMaine’s chief rival in the Department of Energy grant competition, Principle Power, failed to win a power contract with a utility in Oregon and was cut from consideration. But the company recently concluded testing a 2-megawatt steel platform called WindFloat off Portugal, and is planning multi-unit floating farms in Europe and Japan.   

Statoil, the Norwegian energy company that pulled the plug on a proposed test project in Maine in 2013, is building a 30-megawatt steel wind farm off Scotland. 

And recently, floating-wind researchers are developing an interest in concrete. Testing has begun on a hybrid concrete-steel platform in Japan; a concrete design is being built in France and another is proposed in Spain. In a news release last month, the Spanish developers of Windcrete noted that it could be built in dry dock, towed to sea and partially flooded with seawater, avoiding the expense of floating cranes.

These benefits sound familiar to the Aqua Ventus team.  ;)  ;D

“No one talked about concrete until we put ours in the water,” Dagher said.

Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at:

tturkel@pressherald.com

Twitter: TuxTurkel


http://www.pressherald.com/2016/07/10/umaine-offshore-wind-project-poised-to-take-off/

* Agelbert NOTE: Giant wave activity will be far more frequent due to global warming, so a floating platform capable of handling violent seas is a prudent innovation for our baked in violent climate future. For more information on what scientists expect within 25 years, feel free to copy, paste, save, read at your leisure and pass on the following three part article, in whole or in part, with or without attribution. 

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #132 on: July 12, 2016, 04:11:59 pm »


Wild Weather Powers South Australia’s Wind Farms to Milestone

Bloomberg News 

July 12, 2016 — 2:48 AM EDT
 
Two thirds of state’s power needs come from wind over weekend

More than 40% of power derived from renewable energy in 2015 


Wind farms supplied more than two thirds of South Australia’s electricity at the weekend, with an even bigger contribution on Monday in a sign of the state’s growing embrace of clean energy.

Wind provided 83 percent of the state’s power needs in the 24 hours to 4 p.m. on Monday when turbines helped turn the wild weather whipping the state into renewable energy, Australia’s Clean Energy Council said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.

South Australia got more than 40 percent of its power needs from renewable energy last year, the council said, adding that the state’s 683 turbines have generated more than $6 billion of investment.

Wind energy is helping many nations, including Australia, to cut emissions from the power sector. Other mainland states could follow South Australia to use more renewable energy, according to the council.

Quote
Wind-power capacity in Australia may surge almost 56 percent by 2018 from 2015 levels, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecasts.

“New technologies such as battery storage are falling in price, and will act as a perfect complement to smooth out the supply of renewable energy in the future," Alicia Webb, the Clean Energy Council’s policy manager, said in the statement.

— With assistance by Feifei Shen

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-12/wild-weather-powers-south-australia-s-wind-farms-to-milestone

Agelbert NOTE: As the scientific consensus has argued for several years, and I have posted about for about 4 years, global warming increases average wind speeds all over the planet. Consequently, every wind turbine out there will return a greater amount of energy than the fossil fuel industry shills like Charles Hall have claimed, as well as being less intermittent and more reliable with more wind AND larger and cheaper battery storage technology.

But even Charles Hall gave wind turbines an ERoEI of 18:1 in 2012 AND added that the bigger they are (they have gotten a LOT bigger since then), the higher (above 18:1) their ERoEI gets.  ;D

In the light of these wind increase facts, I would not put it past the fossil fuel industry to claim that, since burning their hydrocarbon product is DIRECTLY responsible for the increased wind ENERGY those turbines are getting from climate change caused increased wind speeds, they should get a cut of the energy profits from wind turbine Renewable energy. 

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #133 on: July 27, 2016, 10:46:37 pm »


Die Welt

“Mega sailing ship to take German cars across the sea”  :o  ;D

Quote
A giant sailing vessel could become a new means of transport for car exports from Germany to America and Asia, reports Birger Nicolai in Die Welt.

VW, Daimler and BMW are all looking into the possibility to get a contract for the 180 m long “Ecoliner”
 which will have four masts with 20 sails. VW’s plans are the most advanced and could become part of the companies sustainability offensive regarding its shipping logistics, the author writes.

German car manufacturers are annually shipping some three million new cars abroad, using ships powered with the most polluting bunker fuels.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Wind Power
« Reply #134 on: July 28, 2016, 08:19:28 pm »
27. July 2016
Expansion of onshore wind energy in Germany in the first half of 2016

Strong expansion before the switch to tendering

With a net capacity of 1,892 megawatts in the first six months of the year, 2016 looks like being a good year for land-based wind energy expansion. This strong expansion is being driven by the allocation of suitable sites and priority areas in many federal states. There has also been a surge of permits in order to secure the option of installing turbines with legally fixed EEG remuneration rates. In Germany the wind industry is working hard to develop innovation and production bases further. It also aims to use its leading technology to further expand its strong position in what are generally stable markets abroad.

Berlin, 28 July 2016 – Onshore wind energy in Germany was extended by a net capacity of 1,892 megawatts in the first half of 2016, representing a growth of 73 per cent over the same period the previous year (1,093 megawatts). Factoring in the number of dismantled turbines and the 161 megawatts of repowered turbine capacity in the first six months, this gives a gross capacity increase of 2,053 megawatts. This means a third strong year in a row for reasonably priced onshore wind energy. Taking projects that have already been granted planning permission into consideration, the industry associations VDMA Power Systems and German Wind Energy Association BWE predict a net volume of between 4,000 and 4,400 megawatts for the whole year.


Stronger expansion in 2016 due to increased wind zoning

The strong extension in the first half of 2016 has been driven by the allocation of suitable sites and priority areas. The zone allocations made in the federal states last year continue to have an effect, even though some have been revoked as a result of political decisions in Bavaria or judicial decisions in Schleswig-Holstein. The availability of space also explains some of the significant regional variations. “The German market is concentrating less on the coastal states, and developing in an increasingly balanced manner. This is underlined by the healthy development in the typically landlocked states. Federal government must re-evaluate the restriction of expansion in regions with grid bottlenecks as early as 2018 so that this can be reversed if and where necessary”, says Hermann Albers, president of the BWE.


Forecast for 2017 dependent on existing approvals

The industry expects a similar level of growth for 2017 as in this year. By the end of May projects have been approved with a total volume of around 3,200 megawatts. A large proportion of these will have been realised by the end of this year. Operators and official agencies are expecting a further surge of approvals by then. Whoever secures approval before the end of the year and erects their turbines in 2017 or 2018, will still get the legally fixed rates of remuneration for the power they produce. The extraordinary degression starting in March 2017, and particularly the intensified degression from October of the same year render expansion clearly less attractive. “Although we will see a significant decline in new builds over the year, it will probably have virtually no impact on the overall capacity that will be installed in 2017. This is because higher turbine yields will to a certain extent compensate for the drop in remuneration”, says Matthias Zelinger, managing director of VDMA Power Systems. It can be assumed that in 2018, the second transition year, there will be significantly less expansion, he adds. “We expect that most of the projects approved by the end of 2016 will be realised in 2017, and will not be involved in tendering. The extension in 2018 will primarily consist of the tenders awarded in 2017.”


Working harder to develop business bases

While there is still uncertainty amongst developers, manufacturers are in principle taking a positive view of controlling quantity through tendering, as long as it secures continuous expansion, fosters greater competition and contributes to market proximity. Production and product development will have to be adjusted to a market volume of initially 2,800 megawatts a year. Attention should however be paid to ensure that the legally fixed tender quantities do not lead to the stagnation of what has up to now been a positive development of the wind industry in Germany. Projects that are not realised, despite winning a tender, must not be allowed to curtail the volume of expansion in the long term. These quantities must be taken into consideration in later tenders, because in the long term an ambitious expansion and a lively market, also with regard to quantity, is necessary if the manufacturers are to maintain their technological leadership and their production capacities in Germany. Up to now the manufacturers have owed their strong position, also in the global market, to the fact that the technology was being further improved in the German domestic market. “This didn’t just happen by itself. Innovative strength has always required hard work in this industry, and now it needs even harder work.” states Zelinger.


World market at the same high level

The demand for leading turbine technology Made in Germany in international markets has remained at the same high level. VDMA Power Systems forecasts a global market for onshore wind turbines in an order of magnitude of 55,000 megawatts in 2016, which will continue the same in the following years. Due to their current strong role in the worldwide consolidation process, German companies have the chance to expand their position in growing markets. The largely closed Chinese market on the other hand remains a problem. Strict demands regarding the local share of value creation hamper competition in other markets. This is where the federal government should be working harder for fair market opportunities of the German wind industry.


The energy system’s cheaper key player

In Germany, onshore wind production is still a cost-effective key player in the shift to renewable energy use. The nationwide strong expansion makes sense as far as energy production is concerned. “Nowadays wind forecasts are very precise. The actual amount that is fed into the grid hardly deviates from what is forecast. Wind turbines provide important system services, such as maintaining voltage stability. It would make sense to integrate the turbines into the redispatch system. There are also alternatives to reducing production in the event of grid bottlenecks. We welcome the opportunity provided by EEG 2017 to use this electricity before it reaches the grid junction point. This has created the first interfaces for sector coupling. Producers can develop their own markets by means of business-to-business solutions. This is fully in keeping with market integration and makes a serious contribution to system transformation. It also supports the achievement of the federal government’s climate protection goals”, says Hermann Albers.

Figures at a glance:

Status of onshore wind energy expansion Capacity in MW Nos. turbines
 
Net expansion in the first six months               1,892.2              579
 
Gross expansion in the first six months            2,053.4              726
 
Amount repowered                                        308.2                 106
 
Reduction in the first half of 2016                   161.21               147

Accumulated turbines on 30.6.2016                43,543.7            26,561
 
Factsheet: Status of Land-Based Wind Energy Development in Germany -1st Half of 2016

Press contacts:

VDMA Power Systems
Catherine Diethelm
+49 160 97910687
catherine.diethelm@vdma.org

Bundesverband WindEnergie e.V.
Wolfram Axthelm
+49 172 3991304
w.axthelm@wind-energie.de

https://www.wind-energie.de/en/press/press-releases/2016/expansion-onshore-wind-energy-germany-first-half-2016

 


He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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