Deborahruddell.com

According to Windpower Intelligence, the research and data arm of Windpower Monthly, Western turbine manufacturers announced 2.8GW of solid turbine purchase agreements (TPAs) in October, revealing a persistent paucity of orders in Europe.

Two TPAs—one including Turkey and the other Taiwan—accounted for more than three-quarters of the total 2.8GW.

Following the decline in Q3 orders announced by WindEurope, there were relatively few reported European TPAs.

With the exception of an 81.6MW order from the Landwind Group in Germany, Nordex reported 463MW of European TPAs last month, although these were agreements finalized at the end of September.

One agreement was for 37 of Ignitis Group’s N117/3600 turbines to be installed at the 137 MW Silesia 2 wind farm in Poland. Another was Exilion Tuuli Ky, a Finnish investor, to whom Nordex committed to provide 17 of its N163/5.X turbines for the 30MW Isokangas and 70MW Palokangas projects.

Last month, Nordex also revealed two other contracts it had signed at the end of September: a 95MW order for Spain and a 50MW order for Croatia.

For the 105MW Mikonkeidas project in Kristiinankaupunki, Finland, Siemens Gamesa announced a deal to provide 16 of its SG 6.6-170 turbines to Energiequelle. However, that was the sole European TPA the OEM recorded in October, and it was really signed during the quarter from July to September.

The Turkish company Enerjisa Üretim has agreed to purchase 240 of Enercon’s E-138 EP3 E2 turbines for 1,000 MW over the next four years. The wind farms in Anakkale, Balkesir, Aydn, and Mula will all have them installed.

Siemens Gamesa did, however, benefit from the offshore industry in October. It contracted to provide the 1,044MW Hai Long projects in the Taiwan Strait with 73 of its SG 14-222 DD turbines. The turbines will be produced locally.

In the meantime, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind selected Vestas as its preferred supplier for the 1510 MW Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind 1 project off the coast of New Jersey. In 2027, it is planned to erect V236-15.0 MW turbines that Vestas will also maintain.

In order to carry out plans to considerably increase the quantity of wind energy reaching consumers by 2020, Rocky Mountain Power has chosen four additional wind projects.
Projects Selected by Rocky Mountain Power for Major Wind Power Expansion
Courtesy Mountain Power Rocky
The four projects will provide enough additional wind energy to power around 450,000 typical households and increase Rocky Mountain Output’s owned and contracted wind power by more than 60%.

Following the release of a request for proposals in September 2017, the bids were chosen. For the corporation to choose the most affordable new wind projects, the RFP provides a competitive bidding procedure. These are the four chosen projects:

A 400 MW wind project with half owned by PacifiCorp and the other half owned and supplied by NextEra under a power purchase agreement will be erected in Converse County, Wyoming, by NextEra Energy Resources, LLC.
a 161 MW wind farm that will be constructed by Invenergy, LLC and managed by PacifiCorp in Uinta County, Wyoming.
a 500 MW wind farm that will be developed, owned, and managed by PacifiCorp in the Wyoming counties of Carbon and Albany.
a 250 MW wind farm in Carbon County, Wyoming, that PacifiCorp will construct, own, and manage.
According to Cindy A. Crane, president and chief executive officer of Rocky Mountain Power, “the new wind projects are part of the company’s Energy Vision 2020 effort, which will considerably increase the company’s Wyoming wind fleet and boost the state and local economies.” To link the new wind energy to Rocky Mountain Power’s grid, the project also includes a 140-mile section of the Gateway West high-voltage transmission line in Wyoming.

The company’s 2017 Integrated Resource Plan identified the increased wind power and related transmission line as part of a larger strategy to most efficiently satisfy customers’ energy demands over the following 20 years. The firm will be able to leverage federal production tax credits to offer net cost savings to clients throughout the course of the projects if the wind projects are finished by 2020.

The four new wind projects are expected to cost around $1.5 billion, which is much cheaper per megawatt than when the new wind and transmission plan was initially unveiled in April of last year. The Energy Vision 2020 effort is less expensive to implement per megawatt than other resource choices, such as energy market purchases, in order to satisfy anticipated consumer energy demands.

Construction of the new wind and transmission projects is anticipated to start in 2019, subject to approval from state commissions, the purchase of rights of way, and the issuance of permits. For more information on Energy Vision 2020, see the following link.

Following certification by DNV GL, offshore energy support vessel operator Seacat Services has received a new set of International Organization for Standardization accreditations.
Seacat Services, an OESV operator, received new ISO certifications.
With thanks to Seacat Services
In the offshore wind industry, Seacat Services is one of the first operators of offshore energy support vessels to obtain the upgraded ISO9001: 2015 quality management and ISO14001: 2015 environmental management standards. Additionally, the organization has updated its OHSAS 18001 health and safety accreditation. These accreditations demonstrate the company’s ongoing capacity to provide offshore wind farm developers, operators, and contractors with the highest caliber of service.

Support vessel operators are now required to obtain independently assessed ISO and OHSAS accreditation as a sign of quality and safety. However, it is believed that 90% of authorized organizations across all industries have not yet made the transition to the new ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 14001: 2015 standards, even though the deadline for doing so is in September of this year.

One of the few OESV companies that complies with the International Safety Management standard is Seacat Services, which finished its examination with DNV GL in January. Operators of bigger vessels exceeding 500 tonnes frequently possess this stricter certification.

According to Mark Drew, Head of Business Support at Seacat Services, “At first glance, the ISO, ISM, and OHSAS accreditation processes could appear to be a series of administrative hoops to jump through.” “But in practice, what they do is urge a corporation to carefully consider the risks and possibilities present in its operations and, most importantly, how it adheres to the commitments it makes. These certifications provide a greater purpose for Seacat Services than simply demonstrating to customers that we can complete a task. They educate and inspire a continuous program of small changes that guarantee that both our fleet and the team that supports it continue to outperform expectations, along with the field experience we’re acquiring.

The 14-vessel Seacat Services fleet is also class-certified by DNV GL in addition to these ISO, ISM, and OHSAS certifications.

New Jersey is the third state to recently announce intentions for offshore wind generation, following New York and Connecticut.
Governor Phil Murphy stated that the state will start building 3,500 MW of offshore wind by 2030, providing enough energy to power over a million households. This is part of the vast American offshore wind sector that is just now developing. In order to start the process of advancing the state toward achieving its goal, Murphy has signed an Executive Order instructing the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to fully execute the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act.

Murphy sees offshore wind as “a vital step” in helping the Garden State meet its renewable energy targets and wants to make New Jersey “a leader” in the industry. Murphy has instructed the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to create an offshore wind strategic plan that focuses on increasing employment, fostering workforce development, gathering data, and safeguarding offshore natural resources in order to achieve this goal.

Governor Christie approved OWEDA in 2010. It is a piece of law that gives state authorities the power to design a scheme for Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credits. Offshore wind developers have not received the requisite permissions from the New Jersey BPU to proceed, and there are still gaps in the rules for executing the OREC program. The BPU is instructed by Governor Murphy’s Executive Order to start the rulemaking procedure in order to fix these regulatory loopholes.

The Executive Order also instructs Catherine McCabe, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Joseph Fiordaliso, president of the BPU, to collaborate on developing an offshore wind strategic plan for New Jersey. This will concentrate on crucial elements of offshore wind development, such as employment creation, personnel development, data gathering, and proper facility decision, as well as assuring the protection of natural resources.

“We are grateful to governors Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Andrew Cuomo of New York, and Dannel Malloy of Connecticut for recognizing the enormous potential for clean energy off their shores and acting to make it a reality as soon as possible,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.

New York and Connecticut have made pledges, and now New Jersey has done the same. According to REM’s article from last week, the state of New York has unveiled a new offshore wind master plan that aims to develop 2,400 MW worth of offshore wind farms by 2030.

In 2016, Statoil was awarded the first offshore wind lease in New York. This will make it possible to build Empire Wind, a 600 MW offshore wind farm located 20 miles south of Long Island. Once the firm finds a client for the wind farm’s energy output, construction may start in 2023.

A request for proposals (RFP) has been made by Connecticut for the development of sustainable energy, including 220 MW of offshore wind along with projects for anaerobic digestion and hydrogen fuel cells.

According to Riccardo Toto, CEO and President of US Wind, expanding the US market would support the development of a stronger American supply chain and further reduce customer prices. Offshore wind leases off Maryland and New Jersey are now held by US Wind.

According to a recent study co-authored by New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and the Clean Energy States Alliance, 8 GW of offshore wind power from Maryland to Maine will support nearly 40,000 full-time jobs in the United States by 2028, compared to the Department of Energy’s forecast of 160,000 jobs supported by 86 GW by 2050.

“The visible market for offshore wind in America is already more than half the total worldwide installed capacity, including all the governmental commitments made so far,” claims Stephanie McClellan, director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind at the University of Delaware.

The Trump Administration released draft guidelines for a “design envelope” approach in January as an indication of support for offshore wind. This enables developers to move the regulatory process forward faster while delaying some commercial choices, such the choice of wind turbines. Before completing these recommendations, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is looking for feedback from the sector.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke stated, “The offshore wind potential of the Outer Continental Shelf is a fantastic asset and part of the administration’s America-First Energy Plan to make it simpler for companies to do business here.” More than ever, we need to make use of all the tools at our disposal to guarantee an energy-secure future that fosters employment growth and is also cheap, competitive, and safe. In the future, offshore wind will have a significant impact.

A week after the Republican governor of Maine signed an executive order blocking licenses for new wind energy projects in the state, environmentalists in the US sued LePage on Wednesday.
CLF sues the governor of Maine for his “outrageous” ban on wind energy
LePage asserted that wind turbines are bad for Maine’s tourist business when he signed the directive on January 24. The decision suspends project permitting and creates a new organization, the Maine Wind Energy Advisory Commission, whose duties include “assessing the economic effect” of proposed projects and creating new state laws for the sector.

The Conservation Law Foundation of Boston asserts that the order violates the Maine Constitution’s provision on the separation of powers in a lawsuit that was filed in Mainie state court.

According to Sean Mahoney, executive vice president of CLF and director for Maine, “This Executive Order is a transparent political attempt to impose the Governor’s own anti-renewable energy worldview on the people and companies of Maine.” The separation of powers between our three levels of government, which was created by the Maine Constitution, is clearly violated. In addition to being against the law, it is detrimental to Maine’s economy since businesses require clarity in order to invest. This absurd attempt to stifle our economic future will harm Mainers across the state, as has been the case with prior choices made by this Governor on energy efficiency and solar power growth, and CLF will do all in our ability to oppose it.

A declared goal of the 2004-passed Maine Wind Energy Act is to promote the growth of wind energy projects in the state. “It is in the public interest to explore for and encourage the development, where appropriate, of wind energy production in the State in a manner that is consistent with all state and federal environmental standards and that achieves reliable, cost-effective, sustainable energy production on those sites in the State that will attract investment and permit the development of viable wind energy projects,” the “Legislative Findings” (Section 3402) of the Act stated.

You may access a copy of CLF’s complaint here.

The construction of one of the world’s highest wind turbine towers, created by the Spanish business Nabrawind Technologies, has begun in Eslava, northern Spain. The goal of this project is to test a revolutionary design and assembly method by building a full-scale prototype in place of the industry’s present massive, expensive cranes. After installation, the prototype will undergo a fatigue test that, in only six months, will replicate 25 years of real-world usage.
Nabrawind Technologies Has Started Installing One of the World’s
“With this test, the performance of the tower during operation will be confirmed more quickly. Ion Arocena, the head of the NBTECH Tower Program, stated that this will increase the structure’s dependability and reduce any technical hazards before to the first pre-series.

This will be accomplished by utilizing a unique method that creates loads on the tower’s upper portion by carefully oscillating it in order to quickly imitate real-world situations.

This test procedure was developed for the NEVA project but has never been used on a wind turbine tower. The National Renewable Energy Center of Spain is a partner in the project, which is funded by FEDER money provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness.

The new construction will allow the tower to eventually reach heights of up to 200 meters thanks to its self-erecting technology, which eliminates the need for big cranes.

However, NBTECH has fixed the height of their prototype at 160m to be consistent with the state of the market. Even so, it will continue to be the highest wind turbine tower outside of Germany.

As a result, the hub height of the NBTECH prototype tower will be 160m overall. It consists of a frame structure with three columns that is 86 meters high and was created and patented by NBTECH, and a traditional tower that is 71 meters high that is affixed on top.

The Nabralift, a structure created by NBTECH, stands out for its proprietary assembly mechanism, a novel self-erecting technique utilizing hydraulic jacks on the ground. This makes it possible to raise the tower by adding new modules from below. Because the tower is made up of smaller components, specialist trucks and cranes are not required. This new approach represents significant improvements in the shipping and tower assembly logistics.

Under the brand name Nabrajoint, the business has also created technical solutions for wind turbine blades.

According to Javier Callén, head of the NBTECH Modular Blade Program, “basically it consists of a unique connection for a modular blade that will allow the shipment of huge wind turbine blades in two or more portions.”

Due to its construction being 20% lighter than a conventional tower of the same height, its ease of transport and logistics, its lack of need for specialized lorries or cranes, and its installation on a foundation of three concrete pads, the Nabralift technology solution offers a significant cost saving compared to conventional towers of up to 15-20% (depending on the height and power output of the wind turbine).

Each component of the tower was created by NBTECH utilizing traditional manufacturing techniques, making it simple to deploy on any continent while maintaining a high level of dependability.

With the goal of delivering the first pre-series in 2019, NBTECH has recently finalized a number of agreements to manufacture its tower and blade components for supply inside Europe. Due to the significant level of interest displayed by potential clients, deployment across APAC and LATAM is anticipated to happen shortly.

Consultants For a month-long feasibility study, LOC Renewables has been hired by Taiwanese subsea cable installation Woen Jinn Harbor Engineering.
LOC Renewables will conduct a feasibility assessment on cabling in Taiwan.
With thanks to LOC Renewables
Through its specialized naval architectural design and engineering team, Longitude Engineering, LOC Renewables will carry out the investigation. A cable lay barge for Woen Jinn will be evaluated by the Longitude team as part of the agreement with Woen Jinn Harbor Engineering, and the team will provide advice on the specifications and conversion work needed to equip the barge for offshore wind activities.

Taiwan’s current goal is to build 3 GW of offshore wind power by 2030. Due to the nation’s abundant natural wind resources and ideal offshore construction circumstances, local Taiwanese businesses are increasingly looking to partner with existing offshore wind energy companies in order to get access to more established European markets’ knowledge and expertise. Late this year, LOC Renewables and four regional partners agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding outlining their plans to advance Taiwan’s offshore wind farm development and construction. Longitude will now determine the cable lay barge requirements for Taiwan’s offshore wind projects and provide advice on the modifications needed to satisfy these.

Longitude will offer continuing assistance throughout the barge’s operational life in addition to more accurately estimating the scale of conversion work necessary to make Woen Jinn’s flagship cable installation barge, the WJ#5, ready for the offshore wind market. In order to identify its function as the owners’ engineer throughout the required design engineering to transform the cable lay barge into a fit-for-purpose vessel, Longitude is also collaborating with Woen Jinn.

Nicolas Cazeres, Managing Director of Longitude’s Singapore branch, stated, “We’re happy to be working alongside Woen Jinn on what is a long-term relationship to improve their cable-laying skills and grow up the local supply chain.”

In addition, Cheng Yu (Bruce) Lee, Director at Woen Jinn Harbor Engineering, noted that the firm’s collaboration with Longitude Engineering in barge design and associated verification activities will enable the firm to provide Taiwan with a first-rate local cable installation service as the nation plans for the development of offshore wind power. The company played a significant role in the 2016 completion of the nation’s first offshore wind turbine.

The New York State Offshore Wind Master Plan, created to direct the construction of 2.4 GW of offshore wind by 2030, was published by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. In his 2018 State of the State speech, Governor Cuomo declared that New York will launch tenders in 2018 and 2019 for a combined total of at least 800 MW of offshore wind energy.
State of New York Announces Offshore Wind Development Master Plan
The Governor’s directive to meet 50% of the state’s electricity demand with renewable energy sources by 2030 includes offshore wind.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has submitted an Offshore Wind Policy Options Paper to the New York State Public Service Commission to kick off the Governor’s direction to acquire at least 800 MW of offshore wind. In order to promote prompt project development, NYSERDA evaluates various approaches for contracting for offshore wind projects in this study.

In addition, the governor disclosed a $15 million investment to prepare the local labor force for opportunities in offshore wind and port infrastructure development. Cuomo is asking NYSERDA to collaborate with other essential state agencies as a next step in order to guarantee that labor laws, prevailing wages, and other policies are properly put into place in order to create high-quality, well-paying clean energy employment for New Yorkers.

One of the studies used to support the Master Plan, Workforce Opportunity of Offshore Wind in New York, concluded that more than $6 billion in public and private investments might benefit New York’s workforce and infrastructure if there was a thriving regional offshore wind industry. Additionally, the sector may anticipate adding 350 jobs in project management and development, 2,700 positions in manufacturing, and 2,000 jobs in operations and maintenance.

According to Governor Cuomo, “New York is doubling down on its commitment to renewable energy and the industries of tomorrow as the federal government plans to open up our coastline to drilling and continues to turn its back on preserving natural resources.” “To develop an increasingly inexpensive sustainable energy source that generates well-paying employment while preserving Long Island’s natural beauty and quality of life, we are leveraging our world-class workforce, incomparable intellectual capital, physical infrastructure, and financial institutions.”

The nation’s first of its type, New York’s Offshore Wind Master Plan. After two years of extensive study, analysis, and communication, New York issued the Offshore Wind Master Plan, which outlines a path toward attaining the Governor’s ambitious offshore wind energy goals. People directly involved in offshore wind, those who are impacted by it or stand to gain from its development, environmental organizations, project developers, manufacturers, the commercial and recreational fishing industries, and the general public have all been extensively involved in the stakeholder engagement process. Numerous meetings and consultations, seven public information sessions, and four open houses devoted to the fishing sector have been held by the state.

On February 13 from 1 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m., NYSERDA will offer two public webinars as part of its ongoing stakeholder engagement to give an overview of the Offshore Wind Master Plan and the subsequent measures that New York will take to enhance offshore wind development. For additional information and to pre-register for the webinar, please click here.

Visit the NYSERDA website for additional details on the Offshore Wind Master Plan for New York and associated research.

In one of Lloyd’s Register’s most recent wind energy efforts, second-year students in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bristol will work to create and enhance wind speed analysis and data for trend comparisons through Lloyd’s Register’s “windiness dashboard.” Investors, developers, owners, and operators of present wind farms can use this tool to evaluate and forecast energy output at every project stage, from planning and construction through operation.
‘Windiness Dashboard’ to Improve Industry Wind Speed Prediction
Wind farm owners, investors, and developers are impacted by wind speed patterns. Users will be able to examine, evaluate, and forecast the effectiveness and energy output from a wind farm with the use of Lloyd’s Register’s “windiness dashboard.” In order to comprehend the siting issues for wind farm projects, the data given will aid in constructing year-over-year patterns. It will offer a trustworthy and high-quality index of wind data.

The University of Bristol and Lloyd’s Register effort offers the industry a distinctive platform to research trends in wind speed and wind farm production. It presents the possibility of advancements in wind energy production forecasting.

Wind speed unpredictability is still one of the most urgent problems facing wind farm operators and developers. This initiative will enhance awareness of the risks involved and foster better decision-making by facilitating access to the precise, understandable, and succinct information the industry expects. According to David Pullinger, Technical Lead of Energy Resource Services at Lloyd’s Register, the goal of this effort with the University of Bristol is to research, test, and provide industry with a distinctive platform.

It is a project that is generating interest in a sector that is thirsty for fresh, inventive goods and chances to bring in new talent for the wind industry.

The undertaking has begun and will go through April 2018. In May 2018, Lloyd’s Register and the University of Bristol will release the initiative’s results and preliminary conclusions. By joining the list at http://www.lr.org/en/wind/list-subscribe.aspx, you may get updates on the initiative’s progress.

The data we can offer through the “windiness dashboard” will be useful for a variety of future offshore and onshore wind farms thanks to our solutions-based approach to increasing predictability and dependability. We are eager to collaborate on this intriguing initiative with our partner, the University of Bristol, and its students, Pullinger said.

According to a recent research by the advanced analytics firm Uptake, the US wind industry could generate an additional 12 TWh of energy, which is enough untapped energy to power about 1.1 million households.
The current US wind fleet has untapped energy that could power 1.1 million homes.
The research states that 94 percent of the present wind fleet is now available, which is a gauge of a wind turbine’s readiness to generate energy. Without purchasing new equipment, the present fleet is expected to provide an extra 2.4 TWh of wind energy for every 1% increase in availability. Without installing new generation, that would result in an increase in energy production of 450 extra wind turbines. It would generate almost as much electricity as a single coal-fired power plant while also possibly reducing CO2 emissions by 1.78 million tons, which is about comparable to taking more than 382,000 automobiles off the road annually. Additionally, it would supply 222,000 more houses with energy each year.

The Uptake paper describes how software solutions may significantly enhance the amount of energy generated by wind turbine fleets by optimizing operations, identifying component problems before they occur, and providing real-time information on turbine performance.

According to Sonny Garg, global energy solutions lead at Uptake, current wind turbines are capable of producing substantially more electricity than they now do. “The potential growth in wind turbine energy output is tremendous and vital to our transition to a clean energy future since it allows us to foresee issues before they arise.

The findings from the Uptake research also highlight a significant possibility for the present wind fleet to produce more electricity, according to Dr. Sue Tierney, senior adviser at the Analysis Group, Uptake advisor, and former assistant policy secretary at the US Department of Energy.