Category Archives: offshore wind

EU Offshore Wind Has Good 2012

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Cumulative_and_annual_offshore_wind_installations_1993-2012_by_MWDuring 2012, Europe installed and grid connected 239 offshore wind turbines – more than on per working day. There are now a total of 2,662 turbines in 61 offshore wind farms in 10 European countries. The 293 turbines installed in 2012 represent 1,165 Megawatts (MW), an increase of 33 percent compared to 2011 installations of 874 MW. This brings total offshore wind energy capacity to 4,995 MW.

Heading in 2013, EK remains the leader with nearly 60 percent of Europe’s offshore capacity, followed by Denmark (18%), Belgium (8%) and Germany (6%).

“Offshore wind power is growing solidly,” said European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) Policy Director Justin Wilkes. “But solid installation figures do not alter the fact that the wind industry is being hit by political and regulatory instability, the economic crisis, the higher cost of capital and austerity. Europe is a world leader in offshore wind energy and could be creating even more jobs if governments gave greater policy certainty to investors, and resolved grid connection problems.”

The turbines installed in 2012 represent investments of around 4 billion Euros in offshore wind farms. Offshore prospects for 2013 and 2014 are positive with 14 offshore projects under construction, due to increase installed capacity by a further 3,300 MW, and bring total offshore capacity in Europe to 8,300 MW.

Wind Power Makes Gains in China

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According to Liu Qi, deputy director general of the National Energy Administration, wind power is the third-largest source of electricity in China. He proclaimed that there is no electric power to substitute the position of wind power as No. 3, during the 18th CPC National Congress. He added that China “is determined to promote the revolution of energy generation and consumption to control the total consumption of energy, to improve energy conservation, and to support the development of energy conservation and the low carbon industry as well as renewable energy in order to ensure the safety of national energy.”

Longyua Offshore Wind FarmLate last year, the State Council released the white paper, “China’s Energy Policy 2012,” stating that wind power has the greatest possibility of large-scale development and market utilization. The country’s development of wind power is the fastest in the world and China’s 12th Five-Year Plan, sets a goal of developing wind energy in both concentrated and distributed formats and the utilization of wind resources will be accelerated including the development of offshore wind power.

Qi also announced that China is committed to strengthening grid construction, improving grid dispatching, enhancing equipment performance, advancing wind power predictions and forecasts, more. The goal, by 2015, is for the country’s total wind turbine installed capacity to reach 100 million kW, including 5 million kW offshore.

On November 23, Longyuan Wind Power realized the completion of 150 MW in an offshore wind demonstration project in Rudong, Jiangsu Province. This is the largest offshore wind farm to date in China. As more projects continue to be developed, the county’s industry is hosting Offshore Wind China 2013 being held in Shanghai June 19-21, 2013. The event is being organized by the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association, the National Renewable Energy Center, and Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd.

Production Tax Credit for Wind Energy Extended

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Several wind energy tax credits have been extended with the passage of the bill to avert the “fiscal cliff”. The tax credits are estimated to save up to 37,000 jobs while reviving business at nearly 500 manufacturing facilities across the U.S. according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Both the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credits for community and offshore projects will help the wind energy industry continue to grow. The bill will cover all wind projects that start construction in 2013.

Energy produced from wind set a new record in 2012 with 44 percent of new electrical generation coming from wind energy according the Energy Information Administration. Despite this accomplishment, the uncertainty over the future of the tax credits caused many manufacturing companies to idle production lines and lay off workers. AWEA said uncertain federal policies have caused a “boom-bust” cycle in U.S. wind energy development for more than a decade. A long-term commitment to policy, including the PTC could end this cycle.

“On behalf of all the people working in wind energy manufacturing facilities, their families, and all the communities that benefit, we thank President Obama and all the members of the House and Senate who had the foresight to extend this successful policy, so wind projects can continue to be developed in 2013 and 2014,” said outgoing AWEA CEO Denise Bode.

Rob Gramlich, who becomes the AWEA interim CEO on January 2, 2013 added, “Now we can continue to provide America with more clean, affordable, homegrown energy, and keep growing a new manufacturing sector that’s now making nearly 70 percent of our wind turbines in the U.S.A.”

UMaine’s Floating Wind Turbine Project Gets $4M

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center the first phase of a potential $93.2 million grant to develop an offshore floating wind demonstration project. The demonstration project will de-risk the UMaine’s VolturnUS floating platform so that more private capital can flow in to Maine to build larger commercial farms.

During the first phase, awarded $4 million, the engineering, design and permitting will be completed. The next year, DOE will select up to three of the offshore projects that received awards, for follow-up funding. During this phase, the focus will be on siting, construction and installation with the goal of commercial operation by 2017. The UMaine Composites Center’s partners have pledged nearly $40 million in additional funds for the project.

OFFSHORE_WIND“We are pleased that the DOE has selected our team’s program after a rigorous technical review,” said Dr. Habib Dagher, P.E., director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and principal investigator for the project. “This R&D program could be transformational for our state, and will help us demonstrate a unique, patent-pending floating wind turbine technology called VolturnUS.”

The program, known as “Aqua Ventus I,” will be a 12 MW demonstration wind park using the VolturnUS floating platform technology developed at the UMaine Composites Center over the last four years. This project builds on the success of the DeepCwind Consortium Research Program, spearheaded by UMaine Composites Center and its industry partners. In spring 2013, a 1:8-scale VolturnUS floating platform will be deployed by UMaine researchers at the UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site near Monhegan Island, Maine.

According to UMaine, deepwater floating offshore wind farms could harness stronger and more consistent winds than traditional fixed-foundation offshore wind turbines. This type of wind turbine would also be out of sight of the shore, alleviating esthetic concerns.

The Gulf of Maine has 156.6 GW of offshore wind potential, the majority of which is in deepwater. Maine has a plan to build a 5,000 MW network of floating farms by 2030, which would attract $20 billion of private capital to our state, and create thousands of jobs.

“Icebreaker” Offshore Wind Farm Wins $4M Grant

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The country’s only fresh water offshore wind farm known as “Icebreaker” has been awarded $4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The project is led by the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDC0). Through a one-year cooperative agreement, the DOE has committed $4 million to support the continued development of the project that will consist of five to nine wind turbines sited seven miles off the coast of Cleveland in Lake Erie. LEEDCo’s private partners have committed an additional $1 million to the project.

DOE awarded seven offshore wind projects funding. In addition to Icebreaker, projects in Maine, New Jersey,  Oregon, Texas and Virginia could receive up to $47 million over the next four years, for a combined total of nearly $180 million, subject to Congressional appropriations.

The selected demonstration projects will help address key challenges associated with installing utility-scale offshore wind turbines, connecting offshore turbines to the power grid, and navigating new permitting and approval processes.

“The DOE funding for ‘Icebreaker’ is a testament and vote of confidence for LEEDCo’s world-class team members and partners,” said LEEDCo President Dr. Lorry Wagner.  “After a highly-competitive evaluation process, I am excited and proud to say that ‘Icebreaker’ was selected for its innovation and expertise in wind energy development, paving the way for future financial support from the Department of Energy and private investors.”

Among LEEDCo’s winning development team for the project are Case Western Reserve University, McMahon DeGulis, Freshwater Wind, Siemens, and DNV KEMA.

Offshore Wind Within Reach Off Eastern US Shores

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The Obama administration has announced competitive lease sales for wind energy development off the eastern coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia. This is the first time that a portion of the outer continental shelf will be leased for renewable energy development.

There are several areas proposed for leasing: the Virginia coast could support more than 2,000 megawatts of wind generation; Massachusetts and Rhode Island could support about 2,000 megawatts of wind generation. When combined, these offshore wind farms could generate enough electricity to power an estimated 1.4 million average sized homes.

“We have enormous potential for harnessing pollution-free wind energy off our coasts, and now are closer than ever to making this vision a reality in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Virginia. We are thrilled that the Obama administration has announced another critical step forward for offshore wind development and look forward to continuing to work with state and federal leaders to see turbines spinning off our coasts soon,” said Courtney Abrams, Clean Energy Advocate for Environment America.

The organization applauded Obama for his leadership and established its support for responsibly-sited offshore wind energy projects.  Abrams said offshore wind resources are vital to ensuring a future with cleaner air and fewer extreme weather events.  She cited the statistic that along the Atlantic coast alone, reaching the Department of Energy’s goal of 54 gigawatts of offshore wind power would reduce global warming pollution by the equivalent of taking roughly 18 million cars off the road.  In addition, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, meeting this benchmark would generate $200 billion in new economic activity while creating more than 43,000 permanent, high-paying jobs in manufacturing, construction, engineering, operations, and maintenance.

Report: Wind Energy Reduces GHG Emissions

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Environment America has released the new report, “Wind Power for a Cleaner America: Reducing Global Warming Pollution, Cutting Air Pollution and Saving Water,” detailing how current power generation from wind energy prevents as much global warming pollution as taking 13 million cars off the road each year. With the Production Tax Credit (PTC) quickly reaching its expiration date, Environment America is urging Congress to extend the federal incentives for wind power. In addition to the PTC, they are also encouraging the offshore wind investment tax credit (ITC) be renewed as well.

“Our message to Congress is clear: Don’t throw wind power off the fiscal cliff,” said Courtney Abrams, Clean Energy Advocate for Environment America. “Our clean air, water, and children’s future are too important to blow it now.”

In light of the results of the report, several U.S. Senators who support wind energy offered comments. U.S. Senator Mark Udall, whose bill to repeal the clause that prevented the U.S. military from pursuing aviation biofuels was passed by the Senate, said, “Extending the wind Production Tax Credit is one of the most straightforward ways we can support clean, Made-in-America energy and American manufacturing jobs. We need the PTC to help create more good-paying jobs here at home, including jobs for our veterans who are transitioning from the military into the civilian workforce. The wind PTC is also a commonsense way to support clean energy and to reduce our carbon emissions. It is critical that Congress extend the PTC ASAP and support clean, renewable wind energy.”

U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, noted, “Wind energy is a win for the economy, a win for the environment, and a win for New Jersey. We will continue fighting in Congress to extend the wind production tax credit and support the kind of energy development that is needed to create jobs, clean up the air our children breathe, and move America to a clean energy future.”

The report sites one advantage of wind is that it saves water. Continue reading →

Energy Research Centre Blesses ZephIR 300

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The Energy Research Centre for the Netherlands (ECN) has completed a 12 month offshore measurement campaign with the ZephIR 300 system as part of a four year campaign within the Dutch project “Meteorological Research Wind at Sea” where the ZephIR has been compared against the 108 metre Met Mast Ijmuiden (MMIJM) at the ECN Wind Turbine test facility EWTW. During a 60 week continuous period, the ZephIR was measured at over 98 percent, with the only period of unavailability being attributed to a mast power supply failure from which the ZephIR was being powered.

The data from the tests has been delivered to the wind energy industry on behalf of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. ECN’s initial conclusion is that ZephIR can be considered as a valid stand-alone system for wind resource assessments, especially given the industry’s tendency towards higher hub heights.

ECN’s Wind Energy Coordinator of Experiments & Measurements, Henk Oostrum noted, “ZephIR is very capable of providing high quality, 10 minute average wind speed and direction data at all heights well above traditional tall mast heights. Correlation is excellent to our IEC compliant mast and site. ZephIR can therefore be considered, in our initial opinion, to be used in a stand-alone application for wind resource measurements.”

Measurements at the EWTW and MMIJM are in accordance with IEC 61400-12. All masts are equipped with Thies class 1 cup anemometers and wind vanes as well as WindSensor p2456a cup anemometers. All calibrations are performed in a MEASNET approved wind tunnel and are covered by ISO 17025 ILAC accreditation.

“This is an exciting development in the ZephIR program – we never imagined that we would actually be operating within a met mast structure,” said Ian Locker, MD at Zephir Ltd. “The work that ECN has done independently, and now publicly, verifies not only the excellent core performance of ZephIR compared to a mast but also the ability to be deployed in this unique way. In both onshore and offshore applications, ZephIR has been proven to operate in a stand-alone manner providing finance-grade wind measurements for the progression of wind farm development and on-going performance analysis and optimisation.”