North American Windpower

Peregrine Energy Solutions LLC says it has acquired and intends to operate, redevelop and expand the assets of Old Gold Energy Center LLC (formerly known as Top of Iowa I), an 80 MW operating wind asset in northern Iowa.

The assets were acquired by Peregrine through a partnership with a global alternative investment manager on behalf of funds it manages.

Peregrine plans to continue to operate the asset, which has been commercially operational since 2001, while concurrently engaging in a redevelopment plan with goals of optimizing the wind resource at the site and strategically adding battery energy storage technology to the site

The company says the Old Gold project is strategically located at a site with one of the strongest and most reliable wind resources in North America and has an attractive delivery basis. Redevelopment plans are expected to be complete toward the end of 2027.

“We are excited to take control of this wind asset as we continue to build out Peregrine’s portfolio of development and operational projects,” says Alice Bray, director of asset management for Peregrine. “We believe that our redevelopment plan will enable this asset to achieve its full potential and contribute to the further decarbonization of the grid.”

“While our redevelopment plans are still in their initial stages and the final project size will depend on our continued analysis of this project, our initial projections are that this project could be developed to a wind farm of up to 230 MW with an 80 MW battery energy storage system,” adds Matt Von Tungeln, director of development for Peregrine.

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Hydro-Québec has selected three EDF Renewables North America wind power projects totaling 570 MW via two calls for tenders released in December 2021.

The selected projects include the following:

• Madawaska Wind Project: 270 MW in partnership with Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est and Hydro-Québec, located in the Lower St. Lawrence region in the Regional County Municipality of Témiscouata
• Forêt Domaniale Wind Project: 180 MW in partnership with Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est, located in the Chaudière-Appalaches region in the Regional County Municipality of Montmagny
• Haute-Chaudière Wind Project: 120 MW in partnership with the Regional County Municipality of Granit, located in the Eastern Townships region.

“The three projects won will have a positive impact by creating more than 600 jobs during the construction phase and by generating more than $3.2 million annually for the local community during the years of operation,” says Stephane Desdunes, vice president of development for Canada and the Northeastern U.S. at EDF Renewables. “Hydro-Québec’s participation in the Madawaska wind project partnership is a concrete demonstration of the importance the government places on the energy transition in Quebec.”

The projects are scheduled for commissioning in December 2026.

EDF Renewables has installed 1,228 MW of wind power in Quebec, with wind development representing 70% of its pipeline throughout the country.

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Cargill, a provider of food, agriculture, financial and industrial products, has signed an offtake agreement with Apex Clean Energy for 50 MW of power from Goose Creek Wind.

The 300 MW project, located in Piatt County, Ill., will support Cargill’s significant operations in the region, including a nearby manufacturing center and an innovation lab, and will help Cargill reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 10% by 2025.

“This transaction represents our second-largest wind energy agreement to date and is proof we are working every day to implement new sustainable practices and reduce our impact on the planet,” says Mark Senn, Cargill’s global energy leader.

“Cargill and Apex are market leaders whose work together on Goose Creek Wind will propel further clean energy investments over the coming years,” adds Ross Hoder, managing director of Enocor, which served as Cargill’s advisor in connection with the transaction. “We commend them for bringing this innovative transaction to a close and look forward to supporting them on future projects.”

Rivian and one other corporate customer also have offtake agreements for output from Goose Creek Wind. The facility is expected to begin commercial operations next year.

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Gulf Wind Technology (GWT) has partnered with Shell New Energies US LLC to create the Shell Gulf Wind Technology Accelerator program: the deployment of novel technologies on a demonstrator turbine in order to develop, test and implement technical solutions for a Gulf of Mexico-specific wind turbine.

“Wind resources in the Gulf region are more variable than what you find on the East Coast, where most of U.S. offshore wind development activity is currently happening,” says James Martin, GWT’s CEO. “Seasonal hurricane conditions and moderate average wind speeds create a situation that requires a novel approach to the application of technology and the framework in which it is both developed and demonstrated. The program has been specifically created to address and fulfil this need and enable next steps for the region and for the industry.”

The accelerator program will be a key enabler for wind in the region, the companies say, combining research and development of new technologies with the Gulf’s first technology-focused education and training facility for workforce development aimed at accelerating the Gulf of Mexico offshore wind learning curve. 

“Shell has been operating in the Gulf of Mexico for over six decades and has a long history of developing energy projects, including advancing and proving deep-water technologies,” says Amanda Dasch, vice president, Shell Offshore Power Americas. “We see opportunities to do the same for offshore wind in this region.”

“The Shell Gulf Wind Technology Accelerator program represents a milestone in the development of Louisiana as a hub for offshore wind,” adds Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans (GNO) Inc. “Combining the scale of Shell with the expertise of Gulf Wind Technology, the accelerator will help Greater New Orleans develop the assets and workforce to power the energy future of the Gulf South, and the country.”

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Arcosa Wind Towers, a subsidiary of Dallas-based Arcosa Inc., says it plans to open a wind tower production facility in Belen, N.M., to support a large number of new orders – totaling $750 million – mainly for projects in the Southwest.

Arcosa is purchasing an existing facility along a Burlington Northern rail spur at 1951 Highway 304 in Belen, in the Rio Grande Industrial Park. The company expects to hire about 250 people for the facility.

“We look forward to expanding our manufacturing capacity to New Mexico, where market demand for new wind projects is robust,” says Antonio Carrillo, president and CEO of Arcosa Inc., said. “Our new facility will strengthen our position in the wind tower market and enable Arcosa to benefit from growing wind investment in the Southwest. We are pleased to create new jobs in the State of New Mexico, which has been a supportive partner and a strong proponent of wind energy development.”

The State of New Mexico is contributing $4 million from its Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) job-creation fund to assist with Arcosa’s expansion. Funding will be provided as the company meets agreed-upon economic development benchmarks.

The company plans to invest $55 million to $60 million to purchase the property, modify the existing plant, and procure equipment.

Production at the Belen facility is expected to begin in mid-2024, with current orders and backlog providing a healthy level of production through 2028.

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Power project developer Floventis Energy Ltd. has awarded a contract to engineering and design firm Kent for the Llŷr 1 and 2 wind farms in the Celtic Seas.

The wind farms – a joint venture between Cierco, a renewable energy project development company, and SBM Offshore, specialists in floating offshore energy – will demonstrate the potential of two innovative floating offshore wind platforms within an array of six to eight units each.

On this project and in partnership with Vekta Group, Kent will provide multidisciplinary engineering support, covering CDM, hull and mooring, electrical, wind turbine, site layout, geotechnical, metocean, and project management.

“We continually strive to push the boundaries of water depth, seabed type, standardization, optimization and asset management,” says Cerianne Cummings, Kent’s offshore wind market director. “We are proud to be part of this project, which is paving the way toward the commercialization of floating wind.”

The two 100 MW projects are progressing through pre-FEED, expecting to reach commercial operation by 2027.

Kent says it has been involved in the development of 70% of all U.K. offshore wind farms and developed the first certified project using the PISA geotechnical design. Kent has delivered 11GW+ of operational wind farms, 1,500+ offshore wind structures and 20+ offshore substations.

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PivotGen, a renewable energy development and repowering company, through UPC Power Solutions LLC, a partnership with ACEN Corporation (ACEN), has signed a purchase and sale agreement with affiliates of Glidepath Power Solutions LLC, a developer and owner of advanced energy systems, for the acquisition of a portfolio of eight operating wind projects in northern Texas.

This is the first acquisition for the repowering strategic partnership among PivotGen, ACEN (through ACEN USA LLC) and UPC Solar and Wind that was announced in April 2022. Together, PivotGen and ACEN seek to improve the efficiency and extend the lives of operating wind projects by acquiring them and then repairing, upgrading and/or repowering existing machinery.

“We are excited to announce this acquisition,” says Tim Rosenzweig, CEO and co-founder of PivotGen. “We look forward to successfully repowering the portfolio so that these projects can continue to deliver clean, renewable power and provide jobs and economic opportunity in the local communities.”

The sale will be subject to regulatory approvals, including from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

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The Business Network for Offshore Wind says U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore have been confirmed as the keynote speakers for its 2023 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF), which is taking place March 28-30 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

The three-day event is expected to draw more than 4,000 attendees and 400 exhibitors from nearly 30 countries. As the offshore wind market transitions from demonstration to commercialization with the nation’s first two utility-scale projects set to begin operation this year, 2023’s IPF will be the most significant in size and scope, providing a premier forum to address the industry’s biggest opportunities and challenges, the organization says.

“This year’s IPF keynote speakers are decision makers who sit at the center of the U.S. offshore wind industry’s recent growth and market acceleration,” says Liz Burdock, president and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “By bringing together the industry’s most important stakeholders, IPF will create unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and continue offshore wind’s forward momentum.”

Haaland will speak to the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to supporting the offshore wind industry as a key part of America’s green energy future. Since taking office in 2021 as the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history, Haaland has prioritized sustainable energy and environmental justice as the Interior Department outlines the path to achieving 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.

Zaidi will provide remarks during the opening plenary session and discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to expand the U.S. offshore wind industry, chief of which is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in August 2022, which implemented a generous tax credit to encourage domestic production of offshore wind components and vessels.

Moore will open Wednesday’s plenary and discuss his administration’s efforts to supercharge the state’s offshore wind development. Moore set Maryland on an ambitious path toward decarbonization with his goal of ensuring the state produces 100 percent clean energy by 2035.

The conference will also feature remarks from Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Elizabeth Klein and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Kevin Sligh.

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BAR Technologies recently debuted the BARTech 50, a new low-emission hull form design capable of long-distance offshore transfer, to help meet the cost reduction and efficiency gains that can be achieved by chartering smaller service accommodation and transfer vessels (SATV) and crew transfer vessels (CTV) to cover offshore wind O&M requirements.

The company says the use of a service operation vessel (SOV) is approximately three times that for a CTV or SATV hull design, with the smaller vessels offering commensurately lower running costs. Similarly, the build schedule for an SOV may take up to several years, versus 12 months for a CTV or SATV.

Moreover, the operational profile of SATVs and CTVs lends itself to more flexible conditions for engineers and vessel crews, BAR says. As the industry seeks to address a skills shortage and bring on new talent, it is essential that it can provide attractive working conditions to technicians and seafarers alike.

“Despite the exponential growth of global offshore wind, and its undeniable future importance to decarbonized electricity, it is also an industry under enormous pressure,” says John Cooper, CEO of BAR Technologies.

“However, there are a number of ways that we can alleviate the cost pressures that, at present, new make investment cases harder,” he explains. “Some of our quickest wins can come from an evolution in vessel use in operations and maintenance activity, where we seem to be focused on following an oil and gas program of large vessels, likely carrying an excess of capacity needed for the task, working offshore for weeks on end.”

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Ørsted and Eversource have submitted a joint proposal for the 884 MW Revolution Wind 2 project in response to Rhode Island’s latest offshore wind solicitation.

The companies are already developing the 704 MW Revolution Wind 1 project, which is expected to start construction later this year.

As a part of the proposal, Revolution Wind 2 would spur significant investments in Rhode Island’s existing ports, including $35 million for Quonset Development Corp.’s regional offshore wind hub at Quonset Point, and new jobs to support the expanded construction of advanced foundation components at ProvPort.

Building on the state’s shipbuilding capabilities, Revolution Wind 2 would also enable the construction of two new crew transfer vessels in Rhode Island to serve Ørsted’s U.S. portfolio, on top of the five already being built by Blount Boats and Senesco Marine as part of the Revolution Wind 1 investments.

Ørsted additionally plans to open a new U.S. Engineering Hub in Rhode Island, creating roughly 75 new local engineering jobs in a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as an Ørsted engineering center of excellence in the U.S.

“We’re answering Rhode Island’s call for more offshore wind energy with a proposal that builds upon the groundwork we’ve laid in the Ocean State with our significant investments in port infrastructure, workforce training and the local supply chain,” says Joe Nolan, chairman, president and CEO of Eversource Energy. “Our latest proposal harnesses the unmatched combination of our onshore, regional transmission expertise together with Ørsted’s considerable offshore capabilities.”

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Despite being the second leading cause of reported incidents in wind turbines, the wind industry is still largely overlooking fire risk.

Few sights are more dramatic than that of a wind turbine on fire. Though rare, the spectacle of rotating flames and falling debris live long in the memory.

Even so, despite the high-profile nature of these events, there is little in the way of accurate records detailing the number of turbine fires and the extent of the financial damage they cause. Indeed, these facts tend to be known only by insurers and project owner operators.

On Dec. 29, 2022, the Galgenberg wind farm, in southwestern Germany, suffered the loss of a 2 MW turbine to fire. Investigations into the cause of this fire have so far failed to yield a definitive answer, but the operator, Windpark Saar, suspects an issue with the braking system.

This incident followed hot on the heels of a fire at the Diamond Trail wind farm in Iowa County in late October 2022. This fire, spreading to the field and surrounding environment, caused several turbines to be taken offline and demonstrated the disruption a turbine fire can cause beyond simply the loss of a single asset.

Given that fire is the most likely cause of a reported incident in turbines after blade failure, key stakeholders should ask themselves if they are comfortable with the potential losses incurred by a fire. If the answer is no, then the follow up question should be: Why am I taking the risk when there are tried and proven solutions out there?

Barring a lightning strike in a storm, preventing fires in wind turbines is actually very straightforward once the turbine is equipped with appropriate fire suppression technology. As such, it is accountability, and not opportunity, that is proving to be the real stumbling block when it comes to mitigating this avoidable risk.

The assumption that someone else is responsible for managing fire risk, rather than it being a collective effort, all too often means that no one is managing fire risk at all. Here’s how each group can take responsibility:

Owner operators. Project owner operators play a pivotal role in changing the approach to fire risk management. The common belief among owner operators is that fire risk has been “designed out” at the manufacturing stage. Though OEMs have made great strides in design and safety, high-voltage electrical equipment can and does occasionally fail. Developers are experiencing such time and financial pressures that installing fire suppression technology is not often prioritized. The duty is, then, passed onto the owner operator to either do nothing, or arrange to retrofit the technology once they have completed commissioning.

Unless developers and owner operators are on the same page, the likelihood is that the appropriate technology is never fitted, the risk is never managed and, implicitly, insurers are relied upon to cover the costs if the asset is destroyed by fire.

In the case of the recent event in Germany, the loss of the asset to fire is presumed to have been caused by a braking system failure. This is unexpected given that the model was only seven years old and presumably well maintained. This should serve as an example to owner operators that, though tempting to dismiss turbine fire as an unlikely event, there is always an element of unpredictability that makes installing fire suppression technology essential to defend against the worst-case scenario of a catastrophic fire.

Ultimately, wind turbines are high-voltage machines that are subjected to harsh weather conditions. Degradation and maintenance needs are to be expected. To this end, high-voltage cabinets, transformer rooms, brakes and slip rings are all routinely checked for signs of wear. However, even though it is easy to equip the technology, not all of these parts are protected from fire risk.

Fire incidents on wind turbines are, thankfully, not common. The probability of wind turbine fire ranges between one in 2,000 to one in 7,000. However, the overriding point should be that it is a possibility threatening turbines every year. Owners should not only keep in mind the cost of a lost asset, and downtime, but also significant increased insurance rates after a fire event, which go on for the life of the project. The current practice of retrofitting fire suppression systems only after a fire event, rather than proactively, is unsustainable.

Between owner operators and developers lies the opportunity to address fire risk before it burns a hole in the owner operator’s pocket.

Insurers. If the hardening of the insurance market is anything to go by, insurers are aware of this responsibility vacuum and are acting accordingly, even as more insurance capital floods into the sector. Owner operators who underwriters deem to be ignoring their fire risk responsibilities are at the mercy of increasing premiums.

The loss of an asset to fire exposes insurers to heavy claims. It is not just the potential millions of dollars needed for cleanup and turbine replacement, but also the business interruption during downtime that can amount to as much as $2,000.00 of lost revenue a day. Since the average downtime after a fire is between 12 and 18 months, insurers are looking at extra hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional claims.

With this in mind, the more owners rely on insurers to wear these risks, the more they are inviting insurers to increase deductibles and remove business interruption coverage to re-balance the underestimation of their risk portfolios. Data from GCube show that insurers have seen a 38% increase in business interruption claims since 2016, which would justify such decisions in future.

However, this approach does little to encourage owner operators to take control of the risk themselves. By raising premiums instead of incentivizing the retrofitting, or requesting, of fire suppression systems, there is a concern that this supports the industry attitude that the bill for fire damage belongs to the insurer.

A simple step to actively reduce the volume of annual claims related to fire is to take advantage of the bankable fire detection and suppression solutions that are available to the renewables industry. Plenty can be learned from more mature industries where insureds can expect discounted terms when they adopt proven fire risk-protection technologies.

Policymakers and regulators. While regulation of the wind sector has been fairly lenient in Europe, it is even more so in the U.S. At present, the National Fire Protection 850 code is the sole legislation that wind projects have to comply with – but this legislation applies generically to all forms of power generation and offers recommendations rather than requirements.

Consequently, there is still no obligation that owner operators carry out a fire risk assessment on their wind projects. This, at a time when wind power is set for historic expansion across the U.S. and to become one of the main sources of utility-scale energy, is unacceptably relaxed.

Given the anticipated growth of the industry over the next few years, it is possible that regulators will also introduce uniform guidelines on fire risk. Why wait to be told to manage this risk when you can manage it today?

Ross Paznokas is global business development manager, clean energy, at Firetrace, a company that develops systems designed to detect and suppress fires in multiple applications.

Photo source – Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service | Flickr

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Spanish company Navantia Seanergies has signed a memorandum of understanding with General Dynamics NASSCO to jointly manufacture offshore wind power components and assemble floating foundations in the U.S.

The companies say the partnership combines Navantia’s decade of experience in the offshore wind sector with the capabilities of General Dynamics NASSCO’s shipyard in San Diego, as well as leverages port facilities in the vicinity and other sites of future offshore wind development on the West Coast.

Navantia says it currently has contracts for five module support structures for two wind farms on the East Coast, and the company is also a participant in bids for other U.S. projects.

General Dynamics NASSCO is one of the three shipyards of the Marine Systems group of General Dynamics Corp.

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Attentive Energy One (AE1) says it will be building two offshore wind port facilities in New York Harbor to support its 1.4 GW offshore wind power development 40+ miles off the New York and New Jersey shores.

AE1, a joint venture of TotalEnergies and Rise Light & Power has entered into a lease agreement with Arthur Kill Terminal (AKT) – conditional upon New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) approval – under which it will serve as a long-term master tenant of the site and assist in project development.

Additionally, AE1 will develop an operations and maintenance facility at the Ravenswood Generating Station in Queens (the “O&M Hub”). Ravenswood, owned by Rise, is New York City’s largest fossil generating facility; the O&M Hub will repurpose the site’s existing waterfront to provide a transition for the facility’s UWUA Local 1-2 workforce, equipping them to operate the AE1 project.

On Staten Island, AKT will be a state-of-the-art wind turbine marshalling facility, sited on the Arthur Kill waterway, seaward of the Outerbridge Crossing and outside of all height restrictions. AKT’s unique location makes it the only marshalling site in New York State and one of only a limited number of locations on the East Coast capable of accommodating offshore wind construction activities without any vessel height restrictions.

AKT will create 435 jobs, the company says, building upon the borough’s longstanding role in the maritime industry. Economic opportunities through AKT include hundreds of construction jobs created to build the facility, along with sustained revenue generation and employment for neighboring communities during decades of offshore wind marshalling operations.

Furthermore, AE1’s proposal to NYSERDA includes $1 million in funding for the College of Staten Island to bolster its offering of offshore wind and renewable energy training.

In Queens, AE1 will establish its permanent O&M Hub at the Ravenswood Generating Station, establishing control rooms, training facilities and warehousing for the AE1 project, as well as upgrading nearly 1,000 feet of existing quayside to allow for docking, vessel operations, and crew transfer activities for offshore wind operations.

“Attentive Energy One’s ports proposal helps solve future constraints for marshalling and O&M activity in New York City,” says Damian Bednarz, managing director of AE1. “With deep water access via the Arthur Kill, and no height restrictions, AKT will be the only offshore wind port in New York capable of accommodating future U.S. wind turbine installation vessels and to most efficiently perform transport of fully assembled turbine components.”

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RWE has selected Siemens Gamesa’s RecyclableBlade for 44 SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines that will be installed at the Sofia offshore wind power project off the east coast of the U.K.

Last year, RWE became the first commercial, large-scale offshore developer to install RecyclableBlade, with a number of blades being utilized in the Kaskasi offshore wind power project, located 35 km north of Heligoland in the German North Sea.

The Sofia project will use RecyclableBlades measuring 108 meters long, representing the first deployment of this variant.

“When we began working with RWE on the Kaskasi project, we knew that we had taken the first major steps toward delivering a decisive change to the wind sector,” says Marc Becker, CEO of Siemens Gamesa’s offshore business. “Having the opportunity to produce and install 132 RecyclableBlades for the Sofia project is a remarkable achievement. It fully demonstrates the joint focus between our companies to develop and deliver even greater levels of sustainability for renewable power generation globally.”

Utilizing RecyclableBlade technology enables the full reclamation of the blade’s components at the end of the product’s lifespan: the resin, fiberglass and wood, among others, are separated using a mild acid solution.

The blades will be manufactured at Siemens Gamesa’s Hull factory, which built the first RecyclableBlades for the Kaskasi offshore wind power project.

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TPI Composites Inc. has partnered with Tex-Tech and Carbon Rivers in a pilot program to process end-of-life wind blades, pyrolyze the material and process the recovered glass fiber into liners for cured-in-place pipe (CIPP).

The companies say CIPP gives new life to damaged pipelines without the excavation of streets through rehabilitation of existing water mains and waste lines by lining the walls of the existing pipe with a hardened synthetic fiber tube.

With this partnership, TPI is able to contribute to a circular economy providing end-of-life wind blades to Carbon Rivers, which has created a pilot line for the recycling process through high-temperature pyrolysis. The result is recovery of valuable lightweight hydrocarbons as feedstocks for new products as well the glass fiber, the primary reinforcement in wind turbine blades.

These reinforcements are received by Tex-Tech, which then integrates the glass fiber with other materials to create a non-woven liner, the primary component used in CIPP operations. This liner design significantly increases the properties of the installation, resulting in lower costs and improved long-term performance, Tex-Tech says.

“Supporting new applications for end-of-life wind turbine blades is an important focus of our efforts,” says TPI’s Steve Nolet. “We are very excited about the prospect of keeping blades out of landfills while extending the life of our critical infrastructure with CIPP. Our partnership with Carbon Rivers and Tex Tech enables this future pathway.”

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Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), a global semiconductor company, says Envision Energy is adopting ADI’s MEMS sensor technology in the company’s new generation of smart wind turbines.

Initial goals for the collaboration include enabling new levels of wind turbine safety through enhanced real-time monitoring of vibration, tilt and other information that can be used to inform safer wind turbine operation and design. Leveraging new capabilities offered by advanced MEMS sensors adds intelligence at the edge for real-time monitoring, the company says.

With the gradual expansion of wind power scale, wind turbine components are undergoing rapid iteration. Higher tower barrels, longer blades and heavier engine rooms bring great challenges for the safe and reliable operation of wind power systems. Among the challenges, the tower barrel is one of the key components requiring monitoring to ensure the safety and reliability.

To promote safety, as well as to help prevent tower collapse and other extreme accidents, Envision Energy and ADI will introduce predictive maintenance technology into the core control of smart wind turbines. This will be accomplished by deploying ADI’s precision inertial measurement unit and low-noise, low-drift accelerometers on different positions of the tower barrel to monitor the key states of tower barrel in real time. Information gathered by monitoring tower conditions is then used to inform danger prevention measures.

“We are pleased to work with ADI to add its predictive, precision, high-reliability MEMS sensors to our wind turbines,” says Envision Energy’s Haipeng Chen. “This increases the safety of the tower barrel as well as brings the blade diameter and tower barrel height to the next level.”

“ADI has decades of experience in the field of MEMS sensors,” adds Neil Zhao, director of MEMS Technology Group Asia at ADI. “We are committed to helping customers solve challenges in different scenarios through high-performance solutions and all-around support. This collaboration with Envision Energy supports the promotion of smart distributed wind turbines.”

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A new report released by the G+ health and safety organization suggests the floating offshore wind industry needs to proactively address potential hazards to prepare for future large-scale deployment.

Supported by The Renewables Consulting Group, Tadek and the European Marine Energy Centre, the G+ Floating Offshore Wind Hazard Identification (HAZID) report identifies specific risks associated with a typical commercial-scale floating wind farm and recommends best safety practices and tools for its members and the broader offshore wind industry.

To evaluate critical areas and potential bottlenecks for a commercial-scale floating wind farm, the study assumed a wind farm of circa 50 semi-submersible platforms with 15 MW wind turbine generators. In collaboration with the industry, risk items were identified for the three periods of operations during a typical floating offshore wind project lifecycle.

Notably, the study highlights key gaps in current industry guidance for constructing and operating  floating offshore wind projects. These include the risk of the novel technology being deployed in  markets with no offshore experience and regulatory frameworks.

The report cautions that the relatively small-scale floating offshore wind deployment to date has meant that, where there are industry-specific requirements, they mostly focus on design considerations (such as structural requirements) rather than occupational health and safety. Therefore, a significant  opportunity exists to proactively develop guidelines covering occupational health and safety as early as possible in the design phase.

“By combining health and safety data, insights from existing projects and our in-depth understanding of health and safety in the global wind industry, we have been able to consider the risks and challenges associated with the deployment of floating offshore wind projects,” says The Renewables Consulting Group’s Dan Kyle Spearman. “As floating wind projects ramp up globally, the industry needs to proactively tackle the health and safety challenges to prepare effectively for future large-scale deployment.”

The full report can be access here.

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Attentive Energy One (AE1), a joint venture of TotalEnergies and Rise Light & Power that is developing up to 3 GW of offshore wind power 40+ miles from the New York and New Jersey shores, says its multi-faceted proposal to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) would, if approved, result in $25.6 billion in benefits to New York State.

First, through a proposal with GE to manufacture offshore wind blades and nacelles at a new Ravena, N.Y., facility, AE1 says it will catalyze a supply chain corridor that links upstate manufacturing with downstate project staging, installation, and operations.

The new GE facility would be placed on an existing, modern port, with state-of-the-art technology and equipment supported by an array of operators already working in the port and an experienced local labor force. The port will host two wind turbine component manufacturing facilities: one for blades – coined the LM Wind Power blade facility – with the potential to create over 650 direct jobs, 900 indirect jobs, and 550 construction jobs; and one for nacelles – coined the GE Vernova nacelle facility – with the potential to create over 220 direct jobs, 490 indirect jobs, and 510 construction jobs for the region.

AE1’s proposal also includes the New York State Supply Chain Development Partnership (the SCDP), a collaborative initiative between the Long Island-based Institute for Workforce Advancement (IWA), Albany-based Center for Economic Growth (CEG), and the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to conduct grassroots outreach with a connected strategy across New York State.

Over the next five years, AE1 has committed $15 million to the SCDP to fund representatives from each organization, including new local direct hires to manage the initiative, as they engage at the community level with organizations that represent small and diverse businesses in their respective regions. The representatives will inform and educate about offshore wind opportunities, providing clear timelines for the AE1 project and filling a key information and technical support gap.

Last, AE1 says it is committing a total of $4.5 million to fund MRV Group’s Diversity Equity Inclusion and Justice Clean Energy Exchange (Clean Energy DEIJ Exchange), which will recruit, educate and refer New York residents to supply chain and workforce programs. These funds will also institute a DEIJ Compliance initiative that will provide small/diverse businesses entering the offshore wind supply chain with capacity-building opportunities, networking and pre-qualification support, and connections to prime and subcontractors throughout the state.

The funds will also include wraparound services for residents from disadvantaged communities across New York State based on three key pillars: a childcare initiative, a database designed to increase access to contracting opportunities for small and diverse businesses, and a youth leadership program that uses sports clinics to teach intergenerational climate education.

“At the heart of the Attentive Energy One project is a commitment to activating a true upstate-downstate supply chain corridor that integrates both existing and new supply chain pathways,” says Damian Bednarz, managing director of Attentive Energy. “We’re confident that this approach, paired with a flagship manufacturing investment with GE in the Capital Region and our New York State Supply Chain Development Partnership, will catalyze economic opportunities and open doors for diverse and small businesses looking to enter the clean energy economy.”

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Our Next Energy (ONE) has entered into an agreement with the State of West Virginia to locate its Aries Grid battery storage system manufacturing facility in Millwood, at the Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables microgrid business site.

ONE will use a 40,000 sq. ft. industrial building already located on the Ravenswood site to assemble Aries Grid, a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) utility-scale battery system that can serve as long-duration energy storage.

BHE Renewables had previously selected ONE as its partner for utility-scale battery storage at its microgrid business site.

“The BHE Renewables microgrid project, estimated at 420 MWh, in Jackson County represents a historic transition to renewable energy-based manufacturing in the U.S. and establishes a standard for others to follow,” says Mujeeb Ijaz, CEO and founder of ONE. “Building upon BHE Renewables’ commitment to this site and the State of West Virginia, ONE’s first Aries Grid factory will bring even more jobs and investment to this area to help clear a path to a carbon-free manufacturing future.”

ONE expects the manufacturing facility to be operational in 2025, with hiring to start next year.

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Equinor and bp are purchasing the Astoria Gas Turbine site in Queens, N.Y., from NRG to repurpose it as a converter station connecting offshore wind power to the New York grid.

The future converter station, named the Astoria Gateway for Renewable Energy (AGRE), will replace the decades-old plant with a new source of renewable power for New York. The AGRE station will receive 1.23 GW of energy generated by the Beacon Wind offshore wind project, located 60 miles off the eastern tip of Long Island, beginning in the late 2020s.

The NRG facility is planned to cease operations and will begin decommissioning in May. Pending permit approvals, Beacon Wind will begin site preparations in 2025, making AGRE one of the first fossil-to-renewable infrastructure repurposings in New York City.

“Beacon Wind will bring an important new source of renewable power to a neighborhood marked by its industrial past,” says Molly Morris, president of Equinor Wind US.

Equinor’s development of two lease areas in New York – Empire Wind and Beacon Wind – will provide New York with 3.3 GW of energy.

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