Internal Department review proposal to the first US floating wind turbine

A Statoil Hywind turbine in place offshore. Credit card: Trude Refsahl, Statoil

The US Department of Interior (DOI) announced on 9 August that it will begin to build a proposal, what would be the nation's first floating wind farm check. DOI Bureau of ocean energy management (BOEM) is project forward with an assessment of the Statoil North America Hywind Maine. The planned wind farm is located about 500 meters deep approximately 12 nautical miles off the coast in the water, would a 12-megawatt capacity of four generators for wind turbines. The field the Statoil North America for a commercial wind lease approximately 22 square kilometres includes requested it expected the final Park, has, although the company States to closer to 4 km after determining its impact and wind environmental resources.

BOEM seeks public comments on environmental issues related to the proposed rental, construction and operation activities in the field of offshore by an announcement of the intention of an environmental impact statement prepare. Release a request for interest in the Federal Register is to request a maximum of 60 days of public comments posts of competitive interest rates and additional information about potential environmental impacts and other uses of the proposed lease area open. Accordingly, BOEM intends to prepare a statement that takes into account reasonably foreseeable consequences for the environment with the project Hywind Maine related. See press release of DOI, the Statoil proposal, the BOEM of public comment Web page and the Statoil-Hywind-demo Web site.

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Energy Department Breaks Ground on Turbine Test Facility

The Energy Department joined with Texas Tech University and the department's Sandia National Laboratories on July 17 to break ground on a new state-of-the-art wind turbine test facility in Lubbock, Texas. Supported by a $2.6 million investment from the department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Scaled Wind Farm Technology (SWIFT) facility will be the first public facility of its kind to use multiple wind turbines to measure how wind turbine wakes interact with one another in a wind farm. Scheduled to begin operation later this year, the facility will help wind turbine designers and manufacturers continue to drive down the cost of wind energy by reducing the aerodynamic losses of wind energy plants, enhancing energy capture, and mitigating turbine damage.

Along with the ability to monitor wind plant performance, the SWIFT facility will have additional advanced testing and monitoring capabilities, as well as space for up to ten wind turbines, allowing researchers to examine how larger wind farms can become more productive and collaborative. The facility, which will host both open-source and proprietary research, is the result of a partnership between the department's Sandia National Laboratories, the Texas Tech University Wind Science and Engineering Research Center, Group NIRE, and wind turbine manufacturer Vestas. The site will initially be equipped with two research-scale wind turbines provided by the Energy Department and a third installed by Vestas Technology R&D in Houston. See the DOE Progress Alert and the Wind Program website.

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Turbine test: setting standards for smaller devices

LONDON--A global increase in the small and medium-sized wind turbines is to set of challenges for the examination and require new standards and certification in the UK and elsewhere.

Small and medium-sized wind turbines worldwide ever more popular, perform increases the need for confidence in their ability, as planned, safe and reliable both. This resulted in a complex and sophisticated testing and certification regime. So what they are testing challenges and how can they best be addressed?

The test criteria for small and medium-sized wind turbines are driven largely by the international standards. For example UK micro generation certification scheme (MCS) - includes wind turbines with a nominal capacity of less than 50 kW and area swept a rotor less than 200 m² - wind Orten heavy reliance on the British Energy Association (BWEA) small wind turbine performance and safety standard, which in turn refers to a set of international standards in the IEC 61400-series.

There in the United States and Canada, but instead on the AWEA is not dissimilar criteria 9.1 standard leave. The small wind Certification Council (SWCC) is the currently leading activity on this in North America.

BWEA both the AWEA standards are supported by and rely on IEC 61400-2: 2006, according to which the design criteria for small wind turbines. The "dash 2" standard gives guidelines for the design of a small wind turbine, which either a simplified download approach or a more aero-elastic modeling approach or a combination of the two.

The standard applies to the design of the horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) and vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT). In addition, there is a requirement to test the durability, safety and function of the transmitter.

Standards to come

The next edition of the standard (Edition 3: 201 X) is expected to be published in the near future. To deliver this next edition, an IEC maintenance team has worked very hard for two years and has reviewed many of the criteria in the light of the experience and current best solutions.

The resulting new version of standard give greater leadership, among others on the use of simplified load approach and dealing with extreme wind conditions.

The performance of the turbine is judged on the basis of the criteria in the IEC 61400-12-1: 2006, which makes performance standard and IEC 61400-11: 2003, the acoustic performance standard. A review of these two aspects is a turbine for a particular wind regime, purpose and location.

Medium wind define requirements

A UK-medium wind standard is currently in the design stage and probably will not be published before the end of this year. Forward, is to be hoped that the international community will eliminate the perceived problems with medium-sized wind turbines to a UK standard. While unlikely, they are medium-sized turbines that are the mainstay of the wind farms of the future, probably at an important role play distributed and collaborative projects in the wind, i.e. a reasonable standard is supported by Government incentives likely everyone will benefit in the long term.

Can the UK offshore wind turbine makers attract?

In March of this year, UK climate change Minister Chris Huhne said, that the UK would have to find a "Five-fold increase in the current rate of the deployment of renewable energy," to be meet its targets for 2020.

Continuing, he said: "it would be crazy producer production of low-carbon energy, companies sell CO2 products, consumers install CO2 measures support - and not try, some collect the original value."

But despite the scale of the Round III investment, the UK lacks a volume turbine manufacturing functions, built with the most major turbine parts in Germany or Scandinavia.

Although United Kingdom by the small turbine manufacture - it provides 25% of the world market - not the top 10 even make, when it comes to large wind turbine production.

After much investigation of the country criticized solar feed-in tariff UK Chancellor George Osborne took various measures in Britain's March budget promote domestic renewable industry of the country, including extra ? 2 billion to produce the much very spontaneous Green Investment Bank. The Bank is early-stage to finance technical development in key areas such as marine renewable energy.

However, it is wind power the industry in the spotlight, a successful UK manufacturing wind is potentially 60,000 jobs by 2020 to RenewableUK.

Reduce the cost of wind power deployment is also an important goal for Round III and build factories in the ports where turbines can be loaded easily has the potential, more efficiently, along with a number of other benefits.

Smoothing the path for the development of the factory, confirmed Prime Minister David Cameron in October last year that grant Government shall provide the ? 60 million of the previous labour for investment in the English and Welsh ports as part of the national infrastructure ahead. More ? 70 million go to Scotland.

Three of the largest turbine manufacturers are already required: Gamesa spend up to 133.7 million pounds on amenities such as a factory, while shifting of based in London, and GE has plans to invest up to ? 100 million. Siemens chose hull as the preferred location for his turbine factory in January of this year.

Other notable recent investments include Mitsubishi and Doosan in Glasgow and Clipper in Newcastle, Vestas is ? 50 million in its new technology park on the Isle of Wight putting.

Vestas has also indicated that it could build its new 164 M rotor diameter 7 MW turbine in the United Kingdom. But more investment will only happen if the manufacturers believe that guarantees future market demand, it that and - crucially-, that the market will be stable.

' The number one, what Vestas to establish the new turbine in the United Kingdom tighten is if there is a pipeline visible justify order the significant investment,' said Matthew Delany, Director of the relations between the Government of the Vestas offshore.

' The State of the infrastructure of [country] is secondary, [the] order pipeline. The 60 million ? port investment fund certainly signals the Government's faith in the industry and is a step in the right direction, "he added."

Addressing is the key point uncertainties about funding, while clarification and speed up the implementation of the electricity market review (EMR) is another priority.

Currently there are no fixed offshore wind financing plans through 2017 and published in March by the influential American Pew Charitable Trust claim statistics UK private investment in getting 70 percent fell renewable by a concern in the year 2010.

' In the last ten years, successive Governments welcome financial support have provided, but the pace of investment must now change. About 1 GW wind generation was added in 2009, compared to 3 GW required annually by the end of the Decade,' Stephen Burgin said Alstom UK President and head of power.

"This change must take place at a time than many other countries and sectors a limited circle of capital, Hunt are one so that the Government will do everything to the United Kingdom the most attractive places to invest to make."

A spokesman for the British Department of energy and climate change (DECC) said 'We only on the package EMR consulted'. "We know that legal certainty and clarity in the long-term is important for the people invest hundreds of millions of pounds." It goes to the next few decades, not only 2020'

Other long-term challenges include finalizing the regulatory framework for the offshore transport, arrange investments for onshore of transmission system and reducing the planning registration deadlines for onshore renewable sources. The latter is a Bete Noire for manufacturers and symbolizes the uncertain future of the UK development.

"Urgently addressing delivery obstacles such as planning and grid contribute should more market visible order create security, which in turn should help the pipeline we need for a turbine viable," Delaney said.

Chancellor Osborne in attack taken in its budget with a new presumption in favour of sustainable development planning.

The standard response to planning applications now is 'Yes', although what is this still not be defined in practice.

Osborne also ensures that all renewable planning application period of 12 months would lead to an outcome. This objective is unclear, are planning to meet.

The British Government hard, more turbine manufacturer here set to convince tried, but if it clean wants to make a sweep of all great players, must do more to calm their concerns.

Ultimately this means some difficult decisions on how offshore wind are funded, and run in future - and they soon taking.

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Wind turbine energy accident called "Unique"

Apr 12, 2011, 18: 00 pm by Greg Stacy

A wind turbine energy fell to the ground in North Dakota last month, an accident, saying the companies involved is "singular".

According to experts, rotor bolts failed the wind turbine, because the rotor and the power shaft of the turbine blades were not properly aligned Power Tower. This led the huge turbine rotor to the accident, and are sent to the ground on March 14-blades.

The turbine, North of rugby, was part of a planned wind farm. No one was injured by falling equipment.

Scott Winneguth, Director of wind engineering for Iberdrola renewable energy Inc. of Portland, Oregon/United States, North Dakota Public Service Commission said that the accident "very different from the ordinary" and "a singular event." He also said that investigators are not certain if the accident was a problem with the turbine Assembly or operation.

Winneguth said the Commissioners, normal maintenance procedures "are not designed to detect this type of misalignment."

Winneguth said that the accident would detailed inspections of other turbines.

", I can assure that we reviewed, integrity and misalignment much more frequently than our normal maintenance activities with it would install, for short term for bolt on one", said Winneguth.

Winneguth, said the 70 turbines in the Rugby project were scanned and checked all their 3,360 bolts. The turbine has three long blades, and its rotor has 48 screws connect the power supply to the steering shaft. Seven Stud on four of the turbines were replaced as a precautionary measure.

Wind power has attracted interest in recent years, because it is a relatively inexpensive form with relatively few security risks is. Accidents are but not unheard. In 2008 a video online a turbine spectacular damage when it was psyched spun out of control, and in 2007 a maintenance worker killed, as a turbine tower reveals a wind farm in half torn.

Source: Associated press

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