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Site Updated:
March 27, 2024

Click the logo above to read the latest windpower news stories from this monthly magazine.

• • Biden-Harris Administration Approves
  Seventh Offshore Wind Project

  Sunrise Wind Project Will
  Power More Than 320,000 Homes

  (US Dept of the Interior), Mar. 26, 2024, The Biden-Harris administration today announced the Department of the Interior’s approval of the Sunrise Wind offshore wind project – the nation’s seventh approval of a commercial-scale offshore wind project under President Biden’s leadership. These seven projects have the potential to provide more than 8 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy to power roughly 3 million homes, and support the Administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.

  Click now to read on.

• • Wind Turbines Don’t Really Affect Property Values in the US

  A Popular Argument Against Wind Power Flies Out the Window
  
  

  Mar. 18, 2024 -This opposition can be a strong impediment to renewable energy development, so it’s worth addressing. That’s why an international team of scientists from the German Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the Italian Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC) and the University of California, Berkeley analyzed the majority of home sales in the U.S. in the last 23 years.

  Click new read on.

• • A Beachgoer's Wind Farm

  New Jersey OKs Two
  New Offshore Wind Farms
  
  

  Jan. 25, 2024 -Stung by the pullout of the world’s largest offshore wind developer from two projects off the New Jersey coast last fall, state energy regulators on Wednesday approved two new wind farm projects, saying they remain committed to making the state a leader in the nascent industry.

  Both the projects chosen by the state Board of Public Utilities would be considerably farther offshore than earlier projects that generated significant opposition from onshore communities, one of whose concerns was that the turbines would be visible on the horizon from the beach.

• • Gone With the Wind?

  Tracking Sunken U.S.
  Offshore Wind Projects
  
  

  Jan. 8, 2024 -Many renewable energy sectors continued to grow in 2023, but it was a rough year for U.S. offshore wind.

  Out with the old, in with the new, right? Not quite.

  Just days into 2024, and Equinor announced the termination of Empire Wind 2, and that got us thinking- how many similar projects have met an equally untimely demise?

• • Delaware Officials Submit Report Exploring Offshore Wind

  Let’s See Where
  the Breeze Blows Us:
  
  

  Jan. 4, 2024 -Delaware officials have presented a report to Governor John Carney and other state lawmakers that explores offshore wind procurement for the state. It includes recommendations on maintaining flexibility, minimizing environmental impacts, and potential areas for wind power development.

  The report, Proposed Offshore Wind Procurement Strategy for Delaware, reviews changing conditions in the offshore wind industry, identifies key factors in considering the development of an offshore wind program, highlights important developments looming in 2024 that will affect planning, and offers recommendations on how to structure an offshore wind procurement strategy to meet Delaware’s needs.

• • Two large Offshore Wind Sites are Sending Power to the US Grid

  This is a First in the USA
  
  

  Jan. 3, 2024 -TFor the first time in the United States, turbines are sending electricity to the grid from the sites of two large offshore wind farms.

  The joint owners of the Vineyard Wind project, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, announced Wednesday the first electricity from one turbine at what will be a 62-turbine wind farm 15 miles (24 kilometers) off the coast of Massachusetts.

• • The Largest Clean Energy Project in U.S. History

  SunZia to Supply 3,000 MW of Clean energy to Arizona and California
  
  

  Jan. 2, 2024 -They say good things come to those who wait. Clean energy customers in the Southwest are about to put that adage to the test.

  After more than 17 years of navigating permits and approvals, Pattern Energy Group has closed $11 billion in non-recourse financing and started full construction of SunZia Transmission and SunZia Wind. The tandem is being billed by the company as the largest clean energy infrastructure project in U.S. history.

• • Contrary to Politicians’ Claims,
  Offshore Wind Farms Don’t Kill Whales

  What Fossil Fuel
  Supporters Want You to Think
  
  

  Dec. 23, 2023 - Unfounded claims about offshore wind threatening whales have surfaced as a flashpoint in the fight over the future of renewable energy.

  In recent months, conservatives including former President Trump have claimed construction of offshore wind turbines is killing the giant animals.

  Scientists say there is no credible evidence linking offshore wind farms to whale deaths. But that hasn’t stopped conservative groups and ad hoc “not in my back yard”-style anti-development groups from making the connection.

• • Louisiana's First Offshore Wind Agreements

  Just Announced By the Governor
  
  

  Dec. 19, 2023 -Governor John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Tom Harris announced that the State Mineral and Energy Board approved the state’s first-ever wind operating agreements in state offshore waters at its December meeting.

  The board gave the nod to a 6,162-acre property agreement for Diamond Offshore Wind Louisiana (DOW Wind) off the coast of Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes and a 59,653-acre agreement for Cajun Wind off the coast of Cameron Parish...

• • South Fork Wind Sends First
  Commercial Wind Power onto US grid

  This Occured Decades
  After Europe Approved Theirs
  
  

  Dec. 6, 2023 -Off the coast of eastern Long Island, an 800-foot tall turbine has begun sending electricity onto the U.S. grid from what’s set to be the country’s first commercial offshore wind farm.

  It’s a milestone many years in the making and at the same time a modest advance in what experts say needs to be a major buildout of this type of clean electricity to address climate change.

• • The Value of Liquid Air Energy Storage

  Ørsted, Highview Power Say How
  
  

  Dec. 4, 2023 -Highview Power and Ørsted have completed a joint investigation into how combining the technologies of liquid air energy storage (LAES) and offshore wind could provide greater value for investors and consumers.

  The two companies carried out an analysis of technical performance, route to planning approval, and route to market with a regulatory and economic assessment. They say there is added value in combining offshore wind with LAES to support reducing wind curtailment, increasing productivity, and helping the move to a more flexible, resilient zero-carbon grid.

• • Minority-Owned Businesses Are
  Powering Maryland’s Offshore Wind Revolution

  How They Are Getting It Done
  
  

  Nov. 28, 2023 - The urgent need to address climate change is driving a global quest for renewable energy sources. It’s also thrown a spotlight on promising, sustainable, and scalable solutions like offshore wind energy.

  With its strategic location, favorable policies, and commitment to environmental sustainability, the state of Maryland’s rapid development of offshore wind projects has the potential to reshape its energy future and serve as a “how to” for others looking to do the same...

• • What Happened to the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Boom?

  Developers, Though Still Drawn to the Lakes’ Powerful Winds, Have Been Reluctant to Return
  
  

  Nov. 24, 2023 - At the tail end of the aughts, as it became clear that the United States would need to create much more renewable energy, fast, many believed the transition would be bolstered by the proliferation of offshore wind. But not off the coasts of states like Massachusetts and California, where it’s best positioned today. They thought the industry would emerge, and then take hold, in the Great Lakes.

  Click now to learn more.

• • Has Wind Power 'Blown' It?

  Financial Headwinds Could be a Passing Storm or a Long-Term Headache for This Energy Source
  
  

  Nov. 24, 2023 -Wind power has had a terrible year. In New Jersey, two gigawatt-scale offshore wind projects collapsed after the developer pulled out.

  In Germany, one of the largest manufacturers of wind turbines sought 15 billion Euros ($16 billion) from the government to help fix defects in its newest models. And in the UK, an auction for offshore wind farms failed to attract any bidders at all.

• • UConn Gets DOE Grant For Offshore Wind Grid Integration

  Part of a National Effort to Improve Grid Reliability and More
  Could Save Reindeer and Livelihoods
  
  

  Nov. 23, 2023 - A new project spearheaded by researchers at UConn, in collaboration with Eversource Energy and major technology vendor partners, aims to deploy new real-time grid-enhancing technologies as part of an overall collaborative strategy to support the introduction of renewable energy sources in the Northeast region and across the country.

  Click now to learn more.

• • An Indiana Wind Farm Gets Repowered

  Trading Blades is the Secret
  
  

  Nov. 21, 2023 -bphas completed a technology upgrade at its Fowler Ridge 1 wind farm in northwest Indiana that the company says will enable the site to produce up to 40% power more efficiently and with greater reliability.

  The project involved upgrading 40 turbines, including the installation of 120 individual blades and 40 new nacelles, and bp’s capital investment was around $100 million.

• • New York’s First Offshore Wind Farm

  First Turbine Installed
  at South Fork Wind
  
  

  Nov. 21, 2023 -The first offshore wind turbine for South Fork Wind has been successfully installed, a milestone for New York’s offshore wind development and what will likely be the first completed utility-scale wind farm in U.S. federal waters.

  The 130-MW offshore wind farm – owned by Eversource and Ørsted – is meant to support the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to develop 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035.

• • New Jersey Offshore Wind

  The State Isn’t
  Giving Up on It
  
  

  Nov. 20, 2023 -Despite the loss of two major offshore wind farm projects when Danish developer Orsted pulled out of New Jersey, the state is moving forward with its plans to support and grow the nascent industry.

  The state Board of Public Utilities on Friday voted to seek bids for a transmission facility into which several offshore wind projects can plug, an important part of getting the power from ocean-based wind turbines into the onshore electrical grid.

• • Wind Turbines Are Not Killing Australian Whales

  Scientists Say That’s Not
  Backed By Credible Evidence
  
  

  Nov. 11, 2023 -Some pictures show a whale lifeless on a beach. In others, the whale is on fire, jumping from the ocean, as wind turbines loom behind it. The pictures are shocking – intentionally so. Recently they’ve appeared on posters and placards and in social media posts in New South Wales’ Hunter and Illawarra regions, as part of a growing campaign against an Albanese government plan to open offshore windfarms zones off the coast.

  Click now for more.

• • First US-Made Export Cable Installed
  at South Fork Offshore Wind Farm

  The First American Made Subsea Cable That Connects a US Offshore Wind Farm to the Electricity Grid
  
  

  Nov. 8, 2023 -Nexans, a cable and optical fiber company, announced the successful installation and site acceptance testing of the export cable for Ørsted and Eversource’s South Fork Wind Farm in Long Island, NY – the first American made subsea cable that connects a US offshore wind farm to the electricity grid.

  If the project – owned by Eversource and Ørsted – remains on track to be completed by the end of 2023, it would become America’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm to be completed in federal waters.

• • FirstEnergy Subsidiary Plans Transmission Upgrade

  Major Replacements Are Planned
  
  

  Nov. 7, 2023 -As part of the project, Mon Power will:
  :• Replace the existing wood structures with 29 new steel poles that are better suited to withstand severe weather elements, including high winds.
  • Install new wires that can carry more electrical load and accommodate greater customer demand.
  • Enable the line to carry increased power flow in the event of unplanned service interruptions on other transmission lines in the area.

• • Orsted Wants Out of $300M Forfeiture
  For Scrapped New Jersey Offshore Wind Farms

  It's Trying to Get Out of a $300 Million Guarantee
  
  

  Nov. 7, 2023 -Last Tuesday, the Danish firm scrapped its Ocean Wind I and II projects in southern New Jersey, saying the projects were no longer financially feasible. The company cited supply chain issues, inflation and a failure to gain enough government tax credits.

  The next day, the company wrote to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, saying it was withdrawing from an agreement it signed with the state under which it would forfeit the money if it did not build Ocean Wind I.

• • Biden Admin. Approves Biggest Offshore Wind Farm Yet

  Other Wind Farm Projects Along the Atlantic Coast Have Run into Trouble
  
  

  Oct. 31, 2023 -The Interior Department on Tuesday approved a plan to install up to 176 giant wind turbines off the coast of Virginia, clearing the way for what would be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm yet.

  The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, to be built by Dominion Energy, is the fifth commercial-scale offshore wind project approved by the Biden administration. If completed, the 2.6-gigawatt wind farm would produce enough electricity to power more than 900,000 homes, without creating any of the carbon dioxide emissions that are heating the planet.

• • Former Coal-Fired Power Plant Razed

  Making Way For Offshore Wind Electricity Connection
  
  

  Oct. 26, 2023 - For decades, tourists heading to the New Jersey beach resorts of Ocean City and Cape May saw the towering smokestack of the B.L. England Generating Station as they zipped past it on the Garden State Parkway.

  The 463-foot-tall (141.1-meter) stack was a local landmark and even a weather forecaster for some residents who glanced outside to see which way emissions from its top were blowing, and how fast, as they decided what to wear for the day.

• • Hundreds of Wind Turbines Inspected in Scotland

  Perceptual Robotics Celebrates
  
  

  Oct. 26, 2023 - UK-based wind-turbine inspections’ company Perceptual Robotics (PR)is celebrating a milestone after its Dhalion system successfully inspected more than 250 onshore wind turbines in Scotland.

  A significant number of the inspected turbines have been safeguarded from critical damage failure thanks to PR's solution that blends autonomous drones and AI. Meanwhile, the damage to the remaining turbines was assessed and integrated into optimized repair campaigns, and systematic status monitoring put in place.

• • Wind Turbine "Trees"
  Generate Power Even in Urban Areas

  Metal Trees With Micro Wind Turbines and Plastic Solar Leaves
  
  

  Oct. 24, 2023 -Metal trees with micro wind turbines and plastic solar leaves generate green electricity that can be used right then and there, even in ordinary gardens. They’re not an eyesore, and are more compact and easier to install than their regular turbines.

  Click now for a short video.

• • The Approved Multistate Wind-Power Transmission Line

  Will Increase Energy
  Capacity for Missouri
  
  

  Oct. 13, 2023 -Regulators on Thursday gave the go-ahead for a multistate wind-energy power line to provide the equivalent of four nuclear power plants’ worth of energy to Missouri consumers.

  At issue is the Grain Belt Express, a power line that will carry wind energy from Kansas across Missouri and Illinois before hooking into a power grid in Indiana that serves eastern states.

• • Robotics and Wind Power

  An Energy Revolution
  
  

  Oct. 10, 2023 -The offshore wind industry is a key player in the UK’s journey towards a cleaner way of living and working and achieving its ambitious Net Zero targets.

  To meet the UK government’s goal to generate 30% of the nation’s electricity from offshore wind by 2030, the sector must undergo rapid scaling which involves fully embracing robotic technology. Robotics presents a huge opportunity for the offshore wind sector to keep pace with the scale of change, strengthening the UK’s competitive edge in clean energy.

• • World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Now Produces Power

  UK’s Dogger Bank A Offshore Wind Farm Has Started Producing Electricity to Power UK Homes
  
  

  Oct. 10, 2023 -Power is now being transmitted from an offshore wind turbine at Dogger Bank A to the UK’s national grid via a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system.

  The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm is being built 130 km off the coast of Yorkshire in three 1.2 GW phases known as Dogger Bank A, B, and C.

• • Offshore Wind Turbines Need Rare Earth Metals

  Will There Be Enough to Go Around?
  
  

  Oct. 9, 2023 -Siemens Gamesa, one of the largest offshore wind turbine makers in the world, signed an agreement to purchase hundreds of tons of rare earths from Arafura, beginning in 2026, to make giant magnets for its seagoing turbines. The reason a major manufacturer entered a contract with a mining company that isn’t mining anything yet? As CEO Jochen Eickholt told Reuters, Siemens Gamesa is almost 100% reliant on China for rare earth magnets — and its customers want to change that.

  Click now for the article.

• • Slashing Emissions by Harnessing the Wind

  More Ships Are Running On Wind Power, As the Global Industry Tries to Fight Climate Change
  
  

  Oct. 3, 2023 -One ship was pulled across the sea with the help of an enormous sail that looked as if it belonged to a kite-surfing giant. Another navigated the oceans between China and Brazil this summer with steel and composite-glass sails as high as three telephone poles.

  Both harness a natural propellant that oceangoing vessels have depended on for centuries: the wind. And they’re part of a growing effort to move the shipping industry away from fossil fuels.

• • 80% More U.S. Wind Energy Potential This Decade

  Resulting From Tech Innovation
  
  

  Sep. 22, 2023 -While the United States has excellent wind resources over much of the country, some locations are less windy and, as a result, have not seen much wind energy development. Harnessing wind power in a cost-effective manner has long been a challenge in these areas. But new technologies could make it possible to profitably capture winds blowing higher above the ground across much of the United States.

  Click now for the whole story.

• • Windpower From Kite Turbines

  Low-Cost Renewable Energy
  Concept For Wind Turbines

  May, 2021, (SOLARIMPULSE FOUNDATION)-Using kites flying at higher altitudes, the kite turbines are accessing better wind resources. They provide clean energy in a more stable pattern than other renewable energy solutions. Thanks to the kite principle, they require 90% less material resources and hence they are more economically attractive. Kite turbines take off like drones using four propellers.

• • We Can Now 3D Print Wind Turbine Blades

  GE Awarded DoE Grant
  to Research That Technology

  Feb. 8, 2021 (Renewable Energy World)-GE Research, GE Renewable Energy, and LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy business were recently selected by the US Department of Energy (DoE) to research the design and manufacture of 3D printed wind turbine blades.

  The GE business units will partner with the Oakridge National Lab and the National Renewable Energy Lab on a 25-month $6.7 million project to develop and demonstrate an integrated additive manufacturing process for novel high-performance blade designs for the future of large rotors.

• • All About Wind Energy (Free Download)

  The Facts About Wind Energy

  Climate Reality Project - For thousands of years, people across the globe have harnessed the power of wind in one way or another – whether to pump water, grind grain, or propel boats. But today, wind has become a powerful way of generating electricity. And better yet, it’s renewable and doesn’t pollute the air we breathe.

  Cities, states, countries, and companies around the world are increasingly turning to wind energy to power our world. But, thanks to Big Polluters, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. In this e-book, we set the story straight and give you the facts so you know what to say the next time you hear a Big Polluter talking point about wind power.

• • Wind Power Gets Its Day In the Sun

  Vestas and EDPR Install
  Single-Converter Wind-Solar Hybrid

  Mar. 28, 2018 - The two companies installed the demonstrator – which consists of a V112-3.0MW turbine and a new 372kW solar PV array – at EDPR’s Janda III wind farm in Cádiz, south-west Spain.

  Power from the solar PV panels is fed to the turbine as direct current, which is then converted and transformed by the turbine’s power conversion system, which Vestas upgraded especially for the project, to export power to the grid.

  By connecting wind and solar through the turbine’s electronics and using its full-scale converter, the number of converters is reduced, the two companies explained.

• • The Advantages of Off-Shore Wind

  Study Finds Offshore
  Wind Farms Have Powerful
  Advantage Over Land Turbines

  Oct. 9, 2017  Floating wind turbines at sea could create up to three times as much electricity as turbines on land, increasing the energy potential for a technology that has yet to be proven at scale, a new study suggests.

• • Hornsea Project Two (HP2)
  (Right Off the Yorkshire Coast)

  Hornsea Project Two, North Sea

  Sep. 19, 2017  (Power Technology) — Hornsea Project Two (HP2) is being constructed within the Hornsea Zone of the North Sea, UK. With a total capacity of approximately 1.4GW, the wind farm is expected to be the largest of its kind worldwide.

  Project developer Ørsted (previously Dong Energy) gained the rights to the project in August 2015 through the acquisition of SMartWind, a 50:50 joint venture (JV) between Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Financial Services.

  The scoping report for the project was completed in 2012. The consent application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) for examination in January 2015 and completed in March 2016.

• • What the Top of a Turbine Look Like

  SOn Top of a Wind Turbine, or On Top of the World

  Apr. 25, 2017  -Stand atop a wind turbine and you get some powerful perspective. When you’re 280 feet off the ground, your feet clinging to the deck, the breeze blowing past, you’ve got a clear view of the power of wind energy. Wath the video.

• • Nearly Half of Danish Power Comes From Wind

  Over 47% of Their Energy was
  Generated by Wind Turbines in 2019

  Jan. 3, 2020(CleanTechnica),- Power generated by wind turbines at sea increased to 18% last year from 14% in 2018, while onshore wind accounted for 29%.

  Denmark is a world leader in renewable energy and is way ahead of its nearest rival Ireland, which generated 28 per cent of its energy from wind in 2018.

  
  Click now for the story.

• • A New Approach to Capture
  the Power of Offshore Wind

  It's Called “Wind Catching”

  June 2, 2021, (WindCatching.com)-Designed to optimize energy production for a floating wind power plant for easy operations and maintenance.

  • Elevator based turbine installation – all heavy operations performed on deck

  • No need for specialized vessels or cranes

  • 50 year design life

  • Power to X – production and storage

• • Robotic Wind Blade Repair

  BladeBUG Inspects, Resurfaces, and
  Repairs Wind Turbine Blades Remotely

  (CleanTechnica),Here’s a story about a tiny little bit of technology that could have a significant impact on renewable energy, particularly wind turbines. Efficiency is a big deal in the world of wind and solar energy. Dust, dirt, pollen and bird droppings can reduce the efficiency of solar panels, so people have invented ways to wash them in order to keep them producing electricity as efficiently as possible.

  Wind turbines have blades that can be hundreds of feet long and weigh thousands of pounds. Not only do they operate high up in the air, many are located miles offshore where accessing them is both difficult and hazardous.

• • It's a Breeze for Dutch Trains

  Dutch Trains Are World's First
  to Run on 100% Wind Power

  Jan. 16, 2017  -The Netherlands, aka Windmill Country, is now operating 100 percent of its electric trains with wind energy.

• • Wind Systems Trends to Watch

  Advanced Blade Pitch
  Systems Trends to Watch

  Dec.5, 2016  -The latest developments in blade pitch technology have opened new opportunities for wind turbine manufacturers. We will look at five key trends of this rapidly evolving technology and three important insights to keep in mind to make wise pitch system decisions, avoid pitfalls, and choose the right pitch partner.

• • Wind Farm Like Ivory Soap

  SOffshore Wind Farms See
  Promise in Platforms That Float

  Sept.29, 2016  The sun was beating down on the leafy campus of the University of Maine one afternoon last month. But inside a hangarlike laboratory, a miniature hurricane was raging.

• • Scottish Wind: (Bagpipes Not Included)

  SAmerica’s First Offshore Wind
  Farm May Power Up a New Industry

  Aug. 22, 2016  The idea of building turbines offshore, where strong, steady wind could, in theory, generate large amounts of power, has long been seen as a vital step toward a future based on renewable energy.

• • High-Speed Wind Turbine Assembly

  Right Before Your Eyes
  Video by Mid-American Energy

  Enjoy this high-speed video showing the assembly of a giant wind turbine.

• • How Wind Turbines Work

  What You Need to Know

  July 23, 2021 (ZME Science) -They look like airplane propellers running circles on the spot, spinning round and round all day long. Wind turbines take the kinetic energy from the wind and use their giant rotors to capture some of it turn it into electricity, and they may play a key role in saving us from catastrophic climate change. Let’s take a closer look at how wind turbines actually work.

  Wind turbines are based on a simple principle, in essence: the wind turns the blades, which causes the axis to rotate, which is attached to a generator, which produces electricity. The stronger the wind, the more electricity is generated. That’s why we usually see industrial-scale wind farms with high towers and large blades across the world: larger blades can gather more power and are more efficient. But while the basic principle is simple, the technology is complex.