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Site Updated:
Sept. 23, 2023

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

• • 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.

• • Offshore Wind Projects Need Federal Help

  Six Governors Tell Biden
  
  

  Sep. 18, 2023 -Offshore wind projects need more federal funding and planning assistance to ensure they get built, the Democratic governors of six northeastern states told the Biden administration, warning that a cornerstone of the climate change fight could be in jeopardy.

  Biden can take three steps — on tax credits, revenue sharing and permits — to help the nascent wind industry deal with challenges like inflation, supply chain and other issues, according to the letter Wednesday from the governors of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

• • California May Now Buy Wind Power

  Legislature Approves Plan
  
  

  Sep. 15, 2023 -The California Legislature voted Thursday to give Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration permission to buy massive amounts of electricity, a move aimed at avoiding blackouts by shoring up the state’s power supply while jumpstarting the West Coast’s fledgling offshore wind industry.

  Click now for the whole story.

• • Can an Oil Man Lead the World Away From Oil?

  Many Doubt the Possibility
  
  

  Sep. 14, 2023 -On a craggy desert plateau in Uzbekistan, a renewable energy company from the United Arab Emirates is putting up more than 100 wind turbines.

  And on the other side of this vast, landlocked Central Asian nation, the same company’s owners, Emirati fossil-fuel investors, are pouring billions of dollars into a gas plant expansion.

• • Wind Energy Giant Orsted Says
  Delays in U.S. May Cost $2 Billion

  Supply Chain Problems and High Interest Rates are Hurting U.S. Projects
  
  

  Aug. 30, 2023 -Orsted, the Danish renewable energy giant, has warned that it may write off as much as $2.12 billion because of supply chain problems and other issues at three giant offshore wind installations off the United States’ East Coast.

  The announcement from the company, which has been a global pioneer in offshore wind energy, is the latest sign of trouble in an industry expected to supply an increasingly large portion of clean energy to meet the climate-change goals of many countries, including the United States.

• • US Holds First Ever Offshore
  Wind Lease Sale in Gulf of Mexico

  Officials Say Sale is Sign the Gulf Can Be Key Player in New Green Economy
  
  

  Aug. 29, 2023 -The Biden administration on Tuesday is holding the first ever auction for the right to develop offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico.

  The historic sale falls on the anniversaries of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and 2021’s Hurricane Ida, climate crisis-fueled disasters that devastated Gulf communities.

• • Wind Power's Secrets

  Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know
  
  

  Aug. 26, 2023 -Brush up on your knowledge of wind! This article is part of the Energy.gov series highlighting the “Top Things You Didn’t Know About Energy” series.

  Click now to read this enlighteneing article.

• • Norway: World’s Biggest Floating Wind Farm

  It Will Power Oil and Gas Platforms
  
  

  Aug. 23, 2023 - Oil giant Equinor is behind the project, but renewables still make up only a tiny fraction of its total energy production.

  The world’s biggest floating wind farm has officially launched today off the west coast of Norway.

  Equinor is behind the huge Hywind Tampern farm, which will generate 88 megawatts (MW) of energy to supply nearby oil and gas platforms.

• • Two New Approaches to Wind-Powered Ships

  Sales on Ships May
  Be Returning Soon
  
  

  Aug. 23, 2023 -In his iconic song A Pirate Looks At Forty, Jimmy Buffett laments the passage from the days of sailing ships to the age of steam power. For centuries, sailors got where they were going and back home again in ships powered by the wind. In the golden age of sail, navigators guarded their records of where the wind blew hardest and where there were no breezes at all costs. Stealing that information was punishable by death!

• • Final Turbine Installed at Viking Wind Farm

  103 Vestas V117 Machines Now in Place at Onshore Shetland Site
  
  

  Aug. 16, 2023 - Just over three years since breaking ground on the project, SSE Renewables has successfully installed the final turbine at the 443MW Viking Wind Farm in Shetland.

  The process began in February 2023 and in just over six months the team of technicians has safely and successfully installed all 103 Vestas V117 4.3MW machines on the site.

• • Clean Energy Future: Friends and Foes

  The Array of Impediments to Widespread Conversion to Renewables
  
  

  Aug. 14, 2023 -For more than 15 years, researchers at the University of Maine have been honing scale models of floating wind turbines inspired by oil rigs. They are now confident they can mass-produce turbine blades the length of football fields and float them miles into the ocean. It is the kind of breakthrough in clean energy technology that is allowing a much faster transition to renewables than many believed possible, aided by state officials eager to pioneer a floating wind industry.

• • The Future of East Coast Wind Power

  It Could Ride On
  This Jersey Beach Town
  
  

  Aug. 8, 2023 -Known as “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” this beachside city now has a new distinction: It has become the epicenter of opposition to wind energy projects off New Jersey and the East Coast.

  Residents of Ocean City and surrounding Cape May County, helped by an outside group opposed to renewable energy, are mobilizing to stop Ocean Wind 1, a proposal to build up to 98 wind turbines the size of skyscrapers off the New Jersey coast, which could power half a million homes.

• • Siemens Energy Wind Turbine Issues

  It Could Cost Siemens Several Billion
  
  

  Aug. 7, 2023 -Siemens Energy on Monday said problems recently unveiled at its wind turbine unit would cost it 2.2 billion euros ($2.4 billion), well short of worst-case estimates but still casting doubt over whether it will keep the struggling business.

  The charges will inflate the company's (ENR1n.DE) net loss more than six-fold in 2023 to 4.5 billion euros, the company said, as it published third-quarter results showing a record order backlog of 106 billion euros due to strong demand.

• • Bladeless Wind Power Generation

  Advantages Over Bladed Turbines

  July 25, 2023, (VORTEX) • Gearless & Oiless, • No Braking Required, • Always Orientated, • Easier Fabrication, • Less Space Required, • Greater Lifespan

• • A New Use For Rhode Island Power Lines

  Will Be Replaced
  to Carry Offshore Wind Power
  
  

  July 24, 2023 -Rhode Island Energy (RIE) has begun work to replace nine miles of power lines to allow power from the upcoming Revolution Wind (RW) offshore wind farm to be added to the grid.

  The current infrastructure is not robust enough to handle the new conductor that is needed to handle the load from RW, RIE said. The power lines are being rebuilt in North Kingstown, East Greenwich and Warwick.

• • It's the Largest Wind Turbine Ever

  The Product That Keeps on Growing

  July 24, 2023, (Green Energy Times) -The Largest And Most Powerful Wind Turbine Ever Built Is Now Operational” • The world’s largest wind turbine constructed to date is now up and running and contributing to the power grid in China. The turbine is a MySE 16-260. The nomenclature designates a power capacity of 16 MW and a rotor diameter of 260 meters (853 feet).

• • Rough Seas Ahead For Offshore Wind

  Some Purchase Agreements Are Being Scrapped
  
  

  July 21, 2023 -Economic uncertainties have resulted in multiple East Coast offshore wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) coming to an end, with both developers and utilities deciding to back out of the agreements.

  Rhode Island Energy (RIE) has pulled out of its PPA with Ørsted and Eversource for the offshore wind farmRevolution Wind 2, citing higher interest rates, increased expenses, and questionable federal tax credits, Offshore Wind reports. The decision was made after a four-month evaluation process, RIE said, and the utility ultimately concluded that the contract costs had become uneconomical.

• • Gulf of Mexico Offshore Wind Lease Auction

  It's Set For This August
  
  

  July 20, 2023 -The U.S. Dept. of the Interior announced it will hold the first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 29.

  The areas to be auctioned by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have the potential to generate approximately 3.7 GW and power almost 1.3 million homes with clean, renewable energy, the agency said.

• • Ancient Windcatchers in Iran

  They Had a Pretty 'Cool' Idea
  
  

  July 13, 2023 -Electricity consumption rises with the temperature as people turn on air conditioners in the summer. But many homes in Iran are still built with a simple but effective cooling device known as a windcatcher, which requires no electricity and dates back centuries.

  A windcatcher looks like a tall, decorative chimney, usually with two or more open sides. It catches the breeze that blows well above ground level and channels it down into the house below. This displaces warm air that is expelled through the opposite face of the windcatcher...

• • New York’s First Offshore Wind Farm

  First Monopile Foundation
  Installed at South Fork Wind
  
  

  June 26, 2023 -South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind farm, has achieved its “steel in the water” milestone with the installation of the project’s first monopile foundation, Governor Kathy Hochul announced June 22. In the coming days, South Fork Wind will install the project’s U.S.-built offshore substation.

  If the project 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. The wind farm is meant to support the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to develop 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035.

• • Wind Energy Substation Sets
  Sail for New York Offshore Project

  Is Expected to be the First Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Farm Completed In Federal Waters
  
  

  May 30, 2023 -The substation is a so-called topside structure that will sit on a monopile foundation, collect the power produced by wind turbines and connect it to the grid.

  Work also is underway on the Edison Chouest Offshore, a Jones Act-qualified wind farm service operations vessel that will support Ørsted and Eversource’s projects in the Northeast. The Jones Act, formally known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, is a federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports.

• • Ukraine Sees New Virtue in Wind Power

  It’s Harder to Destroy
  
  

  May 29, 2023 -Bombarding the power grid has been an essential part of Russia’s invasion, but officials say it would take many more missile strikes to badly damage a wind farm than a power plant.

• • New Bedford Once Lit the World with Whale Oil

  Now it Wants to Do the
  Same With Wind Power
  
  

  May 25, 2023 -New Bedford was once the city that lit the world, exporting vast quantities of whale oil for lamps in the early 1800s. Workers packed the docks, unloading casks of oil that had been extracted at sea from whale carcasses and brought in by a fleet of hundreds of whaling ships.

  Nearly two centuries later New Bedford aspires to light the world again, in a different relationship with the sea, as the offshore wind industry arrives here.

• • Texas' Renewable Power Struggle:

  How the Nation’s Top Wind Power State Turned Against Renewables
  
  

  May 25, 2023 -State Rep. Jared Patterson disagreed with his Republican colleague that Texas should keep supporting the booming renewable energy industry here.

  Rep. John Smithee was arguing on the House floor in early May that certain solar and wind farms should be eligible for school tax breaks. A similar program the state offered for the past 20 years drew renewable energy projects to rural parts of Texas, including Smithee’s Amarillo district.

• • Massive Turbine Bladesr = For Massive Waste Streams

  Chemists Have Found a Way to
  Break them Down for Reuse
  
  

  May 11, 2023 - Modern wind turbines are behemoths, reaching well over twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. Recycling them when they reach the end of their lives is paramount if wind power is to be sustainable. Turbine blades however, are made of materials that cannot currently be recycled.

  In a new study, chemists from Aarhus University in Denmark describe a way to break apart the strong glue that holds blades together, making their main building blocks available for reuse. This could keep millions of tons of blades out of landfills in the coming decades.

• • Developing Offshore Wind in the Gulf of Maine

  The Latest Biden
  Move on Clean Energy
  
  

  Apr. 27, 2023 -The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on April 25 issued its Gulf of Maine Call for Information and Nominations, which invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

  The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on April 25 issued its Gulf of Maine Call for Information and Nominations, which invites public comment on, and assesses interest in, possible commercial wind energy development in areas offshore Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

• • The North Sea Can Become
  a Renewable Energy Powerhouse

  European Countries Plan
  To Make It So
  
  

  Apr. 26, 2023 - The North Sea is bordered by Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the UK, and Luxembourg.

  For many decades, the oil and methane gas beneath it have powered many of those countries, but now there is a new kid in town — offshore wind. This week, leaders from those eight nations, joined by leaders from the European Commission and Ireland, converged on Ostend, Belgium, to discuss ways to turn the North Sea into “Europe’s biggest green power plant.”

• • Michigan’s Largest Wind Farm

  DTE Brings It Online
  
  

  Apr. 19, 2023 -DTE Energy has announced the commissioning of Meridian Wind, a 225 MW wind farm that is now the largest operating in Michigan.

  Meridian Wind spans three townships across Midland and Saginaw counties and features 77 wind turbines. The wind farm is capable of generating enough clean energy to power more than 78,000 homes.

• • World’s Deepest Wind Turbine
  Foundation Installed Off Scottish Coast

  Wind Turbine Foundation at a depth of 58.6m Was Installed off the Coast of Angus, Scotland
  
  

  Apr. 13, 2023 -Installation took place at the Seagreen wind farm, a project resulting from a £3 billion ($3.7 billion) joint venture between SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies.

  It’s said to be the world’s deepest wind turbine foundation, topping a previous Seagreen record of 57.4 meters (approximately 188 feet) set in October 2022.

• • 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.