Offshore wind power — a reality in Europe and other overseas markets for years now — is close to being a reality in the U.S. as well.
Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island is on schedule to become the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. when it goes online later this year.
And since AWEA Offshore Windpower 2016 is happening in Warwick, Rhode Island, there will no doubt be much discussion about the first U.S. wind farm to connect to the grid. The show is October 25-26, and a lot of topics on the schedule should provide a fascinating look at offshore wind — both in the present and the future. In this issue of Wind Systems, we have a few articles about offshore wind to get readers in the mood for the show. We talk with Walt Musial, manager of Offshore Wind and Ocean Power Systems at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He is scheduled to chair a panel at Offshore Windpower on floating-wind technologies. In this month’s Conversation, Musial shares his expertise on offshore wind power and what people might expect from his panel. We also have an article from Jim Bennett, chief of the Office of Renewable Energy Programs at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. He talks about major milestones and the future outlook of offshore wind in the U.S.
But Offshore Windpower isn’t the only major tradeshow on deck in the coming months. On November 1-3, the 32nd annual CanWEA Annual Conference and Exhibition is happening in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
This year’s conference will host about 1,500 attendees representing topics that include: project developers, manufacturers, federal, provincial and municipal governments, utilities, consultants, communities, and students.
To get Canadians — and Americans as well — in the mood, Jean-François Nolet with the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) shares his insights on how Canadian wind energy is integral to a North American transition to cleaner power. And representatives from the Wind Energy Institute of Canada (WEICan) take a look at a project that will help create a common database for Canadian wind farms.
In addition to our focus on wind power both offshore and in Canada, our Company Profile is with Apex Clean Energy. A relatively new company in name, Apex has been a market leader in the world of renewable energy across the country with assets under management hitting the $2 billion mark.
And last, but not least, in our Maintenance section, Siemens reveals how it has teamed up with Herchenbach to build temporary warehouses at turbine sites where repairs will be made onsite.
Those are a few highlights of this month’s Wind Systems, offering some timely information on the state of wind energy from the New England coasts to Canada, our neighbor to the north. So if you’re headed to a show, may the wind be at your back.
Thanks for reading.
