ARTICLES
Understanding the importance of field tiles and identifying ways to mitigate issues will help to improve landowner relations and lower overall construction costs.
Nothing is simple when dealing with tiling issues on wind facilities in certain portions of farm country. They are almost never surface located as part of a typical “one call” or underground utility location service. Most, if not all, of the tiles are poorly mapped and cannot be identified until they are encountered in the […]
Ron Krizan, P.E.
In this conclusion of a two-part series, the author continues his discussion of preseason winter preparations, providing insights on how to safeguard personnel during the long winter months.
In the October installment of this column we discussed various ways to prepare the wind turbine for winter operations. We continue our conversation by addressing the safety risks related to cold weather and how advance planning, and training, can avoid cold weather related injuries to the service team. Most technicians know how standing for long […]
Merritt Brown
In order to properly navigate the relative interpretation of time-averaged extreme wind conditions in various standards and data sources, conversion factors are needed.
The U.S. coastal environment offers challenges to widespread offshore wind development compared to projects installed in Europe. The prevalence of hurricanes along the Eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico will require additional considerations as the U.S. defines its design standards. These issues are being addressed by several groups, such as a recent National Academies […]
Susan W. Stewart, Ph.D.
Logistics planning requires factoring in the interaction between weather and the terrain to be transversed — taking a 3D rather than a 2D approach.
As the seventh consecutive day of rain was drenching me in the middle of a project, causing delays and running up costs, I thought of a line by Longfellow—“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” No matter how well you plan, Mother Nature can and will push back. […]
Michael Graska
NEWS
The AWEA Wind Environmental Health & Safety Seminar will be held January 9-10, 2012, in San Diego, California. As the wind industry evolves, so have the responsibilities of the environmental, health and safety (EHS) professional. From reducing incidents and preventing accidents to ensuring environmental compliance, EHS managers are facing new demands and challenges in an […]
December 28, 2011
Martha Wyrsch, president of Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc., gave testimony to the U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure to urge an immediate extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which is set to expire Dec. 31, 2012. “An extension of the PTC is necessary for the continued employment of the 80,000 […]
December 22, 2011
Alstom announces the launch of the ECO 122, a 2.7MW onshore wind turbine that combines high power and high capacity factor to boost energy yield in low wind regions worldwide. The ECO 122’s leading efficiency and high yield set a new benchmark for low wind sites. At a wind speed of 7.5 m/s the turbine […]
December 6, 2011
NRG Systems, manufacturer of measurement systems for the renewable energy industry has agreed to invest in Oenko, a manufacturer and installer of lattice towers for wind resource assessment and wind farm monitoring. This investment pairs NRG Systems’ nearly 30 years in the wind energy industry and its complete system approach with Oenko’s cutting-edge lattice tower […]
December 6, 2011
A laser in Iowa State University’s Wind Energy Manufacturing Laboratory scanned layer after layer of the flexible fiberglass fabric used to make wind turbine blades. A computer took the laser readings and calculated how dozens of the layers would fit and flow over the curves of a mold used to manufacture a blade. And if […]
December 6, 2011
Mortenson Construction has started construction of the Shady Oaks Wind Farm near Compton, Illinois, adding 109.5MW to the state’s wind energy capacity. The wind power facility will consist of 71 Goldwind turbines. Mortenson is responsible for the design and construction of access roads, collection system, foundations, and the erection of the turbines. The Shady Oaks […]
December 6, 2011
A Colorado-based research team recently completed a major wind study using Second Wind’s Triton® Sonic Wind Profiler to learn more about one of wind power’s biggest unknowns, the wake effect, and its impact on turbine productivity. Triton is one of several remote sensing technologies that TWICS (the Turbine Wake and Inflow Characterization Study) has used […]
December 6, 2011
Capital Safety announces a new extension to its revolutionary DBI-SALA ExoFit NEX™ product line, the ExoFit NEX Arc Flash harnesses. The innovative harnesses incorporate Nomex/Kevlar technology into their design and feature flame-resistant and non-conductive properties, making them perfect for use in any industry that involves exposure to high-voltage electricity or hot work, such as welding.The […]
December 6, 2011
On September 1, 2011, Klas Forsström took over the position as global president of Sandvik Coromant, the world-leading supplier of cutting tools, tooling solutions, services, and know-how to the metalworking industry. Forsström has been with the Sandvik Group for about 17 years, mostly at Sandvik Coromant. His work has included leading positions in R&D, product […]
December 6, 2011
Seco introduced its original Minimaster line of end mills with replaceable carbide inserts nearly 25 years ago. Today the company is presenting its new Minimaster Plus, with advanced features for tackling the most demanding of milling applications in steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum and other difficult-to-machine materials.The most notable new feature on the Minimaster […]
December 6, 2011
Pacific Crest Transformers (PCT), a leader in the design and construction of liquid-filled distribution transformers, announces that its transformer withstood rigorous seismic testing performed at one of the nation’s largest independent engineering testing laboratories. The testing showed that PCT’s transformer design and construction is suitable for mission critical applications, including hospitals, command centers, and generation […]
December 6, 2011
The U.S. Senate is currently working on tax legislation intended to pass before the end of this year, so we are asking you to contact your Senators right away to urge them to include the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) extension in any tax bill that moves forward this month. With the uncertainty of […]
December 5, 2011
