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The site survey is an important function for retrofitting turbines with a condition-monitoring system. Due to COVID-19, the entire process has been carried out remotely and may be considered a solution for all future site surveys.

As downtime and service costs play an increasingly important role in the wind-power sector, most wind turbines manufactured today are equipped with a factory installed condition monitoring system as standard. There are still many turbines out in the field, however, with no condition monitoring system at all. Wind-turbine owners and operators for these turbines are […]

A new large-scale spar buoy design will allow for the deployment of 10-MW to 20-MW direct drive wind turbine generators.

Developers of clean energy are ready to deploy large, efficient 10-MW to 20-MW direct drive wind turbine generators (DDWTG) in far offshore, deep-water wind farms. A new innovative floating foundation system with a unique deployment method will substantially reduce the levelized cost of energy of the DDWTG. The key is a new large-scale spar buoy […]

Concern about the availability of rare-earth metals in general and neodymium in particular led a study to develop what-if scenarios for its use in wind turbines through 2050.

Wind power continues to offer a potential alternative approach for generating electricity that is more environmentally friendly. But the severe operating conditions placed on the lubricant in gearboxes needed to convert low-speed wind energy to high-speed energy in the wind turbine have decreased the ability for operating at an optimum level for a long period […]

Avangrid Renewables is deploying cutting-edge technology in order to lay the groundwork for the company’s Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind project.

Twenty-seven miles off the coast of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, cutting edge research is under way. Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind, a project of Avangrid Renewables, is making substantial progress on the evaluation of the Wind Energy Area (WEA) that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management competitively awarded to the company in 2017. The […]

Collaboration, policy, technology, and economic stimulus in the wake of COVID-19 are all variables in the renewables equation that will push Canada to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Canada wants to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and it is pushing those goals with some interesting organizational changes. And while 2050 may feel like it’s a million years away, it’s only 30, so the clock is ticking to get policies in place, and in place quickly. As part of that goal, renewable energy […]

Wind-friendly states are attracting the attention of companies that want access to renewable energy, with corporations more likely to sign contracts with projects in states that have high-quality wind resources.

Companies in nearly every sector of the economy are building a new future for how to do business —they’re powering their stores, factories, and data centers using wind power. Corporate and industrial customers bought 4,447 MW of U.S. wind capacity last year, setting a new record for annual procurements, according to the first Wind Powers […]

A combination of non-destructive testing solutions and structural health monitoring systems can be used to enhance the quality control and quality assurance of new wind-turbine foundations.

Proper quality control and quality assurance procedures are necessary to ensure safe and reliable performance of wind turbines. Various inspection tools and procedures have been developed to assess the safety and reliability of the mechanical components of the turbine, shaft, and blades. However, the concrete foundations are often overlooked. The dynamic and cyclic loads from […]

Wind turbines haven’t stopped turning, which means they still need servicing, so practices have been redefined for training safely post COVID-19.

At the height of the global pandemic, as little as 24 percent of the usual amount of safety training was available for the world’s wind-power workforce. Government lockdowns almost everywhere rendered schools, colleges, and specialist training centers unable to provide courses, despite the fact our workforce had a continuing obligation to keep wind turbines spinning. […]

From a lubricant standpoint, wind turbines operating under fairly consistent conditions
will lead to extending the durability of gear oils.

Wind power is emerging as a sustainable source of electricity. As we know, finding solutions for improving the reliability and durability of gearboxes is a long-standing objective for the lubricant industry. Wind farms tend to be in remote locations, whether on land or offshore. In a Tribology and Lubrication Technology article [1], a study that […]

The Tar Heel State takes its first step in developing an offshore wind study.
By Elizabeth Ouzts

North Carolina has taken the first step toward what observers say is a crucial study of offshore wind — issuing a request for proposals to analyze the state’s ports and manufacturing supply chain. Other states that have conducted similar analyses have created a virtuous cycle of more local jobs, lower costs, and more activity in […]

Artificial intelligence can both support individual condition-monitoring tasks typically done by a conventional CMS and a specialist, as well as support the entire condition-monitoring process up to determining the remaining useful life without intervention from a specialist.

As the worldwide installed capacity of wind turbines increases and plays a bigger role in the energy market, so does the need to ensure maximum availability and production of these turbines, together with minimal levelized cost of energy. Machine condition monitoring is important in this respect and many of the new turbines delivered today already […]

Why electroplating can be crucial to keeping wind-turbine generator repair costs down.

It is no secret that the wind-turbine market is growing. Seen by many as the long-term answer to the future of power generation, the sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 10 percent during the forecast period 2020-2025, according to Mordor Intelligence. However, this renewable energy source still faces stiff competition […]

Wind-energy capacity in the United States is now in the triple gigawatt digits, and it will continue to grow as the reliable power source begins to take hold offshore.

The U.S. wind industry achieved two remarkable milestones in 2019 thanks to the ingenuity and hard work of the country’s wind-energy workforce. First, we now have more than 100 GW of installed capacity. That’s enough wind power to meet the electricity needs of 32 million homes. This success story is decades in the making, and […]

Offshore wind projects are major undertakings that involve a vast array of stakeholders, so the key to the success of an offshore project is to ensure modern technology is in place and conventional wisdom is implemented.

Offshore wind projects are major undertakings that involve a vast array of stakeholders, so the key to the success of an offshore project is to ensure modern technology is in place and conventional wisdom is implemented. Some of the most favorable wind-energy resources in the U.S. happen to be in places where there simply aren’t […]

Geopolymer concrete and basalt rebar results in multiple benefits, including reducing cost by 36%, reducing weight by 40%, new production techniques, new transport methods, and new erection techniques.

There are approximately 340,000 wind turbine generators (WTG) throughout the world: 320,000 onshore and 20,000 offshore. The power output of the majority of these are 1.5 MW to 2.5 MW. The evolution of wind power has largely been about designing and building bigger blades and placing them atop higher and higher towers to engage stronger […]

From young people to prosperous adults, the industry is proactively supporting the success of women who celebrate an interest in renewable energy.

Gender equality in the workplace is an increasingly pertinent issue. Across industries, there appears to be a continued imbalance with regards to the success of women in professional roles, including the renewables sector. Fortunately, this inequality has been met with a determination among energy experts to create a more welcoming and balanced working environment. As […]

Ultrasonic phased array can be used to inspect wind blades with low-frequency probes to detect and size small flaws and defects such as wrinkles, delamination, disbonds, and more.

1. Introduction In-service wind turbines operate in harsh environments. While the wind blades are subjected to a high-level of stress, other components of wind turbines are also exposed to difficult conditions. To help ensure the integrity of wind turbines when in-service, it is important to apply efficient and reliable nondestructive testing methods. This paper focuses […]

A new bearing design is able to perform under high-thrust loads while still maintaining its excellent misalignment characteristics.

Today’s modern wind turbines can produce more than 7 MW of electrical power per unit — with offshore prototypes capable of achieving an output of as much as 12 MW — making these majestic machines an indispensable source of energy to help mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change. Consequently, ensuring that wind turbines operate […]

Technicians can prolong rotating equipment life in wind-turbine operations through proper bearings selection and installation, appropriate maintenance practices, condition monitoring, and predictive maintenance.

Wind turbines are typically designed to support a 20-year life cycle. Components are often subjected to extreme operating and climate conditions that can affect reliability, productivity, and, ultimately, service life. However, when properly maintained, they can continue to operate well beyond their expected lifespan. Operators are continually looking for new ways to help extend the […]

In order to properly maintain the operations of offshore turbines in the U.S., a full modern fleet of crew transfer vessels will be paramount.

It’s no secret that, to build an offshore wind industry, you first need to build boats. U.S. offshore wind is still nascent, but, with considerable state-driven ambitions and a national strategy in place, the Department of Energy found that the U.S. could install a total of 22,000 MW of offshore wind projects by 2030. Bringing […]

As the number of rods in foundations increases, making sure those bolts are given the proper tension becomes a priority during construction and O&M projects.

If you are involved in wind-energy construction or operations and maintenance, you know that foundation anchor bolt tensioning requires careful attention to the equipment and procedures to achieve effective and precise results. There have been some real challenges of late as engineers design foundations with larger rods, more rods, and greater tension. To date, the […]

As the global demand for energy accelerates, wind and other renewable solutions are an increasingly integral piece of the global energy demand puzzle — and Lidar is an essential technology unlocking the future of the wind-energy industry.

Autonomous vehicles. High-resolution maps. Weather forecasts. With advances propelling the technology forward over the past couple of decades, Lidar (light detection and ranging) has conquered an increasing amount of applications, radically altering every industry from agriculture to mining to robotics and spaceflight — and wind energy is the latest frontier. The backbone of remote sensing, […]