17Dec

How WindFlip Will Deliver Gigantic Floating Turbines to Site

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How WindFlip Will Deliver Gigantic Floating Turbines to Site

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To tow the new gigantic off-shore wind turbines now being developed in Europe far out to sea, a Norwegian company has devised a clever and simple mechanism. Their WindFlip tows the turbine out almost horizontal – and then when it gets to the site, tilts it up into position – using only the weight of seawater to do it.

The structure contains 29 air filled compartments. Once at the site each of the compartments inside the Windflip is sequentially filled with water, causing the stern to slowly submerge, so that both the Windflip barge and the turbine it is holding flip up 90°. Then it releases the turbine for connection with a pre-installed mooring spread, and then tips the barge back to horizontal by clearing the ballast tanks of seawater with compressed air.

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16Dec

ECC to Build 1.5-Megawatt Wind Turbines For Air Force Center

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ECC to Build 1.5-Megawatt Wind Turbines For Air Force Center

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The Energy Competence Centre (ECC) has recently finished the development of its second wind turbine project at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR).

The project consists of the installation of two 1.5-megawatt GE wind turbines which will provide clean electricity to the Air Force Center for Engineering. MMR’s main goal is to obtain all of its energy from renewables.

“This highly visible project was delivered safely, with high quality and ahead of schedule through the collective efforts of the entire AFCEE/ECC team. Each time I cross the Sagamore Bridge and see the turbines spinning, I am reminded of ECC’s contribution in bringing alternative energy to Cape Cod,” said Brian LaMont, program manager for ECC.

 

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12Dec

Why DOE-Funded Floating Turbines May Change Future of Offshore Wind

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Why DOE-Funded Floating Turbines May Change Future of Offshore Wind

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This week, Statoil has an application for a pilot demonstration of their Hywind floating wind turbine 12 miles off the coast of Maine before the new Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for approval. The demo would be the fruition of a project begun in 2009, and funded by the Department of Energy.

Then Maine Governor John Baldacci had visited Norway to inspect Statoil’s Hywind floating turbine project with state and university officials and business leaders and encouraged Statoil to consider his state for deep-water testing of the commercial floating wind turbine technology in the Gulf of Maine. A return visit introduced Norway’s Statoil to turbine construction expertise in Maine, visiting the Vinalhaven wind turbines on the Fox Islands constructed by Cianbro.

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8Dec

Trans Wind Energy Generation: A concept to harness wind energy for efficient power generation

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Trans Wind Energy Generation

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The myriad benefits of the efficient use of wind energy for power generation have been talked about for long. The idea is being implemented in various projects around the world but a mainstream use of the technology, something that allows for the increase in efficiency and presents it as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, is missing. Trans Wind Energy Generation concept by Richard Harrington offers a solution that promises to be beneficial on several counts. This concept addresses problems relating to efficient and pollution free power generation, better use of renewable resources and commuting without having to navigate traffic snarls.

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8Dec

First Atlantic Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Deployed

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First Atlantic Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Deployed

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The offshore wind industry passed a milestone recently with the installation of the world’s first floating offshore wind turbine off the coast of Agucadoura, Portugal. The WindFloat project consists of a 2-MW semi-submersible wind turbine that can be deployed without heavy machinery.

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2Dec

Patrick Marold Visualizes the Wind With Thousands of Turbine-Powered LEDs

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Patrick Marold Visualizes the Wind With Thousands of Turbine-Powered LEDs

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Although we can’t normally see the wind, we can feel its presence – however Colorado-based visual artist Patrick Marold has figured out a way to translate the wind’s movement into light. Using LEDs, polycarbonate tubes, and mini wind turbines, Marold has been documenting the shape of the wind through his Windmill Project. His installations involve hundreds of mini wind generators planted in breezy landscapes – as the wind blows across them, the LEDs light up based on the strength of the wind and where it blows. His project draws attention to the use of clean renewable energy and our interaction with the landscape and natural forces.
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30Nov

Stanford Researchers Explore Large-Scale Renewable Energy Storage

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One of the biggest hurdles for integrating renewable energy from solar or wind sources comes from the question of storage – how can power be stored for times when the wind doesn’t blow or the skies are overcast?

Researchers at Stanford University are addressing this headlong and have reported the development of a new high-power electrode that is cheap, durable and efficient. If development continues as hoped, this discovery might potentially foster the manufacture of batteries large enough to provide for economical renewable energy storage on the grid.

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29Nov

Denmark: 100% Renewable Energy by 2050 – 100% Clean Electricity by 2035

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Denmark 100 Renewable Energy by 2050 - 100 Clean Electricity by 2035

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Not quite Scotland’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2025, but still a highly ambitious one (relative to other countries), Denmark’s newest renewable energy target proposals aim to have wind supplying it with half of its electricity by 2020, and renewable energy supplying it with ALL of its energy by 2050. And all of its power and heat would come from renewables by 2035.

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28Nov

Africa at the Energy Crossroads: Ethiopia Launches 6 Wind, 1 Geothermal Power Project

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Africa at the Energy Crossroads Ethiopia Launches 6 Wind, 1 Geothermal Power Project

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Ethiopia isn’t a country that comes up often when discussing renewable energy, but the Ethiopian Electric Power Coroporation (EEPCO) this past week announced it’s starting construction of six wind power projects and one geothermal power plant. In total, electricity generation capacity for the renewable energy projects totals more than one gigawatt (1 GW), Ethtiopian news service NewsDire reported.

The renewable energy projects are part of EEPCO’s plans to increase national electricity generation capacity five times by 2015, from a current 2000 megawatts (MW) to about 10,000 MW. Increasing electricity generation, in turn, is key to the government’s broader economic development plans.

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22Nov

Wind Turbine Big Enough To Land A Helicopter On? Scotland Has It Covered

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Wind Turbine Big Enough To Land A Helicopter On Scotland Has It Covered

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Scotland has an ambitious and admirable goal: 100% renewable energy. Taking steps toward reaching this goal, the Scottish government approved an offshore test site for a new 6MW wind turbine.

2-B Energy, based in the Netherlands, has permission to install an innovative two-bladed wind turbine approximately 70 feet off the coast of Methil in Fife, according to Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing. 2-B is one of several companies which has a lease in the 2010 offshore wind demonstration leasing round, which is supposed to help develop wind farms offshore and in deep water.

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