DNV GL, the renowned resource of independent energy experts, has announced its latest Joint Industry Project, aiming to develop a safe and reliable calculation concept for the life-time of slewing bearings which will increase the reliability of wind turbines.

Extreme weather, heavy loads and remote locations are some of the challenges for wind turbines, requiring the highest level of reliability for the equipment to ensure the future viability of the wind energy market. Aiming to increase the safety and reliability in slewing bearings, the new Joint Industry Project will work with stakeholders from across the industries to cooperatively decrease the damages in the field. The knowledge generated from the project is planned to be ultimately incorporated in a DNV GL recommended practice or standard.

“With the global rise of wind energy, the need for a comprehensive standard securing turbine reliability is stronger than ever,” commented Andreas Schröter, Executive Vice President at DNV GL. “The successful deployment of tomorrow’s wind turbine equipment requires clarity and widespread agreement on rules and regulations. This counts particularly for the development of safe and reliable calculation concepts for the life-time of slewing bearings.”

The Joint Industry Project initiative was spurred by the realisation that the wind industry lacked a strong life-time calculation concept in this field, which carries a potential risk for future developments and investments. By developing a reliable calculation concept for slewing bearings, energy stakeholders will be able to work towards realistic operational lifetime estimations, offering the possibility of an efficient design process and a reduction of the manufacturing costs.

Furthermore, the risk for damages in the field is reduced and substantial operation and maintenance costs can be avoided in the future, which is an essential factor in the wind business.

The Joint Industry Project will be launched at the beginning of 2015 with a kick-off meeting including all selected partners, from wind turbine designers and manufacturers, manufacturers of slewing bearings as well as owners and operators of wind farms. The JIP is planned to run until the end of 2016.  

Incorporating the experience and objectives of stakeholders along the wind energy value chain will add significant value for all parties involved. They will be able to contribute and influence the development of the calculation criteria to ensure their concerns are covered, practices are acknowledged and the objectives of all stakeholders are met. The involvement provides early access and insight into the results , ensuring participants are best prepared for its implementation.

Companies interested in joining the JIP can contact the project manager Oliver Michael Maier at oliver.michael.maier@dnvgl.com or Giovanni Nappi at Giovanni.nappi@dnvgl.com

REFERENCES

1. DNV GV comprises Garrad Hassan, KEMA, DNV and GL Renewables Certification

GreenMax Capital Advisors, a leading global clean energy transaction advisor, has secured a $950,000
grant from the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Africa Clean Energy Facility (ACEF), one of the
Power Africa programs sponsored by the US Government, for Akiira One, Ltd., a Kenyan renewable energy
project development firm.

The grant will support the final stages of project preparation for a 40MW geothermal energy project in Kenya. The grant will also pay for a highly qualified set of international and Kenyan consultants to perform the final technical and legal work necessary to commence drilling for the geothermal resource early next year.

The planned project will be constructed on land concessioned to Akiira One, Ltd adjacent to the Olkaria geothermal fields, less than 100km outside of Nairobi. A first phase of 40MW will be followed by additional generation capacity totaling 140MW.

«This grant is a major step in the implementation of the first fully commercially developed geothermal project in Kenya,» said Robert Bunyi CEO of Akiira One, Ltd. «While previous projects have benefited from early stage exploration and drilling funded by government and donors, Akiira One Ltd has tackled the steam field development with all its high risks, from scratch, entirely with private capital.» 

Clifford J. Aron, president of GreenMax Capital Advisors, acknowledgeed the support for Akiira One, Ltd through one of the cornerstone programs of President Obama’s Power Africa initiative. «The US Government is
providing valuable impetus for clean energy development in the power-hungry nations of Sub Saharan Africa,» he said. «GreenMax is proud to play a small role in helping Kenya meet its ambitious energy sector development goals.”

The funding will be applied to nine projects that aim to advance the development of combined heat and power (CHP) and renewable energy technologies at facilities across the Federal Government — the nation’s largest single user of energy — and help meet energy efficiency, renewable energy, and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Furthermore, these projects will reduce carbon emissions, while strengthening America’s economic, energy, and environmental security.

The federal government is working to achieve a number of energy, water, and carbon pollution reduction goals, including improving the energy intensity of its facilities by 30 percent by 2015 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 28 percent by 2020. Renewable energy at federal facilities also represents a large clean energy resource for the United States. Federal agencies are working toward a goal of 20 per cent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020 as directed in a December 2013 Presidential Memorandum.¹

The Federal Energy Management Program’s (FEMP) inaugural Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT) funding announced on 22 September will support two main technology areas: CHP and renewable energy. Funding includes nearly $2 million for three projects to increase the use of CHP to generate electric and thermal energy from a single source and more than $3 million for six renewable energy projects to install photovoltaic (PV) systems. Cost shared with industry, the total investment is nearly $120 million.

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas)— This 13.7 MW CHP system at the center is expected to net more than $29 million in energy savings over its lifetime. This will be NASA’s first CHP deployment: there is potential for 73 MW of CHP across the agency.
• Department of Defense (Army Aberdeen Proving Ground in Edgewood, Maryland)—This 7.9 MW CHP system, executed under an Energy Savings Performance Contract, will replace a steam generation plant being decommissioned in 2016. The new system will provide 86 per cent of the site’s steam supply and offset 50 per cent of current electricity use. The project will also develop standard protocols — including design, air permitting, and electrical interconnection —  that can be replicated across DOD.
• National Science Foundation (Arctic Program at Thule Air Base in Greenland) — This 30 kilowatt CHP system will serve as a model for NSF facilities and assist agencies in evaluating the replacement of diesel generators at any remote, isolated government sites, such as DOD forward operating bases, FEMA emergency zones, forests and parks. Typically electricity and fuel costs are excessively high in the Artic, and the maintenance requirements for a microturbine are far less than diesel engines.
• Department of Agriculture (12 Forest Service National Forests in California) — The Forest Service will deploy a total of 220 kW of renewable energy installations, including PV systems at 14 locations across 11 National Forests, along with a single small-scale hydroelectric turbine at one additional National Forest. These off-grid systems will use battery-backup and several different battery technologies to boost system performance. These will be prototype installations for replication at Forest Service locations nationwide.
• Department of Justice (Bureau of Prisons in Oregon, New Jersey, and New York) — The Bureau of Prisons will install a total of 1.5 MW of ground-mounted PV systems at three federal prisons in Sheridan, Oregon; Fairton, New Jersey; and Otisville, New York. The project will serve as a pilot for 119 other federal prisons. 
• Department of the Interior (National Park Service in Virginia and North Carolina) — The National Park Service will deploy 350 solar-powered safety lights along the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina. At present, almost all of the safety lights are battery-powered and require frequent verification and replacement. The installation will significantly extend time between physical inspections, saving on fuel and maintenance costs.
• Department of Defense (Air National Guard in Westhampton Beach, New York) —This 1.56 MW rooftop PV system at the Gabreski Airport will cover 48 per cent of the base’s electric consumption and is the site’s first renewable project.
• Department of Defense (Army in Fort Campbell, Kentucky) — This 5 MW ground-mounted PV system will be installed on an abandoned landfill, which is otherwise unusable land. The multi-megawatt project will encourage further solar deployment in an area of the country underserved by renewables. The Army can apply lessons learned to other large-scale, landfill-based PV projects.
• Department of Transportation (Federal Aviation Administration in Peachtree City, Georgia) — This 217 kW ground-mount PV system at the Terminal Radar Approach Control Station will be the FAA’s first large-scale renewable project in its Eastern Service Area. It is expected to produce approximately 300,000 kWh annually.

The first project is Fuji Hydro, a joint venture company of Voith Hydro and Fuji Electric Co. based in Japan. Voit has been awarded a contract to supply major electro-mechanical equipment for the Rajamandala Hydroelectric Power Project in Indonesia.

The run-of-river hydropower plant will have a capacity of 46.6 MW and is located in the Rajamandala on Citarum basin, in the Cianjur Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia. The plant will be constructed and operated by PT. Rajamandala Electric Power (REP), an Indonesian IPP company being invested by PT. Indonesia Power of Indonesia and Kansai Electric Power of Japan. The electricity produced is going to be sold to PT. PLN of Indonesia for 30 years.

The main contractor to REP is Hyundai Engineering of Korea (HEC) being responsible for overall plant engineering and procurement. Voith Fuji will deliver a 46.6 MW Kaplan type Hydraulic turbine and generator under the contract signed with HEC.

The second order entails the complete electromechanical equipment for a pumped storage power plant in Thailand.¹ The order for the extension of the Lam Ta Khong hydropower plant includes the supply of two motor-generators, two 255 MW vertical pump turbines, the automation systems as well as the electrical and mechanical balance-of-plant systems. The contract has been awarded by the Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and has a total value of around €50 million.

The equipment for Lam Ta Khong — the first pumped storage plant equipped by Voith in Southeast Asia — will be produced at Voith Hydro’s state-of-the-art manufacturing and engineering facility in Shanghai, China. The project is located on the Lam Ta Khong River, a tributary of the Mun River, 200 km northeast of the capital city of Bangkok. The extension project will double the capacity of the pumped storage plant: Once completed Lam Ta Khong will have a total capacity of 1000 MW.

“As a fully localized company in China, Voith Hydro Shanghai is powering most of the large hydropower projects in China with industry-leading equipment, technology and service,” said Martin Andrä, president of Voith Hydro Shanghai. “Our proven track record in China is now also helping drive our expansion into the Southeast Asia — home to some of the world’s largest untapped hydroelectric resources.” 

Innotech Solar’s acquisition of Tripod Energy AB¹ , based in Stockholm, Sweden, includes liquid assets as well as two 1 MW operating PV plants located in Italy. Through the acquisition, Innotech Solar aims to strengthen its cash position. 

In a related move, Innotech Solar announced that the successful Norwegian serial entrepreneur Mr. Geir Førre has increased his investment in Innotech Solar through his Firda Investments company and has accepted to join the ITS Board of Directors. Also joining the Board of Directors are Mr. Klas Gustafsson, a partner at Sustainable Technologies Fund, and Ms. Tove Langlet a highly experienced and accomplished Swedish business expert and Board Member of several Nordic companies.

“During a challenging time for the PV industry, we are especially pleased to have been able to make the acquisition of Tripod, bring in new investment and further strengthen our Board of Directors,» said Jerry Stokes, CEO of Innotech Solar. «This is a clear demonstration that Innotech Solar has been able to establish a strong and scalable business which with the benefit of the investment and strengthened balance sheet will enable us to significantly grow our business.”

Innotech Solar specializes in the production of environmentally friendly modules using 100 per cent renewable energy. The company optimizes solar cells at its purpose built factory in Halle an der Saale, Germany, and assembles them into modules at its fully automated factory in Glava, Sweden

REFERENCES

1. Tripod Energy was acquired from its management and its main investor, Sustainable Technologies Fund.

GE this week announced that European wind farm operators ENERTRAG AG and Monsson Group have selected GE’s Wind PowerUp* services for wind farms in Germany and Romania.

PowerUp services, a GE Predictivity* solution,¹ allows wind farm operators to increase annual energy production by up to 5 per cent, taking into account environmental conditions.²PowerUp services will be installed on seven GE 2.3 MW and thirteen 2.5MW wind turbines at Enertrag’s wind farms Kleisthöhe and Grünberg Trampe and eight GE 2.5-100 MW at Monsson Group’s wind farms Miraesa II, Galbiori, Silistea II.

“GE’s PowerUp software will allow us to increase power output within the Green Certificates framework”, said Sebastian Enache, business development manager of Monsson Group.

Executed through a cooperative, phased approach that takes a holistic view of the assets, system and network, PowerUp services enable a wind farm to generate more from the available wind, Andy Holt, general manager of projects services at GE’s renewable energy business, explained.

REFERENCES

1. GE Predictivity solutions tap into the power of the Industrial Internet. PowerUp services are part of GE’s brilliant wind platform which utilizes the Industrial Internet to analyze tens of thousands of data points on a wind farm every second, driving higher output and tailoring the wind turbine to its wind site conditions.

2. A 5 per cent increase in energy output translates to up to 20 percent increase in profit per turbine.

Hanergy’s solar systems will be available in the Netherlands in late October and in Switzerland in December, following a successful pilot in the UK since September 2013. The offer will include full installation and warranties, providing a more affordable solar package to enable customers to significantly reduce their household energy bills. The systems are on sale now in all 18 UK stores at prices that have enabled more people to invest in solar when it was previously out of their reach.

“We are determined to make sustainability accessible, affordable and attractive to as many people as possible and with home solar, the benefits are strong from day one,» said Håkan Nordkvist, head of sustainability innovation, IKEA Group. «Following the success of the UK rollout, I am delighted that we will be able to bring those benefits to customers in the Netherlands and Switzerland,”

Hanergy Solar UK CEO Toby Ferenczi concurred, adding: «Solar energy is now one of the best ways for families to live sustainably, while making a sound financial investment. We are thrilled to be able to offer affordable solar energy through our partnership with IKEA to more and more people, as we make residential solar panels available in the Netherlands and Switzerland.”

On 18 September the US Energy Department announced $2 million for two organizations (Keystone Towers and Iowa State University) that will advance technologies to harness stronger winds available at higher heights, potentially increasing the amount of clean, renewable electricity the nation produces.

Through innovative construction processes that will cost-effectively manufacture taller wind turbine towers (around 400 feet), these projects in Iowa and Massachusetts will help reduce the cost of wind energy and expand the geographic areas where wind turbines can successfully be deployed in the United States.¹

Keystone Towers of Boston, Massachusetts will implement an on-site spiral welding system that will enable turbine towers to be produced directly at or near the installation site, freeing projects of transportation constraints that often limit turbine height. Adapted from an in-field welding process used by the pipe manufacturing industry, Keystone’s spiral welding technique can be scaled up to produce large diameter steel towers that they report will be 40 per cent lighter than standard turbine towers, which could lower the cost of energy by 10 per cent.

Likewise, Iowa State University will develop a hexagonal-shaped tower that combines high-strength concrete with pre-stressed steel reinforcements to assemble individual tower modules and wall segments that can be easily transported and joined together on-site. Due to the modular design, thicker towers capable of supporting turbines at increased heights can be produced at a reduced cost.

Improving the manufacturing process for taller wind turbine towers supports the Energy Department’s broader Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative, which aims to increase American competitiveness in the production of clean energy products and boost U.S. manufacturing competitiveness across the board by increasing energy productivity.

REFERENCES
1. In the northeastern, southeastern, and western United States, winds near the ground are often slower and more turbulent, reducing the amount of electricity installed turbines can generate. Taller wind turbines capture the stronger, more consistent winds available at elevated heights, increasing the number of potential locations where wind farms can supply cost-effective power to American businesses and homeowners.

During a meeting at the 29th EU PVSEC in Amsterdam earlier today, members of the International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA)¹ unanimously approved the association’s new vision, expansion plans and associated re-branding. To reflect a new «global» strategy, IPVEA has been renamed SOLARUNITED.»

According to association president Eric Ast, who also serves as senior manager of global business development at Multi-Contact, the goal is to unite the whole solar industry value chain as well as associated industries, such as energy storage, utilities and grid operators, through a collaborative approach.

Richard Moreth, head of PV sales at Vitronic, explains: “The association remains focused strongly on technology, but now — with the involvement of key stakeholders — we can provide more opportunity to improve quality and reliability.»

This move also allows the integration of more players. “The primary benefit of the new SOLARUNITED is that it provides a non-competitive environment for all national and regional organizations that have not collaborated yet in an official way,” said Bryan Ekus, SOLARUNITED managing director. 

CSUN, a new member, is happy to be on board. “This organization unifies leaders across the solar industry and associations, and our company is proud to contribute to this important first-ever global initiative,” said Engin Yaman, CSUN’s EMEA general manager.

As a next step, SOLARUNITED will assemble strategy committees to focus on the most important issues for the solar industry with leaders and experts throughout the solar value chain. To that end, the organization welcomes the participation of additional solar companies, which can join through the recommendation of current members.

REFERENCES

1. IPVEA was established in May 2008 and is an independent, non-profit organization. The members of IPVEA promote a path of cooperation and mutual support in achieving proactive solutions between all sectors within the Solar Power Generation and Energy Storage Technology value chain.

On 24 September First Wind joined community and industry leaders in Oakfield, Maine, to commemorate construction of the company’s 148 MW Oakfield Wind project in Aroostook County, Maine. Representing First Wind’s sixth project in Maine and the company’s largest in New England, the Oakfield Wind project will provide $27 million in tax and community benefit payments to the town of Oakfield and the surrounding community over the next 20 years.

“First Wind is excited to be building the Oakfield Wind project, which is not only our sixth project in Maine, but what will be our largest project to bring clean, cost-competitive renewable energy to New England,” said Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind. “The Oakfield project has been something we’ve wanted to build for almost a decade, and we’re thrilled to say that it will be finished by the end of next year.» 

Dale Morris, Oakfield town manager, welcomed the construction of the Oakfield Wind project. “The Town of Oakfield has already experienced first-hand the economic benefits this project brings to Aroostook County,» Morris stated. «Nearly 90 per cent of the funds from First Wind’s first community payment were used for tax relief for town residents, and the town will soon be investing property tax dollars into the community’s infrastructure – new road work, a new fire station and other capital improvements.”

Situated about 2.5 miles from the center of the town of Oakfield, the Oakfield Wind project will be constructed on the low-lying ridges of the Oakfield Hills, and will utilize pre-existing commercial logging roads and infrastructure. Once complete, the Oakfield Wind project will provide $27 million in tax and community benefit payments to the town of Oakfield and the surrounding communities over the next 20 years.¹

Work on the 148 MW wind project will include the installation of 48 Vestas V-112 turbines and will create about 300 direct, full-time jobs during construction. It is expected to reach commercial operations by the end of 2015.

REFERENCES

1. Earlier this year, First Wind made the first community payment in the amount of $600,000 as part of the community benefit agreement.  The clean cost-competitive power that will be generated by the project is contracted to be sold to four Massachusetts utilities as part of a 15-year contract, and will generate enough clean energy at cost-competitive rates to power the equivalent of about 50,000 New England homes.