From 2015 Carbon Rotec will produce Nordex’s NR50 and NR65.5 rotor blades – the latter for the new N131/3000 (3 MW) turbine – in addition to the NR58.5 for the popular N117/2400 (2.4 MW) turbine.

Carbon Rotec operates a 75,000 m² factory in Lemwerder, near Bremen, Germany. The company has been manufacturing wind turbine blades from fibre reinforced plastics since the 1980s. It currently produces some of the world’s largest blades, using glass fibre and a mixture of carbon and glass fibre, for onshore turbines with rotor diameters of more than 130 m. The blades are produced using the vacuum infusion process and epoxy resins.

As an independent blade manufacturer Carbon Rotec builds blades according to customer design specifications (‘build-to-print’).

“The quality of the rotor blades we use is crucial for the yield of our customers’ wind farms,» says Bernd Treiber, Head of the Nordex SE Blade Centre.

«This is why we are continuing the successful partnership with Carbon Rotec. This association has enabled us to build technically sophisticated rotor blades with carbon fibre structures.»

Blade strategy

The Nordex blade strategy covers its own lead factory in Rostock and the international production network of its strategic suppliers TPI Composites, which is producing Nordex blades at its Turkish factory, and Carbon Rotec (previously SGL Rotec GmbH Co KG, part of the SGL Group).

Nordex is currently investing some €50 million in extending the capacity of the international production network as well as in modernising and expanding its own blade production facility.

Nordex says it is benefitting from the global trend towards larger wind turbines. Its Generation Gamma range comprises the N90/2500 2.5 MW, N100/2500 2.5 MW and the N117/2400 2.4 MW turbines. To date more than 2600 turbines from this platform have been produced. Its Generation Delta range offers 3 MW and 3.3 MW turbines.

Exports account for around 80% of Nordex’s business.

In September, Nordex announced plans to grow sales to €2 billion by 2017 (2013: €1.4 billion) while substantially improving its operating result to an EBIT margin of 7-8% (2013: 3%).

North Wales Tidal Energy, based in St Asaph, will be commissioning and coordinating a wide range of research and development activities to examine the potential of one or more tidal impoundments along the coast. The company’s focus is on integrated schemes that — designed and sited to fit local needs — will provide sustainable renewable energy and a defence against coastal flooding while boosting the local economy.

“As reserves of fossil fuels dwindle in the coming years, the need to deploy large scale renewable generation technology will increase substantially,” said Eryl Vaughan, chief executive, North Wales Tidal Energy. “To provide the reliable electricity generation that can meet the future needs of our society, we must seek to harness tidal power.”

Grid tied backup applications may or may not use a generator as a supplemental source of power, however SMA will always recommend a generator for stand-alone applications.

Join us for an informative webinar that will teach you which generator is right for your system.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

9:00am PST

Duration: Approximately 1 hour

Cost: FREE

DNV GL (uniting Garrad Hassan, KEMA, DNV, GL Renewables Certification) has achieved the highest score in a wind flow modelling blind test organised by E.ON, a leading power and gas company. The blind test challenged six participants, including some of the most reputable consultancies in the global wind industry, to accurately predict the wind regime at eight wind farm sites.

Biochemtex and Beta Renewables have signed a definitive agreement with ENERGOCHEMICA SE for the construction of a second-generation ethanol plant and the annexed Energy Block for the generation of power and steam. The plant, which will be built in Strazske, Slovak Republic, will deliver 55,000 metric tons per year of cost-competitive cellulosic ethanol while using non-food biomass as its feedstock.

The plant will apply Beta’s PROESA™ technology.¹ Biochemtex will provide basic engineering, key equipment and technical field services. The project begins immediately and the start-up of the plant is expected in the first half of 2017.

Guido Ghisolfi, CEO and president of Beta Renewables and Biochemtex, views the deal with ENERGOCHEMICA SE — a holding company established in Prague in 2011 — as an important step to develop second-generation bioethanol activities in Europe.

“We believe that PROESA^TM technology will let producers see superior returns on their investments, while meeting the EU targets of 10% renewable energy in transport by 2020,” he explained. “The Strazske plant will be the third in the world based on PROESA^TM technology, following Crescentino, Italy, and Alagoas, Brazil.”

Medium Voltage Smartgrid Stations
The Megawatt Solar Stations (MSS) provide a fully-integrated inverter solution for utility-scale ground-mount PV systems. The MSS is available in two styles – skid or enclosure. The station combines one to two Solectria Renewables SGI 500XTM or SGI 750XTM inverter(s), 2.5-35 kV medium voltage switchgear and transformer for multi-megawatt projects. All components arrive at a customer site fully assembled and tested, saving the additional time and cost of installing and wiring separate components.

FEATURES
• 0.5 to 1.5MW fullyintegrated stations
• Direct connection to MV utility power
• Quick easy installation
• 1000 VDC

OPTIONS
• Skid or enclosure
• Peer or pad mount
• Radial or loop feed
• Dust filters
• DC breakers/subcombiners (for inverters)
• Extended warranty
• Uptime guarantee
• Auxiliary Power

OPTIONS FOR UTILITIES
• Real power curtailment
• Reactive power control
• Voltage ride through
• Frequency ride through
• Controlled ramp rates
• Plant master control
• ISCADA DMS tie-in

Testing Certifications
All components are UL or ETL listed and in full compliance with the NEC

Loading related stories…

‘;
Event.onDOMReady(function () {
cp.ajax.post({
url: ‘/content/article/article-related-stories.aspx?articleId=40315’,
success: function (xhr) {
if (xhr.response) {
target.innerHTML = xhr.response;
} else {
if (xhr.responseText) {
target.innerHTML = xhr.responseText;
}
}
}
});
});
}
*/

Solectria Renewables’ ARCCOM offers its customers the best quality, ease-of-installation,
mounting flexibility, and safety and protection features in the industry today. It is
compliant with NEC 2014 arc fault and rapid shutdown requirements and contains a
contactor disconnect, lockable switch and string level arc-fault protection, allowing it
to detect and interrupt a series arc. It is designed and built for rugged conditions, wide
temperature ranges and is HALT tested to its limits, guaranteeing all components are
carefully vetted for highest reliability. The ARCCOM also features standard oversized
compression lugs that allow for long-run output conductors and multiple conduit entry
locations so it can be mounted vertically or horizontally−
thus eliminating the need for
labor-intensive conduit bends. Additional options include surge arrestor and connector
plates for those installers that prefer to field-crimp oversized output conductors.

 FEATURES
• String level arc-fault detection
• Remote shutdown
• Contactor disconnect
• Audible indication
• LED indicators
• Dry contact indication
• 8, 12, 16, and 24 fused positions
• Multiple fuse sizes
• Switch locking mechanism
• Lowest power consumption in the industry

OPTIONS
• Type 4X fiberglass enclosure
• Type 4X 316 stainless steel enclosure
• Connection plates for field-crimped lugs
• Surge arrestor

The investment by government and industry will help establish an initial network of up to 15 hydrogen refueling stations by the end of 2015, and includes £2 million of funding for public sector hydrogen vehicles.

Planning for future growth

The funding is part of the UK government’s drive to become a global leader in ultra-low emission vehicles, and follows news earlier this month that Toyota has chosen the UK as one of the first markets for its FCEV when it goes on sale next year.

This is just one of the ways that the government plans to decarbonise road transport, alongside battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), with £400 million of support available in the current Parliament and £500 million committed in the next (from 2015).

Support for hydrogen fueling and vehicles

Of the newly announced funding, £7.5 million ($12 million) will come from government and £3.5 million ($5.6 million) from industry. This will target:

• £2 million of top-up funding to upgrade 6–8 existing hydrogen refueling stations (already operational or under development in the UK), and take them from demonstrator projects to publicly accessible sites.
• £3.5 million of funding to be matched by industry for 4–7 new hydrogen refueling stations. This will include mobile stations as well as those on stand-alone sites and integrated into conventional petrol forecourts.
• £2 million of funding for public sector fleets to encourage deployment of around 40 hydrogen FCEVs in focused geographical clusters.

Economic opportunity in hydrogen and fuel cells

‘Hydrogen cars present us with a huge economic opportunity, and can bolster our internationally renowned automotive industry. We want to make the UK one of the best places in the world to design, manufacture, and sell ultra-low emission vehicles,’ says Business Minister Matthew Hancock, speaking in Japan, where he met executives at Honda, Nissan and Toyota.

He continues: ‘Government will work in true partnership with industry so the potential benefits are realised by businesses and consumers across the UK.’

‘By 2040 all new cars and vans will be ultra-low emission vehicles, and this could be delivered by a variety of technologies, including plug-in hybrids, pure EVs, and hydrogen,’ adds Transport Minister, Baroness Kramer. ‘We want to ensure that support is there for all of these vehicles, and that the UK continues to lead the pack in providing the right infrastructure to drive the switch to electric.’

Building on UK H₂ Mobility project

The programme follows on from the work undertaken by the UK H₂ Mobility project – which brings together leading businesses from the automotive, energy, infrastructure and retail sectors with government – to provide a roadmap for the introduction of FCEVs and hydrogen refueling infrastructure in the UK.

UK H₂ Mobility was established in January 2012 to evaluate the benefits of hydrogen FCEVs to the UK, and develop a roadmap for the introduction of FCEVs and hydrogen refueling infrastructure.

Establishing 15 hydrogen refueling stations by the end of 2015 will represent a significant first step towards the initial national network of 65 identified by UK H₂ Mobility in its Phase 1 report in early 2013.

Industry and governments involved

There are currently 12 industry participants in UK H₂ Mobility: Air Liquide, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Intelligent Energy, ITM Power, Johnson Matthey, Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd, BOC (part of The Linde Group), Toyota, and the Morrisons and Sainsbury’s supermarket chains.

Also participating are three UK government departments – the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Transport, and the Department for Energy and Climate Change – as well as Transport Scotland, the Welsh Government, and the Greater London Authority. The European Fuel Cells Hydrogen Joint Undertaking is also a participant.