Gamesa, a global technology leader in wind energy, has closed the sale of a 25.5 MW wind farm1 in Greece to EMV, a Greek subsidiary of Eren.
The Kithaironas wind farm- developed and promoted by Gamesa- is located in Thivas, in the region of Viotia, and comprises 30 Gamesa G52-850 kW wind turbines.

As the market for wind energy grows, new business segments are opening up to the chemical industry, which can provide products for unsolved problems. There are new opportunities for sales in polymer materials, paints and adhesives.

Wind power, wind energy – these terms leave no doubt about what is vital for this ­technology: power and energy, the power­ful models of physics. When converting air flows into ­electricity, consider­able forces have an impact, in particular, on the rotors. Nacelles and towers are also exposed to harsh weather conditions – from the sun in North Africa to the rough sea climate in the North Sea.

The wind energy market is growing because of plans to substitute fossil and nuclear primary energy with energy from renewable sources in Europe. North Africa also aims to supplement, substitute and build its energy supply ­using renewable sources. Against this backdrop, the wind power industry’s demand for polymeric materials, paints and adhesives is growing, creating profitable business fields for the chemical industry.

Resistant materials

A physical perspective of the basic conditions for the application of materials for wind power reveals that the ­bigger the rotor‘s radius, the larger the area that the wind can ­affect and therefore the more energy that can be ­harnessed from the wind. For this reason, the rotor blades must be as long as possible, which in turn makes high ­turbine ­towers ­necessary. Another reason is that wind speeds accelerate with increasing heights. Total heights of up to 200 m are needed offshore in order to fully ­exploit the turbines’ ­capacity. Rotor blades can be up to 75 m long in such cases. Multi-megawatt ­capacities can already be achieved with blade lengths of 50 m.  Then ­centrifugal ­forces ­occur that may be equivalent to 18 times ­gravitational ­acceleration. Wind turbines need to achieve the load ­resistance ­required, under varying ­climatic ­influences, in constant operation for up to 25 years.

The rotors of larger turbines are mostly made of fibreglass and, in some cases, carbon fibre-reinforced plastics. They are characterized by consistent lightweight construction and a targeted use of material combinations, says Holger Ruckdäschel, head of system research for wind energy at BASF SE in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The matrix systems mostly consist of epoxy resins, which companies such as Momentive, Dow Chemicals and BASF can supply. ­Alternatively, Bayer MaterialScience offers polyurethane, while other manufacturers supply polyester.

In some cases, fibreglass is replaced with carbon fibre for high loads and long blade lengths. The large structures in the shell area and the shear webs use the sandwich construction method, where two fibre-reinforced coating layers envelop a stable, light-weight core material. This results in a high bending stiffness and dent resistance at a low overall weight. Balsa wood, PVC and, increasingly, PET structural foams are used as core materials.

Epoxy and polyurethane-based adhesives join a blade’s individual segments together, such as the shear webs to the spar caps. Finally, polyurethane coatings and form fillers ensure good aerodynamics and resistance against the weather and erosion, BASF’s Ruckdäschel explains.

Cost pressure boosts innovations

Bayer MaterialScience provides solutions based on ­polyurethane and polycarbonate as well as raw ­materials for varnishes, adhesives and other specialities. ­“Polyurethanes are an alternative to the matrix materials that have been used so far,” explains Marc Schütze, head of Bayer’s department for the production of rotor blades using polyurethane infusion resins. Bayer has already presented their in-house developments to a specialist audience at K 2013, a trade fair for plastic technologies.

Wind energy is a young industry that has had to overcome some challenges over the last few years. Because of the cost pressure to achieve grid parity with fossil and nuclear electricity, the innovation cycle is moving along at a quick pace. “We’re seeing similar developments here in line with those in other industries that have a need for our composite products, such as the automotive industry. Companies in the chemical industry, especially plastics, are essential to the wind energy industry, since setting up wind turbines would not be possible without today’s plastics and composites,” Schütze says when asked about his expectations for the market. “This market, strongly driven by technology and innovation, is therefore important for Bayer MaterialScience.” However, he is not ready to say more, much less provide concrete figures, about his expectations at this moment.

BASF also plans to supply increasingly more powerful materials for turbines to the wind industry. The company provides products and solutions for all main turbine components (rotor blade, nacelle, tower and foundation). The chemical group believes the market will continue to grow in the future. Wind power is considered to be one of the growth areas within their current strategy, Ruckdäschel states.

Thomas Isenburg

This article was published in our magazine CHEMICALS IN WIND INDUSTRY.

According to market analyst GlobalData, the global installed photovoltaic capacity will more than triple from 135 GW in 2013 to 414 GW in 2020.
In their latest study “Solar PV Module Value Chain – Market Size, Average Price, Market Share and Key Country Analysis to 2020”, GlobalData explains that there will be new big players on the photovoltaic market, such as South and Central America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa.

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According to market analyst GlobalData, the global installed photovoltaic capacity will more than triple from 135 GW in 2013 to 414 GW in 2020.

In their latest study “Solar PV Module Value Chain – Market Size, Average Price, Market Share and Key Country Analysis to 2020”, GlobalData explains that there will be new big players on the photovoltaic market, such as South and Central America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa. These will develop into major markets because there is an increasing focus on renewable energies to become independent from fossil fuels while spurring economic growth.

Swati Singh, a GlobalData analyst specialised on power, said that the Asia-Pacific region was a leading area for solar energy systems production und substantial photovoltaic installations – not least because of Japan, China and Taiwan being three of the largest solar cell manufacturers worldwide. “Governments in the region are promoting solar module manufacturing through various long-term policies, financial incentives, subsidies and tax benefits. This strong commitment to solar energy development has led to numerous research and development initiatives and increased solar module production and installations, which will drive future market growth”, Singh said.

In 2013, China, India and Japan accounted for most of the world’s annual installations. China alone added 12 GW of solar installations, which was nearly a third of the global new installations of 37 GW.

Singh explains why the “traditional” solar markets are being outpaced by others: “Prior to 2013, most solar PV installations were in Europe, with Italy, Germany, Spain and France accounting for the majority of global annual installations in 2012. Reduced solar PV module prices, combined with European countries’ feed-in tariff (FiT) subsidies, have supported the widespread growth of small-scale distributed capacity there. However, GlobalData believes that these tariffs are likely to become less generous in subsequent years, with the reduction or removal of incentives having already been proposed and implemented in some of the region’s countries.”

That is why GlobalData thinks it possible for global cumulative PV installations to reach 413.98 GW in 2020, effectively more than tripling the installed amount of 2013 (135.66 GW).

Tanja Peschel

Breeze has published an e-book that presents a general overview of which methods and products are available for improving power performance, rather than presenting specific solutions of the individual actors. Focus is on wind turbines that have a nominal capacity greater than 1 MW.

Emphasis is placed on general upgrading techniques and concepts. Other means of improving production such improving power quality, availability and extending the lifespan, are not covered. The upgrading methods presented are mainly based on the current product portfolios of OEMs and other actors. Twelve of the largest wind turbine manufacturers established on the international market have been studied, along with other actors within the performance optimization field.

The document is a summary of the first deliverable in a project to evaluate quantitative methods to measure effects of power performance upgrades to wind turbines. The project is a Master Thesis in collaboration between the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and Breeze.

The project consists of three deliverables:

1. Map upgrades for increased power performance from wind turbines

2. Describe the dynamics between manufactures and owners of wind turbines

3. Evaluate methods for measuring power performance upgrading

The purpose of this work is to incorporate methods of evaluating power performance upgrades into the Breeze Production wind farm management system.

Terminology concepts of wind power upgrades

To be able to discuss upgrades and impact on performance of a wind turbine, it is important share common a ground on basic concepts. The terminology of upgrading often overlaps, and the marginal differences are easily confused. These are some of the most commonly used expressions:

Upgrade: To improve a system, either by updating or replacing key components.

Retrofit (fit in retrospect): A means of upgrading a system, which implies adding new components or features in retrospect to it. Retrofitting a system can denote either replacing it or adding additional equipment to it.

Recondition / refurbish: To restore a system to original condition and functionality; worn-out and damaged components are replaced.

Overhaul: To make an extensive inspection and reconditioning of a system, often associated with a complete disassembling and reconditioning of a wind turbine.

Modernization: To modernize a system is to bring it up-to-date. A wind turbine modernization often denotes a complete system overhaul and reconditioning, as well as major retrofitting of control systems.

Re-power (re-equip): To remove old wind turbines and fit new wind turbines in their place.

Power Performance Upgrade Activities

Studying the solutions available on the market and interviewing actors, the most common power performance enhancing activities of manufacturers and third parties were identified and categorized. The most pronounced effects on the power curve are indicated for each activity.

Source: Breeze

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Modern nomads and nature lovers will fall in love with the Wide Path Camper for its eco-friendly concept and small size, but those in worse shape than Tour de France cyclists may experience trouble trying to get this baby up a hill. This creates a limited range of destinations to choose from, but if you’re fine with camping in the plains, the Wide Path Camper could be a smart investment. Also, if paired with an electric bike, the mobile home-away-from-home could prove to be much more versatile than initially intended.

Related: MINI Unveils Three of the World’s Tiniest Luxury Campers

The idea may not be groundbreaking, but its size and mobility look compelling. It can actually fit two people and has over 300 L of storage space for necessary luggage. Its sitting area can be easily transformed into a bed, and there is the option of adding solar cells to recharge the built-in-battery for charging phones and other small devices.

+ Wide Path Camper

Via Treehugger

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With the pump signal converters of the PSW series it is easy, quick and cost-effective to tackle the conversion to high-efficiency pumps. The pump signal converters PSW Basic, PSW Premium and PSW Universal convert the speed control signal of the controller into an input signal suitable for an energy-saving high-efficiency pump. Thus, when replacing the pump, speed control can be enabled without replacing the controller.

Here you can find a small selection of comprehensive market overvies from the solar thermal sector:

Market Overview: Vacuum Tube Collectors

Market Overview: Flat Plate Collectors

Market Overview: Solar Stations

Market Overview: Thermosiphonic Systems