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- Category: Articles
The Maturation of Wind Energy Opposition
An international movement against wind energy is maturing – across the globe today there exist over 1,000 anti-wind groups. The origin of the opposition is, in some instances, fossil fuel and nuclear backed interest groups and, at other times, local community members with genuine concern. Regardless of the source, this burgeoning trend must be dealt with effectively, transparently and compassionately. The alternative: once-trusted company names and brands become vilified, inspiring antagonism and encouraging locals to unify against wind energy projects. This article is the introduction to a series of topical columns which will dig into the causes of anti-wind sentiment and the maturing of opposition against wind energy development, including groups, popular arguments and their proposed countermeasures, as well as an introduction to the spectrum of solutions wind energy professionals can tap to quell what may otherwise become an unmanageable storm of hostility.
By Tiff Thompson, Principal, NIMBY Consulting, USA
An international movement against wind energy is maturing – across the globe today there exist over 1,000 anti-wind groups. The origin of the opposition is, in some instances, fossil fuel and nuclear backed interest groups and, at other times, local community members with genuine concern. Regardless of the source, this burgeoning trend must be dealt with effectively, transparently and compassionately. The alternative: once-trusted company names and brands become vilified, inspiring antagonism and encouraging locals to unify against wind energy projects. This article is the introduction to a series of topical columns which will dig into the causes of anti-wind sentiment and the maturing of opposition against wind energy development, including groups, popular arguments and their proposed countermeasures, as well as an introduction to the spectrum of solutions wind energy professionals can tap to quell what may otherwise become an unmanageable storm of hostility.By Tiff Thompson, Principal, NIMBY Consulting, USA
- Category: Articles
Finding the Best Solution for a 5MW Wind Turbine
The power system of the offshore wind turbine is critical to the cost of energy of the installed park. The generator and converter type and configuration are important issues to be addressed during the concept design phase. However, the effects of these choices on the system design and park operation and income are too often overlooked. Annual energy output and system reliability are primary considerations.
By Rain Byars, CEO, Nextwind, Inc., USA
The power system of the offshore wind turbine is critical to the cost of energy of the installed park. The generator and converter type and configuration are important issues to be addressed during the concept design phase. However, the effects of these choices on the system design and park operation and income are too often overlooked. Annual energy output and system reliability are primary considerations.By Rain Byars, CEO, Nextwind, Inc., USA
- Category: Articles
Developing Energy Storage Solutions for the Electric Utility and Transportation Industries
At the most fundamental level, energy storage – like storage in any other supply chain – fulfils a very basic function: it decouples supply from demand. That is, it allows the product to be produced on one schedule and consumed on another. The basic principle that supply and demand should be decoupled governs the design of every major supply chain … except electricity. In this article Steve Hellman, of Eos, talks about the importance of decoupling supply from demand and goes on to explain how Eos’ zinc batteries could help wind and other renewable energy industries with this decoupling.
By Steve Hellman, President, Eos Energy Storage, USA
At the most fundamental level, energy storage – like storage in any other supply chain – fulfils a very basic function: it decouples supply from demand. That is, it allows the product to be produced on one schedule and consumed on another. The basic principle that supply and demand should be decoupled governs the design of every major supply chain … except electricity. In this article Steve Hellman, of Eos, talks about the importance of decoupling supply from demand and goes on to explain how Eos’ zinc batteries could help wind and other renewable energy industries with this decoupling.By Steve Hellman, President, Eos Energy Storage, USA
- Category: Articles
Differences in Risk Approach Between Banks and Utilities
The offshore wind farm sector is gaining momentum. New projects with a capacity of 866MW were installed in 2011. However, a uniquely difficult combination of risks has brought about significantly different approaches to project management between banks and utilities. While utilities strive for a high degree of autonomy in terms of structuring the projects, banks call for a direct influence on and total transparency in the project contracts. Understanding these different perspectives will help both sides to cooperate in order to finance the massive pipeline of future projects.
By Simon Matthiessen and Jérôme Guillet, Green Giraffe Energy Bankers
The offshore wind farm sector is gaining momentum. New projects with a capacity of 866MW were installed in 2011. However, a uniquely difficult combination of risks has brought about significantly different approaches to project management between banks and utilities. While utilities strive for a high degree of autonomy in terms of structuring the projects, banks call for a direct influence on and total transparency in the project contracts. Understanding these different perspectives will help both sides to cooperate in order to finance the massive pipeline of future projects.By Simon Matthiessen and Jérôme Guillet, Green Giraffe Energy Bankers
- Category: Articles
First Successful Trial of a Floating Lidar Device in Real Offshore Conditions in the North Sea
A full-size prototype of the floating lidar offshore resource assessment system, known as FLIDAR, has been successfully tested 15 kilometres off the Belgian coast. It was located next to a stationary lidar (WINDCUBEv2 lidar from Leosphere) on a fixed communication mast for the month of October 2011 in order to test survivability and validate the accuracy of the wind speed measurements.
By Bruce Douglas, Sales & Marketing Director, 3E, Belgium
A full-size prototype of the floating lidar offshore resource assessment system, known as FLIDAR, has been successfully tested 15 kilometres off the Belgian coast. It was located next to a stationary lidar (WINDCUBEv2 lidar from Leosphere) on a fixed communication mast for the month of October 2011 in order to test survivability and validate the accuracy of the wind speed measurements.By Bruce Douglas, Sales & Marketing Director, 3E, Belgium
- Category: Articles
Testing Turbines in Order to Apply an International Consumer Label
Historically, small wind turbine (SWT) manufacturers have not had to undergo the same stringent certification procedures as large wind turbine manufacturers, and SWT test data has often been provided by manufacturers without verification and in varying formats, making it difficult for consumers to compare products. To enable consumers to make an informed decision when purchasing a SWT, a method for consumer labelling has been developed under the wings of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). This labelling method can also be of benefit to professional buyers of SWTs and should spur the industry to develop better products. Some manufacturers of SWTs have already done much of the type testing according to IEC standards, which is required for the label, and expect to apply the label to their products during 2012.
By Sven Ruin, TEROC AB, Sweden, and Jonathan Whale, Murdoch University, Australia
Historically, small wind turbine (SWT) manufacturers have not had to undergo the same stringent certification procedures as large wind turbine manufacturers, and SWT test data has often been provided by manufacturers without verification and in varying formats, making it difficult for consumers to compare products. To enable consumers to make an informed decision when purchasing a SWT, a method for consumer labelling has been developed under the wings of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). This labelling method can also be of benefit to professional buyers of SWTs and should spur the industry to develop better products. Some manufacturers of SWTs have already done much of the type testing according to IEC standards, which is required for the label, and expect to apply the label to their products during 2012.By Sven Ruin, TEROC AB, Sweden, and Jonathan Whale, Murdoch University, Australia
- Category: Articles
A Technical Description of the Blade Array Concept
The Ecowhisper Wind Turbine (EWT) is built from a number of interdependent systems. The Blade Array interacts with the wind and its performance determines the overall performance of the whole EWT system. In this article the different interdependent systems are described.
By Stephen Thomas, Chief Technical Officer, RESA, Australia
The Ecowhisper Wind Turbine (EWT) is built from a number of interdependent systems. The Blade Array interacts with the wind and its performance determines the overall performance of the whole EWT system. In this article the different interdependent systems are described.By Stephen Thomas, Chief Technical Officer, RESA, Australia
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