News Archive February 2021

PNE AG Looks Back on Operationally Successful 2020

PNE completed, sold or started construction of wind energy projects with a total capacity of approx. 461.2 MW

Equinor and bp have completed their previously announced transaction, whereby Equinor has sold a 50% interest in both the Empire and Beacon Wind assets for a total cash consideration of around USD 1.1 billion excluding customary purchase price adjustments.

Northland Power Joins Race for Polish Offshore Wind Energy

Northland Power has entered into an agreement with PKN ORLEN to acquire a 49% interest in the Baltic Power offshore wind project in the Baltic Sea

“We have had an incredible year, generating enough energy to power the equivalent of over 400,000 homes and reducing carbon emissions by well over 600,000 tonnes,’ said Richard Crowhurst, General Manager, Rampion Offshore Wind Farm.

Xodus Completes Inter-Array Cables Study for U.S. Offshore Wind Project

Xodus was tasked with maturing the inter-array cable installation concept for Equinor's Empire Wind Offshore Wind Farm

Local and regional leaders' top priority is to ensure that the COVID-19 recovery translates into concrete projects that accelerate the transition towards climate-neutrality while creating jobs and social inclusiveness in every territory.

Spain: Lowest Ever Prices for Onshore Wind Energy in Europe

Spain auctioned a total of 3 GW of renewable energy capacity in its January 2021 tender - with the lowest ever prices for onshore wind in Europe.

Guarantees of Origin (GOs) are used to trace green electricity in the power system. They are essential for PPAs as they prove the link between renewable energy producers and consumers

Floatgen Breaks All Records and Stays Active Longer

The 2 MW offshore wind turbine faced very challenging weather conditions during the last year, but was able to increase its power generation once more.

Renewable energy company Magnora ASA of Norway has entered into an agreement with an undisclosed global offshore energy technology and services company to jointly establish a floating wind energy company.

Trailing Edge Spoilers for Rotor Blades Developed

Wind energy start-up evoblade has developed a retrofittable spoiler for rotor blades with the help of Deutsche Windtechnik and Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen.

U.S.: Amanda Lefton Announced as New BOEM Director

The Business Network for Offshore Wind welcomes the announcement of Amanda Lefton and hopes for a push in offshore wind development in the U.S.

Nexans Wins Contract for Underground Grid Connections in France

Nexans will play a key role in RTE’s projects to renew and upgrade France’s power transmission network, the company has announced

New U.S. Record in Wind Energy

In the final months of 2020, electricity generation from wind turbines in the United States set daily and hourly records, says the EIA.

Next Generation AI Technology to Maximize Asset Availability

GE Power Conversion and BLP Industry.AI have signed a MoU to help wind farm owners increase generation, reduce costs and improve returns

SIMOX Searches for Innovations in Offshore Foundation Installation

The SIMOX (Sustainable Installation of XXL Monopiles) project aims to have innovative technologies for the installation of XXL wind turbines commercially available.

ScottishPower Renewables has selected Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy as preferred bidder to supply and install some of the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbines for its £6.5 billion East Anglia Hub, comprising three separate wind farms.

China is still the world's biggest polluter through the use of fossil energy and the emission of greenhouse gases, but the government has now presented ambitious plans to make their economy CO2-neutral by 2060. The figures for the expansion of renewables in 2020 are indeed remarkable. But how were they counted?

Prysmian Introduces New Management Structure

The new structure will capture the opportunities of Energy and Digital Transition

Siemens Gamesa Pledges More Diversity and Inclusion

To lead that innovation and be the employer of choice, Siemens Gamesa has launched a new action plan and set gender equality targets to unlock the power of diversity.

DNV GL and Leosphere, an organization, that manufacturers light detection and ranging (LiDAR) equipment, have today launched a strategic partnership to drive cost reduction, increase efficiency and assurance benefits for wind farms.

Vestas Wins 75 MW Irish Order

This project is located in County Offaly in the Irish Midlands and it is derived from the latest RESS 1 auction round.

Denmark to Construct World's First Energy Island

Denmark will construct an artificial island in the North Sea as an energy hub for offshore wind

Horns Rev 2 Production Tops 10 Billion kWh

Ørsted's offshore wind farm Horns Rev 2, which is up and running since 2009, has reached the astronomical figure of 10 billion produced kWh.

China to Fuel Offshore Wind Growth in 2021

China will continue to lead the new capacity additions, contributing 63% of the expected growth, predicts Rystad Energy

BOEM will resume the environmental review of the Vineyard Wind Project and proceed with development of a Final Environmental Impact Statement after the review was halted under the Trump government.

RWE Wins in British Offshore Auction

RWE has been confirmed as Preferred Bidder for two adjacent offshore wind sites with a total potential capacity of 3,000 MW, as part of the UK Offshore Wind Leasing Round 4 by The Crown Estate.

GE Businesses Awarded Grant to Research 3-D Printing of Blades

This project will advance the competitiveness of both onshore and offshore wind energy when commercialized

U.S. Wind Industry Reports Record Q4

Wind capacity additions were up 94 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.

GlobalData: Germany Still Off-Target for Climate Goals

Despite a growth in wind installations last year, Germany will still miss its climate targets

On 4 February 2021, Statkraft CEO Christian Rynning-Tønnesen took part in a panel discussion on “The Future of the European Energy Transition” at the Europe 2021 event in Germany.

Offshore Industry Sets Priority Areas for Working on UK Supply Chain

OWIC has identified significant opportunities for the supply chain in innovation to support the next generation of offshore wind projects.

Iberdrola is making progress in its commitment to investment-friendly markets and raises its presence in the country by acquiring a majority stake in three DP Energy projects.

WindEurope Voices Concerns over Latest UK Seabed Leasing Round

The Offshore Wind Lease Round 4 allocated areas for developing nearly 8 GW of capacity, the Crown Estate has announced.

RenewableUK Comments on Round 4 Offshore Wind Leasing Process

The result of this leasing round shows that while demand for new offshore wind projects has never been higher, too few sites were made available to meet this demand.

Eneco to Supply Amazon with Green Energy

Amazon will buy electricity from Eneco's offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust Noord in the Netherlands.

U.S.: Renewables Share of Electricity to Double by 2050

By 2030, renewables will collectively surpass natural gas to be the predominant source of generation in the United States, predicts the EIA

Sandia National Laboratories to Study Wind Power

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories want to study how wind farms behave under multiple weather conditions and load demands

Statkraft Enters into Partnership with Bee Charging Solutions AB

The merged company is preparing to take part in the impending electric car boom in Sweden.

Cornell University Publishes New Global Wind Atlas

Cornell wind energy scientists have released a new global wind atlas with is a digital compendium filled with documented extreme wind speeds for all parts of the world

The Crown Estate awards UK offshore wind energy sites

The Crown Estate (TCE) has designated a total of four areas within which six project sites have been awarded to bidders who are now allowed to develop offshore wind farms.

American Clean Power Association Launches

New ad campaign and website highlight U.S. renewable energy industry’s innovation, investments, and readiness to deliver on the nation’s bold clean power goals.

Nexans Secures Power Supply of Remote Norwegian Islands

The company will provide a 170kV power cable connection crossing a fjord of almost nine kilometers in Northern Norway

Roxtec Named Winner at the 2020 EIC Energy Supply Chain Awards

The EIC awards celebrate supply chain innovation and resilience

Noise Immission Prognosis for Wind Farms

In a webinar Wölfel explained the requirements of the ISO 9613-2 standard as well as the calculation in IMMI – step by step using a practical example.

AkzoNobel and Tikkurila: Deal Is Off

AkzoNobel no longer intends to acquire Tikkurila and continues to focus on its own Grow & Deliver strategy

Ingeteam, a company that specializes in wind energy drivetrain technology, has announced that it secured framework contracts for the serial supply of its new high power DFIG converters, as well as low and medium voltage full power converters.

Vestas Introduces 15 MW Offshore Giant

The V236-15.0 MW turbine will go into serial production in 2024.

UL Grants ERG First Wind Turbine Lifetime Extension Certificate

UL 4143 is a process of assessing lifetime extension for a wind farm through onsite inspection of turbines and blades focused on structural integrity

While Europe as a whole has set a new investment record for offshore wind projects in 2020, the construction of new wind farms in important countries like Germany is currently stagnating. Meanwhile, however, others are waiting to enter the international stage.

8.2 France is setting up in Saint Nazaire for the long term, with 3 experts and 2 engineers employed full-time to guarantee quality monitoring of the assembly of the nacelles, the E-stack, as well as the logistics hub in the port area.

Banks Renewables' Portfolio Hits Landmark

The portfolio of onshore wind farms operated by Banks Renewables has generated its two millionth megawatt hour of green energy, a figure which has been reached in just 12 years

The deal with local utility firm Tekniska verken will cover the supply of 7 SG 5.8-170 turbines at Fryksdalshöjden and 3 of the same turbines at the closeby site of Norra Länsmansberget.

Nordex Wins Italian Order

The turbines will be installed at a 30 MW wind farm in the Basilicata region in the south of the country.

wpd windmanager Now ISO Certified

For wpd windmanager, the certification was a balancing act between formalization and individual customer support

Williams will lead GWEC’s initiatives in the lead-up and during COP26 in Glasgow, collaborating closely with RenewableUK, WindEurope, as well as GWEC’s global network of wind power companies and associations.

Denmark's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Receives Project Certificate by DNV GL

The 412 MW Horns Rev 3 offshore wind farm is currently the third phase of offshore wind development at the Horns Rev site

Polish Offshore Wind Development Gets Push

Ørsted and PGE have signed an agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture for the development, construction and operation of Polish offshore wind farms Baltica 2 and 3.

Leigh Harrison, Head of Macquarie: “Our changing climate presents profound challenges to our environment, economy and way of life. It is vital we take action to accelerate the shift to clean energy."

The world's leading researchers on the energy transformation, some whom have been researching for almost two decades the realization of a complex and secure energy supply with 100% RE, have summarized the key findings of their research in this 10 point declaration.

Following the industry identifying cable failure as a high-profile issue, Ørsted and Nexans each produced modelling to investigate the mechanism of failure, identifying the fibre optic core as the cause.

ScotWind Leasing Round Pushed Back

The next round for ScotWind Leasing has been pushed back following the results from this week Crown Estate's offshore wind leasing auction for sites in waters around England and Wales.

Common Pipistrelle Bats Attracted to Wind Turbines

The activity of common pipistrelle bats was monitored at 23 British wind farms and similar "control" locations close by without turbines.

Hollandse Kust Noord Nord: Turbine Manufacturer Selected

Joint Venture CrossWind (Shell and Eneco) has announced to select Siemens Gamesa turbines for the subsidy-free offshore wind project in the Dutch North Sea.

Report: U.S. Will Reach 9 GW of Floating Offshore Wind in 2035

Aegir Insights forecasts a build-out of floating offshore wind of between 6 and 11 GW by 2035 in California, Oregon, Hawaii, Michigan, New York and Maine

A research consortium led by UNSW Sydney will investigate the potential to grow a new industry that will use cheap excess renewable energy to make fuel, chemicals and feedstocks to power a range of New South Wales (NSW) infrastructure.

Antaris Small Wind Turbine Installed in France

Another one of BRAUN Windturbinen's small wind turbines has been installed in northern France

OX2 Acquires Largest Wind Farm in Finland

Developer OX2 and construction company YIT have agreed on the purchase of Finland’s largest wind power project, the 400 MW Lestijärvi wind farm.

BASF Signs PPA to Buy Renewable Energy for its U.S. Production Sites

BASF is collaborating with EDF Energy North America to improve the energy balance and reduce CO2 emissions of two of its production sites in Texas.

In support of the Biden Administration’s climate innovation agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $100 million in funding for transformative clean energy technology research and development

The demand for renewable energy is expected to grow significantly across the Asia Pacific region in the coming decade. Vestas will continue to invest in offering the solutions in the region to meet this demand, now with the help of Purvin Patel

The patent protects a solution where the wind turbine is divisible above and below the house that holds the generator and bearing, which means that the entire generator and bearing housing can be replaced just above the water surface.

New Offshore Bill Aims for Large Offshore Wind Goal in California

Assemblymember David Chiu announced the introduction of AB 525, a bill that would set a new state goal of producing 10 GW of offshore wind by 2040

GE Renewable Energy to Supply Europe's Largest Onshore Wind Farm

Luxcara and GE Renewable Energy have announced an agreement to deliver 753 MW of onshore wind capacity with the Önusberget wind farm in northern Sweden.

GWEC Hires Stewart Mullin as New COO

Mullin has over a decade of experience as a senior executive in the wind sector

UK Companies to Benefit from £1.3m Funding

Twelve UK companies are celebrating after securing £1.3m in funding and business improvement support from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP).

EU Needs Industrial Strategy

The EU needs a proactive renewables industrial strategy to reach climate neutrality by 2050.

Nexans: Electrifying Africa

Nexans has brought electricity to 35 rural communities across Côte d'Ivoire

Offshore Company GBM Works Receives Funding for Prototype Construction

The Dutch company has developed a method to anchor wind turbines almost silently in the seabed. Funding will be used to build a prototype.

Iberdrola is planning the first industrial scale floating offshore wind farm in Spain with an investment of more than €1 billion to commission 300 MW of clean energy off the Spanish coast.

The met mast will be sighted on the old airfield, 0.5 km inland of East Pickard Bay, for a duration of 15 months to provide wind speed and other weather-related data for the Celtic Sea.

BloombergNEF: Annual Offshore Wind Installations to Triple This Decade

The offshore wind industry is emerging unscathed from the Covid-19 pandemic, BloombergNEF states.

Despite the economic and supply chain impacts felt across the world in 2020 due to COVID-19, the global wind energy industry has continued to power ahead and reach new records, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) says.

Repsol Signs PPA for South American Wind Farm

Repsol Ibereólica Renovables Chile has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for its Atacama wind farm which is located in Chile.

Comment: Bill Gates' Brave New World

Bill Gates wrote a new book: 'How to avoid a climate desaster'. Another good title: 'How to slide into a nuclear catastrophe'

Vestas Orders WINDLINK® Cables from Nexans

Two-year contract will see around one million Windlink cable kits installed inside Vestas turbines across the globe

Ideol Generates Fresh Money

BW Offshore invests EUR 60 million in Ideol to create a fully integrated developer of large-scale floating offshore wind projects.

The American Clean Power Association has issued a statement on the ongoing discussion in U.S. media which blames renewable energy for the power outages during the latest winter storms in Texas

"The financial results for 2020 was satisfactory given the very low Nordic power prices. The main reasons were successful hedging and solid contribution from other market activities," says CEO Christian Rynning-Tønnesen.

The Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea will have a combined installed generation capacity of 3.6 GW, enough to power six million UK homes and is stated to be the largest offshore wind farm globally.

The School of Engineering and Digital Arts has led a study highlighting the urgent need for the UK’s Government and renewable energy industries to give vital attention to decommissioning offshore wind turbines.

Vestas Ventures Invests in Wood Technology Start-up Modvion

The investment sees Vestas becoming a minority investor in the bio-composite specialist

Prysmian Group will be responsible for supplying, jointing and testing some High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) cable systems for underground grid connections from 90 kV up to 400 kV.

Hydrogen Takes Off

A new report released by the Hydrogen Council shows rapid acceleration of hydrogen projects in response to government commitments to deep decarbonisation.

"We hope the Government will examine today's judgement carefully and respond in a way that supports meaningful action against the most dangerous threat to our planet - climate change," says RenewableUK

Europe will likely miss its new 2030 emissions target of a 55% reduction over 1990 levels and only reach a 46% reduction, Wood Mackenzie predicts. The EU needs a dramatic acceleration in its pace of energy transition to hit the climate goal

BayWa r.e. Acquires High Constellation Wind Farm in Scotland

The proposed ten turbine wind farm is located on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland and will have a capacity of approximately 50 MW.

DEME Offshore to Install Hollandse Kust Offshore Substations

DEME Offshore will also supply and install scour protection for both substations

CWind Taiwan to Support Van Oord in Cable Route Survey

Starting this March, CWind Taiwan will use a Taiwanese-flagged survey boat, Ocean Surveyor 3, to support Van Oord to conduct multibeam surveys of the wind farms.

Siemens Gamesa to Supply French Courseulles-sur-Mer OWF with Turbines

The turbine manufacturer has received a firm order for the delivery of 64 SWT-7.0-154 offshore wind turbines and a 15-year service and maintenance agreement

Naturgy and Gestamp Sign PPA in Spain

The companies sign an agreement that includes a long-term PPA with a supply of energy equivalent to 203 GWh per year from renewable energy.

BNEF Publishes 'Sustainable Energy in America Factbook'

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and sharp economic contraction, the U.S. clean energy sectors showed strong resilience in 2020.

Schaeffler to Build State-of-the-Art Laboratory Complex in Germany

The new 15,000 sqm central laboratory complex will consolidate and integrate 15 laboratories representing Schaeffler’s core competencies and key technologies

Rystad Energy Predicts Hiring Wave for U.S. Offshore Wind Industry

Demand for offshore wind staff will triple by the end of the decade - and it is already showing.

Communities Play Vital Role in Australia's Energy Transition

The Clean Energy Council notes that there are massive renewable energy opportunities for regional and rural communities under the Australian Local Power Agency Bill.

Lâm Dong Province in Vietnam to Get its First Wind Farm

GE Renewable Energy been awarded a contract to supply a total of 15 of GE’s 4 MW-137 wind turbines to support construction of the Cau Dat Wind Farm.

Denmark's Energy Island Will Support Cross-Border Electricity Transport

The island will be a major support for “hybrid” offshore wind farms that have grid connections to two or more countries

Construction Start for French Calvados Offshore Wind Farm

The 448-MW Calvados offshore wind project is comprised of 64 wind turbines located more than 10km from the Bessin coastline in northern France

Akzo Nobel Presents 2020 Results

"We’ve now achieved organic growth for two quarters in a row and announced acquisitions including Titan Paints in Spain and New Nautical Coatings in the US," says AkzoNobel's CEO Thierry Vanlancker.

As expected, ABO Wind has achieved a good result in the 2020 financial year. According to preliminary figures, the group's net profit increased by 1.7 to 13.1 million euros compared to 2019.

Van Oord Wins Vattenfall O&M Contract

Via its MPI Offshore organisation, Van Oord will provide jack-up and associated lifting services for main component exchanges across Vattenfall’s portfolio of offshore wind farms.

SSE Renewables and Acciona to Form Offshore Joint Venture

SSE Renewables and Acciona have signed an agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture to enter the emerging Spanish and Portuguese offshore wind markets.

“Our turbines are in very good condition and were over-designed for the site conditions, so we are confident that they will run for long after their original life expectancy," says Colin Palmer, Founder & Managing Director of Windcluster.

The vessel was developed to develop and deploy innovative technologies that reduce CO2 emissions, while cost-effectively servicing wind farms located further offshore.

DEME Offshore Wins EPCI Contract for German Arcadis Ost I OWF

The Arcadis Ost I wind farm is developed by the Belgian offshore wind specialist Parkwind and has a capacity of 257 MW. It is located in the German Baltic Sea.

While Bill Gates calls for a comeback of nuclear energy in his new book, a recent study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) shows that nuclear power plants make no sense from either an ecological or an economic point of view.

Spain: Share of Wind Power on the Rise

Last year, 1,720 MW of new wind power capacity was installed in Spain. The share of wind power in the total electricity mix rose to 21.9%.

EU Adopts New Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change

The EC adopted today a new Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, setting out the pathway to prepare for the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

Green Investment Group Signs PPA with Danone in Poland

The seven Danone production plants in the south of the country will be powered by wind energy from the Jozwin wind farm.

Meridian to Start Construction on New Zealand's 2nd Largest Wind Farm

The Harapaki Wind Farm will have 41 turbines generating 176 MW of renewable energy and is located in Hawke’s Bay

The offshore wind industry installed just over 6 GW of new capacity globally in 2020, nearly the same levels as the previous year despite the impacts of COVID-19 and the second-best year for the sector.

WindEurope: Europe to Miss Climate Target

WindEurope published statistics on wind energy in Europe in 2020.

Bladt Industries Expands Production Facilities

Bladt Industries will be among the first suppliers to produce the foundations for future offshore wind turbines reaching a height of up to 250 to 300 meters

Borssele Wind Farm Site V: Innovation Site Fully Commssioned

Borssele site V has been designated as an innovation site, situated within site III of the Borssele Wind Farm Zone.

ACP Statement on Secretary Granholm’s Confirmation

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jennifer Granholm as new Energy Secretary

Mexico's Government Urged to Continue Energy Transition

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and The Global Solar Council, jointly called upon the government of Mexico to restore the country's path to energy transition.