All articles by Blatha
Blatha
Wind’s new direction
The wind sector has gone from strength to strength, but how might recent policy changes affect the market? Experts from GWEC and WindEurope, which recently released their 2017 market statistics, discuss what lies ahead.
Reach new heights
In May 2018, wind industry professionals from across the globe will gather in Chicago, US, for AWEA WINDPOWER – the largest wind energy conference and exhibition in the Western Hemisphere.
Upskill and away
As the pace of renewable energy application hastens, so too does the drive to attract a skilled workforce, resulting in a global push to skill and upskill. Andrew Tunnicliffe speaks with Carmen Maria Alfonso Sanchez, senior manager, global training & development, at LM Wind Power.
The evolution of data management
Digital transformation is big news at Engie, the French energy giant of which the interests run from natural gas and wind to solar and nuclear. Between 2016 and 2019, it will spend €1.5 billion on more than 30 digital projects, but it is renewables where previous investments are already bearing fruit, as Damien Terrié, head of Engie’s Darwin project, tells James Lawson.
Home advantage
The Hywind project located 25km off the coast of Peterhead in Scotland is the world’s first full-scale floating wind farm. Constructed by Norwegian multinational Statoil, the 30MW facility will provide electricity for 20,000 homes and could be a game-changer for the floating wind power industry. Rumayna Vakarelska reports.
Boom time in the Baltic
Europe continues to blow away the competition when it comes to offshore wind development, with the Baltic region in particular enjoying a mini-boom, spurred on by WindEurope’s Baltic Sea Task Force. However, challenges remain in terms of regulation, adoption and grid investment. James Lawson reports.
Raising the standards
Andrew Tunnicliffe speaks with Kate Harvey, general manager of the G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation, about the company’s work to improve safety in the offshore wind farm environment, how the challenges have evolved and how they are being met.
Storage wars
Renewables have less inertia than the large turbines used by coal, gas and nuclear, meaning grid frequency changes faster when demand and supply are out of balance. Advancements in battery storage technology and increased competition could be the answer to the UK’s increasingly inflexible and intermittent electricity supply, as James Lawson reports.