All articles by miriam jones
miriam jones
Floating farms turn the tide: deepwater offshore wind farms
With Hywind’s evaluation phase complete and other projects in progress across the globe, it would appear we are becoming more receptive to the idea of deepwater offshore wind farms. But despite tangible progress, we shouldn’t expect commercialisation for a while yet, as Trine Ingebjorg Ulla, head of business development floating wind at Statoil, tells Ross Davies.
The time is now, the place is Paris: the EWEA Annual Event
Paris might be known as the capital of love, but this November it will be the capital of the wind industry. EWEA’s Raul Lanzarote reports.
Wind power goes mainstream
As the world’s governments prepare for negotiations that could lead to a binding agreement to halt dangerous climate change, it’s time to take a fresh look at the role of the global wind industry.
High hopes: new generation of turbines
Built on a massive scale, the new generation of wind turbines promises high yields. To process the energy harvested by the huge blades, manufacturers are increasingly turning to permanent magnet generators, reliable enough to function in treacherous offshore sites. Jean-Christophe Demard and Frederic Maenhaut of GE Power Conversion, which boasts the largest PMG currently installed offshore, speak to Sarah Williams about the developments.
More than a flap in the wind: smart blade control and flap systems
Faced with powerful and sudden blasts of wind, turbines and their blades are put under great stress, and need to be able to withstand such unpredictable and inconsistent wind patterns. Professor Helge Madsen of the Technical University of Denmark tells World Wind Technology what solutions could soon become commercially available in terms of smart blade control and flap systems.
O&M moves in-house: DONG Energy
Since DONG Energy brought its offshore wind operations and maintenance in-house more than five years ago, the team has not looked back. Elly Earls meets its head of global operations Michael Simmelsgaard to find out why.
Cutting cost without curbing innovation: offshore in Europe
Europe stands to gain from its role as first mover in the offshore wind sector, which will play a big part in stimulating growth and investment over the next decade. There is great potential for exports of products and services to developing offshore markets around the world, so there is a keen focus on reducing costs to levels comparable to other energy sources. World Wind Technology spoke to Lloyd’s Register about how the LEANWIND project will help.
Renewables gain power: Europe’s energy plans
E.ON’s decision to focus on renewables has rocked the foundations of Europe’s energy industry. Jack Wittels analyses the political, market and security forces that underpinned the move, and predicts how they will continue to shape the region’s energy landscape over the years to come.
Growing pains: wind power global market overview
As the global market for onshore and offshore wind power increases, so does the requirement for operation and maintenance. GlobalData provides an overview of the trends and expected growth in this area over the next five years.
An air of anticipation: the forthcoming HUSUM Wind show
With Germany’s goal to boost reusable energy generation from now until 2020, the Husum Wind show in September promises to be an outstanding experience.