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US wind industry looks to Trump to ease federal regulatory burden
The US wind industry this week is looking for President Donald Trump to provide more detail on how his administration will cut federal red tape for new infrastructure projects including long-haul transmission lines, particularly those on public lands. Located mainly in western states, they contain hundreds of gigawatts of some of the best onshore wind resource in the Americas, but difficulties obWind rechargenews.com 08 Jun 05:21 GMT
Dutch to ditch CfD system in post-2023 market
The Dutch government is preparing a new post-2023 strategy for offshore wind, which may go some way to improving long-term visibility in the sector. Its highly regarded programme of annual tenders — in which winning developers receive contracts for difference (CfDs) and do not have to pay transmission costs — will result in 3.5GW of new offshore wind installed by the end of 2023, and has led to pWind rechargenews.com 08 Jun 05:07 GMT
Dong: ‘we have no need yet’ for floating wind
Dong Energy, the world’s biggest offshore wind developer, says it has “no need” to get involved in deep-water floating wind as it has more than enough shallow-water bottom-fixed projects in its development pipeline. Executive vice-president Samuel Leupold told Recharge at OWE 2017 yesterday that he considers floating wind to be “a small niche so far in the offshore wind industry. There is a lot oWind rechargenews.com 08 Jun 04:56 GMT
Tenaska taps Vestas for 250MW Minnesota wind farm
Tenaska secured a 250MW power purchase agreement for its Nobles 2 wind project in Minnesota and confirmed Vestas as the turbine supplier, underscoring the independent power producer’s (IPP) recently expanded focus on wind. Minnesota Power, the largest regulated utility unit of Allete, will buy the power from the $400m Nobles 2 project, which is set to enter construction next year in southwesternWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 20:31 GMT
Clean Line's Grain Belt hits snag as regulators delay decision
US transmission developer Clean Line Energy Partners’ 4GW Grain Belt Express mega-project has hit a potentially serious snag in Missouri, with state regulators reportedly waiting to make their final decision until the legal battle over an unrelated transmission project has been resolved. A prolonged delay would be a big blow to the long-gestating Grain Belt project, because the scheduled phase-ouWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 19:47 GMT
Vestas scores 50MW order for C&I project in Argentina
Danish turbine maker Vestas has signed a contract to deliver 14 of its V126-3.45MW machines for Argentina’s 50MW El Llano wind project, owned by aluminium smelter Aluar. This is the second contract signed this week by Vestas in Argentina, having Tuesday announced a 220MW contract with Argentina power generator Genneia. This brings to 500MW the contracts Vestas has signed in Argentina since mid-2Wind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 15:46 GMT
Siemens Gamesa eyes large-scale offshore wins in Asia
EXCLUSIVE | Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is vying to win a clutch of commercial-scale offshore wind projects in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea out of its recently opened office in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, offshore wind chief executive Michael Hannibal told Recharge. “We are looking at the Taiwanese market that to the best of our knowledge will be the next larger market coming in APEC (AWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 15:21 GMT
California's green culture may slow offshore wind progress
California’s “jealous guardianship of the ocean” could slow offshore wind development off the Golden State, say developers and regulators. Offshore wind is on a much slower development curve off the US west coast than off the northeast, in large part because the continental shelf drops off rapidly along the Pacific coast compared to the shallower Atlantic waters. But things got interesting in JanWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 13:42 GMT
Fantasy Islands? Offshore wind's North Sea mega-hubs
IN DEPTH | Artificial islands in the middle of the North Sea could save the offshore wind industry up to €10bn a year, but will they ever be built? asks Anamaria Deduleasa in LondonWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 12:24 GMT
Offshore and auctions boost MAKE 10-year wind forecast
The mushrooming offshore wind market is providing a strong updraft to the wider industry build-out around the world, with consultancy MAKE upgrading its global outlook in Q2 by 10.8GW in expectation of a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.7% over the next ten years, taking total installed capacity to 1,067GW . MAKE’s Global Wind Power Market Outlook Update forecasts 66GW of offshore wind plaWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 12:11 GMT
Germany to stage 1GW second onshore wind auction this year
German grid agency BNetzA has launched a 1GW second auction for onshore wind power this year, following a first 807MW auction in May that marked the change from a feed-in tariff-based support system to one relying on tenders. “After mostly citizens’ cooperatives were successful in the first round, we are interested in how this will impact bidding behavior,” says BNetzA president Jochen Homann.Wind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 10:36 GMT
Dong to link Burbo Bank to battery in offshore wind first
Danish utility Dong Energy by the end of the year will link its 90MW UK offshore wind array Burbo Bank to a 2MW battery system on land, in an industry first designed to provide frequency response to the grid. “The need for flexibility is expected to grow, and as a low carbon leader we're keen to be part of the solution to make the energy system smarter,” said Ole Kjems Sørensen, senior vice presiWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 10:23 GMT
Trump Paris exit is bad business decision, says REN21 after record 2016
US President Donald Trump’s decision to quit the Paris climate deal is a bad business decision for America, said global policy network REN21 after a record-breaking 2016 for renewables that saw them trounce other energy sources on costs. Christine Lins, executive secretary of REN21, told Recharge the addition of a best-ever 161GW of renewable capacity last year, falling costs for wind and solar,Transition rechargenews.com 07 Jun 10:06 GMT
Oil giant Shell calls for 10GW offshore megaprojects
Megaprojects in the 10GW range built around “anchor tenant” led development consortia will be needed to make offshore wind a global mainstream energy source, according to Shell New Energies executive vice-president, Mark Gainsborough. The oil supermajor believes this model — adopted from the retail sector where a prestige brand store is given lower rent to attract other tenants — will be a betterTransition rechargenews.com 07 Jun 05:49 GMT
UK offshore wind rebounds to 2010 high
The level of development activity in the UK offshore wind sector — with projects containing 830 turbines under construction — is the highest seen since 2010, according to a new report from UK seabed landlord The Crown Estate. Contributory factors to this increased activity were quickening offshore construction rates and further growth in turbine capacity, demonstrating increasing efficiencies inWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 05:47 GMT
Hopes dashed over expanded German offshore wind goals
Rainer Baake, state secretary at Germany’s energy and economics ministry, dashed the wind sector’s hopes that Europe’s biggest economy could soon increase its long-term targets for offshore wind on the heels of plunging prices, citing grid bottlenecks that need to be resolved first. As recently as April, Danish and German utilities Dong Energy and EnBW stunned the sector by winning a combined 1.3Wind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 04:33 GMT
First full-scale Seawind prototype ‘installed off Norway in 2018’
Two-bladed wind turbine pioneer Seawind is on track to install a first full-scale prototype off western Norway next year after securing financial backing from engineering consultancy Enzen. The funding, which will add to a €15m ($16.9m) loan from Norwegian technology body Enova and “in kind” support from a number of suppliers, will clear the way for a 6.2MW unit mounted on a concrete gravity baseWind rechargenews.com 07 Jun 04:19 GMT
Brazil’s BNDES looks to multilaterals to co-finance wind
IN DEPTH | Brazil's development bank and its key backer of wind looks outward as it prepares to take a smaller role in the futureWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 21:09 GMT
Senvion 10MW-plus 'ready for German and Dutch tender winners'
Reluctant to disclose details of the 10MW-plus offshore turbine Senvion is developing, the Germany-based OEM’s vice president for offshore Cornelius Drücker told Recharge the super-sized machine will hit the market in time to supply projects that won German and Dutch tenders this year. “We can definitely supply in that time scale for the projects that won the German auction,” Drücker said in an iWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 16:28 GMT
Invenergy president: US gas projects a 'bridge' for company
Despite a recent return to its roots as a gas-plant builder, Invenergy’s long-term focus remains heavily on renewables, says president and chief operating officer James Murphy. Chicago-based Invenergy is one of North America’s most important developers and operators of large-scale renewables plants, and has been since the advent of the modern American renewables market. Lately, however, gas has fTransition rechargenews.com 06 Jun 16:09 GMT
Ideol adds $9m to floating wind war chest
Floating wind pioneer Ideol has added over €8m ($9m) to its war chest as it gears for commercialisation of its innovative 'damping pool' foundation concept. The Ciotat, France-based technology company has received fresh capital investment from German offshore contractor Siem and Japanese engineering giant Hitachi Zosen, as well as from European private equity fund Amundi, as part of plans to offeWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 16:08 GMT
JDR lands WindFloat Atlantic cable deal
Subsea power cable specialist JDR has been tapped by the WindPlus consortium as preferred cable supplier for the 25MW WindFloat Atlantic (WFA) floating wind farm being developed off Portugal. The project, being built around three MHI Vestas V164 turbines mounted on steel semisubmersible foundations off the coast of Viana de Castelo, will see the first floating application of high voltage 66Kv dynWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 15:01 GMT
Vestas secures 220MW with Genneia in Argentina
Vestas has bagged 220MW of orders in Argentina, taking its total in the promising South American wind market to about 450MW over the last six months. The Danish wind group will deliver 62 of its V126-3.45 machines to Genneia, which will use them at its two-phase Puerto Madryn project, with commissioning in 2018 and 2019. World Bank approves $480m guarantees for Argentine renewables The deal iWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 13:28 GMT
More collaboration needed to keep cutting offshore wind costs
OPINION | The offshore wind sector has amazed the renewables industry with its downwards cost curve but more needs to be done, says MHI Vestas co-CEO Tetsushi MizunoWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 12:04 GMT
GustoMSC unveils new-look installer for 10MW turbines
Marine contractor GustoMSC has launched its next generation offshore installation vessel, a self-propelled jack-up with telescopic leg crane, for the coming 10MW-plus wind turbine models. The NG-20000X design, which uses the company’s proven VSD jacking system, has a variable load capacity of 16,500 tonnes, meaning the unit can make a roundtrip to a project site transporting six complete sets ofWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 11:56 GMT
US storage market to more than double in 2017: GTM
The US energy storage market is on track to more than double this year, after installing a record 71MW/234MWh during the first quarter, according to new figures from GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association. While US storage installations typically take a breather in the first quarter, the Q1 market got a big boost as projects initiated in response to the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak disaTransition rechargenews.com 06 Jun 10:53 GMT
Glosten floater ‘will compete on cost with fixed foundations’
Resurgent US floating wind designer Glosten has developed an innovative deep-water assembly and installation method with European vessel operator DEME-GeoSea that it says will mean its PelaStar tension leg platform (TLP) concept can be deployed at “cost parity” with current methods for bottom-fixed turbines. The new technique — which will use DEME-GeoSea’s next-generation Orion installation ship,Wind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 10:43 GMT
Pioneer Stiesdal’s floating foundation starts tank tests
Tank tests of a modular floating wind foundation concept being developed by modern wind pioneer Henrik Stiesdal to gear up industrialisation of the fast-emerging sector have kicked off at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) R&D facility in Lyngby. The design, a tetrahedral steel structure constructed from components derived from tower technology, will be put through month-long trials usingWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 10:43 GMT
MHI Vestas launches 9.5MW offshore wind turbine
Japanese-Danish offshore wind turbine maker MHI Vestas has unveiled the next generation model of its V164 platform, a mighty 9.5MW machine with a retooled transmission system designed for the next wave of European and UK megaprojects. The souped-up design, which will fly the OEM’s field-proven 80-metre “structural shell” blades powering a drivetrain with an ultra-high torque load gearbox, permaneWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 10:42 GMT
Offshore wind 'could supply 25% of EU needs'
Offshore wind could churn out enough output to meet at least 25% of the EU’s power needs by the end of the next decade at an average of €54/MWh in the “most favourable locations” off UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and France, according to a new resource assessment produced for industry body WindEurope by BVG Associates and Geospatial Enterprises. But to reach this target — which is based oWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 10:41 GMT
Early mover Navantia reaps offshore wind rewards
IN DEPTH | Naval giant Navantia is seeing early-mover advantage after winning a string of big-ticket steel orders from the offshore wind sector, writes Christopher Hopson in LondonWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 09:48 GMT
France fast-tracks its floating wind flotillas
IN DEPTH | France has yet to put steel in the water on its first fixed-bottom offshore wind farms, but its four flagship floating arrays are steaming towards start-up in 2020, writes Darius SnieckusWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 09:30 GMT
The risks of zero-subsidy offshore wind
IN DEPTH | Dong and EnBW say that the 1.38GW of subsidy-free offshore wind they recently won at tender will be profitable — but only if certain predictions come trueWind rechargenews.com 06 Jun 08:58 GMT
Missouri utility KCP&L to retire 900MW of fossil capacity by 2019
Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L), an operator of regulated utilities in the US Midwest, announced plans to retire 900MW of fossil-fired generation by the end of 2019, noting that “wind energy sources have become a much more economic generation resource for the region”. KCP&L, owned by Missouri-based utility holding company Great Plains Energy, is the latest coal-reliant US utility to disclose plTransition rechargenews.com 05 Jun 16:49 GMT
Brazil’s wind sector looks at the non-regulated market as auctions dwindle
Brazil’s wind power sector is seeking alternatives to the current reduction in demand from regulated market auctions, which includes non-regulated market contracts and exporting Brazilian made wind turbines. Both are being supported by the National Development Bank (BNDES), which has been studying these alternatives as the country starts one of the deepest power sector reforms since 2004. The moWind rechargenews.com 05 Jun 15:26 GMT
Brazil reaffirms 2017 renewables tender, but details remain thin
Brazil plans to hold at least one tender this year to contract renewable power that will have to be built by 2020, 2021 and 2022, but final details are still pending. “The tender will happen, but we should finalise details in coming weeks,” Eduardo Azevedo, planning secretary at the Mines and Energy ministry, told Recharge on the sidelines of a wind power financing event in São Paulo. Keeping toWind rechargenews.com 05 Jun 11:59 GMT
Financing completed for the NordLink interconnector
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend €300m ($338m) to Norwegian transmission system operator (TSO) Statnett to finance the 1.4GW “NordLink” interconnection between Germany and Norway across the North Sea. The 624km link is slated to improve diversification and security of supply and enhance electricity market integration in both countries, and more widely between Northwest Europe and ScanWind rechargenews.com 05 Jun 11:28 GMT
Australian developer unveils 2GW offshore wind plan
Australian developer Offshore Energy is in the early stages of planning what could become the country’s first offshore wind farm, an array of at least 2GW off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria state. The company has been working with the Australian government to establish the rights to investigate the project's feasibility, after engineering firm WSP/Parsons Brinckerhoff undertook a preliminaryWind rechargenews.com 05 Jun 10:24 GMT
Offshore wind's dream set for reality in the energy mainstream
OPINION | The stunning cost reductions achieved by the offshore wind industry are nothing short of revolutionary, says Darius SnieckusWind rechargenews.com 05 Jun 09:38 GMT
Port of Rotterdam to create offshore hub for North Sea
The Port of Rotterdam has kicked off plans to create a new 70-hectare space dedicated to service the offshore industry. The so-called Offshore Center Maasvlakte 2 (OCMV2) will be located in Princess Alexiahaven and will support the development of offshore wind energy, the oil and gas industry and the decommissioning of oil and gas platforms. Dutch group launches programme to cut offshore wind coWind rechargenews.com 05 Jun 09:00 GMT
LOC to investigate floating wind for Carbon Trust-led JIP
Consultancy LOC Group is to head up a consortium selected by the Carbon Trust-led floating wind joint industry project (JIP) to investigate the infrastructure and logistics challenges faced by utility-scale floating offshore wind farms. The investigation report and recommendations, commissioned by the Carbon Trust and JIP partners Dong Energy, Engie, Eolfi, E.ON, innogy, Kyuden Mirai Energy, StWind rechargenews.com 05 Jun 08:52 GMT
OWE 2017 to go ahead after London terror attack
Event being hosted by WindEurope and RenewableUK is due to take place about 9km from site of atrocityWind rechargenews.com 05 Jun 08:12 GMT
The 402MW Veja Mate wind farm switched-on ‘ahead of schedule’
Work on the 402MW Veja Mate offshore wind farm has been completed, after the last of the 67 Siemens SWT-6.0-154 turbines was installed. The €1.9bn ($2bn) project, located 95km from Borkum island in some 40 metres of water, is owned by the Highland Group, Siemens Financial Services and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Construction started in April last year and the project will produce over 1.Wind rechargenews.com 04 Jun 12:56 GMT
New York launches 'largest-ever' state renewables procurement round
New York on Friday issued its first call for renewables bids in a series of major procurements expected on the way to its 50% renewables target for 2030, shortly after announcing an “alliance” with California to uphold the Paris climate agreement. Two state bodies will hold separate solicitations to bring on 2.5 million MWh of renewable power a year by 2022, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s officWind rechargenews.com 02 Jun 21:29 GMT
EU, China to cooperate closer on renewables after US Paris exit
The European Union and China at a summit in Brussels Friday made clear both want to move closer on renewable energies and CO2 emission trading in a reaction to the decision by US President Donald Trump to pull his country out of the Paris climate accord. Trump Thursday had announced that the US will initiate a multi-year withdrawal process that would see the US pull out of the climate deal by laWind rechargenews.com 02 Jun 20:03 GMT
Apex finishes hybrid wind/solar project for US Army in Texas
Apex Clean Energy has completed the largest renewables project ever backed by the US military, encompassing a 50MW wind farm and a 15MW solar array that will cover half the power needs of the US Army's Fort Hood in Texas, the world’s largest military base by size. Texas bill threatens billions of dollars of wind investment Through a new retail electric subsidiary, known as ACE Power, Apex wiWind rechargenews.com 02 Jun 16:45 GMT
Pattern's 324MW Broadview flowing power from New Mexico to California
Pattern Energy, the wind-focused US yieldco, has commissioned and dedicated its 324MW Broadview wind farm in eastern New Mexico, giving a sizeable boost to Siemens’ 2017 delivery figures. Aside from simply being a big wind farm, even by US standards, Broadview is important in being at the vanguard of a new generation of US renewables projects that will flow their power over long distances to reacWind rechargenews.com 02 Jun 15:40 GMT
BC Hydro set to join California-led power-trading system
BC Hydro, British Columbia’s state-owned utility, has agreed to begin participating in the California-run western Energy Imbalance Market (EIM), expanding transcontinental renewable power trading and allowing Canadian hydro to help to integrate more American wind and solar. BC Hydro’s Powerex unit will become the first non-US participant to join the western EIM in April 2018, though Mexican griTransition rechargenews.com 02 Jun 14:50 GMT
China ‘could take over US climate role’
The decision of US President Donald Trump to renege on the Paris climate change agreement – an accord that even oil majors got behind- could offer an “unprecedented opportunity” for China to take on a leading role in energy affairs, according to analysts. Trump announced Thursday that the US will pull out of the 2015 Paris pact by initiating a multi-year withdrawal process, meaning the process woTransition rechargenews.com 02 Jun 11:25 GMT
DNV GL to help draft offshore wind standards in China
The World Bank has chosen a consortium including consultancy and certification firm DNV GL to support the development of three new standards in offshore wind turbine support structures, substations and offshore wind farm power cables. DNV GL will also be advising the Chinese government on project financing and risk management as part of this project. “Standards are crucial to minimize the risWind rechargenews.com 02 Jun 08:24 GMT
Analysis: Paris decision puts a bigger spotlight on renewables
Is there a silver lining for renewables in Donald Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris accord? Upon hearing the news, many in the global renewables business will have reacted with dismay, disgust and bewilderment, and rightly so. But for renewables, the decision also means new prominence in the political conversation, and with it comes opportunity. Trump’s move, deeply disrespectfulTransition rechargenews.com 02 Jun 00:12 GMT
Trump pulls US from Paris climate accord
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the US will pull out of the Paris climate accord, though he chose to take the milder of the two options available to him by initiating a multi-year withdrawal process. By taking that option, Trump has ensured greater prominence for climate and energy as issues in the 2018 midterm and 2020 presidential elections. The Trump administration was also knowTransition rechargenews.com 01 Jun 20:13 GMT
Duke Energy's first Oklahoma wind farm is up and spinning
Duke Energy this week clipped the ribbon at its 200MW Frontier wind farm, notable for being Duke’s first wind project in Oklahoma and the first anywhere in the US to use Vestas’ 126-metre rotor blades. The Frontier plant, located near Blackwell, Oklahoma – near the Kansas border – uses 61 of Vestas’ V126-3.3MW, and sells all of its power under a 22-year off-take deal with the City Utilities of SpWind rechargenews.com 01 Jun 14:31 GMT
UK seeks to weaken EU's 2030 renewables targets, despite Brexit
Leaked documents show Britain lobbied to water down, make non-binding or scrap green goalsTransition rechargenews.com 01 Jun 14:01 GMT
Siemens Gamesa wins 'full-scope' supply contract for Albatros project
OEM to supply 16 SWT-7.0-154 wind turbines, monopiles and substation for 112MW German offshore projectWind rechargenews.com 01 Jun 12:18 GMT
GE confirms supply deal for 800MW Vietnam wind project
GE Renewable Energy confirmed that it will supply turbines for the 800MW Phu Cuong wind farm being developed in Vietnam by Ireland’s Mainstream Renewable Power, with financial close for the first 200MW phase expected next year. Last year GE Energy Financial Services (GE EFS) and Mainstream announced they would jointly develop, build and operate wind projects in Vietnam. Mainstream, a major renewaWind rechargenews.com 31 May 18:29 GMT
German onshore wind FITs to fall by 2.4% in October
Feed-in tariffs (FITs) for German onshore wind projects still receiving support under the old FIT-based system will fall by 2.4% from October 2017 on after additions in the 12 months to April 2017 overshot a government-set target of 2.5GW a year, the federal grid agency BNetzA said. Germany in the wake of a reform of its Renewable Energies Act (EEG) last year started to determine the level of sWind rechargenews.com 31 May 15:55 GMT
Carbon Trust sees 'bankable' cost cuts with floating LiDAR
Industry body Carbon Trust has completed the world’s largest trial of floating LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) systems, which it said has provided “accurate and bankable wind measurement data”. According to the Carbon Trust, compared to the state-of-the-art meteorological masts (met mast), floating LiDAR systems offer many benefits including “cheaper installation”. “Savings of up to 90% areWind rechargenews.com 31 May 13:35 GMT
Eolus sells Swedish wind farm to Munich Re in $100m deal
Eolus has sold its 79MW Jenåsen wind farm in Sweden to Munich Re in a €106m (120m) deal. The electricity produced by the wind farm will be sold to Google via a power purchase agreement. As part of the agreement Eolus has been entrusted to provide technical, operational and administrative services for the wind farm, located in Liden in Sundsvall municipality, in order to maximize outcome and prodWind rechargenews.com 31 May 11:37 GMT
Acciona starts-up hybrid wind power storage plant in Spain
Spain’s Acciona has started up the first hybrid wind power storage plant in Spain using batteries. The plant, located next to the Barasoain experimental wind farm in Northern Spain, will use software to simulate storage systems to improve the quality of energy sent to the grid. “The plant is equipped with a storage system consisting of two batteries located in separate containers: one fast-respoWind rechargenews.com 31 May 10:43 GMT
UNEF to file complaint with EC over 3GW Spanish auction regulations
The Spanish solar association UNEF is in the process of filing a complaint with the Directorate-General for Competition within the European Commission over the “discriminatory” regulations surrounding the country’s renewable energy auction. UNEF, which has previously criticised the rules of the recent 3GW auction over its floor price, is planning to request changes to the current system in orderWind rechargenews.com 31 May 08:51 GMT
DEME, Cosco move forward with plans to develop offshore wind energy in China
Belgian marine engineering specialist DEME and Chinese shipping giant Cosco are moving forward with their plans to develop offshore wind energy in China. The duo, which first announced their joint venture in November, have now deployed jack-up vessel Goliath for the first offshore wind projects to be set up in the region. DEME, Cosco sign JV to develop offshore wind in China “Goliath was loadedWind rechargenews.com 31 May 08:44 GMT
OPIC loans to Chilean renewables projects under audit: report
The US government has begun auditing loans made several years ago by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to huge Chilean solar projects built by American solar companies, including First Solar, SunPower and SunEdison, news agency Reuters reports. OPIC is the US government’s development finance institution, and has helped US renewables companies – particularly in the solar sector –Transition rechargenews.com 30 May 19:05 GMT
Solar overtakes wind in global annual additions for first time: SPE
PV's lead over wind is expected to grow in 2017 and following years, according to figures from SolarPower Europe and GWECTransition rechargenews.com 30 May 16:31 GMT
Push for emergency US tariffs on solar imports gains steam
The US has formally notified the World Trade Organization that is considering slapping “safeguard” tariffs on solar imports at the behest of Suniva and SolarWorld Americas, in a case with big implications for the broader electricity market, including wind. Last month bankrupt US solar manufacturer Suniva requested that the US impose a minimum import price on all crystalline silicon (c-Si) cells aTransition rechargenews.com 30 May 14:59 GMT
Enel Green Power secures $365m for 300MW Rock Creek project
Italy’s Enel Green Power has secured $365m for its Rock Creek wind farm in the US after signing a tax equity agreement with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan. Under the agreement, which is common for the development of renewable energy projects in the US, the investors will contribute to the Missouri-based project in exchange for 100% of “Class B” equity interests. This interest willWind rechargenews.com 30 May 12:37 GMT
UK’s Beatrice demo project to be decommissioned
Oil and gas firm Repsol Sinopec has unveiled plans to decommission the Beatrice offshore wind demonstration project, located around 13miles (22km) off Scotland’s Caithness coast in the Moray Firth. The two REpower [now Senvion] 5MW wind turbines and cables will be removed as part of the wider abandonment of the whole Beatrice oil field. This work could take place between 2024 and 2027. 'OffshoreWind rechargenews.com 30 May 10:59 GMT
‘When nobody believed in renewables, Forestalia invested’
5 MINUTES| The big winner in the recent auction in Spain moves forward with plans, says chief executive Fernando MuñozWind rechargenews.com 30 May 10:14 GMT
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Let's help India's wind sector achieve its full potential
OPINION | India's wind industry is on the march but smart policy choices can help it achieve its full potential, says DV GiriWind rechargenews.com 29 May 09:37 GMT
'Our goal is an injury-free wind industry'
5 MINUTES | The GWO is taking its wind industry safety message to new markets beyond Europe, says chief executive Jakob HolstWind rechargenews.com 29 May 09:02 GMT
Low costs will pave the way for US offshore wind: Dong
OPINION | The cost reductions already achieved in Europe plus American industrial strength bode well for the future of offshore wind in the US, says Samuel LeupoldWind rechargenews.com 29 May 08:52 GMT
Coffers full, Brazil's Casa dos Ventos gets ready for better days
IN DEPTH | Mario Araripe built Casa dos Ventos into a linchpin of Brazil's wind industry and won't let tough times stop him preparing for future growth, he tells Alexandre SpatuzzaWind rechargenews.com 26 May 09:26 GMT
Actis ‘to buy 416MW of wind in Brazil’
UK private equity player Actis has reportedly signed a deal to acquire more than 400MW of wind projects in Brazil from Spain’s Gestamp Renewables. London-based Actis agreed to buy more than 300MW operating wind projects and 116MW under construction, Bloomberg reported citing anonymous sources. Actis buys 346MW of wind to reach 1GW of Brazil renewables The deal could be worth R$2.5bn reais ($761Wind rechargenews.com 26 May 09:24 GMT
Staying strong through the 2020s: Policy trends
OPINION | The US wind industry can show economic and environmental benefits at both state and federal level, says AWEA chief Tom KiernanWind rechargenews.com 26 May 08:35 GMT
Spain announces new 3GW auction as Forestalia gears up
Spain will hold a second 3GW renewables auction “before the summer”, the country's energy ministry said, as the biggest winner of the first round told Recharge it is already advancing the wind projects it secured. The Ministry of Energy said the new round follows “the success” of the first auction, which was more than three times oversubscribed. A statement said the new process will allow windWind rechargenews.com 26 May 07:27 GMT
Texas bill threatens billions of dollars of wind investment
Industry officials are concerned that a bill just approved by the House of Representatives in Texas prohibiting the local government from offering tax breaks for wind farms near military bases could jeopardize billions of dollars of investment in the state. The bill, which applies to new wind projects within a 25-nautical mile (46.3km) buffer zone around facilities used by “fixed-wing” aircraft,Wind rechargenews.com 25 May 09:35 GMT
'We feel comfortable keeping the attributes of Nordex and AWP'
5 MINUTES | Nordex Acciona Windpower plans to keep both brands to cater for markets with different needs, says CEO José Luis BlancoWind rechargenews.com 25 May 09:32 GMT
Goldwind buys second 160MW Texas project
Goldwind Americas will acquire a second 160MW late-stage development wind project in the booming Texas market, giving it another high-profile opportunity to showcase its latest permanent-magnet direct-drive turbine technology to potential US buyers. The Chinese vendor expects to install 64 of its 2.5MW turbines at the $250m Heart of Texas project 125 miles northwest of the state capital Austin. TWind rechargenews.com 25 May 09:29 GMT
Iberdrola gears up for new US growth spurt
Avangrid Renewables is coming out of a “lull” period and set for a burst of growth in the US under new chief executive Laura Beane, as it looks to play on its strength as a developer in more challenging state markets. Oregon-based Avangrid Renewables — known until last year as Iberdrola Renewables — is the third-largest owner of US wind capacity, but its fleet has grown at a relatively modest pacWind rechargenews.com 25 May 09:13 GMT
India’s Suzlon plots major US comeback
Five years after last installing a turbine on US soil, India’s Suzlon is plotting a major US comeback, with plans to install a prototype turbine in Texas later this year and have 500MW of PTC-qualified capacity erected in 2018, Recharge has learned. Suzlon hopes to win back former US customers like Iberdrola Renewables (now Avangrid) and Duke Energy as well as new ones, and may open a blade factoWind rechargenews.com 25 May 08:46 GMT
OEMs need 1GW of offshore wind a year to build US factories
A yearly pipeline of around 1GW of installation for several years would be required to build an offshore wind nacelle plant in non-European markets such as the US, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy CEO Markus Tacke tells Recharge. Already having an established manufacturing base with onshore nacelle and blade production in the US, his company wouldn’t need to start from scratch as it could begin frWind rechargenews.com 25 May 08:36 GMT
Record 500MW year for Lincoln Clean Energy
Lincoln Clean Energy (LCE) expects to install 503MW of wind capacity in the US this year, a record for the Chicago-based developer, and a similar amount in 2018, as it accelerates growth under new owner I Squared Capital. “We have more than 1GW of projects in our pipeline,” says Philip Moore, vice-president, development, at LCE. The company is focused on developing projects between 200MW and 300MWind rechargenews.com 25 May 08:11 GMT
Staying strong into the 2020s: Market trends
OPINION | New customers for wind power, technology exports and the rise of electric vehicles will all help drive the US industry forward, says Tom KiernanWind rechargenews.com 25 May 07:59 GMT
Xcel: batteries too pricey to solve wind transmission pinch-points
Batteries will not solve the transmission constraints facing the US wind industry anytime soon, says Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy, which has more wind capacity on its system than any other US utility. Batteries are “interesting technologies”, Fowke told reporters yesterday at AWEA Windpower. “But I think they’ve got a ways to go [on price], particularly in relatively low-cost markets like the onWind rechargenews.com 25 May 07:43 GMT
GE locks up $13m cybersecurity deal for Invenergy fleet
GE Renewable Energy has inked a $13m cybersecurity deal with US independent Invenergy to protect the developers entire fleet of turbines, as well as a framework agreement to add future wind farms to the network. The contract, thought to be one of the largest cybersecurity deals in the history of the Industrial Internet, will see GE subsidiary Wurldtech handling upgrades to Invenergy’s legacy coWind rechargenews.com 24 May 17:49 GMT
GE wins 300MW order from Invenergy for Texas wind farm
US independent power provider Invenergy has awarded an order to GE Renewable Energy to provide 120 of its GE2.5-116 turbines for its 300MW Santa Rita wind farm in Reagan Country, Texas. Invenergy, a long-time client of GE, plans to commission the wind farm by the end of the year. “Invenergy and GE have a long history of successfully working together to provide several gigawatts of affordable, reWind rechargenews.com 24 May 17:44 GMT
US wind industry won't seek new PTC extension: AWEA
The American Wind Energy Association will not ask Congress for any more extensions of the wind production tax credit (PTC), AWEA chief executive Tom Kiernan confirms. That leaves the PTC – the bedrock of the US wind market for a quarter-century – set to expire for good after 2019, after phasing down over the next few years. The PTC, worth an inflation-linked $24/MWh for wind generation for a perWind rechargenews.com 24 May 15:42 GMT
‘Low wind speeds’ high on onshore threats lists: GCUBE
Low wind speeds has topped the list of potential threats faced by onshore wind developers, owners and operators globally, according to research from renewables insurance and risk specialist GCube. Resource risk has now surpassed mechanical and electrical breakdown as the number one potential source of financial losses, GCube said in its latest report, Risky Business: Assessing Future Threats in OWind rechargenews.com 24 May 13:52 GMT
South Africa needs to solve its Eskom problem
OPINION | State utility Eskom's reasons for withdrawing co-operation from South Africa's renewables programme don't stand up to scrutiny, says Brenda MartinTransition rechargenews.com 24 May 12:38 GMT
AWEA chief: ‘We’ll prove critics wrong on post-2020 US market’
The US wind market can avoid the sharp post-PTC downturn analysts are predicting for the 2020s, Tom Kiernan, chief executive of the American Wind Energy Association, told the industry yesterday morning in his opening remarks at AWEA Windpower 2017. The American wind industry is in the midst of an historic multi-year boom thanks to the sector’s deepening maturity and the late-2015 PTC extension, wWind rechargenews.com 24 May 12:21 GMT
US offshore wind will bring jobs and help the global industry
OPINION | Towns and cities across Europe have benefited from the offshore wind sector and the same will be true in the US, says Keith AndersonWind rechargenews.com 24 May 12:04 GMT
Fred Olsen and Statoil link with Kongsberg for wind data
Norway’s Fred Olsen Renewables has chosen Kongsberg Digital to provide an independent data storage and security solution for wind turbines, with Statoil partnering on the project. Fred Olsen Renewables, Statoil and Kongsberg Digital will collaborate to verify the functionality provided by Kongsberg’s digital platform, called Kognifai, at the 71MW Lista onshore wind farm on Norway’s southwest coasTechnology rechargenews.com 24 May 11:44 GMT
Ribbon cut at the 165MW Nobelwind wind farm
The 165MW Nobelwind offshore wind farm has been officially inaugurated in Belgium, OEM MHI Vestas has said. The Nobelwind project is owned by a consortium of Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo, Belgian offshore developer Parkwind and Dutch investor Meewind. The development, located 45km offshore in 20-36 metres of water near the Belwind 1 wind farm, will be powered by 50 MHI Vestas V112-3.3MW turbinWind rechargenews.com 24 May 11:17 GMT
WindEurope praises community projects' German tender success
Industry body WindEurope has hailed community projects for stealing the show in Germany’s first onshore wind tender under the country’s reformed EEG renewable energy law. “Public engagement and the involvement of citizens is a key ingredient of a successful energy transition,” says Giles Dickson, chief executive of WindEurope. “We are delighted that the German wind sector is successfully handlinWind rechargenews.com 24 May 09:57 GMT
GE: ‘no decision’ made on 12MW offshore wind turbine
General Electric confirmed yesterday that “like everybody” it is considering launching a larger offshore turbine than the 6MW Haliade model spinning at Block Island, off Rhode Island, but the company rejected a recent news report claiming it has already made a formal decision on the matter. Earlier this week financial news service Bloomberg reported that in the run-up to its $1.65bn acquisition oWind rechargenews.com 24 May 09:04 GMT
The trends that will keep US wind strong into the 2020s
OPINION | AWEA chief Tom Kiernan looks at the factors that will keep US wind bubbling beyond the PTC phase-outWind rechargenews.com 24 May 08:40 GMT
US offshore market forecasts vary wildly
With big targets and projects now in place in several states, nearly everyone agrees the US offshore wind industry is set to shift from infancy to adolescence over the coming decade. Yet despite growing clarity on the policy side, wide disagreement persists as to just how quickly the market takes off. On the more conservative side of the spectrum are analysts such as Bloomberg New Energy FinanceWind rechargenews.com 24 May 07:58 GMT
Red-hot Texas due to add 5.7GW in 2017
The main power market in Texas could have as much as 23.4GW of wind capacity in place at the end of this year, versus 18.98GW in place on 1 May, as developers finish construction on projects eligible for the full federal $24/MWh production tax credit (PTC). The potential 4.4GW increase plus 1.3GW of capacity already installed this year signifies that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCWind rechargenews.com 24 May 07:51 GMT
US wind sector calls for objectivity in controversial DOE grid study
Above all else, the wind industry wants “objectivity” from the Trump administration, as the Department of Energy (DOE) undertakes a controversial study on the future of US baseload power that many see as a threat to renewables, says EDF Renewable Energy chief executive Tristan Grimbert. Contrary to some perceptions, the Trump administration contains a broad spectrum of views on wind energy, saysWind rechargenews.com 24 May 07:45 GMT