Push to remove Ohio's stringent turbine-siting law fails

Ohio lawmakers were unable to agree to remove a restrictive zoning law for wind turbines that has killed off development in the state, in a setback for a market seen as promising by many big US wind developers. Last week the wind industry cheered after the state Senate’s version of Ohio's budget included a provision to roll back a measure passed in 2014 imposing a 1,125-foot (342-metre) distance

Wind  rechargenews.com 14 hours old Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

DeepOcean lands job on the 396MW Merkur offshore wind farm

UK-based player DeepOcean has been awarded a contract by Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke GmbH (NSW) for export cable transportation, installation and trenching services, all related to the 396MW Merkur offshore wind farm, off Germany. Nordenham-based NSW was contracted by TenneT Offshore, the Dutch-German transmission system operator, to establish the grid connection between the Merkur offshore substa

Wind  rechargenews.com 14 hours old Anamaria Deduleasa

Enel starts work on largest Greek wind farm at 154MW

Italian group Enel has started construction of the 154MW Kafireas wind farm in southern Greece. Once completed, the project, located on the Evia island, in the municipality of Karistos, will be the country’s largest wind farm. Enel will be investing a total of approximately €300m ($341m) in the construction of the new facility, it said. “The start of construction of Kafireas marks a new step for

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 hours old Anamaria Deduleasa

CPFL on Brazil standby as last contracted wind farm spins

Brazilian renewable energy company CPFL Renováveis has started commercial operations of the 48MW Pedra Cheirosa, its last wind complex under construction in Brazil’s dwindling portfolio of contracted projects. CPFL Renováveis now has a total installed renewable capacity of 2.1GW, of which 1.3GW is wind, making it Brazil’s largest private non-large-hydro renewable energy company in terms of operat

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 hours old Alexandre Spatuzza in Sao Paulo

DCNS rebrands as marine renewables-focused Naval Group

Naval giant DCNS has rebranded and changed its name to become marine renewable energy-focused Naval Group. As of today, DCNS Energies, the offshore renewables arm of the French player changed its name to Naval Energies as part of rebranding. The move is a “natural step in the group’s history” aimed at supporting its ambitions to guarantee “exposure and credibility in international markets”, said

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 hours old Anamaria Deduleasa

ABB to help Aruba’s fossil-free ambitions

Swiss player ABB will provide a microgrid to utility WEB Aruba to support the integration of wind and solar, as the Caribbean island races to eliminate fossil fuels from its energy mix by 2020. The deal will see ABB supply an advanced control system with dynamic load shedding capability that enables the integration of “a complex energy generation portfolio.” The software, automation and control

Wind  rechargenews.com 17 hours old Anamaria Deduleasa

Installation kicks off at Mongolia’s Tsetsii wind farm

Installation work at the 50MW Tsetsii wind farm in the Gobi desert, southern Mongolia has kicked off with the first Vestas turbine now fully erected, said contractor Wood Group. The 50MW wind farm, only Mongolia’s second and located 500km south of the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, is owned by Clean Energy Asia, a joint venture between the local Newcom Group and Japanese Softbank Energy. Clean Ene

Wind  rechargenews.com 18 hours old Anamaria Deduleasa

Vattenfall would not build subsidy-free offshore wind: CEO

Vattenfall, one of the world’s leading offshore wind developers, says it is not at the point where it would offer to build subsidy-free projects that rely on the future market price of electricity alone — like those recently seen in Germany. It also believes that governments might stop accepting zero-subsidy tender bids because of the risk that such projects may never be built, Vattenfall chief e

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 hours old Leigh Collins in London

Kazakhstan ‘actively pursuing renewables’

Kazakhstan is actively pursuing a state policy on developing renewable energy, with wind energy showing “high potential”, according to the country’s energy minister Kanat Bozumbayev. The statement comes as the country’s wind energy potential is forecast to be 10 times higher than the current national power consumption, Bozumbayev said during an economic forum in Kazakhstan. “We in Kazakhstan are

Wind  rechargenews.com 20 hours old Anamaria Deduleasa

Statoil's Buchan Deep Hywind quintet afloat off Norway

The quintet of Hywind floating wind turbines in the frame for installation at developer Statoil’s 30MW Buchan Deep array are afloat in Stord, western Norway. The five were assembled onshore and lifted onto their spar-buoy foundations by the heavy-lift vessel Saipem 7000. Topped with 6MW-class Siemens Gamesa turbines, the units will be towed across the North Sea to a project site off Peterhead, S

Wind  rechargenews.com 22 hours old Darius Snieckus in London and Ole Ketil Helgesen in Stavanger

New Mexico pushes back review of 522MW wind project to year-end

New Mexico regulators have deferred until December an initial hearing on Xcel Energy’s request for approval of its proposed 522MW Sagamore wind project, which could also confirm a major win for turbine supplier Vestas. The Public Regulation Commission also extended the deadline for consent until 21 March 2018, still enough time for Xcel to bring what would be the largest single-stage wind farm in

Wind  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 20:07 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

IBM surpasses 2020 renewable energy procurement target

IBM has exceeded its 2020 renewable energy procurement target, pledging to assume a corporate leadership role to fight climate change while developing powerful weather models and analytic and cognitive capabilities to help its clients do the same. The iconic US technology giant has been a leader in transitioning its energy usage to cleaner sources and reducing CO2 emissions, although its efforts

Transition  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 15:32 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

New York names RE allies to top positions at energy agencies

New York has appointed John Rhodes and Alicia Barton, both strong renewables supporters, to the top positions at its Public Service Commission (PSC) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) – two bodies that will play a pivotal role in the state’s ambitious renewables and market-reform agendas. Rhodes will move from his current role as NYSERDA’s president and chi

Transition  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 15:16 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

GE 1.7-103 turbine collapses at Shannon wind farm in Texas

A GE 1.7-103 turbine collapsed recently at Alterra Power’s 205MW Shannon wind farm in northern Texas, according to local press reports. The wind farm is less than two years old. No one was injured and the only damage was to the turbine itself and the ground beneath it. Press photos of the wrecked turbine show the bottom portion of the tower remaining intact, while the rest of the machine lies cru

Wind  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 13:56 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Ribbon cut at the 240MW Ararat wind farm in Australia

The 240MW Ararat wind farm has been officially opened in Australia’s Victoria state, said the project’s developers. The $450 million wind farm, financed by shareholders Partners Group, RES, OPTrust and GE, was the first wind farm development to be signed following restored bipartisan support for the Renewable Energy Target (RET) in June 2015. The wind farm is now operating at full capacity provi

Wind  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 12:53 GMT Anamaria Deduleasa

German offshore wind brake amid zero bids 'bizarre': Dong chief

It is “bizarre” that Germany is hitting the brakes in offshore wind development at a time that zero-subsidy bids are making the technology the most affordable among renewables, said Samuel Leupold, Dong Energy’s vice president of wind power Dong and German utility EnBW in Germany’s first offshore wind tender in April won a combined 1.38GW in offshore wind acreage with subsidy-free bids, meaning t

Wind  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 12:43 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Spanish wind is moving again, but old wounds are slow to heal

DISPATCHES | After years in the policy doldrums there is renewed optimism among Spain's wind sector, but the government still has to regain its trust, says Christopher Hopson

Wind  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 12:05 GMT Christopher Hopson in Madrid

Scottish Renewables gets new chief executive

Scottish Renewables has appointed Claire Mack, as the new chief executive, to replace Niall Stuart, who announced his intention to step down earlier this year. Mack is currently director of policy and place at SCDI, and she spent 12 years at Ofcom previously. Scottish Renewables chief Niall Stuart to step down Patricia Hawthorn, chairman of Scottish Renewables said: “I am delighted that we have

Wind  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 11:03 GMT Anamaria Deduleasa

Single North Sea TSO could cut costs and delays: Dong's Leupold

Creating an independent single transmission system operator (TSO) for all offshore wind projects across the North Sea – while at the same time introducing competition in the construction of offshore grid links – could cut transmission prices and construction delays, suggested Samuel Leupold, Dong Energy’s vice president for wind power. “In an increasingly meshed interconnectivity in the North Sea

Wind  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 10:29 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Neoen to link wind and storage for Australia agribusiness

Developer Neoen and wind OEM Siemens Gamesa will help deliver what’s being claimed as a pioneering link up between renewables, energy storage and agribusiness in Australia. Neoen, the state of Victoria and ‘smart farming’ group Nectar Farms have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) over the construction of a 63-turbine wind farm, plus 20MW/34MWh of lithium-ion battery storage to supply Nect

Transition  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 09:51 GMT Andrew Lee in London

IEA chief economist: fossil giants risk ‘major strategic mistake’

IN DEPTH | Oil & gas companies need to rethink their corporate strategies as the world moves towards greener transport, heating and cooling, Laszlo Varro tells Leigh Collins

Transition  rechargenews.com 27 Jun 07:36 GMT Leigh Collins in Estoril

France to end new oil exploration as it pivots to renewables

France is to pass a law banning new oil and gas exploration as part of its transition towards an increased use of renewables in the country, energy minister Nicolas Hulot has announced. Hulot, who last month took over from Segolene Royal at the top of the Ministry of Energy, Ecology and Sustainable Development, said the new laws covering the transition to more environmentally-friendly energy woul

Transition  rechargenews.com 26 Jun 16:07 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

Pattern buys Willow Creek wind project, its first in South Dakota

Pattern Development, the sponsor company of yieldco Pattern Energy, has acquired its first wind project in South Dakota – the 103MW Willow Creek development. Pattern will buy the Willow Creek project from Wyoming-based developer Wind Quarry. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. It’s the first project acquisition for Pattern since last week, when it announced a $724m financing package

Wind  rechargenews.com 26 Jun 15:56 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Massachusetts speeds up offshore tender as US tax credits fade

Massachusetts has sped up its timeline for striking deals with offshore wind developers, amid concerns that the fledgling US offshore wind market will miss out on the benefits of the fading federal wind tax credits. Responding to requests from offshore wind companies, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has directed the state’s utilities to select winning bidders for negotiations by

Wind  rechargenews.com 26 Jun 14:34 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Say it quietly, but US renewables are doing fine under Trump

DISPATCHES | US wind and solar had every reason to fear the worst when Donald Trump took office, but six months on it's so far so good, writes Karl-Erik Stromsta

Transition  rechargenews.com 26 Jun 13:54 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Dong cuts ribbon on 582MW offshore at Gode Wind 1&2

Dong Energy has formally cut the ribbon on 582MW of offshore wind power at its Gode Wind 1&2 projects off the German coast. The Gode Wind plants – operating in the North Sea since 2016 – were inaugurated today at the Danish embassy in Berlin in the presence of officials from both Germany and Denmark. Dong to link Burbo Bank to battery in offshore wind first The twin projects combined amount to

Wind  rechargenews.com 26 Jun 13:08 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Make Power Clean alliance backs 550g/kWh for EU

A group of European industry bodies and companies have lined up behind Make Power Clean, an initiative urging the EU to turn the screw on "the most polluting" generation sources when shaping a new electricity market. Renewables industry bodies WindEurope and SolarPower Europe were among those backing the launch of the initiative, which is in effect an anti-coal alliance set up to support the Euro

Transition  rechargenews.com 26 Jun 12:34 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Renewables can play a big role in Puerto Rico's fresh start

OPINION | Things are looking up again for renewables in Puerto Rico after several years in the doldrums due to financial instability, writes Jeffrey Karp

Wind  rechargenews.com 26 Jun 10:56 GMT Jeffrey Karp

'There's a lot in Vestas' pipeline to challenge size limits further'

5 MINUTES | Product strategy head for Vestas Jan Hagen tells Bernd Radowitz how the market-leading OEM is building on an existing track record with models rated up to 4.2MW – and there's no reason why that should mark an upper limit

Wind  rechargenews.com 26 Jun 09:17 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Copenhagen

High voltage in-tower transformer first for Blyth offshore wind

Power giant ABB will premiere a 66kV transformer that can fit into the tower of a wind turbine, in the quintet of MHI Vestas V164 machines being installed at EDF’s 41.5MW Blyth demonstration project off northeast England. The WindStar technology, developed in anticipation of the industry’s shift from a 33kV standard towards high voltage in all offshore infrastructure, is also in the frame for 1

Wind  rechargenews.com 23 Jun 13:19 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Storage and PV to help Vestas be 'sustainable energy leader': CEO

Danish turbine manufacturer Vestas plans to increasingly venture into hybrid solutions that link electricity storage and/or solar to wind power, in order to become the “global leader in sustainable energy”, chief executive Anders Runevad said. While wind will continue to be the OEM’s core activity, Vestas wants to make sure it interacts with different sources of generation and storage in order to

Transition  rechargenews.com 23 Jun 12:44 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Copenhagen

12MW offshore turbines within 'a couple of years': MAKE

Offshore wind turbines rated up to 12MW will appear “within the next couple of years” as OEMs accelerate product development cycles to drive down cost-of-energy, said consulting group MAKE. R&D for 10MW-plus turbines is “in full swing” at major manufacturers as they plan machines with rotors spanning more than 200-metres for future offshore projects, the consulting specialist said in a research n

Wind  rechargenews.com 23 Jun 11:24 GMT Andrew Lee in London

EWE plans battery that could 'supply Berlin for an hour'

German utility EWE plans to build what it calls “the world’s largest battery,” which it claims could supply the 3.5 million inhabitants of Berlin for an hour. EWE unit EWE Gasspeicher intends to use redox flow technology in which electricity is stored in a liquid along with new, environmentally friendly components in underground salt caverns. Such caverns are currently being used to store natural

Transition  rechargenews.com 23 Jun 08:38 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Copenhagen

Installation of Finland’s first offshore array seen done by mid-July

The installation of Finland’s first offshore array, the 40MW Tahkoluoto wind farm near Pori in the northern part of the Baltic Sea, is likely to be completed by mid-July, Toni Sulameri, the managing director of developer Suomen Hyötytuuli, tells Recharge. “After the first two turbine installations [last weekend], the jack-up vessel is currently being loaded. Weather permitting, we aim to install

Wind  rechargenews.com 23 Jun 08:16 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Copenhagen

Wind and solar back push into European transport and heating

Key industry bodies representing Europe’s renewables, power and e-mobility sectors today joined forces in a bid to boost electricity’s role in areas including transport, heating and cooling. As EU officials prepare to make key decisions over the bloc’s energy strategy, The Electrification Alliance aims to push the role of the power sector in decarbonising areas of the economy that have so far lag

Transition  rechargenews.com 23 Jun 07:45 GMT Andrew Lee in London

GE EFS looks for larger role as global offshore wind financier

GE Energy Financial Services (EFS) is looking to continue expanding its investments into offshore wind and utility-scale solar, broadening from its core onshore wind focus, Kevin Walsh, head of the renewables group at EFS, tells Recharge. GE’s acquisition of Alstom's power and grids business has “given us new areas to invest, most prominently offshore”, Walsh said in a recent interview. “[Offsho

Wind  rechargenews.com 22 Jun 15:53 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

UK's SSE to spend big on wind as CEO counts retail downsides

One of the UK’s ‘big six’ utilities, SSE, is halting non-essential investment in its retail business — and may even pull out of the segment — to focus on renewables generation and networks, its chief executive tells Recharge. “The market’s moving, I don’t think generating electricity and selling it is dead, it’s just they’re probably different businesses now,” says Alistair Phillips-Davies. “And

Wind  rechargenews.com 22 Jun 15:41 GMT Leigh Collins in Estoril

Scotland joins HAWE backers with $2.5m KPS investment

The Scottish Investment Bank (SIB) has joined Shell, E.ON and Schlumberger as an investor in UK high-altitude wind energy (HAWE) pioneer Kite Power Systems (KPS). KPS received a £2m ($2.5m) equity investment from SIB – the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise, an agency of the Edinburgh government. Shell Technology Ventures, E.ON and Schlumberger backed the company in a combined £5m investme

Wind  rechargenews.com 22 Jun 14:12 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Some in US renewables welcome debate Perry's grid study will spark

Amid reports that US Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s controversial study on the electric grid will not see the light of the day until next month, some in the renewables business are warming up to the debate on baseload power that the report is sure to spark. Ordered in April, Perry’s 60-day grid study was expected to be released sometime this week, prompting the pre-emptive release of a report comm

Transition  rechargenews.com 22 Jun 13:47 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Wind developers cautious over new Spanish auction

Major wind developers warned they might stay away from Spain’s next 3GW renewables tender, which is set to feature a lower floor price for bidders in response to complaints from the solar sector over last month’s auction. The 18 July auction received a lukewarm welcome from key delegates at this week's Spanish Wind Congress in Madrid, who told Recharge they would need to closely study its terms –

Wind  rechargenews.com 22 Jun 13:08 GMT Christopher Hopson in Madrid

Put energy high on Brexit talks agenda, Eurelectric urges

The EU and UK urgently need to strike a deal that avoids damaging their closely-entwined energy markets after Brexit, said European electricity association Eurelectric, which wants transitional arrangements on key issues. Eurelectric claimed the development of the EU’s internal energy market has brought “significant benefits” across the bloc, including the more efficient integration of renewable

Transition  rechargenews.com 22 Jun 11:15 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Vestas launches three onshore wind turbines with 4.2MW rating

Vestas has introduced three new onshore wind turbines with a rating of up to 4.2MW, a line-up the Danish manufacturer says includes a model with the industry’s highest yield for low winds. The new turbines – the V117-4.0/4.2 MW, V136-4.0/4.2 MW, and V150-4.0/4.2 MW – will be offered with rotor diameters ranging from 117 to 150-metres, the largest rotor in its class, according to the OEM. First d

Wind  rechargenews.com 22 Jun 09:54 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Copenhagen

US wind and solar tax credits 'look secure' under Trump: ACORE

Key tax credits set to fuel dozens of gigawatts of new US wind and solar capacity over the next few years “look secure”, with Republicans unlikely to go after incentives already programmed to expire, says Greg Wetstone, chief executive of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) industry group. The fate of the wind production tax credit (PTC) and solar investment tax credit (ITC) were per

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 20:42 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Researchers slam influential plan for 100% renewables US grid

A group of 21 leading researchers has strongly rebuked an influential paper arguing that wind, solar and hydro could provide 100% of US grid power reliably and at low cost by 2055, claiming such an analysis involves modelling errors, inappropriate methods and implausible assumptions. “A policy prescription that over-promises on the benefits of relying on a narrower portfolio of technologies optio

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 19:26 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

ORE Catapult builds brainpower on bigger wind blades

UK technology development body the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has formed a £2.3m ($2.9m) research tie-up with the University of Bristol to fashion blade designs for the next generation of ultra-large-scale offshore wind turbines. Phase one of the Wind Blade Research Hub (WBRH), set up as a five-year partnership, will focus on improvement to materials and manufacturing technology, bl

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 14:53 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

'Seismic shift' as European utility sector vows to lead energy transition

Utilities embrace the opportunities from decarbonisation, digitalisation and decentralisation — whatever they might be, writes Leigh Collins

Transition  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 14:53 GMT Leigh Collins in Estoril

Vestas in line for 1GW Russia wind pipeline with Fortum-Rusnano

Vestas is in line for up to 1GW of turbine supply deals in Russia after being selected by the Finnish-Russian consortium that was the big winner in the country’s recent wind auction. The Danish OEM was named as supplier to the 50/50 investment fund partnership between Finnish utility Fortum and Rusnano, a Russian state-owned development company, which took the biggest share of the 1.65GW awarded

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 14:17 GMT Andrew Lee in London

South Africa PPA limbo 'could drag into 2018' warns industry body

As a stand-off that has halted the signing of renewable power deals in South Africa threatens to drag into 2018, a developer with projects delayed by the impasse told Recharge the situation is harming the country’s profile as an investment destination. The South African Renewable Energy Council (SAREC) said it was “deeply disturbed” after an inter-governmental taskforce this week failed to signal

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 13:02 GMT Andrew Lee in London

'Serious action needed to end Poland's onshore wind malaise'

OPINION | Faced with dismal renewables growth, Polish officials are looking at changes to the rules that have stymied development, explains Hubert Wysoczański

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 12:03 GMT Hubert Wysoczański

Marram succeeds Herold as CEO of Senvion North America

Lance Marram has taken over the role of chief executive and managing director of Senvion North America, replacing Helmut Herold who is leaving the Germany-based turbine manufacturer. Marram comes to Senvion with over two decades of experience in wind energy and finance, and an exceptional background in sales, manufacturing and investments in renewables, the OEM says. Marram since 2012 work

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 10:21 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Mating of Hywind floaters gathers pace off Norway

Two of five spar-buoy floating wind turbines for Statoil's landmark 30MW Buchan Deep array off Scotland are now afloat quayside at Bassoe's operations base at Stord, on the west coast of Norway. Italian offshore contractor Saipem’s S7000 heavylift vessel completed mating of the first Siemens SWT-6.0-154 turbine-topped tower with its cylindrical steel spar substructure, delivered earlier from Nava

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 09:21 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

BNDES approves $320m finance for 311MW of Brazil wind

Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) has approved R$1bn ($320m) in financing for the construction of three wind power complexes in the country’s Northeastern region, totalling 311MW. The biggest was a R$486.4m loan to France’s EDF EN do Brasil, the local unit of EDF Energies Nouvelles, to build the Ventos da Bahia 1, 2, 9 and 18 projects located in the state of Bahia. The combined capacity

Wind  rechargenews.com 21 Jun 08:30 GMT Alexandre Spatuzza in Sao Paulo

Four oil giants and GM in group backing US federal carbon tax

Global oil giants ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Total, and seven other large companies including General Motors threw their support behind a proposed US federal tax on carbon to help slow global warming. The move comes 20 days after President Donald Trump announced he is pulling the US out of the landmark 195-nation Paris agreement to combat climate change. Analysis: Paris decision puts

Transition  rechargenews.com 20 Jun 23:45 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Nevada governor vetoes 40% renewables mandate legislation

Governor Brian Sandoval has vetoed legislation that would have increased Nevada’s renewable portfolio standard to 40% by 2030 from the present mandate of 25% by 2025, saying approval is premature given uncertainty in the state energy market. “I am fully aware that increasing the RPS as proposed in this bill is very popular, and under different circumstances I would support this bill,” he writes i

Wind  rechargenews.com 20 Jun 19:51 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Vattenfall names first projects at EOWDC research programme

Vattenfall has named a clutch of scientific projects that will share a €3m ($3.3m) research fund at the developer’s European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) off northeast Scotland. The projects will help put the region at the leading edge of offshore wind research globally, said Scottish officials, who backed the development of the 11-turbine EOWDC in the face of determined opposition fro

Wind  rechargenews.com 20 Jun 15:23 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Denmark's COP to lead development of Newfoundland array

Copenhagen Offshore Partners (COP) says it has won a contract to lead both early and late-stage development for what could become Canada’s first offshore wind project – a 180MW array in St. Georges Bay west of Newfoundland. COP did not release terms of the deal awarded by Danish fund manager Copenhagen Investment Partners (CIP), which last September announced it would invest all capital required

Wind  rechargenews.com 20 Jun 15:21 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Siemens Gamesa to keep 'deep roots' in Spain: CEO Tacke

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy will retain a significant supply chain in Spain for the long-term and remain loyal to its “deep roots” in the country, said chief executive Markus Tacke. In his first major corporate event since taking the reins at the newly-created wind OEM in May, Tacke told the Siemens Gamesa annual general meeting that the multinational nature of the company would not dent its

Wind  rechargenews.com 20 Jun 14:27 GMT Andrew Lee in London

New report repudiates key assumptions of Perry’s US grid study

Two key suggestions embedded in US Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s controversial grid-study order – that renewables are killing off baseload generation, and that the shifting US power mix is undermining grid reliability – do not hold up to scrutiny, according to a detailed new report from the Analysis Group. To the chagrin of the US renewables industry, Perry in April called for a 60-day study into

Transition  rechargenews.com 20 Jun 09:34 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Joined-up thinking as cable giant Prysmian eyes offshore growth

IN DEPTH | Market leader Prysmian expects the shift towards 66kV cabling technology will result in offshore transmission savings of 15% — and help it to a larger slice of the interarray and export-line market, writes Darius Snieckus

Wind  rechargenews.com 20 Jun 08:14 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

'Our ambition is based on a real belief in floating wind'

5 MINUTES | Siem Offshore Contractors managing director Regis Rougier tells Darius Snieckus about the group's ambitions in the floating wind sector

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 15:44 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Enel's Starace takes over as Eurelectric president

European electricity industry body Eurelectric has elected Francesco Starace, chief executive of Italy’s Enel and a strong advocate of renewables, as the new president of the association for the next two years. “The energy sector is going through a radical transformation driven by disruptive technological innovations and the fight against climate change,” said Starace, who replaces EDP’s chief ex

Transition  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 14:48 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

Middle East and Africa to add 40GW of wind by 2026: MAKE

Wind will add almost 40GW in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region between this year and 2026, fuelled by “tremendous resources”, growing power demand, falling costs and “an increase in experience and best practices across the value chain”, according to consultancy MAKE. The capacity additions – up from a cumulative 4.2GW in place at the end of 2016 and representing a compound annual growth rat

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 14:26 GMT Andrew Lee in London

Canadian pension fund PSP to buy largest stake in Pattern Energy

Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board will acquire nearly 10% of the shares of Pattern Energy, becoming the wind-focused US yieldco’s largest shareholder, in a deal Pattern says underscores growing investor confidence in the renewables sector. PSP Investments, among Canada’s largest pension investment managers, will acquire 8.7 million shares of Pattern Energy from its privately held sp

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 14:02 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

South Korea speeds shift to renewables with nuclear phase-out

South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in has signalled an end to decades of reliance on nuclear power with a major shift in energy policy towards the increased use of renewables and gas. In a major overhaul of energy policy the South Korean government plans to increase the share of renewable sources from around 6.6% today to around 20% by 2030. The South Korean leader pledged to move towards “a nucle

Transition  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 13:10 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

Innogy opens 90MW Zuidwester with Enercon 7.5MWs

German utility Innogy today officially opened its 90MW Zuidwester wind farm adjacent to the coast of the Dutch Ijsselmeer lake featuring 12 of the world’s largest onshore wind turbines, Enercon’s 7.5MW model. The twelve state-of-the-art turbines at the Zuidwester wind farm replace 50 dating from the 1980s and 1990s. Statistically, one of the new turbines on its own can generate as much electricit

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 12:15 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Dutch OEM Lagerwey signs licensing deal with Russia’s Rosatom

Dutch wind OEM Lagerwey has signed an agreement for the licensing of its wind turbine technology to OTEK, a unit of Russian nuclear energy giant Rosatom, that it says forms the basis for creating a professional wind industry in the world’s largest country. “We are proud that we as a Dutch wind turbine supplier are instrumental creating a Russian wind industry,” Lagerwey chief executive Huib Morel

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 10:10 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Polish onshore wind additions 'close to zero' on distance rule

New onshore wind installations have almost stopped in Poland as a result of a law passed in 2016 that demands a minimum distance of ten times the turbine height between new onshore wind parks and settlements, Wojciech Cetnarski, a former president of the Polish Wind Energy Association (PWEA), told Recharge. “The development of new wind farms has completely stopped,” Cetnarski said. “There are som

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 09:23 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Phase one complete as Ireland's largest wind farm rises in Galway

Ireland’s wind sector took another step forward as SSE finished the first phase of the 169MW Galway Wind Park, which will be the nation’s largest when fully completed. The UK-based utility built the 66MW first stage of the project using 22 3MW Siemens turbines after a construction period lasting two and a half years. SSE has linked with Irish forestry group Coillte for the second phase of the w

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 07:15 GMT Andrew Lee

Time is right for Australian offshore wind, says developer

IN DEPTH | After years of under-the-radar planning, a Victoria developer claims market conditions are right to advance Australia's first offshore wind farm, writes Andrew Lee

Wind  rechargenews.com 19 Jun 05:32 GMT Andrew Lee in London

São Paulo looks to small wind-solar-hydro hybrids

With relatively small wind potential and expensive real estate, Brazil’s most industrialised state of São Paulo wants to catch a ride on the growing wind industry by reviving the small turbine industry for wind-solar-hydro hybrid set ups. “This is the way forward, because we have to think about smart grids and small- and micro-generation in the state,” the state’s renewable energy secretary Anton

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 16:05 GMT Alexandre Spatuzza in Sao Paulo

Wind distance rule looms in Germany’s most populous state

After a sweeping victory in elections last month, a new coalition between German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) in North-Rhine Westphalia state plans to impose a distance rule for wind power that could kill off most new projects. “We assume that it is legally safe to implement a distance rule of 1,500 metres to pure and general residentia

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 14:57 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Boralex inaugurates Enercon-supplied Niagara project

Canadian renewables operator Boralex formally inaugurated its 230MW Niagara Region wind farm, which represented the largest deal in the company’s history when it bought the Ontario project late last year from German wind group Enercon. The Niagara Region wind farm uses 77 Enercon E-101 turbines rated at 3MW each, spreading from the Lake Erie coast up through the central part of Niagara peninsula.

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 14:56 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Siemens Gamesa to supply Enel’s new Russian wind pipeline

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy will supply turbines for the 291MW of onshore wind power capacity Italian utility Enel won this week in a renewables tender in Russia. Russian news website Russian Construction picked up statements released by Enel Russia General Director Carlo Palasciano during the company’s General Shareholders Meeting, in which he also mentioned the possibility of a new producti

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 13:53 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Alliant buys 50% stake in EDF's 225MW Great Western wind farm

EDF Renewable Energy has sold a half-stake in its recently completed 225MW Great Western wind farm in Oklahoma to a unit of Alliant Energy, with the power contracted under a long-term deal with Google. Alliant, the Madison, Wisconsin-based investor-owned utility holding company, will buy the 50% stake in Great Western through its unregulated Alliant Energy Finance unit, with EDF holding the remai

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 13:37 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Battle for US offshore wind jobs hots up

IN DEPTH | Massachusetts is staking its claim as the new hub for the burgeoning US offshore wind sector, but neighbouring states are jockeying for a slice of the coming economic bonanza, writes Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 12:58 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

Al Gore: 'Trump has made Paris Agreement stronger'

Former US vice-president says the climate movement will inevitably prevail because 'no lie can last forever'

Transition  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 10:13 GMT Al Gore

Senvion names ex-National Grid CEO Holliday as chairman

The supervisory board of Germany-based wind OEM Senvion has approved Steven Holliday as its new chairman, succeeding Stefan Kowski, who had served in the post since the company's acquisition by US investment fund Centerbridge Partners in April 2015 “Management and the supervisory board are very pleased to welcome Steven Holliday as chairman. The company continues to execute its growth strategy

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 09:38 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Iberdrola-led ROMEO project to cut offshore wind O&M costs

Twelve European offshore wind players led by Iberdrola Renewables, together with the UK’s Cranfield University, have launched a project to cut operations and maintenance costs for wind at sea through the development of advanced monitoring systems and strategies. The project dubbed ROMEO (Reliable O&M decision tools and strategies for high LCOE reduction on offshore wind) is aiming to move from c

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 09:20 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

CL Grupo Industrial finalises GES takeover

Spain's CL Grupo Industrial has set the seal on the takeover of compatriot renewables contractor Global Energy Services (GES), via the buy-up of shares in subsidiary GES Siemsa SA. The acquisition of GES, which offers services in areas ranging across engineering, construction, operation and maintenance for both wind and solar plants, adds 1,000 international personnel to CL Grupo Industrial's r

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 08:50 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Wind OEM Lagerwey commissions 4.5MW prototype

Dutch wind OEM Lagerwey has commissioned a first prototype of its L136-4.5MW onshore turbine with a 136-metre rotor at the port of Eemshaven in the Netherlands. The manufacturer after the summer will start the construction of a second identical turbine in the vicinity, using what Lagerwey says is the world’s first climbing crane that it unveiled last year. Dutch wind specialist claims world-fi

Wind  rechargenews.com 16 Jun 07:21 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Suniva trade case would lead to 88,000 US solar job losses: SEIA

The protections against solar imports requested by bankrupt US manufacturer Suniva would devastate the booming American solar industry, leading to an estimated 88,000 job losses next year, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). SEIA’s grim job-losses estimate is equivalent to roughly one-third of the existing US solar workforce, among the country’s fastest growing area of em

Transition  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 21:14 GMT Karl-Erik Stromsta in New York

NextEra buys second Texas wind project from Tri Global Energy

Dallas-based Tri Global Energy has closed on the sale of its 78.2MW Fiber Winds facility in the South Plains region in Texas to a wholly-owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, the latest deal between the two developers. Terms of the transaction were not made public. NextEra will use Fiber Winds’ nameplate generation capacity to help fulfill a 230MW long-term power supply agreement with So

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 15:03 GMT Richard A. Kessler in Fort Worth

Wind and PV 'dominate future of power' as costs plunge: BNEF

Ever steeper wind and solar cost declines will see the two renewable sources “dominate the future of electricity” and attract more than $6 trillion of investments by 2040, says latest research from analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The latest BNEF New Energy Outlook 2017 sees onshore wind’s levelised cost-of-energy (LCOE) plunging by 47% by 2040, adding to a 30% fall over the last

Transition  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 13:01 GMT Andrew Lee in London

The missing links in US offshore wind

IN DEPTH | How will the US build its gigawatts of planned offshore wind projects with no local supply chain, and what role can the offshore oil industry play, ask Rick von Flatern in Houston and Darius Snieckus in London

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 12:04 GMT Rick von Flatern and Darius Snieckus

DolWin2 offshore wind link switched on

ABB has handed over the 916MW DolWin2 offshore wind transmission link in the North Sea to the Dutch-German transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT. The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) DolWin2 hub, ABB’s third offshore wind connection project in the region following BorWin1 and DolWin1, will be able to channel power from the Nordsee One, Gode Wind I and Gode Wind II wind farms to shore to sup

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 11:38 GMT Darius Snieckus in London

Fortum, Rosatom, Enel win in 1.65GW Russia wind tender

A partnership including Finnish utility Fortum has taken 1GW as the biggest winner in a landmark wind power tender held by Russia that saw a total of 1.65GW in capacity auctioned off for delivery in the 2018-2022 period. JSC VetroOGK, a unit of Russian nuclear giant Rosatom, won the rights to build another 360MW in capacity, while Italian utility Enel was successful with 291MW. Only 1.65GW out o

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 10:25 GMT Bernd Radowitz and Andrew Lee

Atkins chosen for China offshore wind farm design work

Engineering consultancy Atkins has been chosen by PowerChina Huadong Engineering to design the offshore substation platform at State Power Investment Corporation’s 300MW Binhai South Phase 3 wind farm in the Yellow Sea. Atkins, one of the first UK companies to work on a Chinese offshore wind farm, will use its extensive experience from the European offshore wind industry. The scope of its contrac

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 10:18 GMT Christopher Hopson in London

Oil giants continue offshore wind push – and are there to stay

ANALYSIS | Any doubts that offshore wind is now deeply embedded in the strategies of some of the world's biggest oil groups were settled at OWE 2017, writes Bernd Radowitz

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 09:54 GMT Bernd Radowitz in Berlin

Nine associations call for greater use of renewable gas in EU energy system

Nine European industry associations representing different aspects of the renewable gas industry have joined forces to make the case for hydrogen, biomethane, syngas and biogas to increasingly be used to store renewable energy — as well as for cleaner transport and heating. In a joint statement — officially a response to the European Commission’s proposed renewable-energy directive — the associat

Transition  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 09:18 GMT Leigh Collins

Capturing the power on Global Wind Day

Wind power is leading from the front as a main source of new energy generation around the world, with $112.5bn invested last year alone and – as of 15 June, Global Wind Day (GWD) 2017 – over 500GW of turbines turning. The sector, which now employs 1.2 million people, making it one of the fastest growing industrial segments in the world, has become "a major driver" in the global energy transition

Wind  rechargenews.com 15 Jun 06:12 GMT Darius Snieckus in London