Wind Turbine Technology News

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) will invest in a floating wind technology start-up, TouchWind.TouchWind is developing the tilting angled one-piece rotor wind turbine which is expected to reduce wind interference between wind turbines that tends to occur in large wind farms and improve overall wind farm power generation efficiency. In addition, MOL said, its unique design enables the wind turbines to operate in strong winds, reduces the weight of the wind turbine and floating parts…

Offshore wind installation firm Havfram Wind has ordered a second Wind Turbine Installation Vessel (WTIV).This is the first optional vessel ordered under the existing shipbuilding contract with China's CIMC Raffles.The vessel design will be similar to the first GustoMSC NG20000X Jack-Up vessel currently under construction. "The latest battery hybrid drive train technology is incorporated in the design to significantly reduce carbon emissions per installed megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity.

Swedish developer of twin offshore wind turbine technology Hexicon has partnered with Australia-based engineering giant Worley for FEED, Engineering Procurement Fabrication (EPF), and installation management of Hexicon's technology demonstrator project TwinWay, in Norway.As reported back in May this year, Hexicon said it would develop a demonstrator project - TwinWay- for floating wind power at Metcentre’s deepwater area off Norway’s coast. With TwinWay, a pilot to commercialize new offshore floating wind technology…

Global certification group DNV GL has launched its first LiDAR verification site in Asia to cater for the growing windpower market.The world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body said in a press release that the site, based in the near-shore facility, in Youngkwang, South Korea, provides optimal wind conditions for the verification of wind systems.LiDAR measurement verifications are vital to subsequently conduct measurement campaigns for power performance testing of wind turbines as well as site assessments with LiDAR measurement systems.The facility has “optimal conditions” for wind power benchmarking…

As technologies mature and dramatic cost-cutting continues, the future is looking bright for offshore wind. Below are five trends to keep an eye on.Follow the LeaderOffshore wind’s established leader, Europe, will continue to show the way forward and build capacity. At the end of 2016, nearly 88 percent of the world’s offshore wind installations were located in European waters. In 2017, Europe saw a record 3,148 MW of net additional offshore wind capacity installed, with 560 new offshore wind turbines across 17 wind farms, according to WindEurope.

As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to create American jobs, cut carbon pollution and develop domestic energy sources, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced today it has taken an important step toward issuing a research lease for a facility to test utility-scale wave energy devices in federal waters off Oregon. The non-competitive lease would be for the offshore area where the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center at Oregon State University (Center) would site the hydrokinetic energy research project.

On the heels of President Obama’s State of the Union address where he laid out actions to move the economy toward clean energy sources, reduce carbon pollution and create jobs, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has announced an important step forward for the first offshore wind project proposed for federal waters off the West Coast. Governor John Kitzhaber and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Tommy P. Beaudreau joined Jewell to announce that BOEM has given the green light for Principle Power, Inc.

Douglas-Westwood (DW) has released the fifth edition of the World Offshore Wind Market publication where we forecast offshore wind installations averaging 3.2 GW per year over the next 10 years. Capital expenditure is expected to hit a peak of €18B in 2016. The market will remain highly concentrated in the Northern European region, particularly in U.K. and German waters. The Chinese market will also grow quickly in the forecast period. Why Offshore Wind? Due to low carbon targets and a need to secure new energy supplies…

Douglas-Westwood (DW) forecast offshore wind installations averaging 3.2 GW per year over the next ten years with capital expenditure hitting a peak of $24.1B in 2016. The fifth edition of DW’s World Offshore Wind Market Forecast launched today presents a new longer-term forecast and examines the key commercial developments since the last publication to provide detailed insight to established players and new entrant alike. “For many countries, including the UK and Germany, offshore wind is a key component in the future electricity generation mix,” commented report author Dmitry Dovgan, “to date, the UK market has been the main driver of growth, with many important lessons learned along the way.

Dong Energy advances its involvement in Vestas’ prototype testing of the V164-8MW turbine in Østerild, Denmark. Dong Energy and Vestas Wind Systems have entered into a cooperation agreement on the testing of Vestas' V164-8.0 MW wind turbine at Test Centre Østerild in Denmark. Through this agreement, Dong Energy becomes involved earlier in Vestas´ development of the V164-8.0 MW offshore wind turbine than previously envisaged. This ensures Dong Energy a detailed  understanding of and  experience with Vestas’ new offshore wind turbine at an early stage. Vestas expects that the first turbine will be installed and commissioned at Test Centre Østerild during the second quarter of 2014.