Wind

  • History of Power: Duke Energy’s Century-Old Legacy

    Duke Energy, one of the largest energy companies in the world, grew out of a system of lakes and dams along the Catawba River to generate power for the Piedmont Carolinas. While the company has sustained a

  • There’s Value in Old Power Generation Components

    Equipment from both renewable and thermal energy power plants is finding new life in the recycling market. The market for recycled power equipment components is getting a boost due to ongoing global supply

  • Dramatic Innovation-Driven Ramp Up of Floating Offshore Wind Anticipated by 2030

    A drumbeat of floating offshore wind–related developments this year suggests the pipeline for the long-nascent wind technology sub-sector may be finally beginning to grow. While floating wind’s current

  • POWER Digest [May 2022]

    Czech Republic Chooses Site for SMR Development. CEZ Group, a major conglomerate in the Czech Republic, in late March said it had set aside an area at the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant as a possible location for

  • BlackRock-led Group Invests $525M Toward India Renewable Energy

    A group considered the world’s largest asset manager has joined with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) wealth management fund to support an investment in renewable energy development in India. A consortium led by New York-based BlackRock, along with UAE sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., on April 14 said it would pay $525 million for […]

  • Grid Interconnection Queue Filled with Solar and Energy Storage Projects

    A study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) shows more than 1.1 TW of solar and energy storage capacity were in the U.S. power grid’s interconnection queue at the end of 2021. Notably, that total is more than the currently existing capacity in the U.S. power fleet. Additionally, Berkeley Lab researchers found […]

  • Major Wind Power Producer Sentenced in Wind Farm Eagle Deaths

    A Wyoming court on April 5 sentenced NextEra Energy Resources affiliate ESI Energy to five years of probation and fined the wind power developer more than $8 million for three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The violations include alleged failures to apply for “eagle take permits” (ETPs) at facilities in Wyoming […]

  • Distributed Renewables’ Cyber Resilience

    The benefits of renewable energy continue to grow, with wind generation supplying 9.2% of generation in the U.S. and up to 22.6% in other western countries like Germany. Solar is at 2.8% in the U.S. (for utility-scale installations) and near 10% in Germany. Through diversification and greater distribution system integration, the application of renewable energy […]

  • How Ammonia Could Help the World Transition to Clean Energy

    Hydrogen is widely seen as a vital component in efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply. One example of this is a strategy being piloted by at least a couple of major gas turbine manufacturers, which involves storing “green hydrogen” produced through electrolysis using excess wind or solar power when renewable energy supplies exceed grid […]

  • Vestas Cutting Jobs Despite Leading Wind Installations

    Vestas occupies the top spot when it comes to market share among global wind turbine manufacturers, according to a new analysis, but the Danish business is not immune to the challenges facing several of the leading companies in the wind power sector. Supply chain issues are buffeting wind energy, as they have other industries. Though […]

  • GE Exec Expects Rebound for Renewables

    The leader of General Electric’s (GE’s) global energy business said the company expects its power and renewable energy units should be profitable in 2023, and experience even more success in 2024, after it weathers market headwinds that present challenges this year. Scott Strazik, speaking at the company’s March 10 investor day event, said GE is […]

  • Direct Pay Proposals in the Build Back Better Act and Observations from Industry Insiders

    Under current law, there are significant tax benefits for renewable energy projects in the United States. These benefits include nonrefundable ITC and PTC tax credits and depreciation deductions.  From the perspective of a renewable energy developer, however, such tax benefits may be difficult to use effectively.  Currently, ITC and PTC tax credits are nonrefundable, meaning that […]

  • The Hydrogen Rainbow Is So 2021—It’s Time to Get Over It

    When it comes to hydrogen energy, the industry typically differentiates the final product in classes that correspond to the carbon intensity with a focus on “the colors of the rainbow,” such as gray, green, purple, and blue. According to The New York Times, the oil and gas industries are promoting blue hydrogen because (at the […]

  • Renewable Energy Ready to Deliver Despite Continued Uncertainty

    Notwithstanding the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, in 2021 the deployment of solar, solar + storage, stand-alone storage, wind, and other renewable energy technologies continued to rapidly expand across the U.S

  • Largest U.S. Wind Project Online in New Mexico

    A wind farm comprised of four projects in central New Mexico, serving areas of that state and California, is now online and takes the title of the largest wind power installation in the U.S. Pattern Energy Group, among the world’s largest privately-owned developers and operators of wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects, on Feb. […]

  • Large-Scale Green Hydrogen Infrastructure System Unveiled for California

    SoCalGas, North America’s largest gas distribution utility, has unveiled the Angeles Link, a proposed green hydrogen energy infrastructure system for Southern California that it says could be the largest of its kind in the nation. The Angeles Link proposes to utilize between 25 GW and 35 GW of curtailed or new solar, wind, or battery […]

  • Green Hydrogen Economy: Magic Bullet or Mirage for Africa?

    Africa has approximately 600 million people without access to clean, reliable, and affordable electric power (80% of the global total). On the flip side, the continent has some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Countries like Egypt and Ethiopia have recorded more than 6% annual growth in gross domestic product (GDP) with the […]

  • U.S. Tops 200 GW of Renewables, but Deployment Slows

    A report from a trade group representing the U.S. renewable energy industry says the nation now has more than 200 GW of operating utility-scale generation capacity, but the pace of growth has slowed as projects have been delayed due to regulatory and equipment supply issues, among other factors. The “Clean Power Quarterly 2021 Q4 Market […]

  • Siemens’ Renewable Arm Cutting 200 U.S. Jobs

    Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) plans to lay off 200 workers at two U.S. wind power equipment manufacturing facilities. The company on Feb. 9 said the job cuts are due to a reduction in orders for commercial wind turbines. An SGRE spokesperson said more jobs cuts at the plants—one in Hutchinson, Kansas, and the other […]

  • Wind Power Developers Encouraged by Findings on Bald Eagle Population

    In the race to generate and distribute renewable energy, developers must clear numerous regulatory hurdles. For many projects, this may include obtaining a voluntary “incidental take” permit under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA). The BGEPA incidental take permitting program has frustrated both developers and operators due to, among other things, uncertainty of […]

  • Clearway Completes Black Rock Wind Farm in Northeastern West Virginia

    SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 10, 2022) – Clearway Energy Group (“Clearway”) announced today that it reached commercial operations on Black Rock, a 115 MW wind farm that spans West Virginia’s Grant and Mineral counties and will increase the state’s wind energy generation by 15 percent. Black Rock is contracted under long-term power purchase agreements with customers […]

  • Former FERC Commissioner Says ‘Market Design Problem’ Was a Leading Cause of February 2021 Texas Power Crisis

    In February 2021, a severe cold weather event, known as Winter Storm Uri, caused numerous power outages, derates, or failures to start at electric generating plants scattered across Texas and the south-central U.S. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the power supply for about 90% of the load in Texas, ordered a […]

  • Groups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves

    The continuing transition in the power generation sector means workers need new skills. The challenge for utilities and other power producers is finding the top talent at a time the labor pool is shallow

  • The Developed World Must Turn Fossil Fuel Industries into Green Tech Powerhouses for Developing Countries

    When environmental advocates implore less-wealthy countries to cease oil or gas investment and production because it is the cause of climate change, they are often branded as naive and ridiculous. Do we really

  • Wind Power and Its Impact on Wildlife: A Look at Current Efforts to Minimize Harm

    The energy transition is likely to result in the continued growth of wind energy project development, and by 2030 more than 224.07 GW across 47 states could be installed, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Along with the environmental benefits of replacing fossil-fuel power with wind power, this will undeniably affect songbirds, raptors, […]

  • GE Grasping for Growth as It Prepares for Integrated Energy Spinoff

    GE’s first earnings release after the American conglomerate last November announced it would combine and spin-off its Renewable Energy, Power, and Digital business suggests flagging orders for onshore and offshore wind equipment and gas turbines amid a business environment wrought with uncertainty. GE on Jan. 25 reported revenues of $15.7 billion for its Renewable Energy business, […]

  • Iowa Utility Proposes $3.9 Billion Renewable Energy Project

    A subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy has announced it plans to invest another $3.9 billion into renewable energy in Iowa, with a project that would add more than 2 GW of wind power to the state. Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy on Jan. 19 said the Wind PRIME project also includes solar power […]

  • ERCOT Confident Generators Deficient During Uri Freeze Debacle Ready for Winter

    The vast majority of 324 electric generation units and transmission facilities in Texas have fully met or “go beyond” new state winter weatherization requirements, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said in a final readiness report filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on Jan. 18. Onsite inspections at 302 generation units […]

  • Ruling Issued in GE’s Legal Dispute with Siemens Gamesa—and the Winner Is?

    The U.S. International Trade Commission concluded its investigation into a complaint filed by GE against Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) concerning the importation “of certain variable speed wind turbine generators and components thereof.” In its ruling, the commission found that SGRE violated section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and it issued […]

  • Sulzer Schmid launches new 3DX HP solution with fastest industry turnaround times for multi-GW blade inspections

    JAN. 19, 2022 — Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG, a Swiss company pioneering UAV technology for wind rotor blade inspections announces the launch of its latest 3DX™ High Productivity (HP) solution specifically designed for high volume inspection campaigns. Thanks to advanced automation and AI-enabled analytics, 3DX™ HP delivers a streamlined single-stop process, making it the […]