Renewable Energy

GE Renewable Energy announces 494 MW orders with ENGIE for projects in Oklahoma and South Dakota

GE Renewable Energy announced that it has been selected by ENGIE North America to supply 180 onshore wind turbines for two wind projects

Published

7 months ago

November 20, 2019

General Electric – GE

GE Renewable Energy announces 494 MW orders with ENGIE for projects in Oklahoma and South Dakota. Image: GE

GE Renewable Energy announced that it has been selected by ENGIE North America to supply 180 onshore wind turbines for two wind projects. The agreements include 88 2.8-127 turbines for the King Plains wind project in Oklahoma, and 92 2.7-116 turbines for the first phase of the Triple H Wind project in South Dakota.

Construction on the projects began this year, and both projects are expected to reach commercial operation in the second half of 2020. With these latest projects, ENGIE North America has contracted with GE Renewable Energy for 885 MW of new wind turbines in the past year, demonstrating a strong effort towards expanding renewable energy in the US.

Vikas Anand, GE Renewable Energy’s CEO for Onshore Wind, Americas, said, “We’re delighted to partner with ENGIE on these projects. Our best-selling 2 MW turbines are a great fit for Engie’s needs, and we’re proud to help bring additional clean, affordable, renewable energy to their customers in Oklahoma and South Dakota.”

The US wind market remains strong. According to the American Wind Energy Association, the second quarter of 2019 saw a record wind capacity of nearly 42 GW under construction or in advanced development, a 10 percent increase over the level of activity this time last year.

GE Renewable Energy was recognized by AWEA as the top manufacturer of wind turbines in the US in 2018, supplying over 3 GW of capacity, or 40 percent of the total onshore wind energy installed nationwide in 2018.

Renewable Energy

Scotland’s seabed open for new wind farm projects

Published

6 days ago

June 12, 2020

Offshore Wind Scotland

Scotland’s seabed open for new wind farm projects. Image: Pixabay

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ScotWind enables companies at the cutting edge of offshore renewables to apply to build Scotland’s new generation of offshore wind farms and help power the transition to a net zero future. Highlights include:

Total investment in ScotWind Leasing projects could potentially surpass £8bn
ScotWind could deliver more than enough green electricity to power every Scottish household
Over 6 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved per year
Measures included to promote and enhance the supply chain to help ensure projects can be developed

The multi-billion pound investment opportunity will form a major part of Scotland’s green recovery. It’s anticipated that ScotWind will significantly increase the amount of power generated from offshore renewables, a major step towards meeting the Scottish Government’s target of Scotland being net zero by 2045. As part of any lease application, developers will have to submit a supply chain development statement, outlining how they plan to engage with and utilise supply chain to successfully develop their projects. It will include:

Information on the geographical location of supply chain activity
Evidence relating to how their plan can be fulfilled

Lynsey Shovlin, Supply Chain Partner for Offshore Wind Scotland, said: “ScotWind represents one of the most significant projects ever undertaken in Scotland. Scottish agencies, clusters and partners will work closely to promote opportunities for the local supply chain companies who will be integral for the successful development of ScotWind projects.”Scottish businesses are encouraged to register for free on the Scottish Offshore Wind directory. This searchable database has been developed on behalf of the Offshore Wind community in Scotland to promote Scottish capabilities and to connect Scottish supply chain companies with domestic and international opportunities.

Maritime

DNV GL launches industry-wide collaboration to develop first ever Recommended Practice for floating solar power plants

Published

1 week ago

June 9, 2020

DNV GL

DNV GL launches industry-wide collaboration to develop first ever Recommended Practice for floating solar power plants. Image: DNV GL

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DNV GL has launched a collaborative joint industry project with 14 industry participants to develop the industry’s first recommended practice for floating solar power projects. The planned recommended practice will provide a commonly recognised standard based on a list of technical requirements for developing safe, reliable and sustainable floating solar projects.

Floating solar power is a promising renewable energy technology in which solar panels are installed on floating structures on the surface of suitable bodies of water. The technology offers great potential for green energy production, particularly in areas where there is a shortage of available land for large photovoltaic plants.

The Floating Solar JIP consortium

The Floating Solar JIP consortium features a varied array of companies with extensive experience in the floating solar and related industries. Current members are:

BayWa r.e. (Ger)
Blue C Engineering (Ger)
Carpi Tech/Makor Energy (Swi/Isr)
Ciel & Terre International (Fra)
Compagnie Nationale du Rhone (Fra)
Noria Energy (US)
EDF – Électricité de France (Fra)
EDP – Energias de Portugal S.A. (Por)
Equinor (Nor)
Isigenere (Spa)
Mainstream Renewable Power (UK)
Scatec Solar (Nor)
Seaflex (Swe)
Statkraft (Nor)

Following the first projects in 2006, installed capacity for floating solar power was just 10 MW by 2015 but has accelerated considerably since then, reaching 3 GWpeak by the end of 2019. It is estimated that the total global potential capacity for deploying floating solar power on manmade, inland waters alone could be as high as 4 TW.

Despite this huge potential, there are as yet no harmonized standard approaches to developing floating solar power projects and no industry standards to ensure quality. This makes it difficult for investors, regulators and other stakeholders to have confidence in planned projects and to enforce relevant requirements, which could potentially put a break on the technology’s growth.

Responding to the industry’s need, DNV GL launched an initiative to develop a floating solar recommended practice via its industry-based, collaborative JIP (Joint Industry Project) approach. DNV GL has put together an international consortium of leading companies from the offshore, solar and floating structure manufacturing industries.

“As currently being the largest floating PV developer in Europe, BayWa r.e. is happy to be part of this consortium to develop this important guideline for the floating PV industry. We think establishing uniform high standards for Floating PV power plants will help to mature and enhance the Floating PV industry, therefore we are excited to bring in our extensive knowledge from the successfully realized Floating PV projects,” said Toni Weigl, Project Manager at BayWa r.e.

“Floating solar is a rapidly expanding technology with huge potential to help nations decarbonize, and one that we have been intimately involved with for many years. Drawing on our expertise in solar energy, floating wind, offshore platforms, Oil & Gas and Maritime technologies and industry knowledge, we have directly contributed to more than 1GW of floating solar projects, at different development stages. We are excited to work with so many committed industry leaders to create a recommended practice that will provide clear guidelines and requirements for safe, performing and long-lived floating solar projects,” added Prajeev Rasiah, Executive Vice President for DNV GL’s Energy business in Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The JIP will look at all aspects of developing floating solar projects on inland and inshore waters. It will focus on five key topics: site conditions assessment, energy yield forecast, mooring & anchoring systems, floating structures, permitting and environmental impact.

By not limiting itself to any specific floating solar technology, the consortium aims to define requirements and guidelines that can be applied in practical manner to all floating solar projects.

Drawing on existing standards from related sectors, the consortium plans to develop a draft guideline document by the end of 2020. This will be made available for widespread industry consultation before the publication of the verified recommended practice, currently scheduled for Q1 2021.

“The results of the JIP will be a great enabler of floating solar going mainstream, by providing a set of guidelines that will accelerate the development of successful and safe floating solar projects. I encourage all the players in the value chain of the industry to use the recommended practice when it will be published,” added Andrés Franco, CEO of Isigenere.

Other companies with relevant expertise plus an interest and commitment to driving growth in floating solar are welcome to apply to join the consortium.

Maritime

Signing ceremony between DNV GL and Sing Da Marine Structure for knowledge transfer to accelerate Taiwan’s offshore wind sector

Published

1 week ago

June 8, 2020

DNV GL

Signing ceremony between DNV GL and Sing Da Marine Structure for knowledge transfer to accelerate Taiwan’s offshore wind sector. Image: DNV GL

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DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, today announced that it has signed a contract with Sing Da Marine Structure, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Steel Corporation to support the government’s localization efforts towards offshore project development and building up of the local supply chain in Taiwan.

The signing ceremony was held in the SDMS office, with DNV GL representatives dialling in virtually to participate in the occasion.

This new collaboration between DNV GL and SDMS follows the conclusion of a successful partnership between DNV GL and CSC, where DNV GL experts supported CSC in the development of its Zone 29 offshore wind farm with technical inputs and specialist support based on their experience around the globe.

The Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs aims for 20% of electricity generation, or 30GW, to come from renewables by 2025. Offshore wind is expected be a main enabler in achieving this target, contributing 5.7GW out of the 30GW planned.

On top of the 2025 goal, additional offshore wind generation capacity of 1GW / year has been announced for the years 2026-2035 as part of the Phase III Zonal Development plans. Taking into account the 10GW slated for the upcoming Phase III auction, a total of 15.7GW of offshore wind will be constructed in Taiwan by 2035. With the localization requirements set by the government, the need for a self-sustaining supply chain be key to meet this rapid development.

This collaboration will bring together DNV GL’s experience from established offshore markets such as Europe, and SDMS’ strong knowledge in steel manufacturing to meet the above targets. DNV GL will provide SDMS with risk mitigation advice around technical, logistical, and quality during its jacket fabrication process.

With these localization efforts, international developers entering Taiwan will be able to tap on local talents and companies like SDMS in the various stages of offshore project development. An SDMS spokesperson said, “As we gear up to prepare for the Phase III auctions, DNV GL’s global experience, combined with their understanding of the local requirements, will be key for us to provide top quality support structures for offshore wind projects in Taiwan.”

Minghui Zhang, Head of Section, Renewables Advisory Taiwan at DNV GL – Energy said, “DNV GL has been supporting various international and local stakeholders since the offshore wind sector started in Taiwan. We are excited to bring this knowledge into our partnership with SDMS, and looking forward to supporting more local players and knowledge sharing initiatives to help accelerate the growth of this promising market.”