Renk 15MW test rig at Clemson University

Top Story

Large-scale nacelle test rig to boost South Korean wind know-how

20 March 2023 by Eize de Vries

Germany-based Renk Test Systems is developing a modular test rig for closed-loop testing of up to 15MW nacelles to be commissioned in South Korea next year. Eize de Vries speaks to the experts.

News

Ørsted is sole bidder in US offshore wind tender

Ørsted has developed offshore wind farms around the world, and is also developing projects off the US

Republicans demand whale death hearings as fishing group calls BOEM rudderless

Protestors gathered at Point Pleasant New Jersey last month for a rally calling for a halt to offshore wind energy development (Image credit: Kena Betancur/VIEWpress)

Centrica and Lhyfe explore new North Sea green hydrogen pilot

Lhyfe and Centrica are exploring a new green hydrogen pilot project linked to offshore wind in the North Sea

EDF, Invenergy and Innergex wind farms in line for Québec power deals

Hydro-Québec is looking to procure more wind power in a bid to meet the province's growind energy demand (pic credit: Instant/Getty Images)

Demand for main bearing units reflects industry desire to reduce complexity

Eize de Vries (left) talks to the Thyssenkrupp Rothe Erde team at the company's Lippstadt manufacturing and testing site

EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act scope ‘too narrow’ for wind self-sufficiency

A view of a rare earth mine at Bayan Obo Mining District, Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China (pic credit: VCG/Contributor/Getty Images)

Trade groups urge US to act over ‘discriminatory’ Mexican energy policy

Enel Green Power's 573MW Amistad wind farm in Coahuila is one of the few wind farms to be built and commissioned in Mexico the last few years

EU's Net Zero Industry Act 'falls short' of driving 36GW annual turbine production

The European Commission wants EU factories to produce 36GW of turbines per year from 2030 (pic credit: Vestas)

New podcast: In conversation with BOEM chief Elizabeth Klein

Siemens Gamesa pauses production at Brazil nacelle factory

Siemens Gamesa turbines account for roughly one fifth of Brazil's operational wind fleet, according to Windpower Intelligence

Vestas to buy bankrupt offshore foundations maker ST3

Axpo targets wind power development in Finland

Mainstream closes sale of African renewables player Lekela

Croatia's 'first long-term wind power PPA' signed

‘Unexploded ordnance’ warnings near North Sea wind farm

Idaho lawmakers seek to derail controversial 1GW wind farm

Fishing group urges BOEM to halt offshore wind auction

Ørsted and US utility join forces for 900MW Revolution 2 proposal

Higher costs make offshore wind problematic – NextEra Energy CEO

Wales clears TotalEnergies' floating wind project for UK tender

Workers wear body armour to install DTEK wind farm in Ukraine

EDF eyes 700MW in Belgian offshore wind tender

Denmark prepares new zones to support 20GW-plus offshore wind

New Jersey opens 4GW offshore wind tender

CIP eyes 1.8GW Indian renewables with ‘primary focus’ on wind

PODCAST Episode 10: BOEM’s new director
on auctions, IRA and whales

Elizabeth Klein, the new director of BOEM, discusses offshore wind auction design, the impact of the IRA and whale deaths along the Atlantic coastline.

GE working on 18MW Haliade-X turbine – energy chief

13 March 2023 by Craig Richard

GE is working on a 17-18MW Haliade-X offshore wind turbine that would offer a power rating higher than its western turbine maker rivals, the head of its energy businesses Scott Strazik told investors.

The Mexican president – known as AMLO – flanked by US president Biden (left) and Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau at a meeting in January (Image credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Analysis: Is Mexico warming to wind after years of hostility?

6 March 2023 by Tom Azzopardi

After five years of pursuing a hostile policy towards the technology – and under growing pressure from its northern neighbours – there is evidence that Mexico is slowly shifting its stance on wind power.

Greta Thunberg joined protesters in Oslo calling for the Fosen wind farm to be torn down (pic credit: Ina Fassbender/Getty Images)

Greta Thunberg backs calls to tear down giant wind farm

27 February 2023 by Craig Richard

Global climate activist Greta Thunberg has joined young protesters outside the Norwegian energy ministry calling for a massive wind farm to be torn down.

Jürgen Zeschky: "We need this ‘whatever it takes’ moment to speed up the permitting and realisation process for onshore wind.”

Enercon CEO Jürgen Zeschky discusses the hurdles facing the wind industry

2 February 2023 by Eize de Vries

After a year at the helm of Enercon, the company's CEO, Jürgen Zeschky, talks to Eize de Vries about wind power’s role to help Europe achieve energy independence, hurdles facing the industry and what more politicians should do.

Scaled X-Multirotor model displayed at WindEnergy Hamburg (pic credit: Kristian Panzer)

Multi-rotor research shows potential to slash system mass and cost

13 February 2023 by Eize de Vries

Eize de Vries talks to research partners from German and UK universities to discover what their analysis means for future technology evolution and commercialisation.

The 30MW Block Island wind farm, off Rhode Island, was the first commercial offshore wind farm in the US when it began operations in December 2016 (pic credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

US offshore wind accelerates to reach 30GW by 2031

9 February 2023 by David Milborrow

The cost of energy will fall as the US installs more offshore wind capacity, but how do projections compare with more mature markets?

A prototype of Envision Energy’s EN-171 turbine, with a 5.XMW power rating

Envision Energy unveils 10MW onshore wind turbine – Chinese media

10 February 2023 by Craig Richard

Chinese turbine maker Envision Energy has unveiled a new 10MW onshore wind turbine, which ranks as the world’s most powerful land-based wind turbine with the largest rotor, according to Chinese state media.

Suzlon plans to prioritise pursuing orders with higher value and better margins (pic credit: Sam Panthaky/AFP via Getty Images)

Suzlon’s net profit more than doubles in last quarter

9 February 2023 by Craig Richard

Indian turbine maker Suzlon more than doubled its net profit in the third quarter of the year, while its net worth – its entire value minus debts – turned positive after more than nine years in the red.

WEG installed the AGW 147/4.2 prototype at a site in Tamil Nadu, India

Exclusive: WEG bets on Indian wind market with 4.2MW prototype

16 January 2023 by Craig Richard

Brazilian industrial conglomerate WEG has installed a 4.2MW prototype wind turbine in India – a power rating significantly higher than the national average.

Images: Getty Images, Vestas, GE, Siemens Gamesa, Goldwind

2022: Windpower Monthly's review of the year

23 December 2022 by Ian Griggs, Craig Richard and Hannah Holt

Windpower Monthly's editorial team is now on leave for the Christmas break. We will be back on 3 January, but in the meantime, read our review of the year and a selection of our features and analysis from 2022.

Opinion

We're undaunted by grid capacity challenges for ScotWind

There is cause for optimism despite the challenges ahead, argues Jean Lewis

US whale deaths illustrate how wind’s biggest challenge is misinformation

Biden's biggest challenge for the wind roll out could be misinformation, argues Shahid Mahdi (Image credit: Shahid Mahdi and Getty)

Europe must protect offshore wind from sabotage as it shifts from Russian energy

It is time to increase measures to prevent espionage and sabotage of offshore wind, argues Stefan Thimm

Envision’s turbine underlines threat to western OEMs' market share outside Europe

Western OEMs are decelerating new product launches just as Chinese turbine firms increase them, writes Shashi Barla

Poland’s seabed auction effectively scuppered by NATO underwater training

Jakub Budzyński unpicks what went wrong in Poland's first seabed auction this year

Floating wind could be profitable in little more than a decade

Speed and being an early adopter is of the essence, argues Arvid Nesse (Image: Norwegian Offshore Wind)

UK ruling in GE-Siemens Gamesa case could impact all offshore wind patents

The UK judge's decision in the patent case cold have major implications for all offshore patents, argues Robbie Gauld

GE’s patent wars with competitors have backfired

When two turbine manufacturers go to war - nobody wins, argues Shashi Barla

Training won’t bridge offshore wind skills gap alone - we must build competency

Turbines of the Year 2022

Eize de Vries reviews Turbines of the Year 2022

Low wind offering with offshore dimensions and big order book

Chinese giants push boundaries to cut LCoE

Offshore giants inch closer to 20MW and 250m rotor

The blades behind record rotor sizes

Leap in torque density for next-generation offshore turbines

Clever solutions to help accelerate the pace of the energy transition

Floating designs look towards industrialisation for GW-scale projects

Floating wind systems to watch thumbnail image

A year of record scaling, drivetrain switches and new developments

Windpower Monthly Turbines of the Year 2022 awards

Technology

Vattenfall to trial sustainable food production at offshore wind farm

Blue mussels, sugar kelp, sea lettuce and dulse will be grown on lines at Kriegers Flak (Credit: Teis Boderskov)

US construction major plans new wind tower plant after $750m IRA boost

Arcosa said delivery on the new wind turbine tower orders would run from 2024 through 2028

Shell to collaborate with US tech firm on turbine for hurricane conditions

The Gulf of Mexico is subject to regular hurricanes such as 'Ida' in August 2021 (Image credit: NASA/Natural Earth/Getty Images)

GE to cut onshore wind turbine variants in push for 2024 profit

GE's CEO of onshore wind Vic Abate speaking at the US company's investor day event

Vestas plans New York blade factory as offshore wind giants target state

Vestas aims to build an offshore wind blade manufacturing plant near Albany, New York

Siemens Gamesa wins first recyclable blade order for 14MW turbines

Siemens Gamesa previously installed its recylable blades on 8MW turbines at RWE’s Kaskasi wind farm in the German North Sea

EU might overestimate wind power roll-out needed for decarbonisation

Wind turbines in Brandenburg, Germany (pic credit: Sven Hagolani/Getty Images)

Video: X1 Wind produces first power from self-aligning floating wind pilot

X1 Wind's PivotBuoy system features a semi-submersible pyramid-shaped floating platform moored with a tension leg platform system that swivels on a single point to self-align with the wind

Leak: EU aims to fast-track turbine factory permitting to boost local content

The European Commission is aiming to boost manufacturing of clean energy technologies, according to a leaked draft of its Net Zero Industry Act seen by Windpower Monthly (pic credit: LM Wind Power)

Wake steering set to boost output from ageing turbines in first large-scale test

Milford I & II were first commissioned in 2009 and 2011, and feature a mix of 1.5GW GE turbines and 2.5MW Clipper machines

Green hydrogen

Australian renewables could power global green hydrogen hub

Australian prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to turn his country into a renewables superpower (Image credit: Sean Foster/Getty Images)

TransAlta picks up Alberta wind and electrolyser project

TransAlta has agreed to acquire a 50% interest in the Tent Mountain Renewable Energy Complex (Image credit: Montem Resources)

Oracle Power partners with Chinese firm to accelerate Pakistan project

Oracle Energy has acquired land in Sindh Province for the planned green hydrogen production facility (pic credit: Qasim Rehmani from Pixabay)

Ørsted plans power-to-X e-methanol plant to serve shipping market

Carbon-neutral fuel could help decarbonise maritime transport (pic credit: Planet One Images/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

EDP plans three-year investment in green hydrogen 'growth market'

EDP is developing a hydrogen project in an old thermal plant at Sines, Portugal (Image credit: Nimes)

Protesters banned from blocking Newfoundland wind testing site

Protesters are opposing plans for wind turbines to power electrolysers in the Gulf of St Lawrence, Newfoundland (pic credit: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

China breaks ground on ‘world’s largest’ hybrid green hydrogen project

Storage tanks at Sinopec's 10,000t/y green hydrogen project in Kuqa, Xinjiang Uygur (pic credit: Guo Jianjiang/VCG via Getty Images)

Green hydrogen market to be four times larger than blue by 2033

The world's first hydrogen urban train was assembled last December in China (Image credit: Liu Zhongjun/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

UAE’s Masdar explores pan-African green hydrogen investment

Egypt’s Zaafarana wind farm: Africa has massive solar and wind potential (Image credit: Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images)

Nova Scotia green hydrogen project to use power from 2GW onshore wind farm

EverWind Fuels aims to produce green hydrogen and ammonia in Port Tupper, Nova Scotia (above) (pic credit: CNW Group)

Project Nour developer acquires African clean water provider

Water desalination is critical for green hydrogen projects in Africa (pic credit: Michel HUET/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Green hydrogen will gain ground over blue as costs fall - BP

In all scenarios, BP sees green hydrogen growing faster than blue hydrogen in the longer term (image credit: audioundwerbung/Getty Images)

Emirates Global Aluminium to take output of Oracle’s Pakistan project

EGA needs green hydrogen and green ammonia to help decarbonise its aluminium production. (Image credit: Al Taweelah Alumina refinery, EGA)

Atome Energy joins with Cavendish to jump-start green hydrogen production

Atome’s Villeta green hydrogen project is planned for a site 35km from Asunción, Paraguay (pic credit: DeAgostini/Getty Images)

EU moves to tighten renewable hydrogen definition from 2030

The European Commission proposed new rules to define what constitutes renewable hydrogen in the EU (pic credit: Nicolas Economou/Nur Photo via Getty Images)

Grids and Transmission

Invenergy's 5GW Grain Belt power line wins key approval amid legal challenge

A wind farm in Illinois (pic credit: Holly Hildreth/Getty Images)

Industry concern over proposed EU phase-out of gas for grid-critical switchgear

High-voltage switchgear typically uses SF-6 (Image credit: Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Germany unveils interconnector plans for North Sea offshore wind

Germany’s economic affairs and climate protection ministry plans interconnectors for North Sea offshore wind projects (pic credit: WPM)

Tennet awards multi-billion contracts to connect 10GW of Dutch offshore wind

An NKT high-voltage export submarine cable is loaded onto a laying vessel (Image credit: NKT)

UK spending watchdog: Lack of grid expansion plan ‘threatens climate goals’

The UK generates large amounts of offshore wind energy but output has had to be curbed due to transmission constraints (Image credit: Joachim Ladefoged Vestas)

New York state approves transmission projects to reduce renewable energy bottlenecks

New York State has authorised projects to upgrade existing substations and build three new ones (Image credit: Mark Harrington/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

New Mexico–Arizona transmission line inches closer to approval

The transmission project will transport wind-generated electricity from central New Mexico to Arizona and California (pic credit: Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Leak: EU plans to remove barriers to renewable energy PPAs

The European Commission is due to formally unveil its planned changes to the EU’s electricity market rules on 16 March (pic credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)

‘World’s first’ energy island takes shape as tender winners revealed

An artist's impression of what Belgium's North Sea energy island might look like

NKT backs Taiwan’s first subsea cable factory for offshore wind

NKT will help Walsin Lihwa with the factory by providing technical support and supplying its technology under licence

Business and finance

No help for wind: Renewables industry reacts to UK budget

No extra help for renewables: UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt unveils the Spring Budget. (Credit: Dan Kitwood / Staff / Getty Images)

Former GE Renewable Energy technology chief joins solar giant Qcells

Danielle Merfeld spent more than 20 years at GE in a number of research and technology roles, including in wind, solar and grid systems

Greek firm sweeps into Romania’s wind sector with purchase of Enel assets

Enel's Sfânta Elena wind plant in Romania is among the assetts included in the deal (Image credit: Enel)

Nordex posts heavy loss for 2022 in ‘extremely challenging year’

Nordex CEO José Luis Blanco described 2022 as an "extremely challenging year for the industry" (pic credit: U Mertens)

Former Vestas CEO to take over as chair

Bert Nordberg (left) due to stand down as Vestas’ chair next month. He is due to be replaced by Anders Runevad (right)

Former Ørsted deputy CEO joins CIP

Martin Neubert has joined CIP as group chief investment officer (pic credit: Ørsted)

Oil majors Equinor and Petrobras to scope 14.5GW offshore wind off Brazil

Sunrise at Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro (Credit: Cavan Images / Getty Images)

BayWa appoints projects chief for UK and Ireland

Christine McGregor as now managing director BayWa's projects business

EDP Renewables to invest €20 billion in new projects

EDP Renewables' 319.2MW Monte Verde I-VI in Rio Grande do Norte is the company’s largest renewable energy complex (Credit: EDP Renewables)

RWE expands in US with multi-billion dollar Con Edison deal

The newly formed RWE Clean Energy now has 8GW of operating assets across the US – of which onshore wind accounts for about 60% and solar PV about 40%

Market and policy

WindEurope: Pass EU electricity market reforms or risk investor exodus

Unveiling the proposal in Strasbourg today (14 March), Simson explained that a focus on short-term markets and spot prices had “amplified the effects of the gas price crisis”

Offshore wind giants call for inflation protection in Massachusetts tender

Massachusetts is due to open a new offshore wind tender later this year (pic credit: Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images)

Poland approves new setback distance for onshore wind

Poland currently has just over 7GW of operational onshore wind capacity, according to Windpower Intelligence (pic credit: Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images)

Leak: EU targets permanent magnet recycling for wind turbines

Xinjiang Rare Metals National Mine Park in China (pic credit: CHAO-FENG LIN / Getty Images)

Offshore wind giants may return UK power deals amid ‘extraordinary’ pressure

The UK has 15.8GW of operational offshore wind capacity, according to Windpower Intelligence (pic credit: Ørsted)

Denmark resumes permitting for two ‘open door’ offshore wind farms

Denmark currently has 2.3GW of operational offshore wind capacity (pic credit: Ørsted)

Record renewables growth limits 2022 carbon emissions – IEA

Record energy generation from wind power helped limit a rise in fossil fuels last year (pic credit: Manuel Compaan/Getty Images)

UK onshore wind permitting reforms ‘entirely inadequate’

Industry and campaigners say it is difficult to see a way forward for onshore wind in England under currently proposed reforms (pic credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Spain maps out first offshore wind zones

A wind turbine in waters off the Canary Islands (pic credit: Alberto Case/Getty Images)

Moody’s: Western turbine makers to return to profitability in 2024

Inflation and higher raw materials prices have hit the wind power supply chain hard in recent years (pic credit: Vestas)

Project development

Vestas wins first order for V163-4.5MW turbine

Vestas's V163-4.5MW turbine can be used globally, but is particularly suitable for sites in the US, Latin America, South Africa and parts of southern Europe

China dominates 2022’s record wind turbine order intake

Chinese OEM Envision secured the highest total firm turbine orders in 2022, according to Wood Mackenzie

Analysis: European wind turbine market weakness continues

Demand for wind turbines in Europe appears to have remained low in recent weeks (pic credit: Rein Rijke)

Vattenfall plans gigawatt-scale wind farm in Swedish Arctic Circle

Vattenfall's wind farm is planned north of the Arctic Circle (pic credit: David Moorhouse/Getty Images)

Vestas in line for 1.9GW wind turbine orders in Brazil and South Korea

Korea South-East Power Company plans to build its project off the coast of South Jeolla (pic credit: shinnascf/Imazins via Getty Images)

Prices rise as German onshore wind auction falls short of target

Germany plans to auction 12.84GW of onshore wind capacity across four rounds this year (pic credit: GE Renewable Energy)

BlueFloat plans new Australian gigawatt-scale floating wind

The Eastern Rise project is planned for a site in a proposed offshore wind zone off Newcastle, New South Wales (above) (pic credit: Shelley Vetter/EyeEm via Getty Images)

Vattenfall to dismantle Dutch wind farm early after turbine collapse

One of the turbines at the Eemmeerdijk wind farm collapsed in stormy weather conditions in early January (pic credit: Brandweer Flevoland)

'EU must restore confidence' as 2022 additions lag climate targets – WindEurope

Germany installed the most new wind power capacity in Europe last year (pic credit: ABO Wind)

Ukraine’s DTEK installs '100MW wind capacity' despite Russian war

Top Story

PODCAST Episode 10: BOEM’s new director on auctions, IRA and whales

The world’s largest and most powerful offshore wind turbine unveiled – and more

Port of Aalborg: Production and knowledge hub for wind and green transition

Wind turbine foundations: How to save on time, money and materials

Ingeteam develops new offshore power converter product range up to 18MW

PODCAST Episode 10: BOEM’s new director
on auctions, IRA and whales