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RSS feedNews & in-depth analysis of wind energy technology, including wind turbines, turbine blades, drive trains, electricity transmission, smart grids and energy storage.
Wind turbine ‘slow-down tech’ can protect electricity grids from blowouts
A new control system to manage the speed of turbines will help ease grid pressures and avoid the risk of blackouts in the future, researchers have claimed.
Vestas EnVentus prototype up and running
A Vestas V150-5.6MW prototype — the first example of the new EnVentus platform — installed earlier this year at the Østerild test site in Denmark, is now producing electricity.
'Growing cyber threat' during coronavirus pandemic
Renewable energy asset owners relying more heavily on digital systems during the coronavirus pandemic must adapt to increased exposure to cyber threats such as ransomware, denial-of-service and human error, according to insurer GCube.
News and analysis
Dongfang due to install China's first 10MW turbine
Chinese OEM Dongfang is set to claim victory in the race to install the country’s first operational 10MW offshore turbine.
Segmented towers most cost-effective as turbines edge past 120 metres, study shows
Segmented turbine towers offer the best technical feasibility and cost effectiveness for high hub heights among alternatives to traditional steel-tubed towers, according to a new analysis of several tall tower solutions. Other options scored high on some criteria, such as maintenance, but not as well overall.
Japan sparks offshore with first floating tender
Japan has launched its first ever public tender to kickstart its nascent floating offshore wind industry.
Robots could help run offshore wind farm repairs
A UK demonstration project to allow inspection drones and ‘six-legged blade crawlers with robotic arms’ to fix offshore wind turbines has cleared major milestones, but challenges remain.
Video: Building the WindFloat Atlantic project
With installation of the third and final turbine now complete, a video series documents the key phases of installation for EDP’s 25MW WindFloat Atlantic offshore wind project, which uses Principle Power’s semi-submersible floating foundations.
In depth
SGRE uses offshore experience to take 5.X onshore platform past 6MW
Launched in 2019, Siemens Gamesa's 5.X modular turbine sets new onshore wind boundaries for rating and rotor size, and has secured orders before installing the two planned prototypes. Eize de Vries takes a close look at the platform's key technology features.
SGRE: picking up the turbine pace
The merger of Siemens and Gamesa was never going to be a simple affair. Two major multinational wind-turbine manufacturers pursuing separate markets with different turbine technologies might have made all kinds of sense as a business plan on paper, but threw up all manner of questions about how that could actually be achieved on the production floors and at project sites.
WindTech: Digital 15MW turbine offers help in scaling up
The National Research Energy Laboratory's 15MW reference wind turbine aims to become an open-access benchmark for (academic) researchers and industry collaborators. Eize de Vries takes a closer look and talks to those involved.
Testing sea bed conditions in the Taiwan Strait
After years of talk and planning, work begins in earnest at one of the world's highest-potential offshore wind markets
Seawind steps up development of radical two-blade offshore turbine
Netherlands-based Seawind Ocean Technologies has ambitious targets to install a 6.2MW floating two-bladed demonstrator in Scottish waters next year, followed by an enhanced 12.2MW prototype in 2022.
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