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Despite a buoyant European offshore wind market, offshore construction & installation contractors that fall short of budget and technology challenges risk falling by the wayside. Utility scale developers at the forefront will be seeking out only companies capable of providing and meeting the necessary challenges imposed on the industry today.

Iberdrola Renovables, in a consortium with local energy company Neoenergia, is to supply Brazil with electricity from 9 wind farms over 20 years for €60 million ($77 million) a year.

The second annual OLE General Assembly to be held on 11-15 October in Kigali, Rwanda, will explore what is known, what needs to be known and how we can know about scalable approaches to achieving Quality Universal Basic Education with marginalized children around the world. What Works?: 2010 OLE General AssemblyExploring Scalable Approaches to Quality Universal Basic Education with Marginalized ChildrenKigali, Rwanda, 11-15 October 2010Register to attend/ Why? While there are literally thousands of basic education initiatives underway in all parts of the world, very few of them are based on evidence of their effectiveness. Most of these initativies are faith-based: They appear to be worthwhile and they help their providers feel good. Most such programs, however, have not demonstrated that they are effective or that they can be scaled beyond a few limited silos of presumed excellence. Wayan Vota http://www.wayan.com

Material distributor Composites One says that Composites One China will be an exhibitor at China Composites Expo in Beijing. The International Composites Industrial Technical Expo, now in its 16th year, will be held September 15 to 17 at the China National Convention Center.

Closed-mold expert Charles Tur will conduct demonstrations at the Expo on September 15 and 16 at 1:30 pm

“We have found the China Composites Expo to be the best place for us to introduce new products and process technologies and also to meet with both existing and new customers to better understand their requirements and how we can help them to improve the products they manufacture.” said Don Hairhoger, President of Composites One China. “As this is our fourth year exhibiting at the China Composites Expo and we hope to continue to build upon the Composites One brand as the one resource for manufacturers, offering the highest quality products and technical support.”

This year the company will conduct a live closed mold demonstration in its exhibit at the expo. The demonstration will feature the Light Resin Transfer Molding (LRTM) Process and will be presented with assistance from Magnum Venus Plastech and industry renowned closed-mold expert Charles Tur. The demonstrations will be held on September 15 and 16 at 1:30 pm

“The LRTM process is being accepted by China’s open-mold manufactures as an affordable option to convert to a process that produces better quality parts with good surface appearance, reduced labor costs, and gives better overall control of the cost of materials ” said Philip Condron, General Manager Composites One China. “The company is becoming known as the leader in closed mold technologies for the China Composites Industry”

In addition, several suppliers have partnered with Composites One to exhibit at the expo. Those suppliers include: Acrastrip, AGY, ATC, Chomarat, Cray Valley, I-Core, Magnum Venus Plastech, Specialty Products, and Syrgis Initiators. Visitors to the expo can stop by the Composites One booth #1428/1430/1529 and visit with these suppliers to discuss their new products, latest technologies and technical solutions.

Composites One

compositesone.com

The WindFloat is large enough to produce 10 MW.

A new floating platform would allow wind turbines to float offshore without water-depth restrictions. The WindFloat platform was conceived by engineering firm Marine Innovation & Technology and owned by Principle Power. The device is a floating support structure for offshore wind turbines.  The structure would let turbines sit in locations with excellent wind resources that were previously off limits because water depth exceeded 50m.

The WindFloat foundation has many advantages. It’s economic because it reduces the need for offshore operations during final assembly and commissioning. Also, its static and dynamic stability offers low pitch and yaw performance, enabling use of existing commercial wind turbine technology. Its design and size allow for onshore assembly, while its shallow draft allows for depth-independent sitting and towing it to sites not visible from shore.

The design and size of the WindFloat enables overall structure assembly onshore. Horizontal water-entrapment, or heave, plates at the base of each column significantly improve the motion performance of the system, due to additional damping and entrained water effects. A closed-loop active ballast system mitigates wind-induced thrust forces, restoring the system to optimal efficiency following changes in wind velocity and direction. A catenary mooring system uses conventional components, such as chain and polyester lines to minimize the cost. Pre-laid drag-embedded anchors minimize site preparation and impact.

Marine Innovation & Technology engineers used digital prototyping to create the WindFloat. The software from Autodesk, Inc. helped design and render the device in just three weeks. Multiple project proposals are being submitted for full-scale demonstration and utility-scale developments in the UK, Europe, and U.S.

Marine Innovation & Technology www.marineitech.com

Autodesk usa.autodesk.com

The Treasury Department recently issued a series of FAQs in an effort to clarify when projects will be treated as having "begun construction" for purposes of the section 1603 grant. As you may be aware, a project that otherwise qualifies for the grant but is not placed in service before the end of 2010 may still be eligible for the grant if construction on the project is begun in 2009 or 2010 and the project is eventually placed in service before the applicable "credit termination date." The new FAQs address a number of the unanswered questions. However, the framework adopted by the Treasury Guidance and the new FAQs is complex, and there appears to be a considerable amount of confusion among developers about how the "beginning construction" requirement can be met. Therefore, we thought it important to issue this alert.

Turkey plans to connect to the European electrical grid this month using GE's smart grid technology. The Turkish Electricity Transmission Company (TEIAS) will now be able to buy and sell power in the European electricity market, hopefully expanding the reliability and availability of energy, especially renewable energy, throughout all of Europe.

How does a wind turbine manufacturer know that its products will be able to last in the field for 20 years? Testing. Vestas claims that it has the most comprehensive dedicated testing facility on the planet.

Colorado, with its high mountains and broad plains, has expansive wind resources. With an estimated six million acres of windy lands in Colorado, most of which are located on the eastern plains, Colorado ranks 11th in the United States in wind energy potential. To take advantage of its substantial renewable energy resources, Colorado has created a regulatory environment that makes it attractive to develop wind farms and other renewable energy projects within its borders.

Despite a buoyant European offshore wind market, offshore construction & installation contractors that fall short of budget and technology challenges risk falling by the wayside.

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Many view wind turbines as a great way to produce clean energy. However, some think that wind farms adversely affect the health of those living nearby them. These concerns include effects of infrasound, electromagnetic radiation, shadow flicker, and blade glint. But are they relevant? The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council published a report of studies that have found no substantial evidence that turbines pose any health risk. Here’s what the report says regarding those health allegations.

Infrasound is sound generally inaudible to the human ear. The World Health Organization states there is no reliable evidence that sounds below the hearing threshold produce physiological or psychological effects. Based on information in the accompanying table, noise levels from wind turbines have been assessed as negligible. That is, they appear to be no different from the noise found in other everyday situations.

Table 1 compares the noise produced by a ten turbine wind farm compared to noise levels from selected activities.

Electromagnetic radiation is also a concern, but the Australian Wind Energy Association says the closeness of the electrical cables counters the electromagnetic field, as shielding does with metal armor.

Shadow flicker is the flicking on and off of the turbine’s shadow as the blades rotate. The primary concern here is that the flickering will cause epileptic seizures, though the report says the risk is very low.

Blade glint happens when sunlight reflects off turbine blades and into a person’s eye. However, all major wind turbine blade manufacturers coat their blades with a low reflectivity treatment that prevents reflective glint from the surface of the blade. Therefore, the NHMRC considers the risk of blade glint low as well.

Others complain of annoyance, anxiety, hearing loss, and interference with sleep, speech and learning. However there is no published scientific evidence to support such adverse effects of turbines on health. Some argue symptoms come from stress, which can result when people worry about their health. Another study shows people who benefit economically from wind turbines are less likely to report annoyance, despite exposure to similar sound levels.

Still, because evidence to health risk is limited, the report recommends authorities take a precautionary approach and continue to monitor research outcomes.

Australian National Health and Medical Research Council www.nhmrc.gov.au

XO sitting on top of the Butía platform As previously mentioned I spent my last day in Uruguay at ceibalJAM's second miniJAM! artistico (photos from the event can be found on ceibalJAM's blog). Apart from my short talk about the various efforts by OLPC (Austria) and other European OLPC and Sugar communities (which was the first time since school that I gave a presentation in Spanish!), being able to meet a lot of great people and say my good-byes to them, my favorite part was when the team from Butía took the stage and presented their robotics project. The goal of the project that is run by Universidad de la República's Faculty of Engineering is to create an inexpensive robotics platform to attract students in public schools to robotics and programming. Having somewhat of a thing for robotics, especially when it comes in combination with an XO, I was immediately fascinated by these efforts. Gonzalo Tejera started his talk with a general introduction into the progress that robotics has made in the past few years as well as describing the current status quo of the use of robotics in education (or lack thereof due to the high cost of many available kits). Then he outlined the history of the Butía project before diving into the meat of the talk. Christoph Derndorfer http://christoph-d.blogspot.com/

Bladeskyn, a blade surfacing material for wind turbines, from Blade Dynamics in the U.K. and soon of New Orleans, is said to deliver new levels of coating protection, using fluoropolymers in an innovative film application format. The company says its advantages include 20-year performance, assured quality, and lowest lifetime cost.

The developer says the coating lasts far longer than traditional paint and gelcoat. The chemistry and nanotechnology has been developed to meet the needs of modern wind turbine blades and has proven longevity in demanding architectural tasks. Its performance advantages include absolute UV stability, minimal dirt pickup, excellent abrasion resistance, and low reflectivity.

The company says Bladeskyn resolves the costly processing and quality issues associated with alternatives. Trained operatives can apply the coating quickly, easily, and with little equipment. There are no sprays, solvents, or mixing so the surface quality is not at risk from human error and the working environment is far safer. The company says clients will receive assured surface properties, a repeatable process, and a simple and clean application. The following tables from Blade Dynamics provide a few comparisons with competing and conventional blade coatings.

Blade Dynamics

bladedynamics.com

American Superconductor Corp. says it has acquired a 25% ownership ($8 million) in Blade Dynamics Ltd., a designer and manufacturer of advanced wind turbine blades based on proprietary materials and structural technologies. Founded in the United Kingdom in 2007, Blade Dynamics designs and develops wind turbine blades to increase the efficiency and performance of multi-megawatt wind turbines while also reducing costs. The Venture Capital group of Dow Chemical Co. also made a minority equity investment in the blade manufacturer.

American Superconductor Corp. is developing a 10-MW offshore turbine in Germany with partner Windtec. Plans are now that it will use blades designed and developed by Blade Dynamics.

Today’s 2-MW wind turbines require rotors with more than a 70-m (230 ft) diameter, and 5-MW turbines require rotors at least 120 m (360 ft) in diameter. Rotor diameter determines the swept area of a wind turbine’s blades. Ideally, wind turbines would be equipped with even larger-diameter rotors to maximize power output. But cost, weight, and transportation factors have limited the size of rotors, outweighing performance and efficiency benefits.

“Blade Dynamics has developed unique and proprietary structural designs and manufacturing methods aimed at overcoming critical barriers facing today’s wind industry,” says Blade Dynamics founder and CEO Paul Rudling. “Using advanced manufacturing processes, innovative structural designs, proven composite materials, and an advanced surface coating called Bladeskyn, our wind-turbine blades provide compelling performance and efficiency advantages for wind turbine manufacturers. Our company will use American Superconductor’s (AMSC’s) unique wind-turbine-design capabilities and business model as well as Dow’s composite materials to capitalize on the opportunities in front of us.”

“Design and manufacturing for wind turbine blades have remained fundamentally unchanged for 20 years,” says AMSC founder and CEO Greg Yurek. “Today, however, the market is migrating to higher power ratings for wind turbines. Onshore turbines exceed 2 MW in many locations, and offshore wind farm developers increasingly seek wind turbines with power ratings exceeding 5 MW. Blade Dynamics presents us – and the entire wind industry – with a wind-turbine-blade technology that enhances performance, and reduces weight and cost for high power wind turbines. We view this as a good investment and expect many wind turbine manufacturers, including our own AMSC Windtec licensees, to quickly migrate to the Blade Dynamics solution to avail themselves of these advantages. In fact, AMSC Windtec and Blade Dynamics engineers have already been working in close collaboration to improve blades for AMSC Windtec turbine designs.”

In addition to providing AMSC Windtec licensees with differentiated blades, the company expects its investment could expand the company’s sales opportunities with other wind turbine manufacturers around the world. The company also says that Blade Dynamics will provide blades for the company’s 10-MW SeaTitan superconductor wind turbines.

Encouraging the blade manufacturer to move close to the U.S. market, Louisiana Economic Development (LED) says it is providing an incentive package to help the U.K. firm establish and operate a manufacturing facility in New Orleans. This incentive package, worth up to $30 million, hinges on the company meeting certain capital investment and job creation milestones. Located at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, the Blade Dynamics operation is expected to add at least 600 direct new jobs to the local economy over the next decade. Through Louisiana’s FastStart, LED will also provide workforce support including assistance with employee recruitment, screening, training development, and training delivery, for up to two years during the company’s employment ramp-up.

The Michoud Assembly Facility, an 832-acre site owned by NASA, is one of the largest manufacturing campuses in the world. NASA and Lockheed Martin have used this site for the construction of the Space Shuttle's external fuel tanks for more than 30 years. Michoud is now a multi-tenant complex for other government agencies, government contractors, and commercial businesses, in addition to its core NASA work. In addition to its presence in New Orleans, Blade Dynamics plans to expand its operations in the U.K. as part of a long-term commitment to Europe’s offshore wind market.

American Superconductor Corp.

amsc.com

Blade Dynamics

bladedynamics.com

Conventional foams are made from highly toxic chemicals, are non-disposable, and create a health hazard. AinaCore reduces the use of toxic chemicals, and can be easily recycled.

Málama Composites Corporation manufactures rigid polyurethane foams made from plant-based resins. By utilizing polyols derived from soy, castor, jatropha, or even algae, they produce core materials that are strong, light-weight, cost competitive, and far more environmentally sustainable than petroleum-based alternatives.

China-based wind farm developer Far East plans to partner with Málama Composites of San Diego, California to develop new core materials for the wind turbine manufacturing sector.

Málama CEO David Saltman explains, “Utilizing bio-based rigid polyurethane foam cores can reduce the weight of the blades, making them easier to transport and install. The core materials are also highly moisture resistant, offering greater longevity and retention of stability and blade balance, which can reduce friction and pressure impact on the gear systems. Our product applications are ultimately aimed at increasing the duty cycle of the whole turbine.”

Marcus Laun, director of Far East, says, “A significant part of our mission at Far East is to find new solutions to drive costs out of the manufacturing process, while at the same time introduce new green technologies and partnerships.”

Málama Composites Corporation www.malamacomposites.com

Far East Wind Power Corp. www.fareastwind.com

First off-shore U.S. wind farm moves ahead, will bring 1,000 green jobs to Massachusetts

The blue areas shows the location of the proposed Cape Wind wind farm.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the ruling of a state energy board that had granted all state and local permits to Cape Wind, clearing the way for America’s first off-shore wind farm to proceed on Nantucket Sound and create an estimated 1,000 green construction jobs.

The Court’s decision affirmed a May 2009 decision of the State Energy Facility Siting Board, which had granted Cape Wind the first-ever “composite certificate.” Cape Wind had been denied a local permit from the Cape Cod Commission and thus applied to the Siting Board for a single permit that would consist of all state and local permits for the Cape Wind project. Non-profit group Clean Power Now had intervened in the Siting Board case and strenuously argued that Cape Wind was entitled to a composite certificate so that the state permitting process could come to a close. In all, 17 federal and state agencies reviewed Cape Wind.

The state high court agreed with Clean Power Now that the Siting Board had not only the authority but the legal duty to grant all state and local permits to Cape Wind. In so doing, the Court recognized that the wind farm, including its in-state impacts, “has undergone extensive scrutiny by Federal and State agencies.” The Court rejected the opponents’ claims that the siting board did not properly consider the environmental impacts of the transmission project and found the board’s decision on that point to be “supported by substantial evidence in the record.” Cape Wind now has in hand all federal and state permits needed to construct the wind farm.

Barbara Hill, Executive Director of Clean Power Now, which supported Cape Wind in the case before the Supreme Judicial Court, said, “Today’s Supreme Judicial Court ruling, affirming the Energy Facilities Siting Board decision to issue a composite certificate to Cape Wind, is a victory for the people in the Commonwealth. This decision paves the way to building a real, viable and sustainable clean energy industry here in Massachusetts.”

Matthew Pawa, an attorney representing Clean Power Now, said, “Today’s decision by the state high court is the latest in a long series of legal decisions rejecting the arguments of an opposition group, funded largely by donors who have made their fortunes in the coal and oil industries,that has sought to kill this vital clean energy project. It is time for the opponents of this project to stop filing frivolous legal challenges and for construction to commence.” He added: “Today’s Supreme Judicial Court decision approving Cape Wind is a major step toward reducing America’s greenhouse gas pollution and helping to meet the goal of 20 percent renewable energy by 2030.  The decision comes, appropriately, in the midst of a historic heat wave in New England and in a year in which New England – and the world – have felt the frightening signs of overheating.”

Projected output from the 420 MW wind farm will be enough to meet the yearly demand from about 223,776 households, save New England more than $800 million in energy costs over the next two decades, and avoid the emission of 734,000 tons of global warming emissions a year.

A Chinese maker of turbines is headed to a Texas wind farm, agreeing to buy steel from U.S. producers after lawmakers objected to the foreign production of the equipment. The United Steelworkers Union announced that Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd based in Shenyang, China and Shenyang Power Group anticipate buying about 50,000 tons of steel produced by American mills. The companies will also buy parts from American suppliers and invest in a plant in Nevada.

Union President Leo Gerard says this is a new model. “They will work with us to develop and grow the domestic wind energy supply chain,” he says. “But I don’t have any illusions that this will be easy.”
A wind turbine contains about 8,000 parts, many of which might not be made in the U.S., Gerard explains. So Chinese companies have agreed contract American companies when practical. As a result of the agreement, the project should qualify for stimulus funding and the products, if made domestically, wouldn’t face anti-dumping complaints.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D, NY) and Sherrod Brown (D,OH) have criticized the Texas wind farm saying the federal aid it was seeking would essentially subsidize jobs in China because much of the turbine manufacturing would take place in there. Lawmakers have pushed for “Buy American” rules to limit government funding for foreign suppliers.
“We can’t replace our dependence on foreign oil with a dependence on Chinese made wind turbines,” Brown says. “This agreement is an important step forward.” Cappy McGarr, managing partner of U.S. Renewable Energy Group, said in a steelworkers’ statement, “This deal will result in hundreds of American jobs and help create a clean energy future for the U.S.”

Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd www.apowerenergy.com

United Steel Workers Union www.usw.org

The Peace Corps announced late last month that the U.S. Department of State will provide $1 million to fund the program in support of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). The money will help Peace Corps efforts that increase rural access to energy, mitigate the effects of climate change, and support the use of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies in Central and South American communities.

The Peace Corps announced late last month that the U.S. Department of State will provide $1 million to fund the program in support of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). The money will help Peace Corps efforts that increase rural access to energy, mitigate the effects of climate change, and support the use of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies in Central and South American communities.