Author: Anela Dokso

Neptune Energy has been joined by Eneco as a partner on the PosHYdon pilot, the world’s first offshore green hydrogen project. Eneco will supply simulated wind data from its offshore wind farm, Luchterduinen, to support the project which aims to integrate three energy systems in the North Sea: offshore wind, offshore gas and offshore hydrogen. The data will be used to accurately model the use of electricity generated by the wind farm to power the electrolysis process on the Neptune-operated Q13a platform, using sea water. The sea water is demineralized on the platform in order to produce hydrogen. “We are…

4Subsea has installed advanced, retrofit sensors on floating turbine Zefyros, previously known as Hywind Demo, to prove cost reduction potential with a Digital Twin. The project aims to prove significant cost reduction potential in offshore wind by using a Digital Twin of the substructure to measure actual loads and fatigue on the turbine. 4Subsea has developed a new generation of sensors for structural integrity and performance monitoring of offshore wind turbines. The sensors have a proven track record from offshore oil and gas where they are used to monitor both vessel motions and the behavior of fixed platforms. Different technology components from fish telemetry, micro drones, and telecom have been combined in order to…

Norwegian solar energy company, Ocean Sun, has secured US patent for its solar power plant. The patent will be granted in May 2020 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Ocean Sun’s patented technology is based on a thin polymer membrane that is used to float the customized PV modules. The patent approval was secured after Ocean Sun received a conformity statement from DNV GL earlier this year. The conformity statement is the first of its kind and was issued following a thorough verification process which sets the standard for the expansion of floating solar globally. The conformity…

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s team of engineers, material scientists, and physicists have demonstrated how a new material, a lead-free chalcogenide perovskite, that hadn’t previously been considered for use in solar cells could provide a safer and more effective option than others that are commonly considered. Organic-inorganic halide perovskites, a type of crystalline mineral, have shown promise as a key component in solar cells, but they have also posed large challenges. Their properties are very effective in converting energy from the sun into power and they are less expensive than silicon, which has traditionally been used in this capacity. However, they are…

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs has selected SCHOTTEL to supply a range of propulsion systems for its second wind farm service operation vessel (SOV) the ‘Wind of Hope’. The new walk-to-work vessel is currently under construction at Cemre shipyard in Turkey and will enter service operating under a long-term contract with Ørsted. The propulsion system of the Salt Ship Design vessel is powered by four diesel generators, which drive the electric motors of the SCHOTTEL propulsion package. Two SCHOTTEL Rudderpropellers type SRP 430 FP, each with an input power of 1,660 kW and a propeller diameter of 2.4 meters, are installed at…

Fugro has established Fugro IOVTEC, a Taiwanese entity to support ongoing business expansion in the offshore wind farm market in Taiwan. Fugro has been actively supporting the renewables market in Taiwan since 2016 under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IOVTEC. The creation of Fugro IOVTEC formalizes Fugro’s presence in the country to optimize its renewables growth strategy. The Fugro IOVTEC office will be established in the coming months and an in-country soils laboratory will be set up to service its renewables client base. “IOVTEC has a wealth of experience in hydrographic and bathymetric surveys in Taiwan, and has been…

Jan De Nul-Hitachi consortium has completed the fabrication of all 84 pin piles for the Taiwan Power Company offshore wind farm phase 1 project. The first pin piles fabricated in South Korea have been loaded at the yard for transport to Taiwan. In total, seven batches of pin piles will be loaded at the South Korean yard on flat top barges pulled by ocean-going tugs. During the first load-out, the tug crew remained isolated from all operations near and on shore in order to avoid all risk of contamination with COVID-19. For this overseas transport, Jan De Nul Group signed…

China Three Gorges’ (CTG) first SG500kW tidal stream turbine has been installed between the islands of Putuoshan and Huludao in the Zhoushan archipelago in China, SIMEC Atlantis Energy (Atlantis) informed. Atlantis, ITPEnergised, the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) and CTG worked together to install the turbine with a rotor diameter of 18 meters. The turbine was manufactured in CSIC’s facilities in Wuhan, which have in recent months had to deal with being at the centre of the outbreak of the Coronavirus. While following all government advice concerning social distancing as well as the regulations concerning manufacturing facilities, CSIC has completed…

Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth has concluded the latest round of testing of the BladeBUG inspect-and-repair robot for offshore wind turbine blades. The six-legged blade crawler has now reached a major milestone in development under a £1 million project – BladeBUG 2, partly funded by Innovate UK, enabling technical integration to begin with the MIMRee system for fully autonomous wind farm operations. During the trials, which took place in early March, the robot walked on blade surfaces, proving the stability of its vacuum adhesion technology and its dexterity in adapting its gait to the…

Leeward Renewable Energy has closed $162.9 million of construction financing and tax equity commitment for its Mountain Breeze wind farm located in Weld County, Colorado. Leeward developed the Mountain Breeze wind farm and will own and operate the project for the long-term.  The 170 MW project will utilize GE 2.3 and 2.82 wind turbine generators, installing 62 machines at the site.  Mountain Breeze received unanimous approval from Weld County for the build of the project and has received positive support from the project landowners and members within the community. Construction of Mountain Breeze is currently underway. Leeward entered into a long-term…