Author: Anela Dokso

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has, on behalf of the Australian Government, provided $951K to Oven Mountain Pumped Storage (OMPS) to undertake a study analyzing the benefits that Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) would have on the development of the New England Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in northern NSW. OMPS plans to investigate how its proposed Oven Mountain 600 MW / 7,200 MWh PHES facility between Armidale and Kempsey can provide system-wide benefits, by storing and enabling variable renewable energy generation, improving system strength, unlocking network constraints and helping to reduce marginal loss factors. The study will examine the degree…

Subsea 7 has secured a contract, worth between $50 million and $150 million, by innogy Kaskasi for the Kaskasi offshore wind farm project, located north west of Heligoland in the German sector of the North Sea. The work scope includes the transport and installation of the offshore substation foundation, 38 wind turbine monopile foundations and 52km of inner array grid cables in water depths of between 18 and 25 meters. Offshore installation is scheduled for 2021 and 2022 using heavy lift, cable lay and support vessels from Seaway 7, a unit of Subsea 7. When completed, the Kaskasi offshore wind farm…

Orbital Marine Power has signed up to a second berth at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland, to pave the way for delivery of its first floating tidal turbine farm. Orbital is currently in the process of manufacturing its first commercial O2 turbine at 2 MW and with a swept area of over 600 square meters. Orbital has raised £7 million in crowdfunding to deliver the first O2 turbine along with being awarded £3.4 million by the Scottish Government through the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund. The O2 project is also being supported with European funding via the Horizon…

Minesto, along with its partner SEV, has received all necessary permits and consents for the installation of two grid-connected tidal kite systems in Vestmannasund, Faroe Islands. “We have had great support by SEV and the Faroese authorities to reach this crucial achievement. SEV has made terrific work to secure all necessary permits for our first installations in the Faroe Islands through a very efficient process,” said Dr Martin Edlund, CEO of Minesto. The granted permits and consents cover two DG100 tidal kite systems which will be installed in Vestmannasund in a collaboration between Minesto and SEV. Minesto has secured public funding totaling…

RES has completed the sale of its 79.8 MW Buheii onshore wind farm, located in Kvinesdal, southern Norway, to Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG). GIG informed in January that the Buheii project would provide power to Eramet Norway until 2038, ensuring a stable and long-term power supply to Eramet Norway’s Norwegian smelters. RES has been selected to manage the construction of the wind farm and upon completion will manage the asset on behalf of GIG. When fully operational, the wind farm will comprise of 19 Vestas V150 turbines which will produce enough low-carbon electricity to displace an estimated 15,000 tonnes…

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has invested $20 million in offshore wind energy resource characterization and technology demonstrations. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) supports offshore wind development by improving the ability to forecast energy production, and by demonstrating innovative technologies not yet deployed at commercial scale. “This funding for offshore wind resource science will improve the weather models that wind plant developers and operators rely on to manage their fleet effectively and provide predictable, low-cost electricity,” said assistant secretary Daniel R Simmons. “Additionally, funding offshore wind projects can increase confidence in pre-commercial technologies and methodologies, paving the way for the…