Author: Arnes Biogradlija

Energiequelle will begin construction works on its second project in Finland this week. The Konttisuo wind farm, which is being constructed at the border between South Ostrobothnia and Central Finland 20 kilometers southeast of the municipality of Soini, will contain seven Nordex turbines with a total capacity of 29.96 MW. Infra Builders Oy was hired by Energiequelle to build the roads, foundations, park cabling and the associated transformer station. Infra Builders Oy will now begin the construction of the road and then the building of the first foundations will proceed. The N149/4.0-4.5 turbines will be supplied as a cold climate…

Solar Energy and Duke Energy Renewables have reported that the 280-megawatt (280 MWdc/200 MWac) Holstein solar project in Nolan County, Texas has began commercial operation. The 280 MWdc Holstein Solar project includes more than 709,000 solar panels across approximately 1,300 acres in Wingate, Texas. The facility will power the equivalent of 40.000 households. Throughout peak construction the project hired as many as 400 employees. “We are bringing our utility-scale project development expertise to forge a new energy model in Texas. In a state with no solar mandate, and where competition is purely on price, our success with Holstein and our other…

As elsewhere across Europe, offshore wind development is driven by significant political commitment, and the Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan commits to having at least 3.5 GW of offshore wind in Ireland in the next ten years, which will help renewables account for 70% of electricity generation by 2030. Partrac has been involved in a variety of supporting roles with 3 of the Irish offshore wind projects currently under development, utilizing both metocean survey and consultancy expertise. Partrac roles in assisting the development of the Irish offshore wind sector to date include: Scoping and planning of Hydrographic and Metocean Surveys.Deployment…

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has reached agreements with local Taiwanese suppliers to source both fasteners and cables, becoming the only wind turbine manufacturer to source these components locally, signing agreements with Boltun Corporation (Boltun) for fasteners and Walsin Lihwa Corporation for cables, respectively. These agreements will see Boltun and Walsin Lihwa Corporation supply MHI Vestas for CIP-developed wind projects – Changfang Phase 2 and Xidao – to be delivered off the coast of Taiwan beginning in 2023. The agreements with Boltun and Walsin Lihwa Corporation also cover the Zhong Neng project, where MHI Vestas has been named preferred turbine supplier.…

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have conducted the first global assessment into the most promising approaches to end-of-life management for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. PV modules have a 30-year lifespan. There is currently no plan for how to manage this at end of their lifespan. The volume of modules no longer needed could total 80 million metric tons by 2050. In addition to quantity, the nature of the waste also poses challenges. PV modules are made of valuable, precious, critical, and toxic materials. There is currently no standard for how to recycle the valuable ones and mitigate…

DC Metro has made a 25-year, $50 million deal with SunPower and Goldman Sachs Renewable Power (GSRP) to install solar-paneled carports or canopies at four rail stations over surface lots and over parking garages. Combined, the four sites will have an electrical capacity of 12.8 megawatts making this the largest community solar project in the National Capital Area and one of the largest in the US. Under the agreement, SunPower will install photovoltaic solar panels at the Anacostia, Cheverly, Naylor Road and Southern Avenue stations at no cost to Metro. GSRP will own the solar power system and provide Metro with…

RWE Renewables and Saitec Offshore Technologies have joined forces to explore ways to build and run wind turbines in deep waters in an affordable manner. In 2021, the RWE subsidiary specializing in renewable energy and the Spanish engineering company Saitec Offshore Technologies will begin testing a floating platform for wind turbines off the Basque coast in a joint pilot project named DemoSATH. SATH technology is based on a twin hull made of concrete components that are modularly prefabricated and then braced. The float will position itself according to the direction of the wind and wave around a single mooring point.…

EDS HV Group has secured two new contracts with Vattenfall for high voltage network commissioning and safety management at three wind farms; Kriegers Flak, Vesterhav Syd, and Vesterhav Nord. EDS HV Group will also be offering full management of all Senior Authorised Persons (SAPs) on-site at all three wind farms. In addition to the commissioning scope, EDS HV Group will also be offering full High Voltage safety management. Work started in June 2020, with Kriegers Flak scheduled to be in operation by the end of 2021 at the latest, and Vesterhav Syd & Vesterhav Nord scheduled to be in operation…

Swedish solar panel manufacturer Midsummer has launched Power Mesh Technology, a technology that increases the strength of solar cells and offers a more discreet look to the final products while maintaining previous benefits such as durability, sustainable manufacturing process and class-leading weight features. The new Power Mesh Technology consists of a dense array of wires for current collection rather than the usual ribbons, resulting in less resistive loss in the solar panels. The PMT-solar panels have a larger active area and less shading which results in higher current. Midsummer will increase the average module power by up to 10 percent…

Eolus has signed an agreement to acquire seven wind power projects in early development phase from Vindkraft Värmland, a subsidiary of Modern Energy. The projects located in SE3 and SE4 are estimated to approximately 450 MW. Six of the projects that have been acquired are in SE3, and one is in SE4. The final purchase price is dependent upon how the projects develops and is covered by a profit sharing with the seller when the projects a realized. Eolus has also signed an agreement with the option of purchasing up to an additional volume of 280 MW of three projects…