Author: Arnes Biogradlija

Call for entries from companies and consortia interested to undertake a study to investigate the potential to lower cost and standardize the technical tender documentation for Service Operation Vessels (SOV) working on offshore wind farms. The main objective of this work is to investigate the potential to standardise technical aspects of Service Operation Vessel (SOV) tender documentation to reduce cost for both vessel providers and charterers. Key benchmarks used for the tender documentation should also be identified and the recording criteria standardised. Clarification questions should be received by 11 August 2020. Answers to these questions will be posted below by…

Oscilla Power has been selected for a $1.1 million Phase II SBIR award from the US Department of Energy. Oscilla will develop a novel underwater energy storage technology and investigate how large-scale farms of ocean wave energy devices can be best connected to the grid. As part of this new project, Oscilla will further develop its energy storage concept and investigate the effect of interconnecting a 50MW farm of its Triton wave energy devices into a power grid. The work is expected to indicate that large farms of wave energy devices can produce more reliable power than existing wind or…

The House Rules Committee convened to consider expanding the Jones Act, the federal law that regulates maritime commerce in the United States, to cover construction at sea and potentially require U.S.-flagged installation vessels to service offshore wind projects being built in federal waters. The introduction of this language would have severely impeded the progress of the offshore wind industry and created additional hardships to the already unique challenges the industry faces to move forward.  AWEA would like to recognize the Committee for its willingness to review all implications of this decision and for hearing out the offshore wind industry’s concerns…

Tekmar Energy, received a contract award from Sumitomo Electric Industries to supply the patented TekLink Mechanical Cable Protection System (CPS) for the Akita and Noshiro offshore wind farms in Japan. The wind farms, which are set to be the first utility-scale offshore wind project in Japan, will be delivered by Akita Offshore Wind Corporation, a special purpose company set up by a consortium led by Marubeni. Located at the ports of Akita and Noshiro in the coastal zone of Akita prefecture, the wind farms will feature 33 turbines and have an expected combined output of 139MW. The project will supply…

Maxeon Solar Technologies launched its new line of bifacial SunPower 5 panels, the fifth-generation performance solar panels designed specifically for large-scale power plant applications. Performance 5 panels will be commercialized and begin delivery in the fourth quarter of 2020. SunPower Performance 5 panels are engineered to meet the needs of large-scale, multi-megawatt solar power plants. With power ratings of up to 625 watts, these high-power panels are uniquely suited for the needs of power plant developers, maximizing energy production within available space. “SunPower has more than three decades of innovation, including a history in the power plant segment – from…

The Leaders of the three Scottish island councils – the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar – have warmly welcomed announcements by the UK and Scottish Government’s that the islands will receive £50m from each towards the Islands Growth Deal. The multimillion pound deal will provide investment for local projects across the Scottish islands, driving sustainable economic recovery and growth, creating jobs and attracting further private and public sector investment. A range of areas, including tourism, infrastructure, innovation, skills, energy transition, and renewable energy systems, will be targeted with the funding which will be invested over ten years.…

With over 40 years’ experience in coastal, nearshore and offshore operations, Briggs Marine offers world class marine expertise in areas including diving services, vessel charter and management, submarine cable installation and environmental consultancy. Based in Burntisland, Fife, Briggs Marine has a global reach with over 750 employees based throughout the world including in Canada, Azerbaijan and Georgia with offices in Aberdeen and Liverpool. A family business, Briggs Marine first began work on NnG in the autumn of 2019 providing nine demarcation buoys to mark out the perimeter of the windfarm site. The buoys, known as cardinal and lateral buoys, support…

Siemens Gamesa secured its fifth nearshore wind farm project in Vietnam as the Vietnamese government quickly advances on its renewable energy goals. The latest deal, which surpasses the previous company record in scale for its fourth nearshore project (75 MW) as the largest of its kind in Vietnam, adds a further 78 MW to the company’s existing 174 MW it has already secured. The 78-MW Hiep Thanh wind farm will be located 1-3 km off the coast of Tra Vinh Province. Siemens Gamesa has been able to leverage its engineering and construction experience gathered from both onshore and offshore to…

The UK Government has announced that the caps on battery storage capacity for planning applications in England and Wales (50 MW and 350 MW respectively) will be removed. This means a battery storage proposal that exceeds these thresholds will no longer be considered a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (‘NSIP’), and all applications for battery storage, regardless of their size, will be determined by local planning authorities. The Government started the process of making the necessary legislative amendments through orders under the Planning Act 2008 and the Electricity Act 1989 on 14 July 2020. These orders are expected to pass through…

ENERCON has completed the installation of the prototype of the E-160 EP5. The first system of the new low-wind variant of the EP5 platform was built in the Wieringermeer wind energy test field in the Netherlands.  After installing the first E-138 EP3 E2 at the end of March in Janneby / Schleswig-Holstein, this is already the second prototype project that ENERCON has successfully implemented under difficult corona conditions. The E-160 EP5 is ENERCON’s new top model with the largest rotor diameter in the product portfolio. The nominal power is 4.6 MW. At locations with wind speeds of 7.5 m / s at hub…