MORE NEWS, 5-7 (DOE MONEY TO WIND; AWARD TO MAPPERS OF WIND AND SUN; WIND CERTIFIED)

DOE MONEY TO WIND
New wind energy projects get federal money
May 6, 2009 (UPI)

"U.S. Department of Energy officials say they've selected 53 new wind energy projects for up to $8.5 million in federal funding…

"The projects, the department said, will address market and deployment challenges identified in its report 20% Wind Energy by 2030…"

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"…Officials said they have determined the nation possesses affordable wind energy resources in excess of those needed to generate 20 percent of U.S. electricity needs. But major challenges exist, including investment in a national transmission system, larger electric load balance areas, reduction in wind turbine capital costs and improvement of turbine performance, siting and environmental issues."


AWARD TO MAPPERS OF WIND AND SUN
AWEA Honors 3TIER® for Commercial Achievement; Industry-leading wind resource data and FirstLook® interface drive global wind energy adoption
Evan Scandling, May 6, 2009 (3Tier)

"3TIER, the global leader in renewable energy assessment and forecasting information, was recognized…for its commercial achievement and contribution to the wind industry by the American Wind Energy Association’s 2009 Awards. The honor went to 3TIER for the development of FirstLook, a free Web-based wind and solar energy prospecting tool. FirstLook enables developers, operators, financiers and others interested in developing renewable energy to more quickly identify, quantify and prioritize optimal locations for renewable energy projects…

"FirstLook offers registered users scientifically derived data on the value of wind resources anywhere on the globe, and solar resources anywhere in the Western Hemisphere…[N]avigate the wind and solar resource maps and find out more…[at] FirstLook…"



"After FirstLook users identify promising sites, they can augment FirstLook’s basic prospecting data by purchasing FirstLook Assessment Reports, which provide more detailed estimates of renewable energy resources at specific locations, including critical information about the spatial and temporal variability of the resource…[in] North America, Europe, much of Asia and the Pacific Rim."

click thru to try the tool

"FirstLook data can also be licensed to third parties and integrated into their own operations and customer experiences through the FirstLook API (application programming interface)…

"…[T[he company’s FullView® Assessment products provide the in-depth, high-resolution information needed for project design and financial due diligence…3TIER’s PowerSight® Forecasting products provide short and long-term operational power forecasting…"


WIND CERTIFIED
Underwriters Laboratories Launches New Services for Wind Turbine Certification
May 4, 2009 (PRNewswire)

"Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a world leader in product safety testing and certification, announced that it will soon begin offering the testing and certification of wind turbines in accordance with new UL standard requirements for safety. UL's new service, offered in partnership with Germanischer Lloyd (GL), a leading wind energy equipment certification organization, will provide wind turbine manufacturers around the world with complete safety compliance for both U.S. and IEC requirements. This service will allow UL's customers accelerated access to the global market.

"UL's evaluation and support will cover the entire wind turbine, including components and assemblies, and qualify products to carry the UL Classified mark. UL's work with wind turbines will be based at its Northbrook facilities but the company also intends to offer field evaluation services globally, also supported by GL…"

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"While comprehensive, the portfolio of services is also flexible, enabling manufacturers to choose the level of evaluation they need based on differences in turbines and their intended location and use…"

To be certified. (click to enlarge)

"UL has published two Outlines of Investigation for the wind industry and it expects to release new standard requirements in the future. These standard requirements will be the first to evaluate the fire and electrical safety of wind turbines, and represents UL's latest investment into its renewable energy business.

"In addition to its investments in the wind power portfolio of services, UL is also actively pursuing business opportunities in other forms of renewable energy. The company recently established new photovoltaic testing facilities in two key solar markets, San Jose, Calif. and Suzhou, China…"