QUICK NEWS, 2-14: EU WIND GETS BIGGER; POWER ON DEMAND; CALIF ADDS STORAGE TO NEW ENERGY; BIOENERGY RIGHT NOW

EU WIND GETS BIGGER
Vestas to Unveil 6-Megawatt Offshore Turbine in March, CEO Says
Alex Morales and Sally Bakewell, February 9, 2011 (Bloomberg News)

"Vestas Wind Systems A/S will unveil a new [6-megawatt] offshore wind turbine, its biggest yet, at the end of [March]…

"The turbine has a greater electricity-generating capacity than any machine currently commercially producing sea-based wind power. Companies including REpower Systems AG and Areva Wind GmbH have commercialized 5-megawatt offshore turbines and German manufacturer Enercon GmbH has a land-based 7.5-megawatt generator…New European installations of offshore wind power may surge 70 percent this year, topping 2010’s record 51 percent gain…[the] European Wind Energy Association [EWEA] said last month…"

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"Vestas is [the last of the major turbine makers] including Germany’s Siemens AG, Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica SA of Spain and General Electric Co. [to go after 5- or 6-megawatt offshore machine] sales in the growing market…Vestas, the largest wind-turbine maker, has the biggest share of installed offshore capacity in Europe…Of the 3,045 megawatts installed by the end of 2010, 1,391 are from Vestas machines…Siemens has 1,357…

"The U.K., with more than 40 percent of the total installed capacity, is [the world leader] in offshore wind power, EWEA said. In January 2010, the U.K. government awarded licenses for 32.2 gigawatts of offshore wind projects to companies including Centrica Plc, RWE AG and Statoil ASA…E.ON AG, Germany’s largest utility, won permission to build a 230-megawatt wind farm off the coast of Humberside in the U.K…"

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"…Vestas hasn’t decided yet whether to build an offshore wind turbine factory in the U.K. after Siemens and Gamesa said in January they’d open plants…GE plans to announce the site of a new 110 million-euro ($151 million) wind turbine factory in Britain [very soon]…

"…Vestas will complete 50 million pounds ($81 million) of investments in a testing facility for turbine blades on the Isle of Wight in southern England “over the summer.” That will fulfil a pledge the company made in 2009 when it closed a factory on the island…"


POWER ON DEMAND
Windtamer Corporation announces the installation of its first Power On Demand Energy Storage and Power Management System
February 7, 2011 (Windtamer Corporation)

"WindTamer Corporation…[announced] its first Power on Demand energy storage and power management system, designed to lower peak energy demand, is now installed and operational at Advanced Glass Industries. Advanced Glass Industries operates a 35,000 square-foot facility in Rochester, New York and is one of the world’s largest suppliers of precision machined and molded optical glass blanks.

"Together with WindTamer’s mobile Renewable Energy Trailer developed for military applications, the commissioning of the first Power on Demand system extends WindTamer’s reach into the rapidly developing energy storage and power management sector and also marks the Company’s increasing utilization of solar energy in its mix of product offerings."

From Windtamer - click to enlarge

"Power on Demand is a proprietary patent-pending system that is designed to utilize energy inputs from multiple sources together with a custom-designed battery storage bank to reduce grid demand and provide power when customer loads are high, thereby smoothing power demand on the grid and lowering electricity costs to the customer. The energy can be generated from renewable sources such as wind and solar and also from fuel cells and the grid itself…Each Power on Demand system is custom designed by WindTamer’s engineers…to best utilize the resources at the customer’s location."

From Windtamer - click to enlarge

"The system is designed to include a proprietary ’smart monitoring’ technology developed by WindTamer that, among other things, monitors the power usage of the site in real-time and determines when to release energy from the battery system so as to optimize the battery life and maximize the value of the overall system to the customer.

"The Power on Demand system designed for and operating at Advanced Glass Industries’ manufacturing facility integrates one WindTamer 8.0GT wind turbine, 3Kw of solar energy, 182kWh of usable energy storage and more than 100kW of power distribution capability. The system architecture was developed to reduce peak demand by offsetting peak energy costs. Renewable energy sources provide supplemental power to building loads and battery-based energy storage was implemented to handle peak loads that require additional power…[S]ome of the larger Power on Demand systems in the sales pipeline will be priced in the mid-to-high six figures."


CALIF ADDS STORAGE TO NEW ENERGY
ISO wholesale energy market opens doors to storage technologies; Resources to compete with conventional power plants; help integrate renewable power
Stephanie McCorkle and Stephen Greenlee, February 3, 2011 (California Independent System Operator)

"The California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) Board of Governors…[has enabled] new types of storage resources, such as batteries and flywheels, to provide reserves for the power grid. The resources offer flexibility and fast on/off capabilities that are expected to provide significant operational benefits.

"The ISO calls the new service ‘regulation energy management’ and believes it will open up opportunities for storage as well as demand response to become a larger participant in the ancillary services market that makes up ISO operating reserves. Both demand response and storage are emerging quickly as key components in integrating wind and solar output that can fluctuate depending upon weather conditions."

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[Yakout Mansour, President/CEO, CalISO:] “The integration of renewable resources introduces new requirements to reliably manage the grid…Our Five-Year Strategic Plan points out that storage technologies bring unique operational solutions to grid management as a tool for helping balance renewables on the system. We are ready to gain valuable operational experience with this potentially versatile resource.”

"An estimated 5-10 megawatts of storage is expected to begin bidding into the ISO market once the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves the required tariff changes and software modifications are made. The ISO will be closely monitoring the performance of these new technologies and adapt market rules as necessary to maximize the benefits they provide."


BIOENERGY RIGHT NOW
New RISI Report Forecasts Bioenergy Industry to Create 19 Million Dry Tons of New Wood Biomass Demand by 2015
February 9, 2011 (PR Newswire)

"…North American Bioenergy Review [from RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry,] updates findings and provides expanded analysis from RISI's 2008 report…

"…The global recession has created a different environment from 2008, with renewable energy providers and suppliers seeing slowed demand growth and greater difficulty in accessing funding. In addition, the continuously changing policy and regulatory environment has created uncertainty among industry investors. Therefore, this updated analysis of the industry outlook is timely and even necessary. New for the 2011 study is an analysis of the cost structure and cost competitiveness of each industry sector. In addition to forecasting North American wood biomass supply, demand and pricing, this study also explores how international trade of biomass will affect North American biomass demand over the next five years…"

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[Anne Rahikainen, Director of Bioenergy Services, RISI:] "…We are currently in the process of building further on this analysis in 2011 by launching a North American Bioenergy Service that will provide regular updates on key areas such as biomass supply, pricing, industry capacity and output, international trade, policy and sector cost competiveness…"

"…[Included in the study are]…Demand and supply outlook for pellets, biopower and biofuels in North America to 2015 and analysis of key drivers of each industry sector…Projections on regional wood biomass availability including competing demand from traditional end-user industries and regional wood biomass prices to 2015…Analysis of bioenergy industry cost structures and competitiveness as a buyer for wood biomass, relative to traditional end-user industries…[and the] effect of subsidies on industry competitiveness and investments…Trends and outlook for international trade and market opportunities for wood biomass, including pellets…"

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"…The study is directed at]…Major forest owners seeking to understand the long-term demand for woody biomass energy, how quickly it will develop and how sustainable it will be…Forest products manufacturing companies looking at competition for fiber and/or possible benefit through government programs that give them credit for renewable energy production…Equipment suppliers wanting perspective on where and how much demand for specialized harvesting equipment, chippers, trucks, pelletizing equipment, etc. will develop…

"…Power companies developing or considering development of biomass power facilities…Banks, hedge funds and other investors needing perspective on biomass energy development…Transport companies – both rail companies looking at transporting pellets, chips and other biomass for energy within the USA and shipping companies looking to transport chips/pellets to Europe…[and]…Wood Pellet producers or companies looking to invest in large wood pellet plants."