QUICK NEWS, May 12: BIG NEW FED BACKING TO OCEAN WIND; UTILITY AND SOLAR IN TRUCE; BLADE EXTENDERS FOR WIND TURBINES

BIG NEW FED BACKING TO OCEAN WIND Energy Department Announces Innovative Offshore Wind Energy Projects; Wind Turbines to Connect to U.S. Electrical Grid by 2017

May 8, 2014 (U.S. Department of Energy)

“…[The Energy Department selected] three pioneering offshore wind demonstrations to receive up to $47 million each over the next four years to deploy innovative, grid-connected systems in federal and state waters by 2017…Fishermen’s Energy will install five 5-megawatt direct-drive wind turbines approximately three miles off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. This project will utilize an innovative, U.S.-developed twisted jacket foundation that is simpler and less expensive…Principle Power will install five 6-megawatt direct-drive wind turbines approximately 18 miles off the coast of Coos Bay, Oregon. The U.S.-developed WindFloat semi-submersible floating platform will be installed in water more than 1,000 feet deep…Dominion Virginia Power will install two 6-megawatt direct-drive wind turbines 26 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach…Dominion’s project will demonstrate installation, operation and maintenance methods [and test a hurricane-resilient design] for wind turbines located far from shore...” click here for more

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UTILITY AND SOLAR IN TRUCE Xcel Energy and solar power backers broker deal for 2014 Solar*Rewards

Cathy Proctor, May 6, 2014 (Denver Business Journal)

“Xcel Energy Inc. and the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA) [along with the national Solar Energy Industries Association] have cut a deal to allow incentives and rebates to flow for new renewable energy systems installed this year while the two sides wait for a ruling from state regulators on the fate of the utility’s 2014 Renewable Energy Standard Plan…The new proposal, which must be approved by the commission, would be in effect until the PUC approves a 2014 plan for Xcel…[It allows:] Up to 4 megawatts per month, and a total of 20 megawatts, worth of small solar power systems that generate up to 25 kilowatts of power [with incentives at 3 cents per kilowatt-hour for customer-owned installations and 1 cent per kilowatt-hour for third-party owned installations]…Up to a total of 7 megawatts worth of medium, or commercial-scale systems, that generate between 25 kilowatts and 500 kilowatts of power [with incentives at 6 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 6 megawatts and 5 cents per kilowatt-hour for the final 1 megawatt]…The parties also agree that if any part of the Solar*Rewards program…is nearly exhausted, they will meet to discuss potential resolution…” click here for more

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BLADE EXTENDERS FOR WIND TURBINES GE Successfully Proves Technology to Extend Wind Turbine Blades

May 6, 2014 (GE Water & Power)

“GE’s renewable energy business announced a technology demonstration of a 7-meter blade extension, taking GE wind turbines from a 77-meter rotor to a 91-meter rotor. The extension increases the swept area of the rotor by 40 percent and increases the energy production by more than 20 percent…[T]wo prototypes that have been in operation for 10 months…[at Noble Environmental Power’s] Clinton Wind Park in Clinton, New York…The technology upgrades GE 1.5-77 turbines to GE 1.5-91 turbines…[to] achieve significant increase in power output on their existing fleet…[GE] filed more than 16 patent applications and developed custom tooling for the extension installation…The extended blades have undergone testing beyond IEC requirements, including static strength tests that are standard for all GE-engineered blades and fatigue tests totaling more than 6 million cycles…” click here for more

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