QUICK NEWS, May 23: CHINA WIND SETS TO SEA; GOOGLE OCEAN WIRES GET PRICED; WIND V. HYDRO IN THE GREAT NW; A BETTER TURBINE TRANSMISSION

CHINA WIND SETS TO SEA
China May Boost Offshore Wind Power to 30GW; China will expand its offshore wind power installed capacity to 5 gigawatts (GW) by 2015 and 30GW by 2020, according to the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA)…
2011 May 16 (CRI English)

"…China, the world's largest wind power developer, with a total of 44.7GW wind turbine installed capacity by the end of 2010, has accelerated developing offshore wind power…[D]evelopment in China remains in the early stages due to complex operating environments for offshore turbines, high technological requirements and construction difficulties, according to Qin Haiyan, secretary general of the China Wind Energy Association (CWEA).

"In 2009, China had only 63,000 kilowatts offshore wind turbines installed, about 21 percent of the newly installed offshore wind power in the United Kingdom, the fastest growing country of the year…The year 2010 marked the start of China's offshore wind power sector's transition from research and pilot projects to operational wind farms."

(from Energy Research Institute of NDRC & China Renewable Energy Industry Association
March 2010 - click to enlarge)

"In March 2010, Shi Lishan, deputy director of the New Energy and Renewable Energy Department of the National Energy Bureau (NEB), said top priority would be given to developing offshore wind power projects…In June 2010, the first stage project of East Sea Bridge Offshore Wind Farm went into operation in Shanghai. Totaling 102MW, it is China's first large-scale offshore wind farm located to the east side of the Shanghai East Sea Bridge. It comprises 34 units of 3MW Sinovel turbines.

"Offshore wind power construction is a priority in China this year. In January, the NEB said China would kick off construction of 1GW offshore wind power projects in 2011…The public tender for the 1GW offshore concession projects, totaling four wind farms in east China's Jiangsu Province, was announced in October 2010. They will use Sinovel, Goldwind and Shanghai Electric turbines."

(from Energy Research Institute of NDRC & China Renewable Energy Industry Association
March 2010 - click to enlarge)

"The China Meteorological Administration has estimated China's offshore wind potential at more than 750GW - far higher than the 253GW potential for land-based wind…China's eastern coastal areas, particularly Jiangsu Province, boast sound conditions to develop wind farms on beaches and in offshore areas. These coastal provinces are largely the economic engines of the country, raising great demands for electric power. But they run short of fossil energy sources.

"Developing offshore wind farms in these areas will reduce local energy shortages and avoid the problem of long-distance transmission experienced by China's major land-based wind farms…"


GOOGLE OCEAN WIRES GET PRICED
Google-Backed $5 Billion Offshore Wind Project Wins Reduced U.S. Rate
Brian Wingfield, May 19, 2011 (Bloomberg News)

"A Google Inc.-backed project to build a $5 billion undersea power line carrying wind energy between Virginia and New York won…approval [from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)] for a 12.59 percent profit, less than [the 13.58 percent guaranteed return] requested by developers [Atlantic Wind Connection]…

"…[FERC] approval of incentives for Atlantic Wind [is conditional on the project being accepted as part of]…a transmission expansion plan under consideration by regional electric-grid operator PJM Interconnection LLC…Atlantic Wind is also awaiting a U.S. Interior Department permit to build the line on the seabed…"

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"…[The project also] would need approval from New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland regulators for its first phase of development, Markian Melnyk, president of Atlantic Grid Development LLC, the project’s developer, said…Expansions, which may be complete by 2021, would need approval from regulators in Virginia and New York.

"…Investors in Atlantic Wind Connection [besides Google] include Tokyo-based trading company Marubeni Corp. and Good Energies, a clean-energy investment firm…The Maryland Public Service Commission and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association were among groups questioning whether Atlantic Wind’s requested incentives to build the project were too high, according to regulatory filings this year."


WIND V. HYDRO IN THE GREAT NW
BPA Decision Could Lead To Wind Power Curtailment In Northwest
Angela Beniwal, 18 May 2011 (North American Windpower)

"…[The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)] interim Environmental Redispatch policy, which will remain in place until March 30, 2012, [could result in the curtailment of wind power but only as a last resort, the agency says. It] first limits generation at coal, natural gas and other thermal power plants to keep the supply of power from exceeding demand.

"As a last resort, BPA's policy could temporarily limit wind energy generation connected to its power transmission system…[in favor of] free hydropower from federal dams on the Columbia River system…BPA says it will not reimburse wind producers for potential lost tax credits or other revenues if production is curtailed because that would shift costs to Northwest ratepayers who do not receive the wind power…"

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"The decision was prompted, according to BPA, by high seasonal river flows resulting from runoff from large snowpacks. The Northwest River Forecast Center predicts this year will bring the highest Columbia Basin runoff volume since 1999. The conditions could temporarily push generation of hydroelectric power beyond the region's limited spring electricity needs."

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"Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., sent a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu earlier this month in which he expressed concern over BPA's curtailment plan…[saying it] would economically impact current facilities and could lead to the cancellation of future wind projects in the region…[creating] enormous uncertainty at a time when the Obama administration is promoting increased investments in renewable energy…[He added that increased] renewable energy in the U.S. has presented integration challenges that need to be addressed…

"BPA says it took several steps in order to avoid the need for the interim policy, including working with other agencies and utilities to maximize available reservoir space to manage river flows and control hydroelectric generation, and adjusting non-essential maintenance on transmission lines so that maximum capacity is available to carry large amounts of electric generation to distant markets from Canada to California…[It] will monitor river conditions and lift any limits on power generation as soon as they are no longer needed."


A BETTER TURBINE TRANSMISSION
Utah inventor says patented transmission can transform wind energy industry
Marjorie Cortez, May 13, 2011 (Deseret News)

"…VMT Technologies' Universal Transmission could improve wind turbine efficiency by 5 to 10 percent, said VMT inventor Gary Lee. Moreover, the Universal Transmission can handle higher torque, which renders it more reliable than transmissions widely used in wind turbines throughout the world, he said…

"…[In an industry] where gear boxes break down after just three to five years of operation…[that] can translate into millions of dollars in repair costs, inoperable turbines and a reduction in captured energy…"

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"…[A] transmission that can eliminate torque spikes, thus enhancing its reliability, would be a boon to energy production and investment in the [wind] industry…If the technology could be refined to the point that wind energy could be utilized on a [larger]-scale throughout the world, the political implications would be profound…"

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"The transmission, which can change through the equivalent of 30 gear ratios, also has applications in diesel engines… VMT officials have met with transmission manufacturers Allison, Dana, Eaton and Magna, as well as Ford, Hyundai, Honda and Toyota…

"…[VMT] was awarded a patent for the Universal Transmission on Feb. 22."