OFFSHORE • Is the Tide Finally Turning for Offshore Wind in the United States? • High-Quality Repair Stations Vs

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OFFSHORE • Is the Tide Finally Turning for Offshore Wind in the United States? • High-Quality Repair Stations Vs. Up-Tower Repair

» Historic Milestone for America’s First Offshore Wind Farm page 20

S » Want a Tax Credit for a EPTEMBER 2015 Small Wind System? Be Sure It’s Certified page 42 SEPTEMBER 2015 NO ONE UNDERSTANDS THE SUBTLE NUANCES OF WIND ENERGY LIKE WE DO.

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Is the Tide Finally Turning for ALSO IN inFOCUS Offshore Wind in the United 22 Coastal Carolina Scientists Work on States? Wind Energy Studies 23 Siemens to Build Wind Power Plant in Cuxhaven, Germany 20 Historic Milestone for America’s First Offshore Wind Farm 25 CWind Secures O&M Vessel Contract at London Array Offshore Wind Farm

2 SEPTEMBER | 2015 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE SEPTEMBER 2015

ALSO IN inFOCUS SECTIONS Volume 07 Issue 08

DIRECTION

08 Energy Department 12 Officials Highlight Germany Breaks a Reports Highlight Need for Stable Renewable Energy Record Trends of Growing Policy To Continue U.S. Wind Energy Growing Wind Industry Energy 11

MAINTENANCE MANUFACTURING High-Quality Repair Stations Vs. Up-Tower Repair PROFILE: Moog Components Group

26 36 29 HUVR Launches with $2 Million Funding CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION SunEdison Closes $390 Million of Financing for 300 MW Wind Farm in Texas Want a Tax Credit for a Small Wind System? Be Sure It’s Certified

42 CROSSWINDS EDF Energies Nouvelles’ First Crowdfunding 38 Campaign a Success 48

Wind Systems (ISSN 2327-2422) is published monthly by Media Solutions, Inc., 266D Yeager Parkway Pelham, AL 35124. Phone (205) 380-1573 Fax (205) 380-1580 International subscription rates: $72.00 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Pelham AL and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wind Systems magazine, P.O. Box 1210 Pelham AL 35124. Publications mail agreement No. 41395015 return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek Richmond Hill, ON L4B4R6. Copyright 2006 by Media Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.

4 SEPTEMBER | 2015 Cover Photo: Christian Charisius/Reuters SECTIONS Volume 07 Issue 08 EDITOR’S DESK SEPTEMBER 2015 Greetings to all of our readers. Let me introduce myself. My name is Cherie Scott, the new managing editor of Wind Systems magazine. I’m excited to be a part of the editorial team and am looking forward to overseeing this forward- thinking publication.

My goal as the managing editor is to include valuable articles and papers written by our industry experts to inform you, our readers, on the latest and greatest developments in the wind industry. Now, a little about myself. I worked in medical publishing for over ten years assisting physicians publish their manuscripts. I very much enjoyed that niche in journalism, and now I am happy to move in a different direction; wind power, wind farm development, turbines, safety, Cherie Scott, managing editor manufacturing and further development in the progress of where the Wind Systems magazine U.S stands in building both onshore and offshore sites. [email protected] One of my priorities for Wind Systems is to listen to our readers and (800) 366-2185 ext. 209 encourage you to contact me about contributing articles (download our Media Kit from our website for more information) that are important to you and the wind power industry. Our September issue, based on offshore wind farm development, includes articles on drone-based data analytics, a crowdfunding campaign that involves a local population, and a wind power project, Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island that recently “dropped steel,” the first step in the U.S.’s offshore wind farm development.

Thank you for reading our most recent issue. I look forward to hear- ing from you!

6 SEPTEMBER | 2015 CONTRIBUTORS

Kainon Irons has been with Towering Lighthouse Global Energy as a mechanical engineer since April 2014. He grad- Above uated from Mary-Hardin Baylor University with a Bachelor’s degree in engineering science. Irons is The relatively new to wind, but has a strong mechanical background. Competition Keith Plantier served nine years in the U.S. Navy onboard sub- marines as a nuclear mechan- International Tower Lighting, LLC ic. After the Navy, he received is changing the way wind turbines both his BSME and MSME at Texas Tech University and went are lit. The IFH-1710 is a complete to work at the Northrop Grum- modular obsruction lighting solu- man Corporation as a senior design engineer. After leaving tion housed in a sleek aluminum Northrop Grumman, Planter and acrylic flash head designed moved back to Texas in 2008 and headed up a wind technician-training program specifically for the wind at Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater, industry. ITL also offers Texas. He transitioned to Lighthouse Global Ener- replacement parts for gy in March 2014 as its senior mechanical engineer. major obstruction light Van P. Hilderbrand Jr. is an manufacturers. Call associate in the Energy Fi- nance Practice in Sullivan Jason Fohr today to & Worcester’s Washington, discuss your current D.C., office. He represents a or future lighting diverse set of clients across energy sectors with project needs. development and project finance transactions. Jason Fohr Jeffrey M. Karp is co-leader Business Development of the Energy Finance Prac- Wind Industry tice in Sullivan & Worces- (P) 615-256-6030 ter’s Washington, D.C., of- (F) 615-424-2154 fice, and previously served as Majority Senior Counsel [email protected] for the U.S. Senate Envi- ronment and Public Works Committee.

Jim Wrathall is a partner and head of the Environ- ment & Natural Resourc- es Group in Sullivan & Worcester’s Washington, D.C., office where he represents clients in renewable energy, environmental, and Toll Free: + 1 (866) 624-8309 infrastructure development www.itl-llc.com matters.

windsystemsmag.com 7 11 Germany Breaks a Renewable Energy Record 12 Officials Highlight Need To Continue Growing Wind Energy DIRECTION Policy • Advocacy • Business • Finance • Legal • Environment • International ENERGY DEPARTMENT REPORTS HIGHLIGHT TRENDS OF GROWING U.S. WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY

Aegis Renewable Energy

In 2014, U.S. turbines in distributed applications reached a cumulative installed capacity of more than 906 MW, enough to power more than 168,000 average American homes.

According to two reports released in August by the Ener- “With declining costs and continued technological gy Department, the United States’ wind energy industry development, these reports demonstrate that wind continued growing at an impressive rate in 2014, further power is a reliable source of clean, renewable energy solidifying America’s position as a global leader in wind for American homes and businesses,” said Energy Sec- energy. Wind power is a key component of the presi- retary Ernest Moniz. “Through continued investments dent’s all-of-the-above energy strategy and Clean Power and the help of stable policies, we’re confident that Plan to reduce climate-changing carbon pollution, diver- wind power will keep playing a major role in creating sify our energy economy, and boost America’s economic jobs and shaping America’s clean energy future.” competitiveness by bringing innovative technologies online. With rapidly increasing wind energy generation, WIND TECHNOLOGIES MARKET REPORT fast-growing demand, and steadily decreasing wind en- According to the 2014 Wind Technologies Market ergy prices — the lowest ever seen in the U.S. — the U.S. Report released by the Energy Department and its wind energy market remains strong. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, total installed

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wind power capacity in the U.S. ican economy, supporting 73,000 tralized power plants, distributed grew at a rate of 8 percent in 2014 jobs related to development, siting, wind energy installations supply and now stands at nearly 66 GW, manufacturing, transportation, and power directly to the local grid which ranks second in the world other industries — an increase of near homes, farms, businesses, and and meets 4.9 percent of end-use 22,500 jobs from 2013 to 2014. communities. Turbines used in these electricity demand in an average applications can range in size from year. The U.S. was the global leader DISTRIBUTED WIND MARKET a few hundred watts to multi-mega- in total wind energy production in REPORT watts, and can help power remote, 2014. The report also finds that In total, U.S. turbines in distributed off-grid homes and farms as well wind energy prices are at an all-time applications reached a cumulative as local schools and manufacturing low and are competitive with whole- installed capacity of more than 906 facilities. sale power prices and traditional MW — enough to power more than As shown in the report, America’s power sources across many areas of 168,000 average American homes distributed wind energy industry the U.S. — according to the 2014 Distributed supports a growing domestic indus- A new trend identified by the Wind Market Report, also released trial base. U.S.-based small wind report shows utility-scale turbines recently by the Energy Department turbine manufacturers claimed with larger rotors designed for lower and its Pacific Northwest National another strong year of exports to wind speeds have been increasingly Laboratory. This capacity comes countries across the globe, account- deployed across the country in 2014. from roughly 74,000 turbines ing for nearly 80 percent of U.S.- The findings also suggested that the installed across all 50 states, Puerto based manufacturers’ sales. success of the U.S. wind industry Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. has had a ripple effect on the Amer- Compared with traditional, cen- — Source: Department of Energy

AMERICAN WIND POWER CONTINUES TO RAMP UP IN 2015 With 1,661 MW of newly installed wind turbines The federal renewable energy Production Tax coming online during the second quarter of 2015 and Credit (PTC), which has the option to be taken as an more than 13,600 MW under construction, American Investment Tax Credit (ITC) instead, is the primary wind power continues to increase its contribution to federal tax incentive for wind energy. This incentive the U.S. electric power grid. The approval in May of has helped drive more than $100 billion in private Florida’s first purchase of wind energy from a wind investment in the U.S. since 2008 and has been in- project in Oklahoma added to the growing trend of strumental in allowing the industry to lower costs by southeastern states purchasing wind power, as did more than 50 percent in the last five years. the recent announcement of the first utility-scale AWEA’s Second Quarter 2015 Market Report released wind farm to be built in North Carolina. shows 1,994 MW were installed during the first half of Building on that momentum, Congress also took 2015. While that figure more than doubles installations a step in the right direction when the U.S. Senate during the same time period last year, it is still well be- Finance Committee voted 23-3 to extend the primary low the pace set in 2012 when the U.S. industry installed federal tax incentives for growing renewable energy more than 2,900 MW in the first half of the year and as part of a larger tax policy extension bill. eventually provided 42 percent of all new U.S. electric “With a near-record amount of wind capacity generating capacity at year’s end. under construction, this looks to be a strong year Looking forward, more than 100 wind projects are for American wind power,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO under construction in 24 states, representing more than of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). 13,600 MW of total wind capacity and over $20 billion “However, to create longer term stability for the worth of private investment. The majority of new wind industry, the full Senate and the House of Represen- construction activity is in Texas with Oklahoma, Kan- tatives must move quickly to extend the PTC and sas, Iowa, and North Dakota also benefiting from large ITC. The overwhelming bipartisan vote by the Senate amounts of new investment. Finance Committee to extend the PTC and ITC is “This was the strongest second quarter ever for wind, good news for the 73,000 Americans employed by the and we continue to see robust activity in the industry,” wind power industry.” said Hannah Hunt, research analyst for AWEA. “How-

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In total, utilities signed over 800 MW of new PPAs for wind power in the second quarter of 2015, building on the roughly 12,000 MW of power purchase agreements signed since the beginning of 2013. Successful U.S. companies and other non-traditional purchasers are also increasingly turning to wind energy as a source of clean, stably priced energy. Amazon Web Services (AWS) will purchase the output of the recently announced North Carolina wind project. In announcing the agreement, Jerry Hunter, vice president of Infra- structure at Amazon, said that the company encourages policymakers to “extend the tax incentives” for renewable energy projects. “This agreement, and those previously in place, puts AWS on track to surpass our goal of 40 percent renewable energy globally by the end of 2016,” Hunter said. “We’re far from being done. We’ll continue pursuing projects that deliver clean energy to the various energy grids that serve AWS data centers, we’ll continue working with our power providers to increase their renewable energy quotient, and we’ll continue to strongly encourage our partners in

Wind Power Energy government to extend the tax incentives that make it more viable for renewable projects to get off the ground.” ever, uncertainty around federal tax policy clouds the The second quarter also saw the commissioning of two outlook for new growth and could result in the industry utility-scale wind projects with corporate purchaser in- being forced off another cliff.” vestment. Both a 98-MW wind farm in Illinois owned by There are now 67,870 MW of installed wind capacity IKEA and a 211 MW Texas wind farm invested in by Mars, in the U.S. and over 49,000 wind turbines online. Texas Inc., are now online and will be providing low-cost wind continues to lead the nation with over 15,000 MW of in- power to satisfy the companies’ high energy demands. stalled wind capacity, and California now has over 6,000 Facebook also made news in the second quarter when MW of installed capacity. it announced its new data center in Texas would purchase the output of a 200-MW wind plant. NEW TRENDS AS INDUSTRY GROWS “[The data center] will be powered by 100-percent The Florida-based utility Gulf Power and the Arkan- renewable energy thanks to the 200 MW of new wind sas Electric Cooperative Corp. signed power purchase energy we helped bring to the Texas grid as part of this agreements (PPA) for 180 MW and 108 MW of wind in deal,” Tom Furlong, vice president of Infrastructure for the second quarter, respectively, building on the trend of Facebook, said. “Thanks to our continued focus on effi- Southeastern utilities choosing to purchase wind energy. ciency and our investments in renewables in recent years, These announcements are paired with recent news in the carbon impact of one person’s use of Facebook for an July that construction will begin on the first commer- entire year is the same as the carbon impact of a medium cial-scale wind farm in North Carolina. At 208 MW, the latte.” announced project will be far larger than any other in Hewlett Packard also recently announced that it plans the Southeast, and the first utility-scale project in the to power its Texas data centers with wind power, signing a region since 2004. Once online, it will bring the total 112-MW PPA for the energy output from a planned wind number of states with utility-scale wind projects to 40. farm in the state. Technological advances, primarily the use of taller wind These companies and traditional utilities have ex- turbine towers and longer blades to reach higher quality plained that they are attracted by wind energy’s unique wind resources, are opening up all regions of the country lack of fuel cost, which builds a more balanced energy to wind project development. The Southeast has long portfolio that protects against increases in the price of been a center of wind industry manufacturing, and these other fuels. recent developments bring even more benefits to the region. —Source: AW EA

10 SEPTEMBER | 2015 DIRECTION

GERMANY BREAKS A RENEWABLE ENERGY RECORD Europe’s industrial powerhouse shows how other fossil-fuel nations can kick their coal habit

Germany’s transition from coal- and oil-fired power to carbon-free electricity hit a new milestone on July 25 when solar, wind, and other sources of renewable energy met 78 percent of the day’s energy demand. That beat the old record of 74 percent made in May 2014, according to Craig Morris, a jour- nalist who has covered Germany’s energy scene for more than a decade. Helping set the record was an unusual weather pattern that brought heavy winds where most of the nation’s wind turbines are located. As the turbines generat- Christian Charisius/Reuters ed more power, utilities ramped down coal- and gas-fired power Germany gets much of its renewable energy from wind farms like this one in the plants. North Sea.

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windsystemsmag.com 11 DIRECTION

But Morris found the power mix a few days earlier many’s electricity comes from renewables annually, even more encouraging. During the night of July which is pretty amazing for a large industrialized 22, even with darkness reducing solar output to country,” Davidson said. zero and no big winds in the forecast, renewables — According to Davidson, Germany is a model for wind, biomass, and hydropower — generated nearly the United States, “because manufacturing accounts 25 percent of Germany’s electricity. for much more of the German economy than the Morris found the energy data for both dates using American economy, and they have 80 million people an online tool sponsored by the Germany-based — much larger than a country like Denmark, which Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. gets more of its power from renewables but has a Germany’s experience shows that solar and wind much smaller industrial base and has a population of can keep the lights on in a highly industrialized five-and-a-half million people.” nation, according to Osha Gray Davidson, author of The U.S. currently gets approximately 10 percent Clean Break, a book about Germany’s transition to of its electricity from renewable sources, according carbon-free energy. to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “The key indicator is percentage of electricity produced by different sources — 28 percent of Ger- — Source: TakePart

OFFICIALS HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR STABLE POLICY TO CONTINUE GROWING WIND ENERGY

investments and the help of stable policies, we’re confident that wind power will keep playing a major role in creating jobs and shaping Ameri- ca’s clean energy future.” American wind power has become increasingly affordable due to the success of performance-based renewable energy tax incentives in driving U.S. manufacturing and American ingenuity. The cost of wind energy has fallen 65.5 percent since 2009 according to the DOE report, which also says the U.S. is the global leader in total wind energy production with enough to power the equivalent of 18 million average Department of Energy American homes. “While this report is good news, Judith Gap Wind Farm extending the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit remains Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz tinued technological development, critical for keeping Americans at emphasized the need for stable these reports demonstrate that wind work, reducing the cost of wind policy for wind energy as the U.S. power is a reliable source of clean, energy, and continuing to scale up Department of Energy (DOE) renewable energy for American this homegrown resource through released data showing that the cost homes and businesses,” Moniz the end of this decade,” said Tom Ki- of wind energy has fallen by nearly said in a release issued by the DOE ernan, CEO of the American Wind two-thirds over the last six years. about its 2014 Wind Technologies Energy Association (AWEA). “Wind “With declining costs and con- Market Report. “Through continued energy is increasingly cost-compet-

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itive in several parts of the U.S., but we need stable, predictable policy NREL REPORT EXAMINES ENERGY to continue bringing this consumer USE IN CITIES AND PROPOSES NEXT benefit to every corner of the country. Policy stability will keep this STEPS FOR ENERGY INNOVATION American economic success story What U.S. cities are doing to reduce their energy use is outlined in going.” a new report from the Energy Department’s National Renewable American wind power supports Energy Laboratory (NREL) that sets the stage for broader discussion 73,000 direct jobs in 50 states with and analysis. Given increasing urbanization and their large energy nearly 20,000 well-paid manufac- footprint, cities are a prime focal point for establishing a clean ener- turing jobs. Federal policy plays gy future. a critical role in the wind indus- The report, “City-Level Energy Decision Making: Data Use in try’s decisions to make long-term Energy Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation in U.S. Cities,” an- investments in U.S. manufacturing alyzes and presents information learned from a sample of 20 cities facilities, research and development, across the United States from Los Angeles to Boston, including a and worker training to create the diverse sample of population size, utility type, region, annual green- modern American wind industry. house gas reduction targets, vehicle use, and median household An extension of the Production Tax income. Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax “City-level practitioners are doing inspiring energy-related work Credit (ITC) enables the private and are hungry for resources and tools to help them,” NREL lead investment needed for American author Alexandra Aznar said. “This paper provides a snapshot of wind power to make the further the kinds of energy-related actions cities are taking as well as the gains in productivity needed to challenges they face. The results confirm the need for many of the achieve cost competitiveness with tools the Cities Leading through Energy Analysis and Planning (Cit- more traditional sources of electric- ies-LEAP) project is developing.” ity. That would allow for American The report compares climate, sustainability, and energy plans to homes and businesses to have great- better understand how cities are taking energy-related actions and er access to reliable, stably priced, measuring their impacts. Some common energy-related goals focus non-polluting, and homegrown on reducing city-wide carbon emissions, improving energy effi- wind energy for decades to come. ciency across sectors, increasing renewable energy, and increasing However, near-term uncertainty biking and walking. about the PTC and ITC puts those The publication also evaluates the relationship between city goals, investments and the gains they have actions, metrics, and data and provides suggestions for cities to achieved at risk. The U.S. wind in- make the best use of the energy planning tools available. Next steps dustry lost nearly 30,000 well-pay- for cities are outlined, including how cities can set more strategic ing jobs the last time Congress did energy goals, prioritize actions, and lead clean energy innovation. not provide wind power with policy Along with reinforcing the need for clean energy planning and eval- stability, pushing the industry off uation, recommendations include: an economic cliff and causing wind installations to drop 92 percent the • Tailoring energy-related actions and goals to city characteristics, following year. including socioeconomics, geography, and built environment According to the DOE’s recent • Understanding the cost-effectiveness of specific actions Wind Vision report, growing wind • Integrating energy considerations into all planning processes energy to 20 percent of the U.S. (capital improvement plans, comprehensive plans, etc.) electricity mix could create 380,000 jobs. Wind Vision also says wind This report is part of the Cities-LEAP project, which aims to could support 600,000 jobs by sup- deliver energy data and analysis that enables cities to make clean plying 35 percent by 2050, which energy decisions using strategic energy analysis. It was funded by would result in cumulative savings the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable on consumer electric bills of $149 Energy. billion. — Source: AWEA —Source: NREL

windsystemsmag.com 13 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE OFFSHORE IS THE TIDE FINALLY TURNING FOR OFFSHORE WIND IN THE UNITED STATES? By Jim Wrathall, Van Hilderbrand, Jeffrey Karp, and Morgan Gerard

or more than a decade, off- in Europe, offshore wind supply shore wind has been viewed chain and construction activities Fas the next big thing in the will generate thousands of new U.S. energy mix. In Europe, bil- jobs, infrastructure development, lions of euros have been invested and related economic growth. in 82 offshore wind farms — 10.4 Offshore wind continues to face GW of capacity, according to the difficult regulatory and political European Wind Energy Associa- hurdles in the U.S., including a tion (EWEA) — roughly equiva- maze of permitting and environ- lent to the power production of mental laws and requirements. 10 large nuclear power plants. Opposition to offshore wind that Meanwhile, the United States is well-coordinated and amply market stalled completely, mired financed by fossil fuel interests in regulatory uncertainties, litiga- focuses on so-called “visual pollution, and lack of financing. tion” and harm to birds in seeking However, with the start of con- to block offshore projects at every struction of the Block Island Wind level. Farm off the coast of Rhode Island These obstacles have been this summer, the sector may final- evident in the struggles of the ly be emerging. U.S. offshore wind 130-turbine Cape Wind project resources are abundant, stronger, in the Nantucket Sound off the and blow more consistently than coast of Massachusetts, which land-based wind resources, with remains in limbo after more than an estimated 4,200 GW of devel- a decade of planning, regulatory opable offshore wind potential. proceedings, and litigation. Other Substantial development work proposed projects off the coasts already has been undertaken. As of New Jersey and Delaware have of late 2014, the U.S. Department stalled in the face of similar ob- of Energy (DOE) reported 14 off- stacles. absence of debt financing neces- shore wind projects in advanced When compared to Europe, U.S. sary to fund the large required stages of development in the U.S. developers also face major finan- capital investments. with over 4.9 GW of capacity. cial challenges, including higher However, there are several U.S. offshore wind resources costs of building offshore wind reasons to believe the sector offer large economic benefits. Ac- farms; the expense of transmis- has reached an inflection point cording to the DOE, deploying 54 sion equipment for connecting in 2015. Macro energy supply, GW of U.S. offshore wind power them to the onshore grid; lack economic considerations, and could reduce the cost of electric- of governmental incentives and climate-related concerns support ity in the U.S. by $7.68 billion a policy support; insufficient coor- development of U.S. offshore year — equivalent to $100 per dination among state, local, and wind projects (now more than year for a family of four. As seen federal agencies; and the resulting ever), particularly in the New

14 SEPTEMBER | 2015 Oliman1st

England and mid-Atlantic regions. Can the U.S. offshore wind ALSO IN THIS SECTION Traditional coal-burning power market finally turn the corner? plants are rapidly being retired, Recent developments suggest that 20 Historic Milestone for and they’re not being replaced. it could. America’s First Offshore Offshore wind is one of the few Wind Farm resources offering the necessary U.S. OFFSHORE WIND scale to fill the coming void. Wind BREAKS GROUND 22 Coastal Carolina Scientists energy is also becoming far less A great deal of attention has been Work on Wind Energy costly, given technology improve- focused on the first commer- Studies ments, and is increasingly sup- cial-scale offshore wind project ported by federal and state policies to commence construction — the 23 Siemens to Build Wind addressing climate change. 30-MW Block Island Wind Farm Power Plant

windsystemsmag.com 15 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

off the coast of Rhode Island. reportedly giving Goldman an creased capacity from 6 to 7 MW, Deepwater Wind, the project 18 percent stake in the company. using new magnet-based generator developer, estimates the project Goldman has been a leader in technology that eliminates gear- will generate over 100,000 MWh innovative project finance and ing, and reengineered converter of energy annually. The project public-private partnerships in and transformer technologies, is expected to begin producing other sectors. There is little doubt improving output by more than energy in late 2016. that it will pursue a comprehen- 10 percent. The Siemens system Also, in late July, the Bureau sive U.S. strategy to support its is optimized for reactive power of Ocean Energy Management investment in offshore wind. compensation, contributing grid (BOEM) approved DONG Energy’s Beyond these recent develop- stability functions that are vitally acquisition of a 25-year commer- ments, several broader market and important in regions such as New cial wind lease area in federal regulatory features are evolving England and the mid-Atlantic. waters 55 miles off the coast of to support U.S. offshore wind, Also, the Danish wind giant Massachusetts from RES Ameri- including those listed here. Vestas has deployed an 8-MW cas. The project could accommo- turbine as part of a joint venture date more than 1 GW of installed IMPROVED TURBINE SIZE, with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. capacity. DONG Energy’s entry PERFORMANCE, AND In May, Vestas announced that a into the U.S. market is significant. RELIABILITY prototype set a new benchmark Majority-owned by the Danish The massive investments in Eu- for power production, generating government, DONG is a heavy- rope have driven major technol- 192,000 kWh in a 24-hour period weight in European waters with ogy improvements. Turbine size — enough to power approximate- about one-third of the offshore and power output have substan- ly 13,500 Danish households. installations there. Earlier this tially increased. For example, ear- As recently as 2014, industry year, DONG received an equity lier this year, Siemens announced consultants were projecting that investment from Goldman Sachs, a new prototype turbine that in- average turbine sizes would re-

16 SEPTEMBER | 2015 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

main around 5 MW for pending established permitting authority DOE’s Offshore Wind Innovation U.S. projects. If the larger and in the BOEM. and Demonstration Initiative has better-performing European The Block Island project has several pilot projects designed turbines can be rapidly deployed, clearly benefited from lessons to demonstrate offshore wind that alone can be a game changer learned by Cape Wind. Just two power technology advancements. for the U.S. years after lease approvals, Deep- BOEM also has implemented a water Wind already has “steel in streamlined integrated siting and PERMIT STREAMLINING the water” as a result of collabora- permitting program called “Smart The Cape Wind project was ex- tive efforts of state regulators and from the Start,” which has been a pected to lead the way in opening BOEM. The federal agency timely major aspect of the acceleration in the U.S. offshore wind markets. awarded a right-of-way grant for project review times. However, the project is stalled an 8-nautical-mile-long, 200-foot U.S. federal climate policy is for the moment, entirely due to wide corridor in federal waters generating further support. On economic issues, as the off-tak- on the outer continental shelf for August 10, the U.S. Environ- ers withdrew from their power transmission to connect the wind mental Protection Agency (EPA) purchase agreements. Prior to farm to the mainland. announced final regulations im- that point, the project did success- plementing the Clean Power Plan fully resolve regulatory and legal IMPROVING REGULATORY (CPP), mandating states to achieve uncertainties, including secur- AND POLITICAL CLIMATE a 32-percent reduction from ing all federal and state permits. The Obama Administration con- 2005 carbon emission levels from Cape Wind shows the benefits of tinues to support offshore wind. existing power plants by 2030. centralized federal agency juris- The DOE has promulgated a na- Many of the New England and diction and streamlined permit- tional plan calling for deployment mid-Atlantic states are viewing ting under the provisions of the of 10 GW of offshore wind capac- offshore wind as a key compli- Energy Policy Act of 2005 that ity by 2020 and 54 GW by 2030. ance measure. CPP requirements

windsystemsmag.com 17 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

also can be met through state and ated an OREC system and mandated York Green Bank anchor financing regional trading programs, which that if an offshore wind project is together with lease and power pur- are expected to generate new forms constructed, Maryland utilities will chase agreements and then compet- of bankable credits, thus providing be required to procure up to 2.5 per- itively bid the entire package. This further financial support for invest- cent of their portfolio from offshore combination of revenue certainty, ments in offshore wind. wind energy as early as 2017. A key site control, and anchor financing The broader political dynamic for political concern for these programs would likely produce very compet- offshore wind remains uncertain. is ensuring ratepayer protection. itive bids and low costs of deliv- There is some chance federal tax in- The Maryland bill capped increased ered energy.” Major private sector centives will continue with the Pro- charges that could be passed along participants such as Goldman Sachs duction Tax Credit (PTC) extender by the state’s utilities at an addition- will likely bring other innovative bill passing the Senate Finance al $1.50 per month on ratepayers’ approaches to bear in supporting Committee on July 21. On August electricity bills. long-term wind project financing. 12, Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) In March, the New York State and Susan Collins (R-Maine) Energy Research and Development ADDITIONAL LEASES reintroduced the Incentivizing Authority (NYSERDA) released The availability of lease sites — a Offshore Wind Power Act creating a report concluding that with full crucial factor for successful project a tax credit for the first 3,000-MW support for offshore wind, the state development — also appears to be offshore wind facilities placed into can see price cuts of more than half trending upward. BOEM, in con- service. While the bill has little by 2020, resulting from the use of junction with several coastal state chance of being passed on its own, larger turbines and cost reductions governments, is poised to reopen there is some potential that it could achieved by economies of scale. The the procurement process for addi- be rolled into comprehensive energy Long Island-New York City Offshore tional leases in New York and New or tax reform legislation in the full Wind Collaborative is working on Jersey, while stakeholders presently Senate this fall. However, prospects a utility-scale project to be located are being engaged in North Carolina for PTC extension or enactment of about 15 miles off the Rockaways on and South Carolina. Acquiring an Offshore Wind Investment Tax Nassau County’s southern shore. projects in mid-development also is Credit this year will be tempered In Massachusetts, proposed legis- an option, although proposed lease by the strong ideological opposition lation would enable offshore wind assignments are subject to approval by Republicans controlling both the projects to access investment-grade by BOEM. House and the Senate. financing, as it would require local State level programs and incen- utilities to conduct four joint solici- IMPORTANCE OF A tives may be even more critical in tations for offshore wind beginning DEVELOPED SUPPLY CHAIN providing revenue certainty to make October 1, 2016, and to enter into The success of offshore wind in projects viable and attractive to the 20- to 30-year contracts with devel- Europe illustrates the importance of equity and debt investors. States opers, provided the terms and prices achieving critical mass in devel- such as Massachusetts, New York, of the responses are “commercially oping infrastructure and distri- Rhode Island, Maine, Maryland, reasonable.” These ensured long- bution to drive down costs. Here New Jersey, and Virginia are con- term contracts would increase secu- in the U.S., a number of states and tinuing to consider policies provid- rity of payback for lenders. organizations are working on this ing revenue certainty and financial States also may be able to do more front. According to Liz Burdock, the support. Such incentives may to support project debt through executive director of the Business include Offshore Renewable Energy public infrastructure finance. For Network for Offshore Wind, “State Certificate (OREC) programs, cen- example, New York’s Green Bank offshore wind policies are really tralized procurement processes and has received over $360 million economic development policies. supply chain initiatives, targeted in funding for renewable energy Denmark started with 10 offshore infrastructure development legisla- projects. As the Natural Resources wind turbines; now more than tion, and programs providing finan- Defense Council noted in a recent 56,000 people are employed in the cial support for private sector debt white paper, “It would be a powerful Danish wind industry. States must finance of new offshore projects. market precedent if the New York work together to build a pipeline For example, the Maryland Off- Collaborative — LIPA, NYPA, and of projects, which will incentivize shore Wind Energy Act of 2013 cre- Con Ed — were able to bundle New the scale required to reduce costs

18 SEPTEMBER | 2015 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

and decrease risk so companies sector, it can be expected that po- can make the necessary long-term litical support for nascent offshore ABOUT SULLIVAN & investments required. Many U.S. projects will grow as well. WORCESTER, LLP companies are evaluating how they Sullivan & Worcester is a leading corporate law firm can pivot into the offshore wind AVAILABILITY OF FINANCING providing counsel to domestic supply chain. As the U.S. market Obtaining financing for large off- and international clients ranging emerges, the Business Network will shore wind projects is a challenge. from Fortune 500 companies to emerging businesses. With more help companies develop innovative Banks and equity investors are than 185 attorneys in Boston, technologies and processes and wary of new technologies and the New York, Washington, D.C., export to the €180 billion global risks perceived to be associated and London, the firm offers a full range of corporate legal services. offshore wind industry. It is im- with offshore wind energy. Yet the It’s Energy Finance Practice portant that we enhance U.S. busi- landscape appears to be shifting Group represents clients in energy ness expertise and build out the on the financing front as well. The project development and finance transactions; acquisitions, sales supply chain now; otherwise, when Block Island project secured $290 and licensing projects; and energy commercial-scale U.S. projects go million in debt and equity financing and climate policy matters. The to construction, the work will be earlier this year. Given the relative firm works as partners with its clients, providing legal support done by European firms.” speed with which the Block Island through the lens of its deep under- regulatory approvals were obtained, standing of energy finance and the PROGRESS IN OFFSHORE regulatory risks may become less of unprecedented change underway in the energy industry, to bring WIND ENERGY TRANSMISSION a concern for investors. positive solutions and real value to CAPACITY A 68-turbine project is being its investments and businesses. Historically, U.S. offshore wind planned by US Wind, Inc., off the Members of the Energy Finance Practice have substantial experi- projects have been constrained by coast of Ocean City, Maryland, ence in onshore and offshore wind the lack of transmission capacity, capable of generating 500 MW of energy matters. Representative requiring them to provide and electricity. To cover the proj- matters include: represented the Conservation Law Foundation finance their own infrastructure ect’s nearly $2.3 billion cost, the in support of the Cape Wind for transmission of wind energy company plans to pursue a mix offshore wind project off the coast to onshore uses. Progress is being of financing mechanisms includ- of Massachusetts, including in federal court litigation, adminis- made on the build out of the Atlan- ing substantial OREC financing trative, and regulatory matters; tic Wind Connection, an undersea to be repaid after the turbines are served as North American counsel high-voltage transmission line that constructed and operating. Another for a major vertically integrated renewable energy company, would provide a backbone to con- project from the same developer as advising on offshore wind joint nect offshore projects extending Block Island, Deepwater Wind, is venture structuring, debt and from New York to Virginia. The Deepwater ONE, also in the Rhode equity investments, and regulatory matters; advised developers with first phase is scheduled to begin Island Sound. This planned 150-200 respect to proposed offshore wind construction in 2016. turbine project will be capable of projects off the coast of New Jer- generating from 900 to 1,200 MW. sey; represented an infrastructure development, management, and MATURING ONSHORE U.S. Success in obtaining financing for operations company building WIND MARKETS these larger projects will be a key out a portfolio of wind power Onshore wind energy has turned a barometer indicating real progress. generation assets; performed due diligence supporting the purchase corner in the U.S., reaching major of a controlling interest in a milestones for market penetration, CONCLUSION 450-MW portfolio of three wind reduced costs, and job creation. The Major deployment of offshore wind projects by the infrastructure fund of a major U.S. bank; and repre- DOE recently reported that wind in the U.S. will require further prog- sented a leading European bank as prices have hit an all-time low, with ress in many of the areas discussed lender to a nearly 400-MW wind average levelized long-term prices here. Given the economic, energy generating facility in Texas. For more information, go to at approximately 2.5 cents/kWh for supply, and climate imperatives, http://www.sandw.com/practic- projects contracted in 2014. Wind however, there appears to be strong es-area-Energy.html or visit the has comprised 33 percent of all momentum building toward the firm’s blog, the Energy Finance new U.S. electric capacity additions long-awaited breakthrough in U.S. Report, at http://www.energyfin- since 2007, according to the DOE. offshore wind capital investment ancereport.com. With the maturation of the onshore and project development.

windsystemsmag.com 19 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR AMERICA’S FIRST OFFSHORE WIND FARM Block Island Wind Farm completes and installs first of five steel foundation jackets

Deepwater Wind

In a historic moment for the American offshore federal and state regulators, Block Islanders, and wind industry, the Block Island Wind Farm has project supporters to celebrate the milestone during reached its “steel in the water” milestone with the a ferry tour of the offshore construction site. installation of the first wind farm foundation com- “We know the world is watching closely what ponent. we do here, and we’re incredibly proud to be at the Deepwater Wind’s offshore foundation installa- forefront of a new American clean-tech industry tion contractor set the first, 400-ton steel jacket on launching right here in the Ocean State,” said CEO the sea floor on Sunday, July 26, at the wind farm Jeffrey Grybowski. “This moment has been years site, roughly 3 miles off the Block Island coast. A in the making – and it’s just the start of something joint venture between Weeks Marine and Manson very big.” Construction is serving as Deepwater Wind’s off- This first of five foundation installations kicks shore foundation installation contractor. off a busy construction period for the 30-MW Block Deepwater Wind’s leaders were joined on July 27 Island Wind Farm. During the roughly eight-week by Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo, U.S. construction period this summer, more than a dozen Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, U.S. Bureau construction and transport barges, tugboats, crew of Ocean Energy Management Director Abigail Ross ships and monitoring vessels will be active at the Hopper, the state’s congressional delegation, and offshore construction site. more than a hundred other elected officials, leaders of national environmental advocacy organizations, — Source: Deepwater Wind

20 SEPTEMBER | 2015 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

SECRETARY JEWELL AND DIRECTOR HOPPER LAUD CONSTRUCTION OF NATION’S FIRST OFFSHORE WIND FARM

As part of President Obama’s Climate tap into the enormous power of the David Cicilline; Deepwater Wind’s Action Plan to create American jobs, Atlantic’s coastal winds to provide CEO Jeffrey Grybowski; members of develop clean energy sources, and cut reliable, affordable, and clean energy the state General Assembly; represen- carbon pollution, U.S. Secretary of to Rhode Islanders, but will also serve tatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- the Interior Sally Jewell and Bureau of as a beacon for America’s sustainable neers; and members of the environ- Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) energy future.” mental community. The celebration Director Abigail Ross Hopper joined “As the Nation’s pioneering offshore included a boat tour of the project site Rhode Island Governor Gina M. commercial wind farm, the lessons to provide a close look at the turbine Raimondo, the state’s congressional learned from the Block Island project foundation work underway. delegation, and representatives of about facility design, fabrication, Deepwater Wind is constructing Deepwater Wind — the project devel- and installation will inform future a five-turbine, 30-MW wind farm in opers — in celebrating America’s first projects to be developed on the Outer state waters about 3 nautical miles commercial scale offshore wind farm. Continental Shelf,” Hopper said. “This southeast of Block Island. At 589 feet “Interior is proud to be a partner is an exciting development for Block above sea level, the turbines will be in this historic milestone for offshore Island and also demonstrates the way among the tallest in the world. The renewable energy,” Jewell said. “Deep- forward for wind energy in federal project, scheduled to be online in 2016, water Wind and Rhode Island officials waters off America’s coasts.” is expected to power about 17,000 have demonstrated what can be ac- Also participating in the celebration homes. The facility will provide elec- complished through a forward-looking were Rhode Island’s U.S. Senators Jack tricity directly from the wind farm to vision and good working partnerships. Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Block Island. Because the island uses Block Island Wind Farm will not only U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and only 1 MW of power in the off-season

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DR_HMC_Wind_Systems_WindEnergy2016_165x108_GB_001Seitex1von1 1 windsystemsmag.com23.07.15 14:10 21

543259-U04 I HMC – Wind Energy 2016 – Anzeige I Datei: HMC_Wind_Systems_WindEnergy_165x108_GB|4c Euroskala, Offset|Format: 165 x 108 mm | Beschnitt: 0 mm | Titel: Save the Date I DU: 07.08.2015 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

and 4 MW in the summer peak season, for analyzing the potential environ- or tribal lands, including associated the remaining 90 percent of the energy mental effects of the project under transmission corridors and infrastruc- produced during the off-season will the National Environmental Policy ture to connect to established power be sent to other state customers via Act (NEPA). In addition to issuing the grids. When built, these projects could a 25-mile bi-directional submerged right-of-way grant, BOEM was a coop- provide about 14,600 MW — enough transmission cable between Block erating agency in the NEPA analysis energy to power nearly 4.9 million Island and the Rhode Island mainland. and associated consultations led by the homes and support more than 24,000 Eight miles of the transmission line Corps. construction and operations jobs. cross federal waters. After determin- To date, BOEM has awarded nine The success of the Block Island ing that there was no overlapping commercial wind energy leases off the project was enabled by the strong competitive interest in the proposed Atlantic coast: two noncompetitively support of state and local leaders right-of-way area on the Outer issued leases (one for the proposed who developed early policies for the Continental Shelf and conducting an Cape Wind project in Nantucket planning and proper siting of the environmental review, BOEM issued a Sound offshore Massachusetts and one wind farm as part of the state’s overall right-of-way grant to Deepwater Wind offshore Delaware) and seven com- renewables goals and marine spatial Block Island Transmission System, petitively issued leases (two offshore planning efforts. Beginning with Gov- LLC, in 2014. Rhode Island-Massachusetts, two ernor Donald Carcieri and continuing The wind farm will produce more offshore Massachusetts, two offshore with Governor Lincoln Chafee, and than 100 million kWh of clean energy Maryland, and one offshore Virginia). now-Governor Gina M. Raimondo, annually, and Deepwater Wind will The competitive lease sales generated Rhode Island’s top officials have all sell the electricity through a Power about $14.5 million in winning bids supported offshore wind and the Purchase Agreement to National Grid, for more than 700,000 acres in federal development of the Block Island Wind a Rhode Island utility. Project devel- waters. BOEM is expected to hold an Farm. Rhode Island’s Congressional opers estimate the wind farm will additional competitive auction for a delegation also supported federal tax reduce electric costs by 40 percent for Wind Energy Areas offshore New and permitting policies important for the average ratepayer on Block Island, Jersey later this year. this project and industry. Deepwater which currently relies on expensive Spurring responsible development Wind worked closely with federal and diesel-powered generators. With the of offshore wind energy is part of a state agencies and local environmental transmission line, Block Island has no series of Obama administration actions groups in developing a groundbreaking need for backup diesel generators, as it to increase renewable energy both set of construction rules to minimize can purchase electricity from National offshore and onshore by improving any impacts on marine mammals. Grid once the cable is laid. coor dination with state, local, and Maps and additional information Because the project will be sited in federal partners. Since 2009, the DOI on this project are available on DOI’s state waters, the U.S. Army Corps of has approved 56 wind, solar, and geo- website. Engineers was the lead federal agency thermal utility-scale projects on public — Source DOI

COASTAL CAROLINA SCIENTISTS WORK ON WIND ENERGY STUDIES Coastal Carolina University (CCU) scientists deploy the instrumentation buoy at the McManus Reef off North Myrtle Beach

CCU’s School of Coastal and Marine System Science that will support wind energy studies for validation (CMSS) is deploying its meteorological and oceanograph- of CCU’s interactively coupled ocean, wave, and ic instrumentation buoy to support long-term student re- atmospheric modeling system. The system will also search at the McManus Reef off North Myrtle Beach. The feed into the National Weather Service’s weather buoy system will also be part of broader experiments modeling system. continuing the school’s work on evaluating the potential CCU, the University of South Carolina, and the for wind energy development off South Carolina’s coast. South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and An- The CMSS faculty, staff, and students deployed the thropology received $1.5 million in federal and state instrument system to feed near real-time measurements grant money to use the school’s geophysical mapping

22 SEPTEMBER | 2015 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

Coastal Carolina University

system to characterize areas that wind developers Light Tower — 25 miles offshore of Cape Fear — was should embrace or avoid off the coast. deployed from the National Oceanic and Atmospher- According to Paul Gayes, the director of the school ic Administration (NOAA) ship, the Nancy Foster, and the lead technical investigator, the project will use during a cooperative fishery habitat survey con- continuous geophysical mapping of certain portions of ducted by NOAA and CCU scientists. The cruise is the ocean floor to determine what wildlife habitats and supporting two coastal marine and wetlands studies cultural resources are just off the coast. (CMWS) master’s degree projects and aiding in the The Coastal Explorer, CCU’s 54-foot aluminum improvement of mapping of critical habitat in the research vessel, is assisting in deployment of the buoys region. and transportation to help with the complex operation. The buoy at Ron McManus Reef and a second — Source: Coastal Carolina instrument system installed off Frying Pan Shoals University

SIEMENS TO BUILD WIND POWER PLANT IN CUXHAVEN, GERMANY

Siemens has invested roughly groundbreaking is scheduled to tunity for northern Germany and €200 million (approximately $221 take place later this year with pro- Siemens.” million) to build its first produc- duction of the first components to The planned production facility tion facility for offshore wind begin in mid-2017. will have a surface area of 170,000 turbine components in Germany. “The decision to build a new square meters and will be located The factory will manufacture na- production facility in Cuxhaven directly at the edge of Cuxhav- celles for the company’s next-gen- represents a clear commitment to en’s well-developed harbor, eration wind turbines. These wind Germany as a business location,” allowing heavy components to turbines are designed for use at said Joe Kaeser, president and be loaded directly onto transpor- sea and have a capacity of 7 MW. CEO of Siemens AG. “The new tation vessels, thereby avoiding The new factory in Cuxhaven will Siemens factory will employ up expensive ground transportation. be one of Siemens’ most signifi- to 1,000 skilled employees. The The new factory will handle the cant new production facilities in expansion of offshore wind power final assembly of generators, hubs, Germany in recent years and will capacity in Germany and Europe and nacelle back-ends, which are create up to 1,000 new jobs. The represents an enormous oppor- all connected to form complete

windsystemsmag.com 23 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

nacelles — the core of offshore wind turbines. While evaluating the new manufacturing location, the company also intensively examined the possibilities for investing in existing locations that are being impacted by structural transformations “We’re looking forward to building at this factory the most efficient and reliable ‘made-in-Germany’ wind turbines,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of Siemens’ Wind Power and Renewables Division. “We invest where we see opportunities for growth, and Germany and Northern Europe are dynamic growth markets for us. The new factory will also make an important contribution toward helping us reach our goal of making wind power competi-

Siemens tive.” A recently published study by the Renewable UK industry association shows that the costs of offshore wind power have de- clined by 11 percent over the last MAEDC AREA five years alone. In addition to the new facili- Moberly-edc.com 660.263.8811 area::edc ty in Cuxhaven, Siemens is also currently constructing a plant for Amazing Transportation Access rotor blades in Hull, United King- BEST

Regulatory Air: Local Airports Environment dom, for 6- and 7-MW class wind turbines.

Truck: Interstate 70 US v MAEDC This plant is also scheduled Average Wage to be fully operational in 2017. US: $22 Port: Via Missouri River Germany is the most significant MAEDC: $14 market for offshore wind power

Rail: Multi Rail Access after the U.K. Broadband + 4G Siemens is the market leader in economic @ Our region is located near competitiveness the offshore wind power industry. the center of the population of the US called the Missouri is ranked To date, the company has sold 7th by the American population mean. Making Legislative Exchange Council around 3,100 wind turbines and distribution centralized. BEST installed at sea more than 1,470

Seattle Thousands of turbines with a total capacity of Skilled Laborers NewYork Chicago Philadelphia 4.7 GW. Siemens is also a leader

Indianapolis Kansas City

Los Angeles Phoenix San Diego Memphis in offshore grid connections and State and Local Dallas Incentives San Antonio Houston $ offshore service. — Source: Siemens

24 SEPTEMBER | 2015 inFOCUS: OFFSHORE

ROTOR BLADE CWIND SECURES O&M VESSEL SERVICES CONTRACT AT LONDON ARRAY Blade Repair & Maintenance OFFSHORE WIND FARM End of Warranty Inspection 3rd Party Quality Assurance Patented Rotor Balancing Focus on Owner/Operators

519.524.6226 completewind.com

London Array

London Array Operational

CWind, a leading provider of integrat- for CWind Artimus after being ed services to the wind industry, has named at Seawork 2015 last June. announced that it has been awarded The 22-m crew boat powered by a contract for the supply of two crew IPS is capable of carrying up to 30t transfer vessels to the London Array payload or 24,000 liters of fuel, offshore wind farm (OWF) sup- expanding cargo capacities and porting operation and maintenance nautical range. (O&M) activities. “We’re very pleased to return London Array OWF is located 20 to London Array and support km off the Kent coast in the outer their O&M activities,” said Bruce Thames Estuary. Both workboats, the Clements, business development CWind Alliance and CWind Artimus, manager at CWind. “We are de- will be operating from Ramsgate in lighted to have won this contract Kent. CWind Alliance is familiar with following a challenging compet- the site and in 2013 received a recog- itive tender process and we look nition by Siemens for its outstanding forward to working with London vessel performance on site. During Array Ltd and its partners over its first stint at the project, CWind the coming years. This contract Alliance completed 6,000 hours of award is further recognition of our service. CWind Alliance delivered an innovative vessel solutions provid- impressive 363 days of operation on ing our customers in O&M with a the London Array OWF in 2012. winning combination.” The O&M contract at London Array OWF is the first assignment — Source: CWind

windsystemsmag.com 25 29 HUVR Launches with $2 Million Funding; FAA Approved Drone-Based Data Analytics Company 32 Conversation MAINTENANCE Operations • Service & Repair • Inspection • Safety • Equipment • Condition Monitoring • Lubrication HIGH-QUALITY REPAIR STATIONS VS. UP-TOWER REPAIR

By Kainon Irons and Keith Plantier

Figure 1: LGE Pitch Ram Facility

In the wind industry, it is well-known that a downed ers. The high costs of shipping and long wait times have tower results in major financial losses. The question caused wind farms to start looking for regional solutions arises: how can turbines get up and running as quickly closer to home. These factors have paved the way for the as possible for as long as possible? When system compo- repair industry. By purchasing refurbished units, the lo- nents fail due to hydraulic rams, yaw drives, and accu- gistical challenges associated with buying new units are mulators, for example, choices then become very limit- eliminated. However, the quality of repair is then called ed. You are then left with the decision to purchase new into question. When buying new becomes unfeasible or units or obtain refurbished or repaired units. Two major too expensive, what is the best course of action when pitfalls of buying new units are long lead times that are deciding which route to take with repaired units? encountered and the logistical challenges of receiving new units that are manufactured nowhere near wind QUICK FIX OR QUALITY FIX? farms. For instance, wind farms in the U.S. that have Due to the difficulties and costs associated with buying turbines manufactured overseas are forced to absorb the new units, companies that are refurbishing units have cost of obtaining new components from the manufactur- found a niche in the wind industry. There is a demand

26 SEPTEMBER | 2015

from wind farms with downed pursued in vain. In comparison to carry out an effective, long-lasting turbines to seek out this route of the two repair styles, up-tower repair. One improvement LGE has because of the economic advantag- repairs are primarily focused with utilized recently is through the use es of decreasing the costs related speed, and independent facility re- of bellows made of a tougher mate- to shipping and long lead times. pairs are primarily focused on qual- rial with a zip-up design for easier Repaired units have received a ity. This doesn’t mean that one can’t installment in order to protect rods mixed reputation due to the sources produce quality and the other can’t more effectively in dirty environ- of repair. Something important for produce quickly; it just demonstrates ments, as shown in Figure 3. customers to consider when looking each type’s specialty. This allows for the problem to be at refurbished units is the fine combated before it occurs. Contam- line between the quick fix and the THE DIRT ON BUYING USED ination is important to consider not quality fix. There are benefits and Contamination proves to be the lead- only in hydraulic systems, but also drawbacks to consider when looking ing cause of problems with many in gear drives and where oil and at each. Up-tower repair companies turbine components, especially in moving parts are implemented. have stepped into the role of the hydraulic systems. Hydraulic cylin- quick fix. Independent, regional ders (or pitch rams) serve as a good TESTING THE REPAIR repair facilities, such as Lighthouse example to consider when looking Testing refurbished units to condi- Global Energy (LGE), have opted for at the two repair philosophies. How tions experienced in the field is a the quality fix. The greatest benefit does an independent repair company proven way to know if repairs are of up-tower repair is how quickly it’s such as LGE approach the solution good or bad. Whether it is a leak completed. when compared to an up-tower solu- check in a hydraulic system or a This is the quickest way to get the tion? When a cylinder goes down, torque test in a yaw drive, the infor- turbine running again, but will the contamination is attributed as the mation gathered from testing is es- repair last? From the perspective of primary mode of failure in hydraulic sential to developing the best repair LGE, the long-lasting repair is more systems due to the effects of dirty solution. It is through this process of important than the short-term fix, oil [1]. Dirty hydraulic fluid not testing and R&D that the best repair even if the turnaround time takes only damages cylinders, it can also solutions are developed. slightly longer,. LGE has taken the damage other major components, “The reason we have been able time to do the little things right, and such as pumps and valves, as shown to get the customer base we have is it is this attention to detail that leads in Figure 2. because of our high-quality testing to long-lasting, high-quality repairs. Turbine hydraulic systems are not procedures and our ability to accom- Furthermore, LGE is strategically lo- exempt from this plague, especially modate customer delivery sched- cated in Abilene, Texas, where wind in the windswept plains and farm- ules,” said Ruben Guerrero, LGE’s energy plays a predominant role in lands of West Texas. When looking business development manager. the region. A dedicated repair facili- at the repair of a hydraulic cylinder, LGE has devoted a lot of time and ty is able to focus in and provide ar- it is essential to be as clean as possi- money into engineering and re- eas solely devoted to a particular job, ble in order to protect components search for making the best possible which in turn, allows for specialized from dirt and other foreign particles tests to simulate the complex condi- fixtures and tools to be fabricated that can wreak havoc on rods, seals, tions experienced in the turbines. that make the job easier and more and barrels. This becomes prob- Whether it is looking at the surge efficient, as shown in Figure 1. lematic for the up-tower solution. If in forces components experienced This increases workplace safety systems are failing due to contami- during a windstorm or using com- and allows for consistent practices nation up-tower, then an up-tower puter software to analyze the effects to be implemented that reduce the repair will be done in a contami- of forces on various components, risk of damaging components. LGE nated environment. This results in these factors come into play when has extensive knowledge in quality repairs that don’t last long, and wind developing good tests. This type procedures related to ISO 9001. This farms quickly fall back to the same of attention to detail ensures that enables the technicians at LGE to predicament as before. Whereas long-lasting results will be provided leverage the quality associated with an independent facility devoted to for customers who want turbines ISO 9001 and address repairs quick- these types of repairs is able to pro- to work effectively for as long as ly. However, without knowledgeable vide a sterilized environment and possible. If repairs are being done technicians, quality and speed are practice better cleaning techniques up-tower, the only way to test the

windsystemsmag.com 27 MAINTENANCE

Figure 2: Representative sample of contaminated oil found during disassembly of a pitch ram unit is to install it. The result of a failed test means that the turbine is again rendered idle. Operating with one bad component in a system puts unnecessary strain on other components that depend on each other, pos- sibly causing a domino failure effect, particularly in the pitch system where a bad pitch ram can lead to pump or Figure 3: Zippered bellows for ease of installation in the field and adequate protec- motor failure. This is where getting it tion from the environment right the first time becomes especially important, and pre-tested repairs are of repair are able to address the ev- more than likely take a little longer for able to provide the best chance of er-growing need to reduce the cost and the turnaround. The ability to mitigate doing just that. minimize the need to transport units contamination and test products be- over long distances. The main benefit fore installment prove to be big players CONCLUSION of the up-tower repair is the speed and for quality in the repair arena. There is a demand for refurbished and immediate locality of the repair. The For more information, go to www. repaired turbine components because drawbacks are the loss of quality with lgnrg.com. of the economic and logistical chal- working in a contaminated area and lenges of buying new. The two main the inability to carry out effective tests REFERENCE avenues of repair that have emerged up-tower. A dedicated repair facility 1. http://www.plasticstoday.com/ are up-tower and dedicated regional can produce higher quality products articles/primary-cause-hydrau- repair facilities. These two avenues that last longer in the field, but it will lic-system-failure-dirty-oil

28 SEPTEMBER | 2015 MAINTENANCE

HUVR LAUNCHES WITH $2 MILLION FUNDING; FAA APPROVED DRONE-BASED DATA ANALYTICS COMPANY

HUVRData, LLC, the drone-based data analytics HUVR delivers valuable data analytics using drone- company, officially launched and announced $2 million based inspections and cloud-based services. It was in funding from angel investment organizations that among the first companies to obtain FAA authorization include the Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN), to fly drones for industrial applications. The company Houston Angel Network (HAN), and the Texas HALO has already engaged customers in the wind industry Fund, a sidecar angel fund sponsored by HAN. In the and will expand to oil and gas, solar, and precision past one-and-a-half years, HUVR has built out its tech- agriculture. nology, secured full FAA approval for its commercial As one of the industry’s first business applications of drone applications, and established its value to first drones, and with HUVR’s unique cloud and data ana- target markets of wind, solar, oil and gas, and precision lytics focus, it attracted interest from many investors, agriculture. including those who were a part of the initial $2 million “The response to HUVR to date has truly been raised from CTAN, HAN, and the Texas HALO Fund, astonishing,” said co-founder and CEO Bob Baughman. “HUVR combines the vision and technology valuable “Our wind farm inspection packages provide wind farm to the Houston-based oil and gas industry,” said Bill owners actionable data that can save significant oper- Hughes, deal lead for the HAN. “HUVR’s impact can ating expenses and provide this in a way that is much span the Gulf Coast and beyond. Investors saw the clear more efficient and cost effective than conventional value HUVR can deliver in multiple segments of the methods. The investor response was so positive that we energy industry.” raised more than we planned to enable more investors Also, according to Gene Betts, CTAN board member to be involved with HUVR now, which will allow us to and deal lead, Austin is rapidly earning its place as a expand even more aggressively.” clean tech hub.

Connect | Gain | Accelerate | Leverage

• This year’s Leadership Forum will focus on: • Enhancing your career with media training, • Understanding opportunities in wind and solar, and • Developing women of all levels within renewables.

Don’t miss out! Join us November 2-3, 2015 Co-located with the AWEA Fall Symposium Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa – Albuquerque, NM More information online at: womenofwindenergy.org/leadership-forum

windsystemsmag.com 29 MAINTENANCE

HUVRData, LLC WIND TOWER Our wind farm “We see a lot of very interesting systems allows customers to access businesses at CTAN, and HUVR their information in real-time and inspection packages stands out as one of the first mov- have it available in a secure and HOLDING POWER. provide wind farm ers in a truly new space run by ex- safe cloud platform. Huck® BobTail® is certified maintenance-free by DIBt. perienced founders with excellent Today, traditional labor-inten- Offering up to 5 times the fatigue strength Transverse Full metal-to-metal track records,” Betts said. “They sive inspection methods allow for ® ® owners actionable of conventional nuts and bolts, Huck BobTail Vibration Comparison contact eliminates gaps have already demonstrated their approximately 30 percent of a fleet is the strongest, most reliable fastener you BOBTAIL data that can capabilities in the wind farm area of turbines to be inspected an- can install in your wind turbine towers. No save significant and are set to launch and expand nually. Now, an entire wind farm maintenance. No more torque checks. Just NUT AND BOLT 0 50 100 150 200 250 their services through this raise.” can be monitored frequently and vibration-resistant hold. And more time in TIME (seconds) operating expenses HUVR is focused on working thoroughly with problems spotted your schedule. and provide this in with wind farm owners and repair immediately. This provides a companies to perform regular and revolutionary new operations and a way that is much ongoing turbine assessments of maintenance method that wind entire wind farms, identifying and farms can now take advantage of to more efficient diagnosing damage from cracks, reduce costs and keep the turbines lightening strikes, and more. turning. and cost effective ®

HUVR’s methods are at least four TM than conventional times faster than current manual — Source: HUVRData, LLC methods. methods and are much safer. HU- Call 800-388-4825 or visit AFSRHuck.net/wind VR’s unique cloud-based delivery

30 SEPTEMBER | 2015 WIND TOWER HOLDING POWER. Huck® BobTail® is certified maintenance-free by DIBt.

Offering up to 5 times the fatigue strength Transverse Full metal-to-metal of conventional nuts and bolts, Huck® BobTail® Vibration Comparison contact eliminates gaps is the strongest, most reliable fastener you BOBTAIL can install in your wind turbine towers. No maintenance. No more torque checks. Just NUT AND BOLT 0 50 100 150 200 250 vibration-resistant hold. And more time in TIME (seconds) your schedule.

Call 800-388-4825 or visit AFSRHuck.net/wind MAINTENANCE CONVERSATION

Mike Jeffrey +1 (519) 524-6226 President www.completewind.com Complete Wind Corporation

ence in the rotor blade industry. My What can people gain from wind career began as a manufac- doing business with Com- turing engineer with Canada’s first plete Wind? What does your large rotor blade manufacturer. company offer that makes it CWC was founded in 2010. stand apart from your competition? Tell us about the services Owners and operators can use your company offers the CWC’s knowledge and experience wind industry. on rotor blades to their benefit to CWC exclusively serves wind farm supplement their own engineering owners and operators, providing a and technical groups on an as-needed comprehensive range of rotor blade basis. It allows the owners and opera- services with specific focuses on: tors to bring in a level of expertise it may not have available in-house. • Rotor blade inspections; at CWC does not offer its services to Could you give us a general factory, incoming at site, end of the OEMs in order to avoid conflict overview of the Complete warranty, and post warranty — of interest as a representative of Wind Corporation? all as part of a comprehensive owners and operators. The ability Complete Wind Corporation (CWC) long-term inspection and main- of the CWC team to draw on its own has a depth of hands-on knowledge tenance program rotor blade manufacturing experi- that originates from the manufac- • Remediation and composite re- ence and to stay current in today’s turing of wind turbine rotor blades. pairs, both on- and off-turbine advancing technologies in rotor blade The CWC team has leveraged that • Quality assurance of in-field re- manufacturing allows the company knowledge to make the transition to pairs as a third-party representa- to serve a unique market. a provider of rotor blade technical tive for owners and operators and field services. Being incor- • Audits of rotor blade manufac- What steps can be taken with porated in Canada and the United turing facilities new blades to lower future States allows CWC to offer con- • Rotor blade damage and failure maintenance costs? sistency in services to owners and analysis It is recommended that owners and operators with cross-border assets. • In situ dynamic rotor balancing operators become involved at the Collectively, CWC has inspected and vibration analysis start of a wind project by performing over 6,500 rotor blades ranging in a manufacturing audit at the factory size from 24 meters to more than 50 The CWC safety program is rein- as the blades are built. Gaining an meters, comprising multiple rotor forced by years of experience both understanding of the level of quality blade manufacturers and rotor blade on- and off-turbine and recognizes at the factory will prove beneficial. designs. the respective governing Canadian One way to do that is to follow the I am the president of CWC and and American occupational health factory visit with thorough incoming have more than 20 years of experi- and safety legislation. inspections to fix problems before

32 SEPTEMBER | 2015 MAINTENANCE

the rotor is assembled and raised. It is rates of propagation. As an example, With President Obama and far more economical to repair blades some owners and operators are using the EPA supporting the on the ground than on-tower after in- lightning strike data collected around Clean Power Plan, the U.S. stallation. The incoming inspections the wind farm to perform targeted is at a point in its history establish a baseline for owners and inspections following the passing of where wind power could be operators to make comparisons on severe weather. These same owners a major source of energy. future inspection findings as a part of and operators maintain regular Where do you think the wind an ongoing maintenance plan. inspection intervals, but the targeted industry is headed? inspections allow for early detection Toward improved technology. Does geographic location of lightning damage, and effective Having the benefit of being in the have any impact on inspec- maintenance planning, should repair industry for more than 20 years, I tion and maintenance sched- priorities need to be reallocated. have been able to watch the indus- ules? try evolve and grow. As the turbine Yes, there are many things to consid- What specific elements have manufacturers continue to develop er, including peak wind seasons and the most negative impact on larger turbines with higher power if the wind farm sees a high frequen- blades? output, consideration must be cy of lightning storms throughout There are varying levels of quality given to replacing older technology the summer months. Planning in the different blade manufacturers, onshore through the repowering inspections around the project’s so CWC witnesses a wide range of process. This would follow the local climate will allow for the most defects. However, some of the most European model. Offshore has the value. Inspection frequencies can prominent wear and damage is found potential to support even larger be increased or decreased as data is in regions that see frequent rain turbine models, but ongoing main- collected over the life of the wind and severe lightning storms or are tenance will create new challenges farm and as the owners and operators located near sandy soil. Ice damage is for service providers. gain insight to common defects and more relevant in colder climates. SEEKING OPPORTUNITY? Scan Wind Systems website to enjoy a host of features, including: – Our new jobs listing, for employers and jobs seekers alike – Events calendar to keep you informed – A searchable articles archive, downloadable individually – View the digital magazine, or download entire issues – Vendor listings, along with our annual Buyer’s Guide – Company profiles and Q&As – Connect to the wind industry through social media – Wind industry news from about the world

Visit windsystemsmag.com today and get connected!

windsystemsmag.com 33 36 Profile: Moog Components Group MANUFACTURING Production • Fabrication • Components • Supply Chain • Materials • Tooling • Machinery SIEMENS WINS 100-MW ONSHORE WIND ORDER IN AUSTRALIA

Siemens

The Hornsdale wind project, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), will consist of 32 Siemens SWT-3.2-113 direct drive wind turbines.

Siemens and Neoen Australia have signed a contract for After commissioning, the Hornsdale wind power the Hornsdale Wind Farm project located in the state of plant is expected to produce over 400 GWh per year South Australia. Consisting of 32 Siemens direct drive — an amount of energy equivalent to a fifth of the ter- wind turbines, this project will provide clean energy for ritory’s annual electricity consumption. At the signing more than 70,000 households. The agreement includes a ceremony, ACT Environment Minister Simon Corbell long-term service contract. Neoen Australia is investing said, “As one of the winners of our first wind auction, $250 million (approximately $184 million U.S.) in the Hornsdale plays a critical role in helping the ACT to project, which will make a major contribution to the achieve its 90 percent renewable target.” Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government’s target “We are delighted that Neoen entrusted Siemens of 90-percent renewable energy by 2020. The project to support the region around Canberra with our is underpinned by a 20-year contract to supply green environment friendly technology,” said Thomas Rich- energy to the ACT at a fixed price of 9.2 Australian terich, CEO of Onshore at Siemens Wind Power and Cents kWh. Renewables Division. “At the Hornsdale Wind Farm,

34 SEPTEMBER | 2015

we have three factors of success combined — Neoen’s dale community for the life of the project. Construc- international expertise, Australia’s natural resources, tion is expected to begin immediately. Siemens will and the efficiency of our cutting-edge direct drive provide the full turnkey project solution, including technology.” 32 wind turbines with associated civil and electrical This project will support the Renewable Energy infrastructure. Siemens will also maintain the wind Center of Excellence at the Canberra Institute of farm for Neoen on a long-term maintenance contract Technology by creating opportunities for employment, signed simultaneously with the EPC contract. training, and investment in both the ACT and South Australia. It will also provide benefits to the Horns- — Source: Siemens

NORDEX INSTALLS 140 MW IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2015 Halfway through its anniversary top seller in the Nordex product series, in Janneby, Schleswig-Hol- year, Nordex SE has achieved a portfolio. One of the largest orders stein. The results of measuring market share in Germany of 11.8 to be implemented is a large-scale tests show that the noise level of percent. This means that in terms product in Chransdorf, Branden- the N131/300 is sometimes even of installed turbines the manufac- burg, at an IEC-3 site where Nor- lower than projected. turer is again in the double-digit dex set up 20 Gamma turbines. To Installations in the first half range in its home market for the complete the wind farm, Nordex of the year account for a little first time since 2001 (just under 12 will install four more N117/2400 less than one third of the volume percent in the year as a whole). on this site. planned by Nordex for the year as While, the sector is generally Nordex installed the first a whole. quiet when it comes to installations N131/3000, the follow-up model compared to 2014, the Hamburg to the N117/2400 from its Delta — Source: Nordex manufacturer has maintained last year’s level in absolute terms. Ac- cording to the German Machinery and Plant Manufacturing Asso- ciation (VDMA), the total wind GREEN ERA SYSTEMS REQUIRE energy capacity installed overall in Germany in the first half of 2015 WIND TURBINE BLADE PROTECTION stands at nearly 1,200 MW (443 TM wind turbine generators). Of that StaClean amount, 140 MW are accounted for StaCiean Coated Blades Can Increase Your System Reliability by Nordex turbines. • F=ield Proven Successfully Since 1983 on Utility Systems. With a nominal output of 2.4 • Reduces Erosion of Blade Leading Edge MW, most of the turbines fall • Improves Efficiency and Energy Output below the average of just under StaCleanTM provides an excellent protection • Easily Applied in Field or by Factory at a reasonable cost 2.7 MW calculated by the VDMA. • Extends Blade Life Nordex has achieved its large share Non- Stick Surface Protects Wind TurbineBiades From StaCleanTM Is A Fluorourethane slick the of 11.8 percent due to the number Environmental Contamination, UV deterioration and Ice Build up non-wetting wind turbine and spread of installed turbines. In StaCleanTM Wind turbine blade coating for total, the manufacturer installed green era piece of mind, don’t operate your 57 turbines in Germany in the first systems without it. half of the year. According to the number of the totally installed turbines, Nordex achieved a share 12169 Balls Ford Road of 12.9 percent. PHONE: (703) 257-1500 With 51 turbines, the N117/2400 MANASSAS, VA20109 USA e: [email protected] — the low-wind machine from www.polytechservicescorp.com the Gamma series — is still the

windsystemsmag.com 35 MANUFACTURING PROFILE

Moog Components Group Since 1951, Moog Components Group has been a supplier of the world’s leading high-performance and reliability slip rings. Since 2008, they have established themselves as a leader in the wind industry, too.

By Anna Claire Howard More than 60 years ago, Moog Components Group, originally called Electro-Tec, was started by two brothers George and James Pandapas in Blacksburg, Virginia. This first plant manufactured miniature slip ring assemblies. In 1953, the two brothers decided to go their separate ways and pursue different avenues. This led James to found Poly-Scientific where he and his team engineered the plating technologies that would eventually lead them to develop high-performance slip rings. The company has grown dramat- ically since its humble beginnings in the basement of a building in down- town Blacksburg. What began with “The motor technology we’re our facilities,” Black said. “We know some slip rings and a few conductors into now has made us into a motion sliding contacts better than anybody has evolved into a leading supplier in control company, meaning anything else in the world, and that’s what we motion control, air moving, electronics that has to rotate, be driven, and con- use to develop the products.” and fiber optics, addressing critical trolled, or power data that has to be However, with that high level performance applications and expand- transferred across a rotary interface,” of quality comes a high cost. And ing into multiple industries, including said Steve Black, the senior business according to Black, the price is what aircraft, defense, medical, industrial, development manager at Moog Com- initially turned OEMs in the wind and marine and wind energy. Moog ponents Group. energy market away from doing busi- Inc. is a worldwide designer, manufac- Because Moog is an engineer- ness with them. turer, and integrator of precision con- ing-driven company, it offers the “We’re not the cheapest option out trol components and systems. Moog’s wind market the highest level of there, and we never intended to be,” high-performance systems control reliability and performance that’s out Black said. “What we provide and military and commercial aircraft, there in the slip ring world, according what we focus on is the highest level satellites and space vehicles, launch to Black. of performance. Where things are vehicles, missiles, automated industrial “I would say that we have, without critical and where it’s important that machinery, wind energy, marine, and question, the best technologists and you have the high-performance prod- medical equipment. materials labs in the world within ucts, that’s where we’re strong. It’s

36 SEPTEMBER | 2015 MANUFACTURING

what we do every day, and it’s what times that turbine technicians saw As a supplier of an aftermarket led us into the wind business.” because of nuisance issues with pitch product for GE Renewable Energy, Prior to 2008, Moog set its sights control slip rings. We had a proven Moog is working with all of the major on the pitch control slip ring business reliable technology that we had been operators of GE turbines. In addition within the growing wind industry. building for years that could make to its pitch control slip rings, Moog However, it has never been a low-cost things better for the owners and has also made a name for itself with supplier, and the OEMs that were operators.” its fiber brush technology, which cost-focused on the parts going in However, in any business case dates back to the early 1980s when their turbines couldn’t agree to pay where you’re looking to do some- Moog developed its fiber brush for Moog’s higher prices. thing better, the potential volume to NASA’s satellite applications. That’s when Black and his team at support it must be out there. That’s Satellites had two primary chal- Moog Components Group decided when Moog started looking at what lenges with a solar ray drive that it was time to take their slip ring was going on in the wind industry must continuously point at the sun: products directly to the owners and with the current install base and the requirement for lubrication and operators. with the growth potential within the the significant amount of wear debris “We knew that they were going to wind market. generated in the process. Moog have a high focus on the maintenance “We saw a great business case to developed the fiber brush to elimi- of the turbines and lowering mainte- make a big impact with a product in nate both of those problems and to nance costs would be a high level of the aftermarket and to start building improve the operation of satellites. concern for them,” Black said. “We the reputation for performance and “Obviously, a service call to space developed our product, came up with reliability that we knew the wind can be extremely expensive,” Black our initial design concept, and took owners and operators would be de- said. “That was the genesis for the it out and started talking to wind site manding,” Black said. “We looked at fiber brush design we use. Since that technicians. I would like to be able to it in a twofold approach in that we’d product release in 1991, our fiber say that it was my idea, but it just so get the units out there and then get brush technology has become a sig- happened that those were the guys the technology proven and accepted. nificant part of our product line.” who wanted to talk to us. They were We would use that as a strong base to According to Black, the wind the ones who were dealing with it re-engage the OEM market.” industry doesn’t show any signs of more than anyone else, every day.” When Moog Components Group abating, and with a company like Wind turbines require reliable was able to get those audiences and Moog and its slip ring technology transmission of power and data show the wind technicians what they inside of the turbines, the blades are signals from the nacelle to the control had to offer in terms of its pitch con- set to keep spinning. system for the rotary blades. Moog’s trol slip ring technology, they were “From watching it all these years, slip rings provide the performance able to get the feedback they needed I believe it’s getting stronger and and quality needed in demanding en- to create slip rings with the highest stronger every year,” Black said. “It’s vironments. While the cost up front level of performance and reliability. exciting to see that the productiv- may be high, they eliminate costly “We made modifications, changed ity of the wind sites now and, with downtime by using fiber brushes and our design, and did things to improve GE as an example, the different robust mechanical components in the the interface for the technicians iterations they’ve come out with and slip ring design, ultimately allowing to do the installations,” Black said. the improvements with software, their customers to save on long-term “That’s how our product was de- performance, and blade sizes and costs. veloped — with the guys who were what they’re doing to access the According to Black, he and his working on them every day. Even to- lower wind areas. It’s been interest- team at Moog Components Group day, I don’t think there’s any parallel ing watching the technology grow felt pulled toward the wind industry to what we offer turbine technicians and develop in the years I’ve been because they knew that the slip rings in terms of reliability and perfor- involved. Overall, I think the wind could be better. mance. industry business is a tremendous as- “We knew that we had a bet- “We started shipping the product set to our economy, and we at Moog ter technology, and we knew that in 2009. We have thousands of the are proud to be involved in such a we could reduce the maintenance products out in the field now, and the growing industry.” requirements,” Black said. “We also performance has just been excep- For more information, go to www. knew that we could reduce the down- tional.” moog.com.

windsystemsmag.com 37 39 Wind Farm Plants to Be Built in Northern Peru 41 Tri Global Energy Continues To Lead Texas in Wind Energy CONSTRUCTION BOP/EPC • Project Status • Siting • Equipment • Project Due Diligence • Services SUNEDISON CLOSES $390 MILLION OF FINANCING FOR 300 MW WIND FARM IN TEXAS

SunEdison, Inc.

SunEdison, Inc., the world’s largest renewable energy thousands of Texans have access to clean, cost-effec- development company, recently announced that it tive electricity.” has closed financing and begun construction on one Citi provided the construction loan facilities for the of its largest wind farms to date, the 300-MW South project, and BHE Renewables, a subsidiary of Berk- Plains II wind farm in Floyd County, Texas. shire Hathaway Energy, in partnership with Citi, will The wind farm is expected to generate approxi- invest in the tax equity. mately 1,200 GWh of energy each year, enough to “Our company has been a leader in wind project power more than 90,000 Texas homes and avoid the development and ownership,” said Tom Budler, presi- emission of two billion pounds of carbon dioxide. dent of BHE Wind, a division of BHE Renewables. “As “The South Plains II wind power facility will have a we look for new ways to be involved in developing positive economic impact for the people of Texas,” renewable generation, we see tremendous opportuni- said Paul Gaynor, SunEdison’s executive vice pres- ty to move the industry forward through investment ident of Americas and EMEA. “This is expected to in the tax equity market.” become one of SunEdison’s largest wind projects, cre- The project is being built by Mortenson Construc- ating about 300 construction jobs and ensuring that tion, one of the nation’s top wind farm builders. The

38 SEPTEMBER | 2015

wind turbines are being supplied Hewlett-Packard plans to pur- TerraForm Power, Inc. TerraForm by Vestas. chase 112 MW of the wind farm’s Power anticipates acquiring the proj- “We are delighted to be part- capacity to power 100 percent of ect once complete. nering with SunEdison on this its Texas-based data centers as part Operation and maintenance of the wind farm and contributing to the of the company’s sustainable cloud wind power plants will be performed growth of the renewable ener- initiative. The remaining 188 MW by SunEdison Services, which pro- gy industry in Texas,” said Tim capacity will be sold to an affiliate vides global asset management, mon- Maag, Mortenson’s Wind Energy of Citi. Construction is targeted for itoring, and reporting services. Group vice president and general completion in 2016. The wind farm manager. is on the Call Right Projects List for — Source: SunEdison, Inc.

WIND FARM PLANTS TO BE BUILT IN NORTHERN PERU

The Energy and Mines Min- istry granted a temporary concession to the enterprise Countourglobal Peru, which will conduct feasibility studies for Piura region-based Almirante Grau and Cu- pisnique II wind farms. The Energy and Mines Ministry indicated the future Almirante Grau wind farm’s capacity will be nearly 76 MW and based in the La Brea and Pariñas district belonging to the Talara pro- vincia (Piura region). Likewise, the future Cupisnique II power plant’s capacity will be 148 MW. It will be located in the San Pedro de Lloc district in the Pacasmayo province (La Libertad region). The corporation will be granted a 24-month period to conduct both project’s corresponding studies. Per the regulation, the grantee is forced to conduct studies in compliance with the technical and safety rules, preserving the environment and safeguarding the cultural heritage of the nation.

— Source: Reve Wind Energy Reve Wind Energy and Electric Vehicle Review and Electric Vehicle Review

windsystemsmag.com 39 CONSTRUCTION

GROUNDBREAKING AT NORTH CAROLINA’S FIRST INDUSTRIAL-SCALE WIND FARM

this scale and complexity wouldn’t be possible without Gov. McCrory’s leadership, the community’s support, and an exciting collaboration with Amazon Web Services.” Rising among the corn, soybean, and wheat fields near Elizabeth City and Hertford, the project is expected to generate a windfall for the local community. The total of landowner payments and taxes for the first phase of the project will inject more than $1.1 million into the local economy each year. About 250 construction jobs will support the 18-month building period, and 10 permanent jobs will be based at the wind farm when it is in full operation, anticipated for the fourth quarter of 2016. “This project will deliver substantial and long-term local economic benefits,” said Wayne Harris, economic developer for Matthew Staver - Iberdrola Renewables the Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County Economic Development Commission. “Not only will it be For the first time, wind power is cades. The first phase — a 208-MW the first wind farm in the state, it lifting off in North Carolina. Gove- project — will feature 104 wind will be the largest taxpayer in each nor Pat McCrory joined business turbines. of the counties where it gets built and community leaders in Eliza- “The Amazon Wind Farm takes a and puts money into the pockets of beth City to break ground on North significant step toward diversifying local working families.” Carolina’s first industrial-scale North Carolina’s energy resourc- Iberdrola Renewables, LLC is a wind power project. es,” Gov. McCrory said. “Bringing subsidiary of Iberdrola USA and the Spanning farm fields in onshore wind production to North U.S. renewable energy division of Pasquotank and Perquimans Carolina is part of my ‘all-of-the- parent company Iberdrola, S.A., an counties, the Amazon Wind Farm above’ energy strategy. By diversi- energy pioneer with the largest re- U.S. East, powered by Iberdrola fying our energy resources, we can newable asset base of any company Renewables at Desert Wind, would provide affordable, reliable, and in the world. Iberdrola Renewables, be the first utility-scale wind farm secure sources of energy that are LLC is headquartered in Portland, in North Carolina and one of the environmentally clean and safe.” Ore., and has more than $10 billion first in the southeastern United “Breaking ground on North Car- of operating assets totaling more States. The proposed facility, if olina’s first wind farm is a perfect than 6,000 MW of owned and con- fully built out, could deploy 150 demonstration that getting to a trolled wind and solar generation in wind turbines that would generate competitive, clean energy future the U.S. 300 MW of power at full capacity takes a team effort,” said Frank and provide millions of dollars in Burkhartsmeyer, Iberdrola Renew- — Source: Iberdrola tax and landowner revenue for de- ables’ U.S. CEO. “A wind farm of Renewables

40 SEPTEMBER | 2015 CONSTRUCTION

TRI GLOBAL ENERGY CONTINUES TO LEAD TEXAS IN WIND ENERGY

TGE is a utility-scale renewable energy company with wind projects in Texas and New Mexico covering approximately 1,000 square miles of land. Found- ed in 2009, the company’s goal is to develop clean energy at an affordable cost through the development of wind and solar projects and to directly benefit the communities, which provide the power. Through its propri- etary “Wind Force Plan” business model, TGE allows landowners and communities to partner with and share ownership in wind energy projects.

— Source: Tri Global Energy

TriGlobal Energy

Tri Global Energy, a Dallas-based gressively working to expand our utility-scale renewable energy participation in the market for company, continues as the leading wind energy,” said John Billings- developer of wind energy projects ley, chairman and CEO of TGE. in Texas, according to the second “We’re also encouraged by quarter 2015 Market Report from the initial moves in Congress to the American Wind Energy Asso- extend the production tax credit ci at ion (AW EA). and investment tax credit, which With over 2,400 MW of wind help put renewable energy proj- generation projects currently ects on a more equal footing with under construction in the state, fossil fuels,” Billingsley said. TGE’s wind projects repre- Currently, there are more sent about a third of all wind than 100 wind projects under power projects currently being construction in 24 states repre- developed in Texas and nearly senting more than 13,600 MW of 18 percent of all wind projects capacity. Texas leads the nation nationally. in wind project construction, “All signs point to the contin- followed by Oklahoma, Kansas, ued strong growth in demand for Iowa, and North Dakota, accord- renewable energy, and we are ag- ing to AWEA’s Market Report.

windsystemsmag.com 41 44 Pattern Energy Acquires Remaining Capacity in 283-MW Gulf Wind Power Facility 45 D.C. Sets Example with Major Wind Energy Purchase, Saving $45 Million INNOVATION Research & Development • Design & Engineering • Forecasting & Analysis Consultancy • Certification & Standards • Efficiency • Emerging Technologies WANT A TAX CREDIT FOR A SMALL WIND SYSTEM? BE SURE IT’S CERTIFIED

By Patrick Gilman, Wind Market Acceleration and Deployment Lead, Wind Program, Department of Energy

Bergey Windpower Co., Inc.; NREL 13830

A small wind turbine can produce enough energy to cover the electricity costs of the average American home.

Small wind electric systems are one of the most cost-ef- Certification and quality assurance requirements can fective, home-based renewable energy systems for your help promote solid products and can be adopted by local home with zero emissions and pollution. If you decide planning officials, utilities, banks, state energy offices, small wind is right for you, you will need to ensure that and federal agencies to ensure consumer protection and your wind turbines are tested and certified for safety, industry credibility. function, performance, and durability. HOW TURBINES ARE CERTIFIED WHY TURBINES ARE CERTIFIED As part of the effort to ensure quality, standards pro- If you are considering a small wind energy system, certifi- viding a set of design and engineering criteria to verify cation can give you greater confidence in the performance and assess performance are used to test wind turbines and safety of the system you install. Adoption of distribut- at facilities that provide site, equipment, and techni- ed wind systems has been hindered by untested technolo- cal expertise. The Energy Department’s world-class gies and unverified claims about turbine performance. National Wind Technology Center and its regional test

42 SEPTEMBER | 2015 40 Pattern Energy Acquires Remaining Capacity in 283-MW Gulf Wind Power Facility 41 D.C. Sets Example with Major Wind Energy Purchase, Saving $45 Million

Rated Annual Rated Sound Certified Power Applicant Turbine Certifier Energy1 @ 5 m/s Level2 Rating3 @ 11 m/s Bergey Windpower Co. Excel 10 SWCC 13,800 kWh 42.9 dB(A) 8.9 kW Bergey Windpower Co. Excel 6 SWCC 9,920 kWh 47.2 dB(A) 5.5 kW Eveready Diversified Products (Pty) Ltd. Kestrel e400nb SWCC 3,930 kWh 55.6 dB(A) 2.5 kW Kingspan Environmental KW6 SWCC 8,950 kWh 43.1 dB(A) 5.2 kW Osiris Technologies Osiris 10 Intertek 23,700 kWh 49.4 dB(A) 9.8 kW Sonkyo Energy Windspot 3.5 Intertek 4,820 kWh 39.1 dB(A) 3.2 kW Sumec Hardware & Tools Co., LTD PWB01-30-48 Intertek 2,920 kWh 41.1 dB(A) 1.2 kW Sumec Hardware & Tools Co., LTD PWA03-44-250 Intertek 6,400 kWh 40.9 dB(A) 3.2 kW Sumec Hardware & Tools Co., LTD PWB02-40-48 Intertek 4,660 kWh 36.9 dB(A) 1.7 kW Sumec Hardware & Tools Co., LTD PWA05-50-280 Intertek 9,240 kWh 42.0 dB(A) 5.0 kW Xzeres Wind Corporation 442SR SWCC 16,700 kWh 48.5 dB(A) 10.4 kW Xzeres Wind Corporation Skystream 3.7 SWCC 3,420 kWh 41.2 dB(A) 2.1 kW

Courtesy of IREC centers, for example, are facilities HOW TO QUALIFY FOR THE TAX ergy Department is committed to in- that test and evaluate small wind CREDIT creasing the number of certified small turbines. An accredited third party, The new requirements go into effect and medium wind turbine designs to such as the Small Wind Certification for small wind energy properties on 40 by 2020. To help make this happen, Council or Intertek, then verifies the following dates: the Wind Program supports a Com- test results and provides certificates petitiveness Improvement Project to manufacturers. Effective Feb. 2, 2015: (CIP) that helps U.S. manufacturers Qualifying manufacturers are • The most commonly installed tur- of small- and medium-sized turbines required to show that their wind bines at homes — wind turbines with achieve certification and lower their turbines meet the requirements of a rotor-swept area of 200 m2 or less cost of energy — building U.S. leader- the American Wind Energy Associ- — that have been acquired or placed ship in distributed wind markets. ation (AWEA) or the International in service on or after Feb. 2, 2015, are To learn more about turbine Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). subject to the requirements. certification in the U.S. market, check out this chart of certified TAX CREDIT FOR CERTIFIED Effective Dec. 31, 2015: small wind turbines maintained by WIND TURBINES • Larger wind turbines with a ro- the Interstate Renewable Energy In January of this year, the U.S. Inter- tor-swept area of 200 m2 or more Council (IREC). More information nal Revenue Service introduced new that are acquired or placed in ser- can be found on the DOE’s website performance and quality require- vice on or after Dec. 31, 2015, are or at IREC’s website where you can ments for small wind — a nameplate subject to the requirements at that learn more about small wind and capacity of up to 100 kW. To qualify time to qualify for the ITC. how it can benefit you and your for the 30 percent federal Investment community. Tax Credit (ITC), you must install a There are currently 13 fully certified fully certified wind turbine. small wind turbine models. The En- — Source: U.S. DOE

RENEWABLE NRG SYSTEMS LAUNCHES USER INTERFACE Designed for vibration analysts and technicians alike, updates include improved fleet views, reporting, and alarm features

Renewable NRG Systems (RNRG), a designer and manu- monitoring system (CMS). TurbinePhD is the only CMS in facturer of decision support tools for the global renewable the wind industry that is engineered for use by wind plant energy industry, has completely redesigned its software operators at multiple levels of their organization, from tech- interface for the TurbinePhD® wind turbine condition nicians to data analysts.

windsystemsmag.com 43 INNOVATION

AUTOMATED DIAGNOSIS TurbinePhD’s powerful automated analysis classi- fies the health of all turbine drivetrain components so users don’t have to be vibration experts to get actionable information. Improved alert management allows users to handle all alerts in one place and track who acknowledges and clears issues. Charts and data can also be easily export- ed for deeper analysis.

FLEET HEALTH AT A GLANCE The TurbinePhD user interface is completely web-based so users can access all of their turbine health data anywhere with an Internet connection. The fleet view allows operators to assess the health of all wind farms at a glance, and graphical health alerts clearly highlight those that need attention. At the wind farm level, users can see which turbines have new alerts or view and download charts of the most critical faults on the farm. TurbinePhD is backed by RNRG’s two-year warranty and lifetime technical support. Renewable NRG Systems — Source: Renewable NRG Systems

PATTERN ENERGY ACQUIRES REMAINING CAPACITY IN 283-MW GULF WIND POWER FACILITY

Pattern Energy Group Inc. recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of the remaining 170 MW ownership interests in the 283-MW Gulf Wind power facility in Kenedy County, Texas, from Pattern Energy Group LP and MetLife Capital LP. “We now own 100 percent of Gulf Wind, which is located in a unique site on the Gulf Coast where the winds blow strongest at the times of Texas’ peak demand and pricing,” said Mike Garland, president and CEO of Pattern Energy. “The acquisition of the Gulf Wind equity interests and recapitalization of the project debt provides us with increased cash flow and complete control of the facility. The acquisition of the Gulf Wind interests, along with our recently announced dividend increase, demonstrate our commitment to increasing value for our shareholders.” The Gulf Wind facility consists of 118 wind turbines and has the capacity to generate 283 MW of energy, the power equivalent to the annual energy usage of approximately 80,000 Texas homes. Wind Power Engineering — Source: Pattern Energy Group

44 SEPTEMBER | 2015 INNOVATION

D.C. SETS EXAMPLE WITH MAJOR WIND ENERGY PURCHASE, SAVING $45 MILLION

While Congress continues to debate extending the renewable energy Production Tax Credit and Invest- ment Tax Credit, the nation’s capital city just endorsed wind power in a big way. On August 12, Wash- ington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new power purchase agreement (PPA) for wind energy from an Iberdrola Renewables wind farm in southwestern Pennsylvania. Wind power will supply the District of Columbia’s government buildings with 35 percent of their electricity, all while saving $45 million for D.C. taxpayers over the next 20 years. Mayor Bowser stated in a press release that the purchase was to “boost our economy and create Renewable NRG Systems cleaner air for current and future generations”: “The District of Columbia will continue to lead the nation in the fight against climate change. We are supporting green building, promot- ing energy and water efficiency, and fostering renewable energy. This wind agreement exemplifies how my administration will use energy policy to boost our economy and

create cleaner air for current and AWEA future generations.” The agreement, which is the largest purchase of wind energy by includes Washington, D.C.) would which help to green the electricity a U.S. city to-date, has already come save consumers close to $7 billion supply, but don’t guarantee a long- into effect as of August 1. per year. term, stable price for electricity. In this case, the D.C. government, Though D.C. is one of the first The District’s PPA is yet another not residents, is the recipient of major American cities to directly example of major non-utility busi- wind energy. In other parts of the purchase wind energy, it joins other nesses and organizations buying country, wind energy is lowering municipalities like Georgetown, wind energy because it saves money, consumers’ electricity bills. The Texas, (not to be confused with the provides long-term price certainty, Midwest utility system operator, D.C. neighborhood). Earlier this and emits no carbon pollution. Oth- MISO, has noted that wind power year, the City of Georgetown opted er notable non-utility purchasers of “ultimately helps keep prices low to be powered entirely by renewable wind power who have been in the for our customers,”and a Synapse energy, primarily because low-cost news lately include Amazon, Face- Energy Economics report found that wind and solar energy will bring book, and Hewlett Packard. doubling the use of wind energy savings. Other cities have chosen in the PJM Interconnection (which to buy Renewable Energy Credits, — Source: AWEA

windsystemsmag.com 45 Giving Wind Direction

Wind Turbine Services Company Airway Services is a full-service provider of technical staffing, project management and operations and David C. Cooper Chad Morrison maintenance for utility-scale wind energy projects. Publisher Associate Publisher Our technical and operations teams are experienced in [email protected] [email protected] providing solutions to a wide array of issues found only ext. 200 ext. 202 in wind energy projects.

· Complete Turbine Inspection Service EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT · Wind Turbine O&M Cherie Scott Anna Claire Howard · Turbine Maintenance Managing Editor Associate Editor · Safety and Quality [email protected] [email protected] ext. 209 ext. 204 · On-demand Technical Staffing · Site Prep and Construction · Best Practice Approach SALES DEPARTMENT

Mike Barker Tom McNulty We are hiring for various positions. Please apply online Regional Sales Manager Regional Sales Manager [email protected] [email protected] Airway Services Canada Airway Services USA ext. 203 Office: 519.627.0606 Office: 325.617.5813 Fax: 325.617.5818 CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT www.airwayservicesinc.com Teresa Cooper Kassie Boggan Manager Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] ext. 201 ext. 207 Jamie Willett Assistant

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Shane Bell Michele Hall SOLUTIONS Creative Director Graphic Designer [email protected] [email protected] ext. 206 ext. 210

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage-and-retrieval system without per- mission in writing from the publisher. The views expressed by those not on the staff of Wind Systems magazine, or who are not specifically employed by Media Solutions, Inc., are purely their own. All “News” mate- rial has either been submitted by the subject company or pulled directly from their corporate web site, which is assumed to be cleared for release. Comments and submissions are welcome, and can be submitted to [email protected]. Vertical Logo Horizontal Logo

• Hydraulic Systems • High Quality (Pitch Cylinders, Servo • Quick Turn Times Valves, Accumulators) • Core Exchanges • YAW Drives • Engineering Services • Motors • In house Testing • Pumps • Machining/Manufacturing Coop wants to use this one for the website Published by Media Solutions, Inc. 3550 Maple Street, Abilene, TX 79602 P. O. Box 1987 • Pelham, AL 35124 (325) 692-7278 (800) 366-2185 • (205) 380-1580 fax David C. Cooper Chad Morrison Teresa Cooper President Vice President Operations Director [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] WWW.LGNRG.COM ext. 200 ext. 202 ext. 201

46 SEPTEMBER | 2015 AD INDEX

Airway Services...... 46

Alcoa Fastening Systems...... 31

Amsoil...... 5

AWEA...... IBC

Complete Wind Corporation...... 25

Droel PLLC...... IFC

Frisa Forjados...... BC

Fusion Inc ...... 16

Janicki Industries...... 11

Lighthouse Global Energy...... 46

Mediaplus Hamburg Messe...... 21 INTRODUCING IRONCLAD GROUT SLEEVES Moberly Area Economic Development Corporation. . . .24

NTC Wind Energy ...... 47

Polytech Services...... 35

PRUFTECHNIK...... 47

Stahlwille Tools...... 45

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Tork Worx...... 3 · Saves Labor – Enhances Safety – No More Cutting Foam TWR Lighting...... 17 · Prevents Grout from Traveling Thru Flange, 800.359.0372 Avoiding Tensioning [email protected] Wind Systems ...... 33 Problems NTCWIND.COM Call to inquire about our special limited time pricing! Women of Wind Energy...... 29

windsystemsmag.com 47

CROSSWINDS EDF ENERGIES NOUVELLES’ FIRST CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS

Lendosphere

The 10 future wind turbines of the EDF Energies project are situated in the East of France. The ground studies of this wind farm have been crowdfunded by 198 people for €135,000 (roughly $150,000), half of this amount coming from neighbors.

The first crowdfunding campaign came from a range of lenders from 18 a crowdfunding campaign for a wind launched in France by EDF Energies to 83 years old. The amounts raised power project. Nouvelles has exceeded its initial will be used to fund pre-construction “The campaign has been a com- fundraising target by 35 percent. The studies for the Bois de Belfays wind plete success,” Verhaeghe said. “It is aim was to involve the local popula- farm, which will consist of 10 wind the largest campaign to date in terms tion in Vosges and the Lower Rhine turbines of 2 MW each. Construction of the amounts raised for an accred- in the development of the Bois de is due to begin in 2016. ited crowdfunding platform. This Belfays wind farm project. This crowdfunding campaign, status, which came into effect on Oc- The campaign ran from June 15 launched to meet the expectations of tober 1, 2014, enables individuals to through July 16 on Lendosphere, a local mayors, is a first in France for lend money to companies via Inter- web platform dedicated to sustain- EDF Energies Nouvelles. Emman- net platforms such as Lendosphere, able development projects. With an uel Jaclot, Deputy CEO – Strategy, the only site dedicated entirely to initial target of €100,000 (rough- M&A and France at EDF Energies projects that contribute to ecological ly $111,000), a total of €135,000 Nouvelles, said, “We are delighted transition.” (roughly $150,000) was lent due to with the success of this first crowd- Lendosphere is the first crowd- strong support from the inhabi- funding campaign in France, which lending platform dedicated to tants of the six municipalities of the reflects people’s confidence in our sustainable development projects. Vosges mountain — Châtas, Gran- wind farm projects. We hope that the On Lendosphere, individuals can drupt, La Grande Fosse, Saint-Stail, campaign will pave the way for other lend directly and with interest to the Ban-de-Sapt, and Saâles. innovative initiatives of this kind projects they support. Since it was This support is demonstrated by allowing the local population to take launched in December 2014, more the results of the campaign with 198 part in our projects.” than €850,000 (roughly $941,702) lenders in total, 40 percent of whom According to Laure Verhaeghe, has already been invested by individ- live in the Vosges and Bas-Rhin de- co-founder of Lendosphere, EDF uals in renewable energy projects. partment, accounting for 50 percent Energies Nouvelles is the first major of the total lending. Local investment French operator to have carried out — Source: EDF Energies Nouvelles

48 SEPTEMBER | 2015 The AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition will bring together the leaders and experts to exchange ideas and make important connections that further drive development. Join us to engage with leaders, forge strategic relationships, identify investment opportunities, and grow your wind energy business.

“There is great opportunity here in the U.S. to develop our own domestic supply chain for offshore wind and this event is where you need to be to capitalize on the all the renewed activity that’s happening today.” - Jeff Grybowski, CEO, Deepwater Wind

University of Maine DeepCwind Consortium

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