WIND SYSTEMS WIND Giving Wind Direction MAGAZINE SYSTEMS Construction • Company Profile: CONSTRUCTION Crane Service, Inc. • UMaine-Led Offshore Wind Project Receives Additional $3.7 Million from DOE » Composite Electroless Nickel Coatings for the Wind Energy Industry Varieties and Performance Advantages page 30 » Condition Monitoring Does DECEMBER 2015 DECEMBER Not Need To Be Overwhelming page 34 DECEMBER 2015 NO ONE UNDERSTANDS THE SUBTLE NUANCES OF WIND ENERGY LIKE WE DO. Whether you’re acquiring, developing, or building and operating wind projects, we can help you achieve success at every stage of the process. See the Droel difference at droellaw.com. HOURS OF DOMINANCE AMSOIL products are installed in more than 10,000 MW class wind turbines in North America. Running more than 7 years strong on our original formula. OUR COMPETITION KNOWS ABOUT AMSOIL. DO YOU? Bringing a better product to the wind market since 2008. Come see why more and more wind farms are switching to AMSOIL. www.amsoilwind.com The AMSOIL Wind Group 715-399-6305 inFOCUS: CONSTRUCTION DECEMBER 2015 16 UMaine-Led Offshore Wind ALSO IN inFOCUS Project Receives Additional $3.7 Million from DOE 22 Profile: Crane Service, Inc. 28 Conversation: 18 Siemens Reduces Transport Costs for Offshore Rob Lee Wind Turbines by Up to 20 Percent Wanzek Construction, Inc. 2 DECEMBER | 2015 inFOCUS: CONSTRUCTION DECEMBER 2015 TORK ELECTRONIC DIGITAL CONTROLLED S O L UTI O N S A V A I L A B L E TORQUE TECHNOLOGY . DIGITAL TORQUE CONTROL THAT WORX FOR YOUR MAINTENANCES The leading electronic torque control system in ERAD electronic torque control sys- All RAD torque guns are designed to the Wind Industry assembled for your WTG. tems are engineered and manufac- deliver the highest power-to-weight tured for maximum durability and per- ratio of any torque tool on the market formance. 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Includes a touch tooling repair services no matter the make or screen interface for simplified usability model and calibration services to NIST stan- along with preset torque and angle dards. capability. 1014_WindSystems.indb 4 9/19/14 3:10 PM SECTIONS Volume 07 Issue 12 DIRECTION Innovative Study 10 What America’s First 13 Invenergy Starts Helps Offshore Wind Offshore Wind Farm Commercial Operation Developers Protect Reveals About GE’s of Beech Ridge Energy Wildlife Alstom Deal Storage Project in West 8 Virginia MAINTENANCE INNOVATION Composite Electroless Nickel Coatings for the Moventas Introduces Breakthrough Suite of Wind Energy Industry Varieties and Performance Technologies Known As XL – Extra Life Advantages 30 38 MANUFACTURING CROSSWINDS GE Renewable Energy Unveils New 3-MW Wind United Wind Helps People Harvest Wind Energy in Turbine Platform Their Own Backyards 40 45 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 DECEMBER | 2015 Cover Photo: Courtesy of iStock SECTIONS Volume 07 Issue 12 Let’s Socialize LIKE, FOLLOW OR JOIN OUR COMMUNITY Facebook Connect with Wind Systems magazine through Receive periodic promotions and news of Webinars, training sessions, and other upcoming social media, using your computer or smartphone professional development events. for a quick and easy way to stay informed and up to date with the latest in the wind industry. Twitter View featured articles from the magazine chosen especially by the staff, and support the community of wind professionals. EDITOR’S DESK DECEMBER 2015 Is it just me, or did the past year fly by for everyone? My face still stings from the whiplash. 2015 was a growing year for the wind energy industry, during which we’ve seen a lot of advancements being made that should make for a promising future to carry on into 2016. AWEA’s recently released market report revealed that more than 1,600 MW of new wind capacity was installed during the third quarter of 2015, bringing the total to almost 3,600 MW for the year. A “wind rush” also occurred in October with a record wind output reported by grid operators in Texas (ERCOT), the Midwest (MISO), Colorado, the Lower Plains states, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), and New England (ISO-NE). In fact, according to Bloomberg Business, the Great Plains states spanning south from Canada to Texas between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River are turning away from burning coal and instead looking to generate the power they need by harvesting wind power. With coal at its lowest point in 14 years, wind generation has grown almost tenfold since 2005 in Texas where Anna Claire Howard, associate editor more coal is burned than any other state. Also, throughout the latter part of this Wind Systems magazine [email protected] year, Texas installed the most wind power in the U.S. with 771 MW, according to (800) 366-2185, ext. 204 AWEA. Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and the Dakotas have all followed a similar trend as they’ve shifted toward using more renewable sources of pow- er, including wind. Wind generation has been growing across the country since 2005 — not only in the Lone Star State. Ten years ago, the U.S. had approximately 9,000 MW of wind capacity. That number has grown to 69,471 today, as well as more than 13,250 that are under construction, according to AWEA. Coal producers are struggling with their industry’s worst downturn in de- cades driven by tougher emissions standards resulting from escalating global warming concerns. According to EIA data, coal fell by 13 percent from 2010 through 2014 in the wind-rich states of Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. So, there you have it. The evidence supports that wind is headed in the right direction going into 2016. With the holidays just around the corner, FROM OUR ARCHIVES that news couldn’t have come at a better time. (Cue the eggnog and relaxing by an open fire.) In preparation for the new year, we’ve included a 2016 Wind Systems calendar with this issue where you’ll find several holidays marked as well as AWEA’s major events throughout the year, including the annual WINDPOWER show coming up in New Orleans from May 23 to May 26. This event is set to include lots of educational opportunities and key networking events, some of what I enjoyed most in Orlando this year. As always, thanks for reading, and happy holidays! 6 DECEMBER | 2015 CONTRIBUTORS Michael D. Feldstein is the president of Surface Tech- Wilkerson Crane Rental, Inc. is a DBE, WBE, and nology, Inc., a world-recog- SLBE Certified Company in Kansas and Missouri. nized leader in metal finish- ing founded in 1973. In this position, Feldstein directs VISIT FACEBOOK the overall activities of the company including the FOR RECENT JOBS coating processes, manufac- turing of proprietary elec- troless nickel solutions, and innovative research and development. Feldstein’s education includes degrees from Tulane University and George Washington University. Feldstein has been widely published and is the inventor on mul- tiple patents. He has presented numerous papers at technical and industrial conferences worldwide. Feldstein is also a member of the NASF, AESF, ASTM, and other organizations. For more infor- mation, go to www.surfacetechnology.com or call (609) 259-0099. Jeff Walkup is the vice president of sales and op- erations for Gram & Juhl North America, based in Denver, Colorado. He has over 25 years of experi- ence with oil analysis and in the fields of lubrication, tribology, and condition monitoring in the min- ing and wind energy sec- tors. He can be reached at [email protected] or (970) 640-3439. Wilkerson’s Expertise and technical FROM OUR ARCHIVES support allows us to offer the highest of quality in lift planning, job site estimating, ELECTRICAL ACCEPTANCE TESTING specialized rigging, operated crane rental, FOR WIND ENERGY heavy hauling, and equipment servicing and SITES repair. Our employees consist of Certified Good design and good Operators, Qualified Riggers and Signalers, construction mean reduced maintenance costs and Certified Mechanics and Welders. 11 ton boom trucks to 500 ton all terrain MIDAMERICAN hydraulic cranes are available.