GE Introduces 1.85-82.5 Wind Turbine for Brazil’s Promising Wind Energy Sector

Press release from General Electric:

30 August 2012

GE Introduces 1.85-82.5 Wind Turbine for Brazil’s Promising Wind Energy Sector

 

• Newest Wind Turbine is Latest Evolution of GE Technology, Proven in Applications Worldwide
• Key Features Make the Technology a Fit for Brazil’s Demanding Wind Regimes
• Offers 8 Percent Increase in Annual Energy Production

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL—August 30, 2012—GE (NYSE: GE) is introducing a wind turbine designed to meet the wind conditions in Brazil, one of the world’s most promising markets for onshore wind energy development. GE, North America’s leading wind turbine supplier, is featuring its new 1.85-82.5 wind turbine at the Brazil Windpower Conference in Rio de Janeiro, August 29-31.

The 1.85-82.5 wind turbine, which is IEC-certified for higher wind speed sites or environments, is the latest evolution of GE’s wind turbine technology and builds upon the vast and diverse experience of GE’s installed fleet of 18,000 wind turbines worldwide. The new turbine offers an 8 percent increase in annual energy production (AEP) at 9 m/s, which drives improved project economics for wind developers in higher wind regime sites.

GE’s proprietary Advanced Loads Control allows siting of the 82.5-meter rotor in more aggressive wind regimes, combining drive train sensors and capabilities of the Mark* Vle controller to individually pitch blades and improve load-handling performance. A sophisticated set of grid-friendly features will enable operators to meet stringent grid requirements in 60-hertz regions.

“With the introduction of the 1.85-82.5 wind turbine, we continue to advance our 1.5-megawatt class wind turbine product line, which has been proven in a wide range of wind regimes worldwide,” said Victor Abate, vice president of renewable energy at GE. “Focusing on performance, reliability, efficiency and multi-generational product evolution, the 1.85-82.5 is designed for Brazil’s growing wind energy requirements.”

GE technology already is well established in Brazil, with 300 GE wind turbines now installed in the country. Last year, GE secured agreements to supply wind and gas turbines for projects in Brazil that will produce 1.4 gigawatts of electricity—40 percent of the total amount awarded in energy auctions conducted by Brazil’s National Electric Power Agency. At AWEA Windpower 2012, GE announced that the Miassaba 2 and Aratua 1 wind farms, developed and implemented by Bioenergy, a pioneer in clean energy in Brazil, were the first projects in Latin America to enter operation with GE wind turbines.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

GE Celebrates 300 Wind Turbines Installed in Brazil

Press release from General Electric:

30 August 2012

GE Celebrates 300 Wind Turbines Installed in Brazil

 

• Brazil Installations Projected to Double over next Two Years
• GE Service Centers to Open in Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia, Employing 100 Technicians
• Best Producing Fleet in the Industry Exceeds Performance Expectations

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL—August 30, 2012—GE (NYSE: GE), which this year is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in the wind industry, today announced that it has installed 300 wind turbines in Brazil. Over the next two years, GE will install more than 600 additional units in Brazil as it continues to grow in the region, the company reported at the Brazil Windpower Conference in Rio de Janeiro.

As the GE fleet expands, the company also is announcing its plans to open two local service centers by 2014, representing a $1.5 million investment in Brazil. The service centers will employ more than 100 service technicians and be located in Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia.

GE’s commitment to quality execution is its number one priority. “Execution is a differentiator for GE,” says Jean-Claude Robert, general manager of Latin America for GE’s renewable energy business. “We have delivered all of our projects on schedule, which allows our customers to meet their PPA requirements.”

Designing a product specifically for Brazil’s wind speeds has been a key investment for the region, and today GE announces its 1.85-82.5 turbine, which is based on GE’s proven 1.5-megawatt (MW) platform. Part of its $2 billion investment in renewable energy, GE’s 1.85-82.5 is designed to meet or exceed the historic 98.5 percent availability of the 1.5-MW platform and help improve project economics in higher wind regime sites by requiring fewer turbines per wind farm.

Wind power is the fastest growing source of power generation in Brazil.The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) reports that the Brazilian wind sector installed 583 MW in 2011, bringing the country’s installed capacity up to more than 1,500 MW, an increase of 63 percent. The GWEC has identified Brazil as one of the world’s most promising onshore markets for wind energy for at least the next five years.

GE has been active in Brazil for more than 90 years and opened its wind energy office in Sao Paulo in 2009. The local team leverages GE’s global expertise of engineers, field service technicians and logistics excellence to ensure the highest quality and strongest execution is on point for customers in Brazil.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

Follow GE’s renewable energy business on Twitter @GErenewables.

180 Iowa Citizens Purchase GE Wind Turbines to Support Local Farm, Community Energy Needs

Press release:

04 June 2012

180 Iowa Citizens Purchase GE Wind Turbines to Support Local Farm, Community Energy Needs

 

• Eight GE Wind Turbines to Power 12.6-Megwatt Community Wind Initiative
• Projects’ Financial Benefits Support Local Towns
• Iowa Initiative to Serve as Model for Other Community Wind Energy Projects
• GE to Provide Maintenance Support under 10-Year Customer Service Agreements

AWEA WINDPOWER 2012Booth #2217

ATLANTA, GA.—June 4, 2012—A leading supplier of wind turbines for utility-scale wind energy projects, GE (NYSE: GE) is announcing eight of itswind turbines will power a 12.6-megawatt (MW) community wind initiative in rural southwestern Iowa. The turbines were purchased by 180 community members who each bought shares in the units.

Building off the success of two GE 1.5-MW turbines installed in the community, the wind initiative group is purchasing six 1.6-82.5 wind turbines. Combined, the eight units will generate electricity for the towns of Greenfield and Fontanelle as well as other surrounding communities in the region:

• The Cumberland Rose Wind Energy project, located north of Orient, will feature one 1.6-82.5 turbine, representing an expansion of Bulldog Wind’s previously installed 1.5-MW unit.
• The Meadow Ridge Wind Energy project, located north of Greenfield, will be powered by one 1.6-82.5 unit, an expansion of Wolverine Wind’s existing 1.5-MW wind turbine.
• The Wiota Wind Energy project in Wiota will feature one 1.6-82.5 turbine.
• Forward Fontanelle Power in Fontanelle will use one 1.6-82.5 unit.
• The Greenfield Wind Power and Sky Volt projects, both located in Greenfield, will each use a single 1.6-82.5 turbine.

Three of Farmers Electric Cooperative’s 11 substations, the City of Fontanelle and the City of Greenfield will purchase power from the projects. All remaining power generated will be purchased by Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), the regional power distributor, which will provide this power to other nearby communities.

“When we developed our business model, it was critical that we select the right project partner and technology supplier to help us implement our project for the benefit of all project investors, as well as the communities where we live,” said Randy Caviness, president of Green Energy Farmers.

The state of Iowa offers a 10-year tax credit for small wind power projects that generate less than 2.5 MW. Local counties where the projects are being built offer property tax incentives for the first seven years.

Each turbine provides benefits from tax credits, land lease royalty payments, property taxes and dividends totaling $1.08 million annually over a period of 10 years. All of the financial benefits, in addition to the shareholders’ annual dividends, go back to the community, underscoring one of the critical advantages of the projects for the area.

GE also will provide maintenance support for the turbines under 10-yearcustomer service agreements to ensure the long-term availability of the turbines.

“10 percent of U.S. states generate more than 10 percent of their electricity from wind, with Iowa as one of the leaders at 19 percent,” said Vic Abate, vice president of renewable energy for GE. “The community wind energy initiative in Iowa represents an important model for other towns and communities to learn from.”

Iowa is the country’s second largest producer of wind energy with 4,495 MW of installed generating capacity, according to the Iowa Wind Energy Association. Iowa also is the nation’s leading employer of wind energy jobs. The state has nine international manufacturing companies supporting the wind industry and 200 other companies in the supply chain.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

GE Energy works connecting people and ideas everywhere to create advanced technologies for powering a cleaner, more productive world. With more than 100,000 employees in over 100 countries, our diverse portfolio of product and service solutions and deep industry expertise help our customers solve their challenges locally. We serve the energy sector with technologies in such areas as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy; wind, solar, biogas and water processing; energy management; and grid modernization. We also offer integrated solutions to serve energy- and water-intensive industries such as mining, metals, marine, petrochemical, food & beverage and unconventional fuels.

Follow GE Energy on Twitter @GERenewables.

GE-Tamoin Consortium Signs Milestone Wind Turbine Service Agreement with Iberdrola

News release from GE:

15 May 2012

GE-Tamoin Consortium Signs Milestone Wind Turbine Service Agreement with Iberdrola

 

• Largest Single Maintenance Agreement for GE Wind Turbines in Europe
• Covers 310 Wind Turbines at Projects Across Spain
• Three-Year Agreement to Help Iberdrola Reach Clean Energy Goals

MADRID, SPAIN—May 15, 2012—A consortium including GE (NYSE: GE) and Spanish energy services company Tamoin Energías Renovables signed the largest single GE wind turbine maintenance agreement in Europe with Iberdrola Renovables S.A. of Madrid. The contract with Iberdrola, one of the world’s largest wind energy companies, covers servicing 310 GE wind turbines installed in Spain.

The agreement is set for three years with an option to extend for two additional years and provides the foundation for a long-term relationship among Iberdrola, GE and Tamoin. GE will act as the technology partner in the consortium to provide high availability and reliability for the installed GE wind turbine fleet by supplying parts, specialized labor and technological support, while Tamoin will supply skilled labor.

The scope of the agreement includes planned and unplanned maintenance for the GE wind turbines at the following Iberdrola wind farms: Cuesta Colorada, Cerro Calderón, Cerro Palo, Muela 1, Maza, Calleja, Isabela and Sierra Quemada y Gavilanes.

“Our goal, in collaboration with our partner Tamoin, is to provide Iberdrola with the highest level of service to help optimize operations while maximizing production,” said Ramon Paramio, Europe wind services leader at GE’s renewable energy business.

The GE-Tamoin consortium has been working with Iberdrola for the past two years under an existing services agreement at Iberdrola wind farms in Germany and Poland. In addition, GE has provided equipment and services to Iberdrola for a wide range of energy projects over recent years, including the thermal, aeroderivative and renewable energy sectors.

The services unit of GE’s renewables business has been growing rapidly. GE more than doubled its investment in services research and development in both 2010 and 2011, as it continues to build a world-class portfolio of services. GE’s wind service solutions incorporate the company’s advanced technology, global resources and service facilities and a network of skilled, highly trained local technicians who are closely connected to GE’s engineering organization. GE service agreements give customers access to GE’s suite of wind turbine upgrades, which are based on technology evolution and in-depth product knowledge.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

GE Energy works connecting people and ideas everywhere to create advanced technologies for powering a cleaner, more productive world. With more than 100,000 employees in over 100 countries, our diverse portfolio of product and service solutions and deep industry expertise help our customers solve their challenges locally. We serve the energy sector with technologies in such areas as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy; wind, solar, biogas and water processing; energy management; and grid modernization. We also offer integrated solutions to serve energy- and water-intensive industries such as mining, metals, marine, petrochemical, food & beverage and unconventional fuels.

Follow GE Energy on Twitter @GE_Energy.

GE PulsePOINT* Technology Helps Wind Operators Reduce Costs and Achieve Optimal Energy Production

25 April 2012

GE PulsePOINT* Technology Helps Wind Operators Reduce Costs and Achieve Optimal Energy Production

 

• New Service Detects Turbine Anomalies, Offers Corrective Actions
• Key Benefits Include Reduced Turbine Operating Costs, Increased Output
• Capability Included as Part of All Existing GE Wind Service Operations and Maintenance Agreements
• Latest Expansion of GE’s Suite of Wind Services

SCHENECTADY, N.Y.—April 25, 2012—GE (NYSE: GE) today announced a new technology that can help give wind farm operators a competitive edge by identifying problems with wind turbines before they can cause downtime or major failures. Using advanced software, GE’s innovative PulsePOINT* Advanced Monitoring and Diagnostic Services help operators reduce costs and achieve optimal energy production by increasing wind turbine reliability and availability.

PulsePOINT incorporates advanced GE-proprietary anomaly detection algorithms with SCADA data and GE Bently Nevada condition monitoring equipment (if installed on the turbine). The system collects wind farm and fleet data from hundreds of turbine sensors and key SCADA control parameters. Currently running more than 150 unique rules and algorithms 24 hours a day, PulsePOINT detects and prioritizes anomalies in wind turbine operations and identifies the proper course of corrective action. This includes identifying wind turbines that are underproducing to ensure customers are achieving optimal energy production.

“PulsePOINT is just the latest example of how GE continues to expand our suite of service offerings, to provide even stronger support for our customers in the wind industry,” said Andy Holt, Wind Services general manager for GE Power & Water. “We are committed to developing new technologies that will further enhance the reliability and productivity of our wind turbines worldwide.”

This technology was developed over the past several years, with an investment of more than $3 million. PulsePOINT is currently operating on data from more than 12,000 wind turbines worldwide in GE’s fleet. Warrantied owners, operations and maintenance, full-service agreement and Bently Nevada condition monitoring customers receive the full capabilities of the services.

With years of experience in monitoring and prognostics of jet engines, helicopters, locomotives and oil and gas rotating equipment, GE wind customers benefit from the expertise and synergies across a number of GE businesses. PulsePOINT technology applies proprietary algorithms developed through a joint effort between GE’s wind business and GE Aviation Systems, using a combination of SCADA data, Bently Nevada ADAPT.wind condition monitoring equipment (if installed on the turbine) and other key inputs to monitor and prioritize turbine health. Further capabilities are planned to optimize maintenance.

GE’s wind service solutions are supported by the company’s advanced technology, global resources and service facilities and a network of skilled, highly trained local technicians who are closely connected to GE’s engineering organization. GE full service agreements also give customers access to GE’s suite of turbine upgrades that are based on new product evolutions and the in-depth product knowledge that only an original equipment manufacturer can provide.

* Trademark of the General Electric Company.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

GE also serves the energy sector by providing technology and service solutions that are based on a commitment to quality and innovation. The company continues to invest in new technology solutions and grow through strategic acquisitions to strengthen its local presence and better serve customers around the world. The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Management and GE Oil & Gas—work together with more than 100,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; as well as other alternative fuels and new grid modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.

(Archive Article) Noisy Wind Turbines Attract Complaints

The following was gleaned from a New York Times article published October 5 or 6, 2010.  Although the New York Times is a left-leaning newspaper, its reporters are honest enough to report some of the drawbacks, as well as the advantages, of renewable energy.  That, together with figures of cost, generating capacity, etc. can lead to reasonable discussion of the pros and cons of locating a renewable power facility in a particular area.

I hope you enjoy this condensed version of the article.

Noisy Wind Turbines Attract Complaints

By TOM ZELLER Jr.

VINALHAVEN, Me. — Nearly all of the residents on this island in Penobscot Bay, celebrated the arrival of three giant wind turbines late last year. That was before they were turned on.

Now, a dozen or so neighbors living less than a mile from the $15 million wind facility here, say the industrial whoosh-and-whoop of the 123-foot blades is making life unbearable.

In Vinalhaven, an audio consultant hired by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection determined last month that the 4.5-megawatt facility was, at least on one evening in mid-July when Mr. Lindgren collected sound data, in excess of the state’s nighttime sound limits. The developer of the project, Fox Island Wind, has contested that finding, and negotiations with state regulators are continuing.

Maine, along with many other states, puts a general limit on nighttime noise at 45 decibels — roughly equivalent to the sound of a humming refrigerator. A normal conversation is in the range of 50 to 60 decibels.

In almost all cases, it is not mechanical noise arising from the central gear box or nacelle of a turbine that residents react to, but rather the sound of the blades, which in modern turbines are mammoth appendages well over 100 feet long, as they slice through the air.

Turbine noise can be controlled by reducing the rotational speed of the blades. But the turbines on Vinalhaven already operate that way after 7 p.m., and George Baker, the chief executive of Fox Island Wind — a for-profit arm of the island’s electricity co-operative — said that turning the turbines down came at an economic cost.

“The more we do that, the higher goes the price of electricity on the island,” he said.

A common refrain among homeowners grappling with sound issues, however, is that they were not accurately informed about the noise ahead of time.

Richard R. James, an acoustic expert hired by residents of Vinalhaven to help them quantify the noise problem, said there was a simpler solution: do not put the turbines so close to where people live.

“It would seem to be time for the wind utility developers to rethink their plans for duplicating these errors and to focus on locating wind turbines in areas where there is a large buffer zone of about a mile and one-quarter between the turbines and people’s homes,” said Mr. James, the principal consultant with E-Coustic Solutions, based in Michigan.

Vinalhaven’s wind farm enjoys support among most residents.

But that is cold comfort for residents living near the turbines.

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(Archive Article) Huge Wind Turbine Farm Opens Off Southeast England

I will be uploading a series of New York Times articles that I downloaded from my Kindle over the past couple of years.  One thing that I really appreciate about the New York Times articles is that they include numbers.  We simply must have some numbers relating to amount of power generated, area occupied, construction costs, operating costs, etc. if we are to have intelligent discussions about renewable energy and possible alternatives.

Unfortunately, this article contains no cost data, but other data are presented, and that is a start.

Huge Wind Turbine Farm Opens Off Southeast England 

Published September 23 or 24, 2010

By JULIA WERDIGIER

LONDON — The world’s largest offshore wind turbine farm, with a capacity to power more than 200,000 homes for a year, opened on Thursday off the coast of southeast England.

The wind farm is operated by Vattenfall, a Swedish energy company, and has 100 turbines spread over 13.5 square miles. At 377 feet tall each, the turbines are visible from the coast in Kent. The wind farm took more than two years to build and is expected to generate 300 megawatts of electricity.

Vattenfall’s turbines mean that power generated from wind can reach five gigawatts in Britain, enough “to power all homes in Scotland,” Chris Huhne, Britain’s energy secretary said in a statement.

“We’re in a unique position to become a world leader in this industry,” Mr. Huhne said. “We are an island nation, and I firmly believe we should be harnessing our wind, wave and tidal resources to the maximum.”

The British government has said it aims to support the renewable energy industry to achieve its goal to get 15 percent of energy from sources like wind farms by 2020. The efforts have focused mainly on wind power in recent years. Wind accounts for about 4 percent of Britain’s electricity needs.

Some industry executives feared that more government investment would be threatened in October, when the coalition government presented its program of spending cuts intended to reduce the budget deficit.

Britain has about 260 wind farms operating across the country and off its coasts.

Vattenfall operates 700 wind turbines in countries including Sweden, Germany, Poland and Britain.

The British wind farm is part of Vattenfall’s plan to double its electricity generated from wind power from 2009 to 2011 by building nine wind farms in six countries.
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Ancient Italian Town Now Has Wind at Its Back

The following was gleaned from a September 28, 2010 New York Times article with the above title.  I believe it provides insight into why some European communities have found it economically feasible, even beneficial, to incorporate renewable energy into their energy mix while few American communities have found that to be the case.

Faced with sky-high electricity rates, small communities in Italy have turned to making renewable energy. More than 800 Italian communities now make more energy than they use because of the recent addition of renewable energy plants.

The Italian town of Tocco da Casauria was motivated to adopt renewable energy because Italy already had among the highest electricity rates in Europe, and nearly three times the average in the United States.

 High electricity prices in Italy are a result of various forces: Italy has almost no fossil fuels of its own, and until last year, it banned nuclear power plants.  And, as in much of Europe, the lure of alternative power here was sweetened by feed-in tariffs — government guarantees to buy renewable electricity at an attractive set price from any company, city or household that produces it.

In the United States, where electricity is cheap and government policy has favored setting minimum standards for the percentage of energy produced from renewable sources rather than direct economic incentives like Europe’s feed-in tariffs, stimulating alternative energy has been only mildly successful. But in countries where energy from fossil fuels is naturally expensive — or rendered so because of a carbon tax — and there is money to be made, renewable energy quickly starts to flow.

With its four wind turbines, Tocco is now essentially energy independent from a financial standpoint, generating 30 percent more electricity than it uses. Production of green electricity earned the town 170,000 euros, or more than $200,000, last year.

Impressed with their new turbines, Tocco’s residents have lately turned to renewable resources to resolve other civic problems.  An installation of solar panels now lights walkways, powers the office and generates an income of 1,500 euros a year, or $2,000, to pay for maintenance at the town’s ancient cemetary.

A growing number of wealthier homeowners are paying these experts to install solar panels. The stucco home of Domenico Marini, a dental technician, has roof panels in addition to a koi pond and garden gnomes. His monthly electricity bills have dropped to $0 from as much as $700.