Show notes
In this episode, the hosts discuss GE Vernova's financial results and blade issues, and announce the Wind Energy O&M Australia Conference. They also touch on innovative wind turbine recycling projects and the latest in safety equipment for wind technicians.
Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard's StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes' YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us!
Pardalote Consulting - https://www.pardaloteconsulting.comWeather Guard Lightning Tech - www.weatherguardwind.comIntelstor - https://www.intelstor.comWind Energy O&M Australia Conference - https://www.windaustralia.com
Allen Hall: Down in Dunedin, New Zealand, they have a problem with people in front of the airport, uh, hugging it out too long as they depart. They've actually put signs out, max hug time, three minutes. Uh, because they've had problems with people just hanging out, cuddling, I guess, in front of the airport at the, on the drop off area.
And the, when I saw this story, I thought, man, I've been to, I had probably a hundred, at least a hundred U. S. airports and dozens overseas. I've never seen this happen anywhere else on the planet. So maybe just New Zealanders are just friendlier people? They like to cuddle? Is, is that the difference, Rosemary?
Rosemary Barnes: New Zealanders are very friendly, I would say. Yeah, maybe, maybe that's it.
Joel Saxum: It reminds me of my grandma. My grandma would give you a hug and then never let you go. And if you tried to like get away, she'd put her, put a hook around you and that's it. You're, you're there, you're there, you're there for the evening.
Now
Allen Hall: did she give you some candies too? They individually wrapped candies as you, as you departed.
Joel Saxum: She was more of a, less than a individual candy. She was more of like a, here's a rum and coke that, that was my grandmother .
Philip Totaro: We do not encourage underage drinking on the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast.
Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Podcast. I'm your host, Allen Hall, and I'll be joined by my Uptime co hosts after these news headlines. In a major development for the U. S. offshore wind sector, GE Vernova has announced plans to remove and strengthen additional blades at the Vineyard Wind Project off the Massachusetts coast.
This decision follows a blade failure incident in July. G. I. V. Ranoa's Comprehensive Quality Assurance Program now includes the re examination of more than 8, 300 ultrasound images per blade and physical inspection using specialized crawler drones. While eight new towers and nacelles have been installed since mid August, the company emphasizes that operations and power production will resume only after meeting all requisite safety approvals.
Britain's energy sector is undertaking a transformative initiative as energy ministers direct the national energy system operator to develop the country's first strategic spatial plan for energy infrastructure through 2050. This groundbreaking blueprint aims to revolutionize the nation's approach to energy planning by identifying optimal locations for new infrastructure development.
The government anticipates this comprehensive approach will significantly reduce grid connection waiting times. and provide investors with unprecedented clarity on project locations. The initial version of the plan, scheduled for release in 2026, will focus primarily on electricity generation and storage, encompassing offshore wind farms, hydrogen assets, and pump storage hydro facilities.
In Scandinavian waters, Statcraft is advancing ambitious offshore wind development plans with their application for a 2. 1 gigawatt project in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Offshore Delta North project, strategically positioned 100 kilometers east of Stockholm, will feature 105 bottom fixed wind turbines in waters ranging from 40 to 80 meters deep.
Their project's design prioritizes minimal visual impact with Turbines placed far from the mainland and inner archipelago. Once operational, the facility expects to generate 8 terawatt hours annually, satisfying approximately 40 percent of Stockholm County's electricity demand and supporting the region's low carbon transition.
The state of Maine's offshore wind aspirations face a significant challenge as federal authorities denied the request for a 456 million grant for the Sears Island port development. The proposed 760 million facility, intended to be the nation's first offshore Purpose built port for floating turbines would have included construction of a specialized semi submersible barge for turbine assembly and installation.
While the setback impacts the project's timeline, state officials remain committed to the 2029 completion target and are actively pursuing an alternative 130 million federal funding opportunity. The project maintains strong support from business, environmental, and labor groups as a crucial component of Maine's goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2040.
The Philippines Renewable Energy Sector faces substantial challenges as the Department of Energy reports 105 projects at risk of termination due to timeline non compliance. The affected projects, namely awarded in 2017 and 2019, include 10 wind developments struggling with land rights acquisition and grid connection challenges.
for your patience. In response, the government has implemented stronger oversight measures, including new guidelines requiring developers to obtain a Certificate of Authority valid for three years for onshore wind projects and five years for offshore wind initiatives. These measures align with the country's ambitious target of achieving 35 percent renewables in its energy mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
Iowa's clean sector demonstrates remarkable resilience and growth, with employment increasing by 4. 5 percent in 2023. The state currently supports over 32, 000 clean energy positions, with small businesses driving expansion. 74 percent of clean energy companies employ fewer than 20 people. Adding to this momentum, Nordex Group announced the restart of a wind turbine production facility in West Branch, Iowa, capitalizing on federal tax incentives provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.
That's this week's top news stories. After the break, I'll be joined by my co host, renewable energy expert and founder of Pardalote Consulting, Rosemary Barnes, CEO and founder of IntelStor, Phil Totaro, and the Chief Commercial Officer of Weather Guard Lightning Tech, Joel Saxum. As wind energy professionals, staying informed is crucial, and let's face it, difficult.
That's why the Uptime Podcast recommends PES Wind magazine. PES Wind offers a diverse range of in depth articles and expert insights that dive into the most pressing issues facing our energy future. Whether you're an industry veteran or new to wind, PES Wind has the high quality content you need. Don't miss out.
Visit PESWind. com today. In the latest quarter. of PES Wind Magazine, Joel, there's a really interesting article about safety equipment and it is from Cresto. And if you've seen some of their devices, they have a couple of emergency descent devices. One that's a manual device, but the one I was looking at was the one they're talking about in the article, which is this automatic, uh, descent device that is stuck to you.
So it's part of your general equipment you go up and down the tower with. So it's Something a little bit different because a lot of those escape systems are actually mounted in the nacelle. This is a different approach, though. I
Joel Saxum: really like this approach, uh, because what they're doing is basically taking this, uh, what they call the Solo X, this rescue device, and they're integrating it with your daily kit.
So, think about it, it's like something like you have your gloves with you all the time, so you know how your gloves work. You have your harness with you all the time, you know how to put your harness on, so you're so used to the piece of kit that it becomes something, it becomes a part of you, right? Like your hard hat.
Every day you put your helmet on. Like, you know these things. And this is a different approach as opposed to the traditional approach, which is, eh, there might be a self rescue kit or something up tower. It might be in a different spot stored in every nacelle. It might be behind a generator. It might be over, you know, by a bearing or somewhere.
Or you're, and if you're traveling, especially if you're a traveling wind technician, you're going into different turbines. You don't know exactly where the self rescue kit is. And that hasn't even touched on the idea of, How do these things maintain? How often have they been checked? Are they, are, you know, are they fit for duty?
Uh, and you don't really, in the case that you need to use a self rescue device, you don't have time to try to find it. Hopefully it's in good use, or any of these other things. So, what Cresto has done with this device is, they've put it right With the person. It's with them every day. They are trained on it.
Of course, that's one of the most important things. But it just becomes a part of your everyday kit, so you're used to using it. Um, you know, because the last thing we ever want to hear about, uh, in the wind industry is something where someone gets stuck up tower, there's a fire, there's an incident, there's an accident, or whatever may happen, or you know, someone, someone twists an ankle bad enough up tower, You'd need to use it just to get them down.
They're not gonna be able to climb the ladder down.