wind – Center of Excellence for Clean Energy

Wind surpasses hydro as most used renewable

Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Wind is now the top renewable source of electricity generation in the country, a position previously held by hydroelectricity.

Annual wind generation totaled 300 million megawatthours (MWh) in 2019, exceeding hydroelectric generation by 26 million MWh. Wind generation has increased steadily during the past decade, in part, because the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which drove wind capacity additions, was extended. Annual hydroelectric generation has fluctuated between 250 million MWh and 320 million MWh in the past decade, reflecting a stable capacity base and variable annual precipitation.

Recycling old wind turbines

Posted on Monday, March 16, 2020

It’s difficult to recycle a gigantic wind turbine. The blades are built to withstand extreme weather, from scorching desert heat to hurricane-like winds, and that means their life almost always ends in a landfill. In Europe alone, about 3,800 blades will be removed every year through at least 2022, according to BloombergNEF, as the oldest turbines reach retirement age.

A Danish startup aims to turn old turbines into a material that can address a different environmental threat: noise pollution.

TransAlta adds 119 MW of wind power in U.S.

Posted on Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Two U.S. wind farms with a total capacity of 119 MW, operated by TransAlta Corp., became operational in December 2019.

The 90-MW Big Level wind park in Pennsylvania started commercial operation on December 19. It sells power to technology giant Microsoft Corporation, under a 15-year contract.

The 29-MW Antrim wind facility in New Hampshire has been operational since December 24.

Wind farms in Montana could deliver enough energy to power large city

Posted on Friday, January 17, 2020

Site preparation has begun on the 114-turbine Pryor Mountain Wind Project in Montana. At least four wind farms are in various stages of development and combined could deliver up to 480 megawatts of capacity, enough to power a large city.

Pryor Mountain Wind “is a 240-megawatt wind project with a 40% net capacity factor and will produce about 841,000 MWh/year, making it an excellent wind power generation site,” said Spencer Hall of PacifiCorp. “The facility will produce the power equivalent to the usage of more than 76,000 U.S. households on an annual basis.”

World’s largest floating wind turbine connects online

Posted on Thursday, January 9, 2020

The largest floating wind turbine to date just went online off the coast of Portugal.

One of the three platforms that will make up the WindFloat Atlantic off-shore wind farm was connected to the grid via a 20-kilometre (12.4-mile) long cable on New Year’s Eve.

Once the other two platforms come online, WindFloat will be able to provide enough clean energy for around 60,000 homes.

Texan wind power grows again as huge turbines start spinning

Posted on Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Texas is known for its oil production, but it is increasingly a major player in wind energy. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the Lone Star State had more than 27 gigawatts of installed wind capacity and 14,198 wind turbines during the third quarter of 2019. The nearest rival in terms of installed capacity, Iowa, had less than half (8.965 GW) of Texas’ installed capacity during the same period. Capacity refers to the maximum amount that installations can theoretically produce.