Weather Data Gathering Project Underway for US Offshore Wind
and wind farms. Accurate forecasts are essential for maximizing wind plant output.“The major goal of WFIP3 is to characterize the wind energy environment and what processes impact the wind speeds at hub-height,” said Dave Turner, manager of NOAA’s Atmospheric Science for Renewable Energy Program. “We want to use these insights to improve NOAA’s operational weather prediction models, which often serve as the foundational forecasts for the energy community in their daily management of their wind plants.”Over the last three months, researchers have deployed remote sensing
Threat to Whales Complicates US Research into Seaweed for Biofuel
biofuel plans if it can be proven as a cost-effective alternative to corn."Renewable liquid fuels are especially attractive, because they allow us to leverage existing liquid fuel infrastructure," said oceanographer Simon Freeman, who heads the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program funding seaweed research.Kelp supporters also note that corn, unlike seaweed, takes up increasingly scarce land and freshwater, while also needing agrochemicals that then pollute waterways.The DOE has spent more than $55 million since 2017 on 21 projects exploring whether seaweed production can
Baker to Head BOEM's Office of Renewable Energy Programs
The United States' Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday announced Karen J. Baker will lead its Office of Renewable Energy Programs (OREP).BOEM, an agency within the Department of the Interior, manages U.S. offshore energy resources.As Chief of BOEM's OREP, Baker will oversee the development of renewable energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf through planning, stakeholder engagement, environmental analysis and technical review.“We’re very excited to add Ms. Baker to our team at such a pivotal time in offshore wind development,” said BOEM Director Amanda
NextGeo Taps PanGeo For Detailed Survey on Hollandse Kust West Beta Cable Routes
a detailed survey in the Dutch North Sea along the cable route running from TenneT's planned Hollandse Kust West Beta offshore wind substation.NextGEO has been carrying out various works as part of its contract with TenneT TSO B.V. for UXO survey services in support of the vast offshore wind energy program promoted by the Dutch Government in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.Following the completion of a route survey campaign performed on Hollandse Kust West Beta (HKWb) last year, NextGeo has now teamed up with PanGeo Subsea to provide its SBI to conduct a detailed survey around the Baloeran
MTR100: Five "Ones to Watch"
for lower power requirements and where it would be complicated to provide power other ways, such as remote areas, providing environmental monitoring for engineering and development operations and monitoring and control of low power subsea and topside equipment, Andrea Alessi, Offshore Renewable Energy Program Manager, ENI, told the Offshore Mediterranean Conference (OMC) in Italy earlier this year.This could even extend to powering electric actuators and AUVs, including those forming ENI’s Clean Sea concept, as well as creating security cordons around offshore platforms during decommissioning
New Tech for Wind Blade Inspections
than traditional inspections with cameras.“Wind blades are the largest single-piece composite structures built in the world — even bigger than any airplane, and they often get put on machines in remote locations,” says Joshua Paquette, a mechanical engineer in Sandia’s wind energy program. “A blade is subject to lightning, hail, rain, humidity and other forces while running through a billion load cycles during its lifetime, but you can’t just land it in a hanger for maintenance.”Routine inspection and repair, though, is critical to keeping these megablades in
New Tools Optimize the Design of Floating Renewable Energy Devices
;The research project has been sponsored by CHL and the Engineer Research and Development Centre (ERDC), and HR Wallingford, under a joint collaboration agreement. Additional support was provided by the IDCORE doctorate program from the Energy Technologies Institute and the Research Councils Energy Program.The research paper was presented at EWTEC (European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference) Ireland, in 2017 and is available to download from the University of Exeter research repository
Saudis to Launch $30-50 billion Renewable Energy Program
Saudi Arabia will launch in coming weeks a renewable energy program that is expected to involve investment of between $30 and $50 billion by 2023, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday. Falih, speaking at an energy industry event in Abu Dhabi, said Riyadh would in the next few weeks start the first round of bidding for projects under the program, which would produce 10 gigawatts of power. In addition to that program, Riyadh is in the early stages of feasibility and design studies for its first two commercial nuclear reactors, which will total 2.8 gigawatts, he said.
Plan Introduced to Drive US Offshore Wind Energy
permitting 20,000 MW of renewable electricity generation on public lands and waters by 2020,” said Secretary Jewell. “Thanks to involvement by partners at all levels of government, community stakeholders, tribes and the public, we've been able to stand up the first federal offshore wind energy program in the history of the U.S. and we are confident the strategy we're outlining today will chart a course for additional investment in clean energy technologies that can help power America's future.” “Offshore wind has experienced enormous progress during the Obama administration
February 2024
