An Ignoble Experiment

2. Bluewater Wind finally blowing

In 2013, growth in the global wind power market slowed dramatically, especially in the United States and Spain, according to Navigant Research.

Wind power at Mt. Aso, Kyusyu, Japan. Credit: Miya M/Wikimedia Commons

Navigant reports the following results for 2013:

Global installation was 36.13 GW
China regained its title as the world's largest annual market with 16,088 MW of new wind power installed
Offshore wind grew more than 50 percent and is poised for steady growth in Europe

"Last year was the first in which the wind industry experienced negative growth since 2004, but there are signs that the 2013 slowdown will turn out to be an anomaly," said Feng Zhao, research director with Navigant Research. "As wind turbine vendors search for new opportunities in emerging markets -- primarily in Latin America and Africa -- and develop machines for maximum energy production in low wind speed areas, the industry is expected to add another 250 gigawatts of capacity through 2018."

Despite this slowdown, wind currently powers nearly 3 percent of the world and is expected to grow over the next several years -- delivering 7.3 percent of the electricity consumed worldwide by 2018, Navigant predicts.

Helping to drive growth will be the offshore market, which saw 13 new projects installed in 2013, adding 1,720 MW -- a 50 percent increase over 2012 -- according to the researcher. Nearly half of all new offshore capacity in 2013 was installed in the United Kingdom, according to the report.

Navigant predicts that wind power will deliver at least 2.87 percent of the world's electricity in 2014 and wind power capacity installations will rebound with 29.6 percent growth.

For more:
- see this report

Read more about: wind power
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This week's sponsor is AESP.

Join AESP's Summer Conference on Evaluation & Implementation August 4-6 in San Francisco

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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NextEra Energy Partners' (NEP) Bluewater Wind Energy Center in Huron County, Ontario has begun commercial operation.

The project is comprised of 37 turbines and capable of generating up to 60 MW of electricity, or enough to power approximately 15,000 homes. The Bluewater Wind Energy Center is owned by Bluewater Wind, LP, an indirect subsidiary of NextEra Energy Canada Partners Holdings, ULC.

"We are proud that the Bluewater Wind Energy Center not only contributes emissions-free electricity to Ontarians, but also that we have been able to significantly contribute to the local economy in Huron County through the development of this important project," said Armando Pimentel, president, NextEra Energy Partners. "We are very proud to add this terrific asset to our growing portfolio."

Since receiving its Renewable Energy Approval in April 2013, and beginning construction in November 2013, the Bluewater Wind Energy Center has invested nearly $4 million in local businesses in Huron County. Throughout the construction phase, more than 200 local workers and 16 Huron County businesses contributed to the project, providing services that ranged from labor to materials and equipment to utilities, housing and subcontractors.

For more:
- see this report

Read more about: NextEra, Bluewater Wind Energy Center
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3. Solar energy needs copper

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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4. Spinning Spur II raises EDF's installed capacity in TX

By 2023, an estimated $158 billion will be invested into solar energy. With this rapid growth in the solar energy market, what will the demand be for the natural resources vital to these systems?

With the growth rate of the solar energy market expected to increase by double-digits over the next decade, so will the demand for copper needed to power and ground cabling for these installations, said Zolaikha Strong, director of sustainable energy for the Copper Development Association (CDA), at the National Solar Conference.

Global investments in renewable energy are strong and predicted to continue to grow, with solar power expected to see double digit growth over the next 10 years -- from $91 billion in 2013 to an estimated $158 billion by 2023 -- according to a market study commissioned by CDA and conducted by BBF Associates & Konrad J.A. Kundig, Ph.D.

"Investments in solar power have already outpaced that of wind energy and are projected to continue growing into 2023, even with changes in pricing," Strong said. "Solar panels over large scale areas require installing miles of copper grounding and copper centric power cables. By 2020, we estimate that 150 to 410 million lbs. of copper will be used in these systems."

Copper usage intensity is four to six times higher for renewables compared to fossil fuels or nuclear, according to the CDA study, showing the demand for copper in the renewable market.

Both traditional and newer systems for producing solar energy use copper extensively. Thermal solar energy, which has been used for a years to generate electricity, is produced when sunlight is focused in a pressure vessel and moves to a boiler to generate steam. In the past, traditional systems used copper in older generators, transformers and grounding systems. While newer systems have added electrical and control systems needed for tracking drive motors, the usage of copper is still integral in newer systems which require copper grounding systems, according to Strong.

Given that old and new means of solar energy production have a need for copper, the potential market size for renewables shows the estimated copper demand ranging from 16.2 to 46.3 million pounds of copper, according to the research.

For more:
- see this report

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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5. Collaborating for a better understanding of oil and gas separation technology

Construction on the Spinning Spur II Wind Project located in Oldham County, Texas, resulting in the 24^th wind project Mortenson Construction's Renewable Energy Groups has built for EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) -- and the 21st wind project Mortenson has built in Texas.

The 167 MW Spinning Spur II project included engineering, procurement and construction of all access roads, foundations, wind turbine erection, collection system, operations and maintenance building and the installation of MET towers. Mortensen was an integral part in building one of the first projects to connect to the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ), which was initiated by the Texas legislature in 2005 to help create a competitive market for wind energy in Texas -- primarily by bringing power to more densely populated areas where transmission lines did not previously exist.

Spinning Spur II commenced construction of 87 1.85 MW, 87-meter rotor wind turbines 40 miles west of Amarillo, in June 2013. The power is sold pursuant to an 11-year purchase agreement. With the Spinning Spur II project in operation, EDF RE's installed capacity, since entering the Texas market in 2012, is 472 MW -- with another 700 MW in late-stage development.

EDF Renewable Services will provide long-term operations and maintenance for the facility, balance of plant, project oversight, and 24/7 remote monitoring from its NERC compliant Operations Control Center.

For more:
- see this report

Related Article:
EDF wraps up another TX wind project

Read more about: EDF Renewable Energy, Spinning Spur
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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