Power &amp; Energy Solutions

David Evans and Associates, Inc. Uses Sea Machines’ Autonomy System to Survey Galveston Bay for NOAA

System Is Increasing Productivity by Enabling Unmanned Operations (HOUSTON; January 25, 2021) – DEA Marine Services, a division of David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA), in Vancouver, Wash., is leveraging a Sea Machines Robotics SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm control system to fulfill a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contract that is now surveying more than 3,500 nautical miles of the Western Galveston Bay, near the Houston Ship Channel. The SM300 has been installed aboard the DEA survey boat Sigsbee, which is serving as an autonomous daughter craft for the project. Sigsbee is effectively doubling coverage by operating without an onboard crew, while collaboratively following another DEA-staffed hydrographic survey vessel, which serves as the mothership. The goal is to cover the Bay’s large and shallow survey areas more efficiently than traditional, crewed survey vessel operations. DEA operators located aboard the mothership are commanding the autonomous Sigsbee as it conducts survey missions seven days per week, effectively doubling the conventional productivity of this type of survey. Sea Machines’ technology and DEA’s technical advancements enhance the value of vessel operations by: Increasing productivity with collaborative autonomy for force-multiplication; Shifting recurring and repetitive operations from manual to autonomous, which enables personnel to focus on higher-level tasks; Interfacing autonomous navigation systems with survey software, including Hypack, enabling direct

January 26, 2021

Siemens Gamesa signs second standout deal in Brazil and surpasses 2 GW global milestone for its industry-leading turbine

Siemens Gamesa will supply 70 SG 5.8-170 turbines, with one of the largest rotors on the market, for a 434 MW Santo Agostinho wind farm in north-east Rio Grande do Norte state. The order, with Engie, takes Siemens Gamesa to 1.21 GW sold of its new 5.X platform in Brazil, and over 2.2 GW globally. The 2 GW milestone has been hit in record time, following the platform’s launch in April 2019 Siemens Gamesa’s global partnership with leading electricity supplier Engie has grown stronger following the signing of a 434 MW contract to supply the benchmark Siemens Gamesa 5.X onshore platform to the Santo Agostinho wind farm located in the north-east Rio Grande do Norte state. The contract is to supply 70 SG 5.8-170 turbines with OptimaFlex technology, enhanced to operate at 6.2 MW. This turbine boasts one of the highest power ratings in the onshore market, and among the largest rotors, in turn providing an extremely competitive Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE). This deal is the third for the 5.X in Brazil and follows the signing in December 2020 of a 465 MW contract in Bahia. Indeed, both deals will see the energy produced at the wind farms sold through

Kensa Welcomes Government Response to Future Homes Standard Consultation

Kensa Group CEO, Simon Lomax, has welcomed the Government’s long-awaited response to the recent Part L Future Homes Consultationpublished on January 19, which states that from 2025, no new homes will be built with fossil fuel heating such as a natural gas boiler. Mr Lomax said: “Although we would always ask the Government to be prompter and more ambitious, we generally support the response which makes clear that heat pumps are expected to become the default heating choice at new build dwellings from 2025. “We also welcome the continued opportunity for local authorities to specify planning conditions which mandate energy efficiency upgrades which are more demanding than mere compliance with the emerging regulations.” Based in Cornwall, Kensa has developed some unique solutions for the residential new build sector based upon the ultra-small Shoebox ground source heat pump which can be paired with a traditional cylinder or a heat battery. In most cases, the Shoebox is served by a shared ground array, thereby mimicking the system architecture in a traditional gas boiler arrangement. According to Mr Lomax: ‘A ground source heat pump provides the lowest carbon solution as the technology is far more efficient than an air source heat pump, particularly on the coldest days.

KENZFIGEE WINS FIVE-YEAR SERVICE CONTRACT FROM DANA PETROLEUM

KenzFigee, a well-established lifting, handling and service specialist of tailor-made equipment for the marine, offshore and wind energy industry, has secured a five-year deal to provide TotalCareSM Lifting Services for Dana Petroleum. This contract will provide for maintenance management and the supply of expert service engineers on Dana’s ‘Triton’ and ‘Western Isles’ FPSOs , both operational in the North Sea, directly from our office in the UK. KenzFigee has been providing equipment and services to Dana in the North Sea for many years. Since the opening of our UK office in early 2020, we have been working very closely with Dana to design the next generation TotalCareSM service contract. The contract will be underpinned utilizing KenzFigee’s technology expertise together with our competent service engineers to ensure efficiency and optimum operational availability, which is in line with Dana Petroleum’s needs. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to further develop this important relationship between our companies by expanding our provision of safe, cost effective and innovative service”, KenzFigee Chief Executive Officer, Jan-Pieter Klaver commented. “It will further strengthen and grow KenzFigee’s presence in the UK market to bring our dedicated services to more UK clients.” Vice President UK Operations Barry Stewart said: “We are delighted

Offshore wind industry defines fields of action for policy makers: Impetus for the offshore wind value chain urgently needed

No new installations in the second half of 2020. A total of 1,501 turbines with a capacity of 7,770 MW on the grid - offshore wind delivers clean, safe and cost-effective electricity. Tendering of potentially usable areas required as soon as possible to enable earlier construction activities and thus preserve existing innovation potential, employment and the value chain in Germany. Use positive market dynamics through the EU strategy for renewable offshore energy, trigger investment push! Berlin, 22 January 2021 - Today, the German offshore wind industry presented the expansion figures for offshore wind energy in 2020. According to these figures, 32 turbines with a capacity of 219 MW were connected to the grid for the first time last year. In total, 1,501 offshore wind turbines with a capacity of 7,770 MW are feeding electricity into the German North Sea and Baltic Sea. Due to incorrect political framework conditions, no new plants could be built in the second half of 2020. "While the long-term framework conditions for the offshore wind industry have improved over the past year with the EU's 'Green Deal' and the German government's new long-term targets until 2040, the short-term situation of the industry remains challenging with the very

New lifting system and tower to enhance onshore wind turbine assembly

Joint Sumitomo Mitsui Construction/FHECOR/Mammoet innovation solves challenge of increasing hub heights Mammoet has started joint effort with Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd and FHECOR Ingenieros Consultores for the development of an innovative onshore wind turbine generator erection system and tower structure. Its self-climbing installation technology erects each wind turbine tower in sections, allowing them to reach to greater heights and more reliable winds. As nations strive towards 2050 carbon neutrality targets set by the Paris Agreement, onshore wind is seen as a reliable and plentiful source of renewable energy. Installation onshore brings access to stronger and more constant air flows; at higher hub heights this effect is multiplied. However, as towers stretch towards 200m, fewer and fewer cranes have the reach necessary to perform turbine assembly on land. Developers then looked at alternative assembly methodologies such as climbing cranes or huge tower cranes, but these are not available the market. In addition, other massive crawler cranes currently used are not specifically designed for onshore wind farm constructions. Furthermore, when towers approach 200m in height, there is an additional requirement for them to be constructed using a concrete or hybrid steel-concrete structure because steel alone lacks the rigidity required to support the weight of the

Foreign government debt depreciates domestic currency, say EconPol researchers

A change in US monetary policy could impact global exchange rates High stocks of government debt denominated in foreign currency may depreciate domestic currency, according to new research from EconPol Europe. And, say authors of the report, the prospect of a change in monetary policy in the United States could have a significant impact on global exchange rate regimes. In an analysis of the international transmission of interest rates, researchers found significant spillovers from the U.S. interest rates to other countries, mostly for advanced economies. A dampening effect of the share of external liabilities in the domestic currency was also found, which researchers flag as a clear determinant of risk premium. “The prospect of a change in monetary policy in the United States matters for other countries, and this may be true whatever their exchange rate regime,” says co-author António Afonso of REM Lisbon. The findings, he adds, are particularly important for countries with high foreign reserves. “In our paper, we focus on the role of government debt and international reserves,” explains Afonso. “The level of government indebtedness has two opposite effects on domestic long-term interest rates. It has a positive effect since it influences risk premiums and sovereign bond yields typically upwards, and

Mammoet’s new office in Taiwan located near sites for windfarm project execution

New office is in Taichung and will offer engineering plus project management services Due to the rapid expansion of Mammoet’s business in Taiwan with joint venture partner Giant Heavy Machinery Services Corp and its recent cooperation with Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Mammoet has announced that it will open a new office in Taichung, Taiwan. This will allow its team to be located closer to project sites and to offer onshore services for offshore windfarms locally. The cooperation with TIPC will operate under the name TIPH which stands for Taiwan International Ports Heavy-Machinery Co. Currently, the Taiwan government is rolling out its plans to achieve 25% of local electricity generation from renewable sources - in particular wind energy via offshore windfarms. Following the successful Formosa 1 demonstration project, with 22 turbines of 8 MW generating enough energy for 130,000 homes, the Taiwan government is planning future wind projects adding 1GW per year until 2035. Taichung Port has been earmarked to be the offshore hub for years to come. Mammoet’s unparalleled experience and expertise in the wind energy and renewables sector will allow the company to be involved in supporting the construction of these windfarms both safely and efficiently. Mammoet’s level of service will be enhanced