September 19, 2019
OFFSHORE WIND PICKS UP IN THE U.S.
In 1991, the renewable energy company Ørsted built the world’s first offshore wind farm, Vindeby, near the coast of Denmark, comprising 11 turbines that generated a total 5 megawatts. That farm looks like a field of daisies by today’s standards — but its creation opened an industry that’s grown in leaps and bounds, with total installed capacity topping 22.5 gigawatts in 2018. To generate all that, the turbines themselves have had to grow from tender saplings to towering oaks like the Haliade-X 12 MW, the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine. Ørsted announced this week that it’ll be using the Haliade-X, made by GE Renewable Energy, in two new offshore wind farms the company is building in the U.S. Planted into the ocean floor off the East Coast, the first of the new farms is expected to come online in 2022.
Coast with the most: Whereas the turbines at Vindeby each could generate 450 kilowatts, just a single Haliade-X has the capacity to churn out, as the name suggests, 12 MW. That means that Ocean Wind — the larger of the two planned farms, off the coast of New Jersey — is expected to generate 1,100 MW, the equivalent of an average American nuclear reactor. Skipjack, off of Maryland, can produce 120 MW. “We look forward to introducing the next-generation offshore wind turbine to the market,” said Martin Neubert, executive vice president and CEO of Ørsted Offshore. “Today, offshore wind is a competitive source of homegrown clean energy that can help countries and states achieve their climate targets while creating long-lasting economic activity.”
GE wind turbines also power America’s first offshore wind farm, farther north in Rhode Island — and there’s more work on the (Atlantic) horizon: Seven East Coast states have made wind a big part of their energy goals by 2035. Learn more here.
COOLING POWER
For most people in Iraq, the electricity situation is much better than it was a decade ago, when some parts of the country were able to keep the lights on just a few hours a day. But there’s still work to do, particularly in the searing Iraqi summers, when temperatures can exceed 110 degrees for days in a row. That’s tough on people and power plant operators — so both will benefit from the addition of up to 1.5 gigawatts of capacity at the Besmaya power plant, announced this week by the Iraqi government, Mass Energy Group Holding (MGH) and GE Power. Already Iraq’s biggest power station, Besmaya will receive four additional 9F gas turbines from GE Power, bringing its total capacity to 4.5 GW — enough electricity to supply up to 4.5 million Iraqi households.
For the long haul: “As the first independent power project in central Iraq, Besmaya set benchmarks in public-private sector partnerships and contributions to Iraq’s electricity network,” said Iraqi Minister of Electricity H.E. Dr. Luay al-Khatteeb. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with MGH and GE through the further expansion of Besmaya power plant.” The project is expected to add the first 500 MW to the grid as early as next year, with the balance coming online in 2021 — but GE’s presence in the country is nothing new. The company installed its first turbine in Iraq in 1965, and nowadays GE’s technology can generate up to 55% of the country’s electricity.
Read more here about how GE Power is helping bring electricity — and relief from the heat — to millions of Iraqi households.
— VIDEO OF THE WEEK —
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— QUOTE OF THE DAY —
“From being among the first to help rebuild power infrastructure in conflict-affected areas such as Diyala and Mosul to providing equipment and services for Iraq’s first independent power plant, we have not just promised but continuously delivered on our commitment to help power progress for the people of Iraq.”
— Joseph Anis, president and CEO of GE’s Gas Power Systems and Power Services businesses in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia
Quote: GE Reports. Image: GE Renewable Energy.
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