Today, offshore wind farm operators require strong partners offering large turbines with enhanced reliability, proven track record, high-performance and cost-effective design for higher water depths and greater distance to shore.

Find out how AREVA is helping utilities to make offshore wind projects successful.

Learn more about AREVA’s M5000 wind turbine. It is the first 5 megawatt turbine made specifically for offshore wind farms and is designed to withstand the severe conditions of the marine environment.

You can also watch a video of the installation of these powerful turbines off the German coast in the North Sea.

By Katherine Berezowskyj

Now that last week’s scorching summer heat has subsided, Americans might be little less “hot headed” about a discussion on the benefits of the sun’s rays. Yes, that’s right. The same sunshine that caused you to sweat profusely at the thought of getting into your car and kept your air-conditioning running full blast also provided some of the very same electricity through solar power.

There are several different ways to harness the solar radiation, but one of the most cost-effective and land-efficient is Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). It functions just as the name indicates by concentrating sunlight to boil the water and generate high-pressure steam for direct use in power generation.
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by Jarrett Adams

As Germany begins its trek toward shutting down its nuclear plants by 2022, it has to answer several questions about what effect this will have on the nation’s energy and environmental outlook. Some opponents to nuclear energy have stated that Germany’s plants, which until recently produced 24 percent of its electricity, will be picked up by expanding renewables. But, at least in the short term, much of this shortfall will be met by building new fossil fuel-fired plants.

In a recent piece, Guardian columnist George Monbiot wrote:

Germany’s promise to ditch nuclear power will produce an extra 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. In June Angela Merkel announced a possible doubling of the capacity of the coal and gas plants Germany will build in the next 10 years. Already Germany has been burning brown coal, one of the most polluting fuels on earth, to make up the shortfall.

In fact, the German chancellor has called for construction of 20 new fossil plants to replace the 17 nuclear plants until additional renewable capacity is available. According to Der Spiegel, a portion of funds originally directed for investment in renewables “has now been earmarked to subsidize the construction of new coal-fired power plants.”

Part of Germany’s solution will be to replace the electricity supplied by nuclear energy with renewable generation. We applaud the intent to build more renewable generation – AREVA has built six offshore wind turbines off the German coast and, with a production facility in Bremerhaven, working to developing many more. As these renewable sources cannot supply all of the power yet, the German energy demand will have to be supplemented through coal and natural gas. This increased dependence, mostly imported from Russia, has other drawbacks besides producing more greenhouse gas emissions.

Some recent articles have highlighted how Russian industry is positioning to help Germany with its transition away from nuclear energy, including the Voice of Russia. Last week an article plainly titled “Germany to renounce nuclear energy, Gazprom is ready to help,” detailed the new partnership between Gazprom and German utility RWE to build coal and gas fired plants in the country.

Blogger Rod Adams has written an interesting post on the Energy Collective examining Russia’s stake in the German nuclear phaseout.

Other analyses have pointed out that even if Germany meets its objective to phase out nuclear energy, it will not meet the supply the nuclear plants had provided with renewables. According to an insightful post from the Breakthrough Institute:

To fully replace nuclear power with renewable energy, the country would have to scale renewable energy to provide over 42.4% of the country’s projected 2020 electricity demand, a substantial increase from the 17% of electricity demand renewable energy provided in 2010, and far greater than the country’s goal of 35% of electricity demand in 2020. In terms of non-hydro renewables, that’s an increase of 2.6 times today’s levels.

The German people have the right to choose their energy sources, including deciding against nuclear energy. But this is not necessarily the trend. Many other countries understand the constant, low-carbon energy generated by nuclear plants and are moving forward aggressively with new nuclear plants, including China, which now has some 25 plants under construction, and India and the United Kingdom.

In an excellent article, Barbara Lydick examines California’s challenges of water scarcity, purity and recovery with insightful commentary and vision.

Fresno Clean Energy Park concept

Greentech media covers Jim Lanard, President of the Offshore Wind Development Coalition, testimony before a House of Representatives subcommittee. Some key quotes:

“Yet in the United States, no offshore wind farms have been built,” Lanard said. That, however, is about to change … In 2010, eight offshore wind developers bid to lease land on the outer continental shelf [OCS] off the coast of Maryland … Ten offshore wind developers bid in the leasing process for federal waters off Massachusetts and eleven put in bids for the OCS off New Jersey.”

The article also suggests the offshore wind industry is at a key tipping point:

It looks very much like the U.S. offshore wind industry is about to achieve the scale it needs to boom. “Economies of scale can be achieved for offshore wind,” Lanard said, because they are ready to make a technological leap. Several offshore wind developers have reported that they plan to propose wind farms scaled at 1,100 megawatts each.” And, Lanard said, “The standard going forward will be five-, six- and seven-megawatt turbines.”

From AREVA’s perspective as a 5 MW offshore wind turbine manufacturer, the article is definitely worth checking out, do read the whole thing.

It’s good to be recognized for your efforts.

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) named AREVA as the Member of the Month with a frontpage posting on their website and a company write-up.

For our part, we’ve partnered with this primary educator and advocate for the U.S. renewable energy industry to support their efforts and encourage rapid, sustained industry development.
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Iberdrola Renewables and AREVA have signed a preliminary agreement to develop offshore wind projects in France following the government’s announcement of a plan to reach a 6 GW target by 2020. The partners will compete for two of the country’s five offshore zones offered in a first phase of bidding.

Under the terms of the agreement, AREVA will be sole supplier of the turbines that will equip the offshore farms to be developed by Iberdrola Renewables.

“AREVA is fully committed to develop an ambitious wind offshore industry in France bringing its industry leading operational experience in 5MW-class wind turbines. The partnership with Iberdrola, a major renewable global player, is a key step in our European development and offers a tremendous opportunity for our global industrial and economical expansion,” said Anil Srivastava, CEO of AREVA Renewables.

AREVA previously announced it will partner with GDF Suez and construction group Vinci to bid on the other three zones off the coast of France. “AREVA is actively exploring potential opportunities for offshore wind projects on the U.S. East Coast,” said Steven Cuevas, Director of Offshore Wind Business Development at AREVA.

AREVA is a major player in the offshore wind industry. Its successful M5000 turbine won 600 MW of orders confirming the industry’s confidence in the group’s field-proven technology. By the end of 2013, an installed base of over 120 new turbines will be in operation in Europe.

Marrying zero-carbon solar energy and low-emission gas will be critical to meeting our growing energy demands in a sustainable and economical way. Today, this application got a shot in the arm with the green lighting of the world’s largest solar-gas hybrid plant. As part of its Solar Flagships Program, the Australian government selected the proposed 250MW ‘Solar Dawn’ solar thermal-gas hybrid power plant to be its preferred solar thermal power project. The Australian Commonwealth and Queensland Governments announced their commitment to contribute AUS$464 million and AUS$75 million, respectively, to the project. It will utilize AREVA’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector technology.

The Solar Flagships Program aims to provide the foundation for large-scale, grid-connected solar power and accelerate the commercialization of solar power in Australia. It is a key component of the Australian Governments AUS$5 billion Clean Energy Initiative.

Coming on the heels of AREVA’s Kogan Creek booster project announcement in April, the ‘Solar Dawn’ project is led by a consortium of AREVA Solar, CS Energy and Wind Prospect CWP. Today’s funding announcement follows the completion of feasibility and design studies by the consortium members and will now allow for project development and contractual processes to be completed by year’s end.

AREVA Solar CEO Bill Gallo commended the Australian government on its vision for a low-carbon economy and explained the significance of this milestone power project:

The Solar Flagships Program demonstrates the Australian government’s support for renewable energy. This announcement represents another significant milestone in the creation of a world-class clean energy industry in Australia.

Solar Dawn will be an international showcase for the nation, using Australia’s abundant solar resource and AREVA Solar’s Australian-pioneered Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector technology to combine zero-carbon solar energy with a low-emission, gas boiler back-up system to efficiently produce clean, reliable power to meet growing energy demand.

Once completed, the project will be one of the most sustainable power plants in the world. Its simple, innovative design will even deliver energy when the sun isn’t shining.

Moving forward, the ‘Solar Dawn’ consortium is set to work closely with key government, business and community stakeholders to finalize all relevant approvals and financing plans, including engineering, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance contracts. The project’s formal announcement can be found here.

By Steven Cuevas,
Director of Business Development – Offshore Wind AREVA Renewables Inc.

It’s more than just jobs – though thousands of manufacturing jobs per installed gigawatt is a powerful incentive. And it’s more than powering hundreds of thousands of American homes with a carbon-free renewable resource.

In the same way ripples expand across a still pond well after tossing in a rock, developing and supporting gigawatts of offshore wind power with a regional manufacturing hub generates an expanding ripple of educated workforces, advancing technology, and investments in future-facing industries.

In an interesting twist completely appropriate for the novel workings of the developing U.S. offshore wind industry, the ripples are spreading before even a single offshore turbine foundation hits the water.

Education
The University of Delaware’s Center for Carbon-free Power Integration Offshore Wind section has been sparking students’ creativity and research since 2005.

Likewise, the University of Maine will start offering a Master of Science in Renewable Energy and the Environment in 2011, and an undergraduate minor in Deepwater Wind Energy. It already has people and Op-Eds talking:

Now, Maine stands positioned to become a national leader in offshore wind, in part because of the state’s support of the research and development at the University of Maine under the leadership of Professor Habib Dagher, a rare visionary among Maine business leaders.

Institutions like these are not waiting for the policymakers to catch up, they’re pushing ahead and educating a ready and capable workforce of skilled researchers, designers, and leaders to explore and define the shape of the new U.S. offshore wind industry.

Advancing Technology
From the business perspective, the visionaries are already looking beyond placing steel in U.S. waters and planning to tap the potential of this unique manufacturing and design capability. Though, the U.S. currently lags far behind European markets, part of the American fabric of business is to recognize and seize opportunities, and then lead development expansion. I’m sure enterprising U.S. companies are starting to understand the market potential experienced by European firms supporting the hundreds-of-million-dollar offshore wind farms going up in the North Sea.

But business is more than just objects, it’s also concepts and contracts. I expect that once the U.S. industry gets a few projects under our collective belt, we’ll continue pushing into the next generation of offshore wind technology. As the U.S. continues advancing the technological edge, the world will again look to American market champions for innovative global leadership.

Step to the Future
Even less clear, but perhaps more important is the idea that investing in offshore wind power is investing in tomorrow’s clean energy technology, and not yesterday’s industrial revolution. As that same editorial in the Seacoastonline.com states about the potential in Maine,

Nearly 1,000 megawatts of wind power is already installed or being permitted on land, and the offshore potential is much greater.

We don’t need to embrace pie-in-the-sky to see that this could not only provide moderate-cost electricity for Maine, but could spawn a major new manufacturing industry employing 5,000 people or more — the first on that scale since the heyday of the paper mills.

Offshore wind power shifts the perspective from a carbon-choking environmental shrug to a positive legacy in the eyes of our young New Energy Generation.

Sure it’s jobs and electricity, but the U.S. offshore wind industry will also power education, innovation, investing and environmental advancements.

Who knew that a gigawatt could be so powerful?

By Steven Cuevas, Director of Business Development – Offshore Wind
AREVA Renewables Inc.

Last week’s announcement of AREVA’s offshore wind partnership in France with GDF Suez and Vinci brings to mind a question:

So, what qualities do you need in a great turbine manufacturer partner to develop a multi-gigawatt offshore wind industry, like in the burgeoning U.S. market?

With the United States targeting offshore wind energy to reach 10 GWs in 2020 and 54 GWs in 2030, developers, manufacturers, suppliers and governments are beginning to coalesce into cooperative relationships and accelerate market development.

In our experience, to be a great turbine manufacturer partner, you need at least these three things: creative cooperation, quality products, and economic catalyst.

• Cooperation: With a 40-turbine offshore wind farm price tag of around $1,000,000,000, you need solid partners and relationships. For example, in addition to the AREVA/GDFSuez/Vinci partnership in France, AREVA successfully achieved the first instance of non-recourse offshore wind farm financing through a consortium of 11 banks supporting the 40-turbine Borkum West II offshore wind farm in Germany’s North Sea. And to gain greater project cost efficiencies, AREVA partnered with BELUGA HOCHTIEF Offshore for a new purpose-built jack-up vessel designed to operate in the harshest weather conditions at greater depth and transport a larger quantity of foundations and turbines at one time.
• Product: Speaking of turbines, the ocean environment is a harsh, remote, salt-corrosive place to locate tight-tolerance gears, sophisticated electronics, and precision-crafted components. To mitigate these risks, you need fewer moving parts, purified interior air, and redundant dynamic monitoring systems. AREVA’s hybrid-drive 5 MW offshore wind turbine includes all three. We constructed it specifically as an offshore wind turbine: Built for the Sea. Made for the Wind. You can’t skimp on quality when your technology sits 30 miles out to sea.
• Catalyst: In our experience establishing a successful facility and expansive supply chain in northern Germany, we’ve seen how an offshore wind manufacturing hub significantly drives economic growth across a wide region. For example in one year in Bremerhaven, our commitment to localized, domestic sourcing of 3,500 components created approximately 1,200 direct jobs.

It’s these qualities that will sustain a business relationship for the duration of a large-scale project. AREVA’s skill in building partnerships, manufacturing quality products, and generating significant economic growth creates the solid foundation and project championship necessary for successfully constructing and commissioning U.S. offshore wind farms.