the research consultancy for energy technologies

Wind

  • Offshore wind: installation vessels and time per turbine?

    Offshore wind: installation vessels and time per turbine?

    Wind turbine installation vessels are estimated to cost $100-500/kW in the breakdown of a typical offshore wind project’s capex. Total offshore construction time is around 10 days per turbine. Wind turbine installation vessel use averages around 5 days per turbine. Data from past projects are tabulated in this data-file.

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  • Cable installation vessels: costs and operating parameters?

    Cable installation vessels: costs and operating parameters?

    This is a database of cable installation vessels for offshore wind and power transmission; tabulating costs (in $M), contract awards (in $/km), capacity (in tons), installation speeds (in meters per hour), power ratings (in MW), crew sizes and positioning systems. There is a paradox over costs.

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  • Wind volatility: second by second output data?

    Wind volatility: second by second output data?

    We have evaluated the second-by-second data on the power output of a 25MW onshore wind farm in Germany. A typical day sees 75 volatility events. Compared to solar, wind power drops slightly less frequently, but more extensively (often >90%) and for longer (often several hours or days). Both wind and solar show high short-term volatility.

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  • Wind power: operating costs?

    Wind power: operating costs?

    Opex for a wind power project is typically $40/kW-year, or around 1-2c/kWh. Around $25/kW is maintenance, suggesting the wind maintenance market is now worth >$20bn per year. The best route to lower cost is up-scaling turbines and wind assets.

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  • FACTS of life: upside for STATCOMs & SVCs?

    FACTS of life: upside for STATCOMs & SVCs?

    Wind and solar have so far leaned upon conventional power grids. But larger deployments will increasingly need to produce their own reactive power; controllably, dynamically. Demand for STATCOMs & SVCs may thus rise 30x, to over $25-50bn pa. This 20-page note outlines the opportunity and who benefits?

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  • Glass fiber: what upside in the energy transition?

    Glass fiber: what upside in the energy transition?

    Glass fiber makes up 50% of a wind turbine blade, lightens vehicles and insulates homes for 30-70% energy savings. Hence we see demand rising 3.5x in the energy transition. To appraise the opportunity, this 13-page note assesses the market, costs, CO2 intensity and leading companies.

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  • Glass fiber: the economics?

    Glass fiber: the economics?

    This data-file models the economics of producing glass fiber, the key component in fiberglass for wind turbines; but also a light-weight insulating material. Marginal cost is likely $2,000/ton, with a CO2 intensity of 1.5 tons/ton. Some Chinese product is 50% cheaper but 2x more CO2 intensive.

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  • Wind turbines: screen of resin and polymer specialists?

    Wind turbines: screen of resin and polymer specialists?

    This data-file tabulates details for 20 companies that make epoxy- or polyurethane resins and adhesives, especially those that feed into the construction of wind turbines. We think there are 5 public companies ex-China with 5-35% exposure to this sub-segment of the wind industry.

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  • Renewables: can they ramp up faster?

    Renewables: can they ramp up faster?

    How fast can wind and solar accelerate, especially if energy shortages persist? This 11-page note reviews the top ten bottlenecks. Seven value chains will tighten enormously in the coming years. Paradoxically, however, ramping renewables could exacerbate near-term energy shortages.

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  • Windy physics: how is power of a wind turbine calculated?

    Windy physics: how is power of a wind turbine calculated?

    This data-file is an overview of wind power physics. Specifically, how is the power of a wind turbine calculated, in MW, as a function of wind speed, blade length, blade number, rotational speed (in RPM) and other efficiency factors (lambda). A large, modern offshore wind turbine will have 100m blades and surpass 10MW power outputs.

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