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In an era marked by increasingly severe weather from Mother Nature, utilities face mounting pressure to enhance the resiliency and reliability of their power delivery systems. While icing of the wind turbine blades has been discussed extensively, the physical means of distributing that energy has been addressed far less. Just as wind farms components are adopting the latest technologies to modernize their fleets and extend life expectan....
Ensuring the reliability and efficiency of wind turbines requires a deep understanding of the fluids that keep them running smoothly. To that end, compatibility testing plays a critical role in preventing costly issues that arise from mixing incompatible lubricants. This article explores the significance of fluid compatibility testing in industries such as power generation, highlighting its ability to enhance equipment reliability, reduce mainten....
The wind industry takes pride in advancing a clean energy future while protecting species across the globe from the impacts of climate change. However, no energy solution is without challenges. Wind turbines, for instance, have been shown to cause direct mortality to bats. With bat populations already declining due to habitat loss, diminishing food sources, and disease, the wind industry has diligently sought solutions to mitigate this impact.&nb....
Natural disasters including hurricanes, severe storms, winter storms, wildfires and heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe, causing widespread power outages across the United States. Between 2000 and 2023, 80 percent of U.S. power outages were caused by weather events. Power outages caused by extreme weather can impact critical services like emergency response, hospitals, and communications networks. Energy storage on a utility level se....
Energy Storage
Craig Tropea
Solar
Jonathan Lwowski
Solar
Steve Macshane, CESSWI
Ecobat, a global leader in battery recycling, announced that it has received a binding offer from Campine NV to acquire its battery recycling and specialty lead manufacturing operations in France and on such basis has agreed to grant exclusivity to Campine NV. The contemplated transaction includes Ecobat's facilities in Estrée-Saint-Denis, Bazoches, and Pont-Sainte-Maxence, which would mark Ecobat's exit from the French market, with the exception of its lithium-ion battery collection business.
"We are pleased to announce this project for our French recycling operations," said Tom Slabe, Ecobat President & CEO. "This transaction represents an important milestone in our ongoing strategy to sharpen our focus on Ecobat's core mission of sustainable battery recycling. Ecobat will continue to pursue additional opportunities to maximize value for shareholders beyond this contemplated transaction." Mr. Slabe added, "We believe that Campine's expertise and vision represent a strong foundation for the future growth and stability of the French recycling business, benefiting our employees, customers, and suppliers."
The contemplated transaction remains subject to the legal information and consultation process with the relevant employee representative bodies, and customary regulatory approvals.
Rothschild & Co acted as financial advisor and White & Case acted as legal advisor to Ecobat on the transaction.
Bright Feeds, a New England-based startup, is pleased to announce the installation of a 300-kilowatt direct current (DC) solar photovoltaic (PV) system at its 25,000-square-foot animal feed manufacturing plant in Berlin, Connecticut. The system will provide one-third of the plant’s total energy, saving the company on energy costs, and is estimated to help reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of more than 2,100 tons over the system's lifetime. The 625-panel project was developed and installed by Solect Energy, based in Hopkinton, MA.
"We’re constantly looking for ways to improve our process that not only make business sense but also support our sustainability mission and contribute to a healthier environment,” said Bright Feeds CEO Jonathan Fife. “Our new solar PV system advances our mission while also providing power to our operations and reducing our monthly energy costs. Solect was great to work with throughout the process, helping us navigate engineering, local permitting and other necessary approvals, ongoing maintenance, and more.”
"It was outstanding working with Bright Feeds to support the long-term sustainability of their operations,” said Andreas Schmid, VP Business Development at Solect Energy. “This solar project will save them over $1.5 million in electricity costs over the 25-year life of the system while contributing to their overall sustainability efforts.”
Bright Feeds uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence and drying technology at its Berlin facility to convert unwanted food into an all-natural, nutritious, consistent soy and corn substitute for animal feed. The company serves customers across the Northeast, from animal feed suppliers to dairy farms, and diverts tens of thousands of tons of wasted food from the region’s waste stream each year.
At full capacity, the environmental impact of the Berlin plant’s process is equivalent to removing 33,700 cars from the road annually. Bright Feeds' carbon-negative process earned it a spot as one of Connecticut Magazine’s 2024 Innovators.
Bright Feeds | www.brightfeeds.com
GameChange Solar announced the most secure and timely method for solar projects to achieve their safe harbor requirements and secure existing Investment Tax Credit (ITC) rates. With industry-best lead times on solar foundations, trackers, and fixed tilt mounting components, GameChange Solar enables customers to quickly lock in material and price certainty. Project developers and EPCs partnering with GameChange Solar on their ITC safe harbor strategy can satisfy either construction start or material procurement requirements while simultaneously leveraging GameChange’s extensive domestic supply chain capabilities to lock in prices and secure availability. As part of this strategy, GameChange Solar guarantees delivery by the end of 2028 with locked-in pricing, helping ensure customers do not risk losing their ITC credit.
“With pending changes to existing ITC requirements, customers are eager to secure current ITC rates quickly and reliably, while ensuring that projects can still be built on time and within budget,” said Phillip Vyhanek, President and COO of GameChange Solar. “GameChange can move quickly regardless of the stage of the project to lock in pricing and produce product to satisfy the safe harbor for their projects. We have been doing this for years, and we’ve strategically added manufacturing capacity to meet this increase in demand when it arises. We are ready to work with customers to ensure their projects succeed in today’s changing landscape."
GameChange Solar | https://www.gamechangesolar.com/tracker
Take full control of blade performance with ease. EOLOGIX-PING’s advanced blade condition monitoring technology ensures that all blade issues are efficiently detected and managed, keeping your turbines running at peak efficiency. Designed for retrofittability and simplicity, our solution operates independently of OEMs and SCADA systems, with the added assurance of global certification. Experience effortless, reliable monitoring from a single trusted source.
Condition monitoring systems (CMS) are essential for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of wind turbines, especially when it comes to detecting damage, performance loss, or safety-critical issues on rotor blades. Depending on site-specific risks, different monitoring approaches can be applied:
Our sensor solutions combine these functions in modular systems designed specifically for rotor blade applications.
Learn more HERE
EOLOGIX-PING | https://eologix-ping.com/en
New research from Westwood Global Energy Group (Westwood), the specialist energy market research and consultancy firm, reveals developers are showing signs of retreat from floating offshore wind as near-term growth expectations fall and confidence dips across parts of the value chain. The findings come from Westwood’s annual Floating Offshore Wind Survey which polled 166 stakeholders across the global floating wind value chain. This included engineers, product developers, investors, government organisations and the broader supply chain. Results demonstrate that while activity in 2024 – including new leasing rounds and subsidy announcements – suggested positive momentum, delivery delays, investment risk and sluggish policy implementation are prompting a more cautious stance across the industry.
Comparing the results to the 2024 survey, the biggest swing in optimism has come from developers. While they were previously the most optimistic group, they are now the least confident, with 63% feeling less optimistic than in 2024. All other business types also signalled less optimism, with near and long-term growth expectations shifting lower compared to 2024. Notably, 72% of respondents now anticipate less than 3GW of global floating offshore wind capacity to be operational by 2030.
Among the reasons cited for the lack of optimism, the most prominent financial barriers were high upfront capital costs and limited investor confidence in new technology. Among non-financial hurdles, port infrastructure, lack of standardisation of technologies and low government support levels continue to dominate.
Bahzad Ayoub, Manager – Offshore Wind at Westwood, added: “Progress is happening, but too slowly. The frustration across the sector stems from knowing that momentum exists – but the pace is out of sync with expectations. Optimism hasn’t disappeared, but it’s now paired with a grounded mindset. Floating wind must be treated as a distinct sector, not simply an extension of fixed-bottom wind and a majority of respondents think this way. The technology, timelines and investment requirements are different – and government and industry action needs to reflect that.”
Notably, the survey revealed a strong correlation between perceived market leadership and recent government initiatives. The United Kingdom, France and South Korea were identified as the top three countries in floating wind, aligning with the regions where subsidies and policy signals have been most pronounced.
Westwood ran the survey in association with World Forum Offshore Wind, Norwegian Offshore Wind, Oceantic Network and WindEurope. Released today at Norwegian Offshore Wind’s Floating Wind Days in Haugesund, the full results of the 2025 Floating Offshore Wind Survey are available to download here.
Westwood Global Energy Group | https://www.westwoodenergy.com/
A new study published in the journal Climatic Change highlights significant shifts in wind patterns across the Middle East due to climate change, with critical implications for the region's wind energy potential. The research, led by Melissa Latt from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, and Dr. Assaf Hochman from the Fredy and Nadine Herrmann Institute of Earth Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, utilizes high-resolution climate modeling to project changes in summer wind fields up to the year 2070.
The study, employing the COSMO-CLM regional climate model at a high spatial resolution of 8 km, reveals a complex picture. While median surface winds are projected to increase by up to 0.7 meters per second, driven primarily by land-sea temperature contrasts, wind speeds at wind turbine height (150 meters) are projected to decrease significantly across much of the region.
This decline is linked to changes in the Persian Trough, a dominant summer synoptic system in the Middle East.
The study found that these upper-level wind reductions could lead to a regional drop of up to 7 gigajoules (GJ) of wind energy over six hours, with important consequences for renewable energy planning and infrastructure investment.
Key findings include:
"These findings provide essential insights for policymakers and planners across the Middle East," says Dr. Hochman.
"Wind energy is a critical component of the region's sustainable future, and understanding how climate change reshapes wind patterns is key to smart, long-term investment. Our research also underscores the need to differentiate between wind patterns at the surface and at turbine-relevant heights.
"Neglecting this vertical dimension can lead to over- or underestimations of a site's true wind energy potential."
The study calls for more comprehensive, multi-model research to better capture local wind variability, especially in areas with complex geography. It also highlights the urgent need to incorporate future wind projections into national and regional energy strategies, especially in regions—like the Red Sea coast—where potential remains strong.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem | https://en.huji.ac.il/
Altus Power, a leading commercial-scale provider of clean electric power, announced the acquisition of a 47.8-megawatt (MW) ground-mounted solar portfolio from Tortoise Capital Advisors, comprised of 15 projects located across Kansas and New York. With this transaction, Altus Power’s portfolio has increased to 26 states and its footprint in New York now exceeds 250 MW, cementing the state as its top market
The acquired projects serve a range of public sector clients including several regional universities, towns and municipalities. These systems will generate and deliver incremental clean power directly where it’s needed, supporting local infrastructure and reducing reliance on long-distance transmission.
“Our team’s ability to seamlessly acquire portfolios of operational assets continues to set us apart,” said Dan Griffin, Co-Head, Investment and Structured Finance, Altus Power. “This acquisition adds to our expanding portfolio serving public sector clients and reinforces our strategy to build density in key markets.”
“Altus Power shares our focus on the customer and has proven to be a trusted partner with a track record of operational excellence,” said Tom Florence, CEO, Tortoise Capital. “Their ability to integrate and scale these types of projects makes them an ideal acquirer.”
Marathon Capital acted as exclusive financial advisor on the transaction.
Altus Power’s portfolio across 26 states delivers reliable, locally generated electricity to organizations looking to manage rising energy costs and meet growing demand. As a full-service, end-to-end commercial-scale solar provider with a long-term ownership mindset, Altus Power generates and delivers power near the point of consumption, reducing the need for additional transmission infrastructure.
Altus Power | www.altuspower.com
Energy Storage May 15, 2025
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At the first RE+ Microgrids event in New....
Ensuring the reliability and efficiency ....
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