Composites news, September 2009

Natural Power and Risø DTU get Lidar measurements from wind turbine with ZephIR

Renewable energy consultancy, Natural Power, and the Danish national laboratory for sustainable energy, Risø DTU, have installed ZephIR in the rotating spi

US construction spending expected to keep falling in 2010

Total construction spending in the USA on an annual basis is expected to fall 12% this year and 4% in 2010, according to IHS Global Insight.

ETI announces £5m to reduce cost of offshore wind energy

A £5 million project to develop and demonstrate a monitoring system that could reduce the cost of generating electricity from offshore wind farms in the UK

Cured in place pipe aids restoration project

Underground pipe repair technology that uses ultraviolet (UV) light has helped preserve an historic home near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Frost & Sullivan sees lucrative investment opportunities for wind industry in China

With the rapid decline of available credit and investor confidence, 2009 has not been the best year for the global wind power industry. However, the sector

Educating tomorrow's engineering leaders

GE Energy expands in offshore wind sector with acquisition of ScanWind technology

GE has acquired ScanWind, a developer of both advanced drive train and control wind turbine technologies aimed at offshore deployment.

Siemens introduces new and improved 3.6 MW wind turbine featuring a 120 m rotor diameter and 10% greater efficiency

Siemens has released a 3.6 MW wind turbine featuring a 120 m rotor diameter. The SWT-3.6-120 wind turbine is based on the SWT-3.6-107 offshore wind turbine

AOC vinyl esters produced in Europe

AOC's Vipel® vinyl ester resins are now available for shipment from manufacturing facilities in Europe.

Robotic testing reduces margin of error

Advanced materials company Hexcel has purchased two robotic testing systems from Zwick Roell, in response to the growing demand for more extreme environmen

Honeycomb materials aimed at wind energy market

Wind energy applications are being targeted by honeycomb materials manufacturer nidaplast.

Gamesa supplies 26 wind turbines to Spanish windfarms

Gamesa is supplying 26 of its G87, 2 MW wind turbines to ENEL Unión Fenosa Renovables (EUFER) for two windfarms in Spain.

BP divests Indian wind power assets

BP is selling off its wind power interests in India for 4.622 billion Rupees (~US$95 million), but says it will continue to focus on wind in the USA.

The world’s biggest wind turbine blades could be made in the UK

UK Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband, has said the world’s biggest wind turbine blades will be made in the UK as he announced grants for three offsh

Processing equipment targets large scale applications

A five-axis multi-processing system for the machining and finishing of large parts such as wind blades and boat hulls is being introduced by MAG.

Vestas launches V112, 3 MW offshore wind turbine

Vestas’ V112, 3 MW offshore wind turbine model is said to be optimised for the conditions at sea and “can generate more power than any other turbine in the

Masdar Institute aims to lead the way in alternative energy research

Masdar Institute of Science and technology has welcomed its first intake of 92 graduate students, representing 22 different nations.

Zoltek and Global Blade Technology announce wind energy alliance

US-based carbon fibre supplier Zoltek and wind turbine blade designer Global Blade Technology (GBT) of the Netherlands are joining forces to promote the de

DNV issues class notation for offshore wind turbine installation units

Risk management company Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is launching class notation for offshore wind turbine installation units based on DNV’s Offshore Service S

E.ON Climate & Renewables completes 457 MW wind farm.

E.ON Climate and Renewables (EC&R) North America has confirmed the completion of its Panther Creek wind farm, one of the 10 largest in the USA.

Composite pipe aids city’s sewer expansion

A project to expand the wastewater treatment facility in Denton, Texas, USA, is employing composite pipe in the manufacture of its sewer line.

Lectra and AB-Inventech cooperate on wind energy market

Lectra and AB-Inventech have signed a cooperation agreement to promote automated production solutions for the wind energy and aerospace markets.

Vestas receives order for 77 MW of wind turbines for Spain

Vestas has received an order for a total of 24m V90 2.0 MW wind turbines and 16 units of the V90 1.8 MW wind turbine for three projects in Spain.

Could a £3m wind turbine project in Oxford lead the way?

Oxford City Council – and former Renewable Energy Focus editor Paul Spencer - have revealed plans for a £3m wind turbine development on council land in the

AGY’s S-1 Glass rovings approved for turbine blades

Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has approved AGY's S-1 Glass™ glass rovings for use in wind turbine blade applications.

PPG introduces glass fibre roving for wind market

PPG Industries is introducing HYBON 2026 glass fibre roving for use in composite wind turbine blades and other applications.

August's top 5 stories

The following five stories were the most popular with visitors to the Reinforced Plastics website during the month of August.