GH cooperates with Zhejiang Windey - 5th Dec 2006On 5th December 2006, Garrad Hassan signed a Consultancy Agreement with China Zhejiang Windey Engineering Co. Ltd. to provide engineering design and training services to Zhejiang Windey for its new 1.5MW wind turbine development. Mr. Zhenyu Yang, General Manager of Zhejiang Windey signed the contract in Hangzhou city, China. Attending the signing ceremony were Mr. Deshui Jin (middle of the back row), the Vice Governor of Zhejiang province, as well as senior officials of Zhejiang Machinery and Electrical Group Co. Ltd. and China Energy Conservation Corp. Ltd. (CECIC), the two major shareholders of Zhejiang Windey. Weiping Pan, the GH China Chief Representative and Jiangtao Wei were also present.
Zhejiang Windey was one of pioneers in Chinese wind turbine research, development and manufacturing, dating back to the early 1980’. CECIC is a major state owned energy conversation corporation in China and owns two wind farms with a total capacity of 80MW and has a further 200MW development in the pipeline. GH is pleased to work with Zhejiang Windey for its new 1.5MW wind turbine development. GH Finish 3rd in 2006 BWEA Regatta - 8th Sep 2006The 5th BWEA regatta was held on 5 September 2006, sailing from Port Solent in Sunfast 37 yachts. The event attracted 43 boats fielded from 33 companies in the wind energy industry. The GH crew put in an admirable performance in the light winds and changing tides to finish 3rd, the best placing to date for a GH boat.
The event commenced with an evening meal the night before on board HMS warrior, an 1860 steam and sail ship docked in Portsmouth. A night was then spent on board the boat, with two crew members sleeping on the deck in the balmy weather. The calm morning dawned, and GH took advantage of the 3 hours to practise their moves, spinnaker hoisting and dropping, before the first race was scheduled. The start of the first race was postponed as the committee boat searched for enough wind to start the race. The breeze picked up, and a race was started. GH had an average start, but headed out into the tide, which paid off and the crew rounded the first mark in third place. The spinnaker went up with no panic as the boat close behind had a tangle in theirs! There was a battle to the second mark, GH taking the lead half way down the leg, and then rounded the mark in first place. Forgetting the tides and having trouble with a bouy not marked on the chart GH slowed down on the next leg. The battle to the finish was tense as the tide strengthened and the wind decreased. GH were crossing in front and behind of boats, places changing, and finally crept over the line in a satisfying 3rd place.
Awaiting the next race, the GH crew watched all the other boats finish whilst drifting on the tide. Unfortunately this took too long in the difficult conditions with an easing breeze and a strengthening tide and so there was not time to hold the second race. GH, happy to finish third, enjoyed the sunny afternoon. Another happy day on the water. Dr Helmut Klug joins Garrad Hassan - 2nd Aug 2006Helmut Klug will be joining GH's German office in January 2007. Helmut has worked in the wind energy world for 16 years and is a well-known figure both nationally in Germany and internationally.
His previous job was Vice Managing Director of DEWI, Germany's leading wind energy establishment. At DEWI he was responsible for its due diligence activities around the world as well as taking a leading role in power curve measurements, noise measurement, international training and general management of the company. Helmut's arrival at GH will strengthen its presence in Germany itself and also add substantial extra resource to the very active due diligence team on a global basis. GH training on wind farm design to 140 engineers in China - 13th Jul 2006Following the highly successful training in turbine design during April, GH has recently given training in wind farm design to a large number of Chinese wind farm development engineers.
The two-day Workshop on “Wind Farm Design and Optimization” was hosted by the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA) and was organised for GH by the China General Certification Center (CGC) with involvement from the GH China office.
The event was a great success, attracting around 140 participants representing a wide range of Chinese companies and institutions. All were keen to learn from our program of presentations, demonstrations, discussion and hands-on use of GH WindFarmer software. The training was provided by a team of engineers from the GH China and GH Bristol offices. The event preceded the Wind Power Asia 2006 exhibition and conference in Beijing, where GH had a sizeable presence. GH America opens new office. - 11th Jul 2006Garrad Hassan America Inc is pleased to announce the opening of its newest North America office.Located at 333 SW 5th Avenue, Suite 400 Portland Oregon 97204, this office will be home to a portion of GH's expanding Wind Farm Projects Group and will be the primary work location for as many as 6 Energy Analysis Engineers when fully staffed. The office is now up and running. This development, along with GH Canada's move to larger premises in Ottawa, Ontario, is part of a continued expansion in the North American markets, in which GH has experienced growth of over 60% in the period 2005 - present. The GH America headquarters remains in San Diego. Contract signature with Baoding Tianwei Group at Asia Wind Energy Conference - 3rd Jul 2006On 28th June at the Asia Wind Energy Conference in Beijing, Garrad Hassan signed a major wind turbine design and technology transfer contract with Baoding Tianwei Wind Power Technology Co. Ltd. The contract, which was signed by Mr. Wentao Zhou on behalf of BTWPT and Andrew Garrad, follows the earlier Technical Agreement signed in Bristol at the end of May (see previous news item). The signing of the contract took place at a conference seminar organised by the Baoding Municipality and which was attended by Mr. Qin Li, the Executive Vice Mayor of Baoding Municipal Government together with Mr. Xulu Ma, the managing director of the Administrative Committee of Baoding National New and High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Mr. Qinglong Wang, the chief of Commerce Bureau of Baoding city and Mr. Dexing He, the president of Chinese Wind Energy Association. Weiping Pan, Chief Representative of GH China and David Quarton were also present.
BTWPT is a subsidiary of the Baoding Tianwei Group, one of the largest transformer and electric transmission system producers in China. Commencement of work on the design of the 1.5MW wind turbine is anticipated within the next few months and will follow the approval of the contract by the Chinese government. GH signs Agreement with Baoding Tianwei Group of China - 5th Jun 2006On 30th May in the Garrad Hassan Bristol office, Mr Ding Qiang, the President of Baoding Tianwei Group Co. Ltd. from Baoding, Hebei Province, China and David Quarton signed an Agreement through which GH will assist Baoding Tianwei in the development of a 1.5 MW wind turbine.
The Mayor of Baoding, Mr Yu Qun, the Mayor of Gaobeidian, Mr Liu Jinlong and the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Mr Peter Abraham attended the ceremony.
The substantial programme of work covered by the Agreement involves GH providing technology transfer to Baoding Tianwei Wind Power Technology Co. through engineering design services for the 1.5MW wind turbine, in addition to extensive training and the supply of Bladed software licences. The work will be undertaken in support of China’s declared intention to substantially expand its wind energy capacity through the use of locally manufactured wind turbines. Baoding Tianwei Group is one of the largest transformer and electric transmission system producers in China. The typical transformer range is between 115kV and 500kV. The company supplied transformers to the world’s biggest hydro power station project at Three Gorges. The signing of this Agreement represents a further significant step in the development of business for GH in China following the establishment of the GH office in Beijing in 2005. GH write Canadian Wind Grid Code - 30th May 2006The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) employed GH to undertake a study of grid integration of wind across Canada and the US and develop a unified set of grid connection rules for wind farms.The resultant report was published in early 2006 and has been publicised widely in the US and Canada as well as appearing in various industry publications. Canada currently has 13 different, relatively self governed, provinces and jurisdictions some of which have gigawatt-scale plans for wind energy development and until now each province has set out its own requirements for the grid connection. GH is currently working with CanWEA to take the report forward through a 'Canadian Wind Interconnection Working Group' consisting of the relevant grid utilities in Canada and important grid organizations in the US. It is hoped that this will lead to a unified set of grid connection rules in Canada, and possibly throughout the US. Queries regarding this work should be addressed to Nigel Scott in GH’s Glasgow office. GH advises 3i on purchase of Gamesa Energía y Servicios (GES) - 19th Apr 2006GH was commissioned by 3i, Europe's leading private equity company, to advise on the recently announced acquisition of Gamesa Energía y Servicios, S.A. and Siemsa Este, S.A., divisions of the wind turbine manufacturer Corporación Tecnológica Gamesa.GES specializes in the construction and maintenance of wind farms and also has a diversified petrochemical automation, construction and maintenance business. GES intends to expand its international operations and to strengthen its presence in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy. The transaction is subject to approval from the Spanish competition authorities. GH worked closely with 3i’s acquisition team and advisers on the transaction reviewing GES’s Spanish and international wind energy businesses. GH provided commercial, technical and strategic input to the transaction and was able to draw on its detailed knowledge and experience of the Spanish market from its offices in Zaragoza and Barcelona, together with intelligence from GH’s other offices in key global markets for GES. GH's response to the DTI's Energy Review available to download - 19th Apr 2006Garrad Hassan has submitted its response to the UK Energy Review. The submission argues that renewables can contribute to the UK energy needs on a large scale and that in order to do so large scale imaginative thinking and political guts are needed.Download PDF here It lists a series of administrative steps that need to be taken to help realise the full potential of wind and marine renewables. It calls for strategic thought and accompanying actions on both national and international grids. Finally, it states that if any large scale public investment is envisaged in support of new build nuclear then serious thought should be given to the effect of similar injections of capital into renewables and supporting electrical infrastructure. It encourages rigorous statistical evaluation rather than emotional conjecture. GH training for more than 100 engineers in China - 12th Apr 2006GH has recently provided training to Chinese wind turbine design engineers as part of a three day Workshop held in Beijing.The Workshop, entitled “Wind Turbine Modelling and Design Calculations”, was hosted by the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA) and organised for GH by the China General Certification Company (CGC). 
The event proved to be a great success attracting 110 trainees eager to learn about the use of Bladed for wind turbine design. The GH China team was involved in the arrangements for the Workshop and a substantial team of GH personnel from the UK flew out to Beijing to provide the training.
The Workshop was opened by Professor He Dexin, President of CWEA, Mr Li Baoshan a senior official from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and Mr John Buckley of UK Trade and Investment. The opening session of the Workshop also included the signing of a Strategic Cooperation Agreement between CGC and GH.  David Quarton, leading the GH team from the UK writes: “The Workshop was an excellent example of technology transfer to more than a hundred engineers who will be at the core of the wind turbine industry in China. As I watched these engineers learning about wind turbine modelling and design calculations with Bladed, I certainly felt very proud of what has been achieved with the software and very aware that it is truly an industry standard!"
Right: Mr Qin Haiyan of CGC and David Quarton signing the Strategic Cooperation Agreement
Andrew Garrad wins EWEA'S prestigious Poul la Cour Prize - 13th Mar 2006At the closing ceremony of the annual European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) conference in Athens last week Andrew Garrad was presented with the Poul la Cour Prize for outstanding personal achievement in wind energy.
The prize was presented by the President of the EWEA, Prof Arthuros Zervos of the National Technical University of Athens. Three thousand people had attended the conference.
Andrew Garrad said "I am very proud to have been awarded this prize, particularly since I am the first Briton to receive it. Poul la Cour was a remarkable man who was a pioneer of the wind energy industry and a great role model for us all - I am also flattered to have found a place in the distinguished company of the previous winners who have all played very important parts in helping the wind industry achieve its remarkable successes to date and finally I am delighted that GH's part in that success has been recognised through this prize. In domestic UK terms this prize comes at a critical time since we are now half way through the government's energy review. There has never been a greater need for technologies that can deliver fast solutions to the looming energy crisis while addressing the devastating effects of climate change and provide a secure source of power. Europe is world leader in wind energy and the UK has finally started building significant amounts but remains miles behind some of its continental neighbours: Germany, Spain and Denmark in particular. Global warming is a reality and security of fuel supply is a topic on everyone's mind - renewable energy is an important part of the answer to both". Germanischer Lloyd Certificate for GH WindFarmer / GH Bladed - 9th Mar 2006GH is delighted to announce that Germanischer Lloyd WindEnergie (GL Wind) has awarded a Certificate for the new GH software module which combines WindFarmer and Bladed.
The award of this Certificate follows an extensive verification of the software by GL Wind and confirms that the use of GH WindFarmer together with GH Bladed is suitable for the calculation of the site-specific loading of wind turbines within wind farms.
The Certificate was presented to GH at EWEC 2006 in Athens; the photograph below records the occasion and shows Christian Nath and Bode Helm, joint Managing Directors of GL Wind, handing the Certificate to Andrew Garrad and David Quarton. The combination of WindFarmer and Bladed offers a new approach to calculating wind farm loading. Wind conditions at each turbine location in a wind farm are first calculated by WindFarmer taking account of wind farm wake and topographical effects. This information is then passed directly to Bladed as input to multiple time domain simulations of wind turbine response, resulting in site-specific lifetime fatigue loads. Comparison of these site-specific loads with design loads will finally determine the suitability of the wind turbine for the environmental conditions and layout of the wind farm. This new approach provides rigour and reliability to the treatment of wind farm loads, as well as an efficient, automated computation. The verification undertaken by GL Wind, coupled with GH’s in-house validation, has provided confidence in the combination of WindFarmer and Bladed for site-specific wind farm calculations. For more information about this new software module contact us at either GH WindFarmer or GH Bladed First steps in the development of GH TidalFarmer - 7th Mar 2006Under the DTI Technology programme GH has been awarded a grant to investigate the Performance Characteristics and Optimisation of Marine Current Energy Converter Arrays.
The project, with a total value of £460,000, will involve collaboration between GH, the University of Southampton, Lunar Energy Limited, developer of the Rotech Tidal Turbine (RTT) and SMD Hydrovision, developer of the TidEl system.
Through a combination of rigorous testing and numerical modelling the project will prepare the way for the development of software tools for the reliable prediction of energy capture and loading of tidal stream turbines when operating in arrays. GH to work with the Carbon Trust - 2nd Mar 2006Following a competitive tender, GH has been engaged by the Carbon Trust to assist with the development of successor activities to the Marine Energy ChallengeGH, supported by the consultancy E4tech, will work with the Carbon Trust to develop, evaluate and propose a range of options for follow-on activities. The outcome of the work will be a clear understanding of options available to the Carbon Trust and recommendations for follow-on activities that are both distinctive and likely to have a material impact on the marine energy sector. GH is delighted to have won the contract for this strategically important project and looks forward to a close cooperation with the Carbon Trust. GH WindFarmer 3.4 - 27th Jan 2006The world's leading wind farm design software reaches another significant milestone, providing extended capabilities and putting the latest advances in wind farm technology at your fingertips.Commerical pressure forces ever closer spacing in wind farms. Building on GH WindFarmer's existing suite of analysis tools, you have access to the most advanced tools to assess such layouts and balance the losses and dangers against the potential gains and also consider options for mitigation. New in this release are:
Furthermore the interface of the MCP+ Module for processing your wind data has been improved and the supported map file formats has been expanded to improve map handling. Request a Demo CD now to explore the features of Version 3.4 for yourself or click here for more information on GH WindFarmer. |
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