by winternet | Dec 1, 2017 | Conference news
Call for applicants “What if?” is an utterly important mind set for the future of wind energy. 20 years ago we asked ourselves: “What would be the consequences if electricity from wind turbines was cheaper than conventional energy?” Although...
by winternet | Sep 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Warm greetings from a cool conference. We’re currently working hard with the planning of Winterwind 2015. Soon we will present a venue and dates. To be updated, sign up for our newsletter. Enjoy your summer!
by winternet | Sep 10, 2014 | icing
After years of discussion, the wind energy industry will soon have its first major updates to international design standards for cold climates. The first committee draft is being compiled now. – We hope to have a first committee draft ready for national voting by the...
by winternet | Sep 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
The technical visit is planned for February 2, 2015. More info will follow.
by winternet | Sep 9, 2014 | Uncategorized
After years of discussion, the wind energy industry will soon have its first major updates to international design standards for cold climates. The first committee draft is being compiled now. – We hope to have a first committee draft ready for national voting by the...
by winternet | Feb 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Greger Nilsson left the research institute and took the power ascender to a new business. Now the former researcher is repairing blades far above the ground. With his new company Blade Solutions Greger Nilsson is getting into the booming market of repairing blades. He...
by winternet | Feb 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
What’s the most important you have learned at Winterwind 2014? Antti Leskinen, CEO of APL Systems Inc. Actually, last night we made up the guidelines for a new R&D-project, based on what we learned here. The atmospehere is very relaxed, and people are taking very...
by winternet | Feb 11, 2014 | Uncategorized
Predictability was the name of the game during the opening session of Winterwind 2014. Being able to predict icing, weather and wind can make or break a business case. ”We have seen up to 20 percent in lost annual production due to icing. That’s a catastrophy!” said...
by winternet | Feb 11, 2014 | Uncategorized
Not even the technical equipment, made to measure the icing, could withstand the harsh conditions in Åsele in northern Sweden. Severe icing stopped the ice detectors from working properly or broke them completely. The conclusion from the field tests of five detectors...
by winternet | Feb 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
In the beginning there were high hopes and a great sense of adventure. Customers lined up to buy wind turbines without really knowing what it was like to operate and maintain them in cold climates. Manufacturers weren’t that much wiser; in some cases they had to send...
by winternet | Feb 7, 2014 | Uncategorized
Just a few days left to Winterwind 2014. We’re a group of people working day and night right now to make this a great experience for you. This year Winterwind will be held in a municipality where there are large investments into wind energy. In June, Mörtjärnsberget...
by winternet | Feb 5, 2014 | Uncategorized
Sand and ice erodes the rotor blades. Repairs usually take considerable time. But Bladefence has introduced a new, quick method of repairing cracks. Bladefence uses a resin system that reacts when exposed to UV-light. The process from viscous glue to hardened material...
by winternet | Feb 3, 2014 | Uncategorized
There’s a constant debate about the effectiveness of de-icing systems. Now Sweden’s biggest wind turbine owner is asking for performance guarantees. Owners of wind turbines want high productivity in order to obtain the required return on investment, but icing can...
by winternet | Jan 31, 2014 | Uncategorized
The risk of a piece of ice hitting a member of the public is relatively small. Nevertheless, ice throw is viewed as a real threat, which is consequently reflected in legislation and regulations. Andreas Krenn, project leader at Austrian wind energy consultants...
by winternet | Jan 28, 2014 | Uncategorized
Recharge, one of the leading publications in the renewable energy sector, will cover Winterwind in Sundsvall. Sweden’s largest tech magazine, Ny Teknik (New Technology), is also represented at the conference. – We’re very happy to have a media partnership with...
by winternet | Jan 21, 2014 | Uncategorized
Andrew Garrad, one of the wind industry’s most experienced and knowledgeable profiles will hold one of the keynotes at Winterwind 2014. The conference is now quickly filling up with participants and almost all exhibition space is sold out. Dr. Garrad has been involved...
by winternet | Dec 21, 2013 | Uncategorized
Everything at Winterwind 2013 isn’t about preventing ice. Some presentations are about the challenges that follow when ice do occur. Gail Hutton from RES will hold a presentation about RES’ research on ice throw modelling. – It is important to note that we are not...
by winternet | Dec 11, 2013 | Uncategorized
Wear and tear, sand, bugs, strikes of lightning and not to mention winter itself all affect the need for blade maintenance. Experts in the field say it has to be done on a yearly basis, but that is not always the reality. The Finnish company Bladefence is curing...
by winternet | Dec 7, 2013 | Uncategorized
Uncertain electricity supply, undeveloped infrastructure and a loss of profit due to icing. These are all factors which may lower the availability of loans for wind energy in cold climates. – “We need proven technology”, says a Swedish bank. Swedish bank Nordea...
by winternet | Dec 5, 2013 | Uncategorized
On February the 13th we will have a guided tour 07.30-15.00 to the wind farm Mörttjärnberget, located in Bracke municipality, southeast of Östersund. The wind farm with 37 wind turbines will have an installed capacity of 100 MW and an annual production electricity of...
by winternet | Nov 28, 2013 | Uncategorized
The wind park Blaiken is one of four Swedish projects nominated for support from the EU NER300-program, one of the world’s largest programs providing funding for renewable energy. – “A support can mean a big step forward for the development of wind energy in...
by winternet | Nov 9, 2013 | Uncategorized
Surrounded by mist, ice-cold air and blue light, as the temperature declines a thin layer of frost is slowly building up on the transformer. It is subjected to a simulated winter, closely observed and subsequently analyzed. A newly built climate chamber will help wind...
by winternet | Nov 7, 2013 | Uncategorized
The veteran Jos Beurskens is challenging the Swedish wind power industry: Devise your own technical solutions instead of waiting for the big industrial players to grasp the potential of cold climate wind energy. But, he emphasises, don’t forget to look beyond low...
by winternet | Nov 7, 2013 | Uncategorized
A Retrospective Overview Of Wind Farms In Cold Climate Regions Challenges Of Cost Effectiveness Wind energy in cold climate regions (WECC) stands at the threshold of major research and development trends within onshore & offshore wind energy. It is actively...
by winternet | Oct 31, 2013 | Uncategorized
Put simply, blade heating on wind turbines is cost effective. That is the result of last year’s study at the Uljabuouda wind farm in northern Sweden. The tests conducted during the ice season, between November and March, showed that the amount of energy produced by...
by winternet | Oct 23, 2013 | Uncategorized
Vestas introduced a de-icing system at the wind energy conference Vind 2013 in Stockholm. The system is based on a hot air flow within the blades The long awaited system has been tested in Canada for the past winter season. Now a prototype is ready for field testing...
by winternet | Oct 16, 2013 | Uncategorized
A water droplet on a superhydrophobic surface. The build-up of ice and frost is a big problem in many industrial applications. On cold climate sites around the world icing has a negative influence on the energy production. Can we call on the help of nanotechnology to...
by winternet | Feb 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
Good news for wind sites in cold climate: new research shows that you might be able to squeeze in some more power in existing grids. Researchers at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland points out that the colder weather and stronger winds at wind farms in the...
by winternet | Feb 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
He drives a big diesel truck and grew up driving old, cranky gasoline cars. Micke Elisasson from Östersund had never driven an electric car until he tried two at Winterwind. Outside the conference hall there’s half a dozen electric vehicles (EVs) in a line, ready to...
by winternet | Feb 13, 2013 | Uncategorized
YKI , partner for research and innovation in applied surface chemistry, are trying to develop surfaces for i.e. rotor blades. Kenth Johansson at YKI explains the deal with the project TopNano. ”Vi modify material in order to develop surfaces that don´t like water, or...
by winternet | Feb 13, 2013 | Uncategorized
De-icing systems on wind turbines can increase the yearly production of energy with up to 10 percent, according to tests made by the utility Skellefteå Kraft at the wind farm Uljabuouda in the north of Sweden. During November and December last year the utility shut...
by winternet | Feb 13, 2013 | Uncategorized
A huge thanks to all of you who contributed to make Winterwind 2014 a great success; presenters, session chairs, delegates, sponsors, exhibitors, PCO and the conference centre Södra Berget. Hope to see you next year! Ulla Hedman Andrén Project manager...
by winternet | Feb 8, 2013 | Uncategorized
A lot has been done, but there’s still a long way to go before icing on wind turbines are under control, concludes meteorologist René Cattin in a new report. On René Cattin’s to-do-list is better forecasts, more and better measurement data, new simulation models and...
by winternet | Feb 6, 2013 | Uncategorized
Arbetsförmedlingen, The Swedish Employment Service, has a desire to improve our knowledge and our services within the wind energy sector, says Anna-Karin Johansson and Roland Alm, from the Employment Service in Piteå, visiting the Winterwind 2012 to learn more about...
by winternet | Feb 6, 2013 | Uncategorized
Suddenly wind energy in cold climate is a hot topic. Several of the large manufacturers are now on the verge of offering de-icing systems. Researchers in Finland started to investigate the possibility of de-icing wind turbines in the early 90’s. However, most...
by winternet | Jan 31, 2013 | Uncategorized
Anti-icing systems on wind turbines can increase the yearly production of energy with around 10 percent, according to tests made by the utility Skellefteå Kraft at wind farms in the north of Sweden. – The loss of production on a turbine without blade heating was...
by winternet | Jan 31, 2013 | Uncategorized
In this short clip you get a preview of the presentation “Harnessing the Potential of Cold Climate Wind Energy on a 4 Degree Warmer Earth” by Lawrence Jones, Vice President Regulatory Affairs, Policy & Industry Relations at Alstom Grid Inc....
by winternet | Jan 31, 2013 | Uncategorized
Low prices on electricity and electricity certificates, and on top of that harsh winters, has made investment in wind energy in cold climate a real challenge. The boom in wind energy in Sweden that prevailed from around 2007 to 2011 has come to a halt. And the power...
by winternet | Jan 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
A socio-economic analysis makes it easier to explain the effects of a wind power project to local inhabitants. According to Jonas Lundmark, information coordinator of the Wind Power Centre of the Barents Region, it also gives a boost to those working with the project....
by winternet | Jan 26, 2013 | Uncategorized
Norrland is the centre of Swedish wind power generation. 6 000 new generators are planned over the next 15-20 years. If all these planned generators are installed, it would mean that Norrland will have three times more generators than the whole of Sweden has today. “A...
by winternet | Jan 24, 2013 | Uncategorized
Scandinavian Terrain Vehicles invites you to test drive their BV 206 MLI equipped with Ice ArmourTM. Contact STVAB at booth no 1 for more information! View the terrain vehicle in action in this film clip!
by winternet | Jan 21, 2013 | Uncategorized
The concept of “winning hearts and minds” is about creating trust in society and originally derives from a military strategy. However lately the concept can and has been applied on corporate responsibility in societal development such as wind power establishment....
