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The article discusses the development of a Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT) by Stanford University climate scientist Ken Caldeira, focusing on the potential benefits of the BAT over conventional wind turbines. Other topics include the greater efficiency of BATs due to higher wind speeds at the altitudes they can reach, the benefits in time and installation cost over traditional turbines, and the potential use of BATs in rural, off-grid areas and disaster ridden areas for low cost electricity.

The article discusses a study on reliability of wind turbine gearboxes. Topics discussed include factors that cause drivetrain failure in wind turbine, the gearbox reliability collaborative (GRC) established by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2006, and development of a model to estimate pitch moment applied to wind turbine rotor due to wind shear.

The article reports that with better understanding of the underlying issues and new blade designs from GE Energy and other aftermarket suppliers that are less prone to erosion, 7FA turbine operators are once again using foggers as a cost effective way to improve the machines' performance. Entegra Power Group LLC recently restarted fogging on two 7FAs at its Gila River Plant

The article reports on the solutions that can improve the reliability and performance of wind turbines in Great Britain. It notes the challenge faced by engineers on how to develop components that can handle greater capacity of turbines. It highlights some technologies that can boost the efficiency of these turbines which include conventional bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, and centralised lubrication system.

The article focuses on the research project Optiwind conducted by inverter manufacturer GenDrive and research partners the UK Intelligent Systems Research Institute and Fundacion Tecnalia Research and Innovation of Spain to improve the performance of small wind turbines (SWTs). It mentions that the purpose of Optiwind is to come up with a control system that's more appropriate for wind turbine. It informs that Optiwind will offer improved energy yield, save time for the installer, reduce service costs.

The article discusses the benefits of the use of condition monitoring systems (CMSs) in wind energy plants. It states that condition monitoring, with the integration of programmable logic control, is helpful in maintaining the energy availability of a plant when wind turbine failure occurs. It also mentions that CMS can detect impending mechanical damage before and during the operation. It adds that the technical operational team is provided with a continuous data stream by a CMS, which are based on vibration monitoring.

The article focuses on the testing and certification for small and medium wind turbines in Great Britain. The testing criteria for wind turbines are driven by international standards such as the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) standards. These standards are underpinned by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400-2: 2006 standard, which is the design criteria for these turbines.

The article reports that powerhouse and engineering company Siemens AG has sign a deal for the extension of Korat 1 and Korat 2 wind service project in Thailand. Topics discussed include increase of production for Digital Services for Energy portfolio, inclusion of agreement such as long-term service and maintenance of wind projects, and upgrade and modernization of wind turbines.

The article reports on the successful performance of turbine manufacturer Suzlon Group's S97-HT DFIG 2.1MW Wind Turbine with its All- Steel Hybrid Tower, which was commissioned at Nani Ber District of Kutch in Gujarat, India onJune 9, 2014. Topics discussed include an overview of the wind turbine, its encouraging response from customers, and importance in the industry.

The article reports on the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between research facilities the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Clemson University to test new wind energy technology. It states that the aim of the team is to enhance performance of wind turbine drivetrains and understand effective integration of turbines with electrical grid. It mentions that the effort will help in large scale deployment and technical advancement of water and wind power.

The article looks at the wide scope of infrared in wind energy generation in Great Britain, with an emphasis on the significant role of thermal imaging in terms of predicting maintenance of electro-mechanical components and detecting surface defects in composite structures. It highlights the importance of braking mechanism and gearbox in controlling rotation speed of wind turbine as well as explores the predictive maintenance for such components.

The article reports on the re-examination of Vermont's Public Service Board of the noise standard it sets for wind turbines, driven by complains from neighbours of wind projects.

The article focuses on the use of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system to assess the effects of erosion on power performance of wind turbine blade during the in-field measurement campaign test by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult technology center in Great Britain.

The article reports on the contribution of the Critical Asset Management application to the wind power industry in Great Britain in 2013. It says that the said technology can help address the industry's need for better maintenance management and reliability. Moreover, the Critical Asset Management can help identify particular maintenance timing and actions due to continuous monitoring of wind turbine parts.

The article discusses the International Energy Foundation's (IEF) International Energy Congress titled "Evolving Energy," held at the SydneyConvention and Exhibition Centre in Sydney, New South Wales in 2012. Noor-E-Alam Ahmed, associate professor at the University of New South Wales, says that global warming and climate change are occurring at faster rates so efforts must be initiated to tackle these issues. It mentions that Ahmed's students gave presentation on wind turbine performance.

In this article, the author suggests fundamentals to keep in mind when shopping for any wind energy conversion system. Topics discussed include dependence of wind turbine power output on the size of rotor; considering wind turbines rotors which generate power in kilowatt per hour; and purchase of wind turbines built on standards of the American Wind Energy Association.

The article focuses on the wind-turbine project failures by the clean energy company NextEra Energy Resources. It discusses the fire accident in a wind turbine at one of the sites, blade failures in another turbine, and the failure rate of internal turbine parts as reviewed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory's investigation.

The article presents information on an experiment project to be conducted in Askervein, Scotland by a team of U.S. researchers to study models used for operating wind turbines. Other topics analyzed are funding of the research team, instruments used to set up the experiment, and the light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technique used to measure wind waves.

The article reports that the Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC) has granted certification to wind turbines meeting standards used internationally. It notes that the SWCC has fully certified the Bergy Excel 10 and the Southwest Skystream 3.7. It notes that the SWCC certification ensures that a turbine's annual rated output, power output and noise production are measured and reported according to industry standards.

The article offers information on the Plan for 2013: Project Performance, Operations, Maintenance and Reliability Seminar to be held in La Jolla in San Diego, California on January 15-16, 2013.