Project Experience

• Wind Resource Assessment
• Independent Engineer, Due Diligence & Project Support
• Market Assessments & Other Studies
• Program Management & Support
• Design Testing & Analysis
• Research Activities

Wind Resource Assessment

GEC has performed renewable energy resource assessment studies for utilities, government agencies, and private developers throughout the United States and abroad. We have worked with all the major monitoring equipment suppliers, have developed customized software for quality control and data processing, and have established a network of installation crews across the country.

New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department, 1999 to Present: Wind measurement study including the installation and monitoring of six stations for between two and three years.

Wisconsin Wind Energy Task Force, 1997 to Present: Statewide wind resource assessment study including site selection, lease negotiation, permitting, equipment installation and operation, data collection and analysis, and reporting for 13 wind monitoring stations in Wisconsin. Developed monitoring plan, quality assurance plan, and operations and maintenance manual.

National Park Service, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2000 to Present: Wind resource monitoring study for the “Green Energy Parks Program.” Additional analysis of relative humidity and horizontal solar radiation to optimize the designs for renewable energy and energy efficiency systems.

Tucson Electric Power Company, 1995 to 1999: Wind resource assessment including site selection for three wind measurement stations, equipment installation, monitoring and reporting. Also provided training for utility personnel and general support.

Colorado Office of Energy Conservation and a consortium of Colorado utilities, 1995 to 1999: Statewide wind resource assessment program including site selection through data analysis and reporting for 10 monitoring stations. Candidate sites were identified through wind mapping and use of a Geographical Information System.

Nebraska Power Association (NPA), 1994 to 1999: Four-year wind resource assessment for the State of Nebraska. Site selection and monitoring of eight sites for consortium of Nebraska utilities, government agencies, and public organizations. Included sensor installation on new and existing tall towers. Conducted research on mitigating lightning impacts on sensors and data loggers.

State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, 1992 to 2001: Renewable energy resource assessment and development program for the state. Field surveys; measurement of wind and solar resource data at 13 sites; development of resource supply curves for wind, solar, biomass, ocean thermal, wave, and hydro resources; and development of state’s renewable energy integration plan.

Private Developers, 1995 to Present: Wind resource assessment and monitoring activities for numerous private developers to support their bid and development activities. Installed and collected data from hundreds of stations throughout the U.S. and abroad. Work includes regional site surveys and detailed micrositing tasks.

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Independent Engineer, Due Diligence & Project Support

GEC has conducted due diligence studies and provided independent engineer services for a number of debt and equity investors in wind energy projects. Our experience also includes technical evaluations, financial and economic analyses, utility interconnection and generation expansion plan reviews, permitting, and environmental impact assessments for wind energy projects worldwide.

ABB Energy Ventures, 2001 to Present: Providing due diligence support and independent engineer services for two commercial wind projects in the U.S. Work includes turbine design review, energy production estimates, documentation review, O&M cost analysis, commissioning inspections, and O&M audits.

The City of Seattle, Seattle City Light Department, 2000 to Present: Provided support for renewable energy proposal evaluation and wind energy power purchase contract negotiation. Proposals covered several renewable energy technologies.

Wisconsin Public Service, 1998 to 2001: Developed project design, turbine layout, and energy projections for three project areas. Investigated permit requirements and identified landowners. Recommended final project area for development and completed final site layout and design for a 9.2 MW project in Lincoln, Wisconsin.

Project Developers*, 1999 to Present: Completed project layouts, wind flow modeling, and energy estimates for multiple projects in the U.S. and abroad.

Attorneys*, 1986 to Present: Provided expert testimony and litigation support to numerous attorneys and their clients. Work included failure analysis, repair cost estimates, valuations, revenue losses, performance projections, and retrofit requirements.

Private Insurance Companies*, 1995 to Present: Provided technical support for claims investigations under commercial insurance policies. Conducted failure analyses, component inspections, O&M audits, loss revenue estimates, repair cost estimates, and valuations.

Banks and Private Investment Groups*, 1987 to Present: Performed economic feasibility studies and due diligence of energy projects ranging in size from 1 to 130 MW. Work has included estimation of project capital costs, operating costs, and project revenues. Due diligence activities included evaluations of the structural integrity and potential problems on candidate turbines and overall project designs, cash flow reviews, document reviews, and operations monitoring.

Project Operators and Maintenance Organizations*, 1994 to Present: Developed computer programs to record wind turbine O&M log sheets in a consistent and easily-manipulated manner including customized data entry screens, pull down menus, parts tracking capability, and data transfer options. Analyzed and reported project performance data.

*Due to the proprietary nature of this work, specific clients are not identified.

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Market Assessments & Other Studies

Renewable Technology Market and Benefits Assessment, Electric Power Research Institute & California Energy Commission, 2000 to 2002: Identified current market needs for renewable energy generation and analyzed future market trends in renewable technology. Work included cataloging existing and planned projects, determining current status of technology and likely impact of future advances in terms of cost and performance. Technologies included wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydroelectric.

Wind Energy Productivity Improvement and Procurement Guidelines, Electric Power Research Institute, 2002: Developed guidelines for utilities, operators, and owners of wind projects to address performance improvements for wind projects. Subjects included operation and maintenance strategies, staffing levels, and parts inventory; severe weather impacts; use of SCADA systems; performance evaluation and trending analyses; specification and procurement considerations; warranties; and other topics.

Study of Offshore Wind Energy Potential in the U.S., National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1999 to Present: Developed wind resource, performance, and cost estimates for offshore wind energy applications in the U.S. Work included review of European experience, development of methods for estimating offshore wind resources, and use of parametric relationships to estimate costs in various water depths and distances offshore.

U.S. Wind Capacity Database, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1999 to Present: Maintaining the domestic wind capacity database and maps in conjunction with the American Wind Energy Association. Database includes details on existing and planned wind projects in the U.S. Work includes communication and coordination with industry developers and equipment suppliers, creation of maps and statistics for each state and the U.S. as a whole, and tracking status of new and proposed projects.

Analysis of Wind Energy Procurement Opportunities for Federal Agencies, Federal Energy Management Program, 2000 to 2002: Conducted market assessment and analysis of procurement mechanisms for Federal facilities to acquire wind energy. Included an assessment of specific opportunities on federal land and a recommended list of facilities. Also investigated various contracting mechanisms available to Federal agencies for procuring energy services and equipment.

Investigation of Wind Energy Potential on Native American Lands, Colville, Walker River Paiute, and Shoalwater Tribes, 2001 to 2002: Conducted technical and economic assessments of the wind energy potential on Indian lands for several tribes.

Electric Power Research Institute, 1995: Developed a utility wind power primer to provide a complete reference and assist utilities in bringing wind power plants on-line. Includes all aspects of resource assessment, siting, planning, implementation, and operation of a wind plant.

Electric Power Research Institute, 1987 to 1990: Documented lessons learned from commercial wind power experience. Activities included analyzing performance and maintenance data, describing equipment failures, evaluating the design and operations of wind power stations, and recommending future improvements.

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Program Management & Support

Wind Turbine Verification Program, Electric Power Research Institute-U.S. Department of Energy, 1994 to Present: Primary technical support contractor providing engineering advice, management recommendations, and project documentation for EPRI-DOE Utility Wind Turbine Verification Program (TVP). Work includes producing monthly and annual reports that summarize the experiences for each utility wind project during the project development phase and three subsequent years of operation.

TVP technical support also includes developing methodologies and providing technical assistance for performance evaluation tasks. GEC has facilitated dozens of individual and joint TVP project review meetings and site visits, drafted meeting summaries, and conducted follow-up activities. TVP participants include Central and South West, Green Mountain Power, Wisconsin Public Service, Nebraska Public Power District, KBR Rural Public Power District, Algona Municipal Utilities, Cedar Falls Utilities, Kotzebue Electric Association, York Research Corporation, TXU Electric and Gas, and others. GEC has developed methodologies and specialized wind turbine data processing software to evaluate project performance.

Federal Energy Management Program Technical Support Contractor, 1996 to Present: Conducting technical evaluations of wind energy applications at federal facilities. Recent work included analysis of a wind energy project at the Plum Island Animal Disease Control Center in New York and preliminary feasibility studies of wind projects in Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and Floyd Bennett Field, New York. Tasks include wind resource assessment, project layout and energy estimates, power purchase agreement negotiations, participation in public hearings, proposal preparation, and technical consulting.

Technical Training, Education, Outreach, and Market Support for Renewable Energy Technologies, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), 2001 to Present: Providing a variety of services to NYSERDA under multi-year support contract. Tasks include technical training and seminars, technical information and outreach, research papers, market assessments, and data collection and analysis. Specific tasks include an assessment of the impact of NYSERDA funding on the ability of developers to use the Federal Production Tax credit for wind projects. Also conducting outreach and education for local planning agencies, customers, and landowners on large and small wind applications. This work includes identifying sample ordinances and guidelines that impact wind development on a local level, creating a series of fact sheets for landowners, developing a guidebook for local agencies, and conducting workshops to educate various stakeholders about planning, developing, and implementing wind projects.

Wind Powering America (WPA) Program, U.S. Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2000 to Present: Providing technical assistance and strategic planning support to WPA program. Work includes planning, facilitation, and logistical coordination of multiple state wind interest group meetings; participation in strategic planning activities; initiation and coordination of Native American wind interest groups, installation of monitoring equipment, and providing input on outreach and educational materials.

Investor and Municipal Utilities, 1988 to Present: Conducted technical and economic feasibility studies for utilities interested in developing wind energy projects or purchasing power from wind projects. Work has included evaluating potential sites, developing and implementing resource assessment programs, estimating energy production, evaluating equipment options, determining capital and operating costs, and investigating operating impacts on the utility grid.

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Design, Testing & Analysis

Members of the GEC team have analyzed and tested wind turbines ranging in size from 8 kW to 3.2 MW and are familiar with the IEC and Germanischer Lloyd requirements for certification. GEC uses the latest software for aerodynamic, structural, and dynamic analysis. State-of-the-art SolidWorks software allows rapid design development, presentation of 3-D images, and export of models for finite element analysis. Our experience includes overseeing multiple wind turbine redesign, test, and retrofit implementation programs and developing, testing, and installing major structural retrofits on more than 500 wind turbines.

Blade System Design Study, Sandia National Laboratories, 2000 to Present: Identified issues and constraints for the design, manufacture, and use of large wind turbine blades and evaluated alternative design, materials, and processes that may overcome those constraints. Developed design specifications for large blades, performed preliminary designs for 3.0 MW and 5.0 MW blades, developed recommendations for testing of materials, sub-components, and/or sub-scale blades.

Technical Support, The Wind Turbine Company, 1998 to 2001: Supporting design and development of an innovative advanced wind turbine. Activities include failure modes and effects analysis, tower preliminary designs, component test planning, execution and reporting, blade aerodynamic analysis, and certification support.

Technical Support, Commercial Developers and Manufacturers, 2000 to Present: Conducting turbine configuration evaluation and analysis, including loads assessment and overall cost of energy analysis. Also conducted detailed design and test work on blades, towers, and other wind turbine components. Includes wind tunnel and component qualification testing.

Certification Assistance, Bergey Windpower Company, Inc., 1999: Development of certification plans, including review of document preparation, review of current design and manufacturing practices, and identification of actions required to meet ISO 9000 and IEC design evaluation requirements.

Certification Assistance, Atlantic Orient Corporation, 1999: Development of certification plans, including review of document preparation, review of current design and manufacturing practices, and identification of actions required to meet ISO 9000 and IEC design evaluation requirements.

Power Performance Testing, 1999 to Present: Performed power performance tests for multiple turbine vendors on machines ranging from 275 kW to 1.8 MW. Developed innovative approach to anemometer mounting on freestanding towers to ensure compliance with IEC requirements. Conducted TVP power performance tests on seven turbine models ranging from 50 kW to 1.6 MW. Provided input into IEC power performance standards.

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Research Activities

GEC has been awarded numerous contracts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other organizations for advanced wind energy research. As a result, GEC staff is familiar with the latest in wind energy design and analysis techniques.

WindPACT Tower Erection Study, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2000 to 2002: Researched commercial techniques for erecting large structures in other industries and examined their application for multi-megawatt scale wind turbines. Prepared detailed cost estimates and technical analyses.

WindPACT Turbine Rotor Design Study, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2000 to Present: Performed scaling studies for composite wind turbine blades for 80‑120 m rotors. Determined the relative impact on cost of energy from changes in wind turbine rotor size and configuration, developed an understanding of the impact these changes have on rotor designs and system dynamics, and identified rotor design issues that may represent technology barriers for future rotor improvements.

WindPACT Turbine Drive Train Study, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2000 to Present: Studying potential drive train configurations and component technologies and identifying the most promising combination for multi-megawatt wind turbine drive trains. Activities include the design, build, and testing of this configuration with the objective of demonstrating the technology and validating the study results. Multi-year, multi-million dollar study involving multiple industry subcontractors.

Wind Turbine Controls Research, X-cel Energy, 2002: Awarded research grant to improve wind turbine control design capabilities by developing new techniques for identification of linearized wind turbine dynamics models. Improved control design capabilities will allow for further advances in lightweight turbine designs and use of technologies such as pitch-twist coupled blades.

Advanced Research Turbine, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1999 to 2000: Developed hub design and evaluated loads for the Advanced Research Turbine to permit operating in a variety of hub configurations. Developed configurable multi degree of freedom hub design that would permit operation of turbine in a variety of hub configurations.

Blade Property Extraction Study, Sandia National Laboratory, 2001 to Present: Developed tools to more correctly model exact blade properties including features such as flap-twist coupling. Reduced properties of 3-dimensional blade structures to a series of equivalent beams which can be incorporated into aero-elastic models of the complete wind turbine.

Small Business Innovative Research Grant, U.S. Department of Energy, 2002: Examining innovative uses for carbon fiber in wind turbine blades. Study focuses on the most effective combinations of carbon fiber with fiberglass to enable increased energy capture while mitigating turbine system loads.

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