RWE Milestone Thor Wind, Texas Recycling Bills Passes

RWE successfully installs the first monopile for the 1.1 GW Thor
offshore wind farm in Denmark, China investigates a fishing vessel
collision with a wind turbine, Texas House approves bills for
recycling renewable energy equipment, and Enel launches an
international wind turbine design competition. Sign up now for
Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind
technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard
Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard's StrikeTape
Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show
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YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the
show? Email us! Allen Hall: RWE has reached a milestone in
constructing the 1.1 gigawatt tho offshore wind farm in the Danish
North Sea, with a successful installation of its first mono pile
foundation. The project will eventually include 72 such
foundations, the massive mono piles measuring about 100 meters of
length and weighing up to 1500 metric tons each. Which is
equivalent to about a thousand small cars. Were shipped from the
Netherlands to the construction site, approximately 22 kilometers
off jut Ludens West coast. The vessel La Aliza is handling
installation with each shipment carrying five monopiles. The CEO of
RDB offshore wind called this quote, A highly [00:01:00] symbolic
moment and a great achievement, unquote, following years of
planning. The Thor Wind Project features several sustainability
innovations, including reused hard covers to protect the mono
piles. CO2 reduced steel towers for 36 turbines. Recyclable rotor
blades for 40 turbines. When fully operational In 2027, the wind
farm will generate enough green electricity to power more than 1
million Danish households and create 50 to 60 local jobs. Over in
China, a fishing vessel that sank after colliding with a wind turbo
in China's yellow sea failed to maintain proper lookout according
to report from the China Maritime Safety Administration. The
collision occurred around 12:25 AM local time on August 24th last
year when the ZDUU vessel struck the southeast side of the Ong H
one dash 40 wind turbine while returning from fishing operations,
the accident sent [00:02:00] all 10 crew members overboard. Eight
were rescued, but one died and another was never recovered. The
collision caused severe flooding and eventual sinking of the vessel
while the turbine sustained only minor damage. Investigators
determine the primary cause with the vessels, quote, failure to
maintain proper lookout and negligent navigation practices. High
intensity work, lights, impeded visibility, and the crew didn't
properly utilize radar equipment. A secondary factor was inadequate
public notification of the wind farms precise layout, unquote, by
the operating company, which led to navigational oversight. Moving
over to Texas. The Texas House recently passed two bills aimed at
improving recycling of retired renewable energy equipment.
Currently, most wind turbines and solar panels end up in landfills
when decommissioned, despite Texas law requiring complete removal
of the infrastructure and land restoration. House House Bill 32 28
requires renewable energy companies to recycle all components.
[00:03:00] Practicably capable of being reused or recycled and
properly disposed of non-recyclable parts. A complimentary bill
House Bill 32 29 establishes reporting and financial assurance
requirements for recycling facility owners to prevent situations
like the one in Sweetwater, Texas where GE allegedly paid millions
of dollars to a company that shut down. Without recycling the
turbine blades. And energy leader Enel has launched wind design, a
international competition seeking innovative wind turbine designs
that better integrate with landscapes while maintaining
functionality. The contest. Offers substantial prices, including
250,000 Euros for first place, with special awards for design
excellence, technical feasibility, and sustainability, innovation,
open to architectural firms, engineering companies, startups,
students and universities worldwide. Wind design accepts [00:04:00]
first phase submissions until June 16th of this year. Projects
advancing to the second phase receive 5,000 euros. With final
submissions due September 29th of this year. Participants can join
workshops on May 15th to learn more about the requirements and ask
questions directly to the NL team. To register or get complete
details? Visit the website shown in the show notes below. That's
this week's top. News stories. Stay tuned tomorrow for the Uptime
Wind Energy Podcast.