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SgurrNews
In this issue
Solano 3 wind project online ORQA goes live in Asia Offshore met mast refurb complete Canadian wind resource studies Financial close for Carraig Gheal Wake measurement using Galion Galion Lidar launches in China Malawi renewables partnership Latest events and exhibitions Women of Wind event success

April - June 2012

Solano 3 wind project online in California

he Solano 3 wind project is nearing construction completion and is expected to enter commercial service in summer 2012. The 128MW project was developed by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), and is located immediately adjacent to SMUDs existing Solano phase 1 and 2 wind projects; bringing the total installed wind capacity developed by SMUD to 230MW. In 2011 Solano 3 was purchased by Citibank and SgurrEnergy was engaged to perform due diligence and Technical Advisor services during the financial transaction and construction. Energy from the project will be sold to SMUD under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The project consists of 55 Vestas V90 WTGs with ratings of 3.0MW and 1.8MW, dependent upon their location within the project site. The project is located in the Collinsville-Montezuma Hills Wind Resource Area (WRA) on the northern bank of the Sacramento River and is home to hundreds of multi-megawatt wind turbines from several of the industrys leading wind energy companies. The WRA has an excellent wind resource with strong summer winds, matching Californias high summer load demand profile. SgurrEnergy will remain engaged in the Solano 3 wind project during its operational phase, assisting with asset management for the facility.

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Courtesy of Buck Cutting, Sacramento Municipal utility District (SMuD)

First offshore Lidar platform goes live in Asia

he first Offshore Risk Quantification Analysis (ORQA) platform went live in Asia this month after SgurrEnergy received takeover from the Hong Kong Electric Company. ORQA boasts the latest technology in data monitoring equipment, designed specifically to capture meteorological, environmental, wave and tidal data, including SgurrEnergys Galion Lidar, a second generation laser-based device. Lidar is a mature remote sensing technology that is now successfully being used in wind power applications across the globe. The measurement campaign, located near Lamma Island, Hong Kong, will run for one year and the data captured will be used to

inform the planning and construction phases for the proposed offshore wind farm. Charlie Briggs, Project Manager, commented: SgurrEnergy is proud to be pioneering this technology offshore, and to be a part of Hong Kongs first offshore wind farm. The project has not been without its challenges, but we worked closely with the client to ensure a high quality and robust installation. In addition to running the measurement campaign, SgurrEnergy will also be providing operations and maintenance services for the one-year monitoring period.

ORQA platform

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Offshore met mast refurbishment complete

he refurbishment of two meteorological (met) masts in the eastern section of the Irish Sea is now complete. The masts, measuring 50 and 80 metres in height, were initially installed to collect met data for the Shell Flats project in 2002. The masts were amongst the first of their kind installed offshore and as such did not meet current IEC wind measurement standards. The refurbishment of the masts brings them in line with the current standards (IEC 61400-121:2005) and the newly refurbished masts will be used to assess the wind resource for the West of Duddon Sands project, developed by Dong Energy and Scottish Power Renewables near the Shell Flats site. The refurbishment project involved a number of key items including; instrumentation booms,

anemometry, data loggers and communication systems along with associated power supplies, fall arrest and lightning protection. The main project challenge was the installation of the instrumentation booms which ranged in length from 5 to 10m from the mast face. All booms and equipment were installed manually and did not involve cranes. SgurrEnergy Measurement Team Leader Robbie Gibson commented; This has been a key offshore project for us and illustrates our offshore expertise. Our team of in-house engineers and the subcontractors worked together to ensure the project was delivered to a high standard. In conjunction with Wood Group, we are well placed to offer turnkey offshore services which deliver high quality, accurate and reliable offshore data, incorporating lattice tower met masts, Galion Lidar or our combined ORQA device.

Meteorological masts must meet ieC wind measurement standards

Wind resource studies in British Columbia

C

anadas BC Hydro, British Columbias electric utility, recently engaged SgurrEnergys Vancouver office to complete an initial wind resource and technical constraints study on a remote area in northern BCs Cassiar Mountains. A micro-grid is currently under development to service the community in the area, part of the Kaska First Nations Traditional Territory, and the utility hopes to meet the communitys power demand through renewable energy generation. Based on initial mesoscale modelling, high wind speeds are predicted at several points along the 40km proposed micro-grid. Although mountains and dense forestry present challenges to wind power generation in the region, the area of

investigation includes a comparatively flat valley which may prove suitable for these purposes. We have made preliminary identification of two sites where on-site monitoring may be warranted and we are advising the utility on how further investigation may proceed. Subsequent to this study, we recently completed an initial wind resource and technical constraints study on behalf of the Kaska First Nations. The study encompassed more than forty sites of interest spread across the entire 225,000km2 Kaska Traditional Territory, spanning northern British Columbia, southern Yukon, and southwestern Northwest Territories. The land mass studied mainly comprises of mountainous, forested terrain. The goal of the study was to highlight specific areas that show potential for wind development. SgurrEnergy partnered with local hydro power consultancy Barkley Group who has strong ties with First Nations groups in British Columbia and Yukon.

Cassiar Mountains, Northern British Columbia image G. Donald Bain

gurrEnergy has successfully concluded its role as lenders engineer for the pre-financial close due diligence project of the 46MW Carraig Gheal wind farm, located in Argyll, Scotland. The wind farm, which will consist of 20 Siemens wind turbines, is being developed as a joint venture between GreenPower (Carraig Gheal) Ltd and the Ampere Equity Fund. As well as being one of the UKs largest onshore wind contracts, the project also includes the construction of the 35km West Loch Awe Timber Haul Route, which is being developed in collaboration with the Forestry Commission Scotland. As part of this assignment, we carried out reviews of the project technology and design as well as the key contractual structure. Construction activities commenced on site in January and SgurrEnergy has been appointed to provide continuing support to the project lenders through construction and operations monitoring. Project manager, Elaine Snell, said: We are delighted to have been involved in helping this project reach financial close and we look forward to working with GreenPower and the project lenders as the project moves forward into the construction phase.

Carraig Gheal wind farm reaches financial close

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Wake measurements using Galion Lidar W

ake behaviour is often misunderstood in the wind industry, especially on a site specific level. Wind analysts typically apply generic wake models with predetermined wake decay constants at a range of sites with varying atmospheric conditions. To understand wake behaviour better SgurrEnergy is pioneering wake modelling with the use of its 2nd generation wind Lidar technology, Galion. This is done by measuring wake behaviour behind the wind turbine from the nacelle. The Galion has the ability to measure the horizontal wind speed up to 4km behind the wind turbine,

in a two-dimensional plane of variable width. The nacelle mount allows the laser beam to follow the wind as the turbine yaws, gathering continuous wind speed measurements within the wake. SgurrEnergy has been able to develop site specific wake decay models based on actual horizontal wind speed measurements within the wake, at a variety of different wind farms around the world. These groundbreaking measurements have opened new doors in the wind industry and set a new standard for understanding wakes and developing models to optimise wind farm performance. To find out more about our wake studies, Galion or to make a sales or rental enquiry, please contact us at galion@sgurrenergy.com or 0141 227 1700.

Galion Lidar launch event in China

seminar on SgurrEnergys remote sensing Lidar technology, Galion, was hosted by our Chinese office in association with the China Wind Energy Association (CWEA) and LOHO Mechanical & Electronic Equipment Company in Beijing. Presenters included CWEA chairman Mr. He Dexin, Mr. Chen Leijie from China General Certification Center (CGC) as well as experts from the Chinese national weather service. Over 110 participants from 42 companies attended. Mr. He Dexin, who is also the president of the World Wind Energy Association, opened the event by thanking SgurrEnergy, in the year of our 10th anniversary, for our contributions to the Chinese wind industry over the years. Mr. Chen Leijie from CGC discussed the current wind farm PPA situation in China. SgurrEnergys Technical Director, Ian Irvine, followed with a presentation of 2nd generation Lidar technology working principles. Director of Measurement & Analysis, Richard Boddington, and Dawei Zhang, Director of Business Development, China, shared more insights on Galions technical use, including Galions all sky scanning capability, complex terrain and offshore use, wind shear data capture, wind turbine assessment, complex wind flow modelling and wind turbine wake modelling. Mr Irvine commented on the technology, Based on our experience to date, I believe that Galion, with its ability to characterise wind flow at the kilometre scale, can provide the knowledge needed to ensure that wind turbines and wind farms are optimally designed for specific sites and can help the industry to make more robust predictions of energy product and operational costs.

he Wind Energy Preparation Programme (WEPP) has recently entered into partnership with SgurrEnergy as part of the larger Malawi Renewable Energy Acceleration Programme (M-REAP). The project is being led by the University of Strathclyde with a variety of Scottish partners and is being funded by the Scottish Governments International Development Fund. The programme aims to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy technologies in Malawi, focusing on the alleviation of poverty. Initial feasibility studies for a number of small wind farm sites, including anemometry mast installation and data collection will be carried out on the preferred sites, followed by a full feasibility study and energy yield analysis for each site. This allows the wind farms to progress to final development and financing stages, and on to construction and operation, with a low level of risk, ensuring maximum benefits to the local communities.

SgurrEnergy selected as partner for Malawi renewable energy programme

Director of Measurement & Analysis, Richard Boddington, commented, Were really pleased to be involved with this exciting initiative. Were confident that our experience in other new wind markets will be valuable in helping to assess and develop Malawis wind energy potential. Stephanie Cymber of the Scottish Government International Development Team said, This is a new and innovative approach to tackling renewable energy issues in Malawi. Focusing on community engagement and reducing poverty by meeting the energy needs of the rural poor, the programme will provide policy and strategy support at the institutional level in Malawi, supporting the formation of policies for renewable and community energy programmes.

Similar Scottish Government Funded CReD project in Malawi

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SgurrNews / January - March 2012

Latest events and exhibitions

ur 2012 events calendar kicked off with a Galion Lidar launch event at our Chinese office in Beijing, hosted in association with CWEA, Chinas top authority in wind energy. This was followed by the Renewable Energy Finance Forum (REFF) Germany in Berlin, where SgurrEnergys Associate Director, Simon Luby chaired discussion of the onshore and offshore wind sector. March marked our continued success in Brazil with the delivery of a workshop on achieving Brazillian wind power targets. The workshop, hosted in partnership with Brazilian wind energy association ABEEolica,

took place in Rio de Janeiro and attracted a number of key wind energy professionals. Closer to home, we also attended Renewable UKs Wave & Tidal conference in Edinburgh on March 15th with wave and tidal experts from around the world showcasing new technologies. The second quarter of 2012 looks set to be packed with exciting events from Paris and Shanghai to Atlanta and we hope to see you there. See our list of exhibitions below or visit our website for more information.

RenewableuK Wave and Tidal Conference

We will be attending the following events in the second quarter of 2012. We look forward to seeing you there!
Event Salon des Energies Renouvelables EWEA Annual Conference REFF Canada All Energy Offshore Wind China AWEA WindPower Annual Conference Intersolar Europe RenewableUK Global Offshore Wind REFF Wall Street New York Location Paris, France Copenhagen, Denmark Toronto, Canada Aberdeen, UK Shanghai, China Atlanta, Georgia, USA Munich, Germany London, UK New York, USA Date 3 - 5 April 16 - 19 April 30 April - 1 May 23 - 24th May 30th May - 1st June 3 - 6th June 13 - 15th June 13 - 14th June 19 - 20 June Website energie-ren.com events.ewea.org euromoneyenergy.com all-energy.co.uk offshorewindchina.com/english/ windpowerexpo.org intersolar.de renewable-uk.com reffwallstreet.com/ Program and was excited to meet other wind energy professionals in the Vancouver area, volunteering to host a launch party at our downtown Vancouver office. The event occurred simultaneously with other launch parties in cities across North America including Boston, Washington DC, and Minneapolis. WoWE Executive Director Kristen Graf commented, Having a mentor is a vital success factor for professional development and this program is a critical piece of WoWEs work. We are delighted with the involvement of companies like SgurrEnergy in supporting our Mentoring Program launch. For most attendees it was their first interaction with the Vancouver WoWE chapter, but ideas for future speaking, networking, and collaboration opportunities were discussed and the group hopes this will be the start of a regular event series for the Vancouver Women of Wind Energy.

SgurrEnergy hosts Women of Wind Energy mentoring event in Vancouver

echanical Engineer, Carolyn Schneyer, joined our Vancouver office in November 2011 and was keen to learn more about the booming renewable energy industry. Subsequently Carolyn joined the North American Women of Wind Energy (WoWE) organisation, which promotes the education, professional development and advancement of women in the renewable energy industry. In early 2012, WoWE announced a webinar to launch the organisations new Mentoring Program, inviting members to organise launch parties in their home cities where local members could meet in person. Carolyn said, As Im new to the industry, I loved the idea of a Mentoring

The vancouver WoWe chapter

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