The Chicago-headquartered renewable energy developer and engineering firm PivotGen will now offer wind project “repowering” services as part of its primary offerings. The relatively young company specializes in renewable energy development and enhancing existing wind assets to maximize efficiency and prolong their operational lifespan.
Repowering involves upgrading aging wind turbines with newer, more efficient technology, and is deemed essential for extending the lifespan of existing wind projects, while increasing their output and decreasing ongoing operational expenses. PivotGen provides a distinctive and proprietary approach to harnessing financial, technical, and operational resources to deliver a customized repowering solution tailored to the specific site, and at times even to the turbine and component level. The goal of this approach is to maximize value for the owner while minimizing waste during the repower process. As wind turbines age, they become less efficient due to mechanical wear and technological obsolescence. In addition to underperforming their potential, age-related declines can diminish grid reliability and reduce returns for investors, while also underutilizing existing interconnection agreements.
A recent report from Newmark underscores the increasing energy demands of U.S. data centers, which currently consume around 17 GW of power. Projections suggest that this number could double to 35 GW by 2030, indicating a significant increase in nationwide data center energy needs over the next decade. Furthermore, over 2 terawatts’ worth of renewable projects are currently pending approval in U.S. interconnection queues, which is anticipated to take more than four years for processing by the overwhelmed grid operators. Once approved, new substations and transmission infrastructure are typically necessary before new connections can be established, leading to further delays and costs for deploying renewable projects. Repowering offers an effective, swift, and cost-efficient solution to ensure that existing wind energy sites continue to operate at maximum capacity, providing uninterrupted power to meet the growing energy demand.
“Repowering is complex and can vary significantly from project to project; we understand this well, having repowered over 2 GW of wind projects,” stated Tim Rosenzweig, PivotGen’s co-founder and CEO. “Our objective in providing this service to third parties is to utilize our unique expertise in repowering a diverse range of turbines across the nation to enhance grid reliability and investor returns while sustaining and improving clean renewable energy for the grid.”
There are more than 50 GW of U.S. onshore wind projects that are ten years old or older, which, according to Rosenzweig, could see improvements in operational and financial performance through the implementation of strategic fleet modernization initiatives. This will help counterbalance declines in onshore wind additions while ensuring that current project owners continue to maximize their investments.
News item from PivotGen
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