Statkraft Withdraws from Floating, Repair Quality Concerns
Highlights from EP 274 & exclusive content
⏱️ 5 minute read ⏱️
Our four hosts from four different time zones offer their perspectives on current wind news in this week’s Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. Read on, tune in, and stay up-to-date with the industry with us.
Statkraft Withdraws from Utsira North Floating Wind Project
Is floating wind further along than we think?
Why did Norwegian energy giant Statkraft withdraw from the upcoming floating wind tender for the Utsira North area? The answer on record: it was a cost-cutting strategy; in fact, Statkraft says it will stop all new offshore wind project activities to focus on “near-term profitable technologies.”
But in the UK, the Crown Estate has named Equinor and Gwynt Glas (a joint venture between EDF Renewables UK and ESB) as preferred bidders for floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea.
While Joel acknowledges that floating wind suffers a bit from a lack of support from major OEMs, the Uptime team agrees that floating wind is probably closer to viability than the average electric bill-payer probably thinks.
What do you think? What do you know? We’d love to host a floating wind expert on the podcast, so if that’s YOU or if you have someone to recommend, please get in touch.
Voliro Raises $23M in Series A Funding
The Swiss aerial robotics company has 40+ customers in 17 countries, including companies you’ll recognize, like Chevron, Holcim, and Acuren. Although the company’s products and technology is especially relevant to the wind industry - enabling 5x faster lightning protection inspections, for example - Voliro helps with non-destructive testing needs in a wide variety of industries, reducing inspection costs by up to 50%.
Our team talks about how the company and its technology is poised for growth.
Now if your ears perk up at the mention of NDT, you’re gonna love when our hosts start talking about COPQ, which they do this week - as they lament the quality of repairs and relative lack of experience rope techs in the US have vs. those in Australia and the UK.
Since we know a few of our European friends are starting their (extended) holidays now, we’re looking at you in the U.S.A., and thinking, hey, maybe we don’t do vacations quite right on this side of the Atlantic.
Whatever your position on hard work and vacation time, if you’re in the wind industry, you’ll want to tune in to this week’s podcast for our in-depth discussion about quality, particularly as it related to composite repairs, and how maintenance and repair procedures may change if (when) the PTC really, completely goes away.
“Something that Just Works”
The Expert Q&A article in this quarter’s PES Wind magazine taps FT Technologies’s Daniel Reid for some inside information on some of the company’s products and philosophies.
If Allen and Joel have a favorite product among FT’s lineup (and it’s pretty clear that they do), it’s the classic anemometer that has no moving parts and “just works!”
Learn more in this week’s podcast or in PES Wind magazine.
Data Center Boom Driving Energy Demand
You want to file that headline under “obvious,” right? Maybe not so fast…
It’s no secret that massive investments into AI (and other data-intensive computing needs) are driving power needs up, up and everywhere. Lately, it seems “everywhere” is spelled “S-w-e-d-e-n.”
Canadian asset manager Brookfield plans to invest up to $10B to build an AI data center in Sweden. Brookfield is following the likes of Microsoft, Meta and Alphabet that have also chosen Sweden for their data centers because - here’s where we can all connect the dots - Sweden is known for its reliable electricity supply and infrastructure.
Between this story and the very interesting Arizona Wind Farm we highlight this week, we’d like to see infrastructure and renewable energy be discussed around a few more kitchen tables and maybe even in a few legislative chambers.
Or, at least on LinkedIn page. Join the conversation and let us know what you think.
We hit the highlights in this newsletter - and include some items that didn’t fit in the recording - but you’ll always get more context when you listen to the podcast.
Links below take you straight to the stories we’re covering, so share with confidence, knowing you’re not sending clickbait to your colleagues.
Wind Farm of the Week: Babbitt Ranches
Babbitt Ranches family farm has been a fixture in Flagstaff, AZ since 1886, which, for you history buffs, was 26 years before Arizona became a state. It’s safe to say the Babbitts have always been a little ahead of the curve, so providing renewable energy to the Salt River Project probably didn’t surprise anyone familiar with the family farming enterprise.
Operated by NextEra and Salt River Project, Babbitt Ranch Energy Center’s 50 GE turbines began generating electricity in September, 2024. It has recently added battery storage, and a Google data center that will benefit from the “clean, homegrown power” is under construction nearby.
Babbitt Ranch Energy Center is expected to generate about $9.5 million in additional tax revenue for the Coconino County area over the facility’s lifespan. The fourth generation of the family is committed to growing its legacy of Cowboy Stewardship, Conservation, and Community. Read more about Babbitt Ranches here, and see how SRP took the top spot overall in the 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Energy Utilities Study.
Congratulations to everyone working at Babbitt Ranch Energy Center! We are happy to feature you as our Wind Farm of the Week!
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Where’s the Lightning Near You? Find Out
What are your turbines up against this week? Find out.
How StrikeTape differs from other lightning diverters
StrikeTape is proven to protect wind turbine blades in the real-world conditions where wind farms operate. Many other diverters fail in the field because they’re inadequately designed, not made of high-quality materials, not properly positioned, or not properly installed.
StrikeTape lightning diverters were designed and manufactured specifically for the wind industry.
The materials used in StrikeTape have been rain-erosion and UV tested. (See the specs here.)
Our engineers work with clients to ensure that the diverter’s placement is optimal for their equipment and site conditions, and that they are installed to maximize protection and longevity.
Want the best protection for your blades? Get StrikeTape.
Got questions? Get answers ➡️Joel.saxum@wglightning.com
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Interesting Finds From Around the Web
Statkraft drops out of Utsira North and new offshore wind projects
Voliro raises $23 million to scale aerial inspection robots for industrial infrastructure
Equinor, EDF-ESB Joint Venture Secure 1.5 GW Sites in UK Floating Wind Leasing Round
Anti-Offshore Wind Groups Target $426M Federal Grant to Port of Humboldt Bay
Beyond LCOE: A Systems-Oriented Perspective for Evaluating Electricity Decarbonization Pathways
Babbitt Ranches Energy Center is our Wind Farm of the Week!
Wind Energy Stock Watch
Vestas (VWDRY) $5.01 USD
GE (GEV) $506.00 USD
Siemens Energy AG (SMNEY) $109.49 USD
Goldwind (XJNGF) $.95USD
Iberdrola (IBE.MC) €16.39 EUR
Nordex (NRDXF) $20.00 USD
Stock prices as of close Tuesday, July 1. Note some stocks use OTC Delayed Price.
Stay informed: Uptime Tech News delivers wind energy news and insights on the latest technology, fresh from experts around the world. If you learned something, please forward to a friend. If this newsletter was forwarded to you, subscribe now.
Have a great week and thanks for listening! - Allen, Rosie, Joel, Phil & everyone from the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast
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