Hydro Energy Articles

High Water: This Pumped Storage Tech will Help Power Austria`s Trains and Balance the Grid

Austria might be landlocked, but it has a special relationship with mountains and water. It is home to emerald-green alpine lakes fed by majestic Tyrolean glaciers, and the river that inspired that immortal waltz: “The Blue Danube.” Water was also Austria’s lifeblood ever since it started building hundreds of hydropower plants to propel the economy forward a century ago. ...

Jun. 21, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

Hydropower: Why Use Thermal Insulation in Hydroelectric Plants?

Thermal insulation is a means of stopping heat transfer from one object to another. It is usually used to decrease levels of heat transfer via conduction, requiring objects to be in direct contact, and can also be used to prevent heat transfer via radiation. Thermal conductivity of materials determines the rate of heat transfer between objects. Ceramics and metals which have high thermal ...

Jun. 17, 2021

By Mid-Mountain Materials Inc.

Keep Flowin`: GE Spins Up Supercomputer Models to Zero in On Energy Loss in Turbines

High-pressure turbines are complex pieces of engineering and vital components of gas turbines used to propel jet engines. The more efficient these jet engines are, the better the outcomes for the aircraft industry. The turbine blades rotate behind the combustion chamber in an engine, and they must endure the hot gas that spews out, accelerating them to high speeds. Because they are crucial to ...

Jun. 16, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

Pumps that thrive under pressure

The Evolution of Hydraulic Transmission Technology in the Pressure Pumping Market. Fracking technology is driving transformation of North American energy production capabilities. Since 2005, most of the increase in domestic natural gas production resulted from ongoing development of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology. Producers developed more efficient ways to extract gas ...

Jun. 2, 2021

By Proco Products, Inc.

Mountain Man: This Engineer Helped Design a Huge Power Plant On Top of the Alps

Having grown up in the shadow of the majestic Matterhorn in southern Switzerland - and summiting its pointy peak last year - Alex Schwery is not easily intimidated by the sight of a big mountain. But one cold day in the mid-2000s, he found himself standing in a cramped Alpine valley and he was practically trembling. It was freezing, but Schwery and his colleagues were also nervous. They were ...

May 28, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

Deep Water Wind: These Huge, Floating Wind Turbines Could Help America Meet Its Renewable Energy Goals

Over the past 20 years, wind power has become an important component in America’s renewables mix. Wind farms have sprouted in many parts of the country, and now they are starting to move offshore. Just two weeks ago, for example, the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management gave the final approval to Vineyard Wind 1, America’s first commercial-scale offshore ...

May 25, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

Fantastic Voyage: This Drone Submarine Could Make Inspecting Hydro Turbines Faster, Easier and Safer

One Monday morning last autumn, David Auger-Habel, lead engineer at GE’s Hydro Solutions, walked along the banks of a photogenic reservoir in British Columbia, searching for the perfect shot. But the GE Renewable Energy engineer wasn’t looking to snap a panorama of the region’s natural wonders. He needed a close-up of large hydropower turbines spinning out of sight, deep inside ...

May 25, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

3 things to consider when purchasing metrology solutions to inspect large parts

Many manufacturers in the aerospace, transportation and power generation industry, such as Austrian manufacturer ANDRITZ, require carrying out quality control inspections on large parts that can measure anywhere from 2 to 10 metres-and even bigger. Unfortunately, conventional technologies, such as tradition coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), laser trackers and measuring arms prove to be ...

May 18, 2021

By Creaform Inc.

Reverse Engineering a Guide Vane

Hydropower plants around the world have been equipped with components from Voith Hydro for over 140 years. As a full-service provider of hydroelectric power plant equipment, Voith is one of the world’s leading manufacturers. The Voith Hydro GmbH & Co. KG, with its headquarters in Heidenheim, is a leading full-service provider of machine technology equipment for hydroelectric power ...

May 13, 2021

By Creaform Inc.

Reverse Engineering a Guide Vane

Hydropower plants around the world have been equipped with components from Voith Hydro for over 140 years. As a full-service provider of hydroelectric power plant equipment, Voith is one of the world’s leading manufacturers. The Voith Hydro GmbH & Co. KG, with its headquarters in Heidenheim, is a leading full-service provider of machine technology equipment for hydroelectric power ...

May 3, 2021

By Creaform Inc.

The use characteristics of the combined feeding shotcrete machine

The chassis of the Gengli GLZ-14C self-feeding concrete shotcrete machine is customized according to the construction requirement of the tunnel, applying the idea of platformization development by the senior engineer specially designing Dongfeng chassis. The front and rear axles are both strengthened, and its spare parts have the high interchangeability with that of Dongfeng automobile, which is ...

Apr. 26, 2021

By Henan Gengli Engineering Equipment Co.,Ltd.

Danielle Merfeld Goes to Washington: GE Leader Brings Ideas for Sustainable Future to the White House

One of the last business trips Danielle Merfeld took before the pandemic was to get an up-close look at the prototype for GE’s Haliade-X, the most powerful offshore wind turbine in operation, installed at the tip of the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Merfeld, who is the chief technology officer at GE Renewable Energy, recalls feeling a sense of awe as she watched the three blades - ...

Apr. 22, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

Charting a Cleaner Future: Wind, Solar, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, Hydro Power are Helping the World Decarbonize

Thursday, April 22, marks the 51st Earth Day, and governments, companies, as well as ordinary people concerned about the planet’s climate are taking part in events celebrating the birth of the modern environmental movement. The White House, for example, is hosting a Leaders Summit on Climate this week that will bring together representatives of 17 countries responsible for some 80% of ...

Apr. 21, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

The Function of Vacuum Oil Purifier

The function of the Vacuum Oil Purifier is actually to remove the impurities in the oil and to purify the new oil. Not only does the waste oil after use need to reach a certain standard when it is discharged again, but many new oils also need to be purified before using. In order to protect the use of equipment, improve efficiency, etc. During use, lubricating oil, hydraulic oil, transformer ...

Apr. 14, 2021

By Guangzhou Rainstar Photoelectric Technology Co.,Ltd

Pumped About the Future: The Next Wave of Hydropower is Happening in Australia

Australia’s grid is at a crossroads. The country has relied on coal to generate its power for decades, but those fossil-fueled plants are set to be retired over the next 20 years. As coal bows out, Australia plans to build 26 to 50 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar power, roughly the same as South Africa’s total installed capacity, to fill some of the void. But that switch is far from ...

Apr. 5, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

What do the changes to the Energy Efficiency Directive mean for your Utility?

Europe is often cited as the most progressive continent in terms of climate change policy. The European Union has set a goal of no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The European Green Deal has been established as a collection of policies to provide an action plan to achieve this milestone. This includes key initiatives such as the Renovation Wave and reviewing existing European Directives, ...

Mar. 26, 2021

By DEXMA By Spacewell

Air Source Heat Pump Installation in Neath, Port Talbot - Case Study

Aberdulais Falls in the Neath Valley, South Wales is an important industrial heritage site owned and run by the National Trust. For over 400 years these falls provided the energy to drive the wheels of industry, from the manufacture of copper in 1584 to the later tinplate works. A recent major refurbishment of the water wheel gave scope for implementing the latest hydraulic technology to improve ...

Jan. 21, 2021

By WDS Green Energy Ltd

Ocean Wind: GE Finalizes a Deal to Supply Powerful Haliade-X Turbines to New Jersey Offshore Wind Farm

In the fall of 2019, the Danish company Ørsted announced plans to build two wind farms off the U.S. East Coast that would use GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X platform — the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine in operation. This week GE Renewable Energy said that it has finalized supply and service contracts for one of those projects: Ocean Wind, which will be ...

Jan. 18, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

Year in Review: Around the World, GE Employees Rose to Meet the Challenge of COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic was first and foremost a healthcare crisis, but it touched every corner of the world and every sector of the economy - and drew millions of people together in the effort to turn the tide. Across GE, factories ramped up to manufacture ventilators and patient monitors needed in clinical settings to treat patients suffering from COVID-19; technicians found themselves driving ...

Jan. 6, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy

Friends In High Places: Meet The Haliade-X 14 MW

In 2019, the Haliade-X 12 MW prototype in Rotterdam raised the bar for wind energy (see top image). It set a world record for generating enough energy in one day to power 30,000 Dutch households. The prototype is performing so well that the machines are now rated even higher - at 13 MW. GE has received the first commercial order for 190 of the machines. They will power the first two phases of the ...

Jan. 4, 2021

By GE Renewable Energy