A way to make wind power smoother and more efficient that exploits the inertia of a wind turbine rotor could help solve the problem of wind speed variation, according to research published in the International Journal of Power Electronics.

Sea creatures have evolved over millions of years to maximise efficiency of movement through water; humans have been trying to perfect streamlined designs for barely a century.

Siemens Energy will establish its U.S. wind turbine R&D competence center in Boulder, Colorado. The facility is expected to employ an estimated 50 people and will focus on atmospheric science research, aerodynamic blade design, structural dynamics, wind turbine dispatch prediction and reliability.

General Electric Company (its unit GE Energy, to be exact) has signed a contract with Invenergy Wind LLC for supply of 750 megawatts of wind turbines. The approximate value of this contract is more than $1 billion.

Siemens Power Generation (PG) will supply its most advanced wind power technology to support New Zealand in its endeavor to build up a carbon-neutral electricity sector by 2025. State-owned Meridian Energy Ltd., New Zealand’s largest electricity producer, has ordered 62 Siemens turbines for its West Wind project, located 15 kilometers west of the state capital Wellington.

Siemens Power Generation (PG) continues to expand its manufacturing capacities for its growing wind business. PG officially celebrated the grand opening of its new wind turbine blade factory in Fort Madison, Iowa, on September 21, 2007.

Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Ltd. (GGOWL), a partnership between Airtricity and Fluor, has signed a reservation agreement to secure wind turbines from Siemens for the construction of its Greater Gabbard Offshore wind farm off the British coast. The agreement, the largest ever to have been reached for offshore wind turbines, involves 140 Siemens 3.6 megawatts (MW) turbines for delivery in 2009 and 2010.