HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The growth in the offshore market, combined with their merger, vaulted Siemens Gamesa to the top of the wind power charts for 2017, although the company still lagged behind Vestas in the onshore market.

According to a report Monday from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Siemens commissioned 9.52 gigawatts of onshore and offshore turbines last year. Vestas, based in Aarhus, Denmark, added 7.71 gigawatts and remained the top onshore turbine maker. That doesn’t include offshore equipment from a Vestas joint venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.

Goldwind Science & Technology Co. of China and Boston-based General Electric Co. rounded out the top four, which — combined — added 27.72 gigawatts.

Global wind installations — onshore and offshore — reached about 56 gigawatts in 2017, slightly above the 54 gigawatts booked in 2016, but well below the record 63 gigawatts in 2015, according to BNEF. The recovery is expected to continue with additions reaching about 59 gigawatts in 2018 and 67 gigawatts in 2019.

The offshore wind market is expected to grow 16 percent a year to 2030 as Taiwan and the U.S. join core markets in the U.K., Germany, Netherlands and China. Four U.S. states along the East Coast plan to add about eight gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, a build out that may eventually encourage makers of the massive offshore turbines and blades, most of which are manufactured in Europe, to open plants in the U.S.

Onshore, Siemens Gamesa recently announced a move away from direct-drive platforms onshore in favor of the more traditional gear-drive turbine. That included a new small platform for low wind areas. That 2.7 MW turbine and two others will be manufactured in Hutchinson.

Developers representing 82 percent of the new-build market commissioned 46.9 gigawatts of onshore wind in 2017, 12 percent less than in 2016.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The U.S. Department of Defense Tuesday identified a Kansas soldier who died Monday in Iraq as a Reno County resident.

According to a release from the Department of Defense, 26-year-old Sgt. Christina Marie Schoenecker of Arlington, Kansas, died Monday in Baghdad from a non-combat related incident while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.

According to the command, Schoenecker was a human resources specialist who joined the Army in 2009. She was promoted to sergeant in January 2015 and was completing her first deployment at the time of her death. Her awards include the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster and the Army Reserve Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters.

Schoenecker grew up in the Arlington area and was a 2010 graduate of Fairfield High School, where her mother currently serves as the district nurse. According to USD 310 Superintendent Nathan Reed, a GoFundMe page has been set up through his wife’s account. The fund will go for travel, funeral and memorial expenses.

The Department of Defense says Schoenecker’s death is under investigation.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A small mobile home park located near K&O Railroad’s Yaggy freight yard is under a boil water advisory from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The KDHE issued the advisory for the Western Acres Mobile Home Court public water supply located along Nickerson Boulevard. KDHE officials issued the advisory because the system has repeatedly failed to collect required bacteriological samples, resulting in an unknown water quality.

The advisory took effect today and will remain in effect until conditions, which place the system at risk of contamination, are deemed by KDHE officials to be adequately resolved. The mobile home park has been under scrutiny several times for poor living conditions and other matters in the past.

Residents in the area should boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation, or use bottled water; dispose ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic ice maker; and disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.

Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

The order will stay in effect until KDHE issues a rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.