It's beautiful but is the wind farm running a peak efficiency? WindManager, say its developers, can make that happen. It is a turbine-independent system based on latest international standards such as IEC 61400-25 and RDS-PP. It's also scalable from a single wind farm to large multisites.

Renewable-energy consultancy Natural Power announced the release of WindManager – a wind-farm portfolio, information system that increases profitability of wind farm operations.
WindManager is a turbine-independent system based on latest international standards such as IEC 61400-25 and RDS-PP. The system is scalable from a single wind farm to large multisite wind farms. The system captures real-time data, presenting availability, losses, and key performance while supplying tools for analysis, effective work processes, and fact based decisions. All processes are in place to increase profitability of wind farm operations.

The software comes with four modules for effective wind farm operations:

• Monitoring connects all turbines to a central system so all data is stored and visualised in a map view. Trends can be monitored and preconfigured reports summarize performance and energy production against targets.
• Analysis features let wind farm personnel perform stop analysis, loss analysis, and understand all downtime issues as they arise
• Operations Management provides daily or weekly work scheduling, resourcing, and collaboration across teams.
• Access to the system API, data-management tools, and tools for extracting performance data to MatLab allows performing further research and analysis in house

The screen shot from WindManager shows the locations of several turbines on a peninsula along with charts and graphs that tell of their performance.

WindManager comes brought to the U.S. wind-energy market by Natural Power in collaboration with Operations Management Software provider, Baze Technology, which has a track record of deploying the system for wind power as well as other industries.

the developer offers the software with its existing suite of wind farm management tools including WindCentre, a 24/7 operations control room which uses Natural Power’s Melogale data analysis platform, ForeSite for wind farm energy forecasting, and SeaPlanner for offshore GIS, site, and data management.

Scott Mackenzie, Asset Management Director at Natural Power commented: “WindManager has been successfully operating in the UK and Europe for over a year now, so we are very pleased to be extending these services to the US market.

“This product helps wind farm owners and operators experience a real time view of their assets, with customers benefitting from a range of additional tools from energy forecasting to independent operational site control,” says Natural Power Asset Management Director Scott Mackenzie.

Natural Power
www.naturalpower.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

To meet the needs of the global economy and increasing domestic demands, Lee Spring is introducing new metric product lines and expanding existing metric-stock products.

The company has expanded its existing metric compression and extension products with springs that meet the physical parameters of the European Compression Standard (DIN 2098) and the European Extension Standard (DIN 2097).  These additions are available in either zinc plated music wire or passivated 302/304 stainless steel, with the exception of compression wire sizes from 0.10 mm to 0.40 mm, which are only available in stainless.

As assemblies continue to get smaller, so does the requirement for products that work within reduced spatial parameters. Lee Spring has added over 100 new REDUX Wave Spring Inch Stock designs and has more than doubled its Belleville Washer offering. Generally, Wave Springs occupy 30 to 50% of the compresses height space of comparable round wire springs, offering equal deflection with the same load specifications. Belleville washers are designed to support high loads with relatively small deflections and solid heights. The online catalog, available at www.leespring.com, features user friendly product search engines as well as ecommerce options.

Lee Spring Co.
www.leespring.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

The first Nordex N117 nacelle is going up.

Turbine manufacturer Nordex says it has passed a major milestone towards the series production of the N117/2400 onshore turbine:  On 16 December 2011, it installed the first version of this model at the “Stadum” citizens’ wind farm in Schleswig-Holstein. With a 117-m rotor diameter and a 10,715 m² rotor sweep, the N117/2400 is the most efficient IEC-3 turbine in its class, according to the manufacturer.

The primary new feature is the rotor blade, which is 8.5-m longer than the previous onshore model. In typical IEC-3 locations, the N117 turbine achieves a capacity of over 3,500 full-load hours, exceeding other turbines in this category by 20%. This translates into a capacity factor of 40%. As a result, N117/2400 owners can have high and steady electricity production in regions characterised by lighter winds. With a length of 58.5m, this is Nordex’s first blade to be made from carbon fibre, a material lighter yet more rigid than glass-fibre hybrids. Despite its greater length, the NR58.5 blade weighs less than 11 tons and is thus somewhat lighter than its predecessor.

The N117 rotor spans 117 m.

Nordex unveiled the N117/2400 at the 2011 EWEA in Brussels. Installation of the first turbine was completed on schedule. Consequently, Nordex completed static testing of the N117/2400 rotor blade at its own blade production plant at its Rostock facility. Static testing involved pulling the blade consecutively in four different directions; the forces applied exceeded those arising in the field by many multiples. The successful test was a prerequisite for the award of the TÜV Nord design certificate. Full certification of the new rotor blade requires static and dynamic testing. This entails fatigue testing during which the blade is vibrated for about six months to simulate exposure to such forces over the entire life cycle of the rotor blade. Dynamic testing follows. Both tests are key prerequisites for the award of the type certificate and commencement of series production by Nordex from mid-2012.   

The Nordex product range includes one of the largest series wind power systems in the world (N80/2500, N90/2500, N100/2500, N117/2400) with more than 1,700 of these turbines having been produced to date.

The estimated calculated annual energy yield of the N117 at the 91-m hub height is about 9.9 GWh for the Stadum site, which has a mean annual wind speed of 7.4 m/s. Together with two N100/2500 plants at the same site, the wind project produces a total annual output of 27 GWh.

Nordex
nordex-online.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

Orange circles identify countries and regions negatively affected by the unrest in the Middle East. Blue circles identify countries and regions less likely to do business in the region. The figures and diameters are average percent of businesses responding positively to the survey proposal.

Unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, and its impact on oil prices, 44% of global businesses would now support increased government investment in renewable and alternative energy, according to the latest research from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR). In the U.S., 41% are more likely to support increased government investment.

 With the economic situation becoming more uncertain as the year progresses, the price of oil has generally reflected global concerns. Brent Crude, oil which started the year at $85 a barrel, climbed to $125 a barrel in April and has generally remained above $100 a barrel since.

 Many businesses would be willing to endure the short-term pain such investment might create: 51% of the global respondents said they would accept higher energy costs in the short-term to reduce their economy’s reliance on oil and have more stable prices in the longer-term. However, while this stance was supported by 60% of businesses in North America and the U.S. and 53% in the G7, just 35% of those in the Brazil, Russia, India, and China economies agreed.

 “The Arab Spring is a key event in global energy security. The region holds substantial known global oil reserves, so a dramatic increase in the price of oil was to be expected,” says Cal Hackeman, global leader of Grant Thornton’s Cleantech industry group and the U.S. Technology industry managing partner.

“However, this seems to have sharpened the minds of businesses to the challenge of moving towards more sustainable sources of energy,” added Hackeman. “At a time when the global recovery remains fragile, it is encouraging to see that many businesses would support extra investment in renewables even if this caused energy costs to rise in the short-term. These results should serve as a reminder to governments and international organisations that reliance of economies on oil needs to be addressed.”
Grant Thornton International Ltd.
Gti.org

Windpower Engineering & Development

The market for electric industrial vehicles is already large. For example, by law, forklifts must be electric when used indoors. Little growth remains in that market, but outdoors, most all earthmoving and lifting vehicles use conventional internal-combustion engine.

That is about to change because hybrid-electric versions reduce cost of ownership and exposure to price hikes with fossil fuels. Airports, often government owned or funded, are under great pressure to finish converting their Ground Support Equipment (partly using federal grants) to pure electric versions for on and off the tarmac.
IDTechEx
www.Idtechex.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

A range of standard shapes for the light pipes are available as well as customized versions.

A designer and manufacturer of optoelectronics now offers waterproof light pipes. The LED light pipes, which meet IP68 specifications, come in a wide range of options and can be built into a wide range of ruggedized, outdoor, shipboard, and other applications. They are said to work well where there may be humidity or condensation, rainfall or snow melt, or direct exposure to water.

A range of standard shapes for the light pipes are available as well as customized versions. This includes different launch surface options and colors available upon request. Standard lengths vary from 4.5 to 100mm. The ambient temperature ranges for the guides are -20 to +50°C.

Elma Electronic Inc
www.elma.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

The RT3 tethering systems let instruments swiftly detach from the retractor when necessary.

Accidentally dropping or misplacing an expensive hand-held instrument or tool, particularly when working aloft, is a costly and potentially dangerous event that can be avoided. Aside from the inconvenience and lost down time spent retrieving or searching for the dropped object, delicate instruments such as bar-code readers and gas detectors can be damaged beyond repair. Gear Keeper’s RT3 series of instrument and tool lanyards offer exceptional benefits of safety, productivity, and comfort for workers. When the instrument is stored, held or used with a Gear Keeper RT3 retractable tether, the dangers of entanglement, fatigue and annoyance are minimized and worker satisfaction and output are maximized.

The RT3 Gear Keeper instrument tethers are says to operate in even the most volatile environments. The retractable tether mounts securely to the wearer’s belt, providing a low-profile tethering system that avoids snags and snaps back. The teather features a 360° rotating clamp-on belt clip and a dual-axis rotation option with 180° of swing-away from the body.

Gear Keeper’s spring loaded, self-retracting RT3 security system prevents loss or damage of critical gear. If an instrument is dropped, the tether easily absorbs the stress these heavier instruments produce. When the instrument or tool is being used, pull it out… use it and when you’re finished let it go… it automatically retracts back.

The tethers come with a comfortable reach of 42 in.of extension. Its sturdy Nylon/Kevlar cable features 80 lb. break strength for heavy-duty industrial use with maximum breakage strength and durability.

The instrument tethering system can take the punishment many industrial applications demand. The retractable tethers are intended to survive extended salt water and chlorine exposure. They are almost jam-free with a patented flushing system that self clears sand and other debris from the retractor mechanism. With more than one million systems in use, the devices have a failure rate of less than 0.001%. The full line of Gear Keeper instrument tethers and accessories are available on the company’s website.

Hammerhead Industries
www.gearkeeper.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

The report analyzes energy harvesting to power the charging station. Solar is not the only option here.

The report analyzes energy harvesting to power the charging station. Solar is not the only option here. The lack of standards is holding things up to a lesser or greater extent across the world. Timelines and the issues involved are examined. Forecasts of charging station numbers, unit value and total value are given, detailed by charging speed and territory.

Analysis is the essence of this report say authors, with many figures and tables comparing pros and cons and giving detailed new forecasts for 2011 to 2021. The report appraises work from New Zealand to Canada and Japan. The charging issues and equipment employed with electric land, water, and air vehicles are considered, both hybrid and pure electric, and the solutions now and in future. The report quotes recent opinions of many interested parties. The impact of alternatives is also considered, such as gas turbine and fuel cell charging of on-road vehicle batteries, with no roadside charging, and the declining percentage of hybrids that do not plug in.

The report appraises a surprisingly large number of companies providing, or about to provide, solar powered roadside charging and inductive contactless charging, resonant and conventional, is appraised. The  different standards situations are examined for North America, Europe and East Asia, for both charging stations and their interfaces, and the battle for the global standards.

ASDReports
www.Asdreports.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

McLean Thermoelectric coolers provide 60, 100 or 200 W of cooling for applications including telecommunications, battery cabinets, industrial enclosures, security systems and more.

The McLean Thermoelectric Cooler is for electronic components in small indoor or outdoor electronic enclosures. It works on the Peltier effect. A current through a junction of different materials generates heat at one junction and absorbes it at the other. The coolers provide 60, 100 or 200 W of cooling for applications including telecommunications, battery cabinets, industrial enclosures, security systems and more. The compact devices need no refrigerant, compressors or filters, providing an ideal solution for demanding or low-maintenance environments. The 24 or 48-Vdc coolers are CE- and UL-recognized, and available in 13 models.

The units minimizes downtime and component loss by removing heat around critical components within an enclosure. The compact coolers can be mounted vertically or horizontally and multiple units may be used on an enclosure to increase the cooling capacity. The coolers only have fans with moving parts, requiring minimal maintenance. They do not require replenishment of fluids—as do refrigerant-based coolers. A filterless design further reduces maintenance intervals.

A few additional features include:

• Includes 13 standard models with and without sheet metal shroud
• Prewired with simple terminal block for easy wiring connection
• Meets industrial and outdoor requirements
• CE and UL recognized; UL Type 3R/Type 4
• Filterless design reduces maintenance requirements

The manufacturer offers Thermal Management Sizing and Selection Software to help select the right thermal management products for their application.

Pentair Technical Products
www.mcleancoolingtech.com

Windpower Engineering & Development

With close to 10,000 service lifts supplied worldwide, Power Climber Wind designs and supplies custom service lifts that are UL-listed and CE-approved for many turbine manufacturers.

A manufacturer has been selected to supply 140 turbine service lifts (TSLs) for the Macarthur Wind Farm in Victoria, Australia. Power Climber Wind will provide and install the service lifts for the wind plant which can generate up to 420 MW, making it the southern hemisphere’s largest. The TSLs quickly and safely transport technicians to nacelles, a preferred alternative to climbing a 100-m ladder several times a day.

Power Climber Wind

Powerclimberwind.com

Windpower Engineering & Development