WPED Contributor

By Gaurav Gupta, Chief Business Officer, L&T Technology Services We are living through a phase of continuous change and zeitgeist. We may not notice, but the natural sources of power are all around us, shaping the energy sector, and indeed our lives and our future. The transition to renewable energy has already begun, but its…

By David Clark, CMS Wind About 50% of drivetrain failures are in the generator, and they are predictable by months with the right detection. The failures are grouped into three specific categories: bearing-related, electrical-related and misalignments. We’ve already discussed electrical fluting and misalignments, so now let’s talk about bearing failures. How specific is vibration? How early…

By David Clark, CMS Wind About 50% of drivetrain failures are in the generator, and they are predictable by months with the right detection. The failures are grouped into three specific categories: bearing-related, electrical-related and misalignments. We’ve already discussed electrical fluting, and now we’ll describe misalignments. Misalignment between the gearbox output (or high-speed shaft) and the…

By Gareth Brown, CEO, Clir Renewables The U.S. offshore wind industry is set to take off in the coming years, with more than 5 GW of cutting-edge turbines due to come online by 2025 and take advantage of the country’s high offshore windspeeds. However, in order to make the most of this fantastic opportunity to…

By David Clark, CMS Wind About 50% of drivetrain failures are in the generator, and they are predictable by months with the right detection. The failures are grouped into three specific categories: bearing-related, electrical-related and misalignments. Here we’ll discuss electrical fluting caused by an “ELF.” Stray electrical current is not a problem unique to wind.…

By Kurt Sassmannshausen, product development manager, System Seals While nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) has been a staple of wind-turbine seals for decades, advancements in polyurethane formulas, processing and seal design are quickly sidelining NBR’s place in the industry. The qualities proving most beneficial include abrasion resistance, fluid compatibility, ozone resistance, mechanical strength and the ability…

By Robert Glass, head of marketing, Exel Composites Climate change is arguably the biggest threat to our planet, with its long term effects being variable in magnitude and difficult to predict. Its resultant extreme weather patterns can damage infrastructure, threaten food security, degrade the environment and pose a risk to human health and safety. A powerful…

By David Christophe, Director of Utility Solutions Marketing, Nokia As wind power projects continue to increase their turbine size and move further offshore, the importance of industrial-grade private wireless connectivity only increases. A constant, reliable network enables workers to operate safely and in new ways during construction and operation as they remotely monitor, inspect and…

By Dag Kirschke, Wind Energy Segment Owner, Exel Composites The demand for wind energy is increasing. It’s clean, cost effective and sustainable. As environmental and climate change concerns are influencing a greater need for renewable and sustainable energy, wind turbines are a substantial part of the solution — with over 340,000 wind turbines in the…

By Angela Krcmar, Global Sales Manager, Wind, Firetrace International The American wind industry has stayed resilient through a difficult year, with a positive outlook for development in the years ahead. However, in order to continue to grow and thrive throughout this crisis, owners and operators cannot afford to be complacent around fire risk. A high-profile…

By Maria Blais Costello, Clean Energy States Alliance Since 2016, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has been working to develop offshore wind in the most responsible and cost-effective way possible. Its first procurement of offshore wind power has demonstrated the resounding success of its years of careful study, stakeholder engagement…

This article originally appeared on WTWH Media sister site Design World. See the original version here.  Each year, roughly one out of every 200 wind turbine blades fail. Those failures pose a twofold concern for turbine owners. First, when a blade fails, there’s unplanned downtime and potential insurance issues. Second, how can blade manufacturers and…

By Mark Meyer, Sales Manager, North America at SIFCO ASC It is no secret that the wind turbine market is growing. Seen by many as the long-term answer to the future of power generation, the sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 10% during the forecast period 2020-2025, according to Mordor…

By Hunter Golden, Product Manager, Industrial Tools, Ingersoll Rand Process improvements, operational agility, error proofing and safety are paramount when it comes to manufacturing and the use of tools. Operators and plants reap significant benefits when they effectively address these areas of manufacturing. Innovative products such as cordless torque multiplier fastening tools provide several tangible…

By Steve Dayney, Head of Offshore, North America, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Offshore wind originated in the early 1990s when the first project was installed off the shores of Denmark. Fast forward 30 years and offshore wind turbines have at last reached the shores of the United States. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) was at…

By Matthieu Boquet, Head of Products & Offering, Leosphere, a Vaisala company Harnessing the wind is not exactly a perfect science. From taller and more efficient wind turbines to the development of wind farms in increasingly complex onshore and offshore environments, the wind energy sector is constantly evolving, and new techniques and technologies are becoming…

By Melissa Foster, Tim Taylor, Cherise Gaffney and Chad Marriott, Stoel Rives LLP Like their terrestrial counterparts, wind turbines floating miles offshore trigger the need for various federal, state and local approvals. While most of the industry’s focus is on securing a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lease, locating the turbines and subsea transmission…

By Mark Goalen, Offshore Engineering Director, Houlder Ltd The offshore wind market is maturing rapidly as the world transitions to cleaner energy. Indeed, the BP Energy Outlook 2019 anticipates significant growth of the sector, suggesting that the percentage of generated wind energy in the renewable market will be more than double by 2040. Meeting this…

By M. Malkin and A. Byrne, DNV GL Lightning damage is a concern for operational wind projects around the world. Disputes between wind turbine owners and manufacturers regarding lightning damage to wind turbines, most commonly to blades, are at the intersection of technical and commercial spaces. Further, the interaction between lightning and wind turbines carries considerable…

By Richard Beesley, Innovation and Business Development Director, Trelleborg Applied Technologies With the increasing pace of change toward renewable energy sources, offshore wind technology plays a key role globally in supporting this transition to cleaner energy sources. The richest wind energy resources are found offshore, with development of shallow water locations escalating with increasing volume…