Before a turbine leaves its usually two-year warranty period, a qualified third-party team should conduct a thorough inspection of the unit and deliver a report that details what needs OEM attention. Many OEMs will not process warranty claims after the warranty period. For this Planning the end-of-warranty inspection webcast, independent service provider Upwind Solutions will…
Webinar: Reducing Operating Expenses with the Latest Drivetrain Monitoring Technology
UpWind Solutions and IFM discusses the value of a drive train monitoring solution and how wind farms owners can reduce their OpEx with the latest monitoring technology innovations. The presentation includes a brief history of condition based monitoring, a review of the hardware available, how to capture and use the large amounts of data, and…
Webinar: New Ideas for Replacing Unavailable or Obsolete Power Electronics in Turbines
A few essential turbine components are just not available from OEMs. One example: Xantrex Matrix Inverters for GE 1.5 MW turbines. Without the inverter, power from the turbine cannot be applied to the grid. But there is still a reliable source for the unit. In this webcast, learn how electronics obsolescence in the U.S. wind…
Windpower Operations and NERC Compliance
Entities registered as a NERC Generator Operator (GOP) are responsible for complying with 39 NERC non-cyber security requirements regardless of who is performing the work. Requirements are grouped into standards, and then categories. The categories include Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP), Communications (COM), Emergency Preparedness and Operations (EOP), Interconnection Reliability Operations and Coordination (IRO), Protection and…
Wind Turbine Performance Boosting with Custom Vortex Generator Solutions
UpWind Solutions partnered with SMART BLADE GmbH to study the design and installation process of custom Vortex Generator (VG) solutions and determined the impact on Annual Energy Production (AEP). After completing a three month performance analysis on WTGs compared to control turbines, there is clear data that supports the value of custom VGs and installation…
Cutting O&M Costs By Improving Turbine Reliability
The U.S. has an installed wind-power capacity of some 60,000 MW that come from over 45,000 turbines. Most of those are a far from retirement so keeping them working will require special attention to problematic gearboxes. Slowly, the gearbox has revealed why it has not lasted 20 years, so one presentation in this webcast will…
Networking the Wind Farm: A Closer Look at the Equipment that Ensures Uptime
As wind farms continue to sprout worldwide, networking technology is a key component to keeping wind farms up and running at peak efficiency. An important part of the technologically-savvy wind farm is industrial-grade Ethernet, which has evolved to combine rugged networking with reliable performance and advanced features. Join Red Lion Controls for an insider’s look…
Condition Monitoring Systems – Innovation and Technology Shaping the Future of Turbine Maintenance
A major component of predictive maintenance for wind turbines is condition monitoring. This sort of monitoring alerts owners and operators of developing failures so maintenance can be scheduled and issues can be addressed prior to failure. As the wind industry becomes more sophisticated with O&M, condition monitoring systems (CMS) take on a new role. Jeff…
Tips for Maximizing the Financial Impact of Resource Measurements
Live webinar date was March 20, 2013. Watch the archived version by filling out the form below. Now is the time to evaluate how additional measurements could be used to maximize wind project value. With the recently passed PTC extension, many projects are slated for financing and completion in 2014. Additional measurements can have a…
A Look at the Canadian FIT and Recent Changes to the Production Tax Credit
Money is everything, said an OEM executive when asked about challenges to the wind industry’s growth. In this period of uncertainty, the comment suggests we take a look at what has worked well in financing wind projects. For instance, Canada has grown its industry with a Feed in Tariff or FIT while the U.S. has…
Working Toward a Smarter Grid
Technological progress is a common external force impacting energy companies worldwide, whether it is providing an abundant supply of electricity, enabling communications and distributed intelligence at the measurement nodes in the power grid, or improving overall reliability, monitoring, and safety through disruptive technologies. Smart grid technologies are designed to optimize the push and pull from…
New Solutions to Gearbox Longevity
Wind turbine gearbox failures have plagued the wind industry for many years and only now do their designers think they know why the gearboxes only survive three to seven years before a replacement. Research has been focusing on oil contamination and sudden torque reversals as solutions. In this webinar, experts from Parker Hannifin and PT…
Assessing Wind Project Performance: Understanding the Risks
North America’s wind power industry has developed an unfortunate reputation for producing energy at levels less than those predicted by pre-construction energy assessments. Five factors are major contributors to over-prediction in energy assessments. These include flow-modeling bias, wake-model bias in some conditions, project availability, atmospheric stability, and long-term adjustments. This webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 31…
Eliminating Encoder Failures in Wind Turbines
Encoders are a tiny (and obscure) part of a wind turbine. But the failure of a single encoder brings the entire wind turbine down, requiring expensive and time-consuming maintenance. This webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 2 PM EST will focus on identifying and eliminating the root causes of encoder failures in wind turbines. This…
Actual Costs vs. Energy Loss – Meeting the Challenges of Electrical Transmission
This webinar covers the aspects of a wind-farm project that affects energy loss and project costs, items such as conductors, transformers, and costs associated with them. The presentation also provides a brief overview of the various cable constructions used on a typical Wind Farm with a focus on the MV power cable of choice used…
Asset Management for Maximizing Wind Farm ROI
Asset management of wind farms, from remote monitoring to maintenance and metering accuracy can figure significantly into a project’s return on investment. In this webinar, our panel of experts will show you how to minimize cost and maximize revenue from wind farms. Invest an hour and learn how you can use remote monitoring to identify risk…
Site Assessment And Site Development — Getting The Most Out Of A Wind Investment
Finding a suitable wind project site is just the first step toward developing a profitable wind power plant. Two tasks that follow closely include assessing the wind on the land and then laying out a high production, low-cost wind plant with turbines, roads, electrical cabling, and other infrastructure. Methods have improved considerably over the years.…
Preparing for a Career as a Wind Technician – From Classroom to Tower
Two wind industry veterans have a lot to say to those considering a career as a wind turbine technician. Derek Johnson at Redstone College will introduce viewers to the college’s 15 month wind-technician curriculum and why you should look forward to it. Then Ryan Gaunt of Rope Partner will prep viewers with extensive safety training…
Breakthrough Solutions for Blade Access to Improve Productivity
Wind turbine owners and operators face tough choices for optimizing blade surface repair. Learn from 3M and Spider the strategy for improving the quality of blade repair and protection at reduced cost. The webinar covers the latest breakthrough in blade access technology which provides a safer, more cost-effective and efficient solution for OEMs, O&Ms, plant owners…
Community Wind: Financing Options and Capital Markets
Uncertainty of the Production Tax Credit extension has made investors hesitant to finance wind projects. Therefore, finding funding can be difficult, especially for community wind projects. However, many communities are finding creative ways to fund their farms. In a special one-hour presentation, industry experts will discuss financing options, how to properly structure a financeable project,…