EDP Renewables North America completed its Blue Canyon II Wind Farm repowering, shoring up the future of renewable power for Caddo and Kiowa Counties. EDP Renewables North America completed its first repowering project at the Blue Canyon II Wind Farm, which is one phase of the 423-MW four-phase project located in southwestern Oklahoma. EDPR NA…
EDP Renewables begins repowering project on Oklahoma wind farm
EDP Renewables North America (EDPR) has initiated its first North American repowering construction proceedings at the Blue Canyon II Wind Farm in Oklahoma. The repowering of Blue Canyon II, which is located in Caddo and Kiowa counties and is part of a four-phase project, ensures significant economic benefits and affordable energy will continue with the…
Solutions for aging GE 1.5x wind turbines in need of intense maintenance
By Bruce Hammett, President and CEO; and Denny McKissic, National Account Manager, WECS Renewables Not keeping wind turbines positioned toward the wind is a critical revenue killer for operators, not to mention the maintenance costs associated with slight positioning problems. Maintaining directional control requires properly functioning wind direction sensing systems and robust long-life yawing systems.…
World’s biggest offshore wind turbine prepared for testing
GE Renewable Energy has confirmed that the Haliade-X 12-MW nacelle and 107-meter-long blade will be shipped to the UK as part of an advanced technology testing program that will focus on enhancing the Haliade-X platform before it enters into serial production in 2021. The turbine’s nacelle will undergo a program that will replicate real-world operational…
GE’s Haliade 150-6MW nacelle arrives in U.K.
The first GE Renewable Energy offshore wind turbine nacelle to be tested in the U.K. has been delivered to Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult‘s 15-MW drive train test facility in Blyth, Northumberland. The Haliade 150-6MW nacelle reportedly will undergo advanced test and demonstration programs that accurately replicate real-world operational conditions to further enhance performance and reliability.…
How are motors and drives used in a wind-turbine nacelle?
A wind turbine needs yaw brakes to hold the rotor facing into the wind. If the turbine is not facing directly into the wind, it is not producing at full capacity. When wind direction changes, a turbine’s controls instruct its yaw motors to reposition the nacelle. “In theory, this could be handled by one large…
Where are hydraulics used in a wind turbine?
The muscle that pitches wind-turbine blades can come from either a hydraulic or electric device on most turbines rated at and below 2.5 MW. But for turbines over 3 MW, the job of pitching blades more often falls to hydraulics. And hydraulics can handle more. “Hydraulics in wind turbines usually refers to the assemblies for…
Turbine components: bearings
Where are bearings used in a wind turbine? Although bearings are used many places throughout a nacelle, such as in the yaw and pitch bearings and on the generators, those on main shafts and gearboxes are most problematic. In main-shaft bearings, modular wind-turbine designs commonly use spherical-roller bearings (SRB) units that are more than 1m…
The past, present, and future of up-tower turbine repairs
Not too many years ago, working up-tower on a wind turbine was challenging if not impossible. Nacelles weren’t designed for easy access. If anything needed fixing inside, whether it was a high-speed shaft or an intermediate bearing, down came the gearbox. What Mark Eagle, General Manager of Moventas, remembers most about those early days in…
Composite manufacturer MARKOS has been EN 1090 certified
MARKOS, a composite manufacturer, has been EN 1090 certified by TÜV SÜD. The main production activity of MARKOS company is glass-reinforced plastic production of wind turbine nacelles, hub covers, as well as technical boats and other products. MARKOS also manufactures steel elements designed for wind turbine nacelles and steel or aluminum structures for other sectors.…
Nacelles | How are they manufactured?
Manufacturing today’s wind turbine can involve millions of dollars and hundreds of people. To better understand what comes from the years of research and development to the final days of production, let’s tour a modern turbine production facility and see how nacelles are made. The nacelle is the part of the turbine that houses the…
Wind Talk: GE discusses PowerUp, a way to increase wind farm output by up to 5%
I’m Steven Bushong, assistant editor at Windpower Engineering & Development magazine. Welcome to another edition of Wind Talk, our podcast series that gives you the opportunity to hear from the industry’s newsmakers in their own words. In this edition, we hear from Jeff Wiener, Global Sales Leader for GE Wind Services, which is part of…
GE expands Brazil wind turbine production facility
GE has announced the expansion of its Campinas, São Paulo, manufacturing facility and the creation of 35 new skilled jobs. Co-located with Brazilian machinery manufacturer and GE Group subsidiary GEVISA, the facility will produce nacelles for GE’s 1.7-100 and 1.85-82.5 wind turbines. The machine head is a primary component of a wind turbine and houses…
Laser cladding to make worn main shafts like new
A laser-cladding process developed by Caterpillar Inc. to repair wear and damage to large axels on mining trucks is applicable to worn or damaged main shafts of wind turbines. At a recent O&M Summit, Kristin Schipull, a metallurgist with Caterpillar (www.cat.com), showed how the process works and reported that repaired axels match the performance of…
Nordex adjusts structures to local US market situation
Nordex SE announced today that the company will cease nacelle production at its Jonesboro, Arkansas facility after it completes the orders in its current pipeline. The decision was driven by the wind industry’s global overcapacity and the continued uncertainty and instability of the US market. The decision will not impact the current year’s business performance,…
GE Power Conversion helps to build the future of wind power efficiency
Wind turbine developers will soon have open access to a £50 million testing facility in the U.K. based on unique and leading-edge technology. The state-of-the-art facility has been specifically designed for full-scale testing of large nacelles. GE’s Power Conversion lets them develop and build the next generation of wind turbines that will be increasingly efficient,…
One of the world’s most advanced wind turbine test facilities supplied by GE Power Conversion
GE’s Power Conversion business has signed a turnkey contract with the Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center (LORC), a Danish center for testing renewable energy technology, for the construction, commissioning, and handover of one of the world’s most advanced facilities to test wind turbine nacelles with an output power of up to 10 MW. The Lindoe Nacelle…
Wind tech program good for college credits
Citing the need to recruit and train a larger, educated workforce to support the global expansion of renewable energy, GE and Excelsior College announced that company employees can receive nearly 50 college credits for completing the company’s intensive renewable-energy services training program. To earn GE’s Lead Certification Standard, technicians must complete more than 500 hours…
Behind nacelle doors
Mike Rowe produces the engaging TV show “Dirty Jobs” rightfully named for the vile work he takes on. Rowe bravely spends the day doing the dangerous to the disgusting, from removing snakes from ponds to cleaning sewers, all for our entertainment. One not-so-disgusting but eye-opening job had him spend a day as a wind turbine…
What Measures Wind Speed? Wind Measurement 101
Wind speed measurement systems: Measuring wind speed and direction is now done at least three ways: mechanically (cup anemometer with a vane), with ultrasonics, or with laser-based devices. There are variations to each. Mechanical sensors, for instance, use moving parts and can connect to data recording devices. The anemometer uses spinning cups for wind speed…