O&M

The wind-power industry is continually improving turbine components and operation for greater uptime and power generation. One key to reliable operation is quality gear oil and filers. Here are a few new products and technologies.  Extended turbine uptime Wind-turbine gearbox operations and management are demanding. The equipment must withstand extremes of hot or cold climates,…

  Written by Bryan Rabenau, VP Technology ONYX InSIght It may seem surprising to some just how many wind turbines are running without condition-monitoring systems (CMS) for the major components. It is now typical to install CMS in offshore wind turbines from day one. However, many older turbines and most new models are without fitted…

Robots may soon change the way routine maintenance is conducted on wind turbines, leading to fewer up-tower climbs for wind technicians. Given the risks and high cost of conventional rope or aerial lift access for turbine O&M, this is promising news for the industry — and particularly for the offshore wind sector, which typically means…

  Written by Joe Hedges, President, Voelker Sensors, Inc.  It is no surprise that gearbox failures have been linked to a lack of lubrication due to oil wear and contamination. Regular oil changes would seem to be the solution. However, changing oil in land-based wind turbines, or worse, swapping out their failed gearboxes, presents serious…

Kardie Equipment, A TGM Wind Services company, has re-launched its specialized wind-turbine cleaning service and expanded its cleaning capabilities. With 10 years of experience, the company offers both access and cleaning, using the largest fleet of Bronto Skylifts in North America. TGM Wind offers its customers a choice of hand-washing or pressure-washing, both of which…

Texas leads the nation in wind energy generation with thousands of wind turbines throughout the state. This is a boon for clean energy generation but not for the state’s large population of bats, which are often drawn to the spinning turbines. To help discourage them from approaching, Duke Energy Renewables is working with NRG Systems,…

GEV Wind Power, a global wind-turbine O&M company, will make Rhode Island the home of its U.S headquarters. According to the company, it will create approximately 125 jobs consisting of blade technicians, support staff and management. “As we gear up, there will be a tangible opportunity for Rhode Islanders to come and talk to us…

Drones and crawling robots outfitted with special scanning technology could help wind blades stay in service longer, which may help lower the cost of wind energy at a time when blades are getting bigger, pricier, and harder to transport, Sandia National Laboratories researchers say. As part of the Department of Energy’s Blade Reliability Collaborative work, funded by…

Tool and equipment provider, Hi-Line Utility Supply, offers the new Klein Tools 6-piece Impact Socket Set. This innovative lets user “do more with less,” delivering 12 impact sizes total across six sockets. It is ideal for electrical contracting, utility, and the wind industries. Each Klein socket features two coaxial spring-loaded sockets in one. The deep…

Within the next couple of years, the wind operations and maintenance (O&M) industry is expected to hit a critical turning point. For the first time, operating expenses (OPEX) will eclipse capital expenditures (CAPEX). According to a 2018 IHS Markit Wind O&M Benchmarking report, an aging North American wind-turbine fleet will soon cost more than new…

Industrial artificial intelligence (AI) leader, Uptake, announced it is providing comprehensive data integrity O&M capabilities, allowing work order cost analysis that overcomes the challenges with incorrect or “dirty work order” data. According to Uptake, dirty data means it is out of order, highly volatile, and has a lot of room for error. Companies worldwide are using…

Robowind, LLC announced that it has worked with Professors Praveen Shankar and Mahdi Yoozbashizadeh from California State University to develop robots and robotic tools for wind-turbine blade maintenance. This includes installation of turbine blade performance enhancements and improvements. Robotic capabilities in development include inspection, cleaning, sanding, blade repair, painting, performance coatings, installation of vortex generators,…

The estimated market potential for wind farms in cold climates is more than 200 GW, according to Clir Renewables, a renewable energy AI software company. However, cold-weather climates present unique challenges to wind operators and O&M technicians. For example, icing events on wind-turbine blades may lead to increased loads and reduced aerodynamics, increasing the risk…

Listen in as we speak with two experts with IHS Markit: associate, Michael McNulty and analyst, Max Cohen. IHS offers key information and insight in critical markets that shape the business landscape, including in the field of renewable energy. In this podcast, Michael and Max discuss the type of clean energy research IHS focuses on…

Sulzer Schmid, a Swiss company pioneering UAV technology for rotor blade inspections, and WKA, the leading blade inspection and repair service provider, have been enlisted by Vestas to conduct a massive and challenging drone-based blade inspection campaign in Scandinavia, on a staggering 1,250 wind turbines in less than 12 weeks. For this important campaign, time…

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy announces it has signed a four-year O&M agreement with Pattern Energy for its 218-MW Panhandle Wind 1 facility, consisting of 118 units of 1.85-87 MW GE wind turbines. The company will begin servicing the turbines later this year in Carson County, Texas. “Siemens Gamesa is a strong service provider and we…

Ensemble Energy, a provider of predictive analytics to the renewable energy industry, announced the closure of a seed stage investment round to support its continued growth and the expansion of the features and capabilities of its Energy.ML predictive analytics platform. The Energy.ML platform helps operators increase energy production, predict, and prevent failures, increase operational efficiency,…

Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) have radically changed the return on investment model for turbine condition monitoring in the United States, helping wind farm owners make significant OPEX savings. By cutting the cost of condition-monitoring systems (CMS), low-cost MEMS sensors have helped wind farm owners to improve operational planning, cut unscheduled maintenance, and make OPEX savings…

  WindCom continues to build its reputation for addressing a diverse range of blade service needs by adding a new access method to its lineup. Starting in June 2019, rope access repairs will allow WindCom to provide yet another cost-effective option for completing the most demanding blade services in the industry. “Rope services will bring…

Manufacturer and engineering company Emerson has formed an alliance with Vayu (a Ystrategies Corp. company) to provide automation technology solutions for wind-farm optimization in the Americas, Caribbean, and Europe. The three-year collaboration combines the advanced power applications and networking capabilities of Emerson’s Ovation automation platform with Vayu’s cloud-computing wind optimization technology. Using this approach, Vayu has…