Iberwind recently announced hardware and software upgrades to its fleet of Vestas’ V90 3-MW to power predictive maintenance practices and boost profitability of the fleet.
Turbine upgrades will include the installation of ONYX InSight’s ecoCMS hardware, which monitors the condition of a turbine’s drivetrain, ONYX’s cloud-based fleetMONITOR software, which maps turbine health and provides early failure detection across all assets.
“Iberwind consistently outperforms for availability and is a forward-thinking adopter of technology for managing assets and driving down the cost of operations and maintenance.” says Ashley Crowther, Global Vice-President, ONYX InSight. “Adopting the right technologies that will enable them to operate in an increasingly digital world will allow Iberwind to better manage operational budgets and improve turbine performance.”
Supported by a program of training and technology transfer from ONYX InSight, Iberwind will build their in-house capacity to monitor the condition of their wind turbines achieving a balanced management of their health through early failure detection.
As owners and operators look to better manage the operational costs of producing energy and pass savings onto customers and investors, improved oversight and understanding of operations and maintenance will be essential. The technologies that underpin predictive maintenance, including hardware, software, and machine learning algorithms will be essential for achieving this.
“We are constantly searching for ways to optimize the control of wind farms and now we are taking predictive maintenance to the next step,” said Rui Maia, COO of Iberwind. “ONYX’s hardware and software solutions allow us to continually refine our approach to monitoring assets and responding with a maintenance and repair plan. By embracing digital technology we are able to take advantage of ONYX’s high levels of service and flexibility to our needs.”
A closer look at ecoCMS
ONYX Insight will be installing ecoCMS, an innovative condition monitoring system that uses Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology to increase coverage of sensors on a turbine’s drivetrain. Triaxial accelerometer sensors monitor vibration, as well as turbine rotor balance and all provide a temperature signal.
ONYX’s fleetMONITOR will allow Iberwind to study turbine performance across its fleet and provide it with the capacity to eventually monitor all turbines in its multi-brand fleet. In choosing a predictive maintenance supplier, Iberwind conducted a rigorous selection process that evaluated technical and service levels to identify best in class for options in the market.
“Iberia is an extremely competitive market, and it is essential for our partners that they are provided with flexible solutions for monitoring their fleets,” said Jose Morais, ONYX InSight’s Iberia Manager. “As we increase our presence in Portugal and Spain, we are pleased to be partnering with a forward-thinking owner such as Iberwind.”
Filed Under: News, O&M, Software