Vestas has acquired UpWind Solutions and its subsidiaries, a leading independent service provider in North America. With about 310 employees, UpWind Solutions currently services wind-power plants in nine U.S. states with a total capacity of more than 3 GW. The wind-power plants under UpWind’s service represent a diverse customer base and include turbines from a…
Moventas introduces XL – Extra Life to address gearbox failures
Moventas, a wind gearbox manufacturer and service provider, recently announced a breakthrough suite of technologies that are designed to address gearbox failures in the GE 1.5 fleet. XL – Extra Life is the culmination of 35 years of gearbox expertise that Moventas has gained repairing GE 1.5 gearboxes in North America. XL will carry the…
GEV Wind Power successfully completes on-turbine trials for Habitat shelter
GEV Wind Power’s first set of onshore trials for its innovative blade-maintenance Habitat have been successfully completed, presenting a major milestone for the company. The Habitat enables technicians to conduct essential repairs on remote wind turbines while remaining sheltered from the elements. It also provides O&M companies a greater scope throughout the year to schedule repairs because…
GEV’s Habitat blade-access platform secures patent
A year on from launching its revolutionary blade maintenance habitat at Renewable UK, GEV Wind Power’s cost-saving innovation has secured its UK patent. It has also achieved certification (IPX5) for the waterproofness of its Habitat’s seal from SGS BASEEFA. Returning to Renewable UK 2015 in early October (Stand No 142), GEV Wind Power, one of Europe’s…
Maximizing wind-farm ROI through blade protection and repair
Santhosh Chandrabalan | Development Leader | 3M Technical Business To maximize wind-farm efficiency and related investment returns, the wind industry is paying increasing attention to the wear and tear of turbine blades. From high winds and rain to damaging hail and salt spray, turbine blades face a wide variety of weather and environmental challenges. Exposure to these…
PSI Repair Services hits milestone with its 20,000th repaired wind-turbine component
PSI Repair Services, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries and an independent service provider (ISP) to the wind energy industry, recently shipped its 20,000th repaired wind turbine part. Since 2009, PSI has provided economical repairs and engineering services, including product upgrades, for the largest wind farms in the U.S. PSI will showcase its wide range…
Specialized tool from seebaWIND Service facilitates gearbox changes
Manufacturer and independent service provider, seebaWIND Service, has changed the gearbox on a wind turbine for the first time using a special tool. The company was able to replace the gearbox of a Senvion MM92 turbine using a tried and tested construction method in only three days at the Waldhausen wind farm near Würzburg. It…
Renovation facility celebrates 10,000th turbine component repair
PSI Repair Services Inc., a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries and independent service provider (ISP) to the wind-energy industry, recently reached a service milestone with the shipment of its 10,000th wind turbine component repair. Since 2009, PSI has offered economical repairs, including upgraded and longer-life products, for out-of-warranty electronic, hydraulic, and precision mechanical components that…
Electronics repair costs 60% of new
Ever been told that a critical turbine component is unsalvageable? It might not be. PSI Repair Services says it can repair or remanufacturers what others cannot. The company completes a root cause analysis and determines the repair action necessary. The company then might engineer a custom solution to repair the failure and prevent future ones.…
Trends in blade maintenance
Blades are the leading edge of a wind turbine so their aerodynamic surfaces carry critical shapes in a fluid (air) that seems bent on removing the shape. Blade tips often hit 180 mph, so it’s no surprise that sand, rain, and hail wear and damage their surfaces. Trends in blade maintenance show up in two…
Trends in Wind Power Operations & Maintenance
Wind turbines aren’t yet as reliable or cost effective as the industry would like them to be. What’s more, most turbines are so new, their maintenance costs are an unknown figure. According to research from UK-based Wind Energy Update, 79% of today’s fleet are still under manufacturer warranty. This is about to change. The huge…