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…
Suspendem brings UpWind’s vortex generator technology to the Canadian wind market
UpWind Solutions, a North American full-service provider for the wind industry, and Suspendem Inc., a Canadian turbine O&M provider, have recently teamed up to form a strategic relationship. As part of the partnership, Suspendem will offer UpWind’s Vortex Generator (VG) Solution to the Canadian wind market for the first time. UpWind has already partnered with…
UpWind Solutions to install clever before-the-hub wind speed instrument on North American wind turbines
UpWind Solutions Inc., an independent full service provider for the North American wind industry, and ROMO Wind, a Danish-Swiss wind turbine optimizer, have recently entered into a strategic relationship. With the partnership, ROMO Wind’s patented iSpin technology, which measures the wind in front of the rotor, will be available for customers in the USA, Canada…
The big plus from clean oil: 70% gearbox life extension
Editor’s Note: The following was authored by Hansen Hunt and was posted at the Upwind Solutions blog site here http://goo.gl/cDIHBI. It references a case study here: http://goo.gl/wnpRRZ An improvement of just one ISO code in oil cleanliness can extend the bearing’s “relative life” by 20%. Three code drops can provide a 70% life extension. Clean…
UpWind passes ISO 9001:2008 quality certification with flying colors
UpWind Solutions, North America’s comprehensive independent operations and maintenance (O&M) service provider for wind energy, recently completed the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System certification to ensure their systems are continually improving. UpWind is proud to announce the successful completion of the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System certification by their new auditor DNV-GL. This is their…
UpWind Solutions launches FilterMag as part of the LifeXSeries
As part of its LifeXSeries, UpWind Solutions has added FilterMag to its O&M services. FilterMag is a band of magnets that wraps around an oil filter to trap steel particles and thereby extend a gearbox life by reducing wear caused by ferrous particles. Removing such debris also improves reliability and lowers maintenance costs. The heat-resistant…
Win one free SkySpecs blade inspection from UpWind Solutions
UpWind Solutions, Inc., North America’s most comprehensive independent operations and maintenance (O&M) service provider for wind energy, adds blade inspections using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to their services by partnering with SkySpecs. The partnership will revolutionize the way wind turbines are inspected, by delivering high quality images for reports, improving safety and reducing inspection costs.…
UpWind Solutions launches LifeXSeries line that’s designed to extend asset life
UpWind’s comprehensive O&M services now include a line of parts called the LifeXSeries that each have a longer component life, ultimately helping to extend the life of an asset. The first three parts in the series include: FilterMag, Air Filter Upgrade, and Cable Clamp System. FilterMag A unique magnetic oil filtration technology that extends a…
UpWind Solutions launches two asset lifecycle value services
UpWind Solutions, Inc., North America’s comprehensive independent operations and maintenance (O&M) service provider for wind energy, adds two new services to their portfolio. With these additions, UpWind Solutions can: Optimize service value and asset profitability through the entire lifecycle of a project, and Help owners optimize the value of their OEM warranty and provide turbine…
Major overhaul of site-critical infrastructure at Fossil Gulch
This case history is provided by UpWind Solutions. Learn how the wind farm Fossil Gulch virtualized its server infrastructure for a quarter of the OEM cost. Challenges for the wind farm include: Aging servers with reliability issues Bad server hard drives Servers with failing backups due to space limitations Proprietary OEM hardware and software upgrades…
How are OEMS and independent service providers working to reduce wind turbine O&M costs?
Traditionally, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) focus has been on designing turbines that will last 20 years, perform reliably and produce as the nameplate describes. As turbine reliability increases, maintenance costs and downtime should decrease. However, significant unknowns remain for the turbine life cycle. This means OEMs, owners and independent service providers (ISPs) alike are…
Proving the value of vortex generators
Editor’s note: This introduction to vortex generators comes from a paper by UpWind Solutions with support from Smart Blade GmbH. Vortex Generators (VGs) have been a hot topic over the past several years in the wind industry and after extensive testing, fine tuning, and more testing, solid results are finally in. The results prove the…
Trends in O&M 2014
Operations and maintenance costs dominate the balance sheets of wind farms, and more so when the maintenance is unscheduled. That was the opening comment from an industry consultant at a recent O&M conference. His point was that wind farms run on thin margins and with more than half of the national fleet out of OEM…
How vortex generators improve wind turbine performance
The power, loads, and service life of a wind turbine can be improved when vortex generators are precisely attached to turbine blades. This case history report on the outcomes of one study. Jean-Paul Cane / Rope Access Product Line Leader, Upwind Solutions Inc. / www.upwindsolutions.com Georgios Pechlivanoglou /SMART BLADE GmbH / www.smart-blade.com The blades of large, pitch regulated…
ZF Services authorizes UpWind Solutions to repair turbine gearboxes
ZF Services, LLC added UpWind Solutions to its Authorized Service Provider network in January. UpWind Solutions is now authorized to perform turbine gearbox field repair for ZF Services, LLC in select regions across the U.S. As an official repair provider for ZF Services, LLC, UpWind Solutions handles the full gearbox model range including all Hansen…
Webinar: The Real Value From An End-of-Warranty Inspection
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…
UpWind Solutions earns O&M work at four BP wind farms in Texas, Kansas
UpWind Solutions, a leading third party provider of asset management (O&M) with 2.5+ GW in its fleet, say they have signed O&M agreements for the Trinity Hills, Sherbino 2, and Silver Star 1 wind farms in Texas, and the Flat Ridge 1 wind farm in Kansas. The wind farms are owned by wholly-owned subsidiaries of…
Planning the end of warranty inspection
Jason Shelby/General Manager Service/UpWind Solutions Inc./www.upwindsolutions.com If there is one piece of advice you should take away from this article, it’s to plan your End of Warranty (EOW) inspections to ensure there is enough time to inspect all turbines, analyze results, and file claims well in advance of the end-of-warranty date. This cannot be stressed…
Planning for end-of-warranty inspections
If there is one piece of advice you should take away from this podcast, it’s to plan your End of Warranty (EOW) inspections to ensure there is enough time to inspect all turbines, analyze results, and file claims well in advance of the end of warranty date. Hear the advice that Upwind Solutions’ Jason Shelby…
UpWind Solutions Celebrating Gearbox Inspection No. 3,000 – Industry milestone completed
UpWind Solutions recently completed an industry milestone – the 3,000th wind turbine gearbox inspection. Get free advice for your assets in this video. For more information and a free download, visit Upwind Solutions.