Brakes in a wind turbine perform several jobs. They hold blade pitch steady and keep the nacelle pointing in the right direction. Also, that one big disc brake – up to now on the gearbox’s high-speed output shaft to control over over-speed –had better hold everything still when violent storms pass. As OEMs build larger…
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…
Ceramic coating looks good for wind-turbine components
Patrick Scalera Technology Manager, Surface Treatments Jason Spencer Wind Energy Segment Focus Manager Henkel Corporation www.henkelna.com/windpower www.henkelec2.com Wind turbines and their components are exposed to a number of challenging environmental conditions such as corrosion, salt spray and immersion, dust, moisture, ultraviolet radiation, and temperature variations that drive condensation and evaporation. Like gasoline to a fire,…
Engineering a taller tower
Placing wind turbines at greater hub heights puts them in stronger, steadier wind which improves their performance. Wind speed at just one more meter per second can pay off big. Turbine performance becomes a critical consideration as units with larger rotors and greater power outputs enter the market. Taller conventional steel towers, however, are too…
Certification comes to the small-wind industry
A lot of noise in the small-wind industry comes from each developer testing and claiming different characteristics for their turbines. That makes comparing one with another a difficult task for consumers. OEMs for utility-scale turbines turn to companies like Germanischer Lloyd for a third party seal-of-approval. Small wind had nothing like GL until recently, when…
Windymotocross
Here Enterprises Inc., a developer of wind energy, has acquired its first wind energy development project: the acquisition of Cycle Ranch, Inc. of Texas. Here Enterprises is working to develop a wind farm on the Cycle Ranch site in conjunction with its operating commercial motocross speedway business.
Island breezes and sun perfect for renewables
Islands can serve as laboratories for larger countries. All power tasks nations must figure out, islands need to figure out now, and they can provide a testing ground for smart-grid ideas. Islands have beautiful sunsets, slumbering volcanoes, soothing trade winds, and outrageous energy costs. That makes them ideal for renewable-energy. The U.S. Department of Energy’s…
Advancing Wind Power in Illinois Conference
The Illinois Wind Working Group (IWWG) will host the fourth annual Advancing Wind Power in Illinois Conference, July 15-16, 2010, at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria. The two-day conference will cover aspects of wind energy including large wind farms, community wind and small wind. Sessions will include wind assessment methods, economic development, sizing and…