Operations & Maintenance
RSS feedNews & in-depth analysis of wind farm and turbine operations & maintenance, including turbine & blade failure, access, monitoring & control systems, health & safety, refitting, repowering, wind monitoring and site security.
WindEurope unconvinced a post-Brexit trade deal will be reached
Trade bodies WindEurope and RenewableUK have published a briefing about the impacts the UK’s exit from the European Union may have on the industry, but said the timeframe of a reaching a deal during the transition period was “extremely tight”.
Sharpening-up blade recycling
The wind power industry has spent decades working on the design and manufacture of turbine rotor blades, refining its production processes to handle complex composite materials at ever-growing size and volumes.
What to do with turbines after they leave support system
With around 6,000 turbines due to leave the support system in 2021, Germany's environment agency has assessed the country's readiness to recycle this potential flood of turbine components, and at what cost.
News and Analysis
SGRE lowers 2020 guidance after project delays
Siemens Gamesa (SGRE) has lowered its guidance for its 2020 financial year after the early arrival of winter weather prevented the manufacturer from carrying out installations at five wind farms in northern Europe.
Statkraft to meet industrial demand with renewables
Statkraft and utility Enovos have signed an agreement with carmaker Daimler to supply 100% renewable electricity using a new concept that combines wind, solar and hydropower to match the demand.
Using drones for offshore spare parts delivery
Siemens Gamesa, Ørsted and vessels supplier Esvagt are exploring how drones could be used to transport tools and spare parts to offshore wind farm technicians working on turbines.
Vestas aims to improve safety record
Vestas plans to pilot new safety initiatives using predictive analytics and augmented reality this year, with a view to cutting its rate of recordable injuries by more than half by 2025.
Generating heat from excess wind
Local utility Stadtwerke Rostock and transmission operator 50Hertz will be using the oversupply of wind power in northern Germany to generate heat for the Rostock district.
In depth
Windpower Monthly review of 2019 -- part 2
The next generation of new turbines continues apace in the second half of the year, but financial woes among many of the industry's western OEMs also bite. Here are the top articles from the latter half of 2019.
Windpower Monthly review of 2019 -- part 1
A spate of technology launches dominated the first half of the year, with a new generation of prototypes also being installed. Here are the top articles from the first half of 2019.
Look and listen for blade defects
The latest theories and current practices of rotor-blade monitoring and maintenance in the 100GW US wind market were subjected to lively and informed debate at the Windpower Monthly forum in Austin, Texas.
Viewpoint: How blockage effects skew energy-yield forecasts
After correcting some key methods behind the original estimates, major offshore wind developer Ørsted recently made news with a downward revision of the expected internal rate of return for seven of its offshore wind projects.
Horns Rev 1, 2, 3: three generations of turbine output analysed
The three projects that make up the Horns Rev offshore-wind hub off Denmark's west coast perfectly illustrate how the sector developed over the last two decades. Windpower Monthly dissects the performance data to see if bigger really is better.
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