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.
Regulatory support 'needed' for lifetime extension
A severe lack of regulatory support is in place to help wind farm owners repower or upgrade components of the 65GW of European onshore turbines reaching their end-of-design-life by 2028, according to new analysis.
Acoustic monitoring trial launched
Software company Ping Services will install 55 monitoring devices that use acoustic analysis, machine learning and internet-of-things technology to detect damage to wind turbine blades at a project in Victoria, Australia.
Chinese wind owners 'face growing O&M pressure'
Share prices of key Chinese wind players have been hit by an unexpected surge in operating and maintenance (O&M) costs, according to new analysis.
News and Analysis
Wake steering 'boosts output by nearly half' in new study
Actively turning a turbine away from the prevailing wind stream helped reduce variability and increase power output from six turbines by nearly half, according to new research.
Unplanned O&M costs to reach $8.5 billion this year
Onshore wind farm operators will spend nearly $15 billion on operations and maintenance (O&M) services in 2019, according to new research by analysts at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables (WMPR). Of this amount, 57% ($8.5 billion) will be spent on unplanned repairs and correctives prompted by component failures.
Community owners take leap of faith for 320MW repowering
More than 200 farmers and landowners have joined forces to make the most of the last days of state subsidies and sign supply contracts even before project financing can be arranged.
OEMs field-testing blade inspection tool
A new device call Notus promises to slash wind farm operation costs by scanning and detecting blade coating and surface faults using terahertz imaging -- a technology developed by US security agencies following the terrorist strikes in New York in September 2001.
Acciona trials solar modules to power wind turbine
VIDEO: Acciona has installed flexible carbon-based photovoltaic (PV) modules on a turbine in Spain in an attempt to make wind power more efficient.
In depth
The innovations that are changing the face of the O&M market
As turbines grow taller and blades get longer, keeping them in working order throws up new challenges. We look at the trends in the service sector and pick out some innovative new solutions.
Devising O&M strategies for floating offshore
Should repair and replacement of major components on floating turbines be carried out at the project location, or in the still waters of port after tugging the unit home?
Determining the true cause of premature bearing failure
While modern manufacturing practices and techniques such as predictive maintenance have helped make premature bearing failure a rare occurrence. However, it can still happen and when it does it can have a catastrophic effect.
Why investors should now be banking on longer life
Now that the first megawatt-scale turbines are operating beyond their certified 20-year design life, it is time to take stock and review the tools and procedures the industry needs to navigate up to and beyond this fixed design life assumption.
Why structural stability is key to life extension
When wind turbines approach the end of their design life, an assessment for lifetime extension determines whether a turbine is suitable for continued operation. Christian Schumacher and Florian Weber of certification body TÜV SÜD outline the process and how operators can prepare.
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