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.
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.
Repowering would 'help UK bridge energy gap'
Repowering onshore wind farms can help the UK towards meeting a looming clean energy deficit, according to analysis by a renewables lobbying group.
'Wind industry has to be better at sharing'
Restrictions on access to turbine performance data are preventing operators from reducing costs, according to a new white paper published by predictive maintenance services provider Onyx Insight.
News and Analysis
Vestas unveils drone technology partnership to aid blade installation
Vestas has launched a research project with local supplier Hvide Sande Shipyard to look develop a new product using drone technology to support blade installation.
Australian agency funds short-term forecasting projects
Seven research and development projects have received funding to trial short-term generation forecasts at Australian wind farms.
'First risk mitigation deals' signed for repowering projects
Asset manager Ares Management Corporation has concluded what is believed to be the first proxy revenue swap (PRS) for a repowering project in the US.
Vattenfall and Eneco repower Dutch site
Vattenfall and Eneco have completed repowering a wind farm on the Dutch coast, nearly doubling its capacity to 50.4MW.
Onshore jobs plummet amid UK government inaction
Thousands of onshore wind jobs were lost in the UK between 2016 and 2017, while employment in offshore wind has more than doubled since 2015, according to government figures.
In depth
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.
Viewpoint: Are we ready for the future of onshore wind?
As the first wave of turbine models to truly prove themselves on a global scale begin to hit the sad inevitability that is the end of their design life, now is a good time to reflect on what we have learned over the past 25 years or so and consider what we need to take into the next 25 years.
Testing lags behind blade development
As rotor blades get longer and lighter, more complex designs introduce potential errors during manufacturing, while testing and certification are too limited in their nature. The result can be expensive failures and downtime.
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