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- Category: Articles
Designing Communication Networks for Offshore Wind Farms
This article discusses the special considerations that need to be taken into account when designing and deploying Ethernet networks for wind power applications. The authors describe the characteristics of an environmentally robust Ethernet network for wind farm automation applications and identify key features of a reliable communication system. The article also contains a description of the practical experience gained from a real project involving a big offshore wind farm recently built in the UK.
By Maciej Goraj (RuggedCom), Yannick Epassa (RuggedCom) and David Meadows (Siemens T&D)
This article discusses the special considerations that need to be taken into account when designing and deploying Ethernet networks for wind power applications. The authors describe the characteristics of an environmentally robust Ethernet network for wind farm automation applications and identify key features of a reliable communication system. The article also contains a description of the practical experience gained from a real project involving a big offshore wind farm recently built in the UK.By Maciej Goraj (RuggedCom), Yannick Epassa (RuggedCom) and David Meadows (Siemens T&D)
- Category: Articles
Stormy Weather Ahead for Intellectual Property in the Wind Industry
Intellectual Property (IP) rights, such as patents, trademarks and designs, have played a minor role in the wind industry in the last few decades. Companies have been developing and marketing their products more or less peacefully alongside each other. But the wind is changing. The number of active companies in the field and also international competition are constantly increasing. Patent applications have been filed at ever-increasing rates in the wind industry in recent years and IP protection is becoming an important issue for any technology oriented company in the renewable energy area. The climate has changed and the sea is getting rougher. This article provides an overview of recent developments relating to intellectual property rights in the wind industry and addresses important issues in the development of an IP portfolio.
By Dr Christoph Schreiter, 24IP Law Group, Germany
Intellectual Property (IP) rights, such as patents, trademarks and designs, have played a minor role in the wind industry in the last few decades. Companies have been developing and marketing their products more or less peacefully alongside each other. But the wind is changing. The number of active companies in the field and also international competition are constantly increasing. Patent applications have been filed at ever-increasing rates in the wind industry in recent years and IP protection is becoming an important issue for any technology oriented company in the renewable energy area. The climate has changed and the sea is getting rougher. This article provides an overview of recent developments relating to intellectual property rights in the wind industry and addresses important issues in the development of an IP portfolio.By Dr Christoph Schreiter, 24IP Law Group, Germany
- Category: Articles
A Faster, Simpler, Year-round Blade Repair System
Wind turbine blades do not receive the attention and frequent review of other turbine components, yet even before they are installed damage can occur. Once in operation a variety of environmental events such as lightning strikes, rain and wind erosion are all possible causes of damage. Wind turbine repair and maintenance is an essential element in the life-cycle costs and is the key to successfully ensuring maximum availability throughout the year.
By Dan Jones, Research & Technology Manager, Gurit, UK
Wind turbine blades do not receive the attention and frequent review of other turbine components, yet even before they are installed damage can occur. Once in operation a variety of environmental events such as lightning strikes, rain and wind erosion are all possible causes of damage. Wind turbine repair and maintenance is an essential element in the life-cycle costs and is the key to successfully ensuring maximum availability throughout the year.By Dan Jones, Research & Technology Manager, Gurit, UK
- Category: Articles
New Design and Validation Methodologies Improving Blade Airfoil Efficiency
Gamesa has produced a new high efficiency blade design for the next generation of wind turbines. The advanced aerodynamics are a result of finding the best compromise between reducing blade-load levels and noise levels and maximising total annual energy production. By applying 3D CFD techniques, its own wind turbine experience, and technologies and methods to develop aerofoil efficiency, Gamesa has increased the expected improvement curve performance by 8% since its first design in the late 1990s. The final design also takes the three-dimensional effects that appear at both the root and the tip into consideration. Finally, validation is carried out in wind tunnels to verify the measurements of the advanced aerodynamics resulting from the new design.
By Ignacio Romero Sanz, Chief Functional Engineer, and Juan Diego Díaz Vega, Marketing Director, Gamesa, Spain
Gamesa has produced a new high efficiency blade design for the next generation of wind turbines. The advanced aerodynamics are a result of finding the best compromise between reducing blade-load levels and noise levels and maximising total annual energy production. By applying 3D CFD techniques, its own wind turbine experience, and technologies and methods to develop aerofoil efficiency, Gamesa has increased the expected improvement curve performance by 8% since its first design in the late 1990s. The final design also takes the three-dimensional effects that appear at both the root and the tip into consideration. Finally, validation is carried out in wind tunnels to verify the measurements of the advanced aerodynamics resulting from the new design.By Ignacio Romero Sanz, Chief Functional Engineer, and Juan Diego Díaz Vega, Marketing Director, Gamesa, Spain
- Category: Articles
Reducing Uncertainty and Cost with Lidar Remote Sensing
Understanding the wind resource at a prospective project site has long been considered a critical step in the wind farm development process. A wind resource assessment program (WRAP) enables developers to characterise the wind resource and estimate the amount of energy to be produced on an annual basis. The data collected from a WRAP, and the accuracy of that data, drives the success of the project. It determines the feasibility of the project, terms of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with a utility, financing prospects, and even the size and type of turbines placed on site.
By Matthieu Boquet, Leosphere SAS, and Evan Osler, NRG Systems
Understanding the wind resource at a prospective project site has long been considered a critical step in the wind farm development process. A wind resource assessment program (WRAP) enables developers to characterise the wind resource and estimate the amount of energy to be produced on an annual basis. The data collected from a WRAP, and the accuracy of that data, drives the success of the project. It determines the feasibility of the project, terms of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with a utility, financing prospects, and even the size and type of turbines placed on site.By Matthieu Boquet, Leosphere SAS, and Evan Osler, NRG Systems
- Category: Articles
Strategies to Keep Them Turning
The SCADA alarm flashes red as the blades slowly come to a stop. The site manager gets a call – what now? A generator is failing. Again. Sadly, this scenario plays out somewhere in North America every day of the year. Why is this happening and what can be done? Generators stop working for several reasons and, of course, it might be an unforeseen design flaw, but most failures are both predictable and preventable. With proper cause analysis combined with good planning and execution of maintenance procedures, the failure rates could be cut by almost 50%. In addition, serial defects due to non-optimised designs or poor installation can be managed and solved efficiently once discovered.
By Kevin Alewine, Director of Renewable Energy Services, Shermco Industries, USA
The SCADA alarm flashes red as the blades slowly come to a stop. The site manager gets a call – what now? A generator is failing. Again. Sadly, this scenario plays out somewhere in North America every day of the year. Why is this happening and what can be done? Generators stop working for several reasons and, of course, it might be an unforeseen design flaw, but most failures are both predictable and preventable. With proper cause analysis combined with good planning and execution of maintenance procedures, the failure rates could be cut by almost 50%. In addition, serial defects due to non-optimised designs or poor installation can be managed and solved efficiently once discovered.By Kevin Alewine, Director of Renewable Energy Services, Shermco Industries, USA
- Category: Articles
An Alternative to Rotary Wind Systems
‘Vibro-wind’ denotes the harvesting of energy from the wind as it flows around vibrating structures and is an emerging alternative to conventional rotary wind turbines. The basic science involves wind-induced vibration due to the non-linear fluid flow and vortices around flexible bodies and structures. Two key problems in this technology are: (1) how to convert wind energy into vibratory mechanical energy and (2) how to maximise mechanical energy conversion into electrical energy and storage from the vibration of a large array of hundreds of oscillators. A target application is for architectural facades in buildings, similar to, and as a complement to, solar energy panels.
By Francis C. Moon, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, USA
‘Vibro-wind’ denotes the harvesting of energy from the wind as it flows around vibrating structures and is an emerging alternative to conventional rotary wind turbines. The basic science involves wind-induced vibration due to the non-linear fluid flow and vortices around flexible bodies and structures. Two key problems in this technology are: (1) how to convert wind energy into vibratory mechanical energy and (2) how to maximise mechanical energy conversion into electrical energy and storage from the vibration of a large array of hundreds of oscillators. A target application is for architectural facades in buildings, similar to, and as a complement to, solar energy panels.By Francis C. Moon, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, USA
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