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- Category: Articles
See the Wind, Measure the Power
It has been six years since the first issue of Windtech International, which featured the public release of a revolutionary and groundbreaking new technology – lidar. Today, we look back over those six years to see how the technology has fared and what the future holds. Remote sensing methods for measuring wind characteristics, such as lidar, are fast becoming widely adopted across the wind industry. By obtaining accurate wind profiles for wind resource assessment across a wider range of measurement heights than masts, such methods offer a potential for reducing both total project costs and data uncertainty risks.
By Ian Locker, Managing Director, ZephIR, and Alex Woodward, Product Development Manager, Natural Power
It has been six years since the first issue of Windtech International, which featured the public release of a revolutionary and groundbreaking new technology – lidar. Today, we look back over those six years to see how the technology has fared and what the future holds. Remote sensing methods for measuring wind characteristics, such as lidar, are fast becoming widely adopted across the wind industry. By obtaining accurate wind profiles for wind resource assessment across a wider range of measurement heights than masts, such methods offer a potential for reducing both total project costs and data uncertainty risks.By Ian Locker, Managing Director, ZephIR, and Alex Woodward, Product Development Manager, Natural Power
- 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
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