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- Category: Articles
Design of Foundations for Next Generation Wind Turbine GeneratorsLarger turbines suppose an increase in loads that finally requires more prominent foundations. Those dimensions lead to flexible behaviour. With the current foundation volumes, we are at the boundary of applicability of some analytical expressions widely used in foundation geotechnical and structural calculations, especially in the early stages of design, as they assume the foundation to be a rigid body. Two possible scenarios arise. If the analytical expressions are on the safe side that will lead to overpricing with an overestimated foundation volume. On the other hand, analytical expressions could lead to unsafe foundation design.
By Matias Campos, AZTEC Engineering, USA and Maria Collado, TYPSA, Spain
- Category: Articles
Demonstrating Traceability and Proving Accuracy of a Lidar-Only MethodologyA recent industry poll of almost 1,000 wind industry professionals reported that the remote sensing device (RSD) ‘lidar’ was being used standalone, i.e. without any additional on-site met masts or anemometry, in simple terrain for wind resource assessment in the development of wind energy projects by almost two-thirds of those responding. Much of this confidence can be traced back to the DNV GL ‘Stage 3’ statement in the roadmap for RSDs that allows for a standalone ZX 300 Wind Lidar, since October 2012, to be used in this way. In comparison, when considering the use of any lidar in complex terrain, less than one-third of those responding reported using the lidar standalone; instead, it would be complemented by additional on-site anemometry such as a met mast. In order for the industry to take advantage of the many additional benefits that lidars provide, the challenge was set: how can we as an industry demonstrate the traceability and prove the accuracy of a lidar-only methodology in complex terrain?
By Tristan Clarenc, Johannes Cordes, Alex Woodward, Scott Wylie
- Category: Articles
American Laboratory Tests, Experiments in Norway and Possible Large-Scale DemonstrationAn American research report led to the elimination of eagle deaths on the Norwegian island of Smøla. A review demonstrates that with today’s larger wind turbines, three black turbine blades per wind turbine can give at least as good results as the Norwegian experiment with one black blade. Given the importance of the appearance of the landscape to those viewing it, the former option is preferable.
By Staffan Engström, Managing Director, Ägir Konsult, Sweden
- Category: Articles
A Road Map to Successful and Conclusive Wind Turbine Improvement Projects
In times of zero subsidy bids and lowest cost of energy competition in the wind industry the margins of wind farm business cases are becoming rather tight. It is not enough anymore to simply keep the availability of the wind turbines at a reliable and high level to meet the business case expectations. This paves the way for wind turbine optimisation measures to regain the losses of 5 to 15% that a wind turbine might suffer and to tap additional performance potential hidden in the turbine design. In addition, there is usually an indirect added value, as such improvement measures usually not only increase the annual energy production (AEP) but also might reduce loads and stress in the wind turbine components. This article describes which particular rotor-based, wind turbine performance optimisation measures are available today, how to validate the AEP gains and how to get support to implement AEP improvements at scale (fleetwide) by means of monitoring and data analysis platforms – in this particular case, Power Factors’ Drive platform, a technical asset management and computerised maintenance management system.By Karl Fatrdla, Power Factors and Karl Fatrdla Consulting, Austria
- Category: Articles
Urgent Need for Deeper Cross-Border CollaborationElectricity is frequently called the lifeblood of modern society, providing us with everyday comfort, security and mobility. Electricity networks are the ‘blood vessels’ which deliver the electricity to our homes, factories and trains. They have been built for over a century and evolved into the largest and most complex machine ever made by humanity.
By Alexandre Oudalov, Market Innovation, Hitachi ABB Power Grids
- Category: Articles
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Because wind turbines operate in the natural atmosphere, high-resolution weather modelling is a powerful tool to help wind energy projects succeed throughout the project life cycle. When properly applied, such modelling helps to optimise wind farms by reducing the uncertainty associated with the spatial variability of wind flow across the site. Studies have shown that the uncertainty of mesoscale modelling for wind energy, when run at microscales, is lower than that of other modelling techniques such as linear flow models and computational fluid dynamics. Key features in the underlying physics and application technique of mesoscale models compared with the other modelling methods result in higher accuracy for wind energy assessment. Those differences are described herein. Additionally, we present validation statistics for a large dataset of wind projects to explore relationships between model error and other model and site parameters.
By Gregory S. Poulos and Mark Stoelinga, ArcVera Renewables, USA
- Category: Articles
How Do We Get Beyond Blockage?The notion of wind farm blockage has recently created significant debate and raised many unanswered questions within the wind industry. Does blockage actually exist? Could it explain historical differences between pre-construction and operational yield assessments? What should we do about it? Here Frazer-Nash provides some of the latest thinking about understanding and predicting blockage.
By Graham Hawkes, Engineering Manager, Frazer-Nash Consultancy, UK
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