Transient events — not gearbox oil — are the leading cause of wind-turbine gearbox failure.
In the wind industry, complex organo-metallic gear-oil chemistry and its resulting higher water content have sometimes been blamed for gearbox damage or failure. But water in oil is not the cause of gearbox failure. Rather, the characteristics of wind-turbine operations and the resulting transient loads are the root cause of nearly all failures. Transient loads […]
Condition monitoring can maximize maintenance resources.
Before the next maintenance inspection for a wind turbine, much can happen. At every turn, critical components can be moving toward failure. Wind turbines are complex systems integrating thousands of components and will be buffeted by many of the same operational and maintenance issues associated with any machinery. And fixes to the systems can be […]
Weather-forecasting advances shed new light on lightning damage to wind turbines.
A carbon-fiber blade from a wind turbine is transformed into shards of debris as it is struck by 30,000-degree lightning. This disastrous — and costly — scenario is not an uncommon sight for wind-farm operators. But not all lightning damage is so obvious. After a storm, those tasked with managing and maintaining wind turbines have […]
Leading-edge erosion can dig into a turbine’s performance, but solutions exist to keep minor worries from becoming major problems.
Every year, wind-turbine blades face numerous environmental and weather challenges — including rain, hail, blowing sand, and salt spray — that can cause significant leading-edge erosion. Although small in size, these elements can lead to pitting, gouging, and delamination of the blade, severely affecting the entire wind turbine. In addition to drastically compromising the integrity […]
GE’s renewable energy business recently announced a $25 million investment in TerraForm Global, LLC. TerraForm Global is a dividend growth-oriented company, or “yieldco,” formed by SunEdison to own and operate contracted renewable power generation assets in attractive, high-growth emerging markets. “This investment is about driving continued global growth for renewable power,” said Anne McEntee, president […]
The Wind Energy Department of Cloud County Community College (CCCC) recently held a two-day, 12-hour “Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Community Enrichment” class June 15-16 in Concordia, Kansas. The class gave anyone in the community interested in enrolling for the course the opportunity to get hands-on experience flying, configuring, and taking photos with the […]
