Some of the best ideas that have improved working conditions have come from people...
What nuggets of innovation are under our noses, held quietly in the minds of the young men and women who simply wish for a...
Multi-rotor wind turbines may be a novel solution to increase energy output offshore
Offshore wind turbines continue to grow, with the latest technology having rated powers of six to seven MW, and rotor diameters as large at...
Advanced planning for foul weather is important when moving overweight cargo and assets
It is the end of summer and I am finally taking a break after a busy summer building schedule. As I relax on the...
Economic curtailment and its potential impact on wind energy growth following implementation of FERC...
Recent regulatory developments continue to further the trend of increased participation by wind energy generators in the forward energy markets. This trend potentially places...
Common workdays provide interesting stories about wind farm construction
Crane Service, Inc has a diverse history since we opened back in 1960 when Emmet Storks opened our first branch in Albuquerque. Our growth...
In-house telephotographic blade inspections reduce repair costs and turbine down time
As we know, wind turbines must be periodically inspected and maintained throughout the twenty plus year life of the turbine. Gearboxes, generators, drive motors,...
Have a PIP Method in place to plan, identify, and process shipments to deal...
After working 25 years in the supply chain business there are two things that I personally know as true. One: forecasts are almost always...
Crane business is booming in Texas
In the past decade, Justin Moffett has seen significant changes in the wind energy market. From his home base in Sweetwater, Texas, Moffett says...
How we can make our hazards more conspicuous and safer
In my earlier days of working in power generation facilities, it was common policy to give the new guy a bright red hardhat so...
Fluid-structure interactions in floating offshore wind turbines are among the most critical studies needed
While onshore wind energy has been the world’s fastest growing energy source for more than a decade, there is an increasing interest in using...
Association and member companies work on transporting topics and permitting processes for wind industry
Since 1948, member companies of the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) have built a reputation for lifting, hauling and positioning massive items with...
Micro wind nacelles have a major impact while being kind to the environment
Going green doesn’t just mean building the highest and biggest mW hour nacelle. There are many other facets to the wind industry that in...
Some critical subsystems remain in the capable hands of the wind technician
It was not so long ago that control systems utilized physical indicator lights and annunciators to provide a warning system of system faults on...
Graphical Processing Units offer a promising solution for parallelizing computations of N-body problems
Unsteady aerodynamics caused by platform kinematics represents a significant increase in system complexity for offshore wind turbines. Offshore floating wind turbines (OFWTs) present significant...
Logistics planning becomes more difficult with uncertainty about the future of wind energy tax...
Unlike previous years, AWEA Windpower 2012 held in Atlanta, had less than stellar attendance. Unfortunately, the attendance downturn will very likely parallel the downturn...
Many factors play a role in successfully coordinating crane service for wind park maintenance
In the past few months we have discussed crane rigging, types of cranes, and how to remove blades. This month we will be taking...
Where a gearbox oil sample is taken is just as important as how it...
In our previous installment we explained how wind technicians can use their physical senses to diagnose some common wind turbine gearbox problems while up...
Tuned liquid column dampers offer a robust and cost effective means for reducing loads...
Offshore floating wind turbines (OFWTs) may hold the key to large-scale offshore wind energy. They can operate in deep waters, far from shore where...
The Seven Laws of Supply Chain Management
From one my favorite books, “A Road Less Traveled” by M. Scott Peck, the opening line is “Life is difficult.” And as Dr. Peck...
Wind speeds change at various heights, making hoisting projects on wind farms particularly challenging
In past months we have learned about the maintenance process, rigging techniques, and the different crane types relative to the wind industry. This month...
