Lubricant Maintenance â The Fountain of Youth
In recent years, the growing emphasis on finding alternative power sources that are renewable, affordable and sustainable have caused tremendous growth in the wind...
Educators Lead Sustainability Charge with Early Adoption of Wind Power
As the United States depletes its fossil fuel reserves, it is beginning to look for alternative energy sources, and wind power is a viable...
Improving Wind Blade Manufacturability
Composites can be a designer’s dream — or a manufacturer’s nightmare. If you’re designing a one-of-a-kind Formula One race car, where performance is paramount...
Considering Transient Loads in Drivetrain Design
Wind turbine drivetrains must survive harsh, constantly varying loads throughout the lifetime of the turbine. The drivetrain transmits rotor torque to the generator, but...
Breaking New Ground in Bolting
One of the most common, and most critical, components in any piece of machinery is the bolted joint. In wind turbines especially, nuts and...
Construction Profile: Alternative Energy Institute
Recognized around the world for its research and testing, the Alternative Energy Institute (AEI) at West Texas A&M University is celebrating its 35th anniversary...
Manufacturing Profile: BlueScout Technologies, Inc.
Formerly known as Catch the Wind, Ltd., BlueScout Technologies recently changed ownership and management with a new vision to bring its groundbreaking wind measurement...
Rotor Blade Leading Edge Erosion â Real Life Experiences
During the early years of the North American Wind Industry, the general misconception regarding blade maintenance was that once the blades were in the...
Improving Performance and Reliability with Condition Monitoring
Power plant operation is a bottom line driven business. Once an asset is built and providing power, every dollar spent on operation and maintenance...
The Evolution of the Gearbox Oil Change
It seemed that only a few short years ago much of the wind industry didn’t have a plan for when or how they would...
Innovating Wind Turbine Performance with BPM Software for Case Management
Houston, Texas-based EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA), is the third largest renewable energy company in the United States. We design, develop, construct and...
Making the Cut With HGG Profiling Machines
Many 3D cutting jobs worldwide are done through HGG machinery. Founded in 1984, HGG Group is the world’s only company fully devoted to steel...
2012 Hurricane Outlook: What Wind Operators Should Expect
Hurricane season officially began June 1, but activity started early this year with four named storms appearing before July 1, making 2012 the only...
Wind Turbine Capacity Frontier From SCADA
The world has seen a significant expansion of renewable energy generation over the last decade. Wind energy has become the greatest contributor to this...
Using Sealants, Lubricants and Surface Treatments in Turbine Manufacturing
Silent behemoths supporting 60-meter blades that rotate at up to 300 km/h, industrial wind turbines are modern engineering miracles. These sentinels of electric power...
Oil Change Systems Designed for Safety & Efficiency
If there were anatomy lessons on wind turbines, it wouldn’t take long to fully understand that the gearbox is the structure’s most critical organ....
External Background Noise in Wind Farms
Noise is of increasing concern to wind farm operators and standards in this field are becoming stricter. More and more, noise impact studies of...
Keeping the Turbines Turning
Wind turbine operations and maintenance (O&M) is a growing business segment in the U.S. wind energy market. Wind farm owners must now decide whether...
Managing the Grid in Maui
Overlooking the scenic shores on a ridgeline in the West Maui Mountains, First Wind’s Kaheawa Wind Project is helping Hawai’i Clean Energy Initiative realize...
Kiting for Wind Power
The major part of atmospheric wind energy is inaccessible to conventional wind turbines. Computer-controlled kites provide an attractive solution to efficiently harvest this resource.Wind...
