Iberwind and ONYX InSight recently announced hardware and software upgrades to Iberwind’s Vestas V90 3-MW fleet to power predictive maintenance practices and boost profitability of the fleet. Turbine upgrades will include the installation of ONYX InSight’s ecoCMS hardware, which monitors the condition of a turbine’s drive train and its cloud-based fleetMONITOR™ software, which maps turbine health and provides early failure detection across all assets.
Iberwind has installed 323 wind turbines under management in Portugal, with capacity of 730 MW, which equates to about 15 percent of wind energy in the country. As Iberwind aims to reduce the costs of operating and maintaining these turbines, it has looked to leading predictive maintenance technologies to bring efficiencies to the process. Supported by a program of training and technology transfer from ONYX InSight, Iberwind will build its in-house capacity to monitor the condition of its wind turbines, achieving a balanced management of their health through early failure detection.
As owners and operators look to better manage the operational costs of producing energy and to pass savings onto customers and investors, improved oversight and understanding of operations and maintenance will be essential. The technologies that underpin predictive maintenance, including hardware, software, and machine learning algorithms will be essential for achieving this.
“Iberwind consistently outperforms for availability and is a forward-thinking adopter of technology for managing assets and driving down the cost of operations and maintenance,” said Ashley Crowther, Global Vice-President, ONYX InSight. “Adopting the right technologies that will enable them to operate in an increasingly digital world will allow Iberwind to better manage operational budgets and improve turbine performance.”
“We are constantly searching for ways to optimize the control of wind farms, and now we are taking predictive maintenance to the next step,” said Rui Maia, COO of Iberwind. “ONYX’s hardware and software solutions allow us to continually refine our approach to monitoring assets and responding with a maintenance and repair plan. By embracing digital technology, we are able to take advantage of ONYX’s high levels of service and flexibility to our needs.”
ONYX Insight will be installing ecoCMS, an innovative condition monitoring system that uses Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology to increase coverage of sensors on a turbine’s drivetrain. Triaxial accelerometer sensors monitor vibration as well as turbine rotor balance and all provide a temperature signal. ONYX’s fleetMONITOR™ will allow Iberwind to study turbine performance across its fleet and provide it with the capacity to eventually monitor all turbines in its multi-brand fleet. In choosing a predictive maintenance supplier, Iberwind conducted a rigorous selection process that evaluated technical and service levels to identify best in class for options in the market.
“Iberia is an extremely competitive market, and it is essential for our partners that they are provided with flexible solutions for monitoring their fleets,” said Jose Morais, ONYX InSight’s Iberia manager. “As we increase our presence in Portugal and Spain, we are pleased to be partnering with a forward-thinking owner such as Iberwind.”
More info www.onyxinsight.com
