March 2023
Case Study: Inspecting Wind-Turbine Bearings
By investing in machines that can check the quality control of engineered bearings, companies can further push their green-energy initiatives.
Recently there has been a significant increase in demand for larger bearings up to 1,200 mm in diameter for use in the construction of wind turbines, which promises exponential growth in the coming years as countries across the globe work toward meeting their green energy targets. In addition to the wind energy sector, the Dudley, […]
Back and Forth with Oscillating Bearings
Bearings that don’t complete the circle have different problems compared to fully rotational bearings.
Cranes, wind-turbine blades, and airplane wing flaps all have a similar problem: The bearings that help them rotate don’t go in a full circle. Like kids on a swing or seesaw, they oscillate back and forth or up and down. Some oscillating bearings also can be thought of as carrying a load rather than rotating […]
February 2023
Wind-Turbine Fire Risk: The Time to Act is Now
Industry attitude toward managing avoidable problems such as fire damage lacks rigor, but the time to change this attitude is now, on the eve of historic development in the wind sector.
Wind turbine fires are relatively rare. But when turbines do catch fire, the ensuing spectacle of rotating flames and falling debris is impossible to ignore. Less transparent, though, is industry-wide data on details such as how many turbines burn down and the full cost of damages when they do. Most often, these facts are known […]
How to Refresh Offshore Wind’s Hiring Strategy to Avoid Project Delays
Across the renewables industry, creating an ample pipeline of talent remains a work in progress, with the pressure set to increase as markets grow in line with global ambitions.
Historically, offshore wind developers have relied nearly entirely on exporting expertise from Europe to fill open vacancies in developing markets. But exponential growth expected from emerging markets such as North America, Taiwan, and Japan will put a squeeze on talent. Last year, the Global Wind Energy Council estimated 3.3 million direct offshore wind energy supply […]
AI Applications in Wind-Energy Systems
Artificial intelligence can help the wind-energy sector address challenges and offer immediate improvements on several fronts.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been receiving a lot of attention in recent years, and for good reason; this technology has the potential to revolutionize nearly every industry. The renewable-energy sector is no exception. In 2021, the World Economic Forum published a paper discussing how AI could be harnessed to accelerate the transition to renewable energy, […]