The hybrid solar wind energy storage market is set to grow from its current market value of $1 billion to more than $1.5 billion by 2024, according to a recent study by Global Market Insights, Inc.
Government mandates toward the deployment of clean-energy systems primarily across commercial establishments will drive the hybrid solar wind energy storage market growth. Escalating service industry across urban areas along with the aim to achieve energy efficiency will further augment the industry landscape.
Great Britain
Government focus to achieve a green-energy economy structure by raising a dependency on sustainable and effective power generation sources will upsurge the U.K. hybrid solar wind energy storage market. Developers across the country are working aggressively toward CUF enhancement of their existing renewable systems, which in turn will positively affect the business outlook. In 2015, Ecotricity announced to establish 15 MW of new solar PV installation to their existing wind farms.
A 4.6-MW community-based project in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, developed by Juhl Energy, uses two 2.3-116 wind turbines from GE Renewable Energy’s Onshore Wind business supported by 1MW of solar power conversion equipment provided by GE’s Current business. (Courtesy: GE Renewable Energy)
Growing environmental concerns along with the introduction of national renewable integration targets by respective governments will drive the hybrid solar wind energy storage market. Favorable government policies and subsidies to promote the deployment of clean energy systems will stimulate the product demand. For instance, the renewable integration targets abided by 195 countries in line with the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015 has resulted in steep growth toward the adoption of hybrid technologies.
High-end technology advancement coupled with introduction of norms to reduce the carbon footprints will stimulate the Australia market. In 2017, Vestas announced the world’s first utility-scale project that has a potential to generate and store energy including 43.2 MW of wind, 15 MW of solar, and 2 MW of battery storage.
United States
The U.S. hybrid solar wind energy storage market will witness growth over 4 percent by 2024. Increasing electricity demand primarily across residential and commercial establishments along with growing awareness toward adoption of clean energy systems will further propel the industry growth. For instance, in 2017, General Electric ventured with Juhl Energy to construct 4.6 MW of community-based hybrid project involving both solar and wind technologies across rural Minnesota.
Ongoing government measures in terms of Net metering, FIT, and carbon credit will drive the grid.
India
The India market is anticipated to witness strong growth over the forecast time frame, as well. Introduction of hybrid energy specific norms will boost the installation at a significant rate. In 2016, India became the first country to develop a draft “National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy” with an aim to achieve 10 GW hybrid installations by 2022. The country also is planning to develop a 160-MW project with a total investment of $155 million.
Key market players operating in the hybrid solar wind energy storage industry include General Electric, Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, Goldwind, Vattenfall, UNITRON, Suzlon, Tesla, Grupo Dragon, Blue Pacific Solar, Zenith Solar Systems, and ReGen Powertech.
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has reached financial close with its customers to supply additional 120 MW of capacity to the pioneering offshore wind power plant Formosa 1 Phase 2 in Taiwan. The contracts signed earlier this year include the supply and installation of the turbines and a 15-year full service agreement.
The Formosa project will use SWT-6.0-154 wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa. (Courtesy: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy)
Siemens Gamesa will install all 20 units of its SWT-6.0-154 wind turbines already in 2019. Once commissioned, the total capacity of Formosa 1 will be 128 MW.
“We are pleased to take another concrete step with our customers toward helping the Taiwanese government meet the goal of 520 MW installed offshore by 2020, and the grid capacity goal of 5.5 GW to be commissioned between 2020 and 2025,” said Andreas Nauen, Offshore CEO at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. “These ambitious targets demonstrate the proactive commitment of the government to supporting the offshore wind industry in Taiwan.”
The customer for Formosa 1 Phase 2 is an owner’s consortium including Macquarie Capital, Ørsted, and lead developer Swancor Renewable Energy Co. The project is about six kilometers off the west coast of the Miaoli district in the Taiwan Strait with water depths between 15 and 30 meters. The Siemens Gamesa wind turbines will be installed on monopile foundations. This foundation has already proven its suitability in the local sea bed conditions when the first two SWT-4.0-130 turbines were installed at Formosa 1 Phase 1.
Crane market size is set to exceed $20 billion by 2024, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. The shipments exceeded 25,000 units in 2016.
Rise in construction spending is the major factor escalating the crane market growth. Shifting government focus on infrastructure development along with increasing consumer preference for luxurious and aesthetic constructions will provide an impetus to the industry growth. Rising necessity for houses along with investment regarding infrastructure development such as smart city projects and increased construction expenditure particularly in economically stabilizing countries is expected to propel the crane market size. Population growth, environmental impacts, and urbanization has caused an upsurge in the need for smart and sustainable infrastructure solutions. Providing efficient building methods, coupled with the ability to offer effective integration, planning, and designing, are major factors driving the crane market growth.
Positive outlook
Developed markets are set toward a more positive outlook for the construction industry as fallout from the global fiscal crisis recedes and public finances and household incomes improve. In the developed countries including North America and Europe, aging infrastructure and the process for restructuring and maintaining these aged infrastructures is unable to match the pace of deterioration. Rising awareness among people about the major link between infrastructure and quality of life has resulted in a major public policy shift, favoring the overall construction industry thereby providing an impetus to the crane market.
High investments and maintenance costs for the equipment is a key factor challenging the crane market growth. The cost of cranes is relatively high, which is discouraging manufacturers, businesses, and OEMs from procuring high-end systems. Companies are considering investments for automated equipment to meet the international quality standards. Development of infrastructure in emerging economies demands an increase in the number of cranes manufactured and hired for construction purposes. Rental companies are providing the equipment that incorporates the latest technological advancements, owing to which there is a rise in the demand for rental crane services.
Fastest growing segment
The mobile crane market is the fastest growing segment in the global industry owing to the increase in residential construction and urban infrastructure projects. The industry is being primarily driven by the rise in investments for the development of smart cities in countries such as China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Growing population and migration of people to urban areas has led to an increase in demand for efficient transport infrastructure facilities, causing a significant rise in the number of urban infrastructure projects and escalating demand for mobile cranes. The region has also witnessed a rise in investments for power plants, which is aiding the global mobile crane market growth.
Europe crane market accounted for about 33 percent of the global revenue for cranes owing to the rise in investments in renewable energy and the rental market. Ongoing large construction projects in Europe are anticipated to drive the crane market over the coming years. The construction industry in Europe has been recovering over the last few years after it tumbled post-recession. Several regional government administrations of countries such as U.K., Germany, France, and Italy are planning on undertaking construction projects, which include construction of railway tunnels, underwater tunnels connecting major European countries, and port extension, among others, which are using several types of cranes. In addition, the Russian crane market is also in a state of revival, which is aiding the industry growth.
Market players
Prominent players in the crane market include Manitowoc, Hitachi Sumitomo Heavy Industries Construction Crane Co., Ltd., XCMG Group, Tadano, Ltd., Liebherr Group, Konecranes PLC, Komatsu Ltd., Terex Corporation, and Palfinger AG among others. The industry dynamics are characterized by high competition with the presence of several regional and international players. As many of the companies have a longer operating history, brand recognition, established customer base, and supplier relationships and greater financial resources, it has become difficult for the new companies to compete with them.
However, several companies are ensuring new product development initiatives to foster the crane market growth.
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has officially inaugurated its nacelle plant in Cuxhaven, Germany, at a ceremony attended by the German Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier together with additional politicians and members of the company’s board. At this ultra-modern production facility, Siemens Gamesa assembles the nacelles for wind turbines used at sea.
The processes in the plant, as well as the transport to the marine wind-power plants, are particularly efficient in order to further reduce the costs of electricity generated on the open water.
This plant is the largest production facility of its kind in Germany. With a total investment of about 200 million euros, the Cuxhaven factory is expected to employ about 850 people in and at the Cuxhaven plant by the end of this year. More than half of these employees will work directly in manufacturing.
Construction work on the 55,000-square-meter factory began in June 2016, and production has been underway since mid-2017.
Officials celebrate the nacelle plant inauguration in Cuxhaven, Germany. (Courtesy: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy)
“With our new plant in Cuxhaven, Siemens Gamesa is sending a clear signal regarding the power of renewable energy,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. “Numerous innovations continue to make offshore wind power even more competitive with other sources of industrial power generation. Lowering the levelized cost of energy from offshore wind is a key focus area for us, benefiting our customers, ratepayers, and society-at- large. Today, I would like to thank our energetic employees here in Cuxhaven and in the company for their untiring commitment. We would also like to thank the numerous supporters of the project in politics and at Siemens AG as well as our committed partners.”
The new Siemens Gamesa offshore nacelle factory is built in close proximity to the edge of the Germany North Sea port, allowing the direct transport of large and heavy wind-turbine components by ship from the plant to wind-power plants at sea. The specially-built transport ship Rotra Vente is an elementary component of the Ro/Ro (Roll on/Roll off) logistics concept developed by Siemens Gamesa. Compared with conventional road transport and crane loading, the Ro/Ro significantly increases safety and saves about 20 percent of logistics costs.
The production processes in the 32-meter-high factory building are also trimmed for efficiency. A digital material flow control ensures short service life and availability of all components in the correct sequence. Modern industrial robots equip the generators with magnets and thus ensure optimum product quality. Digital systems are used in numerous test processes and to document the individual production steps.
“With its new plant, Siemens Gamesa is impressively demonstrating that offshore wind energy has developed into a powerful and competitive industry,” said Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier, who had sent State Secretary Enak Ferlemann to the inauguration ceremony due to short-term appointments. “From a niche product of the 1990s, an industry has emerged that has become an important part of German machine building sector.”
“I’m excited to see what Siemens Gamesa has created here,” said Stephan Weil, prime minister of Lower Saxony. “And this modern production plant is just the beginning: We have opened the areas directly along the shipping road in Cuxhaven for industrial settlements and will further develop the harbor into Germany’s offshore base port.”
“With Siemens Gamesa’s inauguration of the world’s largest plant for offshore wind-turbine nacelles here in Cuxhaven, we have achieved another major milestone in the development of the German Offshore Industry Center,” said Dr. Ulrich Getsch, lord mayor of the city of Cuxhaven.
Globally, SGRE has the largest record track in the sector among offshore turbine manufacturers. With a capacity of more than 11 GW installed and pioneer projects dating back to 1991, the company has established itself as the leader in the offshore market.
WSP USA and Wood Thilsted have been awarded the contract to provide detailed design of foundations for Vineyard Wind’s offshore wind project, to be built off the coast of Massachusetts.
The project will provide 800 MW of electricity — enough to produce a reliable supply of energy for more than 450,000 homes. The project, being developed by a partnership of Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, will be the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. and the largest offshore wind development in the country.
The design will be undertaken by a joint team that combines WSP’s capabilities and Wood Thilsted’s extensive European experience. WSP will provide regulatory assistance and overall project management; Wood Thilsted brings specialist knowledge in structural and geotechnical design of offshore wind turbine foundations.
WSP is partnering with Wood Thilsted, a specialist structural and geotechnical engineering consultancy with extensive experience in wind turbine monopile design. (Courtesy: Wood Thilsted)
“We’re excited at the opportunity to support a leading developer at a time when the U.S. offshore wind market is poised for significant growth,” said Roger Blair, president of U.S. energy. “Interest in renewable energy generally has increased over the last few years, with several states, including Massachusetts, setting measurable goals for energy procurement from offshore wind.”
“WSP and Wood Thilsted have taken a significant step toward becoming leading consultants in delivering U.S. offshore wind energy projects,” said Matthew Palmer, offshore wind manager for WSP. “We have already provided support for the European offshore wind industry, and we’re proud to be doing the same for Vineyard Wind here in the U.S.”
“This is a pioneering project in the offshore wind industry,” said Wood Thilsted partner and director Christian LeBlanc Thilsted. “It is in the deep waters of the Atlantic, known for rough climate conditions that present many design challenges. Delivering detailed structural design services for a project of this size has been one of our central aims, and it’s satisfying to fulfill it for Vineyard Wind.”
WSP is partnering with Wood Thilsted, a specialist structural and geotechnical engineering consultancy with extensive experience in wind turbine monopile design, to offer a full suite of technical, project management, and regulatory support services to Vineyard Wind.
WSP provides technical, consulting, and regulatory support services to assist developers in planning, implementing, and operating renewable energy projects, including onshore and offshore wind farms.
The firm’s expertise includes geotechnical, civil, and structural engineering; renewable generation, transmission, and distribution system design; wind resource assessment; and equipment and process quality assurance. Through the Vineyard Wind project, the firm is participating in one of the largest detailed design contracts ever let for offshore wind.
Using unique roller gear technology, Gearing Solutions wind turbine yaw drives have an unparalleled power-to-weight ratio, achieving the industry’s greatest efficiency. With aluminum housings, these proven yaw drives are up to 50 percent lighter with the smallest profile on the market, creating a premium weight-to-torque ratio.
Gearing Solutions yaw drives are durable, providing years of trouble-free service. (Courtesy: Gearing Solutions)
This power density makes installation and maintenance/repair much easier and faster, especially when working at height in a restricted space environment. The lighter weight also allows the Gearing Solutions yaw drive to be more responsive, quickly redirecting alignment so the turbine blades face the wind, producing the maximum amount of electrical energy at all times. These proven designs are ideal for turbines ranging in size from 10kW to 50kW, for agricultural, industrial, and home wind-turbine markets.
Despite their lighter weight, Gearing Solutions yaw drives are durable, providing years of trouble-free service. Many have been in service for five years. This longevity eliminates the emergency tower climbing to replace broken gearboxes and yields more economical power delivery.
Gearing Solutions, the creator of MaxaMin™ Roller Gears, manufactures third-generation planetary and cycloidal roller gears used in a wide variety of gearheads, speed reducers, and engineered products. Features include easily modified designs, special housing design, and manufacturing capabilities. These gears can be combined to create more than 2,500 ratios, up to 2,500:1. Rounding out the Gearing Solutions capabilities are in-house engineering, efficient prototyping, and short run capabilities.
Phoenix Contact’s new wind turbine ice-detection system reduces power production loss and increases safety. The self-powered sensors used in this system transmit ice thickness and temperature information wirelessly from blade surfaces without drilling or wires.
A single receiving unit is installed in the turbine and receives information from sensing units, which are distributed over the surface of each blade. (Courtesy: Phoenix Contact)
A single receiving unit is installed in the turbine and receives information from sensing units, which are distributed over the surface of each blade. These sensing units are easy to install during regular blade inspections. Detection in a stopped rotor state allows automatic restart to minimize power production loss.
The system also measures the direct surface temperature, ensuring precise heating control with blade de-icing systems. The Phoenix Contact wind turbine ice-detection system is suitable for new and retrofit applications and does not require integration into the wind-turbine controller.
XL Specialized Trailers designed a solution for hauling longer wind-turbine blades with its new patent-pending BladeMate Flip Extension. The Extension provides significant cost savings to haulers over purchasing a new trailer.
XL’s 27-foot long Flip Extension can be added to the rear of XL’s BladeMate trailer or any blade-hauling trailer. The final trailer length will depend on what model the flip extension is paired with.
XL’s 27-foot long Flip Extension can be added to the rear of XL’s BladeMate trailer or any blade-hauling trailer. (Courtesy: XL Specialized Trailers)
For example, with the addition of the Flip Extension, XL’s BladeMate reaches to a length of 211 feet. When moving the empty trailer, a driver can flip the Extension up, retract the trailer, and have a 53-foot long return trip with reduced permit costs.
“As turbines get taller and the blades get longer, transporting them becomes even a greater challenge,” said Rodney Crim, vice president of sales at XL. “While there are many blade-hauling trailers on the road today, few can accommodate the new, longer blades. This solution will be very beneficial to our customers because they will not need to buy an entirely new trailer to accommodate the load.”
The XL Blademate Flip Extension was made to be user friendly. By moving the lever at the front of the trailer, six-inch hydraulic cylinders flip the extension up or down within minutes. The cylinder linkage can be unpinned and lowered flat to allow for more loading space on the top of the trailer.
The rear bolster at the end of the Flip Extension offers a 20,000-pound capacity, making it suitable as the rear-loading platform for the common two-point load set-up. The Flip Extension is secured with a lug-and-pin system, allowing the tail to be completely removed when it is not needed.
The XL BladeMate Flip Extension offers benefits to the driver even when hauling shorter blades. If the driver uses the Flip Extension instead of fully extending the BladeMate trailer, the wheelbase of the trailer is shorter and reduces the trailer’s turn radius.
The XL BladeMate Flip Extension recently was introduced at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) WINDPOWER show in Chicago.
BIndustrial tool specialist Fuji Air Tools has launched FLT*3 Series Shut-off and FL*3 Non-Shut-Off Pulse Tools that reduce maintenance costs and help users improve productivity. The two new series of pulse tools feature an innovative pulse unit design that triples their service life, out-performing other tools in their class. With the new pulse tools, users can save up to 66 percent on maintenance costs. The FLT*3 and FL*3 can be used for various assembly applications performed on automotive, agricultural and construction machinery, machinery components, and rolling stock.
The new advanced pulse unit design of the FLT*3 and FL*3 Series generates high hydraulic pressure and reduces the speed of oil deterioration during consecutive tightening — ensuring torque stability. The high sealing technology used in the unit minimizes leakages further contributing to the tools’ long service life.
The FLT*3 Series Shut-off Pulse Tools are ideal for quality critical operations that require high torque accuracy and repeatability. (Courtesy: Fuji Air Tools)
The FLT*3 and FL*3 Series are easy to use and ergonomic as their weight is kept to a minimum. Additionally, the grip handle size is optimized to provide enhanced operator comfort. This special grip also absorbs vibration more effectively. The new pulse tools from Fuji have been designed with an accumulator mechanism to minimize torque scatter, providing high tightening torque accuracy.
“Our new FLT*3 Series Shut-off and FL* 3 Non-Shut-Off Pulse Tools provide longer service life, therefore maintenance costs are reduced while helping improve productivity,” said Matsuyuki Yamada, global business development manager, Fuji Air Tools.
The FLT*3 Series Shut-off Pulse Tools are ideal for quality critical operations that require high torque accuracy and repeatability. It compromises two types of shut-off pulse tools: pistol and straight, including both square drive and bit shank. Their torque ranges from 5N.m to 150N.m.
The new FL*3 Series Non-Shut-Off Pulse Tools from Fuji Air Tools are the right choice for general assembly operations where torque accuracy is not critical and the operator must physically evaluate the condition of the joint after fastening. The FL*3 Series consists of three models — pistol, straight and corner — including both square drive and bit shank and with torque ranges from 6 N.m to 172 N.m.
Taiwan International Windpower Training Corporation (TIWTC) and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to collaborate in establishing a Global Wind Organization (GWO) training center in Taichung.
With this further step, Siemens Gamesa expands its support to the offshore wind industry in Taiwan and the APAC region. The company is preparing for the installation of the turbines at the pioneering Formosa 1 Phase 2 offshore wind-power plant in 2019 and was awarded preferred supplier for the Yunlin offshore wind-power project. Therefore, Siemens Gamesa is now setting the course to meet its future need for qualified offshore wind technicians to install and service the upcoming projects.
After engaging with Taichung International Ports Corporation (TIPC) in 2017 for the preparation of the Taichung harbor for offshore wind business, and later with Yeong Guan Energy Technology Group and Swancor Holding Co. in order to build up the local supply chain, the wind-turbine manufacturer signed a Letter of Intent with TIWTC. The agreement demonstrates SGRE’s intention to contribute to the GWO training center project in Taichung and reinforces its commitment to the local wind industry in the long term.
The non-binding LoI covers the collaboration of TIWTC and SGRE on the implementation of international GWO training programs. Siemens Gamesa also intends to use the center for the training of its staff in Taiwan. A timeline has not been set for finalization of the cooperation agreement.
Niels Steenberg, left, and Chung Yingfeng with the Letter of Intent. (Courtesy: Siemens Gamesa)
“It is excellent news that there will be a GWO training center in Taiwan. This can become a driver in creating long term local value for the region,” said Niels Steenberg, SGRE General Manager for offshore in the APAC region. “With a confirmed order for 2019 and having already been selected preferred supplier in the later years, we will soon need to train our technicians. Being able to do so in Taichung would be the ideal scenario.”
TIWTC was established earlier in May 2018 as a joint-venture between TIPC, Taiwan Power Company (TPC), CWind Taiwan, China Steel Corporation (CSC), China Ship Building Corporation (CSBC), and Swancor Renewable Energy Co. (Swancor). The company’s purpose is to set up a GWO training center in Taichung harbor, in order to provide courses to domestic and international wind power industry personnel. Start of construction is planned for Q3 2018 in order to enable the beginning of trial operations as soon as Q1 2019.
“The collaboration established through this Letter of Intent will help bringing the training courses closer to the needs of the industry,” said Chung Yingfeng, chairman of Taiwan International Windpower Training Corporation. “Thanks to the practical track record of SGRE and their experience with regards to health, safety, and environment (HSE), we expect to improve our personnel training service in order to cultivate local talents for offshore wind energy operations.”
The offshore sector of the wind industry has made headlines in recent months. It has progressed rapidly, both in technical innovation and in the competitiveness of offshore energy in the electricity market. Many of the companies active in the offshore wind market are presenting their portfolios at WindEnergy Hamburg, the world’s leading expo for onshore and offshore wind energy, September 25-28. The expo will be held in parallel with the global conference of WindEurope at the Hamburg Messe site — together they comprise the Global Wind Summit, the biggest and most important meeting of the wind industry worldwide. WindEnergy Hamburg is expecting about 1,400 exhibitors from all parts of the world, with about 40 percent of them showcasing products or services for offshore wind farms. The range covers the whole of the value chain, from turbines, towers, and foundations to gearboxes, generators, bearings, shafts, and lubes, as well as O&M solutions and installation vessels.
Global world market growth
Besides main offshore wind market Europe, other geographical regions of the world might start experiencing quick growth too in the next years, says GWEC in its 2017 Global Wind Report. The organization points at emerging markets with huge interest in the technology and substantial growth potential including Taiwan, South Korea, the U.S. (East Coast), Japan, India, Brazil, and Australia. China is already the largest offshore market outside Europe, with, according Wikipedia ‘Liste der Offshore-Windparks’ statistics, close to 2 GW of operation at the end of 2017. Among Chinese offshore wind exhibitors in Hamburg are turbine OEM’s Envison Energy and Ming Yang.
Offshore, according to GWEC, represented about 8 percent of the global market last year, and it represents 3.5 percent of the cumulative installed capacity, but it’s growing fast. Global offshore installations in 2017 were 4,334 MW, of which about 27 percent was installed in markets outside Europe. Overall, there are now 18,814 MW of installed offshore capacity around the world.
According to WindEurope’s report “Offshore Wind in Europe; Key trends and statistics 2017,” Europe’s net installed capacity, spread over 560 new turbines across 17 windfarms, increased last year by 3,148 MW. The average offshore turbine capacity more than doubled to 5.9 MW over the past decade, and 23 percent higher set against 2016. Project size for offshore windfarms under construction during 2017 grew to 493 MW from a 79.6 MW average in 2007. The current windfarm size record holder is the 1.2 GW Hornsea One project (U.K.) with construction starting this year. A 2017 floating wind milestone was the commissioning of the world’s first windfarm, Scotland’s 30 MW Hywind II consisting of five 6 MW Siemens Gamesa direct drive turbines.
Internationally, new innovative technology and fresh solutions for “traditional” fixed-bottom and floating wind generated huge interest. A number of Belgian exhibitors, all active in offshore wind, jointly represented themselves in Hamburg as the BOC VZW Belgian Offshore Cluster in a national pavilion. BOC is an association of offshore wind industry co-suppliers with about 60 members.
“At the Belgian pavilion at WindEnergy Hamburg, our partners will highlight their specific know-how and experiences to international wind-industry visitors,” said BOC Chairman Christophe Dehaene.
A main overall theme for all international contenders is how to successfully enter new and emerging markets. The Global Wind Summit in Hamburg offers an excellent platform opportunity. A second main theme is achieving optimized cost-effectiveness through the deployment of next-generation large-scale turbines.
Siemens Gamesa and MHI Vestas dominate Europe’s largest offshore wind market with direct drive and medium-speed geared turbine solutions respectively, in ratings up to 9.5 MW. They and other exhibitors such as GE Renewable Energy and Senvion all explore next-generation 10 to 15-plus MW future platforms. German engineering consultancy aerodyn-engineering develops a fully integrated 15 MW floating system incorporating twin 7.5 MW two-bladed counter-rotating downwind turbines with 150-meter rotor diameters.
There are now 18,814 MW of installed offshore capacity around the world. (Courtesy: WindEnergy Hamburg)
107-meter rotor blades
GE’s 12 MW Haliade X direct drive turbine in development features a record 220-meter rotor composed of 107-meter blades developed by LM Wind Power of Denmark. The turbine, with first deliveries planned in 2021, features only 316 W/m2 specific power rating, a configuration showing future direction for other large-scale turbine developments. Such supersize rotor offers higher yields, especially during periods with little wind. When this coincides with high wind power penetration levels under liberalized market conditions in specific offshore wind markets, it could contribute to better electricity prices. A related positive impact is enhanced grid stability. All these aspects form an integral part of many different smart energy solutions, including intermediate storage technologies being developed by Hamburg WindEnergy exhibitors from across the world. They also will explain to international visitors the latest technology advancements regarding industrialization, with increased use of “big data.” This offers offshore wind farms combined benefits like higher operating reliability through better longer-term failure prediction and smarter cost-reducing O&M solutions. This long-time turbine tracking could result in more advanced windfarm upkeep strategies primarily aimed at further driving down offshore LCOE.
Substructures
Monopiles were the most popular structure solution of all new installed foundations in 2017 with 87 percent, with jackets taking second position with 9.4 percent, according to WindEurope. WindEnergy Hamburg exhibitors EEW Group and SIF Netherlands led Europe’s total offshore substructure market with shares of 53 percent and 24.1 percent respectively.
“EEW SPC manufactures monopiles currently up to 10-meter diameter. Our daughter company EEW OSB produces TPs in the U.K., and EEW Group also manufactures pre-fabricated components for jackets. This range of products made by EEW offers flexibility to our existing clients and will enable a necessary leap forward in emerging main offshore markets like the U.S. and Asia,” said Michael Hof, COO/managing director of EEW SPC.
The largest monopiles available weigh about 1,500 around metric tons, which puts additional pressure to continuously upgrade vessels, foundation handling, and hoisting gear capacities and performance. Multiple wind-farm installation specialists will show their combined in-house capabilities to Hamburg WindEnergy visitors.Exhibitor Van Oord Offshore recently took delivery of a new 1,600-metric-ton main crane re-fitted at its self-propelled Aeolus jack-up, initially commissioned in 2014 with a 900-metric-ton crane. Damen Shipyards will inform visitors about its novel ‘walk-to-work’ Service Operations Vessel (SOV) for offshore windfarm upkeep.
Floating solutions
Several international floater developers will highlight their dedicated floating concepts to WindEnergy Hamburg visitors, like aerodyn-engineering and GustoMSC (semi-submersible) and GICON (tension-leg, TLP), while spar-type solutions are characterized by their operational stability.
“WindEnergy Hamburg 2018 is, for us, an important international platform,” said GICON Founder Prof. Jochen Grossmann. “Last year, GICON teamed up with U.S.-based Glosten, developer of the Pelastar TLP. We in-house developed GICON-SOF TLP technology during the past decade. Individual strengths of both commercially ready products will be combined into a new hybrid solution for the global floating wind market, and we will show international visitors all features and benefits.”
Floating offshore wind in general enjoys growing wind-industry interest, reflected by the increasing number of projects and the larger turbines sizes selected for these platforms.
LOC Renewables, through its specialist naval architectural and design firm, Longitude Engineering, has announced the expansion of its geoscience consultancy team, strengthening its end-to-end project development capabilities.
The team will deliver a range of services related to the mitigation of ground risk for offshore wind development, from concept to construction and maintenance.
The continued expansion of offshore wind worldwide means developers face new geotechnical and geological design challenges on each project.
With wind farms being built in so many different locations and in combination with a range of different technologies, engineering solutions need to be developed for varied and often difficult ground conditions.
From ground risk management for turbine foundations and cables, through to penetration analyses for vessel movements, the factors that developers must consider can vary greatly.
In addition to carrying out initial desk and feasibility studies, the geotechnical team will conduct detailed site visits and assess geological and metocean conditions to identify the best siting for wind farms and cabling corridors.
Design and analysis
Their provision of marine surveys will span geotechnical design and analysis that supports structural engineers to deliver a successful project.
Sound geotechnical and geological engineering is the bedrock on which wind-farm structures can be installed and is an essential component for managing construction and operation risks.
“While there are many aspects to consider when it comes to windfarm development, the assessment of ground risk is crucial to a project’s success in the construction phase and over its lifetime,” said Cara Watson, newly-appointed lead engineering geologist at Longitude Engineering. “Extensive experience in offshore energy allows us to offer a range of services including geohazard analysis, project planning, survey management, and full ground model development.”
Ground conditions
“Foregoing the adequate consideration of ground risk introduces uncertainties and increases risks that project developers will usually end up paying for later,” said Cath Bradley, lead geotechnical engineer at Longitude Engineering. “For example, without a detailed knowledge of the ground conditions, designers are forced to be more conservative and adopt larger and more expensive foundations for their turbines. “Obtaining the geotechnical and geological ground conditions for a site allows for optimized foundational designs. This, in turn, lowers the risk of damage to equipment, as well as the risk of delays or cost overruns arising from changes to layout, designs or cable routes.”
With a focus on marine survey planning and management, cable routing and burial, and geotechnical analysis including anchor penetration and scour protection studies, leg penetration analysis and foundation design, the team is currently employed on a number of projects across Europe and Asia.
What is Tempest Group, and what is your role in it?
Tempest group is the first full service wind-turbine elevator company, as far as I know, in North America, and it probably goes farther than that. We come from an elevator background, and we specialize in wind-turbine elevators. We came into this industry with more of a different mindset about the basic safety and maintenance procedures on this equipment than has been used in the past. We brought some of the highest safety standards that we use in the elevator industry and applied that to the wind industry.
My basic business plan is much different than maybe one from somebody who came from the wind industry and developed a company such as mine. Because, obviously, coming from the commercial elevator industry, we have very strict standards when it comes to safety. We don’t manufacture equipment or parts. We’re not a manufacturer, which, in my opinion, gives our clients a greater advantage, because we are not really beholden to any manufacturer to sell parts or to push parts or any modernizations that they don’t need. So, we can save them a little bit of money there.
We strictly use elevator mechanics. My mechanics are wind-certified elevator mechanics through the elevator industry curriculum, which is five years of an apprenticeship program, so I would be very much at ease in saying that we probably have the highest skilled labor out there working on this equipment. I’m proud of our mechanics. They really know what they’re doing. Working in the wind industry for the last six years, we’ve come across quite a lot of hair-raising episodes, so we’ve managed to go in there and take care of a lot of situations for our clients.
What aspects of the wind industry made it a good direction to move into?
I was actually getting ready to open a traditional elevator company when I learned about the wind industry and the fact that they did have elevators in the towers. And I started doing research about the equipment and standards and things of that nature and got much more involved within the safety aspects and the code of the equipment. Wind obviously is a young, a very rapidly growing industry, and I certainly think renewable energy is going to become more and more dominant in the near future. Towers are only getting bigger; 100-meter towers on land are becoming more of the norm. As they actually grow from that, they’re going to have to put elevators in. Most towers that are 100 meters or higher do have an elevator in them. So as these things get bigger, there’s going to be more demand for elevators to go faster and respond more like we’re used to seeing in the commercial elevator sector, which would put us in our area of specialty and our expertise. The bigger they get, the more elaborate the equipment, the more need for highly skilled elevator mechanics service. I believe that our company is going to be able to service a pretty strong demand that’s already starting to appear.
What areas does Tempest Group serve?
We work all over the country. Because we are actually an elevator company, we are licensed in states as an elevator company where some of the manufacturers that make the equipment can’t even be licensed. We have a qualified elevator inspector full time on our staff. So, I can pull a license in any state to work on elevators and inspect them. We’ve pretty much worked in every state in the Union. The states that are a little more heavily regulated and are going to become more regulated, which means they’re going to actually apply ASME A17.8 code, which is wind-turbine elevators. We’re probably going to see a greater need for our services, because we actually understand the code very well. We know how to apply it, and we work within those parameters.
We work for some wind-farm owners themselves, who have called us and said they want to use a specialized maintenance company. We also work for companies that do maintenance for wind-farm owners such as Siemens Gamesa and Nordex Acciona and do elevators for them. So, we’re pretty flexible. We do know our way around areas having jurisdictions. We have relationships with the states that regulate.
What makes Tempest Group unique in the wind industry?
We are the first full-service elevator company in the wind industry that specializes in nothing but wind-turbine elevators. That’s all we do. We’re not really a jack of all trades. We specialize in and focus 100 percent on the safety and quality service to wind turbine elevators and that has apparently not been done before. And the fact that we are a 100-percent woman-owned and managed business.
How do you think the industry can work to make wind more diverse?
I think the upper management of the industry — the people who are the movers and shakers — need to start seeking out and actually using and hiring more companies that are diverse and owned and operated by diverse groups of individuals. The mindset for me is, I guess as a woman, I do seek out other women to work. I think it does give me a distinct advantage because I have so many perspectives and ideas in my workplace because of the diversity. Because I honestly never gave it that much thought because I was never raised that there was a difference between women and men, and that you just do what you have to in order to do your job well. I’ve never really been intimidated by the fact that I’m the only woman in the room. It’s just kind of how it’s happened. And not just in the wind industry, but obviously in the elevator industry.
I think there are only four or five companies in the country that are women-owned elevator companies, much less a wind-turbine elevator company. If procurement management companies will see that there’s a difference in hiring someone such as myself and the advantages to it and what we can bring to the table would go a long way. There’s definitely a lot of barriers to break down and sometimes I come face to face with situations where I say, “did they really just say that to me?” But things are getting brought to the horizon, and there is diversity in the wind industry. I work with quite a few women at Siemens Gamesa who are awesome and talented in their own right. I do believe these big companies need to try to seek out companies such as mine and try to roll with it, because we have a lot to offer.
What would you consider Tempest Group’s proudest achievement?
Our greatest achievement is furthering the safety of wind-turbine elevators within the wind industry and bringing safety issues to light. I am also a member of the ASME wind turbine elevator committee for A17.8, so I actually help write safety codes for this equipment. I’m also a new member of the AWEA standards committee, that’s starting to realize there is a need for safety standards within the elevators of these towers.
Where do you see the wind industry in 10-20 years?
I don’t think it’s going anywhere. Wind energy and renewable energy are going to be here to stay. It’s rapidly growing now, and we’re going to continue to see growth. We’re going to be seeing, in our country especially, more offshore wind turbines. Towers are getting taller and taller, which only brings more opportunity for Tempest Group.
I do believe that, right now, on the drawing board, there are elevators that are being designed to work within these very tall turbines that are going to be more complicated and more what you would say a traditional commercial elevator would look like, which will be just more opportunity for us. I think that Tempest Group’s scope of work will shift in the near future as well. Because we do have elevator mechanics that are highly skilled, everything that’s inside of the wind turbine from the nacelle down is something that we are capable of working on. So, I think I’m going to see our scope of work broaden to more equipment within the tower. We’re used to working with high voltage on a daily basis as it is in elevators. So, when we go into these towers, it’s kind of a no brainer that we can expand our services.
In the future, wind and solar are going to be the dominant source of energy in the world, I would hope, anyway, because I think that’s the way we need to go. I do think that’s happening, because when you look at the rapid rate of growth in the last 20 years just in the United States, it’s head spinning.
The skill — and nerve — it takes to rappel down a wind-turbine blade suspended hundreds of feet above the ground is no doubt impressive. But what about the actual equipment that technicians depend on to keep them safely suspended high above the Earth?
Petzl has been making equipment to keep those who work in high, difficult-to-access places safe and secure. Petzl ropes, lanyards, and other safety equipment have been used for spelunking, mountain climbing, and rescue operations for decades, so it seemed a perfectly symbiotic fit for Petzl’s products to make their way into the wind industry.
Petzl America supplies equipment and training for a variety of industries where working high above the ground is necessary.
Moving into wind
“It was a fit because the industry could see rope access technicians working on buildings and oil platforms,” said Michel Goulet, Professional Division sales manager for Petzl. “So, obviously, you need special skills to do that, and you also need special skills to walk out along a wind turbine and descend down onto the blades.”
Although wind is an industry that Petzl concentrates on, it is safe to say that the company considers itself an integral part of the rope access world, according to Goulet.
“In terms of markets that we serve, rope access is at our core,” he said. “In the rope access industry, as it pertains to wind, those are the workers required to access blades for maintenance and repair.”
Not just anyone is allowed to do that. Technicians have to be properly trained and certified by either the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians (SPRAT) or the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA), according to Goulet.
Petzl America supplies equipment and training for a variety of industries where working high above the ground is necessary.
“Those are some of the training bodies that ensure these individuals have the specialized training and experience to safely rig the proper ropes and descend the blades of the turbine for inspection and repair work,” he said. “But rope access technicians don’t only do that.”
Other industries
Petzl works with a variety of industries, but the common denominator is working at height.
“They’re either accessing some hard-to-reach areas with our products or they’re using our equipment for rescue purposes,” Goulet said. “They may be evacuating a big Ferris wheel, or they may be window cleaners on the side of buildings. These jobs include fall protection, rope access, rope rescue, and anyone working in dark environments.”
Dangling from a blade or working in a turbine nacelle can become quite tedious since they are confined spaces, according to Goulet.
Petzl America supplies equipment and training for a variety of industries where working high above the ground is necessary.
“There are other people on wind turbines who use our equipment, but they’re less technical perhaps than rope access technicians, but all would be trained in fall protection,” he said. “Those are the people who use our equipment and stay inside the column or the nacelle. Those are the lubricators or the electrical technicians who have to do internal servicing. If they must get outside on the top of the nacelle, we have the proper lanyards that they can use to connect to the security rails.”
Normally, there are rails on either side of a nacelle, and Petzl’s Y lanyards connect to both, according to Goulet. Technicians are trained in both rope access and self-rescue or partner rescue in case they cannot climb the tower and must be lowered in the column along the ladderway.
“We don’t make ladder safety systems, but we do make harnesses that are appropriate to connect to existing systems, and we have Y lanyards for 100 percent connectivity when on the top of the nacelle,” he said. “And of course, our headlamps are great to use in that environment as well.”
The Grillon positioning lanyard. (Courtsy: Petzl)
Headlamps and helmets
Those headlamps can be part of a helmet that Goulet said has some important safety and comfort features.
“Our helmets are great too, because, obviously they’re working with electrical systems,” he said. “Our helmets are fully adaptable to use with full face shields to protect from electrical shorts. And our helmets are ANSI certified, not only for impact but also for electrical protection and compatible with all frequently used hearing protection.”
But when it comes to being protected from accidental falls, it is Petzl’s collection of lanyards and harnesses that are the company’s bread-and-butter items, according to Goulet.
“Petzl makes a wide range of harnesses,” he said. “We have fall arrest harnesses and shock absorbing lanyard systems for more passive protection, as well as specialty rope access harnesses for long hours working in suspension and sitting on an integrated work seat for comfort. If you’re hanging in your harness for hours of blade repair work, your legs go numb if you don’t have a working podium. Comfort equals work efficiency.”
The ASAP Lock with shock absorber. (Courtesy: Petzl)
Hands-free work
Another popular item is the Grillon positioning lanyard, according to Goulet.
“The Grillon connects from side D ring to side D ring on the harness, allowing for easy adjustment and hands-free work, such as when a worker needs both hands free when repairing a blade or running cable up to the nacelle,” he said. “We frequently see workers use it when descending a blade to avoid getting blown off center in strong winds.”
OSHA requires all workers who are suspended with rope to have a secondary backup fall protection line, according to Goulet. Rope access technicians always work on two rope systems, so if something becomes disconnected, the worker will be secured by the backup line. Those are vertical life lines with a fall arrester.
Thus, another essential tool in a wind tech’s arsenal is Petzl’s ASAP Lock.
“In the wind industry, we use the ASAP Lock, because there is a feature that allows the worker to lock the travel wheel,” Goulet said. “When in a working position for an extended period of time, a technician can raise the ASAP fall arrester above them on the rope and lock the wheel. That’s important in windy conditions regularly found on a tower. In the rare case of a mainline failure, this locked position above the worker removes the risk of shock-loading the back-up line.”
Proper training
With wind turbines getting bigger and being built in more hazardous locations such as offshore, it’s more important than ever to have proper training and proper equipment inspection, according to Goulet.
The Vertex Vent HI VIZ helmet. (Courtesy: Petzel)
“No rope access or fall protection system is complete without an emergency plan, enabling a rescue of someone from where they might be incapacitated and hanging in their harness,” he said. “Equally important is a complete personal protective equipment (PPE) inspection program to manage the life safety equipment used daily in these challenging environments.”
And all of this with regular requests to make the gear lighter and less obtrusive to the work, according to Goulet.
“It’s still meeting stringent standards, but if you’re wearing 20 pounds of gear every day, that makes you less efficient,” he said. “Lightweight equals efficiency, and efficiency equals productivity and safety.”
Helping people reach new depths and new heights has been part of Petzl’s mission since founder Fernand Petzl was spelunking the deepest caves of France as Sir Edmund Hillary was summiting Mount Everest for the first time in the 1950s. That desire to “access the inaccessible” drives Petzl’s daily efforts to improve rope access and hands-free lighting equipment.
Current transducers are a key electronic component of wind-energy turbine converters. They assist the power control system, protect the drive, and help feed energy into the grid system at a controlled frequency and voltage.
Innovations in current transducer design are spurring the adoption of smart grid technologies and improving the performance of turbines and other power applications from generation and transmission to efficiency and monitoring. Improved manufacturing techniques, combined with custom ASIC chips have made it possible to achieve fluxgate-level performance from less costly closed loop Hall-effect sensors.
Smaller, more efficient, more accurate sensors can be used for a variety of wind-turbine applications.
Current transducers
Turbine active power control systems commonly use low-power electrical drives to adjust rotor blades as needed. As part of the converter’s closed loop control, PCB-mounted current transducers are able to respond rapidly.
In the yaw control systems, transducers are continuously measuring the current order to position the drive for optimum generation. The quality and response time of these systems are influenced by the design and performance of the current transducers. The inherent advantages of closed-loop current transducers — high bandwidth, short response time, and very good linearity — makes them ideal for this application.
Closed-loop transducers also are well-suited to help deliver the electrical power from the turbine to the grid. Precise and fast current detection is necessary in order to control the power feeding back to the grid, while also monitoring the voltage of the DC link. By using the closed-loop principle, a fast response medium-current transducer can provide short-circuit protection of the power semiconductors in the inverters — an invaluable advantage for wind-energy turbines in offshore areas where the maintenance is difficult and expensive.
Combining Hall-effect and ASIC technology
The simplest current transducers are open-loop devices in which the magnetic field from the primary current is sensed and amplified; though open-loop offset and gain can drift over extreme operating temperature.
Smaller, more efficient, more accurate sensors can be used for a variety of wind-turbine applications.
Although closed-loop devices are more complex, they provide improved performance by canceling the primary magnetic field with a secondary compensation current in a coil of N turns. With the gain of the device set by the number of turns, N, it is precise and stable even over temperature. The transformer effect takes over the feedback loop when the primary current frequency is above a few kilohertz, providing an effective bandwidth that is much higher than the noise bandwidth. By always operating at zero magnetic field, the linearity is intrinsically good, and the response time, driven by the transformer effect, is very fast.
Closed loop transducer designs use Hall cells as the magnetically sensitive element. Hall cells provide fast and accurate current measurements but also have one weakness: the offset voltage (VOUT – VREF with zero primary current) and its drift over temperature. One solution is to use a fluxgate detector instead of the Hall-effect chip, which improves stability over varying temperatures. However, fluxgate technology adds additional complexity and price.
Smaller, more efficient, more accurate sensors can be used for a variety of wind-turbine applications.
Efforts to boost Hall-effect technology to fluxgate-level performance has led LEM to develop a proprietary Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) for use in closed-loop mode. In addition, the spinning technique and specialist integrated circuit used by LEM overcomes other drawbacks such as noise, start-up time before measuring current present on the primary, and restarting without delay after an overload.
For accurate measurement of DC currents, the technology compensates the current linkage QP created by the current IP to be measured by an opposing current linkage QS created by a current IS flowing through a known number of turns NS to obtain:
QP − QS = 0 or NP·IP − NS·IS = 0
with NP the number of primary turns and NS the number of secondary turns.
To obtain accurate measurement, it is necessary to have a highly accurate device to measure the condition Q = 0 precisely.
To achieve accurate compensation of the two opposing current linkages (QP and QS), a detector capable of accurately measuring Q = 0 must be used, which means the detector must be very sensitive to small values of a residual magnetic flux g (created by the current linkage Q) to achieve the greatest possible detector output signal.
Smaller, more efficient, more accurate sensors can be used for a variety of wind-turbine applications.
Thanks to the partial air gap of the magnetic core, newer current transducers have a very low sensitivity to external AC and DC fields. This allows for a more compact design as there is practically no sensitivity to high current conductors near to the transducer. The magnetic core with a partial air gap improves the magnetic coupling and improves the response against di/dt.
The sensitivity against AC or DC fields (worst case) with ASIC enhanced technology is five times better than with the former generations using a classic Hall effect chip. The typical error with ASIC transducers is 2 percent of IPN compared with 10 percent for non-ASIC current measurements when submitted to the same conditions caused by AC or DC perturbating fields.
Improved performance
Using the closed-loop operating principle in association with ASIC, LEM has been able to achieve improved accuracy, external field sensitivity and measuring range in several current transducer designs commonly used in wind turbines.
The LF series covers nominal current measurements from 200 to 2,000A (4,000A peak) and only require a standard DC power supply range of ±11.4 to ±25.2V. Sensitivity error at +25˚C is ±0.1% and linearity is only ±0.1%.
The compact, low-current LESR series is particularly well suited to applications where low offset drift is important, such as the yaw control for wind turbines or in the AC output of solar power installations where standards require a very low DC component in the output current.
Smaller, more efficient, more accurate sensors can be used for a variety of wind-turbine applications.
In order to give the best high-frequency performance, two secondary coils wound in series are used. A special time-saving winding technique is used to avoid any soldered connections between the two coils. An on-chip memory stores corrections for any residual offset — or other imperfections — found during the production of each transducer. Both series have excellent accuracy over their entire operating temperatures.
The LESR series also features a patented arrangement of multiple Hall cells in a symmetrical layout merged with the first amplifier stages, and employs sophisticated offset canceling techniques in the control loop to generates the secondary compensation current.
These improvements result in offset drift over four times smaller than previous generations of Hall-effect sensors, and very close to that of fluxgate sensors.
Conclusion
In the search for the increased efficiency, wind-energy systems can benefit from transducers employing ASIC technology. With high immunity to external interferences generated by adjacent currents or external perturbations, these transducers are suitable for any kind of rugged environment where good performance in terms of accuracy, gain, linearity, low initial offset, and low thermal drift is required.
Safety plays a key role every day as a wind technician in the field, whether in the nacelle or on the ground. As turbines get taller and production starts to move offshore as well, what are the training aspects of safety that keep the technicians safe?
It starts with the interview process, where questions are asked to find out just how safety conscious you really are. Are you willing to put yourself in danger for the sake of the job? The clear answer is no. We want to instill a culture that safety comes first: Safety for ourselves and the safety of others. With a background as a site manager and EHS manager, I was involved with all aspects of site safety and certified in the conduction and reporting processes as OSHA began to set rules and regulations for the wind industry. But most turbine owners and manufacturers have set their own guidelines to surpass those being implemented by OSHA.
Wind technicians should be properly trained for any possible emergency scenario, so they know what to do if the need arises.
Range of training
The majority of wind companies and owners have implemented a wide range of safety training for the industry. Along with GWO (Global Wind Organisation), this training assures standardized climb and rescue training on an international scale. It also establishes protocols and contingency plans that are executed and exercised on a regular basic.
No technician is allowed to climb on site until he or she has been proven and certified by an instructor as a competent climber. Levels of training start from the basics of self-rescue and first aid to more advanced rescues. The more advanced rescues scenarios include evacuating an unconscious tech from a blade or pulling a person from beneath a gearbox.
At EcoTech, we use the same industry standards to train our students for these situations daily. This is where you want them to make the potential mistakes, not for the first time on the ladder in a real emergency. One-on-one instruction on the ladders gives the instructors the insight to each student’s level of proficiency and the time to refine their skills. Safety begins in the classroom and progresses as the students/technicians advance in their level of training and proficiency. Training daily in the processes of LOTO and extending the lessons with climb and rescue training, enhanced with different possible scenarios gives the feel of real life emergencies without the loss of life in the process.
As a technician, you can expect to use your knowledge of safety daily, with the numerous forms that are needed prior to starting your climb to the top, including JSAs, JHAs, PPE, Tailboards, etc. Only those properly trained for a procedure can perform said procedures. This protects man and machine alike, with personnel knowing how to respond in any unsafe situation. Upon course completion, students also receive their OSHA 30-hour card to present to their new employer showing they fully understand the hazards involved and how to mitigate them.
Safety 101
We teach the students Safety 101 from scratch, using industry standards and focusing on established safe practice methods. Students learn the proper use of LOTO identification and the energies we should safeguard against. With 3-phase 690-volt production, electrical energy is what we think of first when performing LOTO. But we teach them to look further into the process, such as what other types of energy we might need to safeguard ourselves against, including pressurized and stored energy, as well as gravitational forces that might come into play.
This also includes not only using the right tools for testing, but knowing you have the correct tool for the job. As the students’ progress through the courses, the level of safety training increases in its complexity. Ladder rescue and self-rescue training adds another element of real life to the exercises, and students compete on proficiency and time in the rescue scenarios. They learn team work most of all; being able to work with others is an important part of being a great technician.
In the field, safety is built into everything we do, from driving the site roads to shipping hazardous materials. As site EHS manager, you are responsible for all aspects of safety on site, such as how and where to store grease and oils and proper disposal of hazardous materials, to name a few. Overseeing that tools are calibrated and PPE is inspected and in the books is another small part of the job.
Wind technicians should be properly trained for any possible emergency scenario, so they know what to do if the need arises.
Safe working environment
The most important part of the job is making sure everyone has a safe working environment. This involves making sure all technicians have their training up to date and scheduling those in need of additional or refresher training.
Every technician hired undergoes a minimum of two to three weeks of training prior to climbing a tower; this includes basic LOTO and first aid, along with climb rescue training. At that point, the technician is set on task with their first crew and assignments. With a lead technician heading the crew, the new technicians are allowed to perform minor functions while shadowed by a seasoned technician. Then, when the technician has been evaluated according to the training, the decision to progress the worker to the next level of training is evaluated and/or scheduled.
Additional training is ongoing, approximately two times a year with most wind-farm owners and operators. This would consist of refresher first aid and LOTO advancements, as well as platform-specific training. Advancing technicians learn special rescue techniques that include rescuing personnel from beneath a gearbox or an unconscious victim in the blade. At EcoTech, we try to focus on the early stages of rescue, the self-rescue, two-man pick, and over the side.
Without proper schooling and training, this would be the technician’s first time working on a ladder. Here we get to work with the students to refine the skills that will get them ahead in the industry. We try to condition them to keep a cool head under pressure and follow the steps they’ve learned in class and climbing lab. Having the climbing tower and platform make it easier for the student to observe each other’s techniques. We also use video like the pros to point out what went right as well as what could have been done better.
New challenges
Safety in the wind industry is always expanding, and with turbines reaching unheard of heights, what new challenges lay ahead for the industry? Offshore is quickly becoming popular in the U.S., and this is new ground in the sense of safety training. We currently have an industry shortage of technicians to work onshore; how do we retrain them to fill the new need for offshore technicians?
Those who are in the industry are working with one another to set the safety guideline for what’s to come. Until then, we will continue to train our technicians to focus on best safety practices including know-how and when to use safety devices and what situation calls for what measures. Our students learn to follow directions and to never skip a process. That one missed step could end up your last without proper training. Most of the fatalities in the wind industry are by undertrained subcontractors; subcontractors who are unfamiliar with wind-safety guidelines are usually the subject of unfortunate events.
The key is to properly train your employees for any possible emergency scenario, so if the need arises, they know what to do in that situation. As an instructor, we have a duty to protect our students and to make sure they can identify and isolate power in the systems.
This is where LOTO is introduced and the numerous devices for our protection. The how and when to use certain devices add to the skillset ingrained into the future technicians. We focus on giving the student the edge in the job market and add valuable skill they retain for a lifetime.
Face it, at the end of the day we all want to go home to our loved ones in one piece. If we can teach safety the right way and early enough, everyone gets to go home at the end of the night. Safety is more than a word; it’s a culture and lifestyle worth living.
What can be 198 feet tall but be overlooked as easily as the infamous missing 10-millimeter socket?
While meteorological (met) towers are a critical part of the initial planning and assessment for energy production, there is a strong likelihood that your met tower is an unfamiliar asset and may in fact need a little TLC.
Part of the mystery surrounding the met tower could be attributed to the remote location of the met tower on the wind farm. Another possible contributor to the mystery of the met tower could be due to the relationship it has to the “money makers” — wind turbines that generate the power that creates the revenue. Another possible contributor to the mystery of the met tower could be the fact that different standards from differing agencies can apply to the mysterious met tower: FAA Regulations and Advisory Circulars, ASME Standards, OSHA requirements, ANSI Z359 for fall protection standards, tower standards (TIA/EIA 222), and IEC 61400-12-1 address the individual systems of the met tower. It can all be overwhelming to the typical wind-site manager or designee, but with a little bit of planning and communication, the mystery can be removed.
And The Survey Says
As a norm, wind-site managers are tasked with an enormity of responsibilities and reports. Safety, generation requirements, environmental compliance, regulatory compliance, staffing, training, conference calls, and the weekly Tidy Friday can all push the needs of the met tower to somewhere just behind weekly vehicle inspections. In other words, the silent sentinels of data acquisition can often be overlooked.
An informal survey of selected U.S. wind farms showed that many site managers were not familiar with the needs, operational status, or records regarding their site met towers. Site leadership turnover, the lack of “tribal knowledge,” and all of the other duties that demand the time and attention of site leaders may attribute to this gap.
Interestingly, nearly 29 percent of those who responded to the survey stated that they had “inherited the met tower, sensors, and data loggers” and were not familiar with what type of data logger was in the met tower, and 25 percent of the respondents stated that the only time their team visits the met towers is when “something was wrong.”
Waiting until there is something wrong with your met tower can be a costly proposition. The time and cost associated with mobilizing a team, procuring materials, and notifying regulatory agencies of a failure in your met tower can be a huge investment. The safety considerations of a failed system can place your team and outside staff at an unnecessary risk. A failed met tower can create a lot of attention from land owners, regulatory agencies, press, and upper management — these items are not what you want for your week.
Periodic tower inspections and maintenance can help prevent costly repairs and help ensure accurate and reliable wind data. The documented inspection of all monitoring equipment, met tower structure, cabling, and grounding systems prove to be very valuable for the safe, reliable operations at your site. While tower data should always be monitored for irregularities that may indicate potential sensor or equipment failures, documenting maintenance and inspection records will help protect your wind-assessment investment and provide a historical continuity that can be extremely valuable when needed. At a minimum — a periodic, scheduled inspection and preventative maintenance regime with reliable documentation is regarded as best practice by owners, operators, and maintenance providers in this sector.
If It Isn’t Documented, It Didn’t Happen
Where do you start to establish a consistent, documented inspection of the asset? What template or guideline can you use to ensure that the critical components of your met tower have been inspected and have accurately recorded that information?
A number of companies have responded to this specific need for the inspection and reporting requirements of your met tower. Sioux Falls Tower & Communication has been recognized as a great resource for the scheduled services and inspection of your system. Craig Snyder and his team at Sioux Falls can provide a thorough 145-point inspection of all components of your tower that includes a detailed report for your records. They provide a complete inspection of met tower foundation, (or base plate), grounding, guy wires, fasteners (bolts), safety markings, booms, sensors, and cabling and lighting. A systematic report is physically generated and provided to the site detailing specifications and images of your tower, making critical information accessible and useful when needed.
How often is this assessment to be conducted? FAA guidelines require that the lights be inspected every 24 months and that “lamps should be replaced after being in operation for approximately 75 percent of their rated life or immediately upon failure. Flashtubes in a light unit should be replaced immediately upon failure, when the peak effective intensity falls below specification limits or when the fixture begins skipping flashes, or at the manufacturer’s recommended intervals.” (FAA Advisory Circular AC 70 7460-1L).
“Met towers are usually very durable structures,” Snyder said. “Many owners are following the best practice by conducting a physical inspection of the electronic components annually and scheduling major maintenance at three-year intervals for guyed towers and a five-year cycle for self-supporting (lattice) towers, according to TIA 222.”
Scheduling met tower service inspections will help protect your wind assessment investment. A regular inspection schedule of all monitoring equipment, met tower, cabling, and power supplies can prevent lost data and save you valuable time and money. The days of reacting to a met tower “emergency” by sending your best wind-turbine techs out to get the system back on line is not the best option available to you as a site leader. The met tower has a number of systems and safety concerns that the wind technician is not equipped nor trained to effectively and safely navigate. Let the technicians keep the turbines spinning; leave the met towers to the specialists.
Getting To The Heart Of The Matter
Your wind-resource data is the key to your success. It captures and records the information of your availability and provides compliance information for offtakers. Many of our customers ask: “How often do we need to collect our data?” The answer: How much data can you afford to lose? If your data is that important — and it is — then how often do you need to calibrate your sensors and your data loggers?
Most sensors are calibrated annually or at least every two years — and what about your data logger? Again, the survey from the field revealed a large discrepancy in calibration requirements for the heart of your data system. Nearly 43 percent of site managers were not aware of datalogger calibration schedules.
Dataloggers are the heart of your wind resource assessment system and need to be accurate and dependable under extreme conditions. While some datalogger manufacturers recommend a two-year calibration scheme, Campbell Scientific recommends a three-year cycle for calibration of their dataloggers.
A recent study conducted and verified by a third party revealed that over a five-year period, there was virtually no “data drift” in their Campbell Scientific datalogger. The take away from this report is that you should not have to worry about measurement uncertainty. Make sure your datalogger has been tested at the manufacturer and has the calibration and, more importantly, that the data of the actual test measurements over temperature are shared with you. Follow your manufacturer recommendation and observe best practice for calibration of your datalogger.
The Sky is the Limit
The days of knee-jerk responses to get your met tower fixed with significant resources do not need to be the norm for your wind farm. With a systematic approach, solid equipment, and good relationships with key players, you can keep your wind-resource data consistent and secure. Scheduled inspections, periodic maintenances, and a standardized documentation plan can keep your met tower down time and lead times manageable. The tower system used as the standard for your wind resources can continue to operate efficiently and provide you reliable, accurate data.
