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The Bohne Foundation is dedicated to feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the destitute, encouraging the hopeless, while aiding the neediest members of our global community.
18 COnVeRSAtiOn:Kent Pedersen / Avanti Wind Systems
21 Wind Systems 2014 turbine directory Models, specifications, and news from leading wind turbine manufacturers.
tURBine HeAdLineS
12
A comprehensive approach to maximizing generator and component lifespan, dependability, and performance through periodic electrical testing and fault analysis.
By Kevin Alewine and Casey Gilliam, Shermco Industries
20 enerCon installs prototype e-115 turbine in northern germany
20 ampair announces exclusive negotiations to acquire Westwind
20 rTs and vensys announce UK deal at the site of the first UK project site for vensys in King’s Lynn
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47 United Wind teams with Bergey to extend unique financing model
48 Shaft alignment system takes advantage of ioS platform
52 doE awards $150 Million in tax credits for clean energy manufacturing
Wind Systems (ISSN 2327-2422) is published monthly by Media Solutions, Inc., 266D Yeager Parkway Pelham, AL 35124. Phone (205) 380-1573 Fax (205) 380-1580 International subscription rates: $72.00 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Pelham AL and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wind Systems magazine, P.O. Box 1210 Pelham AL 35124. Publications mail agreement No. 41395015 return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek Richmond Hill, ON L4B4R6. Copyright 2006 by Media Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
By Carl LevesqueAmerican Wind Energy Association
By Jack WallaceFrontier Pro Services
UL and West Texas A&M University announce the opening of large-scale wind turbine test facility in Canyon, Texas.
I hate New Year’s resolutions… probably because I’ve never been able to keep them. That’s the way it is for most folks. I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have actually had what it takes to follow through.
In late 2012, researchers from the University of Scran-
ton published results of a New Year’s resolution study
in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Their findings showed that 45 percent of Americans
“usually” make resolutions. Some don’t keep their
resolutions past the first week. Less than half make it
six months.
Eight percent are successful.
Just over a year ago—back when I barely knew what
a megawatt was, and the industry was rolling the cred-
its on its best year ever—I boldly issued a challenge to
a nervous, uncertain industry to press onward beyond
the likely effects of the tension and delayed renewal of
the PTC. I re-affirmed Wind Systems’ commitment to
the industry moving forward, and called for partners in
our cause.
What a difference a year makes… for the industry
and for Wind Systems.
The industry as a whole has indeed felt the effects
of the late renewal. The future, however, is looking
brighter. But you don’t have to take my word for it.
AWEA’s Carl Levesque covers the topic superlatively in
his column on page 8.
As for Wind Systems… I’m pleased to announce that
we’re an “8-percenter.”
If you’re a regular reader, let me go ahead and answer
your question now. Ahem… Yes. This is the same
magazine. Only... well… it’s a completely different
magazine.
As the industry evolves, Wind Systems also had to
evolve. Actually, that may be misleading. Evolution is a
gradual process. Wind Systems, on the other hand, has
been radically transformed.
In the pages that follow, you’ll see those changes.
You’ll see how we re-imagined and rebuilt our edito-
rial content from the ground up to provide our readers
with expanded coverage of a broader range of topics.
You’ll see how we re-designed the magazine for easy
readability and an attractive presentation.
You’ll see how we brought these changes about,
without straying from our philosophy that growth in
wind energy is found in the “building-block” segments
of the industry—Maintenance, Construction, Innova-
tion, and Manufacturing.
Most of all, you’ll see the whole picture. You’ll see
our purpose, our mission, our... resolution... of champi-
enuf @Siemens_energy wind turbines to power 320,000 houses in biggest deal ever http://t.co/5Yh-SouMZ9u #windworks
european Wind energy Association (eWeA) - Were you attending
the conference or exhibition? Do you know someone who was there? See if you can spot yourself, or your colleague, in our highlights gallery. http://ow.ly/reA96
maximizing the Benefits—and your ROi—in Wind Power- Understanding maintenance challenges and proper planning are valuable attributes.
Buzz
Related Archives
Kevin Alewine is with the Business Devel-opment group as Director of Renewable Energy. He is an active member of several Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engi-neers (IEEE) and American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) working groups and is the current chair of the AWEA Oper-ations and Maintenance Working Group
responsible for developing and maintaining recommended practices for wind energy asset maintenance.
Casey Gilliam is the Shermco Industries Manager for field services for the wind energy industry. He has many years of experience in the testing and repair of both electrical and mechanical wind tur-bine components, especially generators. Casey is a NETA certified technician and was formerly the lead technician for a major wind farm in West Texas.
Carl Levesque is a clean energy commu-nications consultant for AWEA and prin-cipal of Channel Wind Communications. He worked in AWEA’s Public Affairs De-partment for six years, most recently as the association’s editor and publications manager. In his role at AWEA, and as editor of AWEA’s Wind Energy Weekly industry newsletter, he wrote about and performed commu-nications work on virtually all topics affecting the industry, which he continues to do today.
Jack Wallace started in the wind indus-try as a wind turbine technician in 1985. Since then he has trained hundreds of technicians in electrical troubleshooting, mechanical systems, composites, and wind energy related safety. He has deep understanding and experience of what it takes to run a wind farm and is always
ready to help others in wind to successfully run their wind power plants. Jack is listed as an inventor on multiple patents related to wind energy improvements. He has been working with the same wind group for 20 years, currently Frontier Pro Services.
Contributors
/windsystemsmag @wind_systems
ORGANISED BY:
SUPPORTED BY:
Check out how your business can fl ourish at EWEA 2014 10 - 13 March 2014, Barcelona
Exhibit at EWEA 2014: book nowwww.ewea.org/annual2014
Jose Luis Sevillano, Business Development & Marketing at GES
As the global leader in construction and services for wind, we choose EWEA events to showcase our experience and
DIRECTIONPolicy • Advocacy • Business • Finance • Legal • Environment • International
09 Siemens lands largest single turbine order to date 10 GE, Mitsubishi reach settlement in patent litigation
Last year was filled with transitional news concerning the wind energy industry, starting with the extension of the Production Tax Credit on Jan. 1, straight through the summer months and beyond, with announcements of new hires at supply-chain plants and project construction starts coming in.
So now that 2013 is in the books, how did the year turn out for U.S. wind energy, and what does it all mean for 2014? Industry numbers for the fourth quarter were not available at the time of this writing, but the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) U.S. Wind Industry Third Quarter 2013 Market Report provided a solid look at how things were shaping up. One of the top takeaways of the 3Q report, in fact, was that American wind energy would finish 2013 with strong momentum for installations in the new year. That momentum, which began building early last year thanks to Congress’s last-minute PTC extension to kick off the year, follows two recent trends.
Year follows red-hot 2012First, it’s important to step back a year earlier, to 2012, in order to gain a sense of historical perspective on the direction the industry is taking. The U.S. wind energy industry achieved its best year ever in 2012, shattering numerous records. It installed 13,131 megawatts (MW) of capacity and surged past the 60-gigawatt (GW) milestone for total installed wind power capacity. That year the industry invested over $25 billion in private capital to build new wind projects in the U.S., pushing the five-year average annual investment level between 2008 and 2012 to $18 billion.
The result: for the first year ever, wind energy was the number-one source of new electricity generating capacity, contributing 42 percent of all the megawatts the power sector installed. More than 180 wind projects were built.
The 60 GW installed today in the U.S. is enough generating capacity to power the equivalent of 15.2 million American homes. That’s equal to all the households in the states of Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio combined. The wind power capacity now deployed can avoid nearly 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year—equivalent to more than 4 percent of all power-sector CO2 emissions.
Iowa and South Dakota now produce more than 20 percent of their electricity from wind energy. Furthermore, even some of the nation’s largest state economies have significant wind power penetrations. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the grid covering the vast majority of the Lone Star State, achieved the 10-percent milestone for wind energy on its system. Nine states now receive more than 10 percent of their electricity generation from wind energy.
Counter trendAs project activity progressed at a red-hot pace in 2012, a shorter-term trend emerged, about which the industry urgently warned policymakers throughout that year. Projects were getting built at a record pace, yet at the same time, about mid-year, wind power’s supply chain began to slow down as a result of the scheduled Dec. 31
expiration of the PTC, then only months away.
When Congress extended the PTC on Jan. 1, 2013, the policy signal the industry had been awaiting set in motion the steady buildup of momentum that continues to this day, as 2014 gets underway. That buildup came following the expected short-term dip in project construction—a dip that had been signaled by the earlier supply-chain slowdown.
The industry has grown rapidly in the U.S. in recent years in spite of the PTC being extended in short increments. As AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan said upon the release of the third-quarter market report, “It’s remarkable how much this industry has been able to accomplish despite the lack of policy certainty over the years.”
Strong long-term trendsMuch of the reason for that success can be attributed to technological improvements, which are increasing the efficiency of turbines and driving down wind’s costs. One key indicator of wind
Industry at Large
By Carl LevesqueAmerican Wind Energy Association
U.S. wind power heads into 2014 with momentum
windsystemsmag.com 9
HeAdLineSUBS to acquire 50 percent of 161 MW Spinning Spur II project in TexasEdF renewable Energy and UBS interna-tional infrastructure Fund announced in december that they have signed a definitive agreement under which UBS internation-al infrastructure Fund will acquire a 50 percent equity interest from EdF renew-able Energy in the 161 MW Spinning Spur ii wind farm project, subject to completion of construction and customary conditions precedent.
Spinning Spur ii, located in oldham coun-ty Texas, commenced construction in June 2013, with an expected cod (commercial operation date) on or about July 1, 2014. The project will be one of the first to take advantage of the new crEZ (transmission lines connecting the wind generating capacity of the Texas Panhandle to high electricity demand areas in the state.
DONG Energy acquires 580 MW Race Bank offshore project from CentricadonG Energy has acquired a 100 percent ownership interest in the UK offshore wind development project race Bank, from centrica. The project has a total consented capacity of up to 580 MW and is located in the Greater Wash area approximately 27 km off the east coast of England.
The purchase price (enterprise value) for the project is GBP 50 million (approximately dKK 450 million). The race Bank project has
Cont’d on pg 10 >
Cont’d on pg 11 >
energy’s success and status as a familiar and mainstream energy source is evident when examining the electric-utility side of the business. In addition to the industry’s record growth last year, another trend augured well for its future: new purchases of wind power. Through the third quarter, utilities signed over 5,670 MW of new power purchase agreements (PPAs) and received approval to build over 1,870 MW of utility-owned wind power. These 7,500 MW of new wind projects are helping spur wind manufacturing companies to once again increase hiring, and driving construction starts. Ground was broken on an impressive 1,100 MW of new projects during the third quarter, indicating a busy 2014. Utilities, in fact, have been procuring significantly more wind energy than their initial requests for proposals called for. That’s because wind is saving their customers money. Utilities pursuing contracts
for more wind than their initial solicitations called for include Xcel Energy, Detroit Edison, American Electric Power (Public Service Co. of Oklahoma), Austin Energy, and Omaha Public Power District.
Thanks to innovation and hard work, the industry is ahead of schedule for achieving the milestone of producing 20 percent of America’s electricity by 2030 as outlined in the U.S. Department of Energy’s landmark 2008 report showing the feasibility of reaching that benchmark. In light of the market dynamics such as improved technology and the industry’s impressive performance that have emerged since the publication of the report, it was announced at the AWEA WINDPOWER 2013 Conference & Exhibition that an initiative is now underway to update the report. We’ll see what news 2014 brings regarding that update.
OEM will supply 1,050 MW to MidAmerican Energy for Iowa projectsSiemens lands largest single turbine order to date
Siemens has received an order from MidAmerican Energy for the supply of 448 wind turbines. With a total capacity of 1,050 MW, this represents not only the largest order for onshore wind turbines for Siemens, but also the largest single order for onshore wind power awarded globally to date. The wind turbines, each with a nominal rating of 2.3 MW and a rotor diameter of 108 meters, are to be installed in five different projects in Iowa. Siemens will also be responsible for service and maintenance of the wind turbines.
Iowa is one of the leading U.S. states in wind energy generation. In 2012, around 24 percent of
Turbine OEMs keep patents, agree to cross-licensing of intellectual property
GE, Mitsubishi reach settlement in patent litigation
General Electric Co. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. have mutually agreed to end longstanding legal battles surrounding wind turbine intellectual property, according to a statement from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The two wind turbine manufacturers “have reached amicable settlement of all legal actions taken by both parties in the United States relating to alleged infringements of their patents on wind turbines,” the statement read. “As a result, all litigation under way relating to wind turbines has been dropped.”
The settlement involves a cross-licensing agreement in which each company grants use of its intellectual property to the other, while maintaining ownership of their respective patents. Both parties agreed not to disclose further details of the settlement, according to the statement.
The patent dispute dates back more than five years to February 2008, when GE petitioned the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate its claims that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was importing wind turbines and components into the U.S.
that infringed on three patents held by GE.
The patents in contention involved sustained operation of wind turbines without regard to changing wind speed and low voltage conditions, as well as severing a turbine’s connection to the electrical grid in the event of power fluctuations.
The ITC ruled in favor of Mitsubishi in early 2010. However, GE’s appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit led to a split decision handed down in February 2012. The appellate court upheld the ITC’s decision on one case, while overturning a second case—sending it back to the ITC for further review. The court ruled the third case as moot due to the fact that the patent had since expired.
Litigation continued, with GE filing a claim surrounding the alleged infringement in federal district court in Texas in 2009. The case was stayed. In 2012, GE secured a $170 million jury award against Mitsubishi in another lawsuit concerning a different set of wind turbine patents. Prior to that verdict, Mitsubishi brought an antitrust suit against GE in May 2010, claiming that GE had obtained patents fraudulently. The antitrust case was placed on hold pending the outcome of the patent litigation and prior to the December settlement.
HeAdLineSreceived all major consents from UK authorities for the construction and operation of the wind farm.
USDA Providing $250 million to Rural Electricco-ops for Energy Efficiency Loan ProgramThe U.S. department of Agriculture (USdA) will take new steps to save consumers money on their energy bills in partnership with rural electric cooperatives. it plans to provide rural electric cooperatives up to $250 million to lend to business and residential customers for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems.
The program will help build a cleaner and more sus-tainable domestic energy sector for future generations by reducing barriers to investment in energy efficiency and potentially cutting energy bills for families and businesses in the process. Although energy efficiency measures can reduce home energy use considerably, many consumers and businesses do not invest in them because they lack the capital or financing to do so.
Funding will be provided to rural electric coopera-tives and utilities which will then re-lend the money to help homeowners or businesses make energy efficiency improvements. in addition to energy audits, the loans may be used for upgrades to heating, light-ing, and insulation, as well as conversions to more efficient or renewable energy sources.
First Wind and Burlington Electric sign 10-year PPA for Maine’s Hancock Wind ProjectFirst Wind has reached an agreement with Burlington Electric department (BEd) to sell the utility power generated from the planned Hancock Wind project near Ellsworth, Maine. First Wind will sell 25 percent of the power and renewable energy certificates (rEcs) generated at the 51 megawatt (MW) wind farm for the next 10 years under a fixed-price agree-ment to the vermont utility.
NREL taking Applications for National Execu-tive Energy Academy through January 31The Energy department’s national renewable Energy Laboratory (nrEL) is accepting applications for its 2014 Executive Energy Leadership Academy. nrEL’s Executive Energy Leadership Academy, also known as Energy Execs, is a program for non-tech-nical decision-makers throughout the country to learn about renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, analytical tools and financing. Leaders in government, communities, non-profits and the private sector are eligible.
There are two Energy Execs learning opportunities — the Leadership Program and the Leadership insti-tute. Both programs are designed to provide executive
Cont’d from pg 9
DIRECTION
windsystemsmag.com 11
decision-makers with information and tools to guide their organizations and communities in energy-related planning.
Apply online at www.nrel.gov/energyexecs/or via fax or mail. The application deadline is January 31, 2014.
Clean Energy Jobs Top One Million, Index Shows Ecotech institute’s clean Jobs index, a tool to compare states’ use and development of clean energy, found more than one million job postings in the clean energy sector from July 1, 2013, through September 30, 2013. This shows a 54 percent increase in needed clean energy employees, evidence that the sector is rapidly growing and in need of experts.
Ecotech institute launched the clean Jobs index in January 2013 to provide objective job information about the clean tech industry. The clean Jobs index defines a clean tech job as one where workers make their business more environmentally friendly, use fewer natural resources, or produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment.
To learn more about the clean Jobs index, please visit www.ecotechinstitute.com/cleanjobsindex. To learn more about Ecotech institute, go to www.ecotechin-stitute.com.
DNV GL unveils post-merger brandingThe merger of DNV and GL in Sep-tember led to the creation of DNV GL, a world leading ship and off-shore classification society, a lead-ing independent service provider in the oil and gas sector, a powerhouse in energy and renewables, and one of the world’s top three certification bodies.
“Businesses are facing increasing technological, regulatory, social and operational challenges, in a world that is becoming ever more com-plex,” DNV GL Group president and CEO Henrik O. Madsen said. “While at the same time, stakeholders are demanding greater accountability and transparency. To be confident they are making the right choices, both businesses and governments need an independent partner they can trust to empower their deci-sions,” says Group CEO Madsen.
DNV GL is making a significant and continuous investment in strategic research and development.
Innovative projects are taking technology and standards to new, advanced levels in collaboration with our customers.
“It was from this broader view that our new brand strategy of our expansive, expert services and customer enablement was created. The new visual identity with the three extended lines was created to symbolize our working context of sea, land and sky,” DNV GL Group Chief Communications Officer Ste-fan Nerpin said.
Created from two highly respect-ed companies whose parallel histo-ries span almost 150 years, Nerpin is confident that the new DNV GL will “offer the businesses we serve much-needed benefits in terms of technical insight, risk management and knowledge transfer,” he says, adding, “With our combined capa-bilities, more than 16,000 profes-sionals are bridging technological and operational expertise to the
greater goal of creating a safer and more sustainable society. DNV GL is able to offer this broader view across more than 100 countries, sharing our expertise and bringing best practices to our customers around the world.”
The post-merger integration is progressing well and Group CEO Henrik O. Madsen says the new global entity is in “a good position to take on the first full year of oper-ations as one company with a new brand; DNV GL. We want to build upon the knowledge and expertise throughout the group by creating new networks and learning from each other. Our goal is to make sure that we are always finding innova-tive solutions that create value and growth for our customers, ensuring that the world we leave behind is a better one than the one we find today,” he concludes.
For more information, visit them online at www.dnvgl.com.
total power generation in the state was provided by wind power. Siemens has already installed 1.2 GW of wind power capacity for MidAmerican Energy to date. Including this new order, these wind projects will provide around 660,000 American households with eco-friendly power when they are completed in 2015.
The nacelles and hubs for the wind turbines of this major order will be assembled at the Siemens plant in Hutchinson, Kansas, and the rotor blades will be produced by Siemens in Fort Madison, Iowa.
“Siemens not only leads the way for offshore wind power worldwide, we are also a very successful player in the onshore wind industry,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of the Wind Power Division of Siemens Energy. “In Europe and Africa alone, we successfully installed more than 1 gigawatt in the last fiscal year. This new order from MidAmerican Energy once again highlights that we are one of the leading suppliers in the U.S. wind power market.”
Siemens lands largest single turbine order to date Cont’d from pg 9
and component lifespan, dependability, and performance
through periodic electrical testing and fault analysis.
At the heart of any wind power plant are the turbines themselves. There are many
quality manufacturers of these graceful giants with nearly as many variations of drivetrain assemblies. While most in North America utilize the classic gearbox/generator design, there are also a number of direct-drive machines. Many gener-ators are of the doubly-fed induction asynchronous type, but there are also traditional synchronous gener-ators as well as induction generators that utilize full power conversion electronics.
Additionally, there are many permanent magnet style generators that are becoming popular due to reduced maintenance costs and more efficient performance. What are common among these config-urations are the electrical wind-ings where the power is actually generated, the insulating materials that maintain the electrical integrity and the mechanical aspects of the machinery – bearings, lubrication, alignment, vibration, etc. All of these parameters are carefully engineered to maximize the service life of the equipment, but properly structured and executed mainte-nance regimens are required to ensure dependable performance, component longevity and profitable operation.
This article is aimed at the electri-
cal testing that should be done pe-riodically on the generator and the ancillary components of the wind turbine. Unlike vibration analysis and other predictive testing, these electrical tests are not normally trended and are more like “snap-shots” that indicate current condi-tions and highlight potential short term failure possibilities. However, collecting, normalizing and compar-ing these readings across a site could flag for inconsistencies and help identify potential problems. These tests therefore fall into two basic categories: standard periodic testing and fault analysis.
Up-tower periodic testing – safety firstFollowing safe work practices con-cerning electrical devices, whether in operation or under test, is par-amount. All LOTO and arc flash requirements should be carefully followed, and only qualified electri-cal workers should undertake this testing. The International Electrical Testing Association (NETA) and National Fire Protection Association (especially NFPA 70E), as well as other organizations, have recom-mended guidelines for safely testing electrical components and should be consulted if there are any questions regarding safety. All electrical components also contribute to the arc flash hazards of the wind farm
and should be, at the minimum, maintained for safety purposes. The NFPA 70B standard offers many guidelines on maintenance process-es and intervals that help assure worker safety. Many IEEE standards and recommended practices are also available depending on the test and the testing environment.
Within the wind turbine, there are many electrical devices that
Up-tower electrical testing
inFOCUS: Turbines
By Kevin Alewine and Casey Gilliam, Shermco Industries
windsystemsmag.com 13
should be tested as required to maintain warranty and/or to assure reliability. The generator itself is, of course, the prima-ry consideration, but ancillary components such as pitch and yaw motors, fans and other cooling equipment, as well as the internal cabling should also be tested and the results trended. Below are some of the common tests that
should be considered as part of an effective reliability program.
Insulation ResistanceInsulation resistance testing (sometimes referred to as IR testing - not to be confused with infrared testing) is one of the oldest maintenance procedures developed for the electrical indus-try and is covered in detail in IEEE
ALSo in THiS SEcTion:
18 Conversation Avanti Wind Systems
20 EnErcon installs prototype E-115 turbine in northern Germany
21 Wind Turbine Directory
14 JanUary | 2014
Recommended Practice 43-2000. It is fairly simple to perform and can provide information regarding the condition of the electrical insulation in the generator as well as identify the presence of contamination and moisture on the windings. This test is recommended before energizing a machine that has been out of service or where heating elements have failed to keep the winding temperature above the dew point, which might have resulted in condensation on the windings. Insulation resis-tance testing is also useful whenever there is doubt as to the integrity of the windings and before any over voltage testing is performed. An accurate IR test requires a correction factor for the winding tempera-ture to create consistent readings. The methods and expected result data for this test are listed in the IEEE RP document. IR testing is also appropriate for pitch and yaw motors and any cooling or ventilation blower motors. Although not specifically described in the recom-mended practice, this general test method is also used to check collec-tor ring assemblies, micro switches and other electrical components that might be contaminated or collect moisture.
It is critical that any heating elements mounted in the generator be tested and replaced if inoperable. Heaters are often used to maintain an internal temperature above the dew point and prevent condensa-tion of moisture on the windings when the generator is below normal operating temperatures. If the generator is energized with high levels of moisture on the windings, there is an increased likelihood of a cata-strophic failure, especially in the presence of carbon dust contamina-tion or degraded insulation.
While the test results from IR testing are not normally trended, it is possible to do so in order to illustrate a gross degradation of the insulation system, but the damage would probably be severe before any significant changes would appear. It is, however, very important that the duration of the test, the temperature of the windings and the relative humidity be consistent or compensated.
Up-Tower Electrical Testing
Polarization IndexAnother test described in IEEE RP 43-2000 is the polarization index (or PI) that is useful in some applications to identify contaminated and moist windings. In most modern ma-chines, however, where the insulation resistance is above 5,000 megohms, the test might not prove meaningful. There has also been a consideration of collecting de-polarization data and analyzing the shape of the polariza-tion curve. Refer to the standards document for additional applications and details.
Internal Tower Cable TestingThere are several methods to test the cables within the tower. Most of these power cables operate at 575 or 690VAC, but there are several machines that operate and high-er voltages, up to 12,000VAC. For normal maintenance practices, an insulation resistance test is normally appropriate. If there are abnormal readings, inspections, especially of the connections and splices are the next step. If no obvious failure point is located, then more advanced testing is required which might include partial discharge, tan delta testing or high potential tests. These advanced tests are normally performed by a certified testing company.
What if the generator tests are inconclusive?If the results gathered during a periodic testing cycle are inconclusive or out of the normal range, additional testing is recommended. Normally a generator/motor specialist, either internal or from a consulting service company, is en-gaged to perform these advanced tests as there are some possibilities of further damage the windings if the tests are not properly performed. Some electrical testing is by nature destructive and should only be performed for diagnos-tics reasons.
windsystemsmag.com 15
Coil ResistanceA coil resistance test looks for resistance imbalance between phases, discrepancies between measured resistance values, trends previous measurements and confirms nameplate values. If a problem is found the generator should be inspected for the cause of the discrepancies. Typical problems that may exist are 1) shorts to the stator or rotor core, 2) shorts between coils either within the same phase or between phases, 3) coils wound with the improper
gauge wire, 4) loose or corroded connections. Until the resistance measurement is acceptable, further testing will not be useful. Normally, a standard volt/ohm meter is adequate for a simple check, but either a dedicated low-resistance meter or a Wheat-stone bridge might be necessary depending on the configuration of the machine. However, this test only shows the static state of the windings and does not stress or analyze the condition of the insulation system.
Fiberglass Recycling Alternatives specializes in the recycling and repurposing of wind turbine blades, tower sections, nacelles, frames and hubs. Fiberglass Recycling Alternatives is a sister company to Rugged Rock Inc., we have worked in many places around the U.S. We have worked in a variety of conditions, from the cold and snow of North Dakota to the heat of Corpus Christie, TX. We pride ourselves in our reputation for cleaning up the worksite after the job is complete.
Surge Comparison TestingThe normal advanced test for analyzing the insulation integrity is performed by electrically stressing the insulation above normal operating voltage levels and at very high pulse rate. The resulting wave forms are captured on a digital oscilloscope and any anomalies between phases of the circuit are compared. This surge comparison testing can be performed manually; however, automated test equipment with digital reporting is available and is highly recommend-ed. This is not a trending test, nor does it answer all of the possible questions, but it provides a snapshot of the current condition that can support a decision to remove the genera-tor or motor for repair or replacement.
High Potential TestingIf testing is required to make an immediate decision regarding replacement of a generator, high voltage testing, normally DC high potential testing, is useful, but care should be taken as insulation weaknesses (cracking, contamination, carbon tracking, etc.) can be advanced to failure. Some-times referred to as over-potential testing, the “hi-pot” test is designed to stress the electrical insulation beyond its normal operating voltages to expose potential failures at a convenient time. The DC test methods are described in IEEE Standard 95. Trending is possible with this test as it can often show current leakages before reaching an actual failure point, but it probably should be used sparingly and only if the site is prepared to replace the machine.
Step Over-Voltage TestUsing the same equipment as the high potential test, the step over-voltage test stresses the insulation at rising levels of voltage over a set time scale. This is a very useful trending test and can be used in periodic predictive maintenance test-ing. The same concerns exist as for high potential testing.
ConclusionsAll good testing stratagems are designed to assure the profit-ability of the operation. Periodic electrical testing, vibration testing and alignment of the drive train are time consum-ing operations and are sometimes difficult to perform on a regular basis. However, the cost of unplanned outages including cranes, staffing and emergency generator repairs can also dramatically affect the bottom line. Good planning, proper testing and clear decisions regarding the condition of the equipment will always pay off with reduced overall maintenance costs.
Up-Tower Electrical Testing
Following safe work practices concerning electrical devices, whether in operation or under test, is paramount.
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formerly named PTT Wind Productsformerly named PTT Wind Products
Can you tell us a little bit about Avanti’s history in the wind energy industry?Avanti was established in 1885 and has more than 125 years of experi-ence with ladders.
Avanti started off with production of wooden ladders and was a pioneer in the industry.
Since then the product range has been extended to include ladders made of aluminum and fiberglass. It was the aluminum ladder that intro-duced Avanti to the wind industry in Denmark 30 years ago.
Today, the principal product range of Avanti consists of safety systems, internals for wind turbine towers, and technical services supported through our Avanti production and service business units in Denmark, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Spain, Brazil, Australia, India, and China.
How would you describe Avanti’s commitment to safety?Our mission at Avanti is “Safe work in wind turbines.” We are 100 per-cent committed to safety first in ev-erything we do as we serve the wind industry through the development of systems, product and services.
How does that philosophy play out in the safety training Avanti offers?The majority of our products are safety products and a human life depends on its performance. As such it is imperative to support the user with safety training in how to inspect, use, and troubleshoot the installed product.
Authorities having jurisdiction in the country or state typically demand this safety training and as a minimum, annual inspection of all safety products.
One example is wind turbine elevators, where it is required for the technician to have documented training prior to the use the elevator or lift.
The same applies for pre-use, use and annual inspections of the PPE fall protection equipment on the lad-der or the rescue gear carried by the technician.
Different levels of safety training are available through online, open courses and closed courses at Avanti with focus on fall protection, rescue and evacuation training as well as specific product training.
Is there a difference between a service lift and a work cage?It is important to first understand that every country and every state have a different opinion about what this device is called. For the longest time, work cages, man lifts, material lifts, service lifts all referenced the same product depending on the manufacturer of the product.
Over the last few years however, ASME and AWEA have taken an ac-tive role through various committee work to develop a standard specif-ically for the U.S. and Canadian mar-
ket called Wind Turbine Elevators A17.1.5.11. This ASME code will affect the wind industry positive-ly by defining clearly the product safety requirements to ensure code compliance and easier permitting.
Now that we have better defined the product as a Wind Turbines Ele-vator (WTE) you can split that into three categories depending on how the product is installed inside the OEM’s wind tower design. You will find that some WTE’s are wire guid-ed, ladder guide or based on a rack and pinion system. All three options are available through Avanti.
What sets Avanti apart from the long list of other companies offering PPE?There are many different PPE dis-tributors promoting different brands. Some of these many brands are pri-vate label products made by the same manufacturer. You will however find that behind many of these brands are a few large fall protection and PPE manufacturers. When researching product amongst these manufactur-ers it is important to ensure that all the relevant standards are met and can be used in multiple jurisdic-tions as technicians are traveling from project to project, country to country.
Avanti, as a global manufacturer of PPE and fall protection systems, de-velops and tests against all relevant standards in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Australia, Germany, and the U.K. I know that not all technicians travel, but if a product is developed with a global mindset that not only fulfills the US/CAN Standard, but also more difficult criteria from a different country, then you end up with a safer product.
Kent Pedersengeneral Manager Avanti Wind Systems @AvantiWSH
Beyond lifts and fall protec-tion, the company offers safety inspections and certification services. Can you talk about these services?As I mentioned before, depending on the jurisdiction and the safety equipment pre-use, semi-annual or annual inspection must take place to ensure the continued safe use and compliance of the safety prod-uct. Here in the US, this is clearly defined through OSHA, ANSI and ASME.
Through our Avanti Service Group we provide One-Stop-Shop safety inspections that include the Wind Turbine Elevator, Ladder and Fall Protection, Fire Extinguisher, Safety Gear, PPE and Anchor Points in addition to the relevant Safety Training. The benefit to the Wind Farm owner/operator is improved
uptime as fewer contractors inter-rupt the turbine availability during multiple visits. It also reduces mo-bilization costs as more services are completed through one trip to the tower. Let’s not forget the compli-ance aspect, it allows the owner of the wind farm to obtain and store all the relevant inspection forms and certifications from one inspection and training company versus many contractors.
What can you tell us about Avanti’s tower internals?The trend in the wind industry is fewer suppliers handling a larger scope, typically referred to as a tower internals kit set. At Avanti we have invested heavily in manufacturing equipment to not only manufacture tower internals in Aluminum and Galvanized steel but also the large
logistical setup to handle +1500 line items per tower. A tower internals kit set scope includes everything from zip ties and labels to light fixture, power cables, platforms and ladders.
Wind turbine OEMs are concerned about the cost and quality of the tower internals. By consolidating scope, we can leverage our purchas-ing power, saving the OEMs and tower manufacturers money while improving lead time and reducing productivity loss.
Being a tower internals kit set supplier is more than being a metal fabricator. It is also about supporting the OEMs and tower manufacturers through optimizing tower internals design; cost out projects, improved cash flow; installation efficiency training; and in some cases, com-pleting the actual installation during peak production.
Ampair to acquire Westwind Ampair, the dorset (UK)-based wind turbine manufacturer, is pleased to announce that it is in exclusive negotiations to acquire Westwind, the Belfast-based wind turbine manufacturer. Ampair, with over 40-years’ experience, is the UK’s oldest manufacturer of wind turbines. Westwind relocated from Australia to the UK several years ago and now offers the widest range of McS certified turbines of any manufacturer.
Ampair’s managing director da-vid Sharman said “this acquisition immediately enables us to offer a wind turbine solution from 100W through to 20kW, which is a unique position and which will be to the benefit of our worldwide client base. Ampair’s smaller turbines and Westwind’s larger McS-certi-fied turbines neatly span the full range.”
RtS signs on to become UK service provider for Vensys German turbine manufacturer ven-sys and UK engineering services supplier rTS international have announced their UK framework agreement.
rTS has been chosen to become the UK Service Provider for vensys. rTS will undertake the project management of the erection pro-cess as well as the on-going service requirements for vensys turbines at onshore locations throughout the UK.
“We are delighted to be part-nering with vensys to deliver our installation and maintenance services across the UK,” vensys managing director chris Palmer said. “We installed the very first UK vensys 1.5MW turbine in Kings Lynn at the start of october and this announcement today marks the start of what we expect to be a very successful and long-term partnership.”
eneRCOn installs prototype e-115 turbine in northern germany EnErcon recently installed a prototype of its iEc class iia wind turbine in northern Germany and launched operations according to schedule.
The prototype is perched on a precast concrete tower at a hub height of 135 meters, but is also available with towers ranging from 92 to 149 meters (hub height). Thanks to its performance-optimized blade design and a rotor diameter of 115 meters, the E-115 generates high yield even in the partial load range making the new series a profitable choice also for inland sites with slightly less wind.
This new turbine type aligns with EnErcon’s current MW-class mod-els. Up until now, the top selling product was the E-101/3 MW machine with a rotor diameter of 101 meters.
“The demand for this category of wind turbine is high. And customers now have another turbine to choose from featuring technical innova-tions such as the divided rotor blade concept for optimized logistics,” said EnErcon Sales director Stefan Lütkemeyer.
At a typical inland site with average wind speeds of 6.5 m/s at 149 meter hub height, the E-115 can generate an annual output of roughly 9.3 million kilowatt hours—an increase of 14 percent compared to the E-101. Expected availability for the E-115 is the middle of this year.
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windsystemsmag.com 21
Wind turbines are the one component that wind farms simply cannot do without. More than 100 wind turbine manufacturers exist globally, offering as many 1,000 turbine models. No single turbine is the right fit for every application.
In the following pages, Wind Systems has compiled news, turbine models, and general specifications from common utility-scale wind turbine manufacturers, in its inaugural Turbine Directory.
Ten turbine manufacturers were selected for this directory, based on U.S. wind energy capacity installed during 2012* (Source: AWEA U.S. Wind Industry An-nual Market Report Year End 2012). Technical spec-ifications were taken from manufacturers’ literature or otherwise provided by the manufacturers. Readers should contact the turbine manufacturer directly for complete specifications.
* companies with top-ten 2012 market share that have ceased manufacture of new wind turbines were not included in this directory.
Turbine Directory
22 JanUary | 2014
ge energyGeneral Electric’s onshore wind turbine portfolio consists of five models ranging from 1.7 to 3.2 MW, with various configurations to meet project requirements. GE is the top wind turbine manufacturer in the U.S., with 3,003 turbines (5,014 MW) installed during 2012, accounting for a 38.2 percent market share. GE turbines account for more than 24 GW of installed wind power capacity in the U.S.
ge’s 2.5-120 turbine now operating commercially at german siteTwo months after the completion of installation, the first GE 2.5-120 wind turbine has been put into
commercial operation in Schnaittenbach, a town in Bavaria, Germany. The 2.5-120 produces approximately
8,000-megawatt hours a year, which is equivalent to the required average energy needs of about 2,000 German households. The investor and operator of this project is Max Bögl Wiesner GmbH.
By choosing GE’s new 2.5-120 turbine, Max Bögl Wiesner GmbH made a decision for today’s most efficient inland wind turbine worldwide. GE’s goal was to facilitate the generation of wind energy in densely wooded regions with low wind intensity such as the oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate area). The 2.5-120 meets these requirements and ad-ditionally contributes to the successful implementation
of the “Energiewende” on a regional level.
The turbine’s advanced con-trols, paired with the 120-me-ter rotor and a specially engineered hybrid tower with a hub height of 139 meters, al-low for a more efficient energy output. The 2.5-120 is GE’s first brilliant wind turbine to utilize the power of the indus-trial internet. The industrial internet uses data analysis to connect machines and equip them with intelligence, helping to position each one for enhanced performance. The 2.5-120 analyzes tens of thousands of data points every second to drive higher output and improve services produc-tivity, ultimately helping to manage wind’s variability.
(518) 385-2211
www.ge-energy.com/wind gepowerandwater
@GE_EnergyGE Energy1 River RdSchenectady, NY 12345
ge Wind tURBineS
1.7-100 1.85-82.5 1.85-87 2.5-120 3.2-103
Rated Power (kW) 1700 1850 1850 2500 3200
Wind Class (ieC) S (~iiiB) S (~iiB) S iii/diBt type Class S iib
@SuzlonSuzlon Wind Energy Corporation8750 W Bryn Mawr Ave Ste 720Chicago, IL 60631
SUzLOn tURBine mOdeLS
S52 S66 mARK ii S82 S88 S95 S97
rated Power (kW) 600 1,250 1,500 2,100
Wind Class (ieC) iia iiia iiia iia iia iiia
Cut-in Wind speed (m/s) 4 3.5
Cut-out Wind speed (m/s) 25 20 25 20
rotor Diameter (m) 52 66 82 88 95 97
Hub Height (m) 75 74.5 76.8 80,100 80, 90, 100
swept area (m2) 2,124 3,421 5,281 6,082 7,085 7,386
generator Type single speed induction generator
(asynchronous)
Dual speed in-duction generator
(asynchronous)
induction generator with slip rings, variable rotor
resistances
asynchronous 3 phase induction generator with slip rings operated with rotor circuit
inverter system (Dfig)
rated voltage (v) 690
Drivetrain gearbox, one planetary stage and two helical stages
SuzlonThe Suzlon Group (India) is among the largest wind turbine suppliers in the world. The company has installed more than 22 GW of wind energy globally. In 2012, Suzlon installed 187 MW in the U.S., accounting for a 1.4 percent market share. The company’s cumulative installation in the U.S. at the end of 2012 was 2,685 MW. Su-zlon also owns turbine manufacturer Repower (see page 30).
704.872.8888820 Cochran Street • Statesville, NC 28677
Gould & Eberhardt is a pioneer in high-speed gear gashing with large diameter carbide-inserted cutters. Our new line of machines has a rigid design and heads engineered with state of the art gear gashing cutter technology. Gear gashing technology has opened many gear cutting applications in wind energy, mining, off-highway construction and other coarse pitch gearing.
Our gasher/hobbers are equipped with the new G&E interchangeable cutter head design. This design provides the option for both internal and external heads on a single column machine with capacities up to 5.5 meters.
Siemens, dOng energy reach deal on 582 mW german north Sea offshore projectsSiemens recently announced it will supply 97 wind turbines, each with a rating of six megawatts and a rotor diameter of 154 meters, to the danish energy provider donG Energy. The total capacity for the Gode Wind 1 and Gode Wind 2 projects is 582 MW, enough to supply around 600,000 German households with eco-friendly power.
The Gode Wind 1 (252 MW) and Gode Wind 2 (330 MW) wind power plants will be erected off the north Sea island of Juist, around 45 kilometers from the German coast in water depth of up to 34 meters. This will mark the first time that Siemens will be supplying its new 6 MW wind turbines for offshore in Germany. Siemens will also service the wind turbines for a pe-riod of five years. construction is planned to begin in the first half of 2015, with commissioning scheduled for the second half of 2016.
“offshore wind energy is a vital contributing factor to the success of the energy transition in Germany,” stated Markus Tacke, Siemens wind power division cEo. “only at sea can wind projects of a performance category equivalent to major power plants be erected in Germany. offshore wind energy will also act as a stabilization factor in the German energy mix. offshore wind power plants produce electricity on more than 340 days per year, thanks to stable wind conditions at sea.”
Siemens is at the front of the market for offshore wind power plants, for grid connection and for off-shore wind service. To date, the company has installed wind turbines with a total capacity of 3.9 gigawatts (GW) at sea worldwide. Siemens currently has orders for offshore projects with a capacity of around 5 GW in the books.
“despite the fact that offshore wind energy is quite a new technology, we are making great advances. in the coming ten years we intend to reduce costs by up to 40 percent,” declared Mr. Tacke. “To accomplish this, it is essential that we have clearly defined and reliable framework conditions for the expansion of offshore wind power in Germany.”
SiemenS d6 PLAtFORm
SWt-6.0-154
Rated Power (kW) 6,000
Wind Class (ieC)
Cut-in Wind Speed (m/s) 3–5
Cut-out Wind Speed (m/s) 25
Rotor diameter (m) 154
Hub Height (m) Site-specific
Swept Area (m2) 18,600
generator type Synchronous permanent magnet
Rated Voltage (V) 690
drivetrain direct drive
SiemensSiemens ranked second among turbine manu-facturers in 2012 U.S. installed capacity (2,638 MW, 20.1 percent share), and cumulatively had installed more than 8.5 GW in the U.S. as of 2012. The company is also a leader among manufacturers in the European offshore market. Recently, Siemens landed the largest single turbine order in history (1,050 MW) from MidAmerican Energy (see page 9).
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SiemenS d3 PLAtFORm
SWt–2.3–113 SWt–3.0–101 SWt–3.0–108 SWt–3.0–113
Rated Power (kW) 2,300 3,000
Wind Class (ieC)
Cut-in Wind Speed (m/s) 3 3–5
Cut-out Wind Speed (m/s) 25
Rotor diameter (m) 113 101 108 113
Hub Height (m) 99.5 or site specific 47.5, 79.5, 89.5, 94, 99.5 79.5 79.5, 92.5, 99.5, 122, 142
Drivetrain gearbox, two planetary stages and one helical stage
VeStAS V164-8.0 mW
rated Power (kW) 8,000
Wind Class (ieC) s
Cut-in Wind speed (m/s) 4
Cut-out Wind speed (m/s)
rotor Diameter (m) 164
Hub Height (m)
swept area (m2) site specific
generator Type permanent magnet
rated voltage (kv) 33-35 or 66
Drivetrain
VestasVestas ranks second in the United States in terms of cumulative installed capacity (11.3 GW as of 2012), and accounted for more than 1.8 GW of U.S. installations in 2012.
Vestas and enel green Power ink deal for 350 mW, plan for order of additional 636 mwvestas will supply 75 v100-2.0 MW turbines for the 150 MW origin wind power plant in oklahoma. vestas and EGP-nA also have signed an agreement for up to an additional 836 MW worth of 2 MW turbines of which 200 MW is firm. deliveries for origin are expected to occur midyear, followed by commissioning by the end of december.
“We’re thankful to work again with a major global company like Enel which has a proven track record of building successful wind-energy
projects in this country,” said chris Brown, Pres-ident of vestas’ sales and service division in the United States and canada.
vestas’ factories in colorado will be involved in manufacturing blades, nacelles and towers for the 350 MW order. To meet customer demand, vestas is adding more workers at three of its colorado factories—the blade factory in Windsor as well as the blade and nacelle factories in Brighton. vestas is recruiting now and expects to add hundreds of production workers in the first half of 2014 in Windsor and Brighton, primarily at the two blade factories. interested candidates can apply at ElwoodWindJobs.com.
Hub Height (m) site specific 84, 94 (ieC iia); 119, 140 (iiia)
site spe-cific
91.5, 116.5 117 (iiib); 137 (iiia)
swept area (m2) 8,659 9,852 10,751 12,469
generator Type
rated voltage (v)
Drivetrain gearbox, two planetary stages and one helical stage
(202) 955-0093 vestas
www.vestas.com @Vestas
Vestas
Vestas American Wind Technology, Inc. 1417 NW Everett StreetPortland, OR 97209
The origin project will include a three-year Active output Management (AoM) 5000 service agreement. AoM 5000 is an energy-based availability guarantee that ensures the turbines are operational when the wind is blowing. This service option includes the vestasonline surveillance system that remotely controls and monitors the turbines and predicts potential wear-and-tear issues. This allows vestas to plan maintenance so the turbines operate with the minimum amount of lost production.
vestas has previously supplied wind turbines to Enel for three U.S. projects, most recently the 200 MW caney river wind power plant in Kansas that was commissioned in 2011.
EGP-nA, part of Enel Green Power, is a leading owner and operator of renewable energy plants in north America with projects operating or under development in 21 U.S. states and two canadian provinces.
Hub Height (m) 81, 95, 120, 140 80–94; also project-specific
95, 120, 140
swept area (m2) 12,868 13,685
generator Type Permanent magnet synchronous generater with independent modules in parallel
generator output (v) 690
Drivetrain gearbox; 2 planetary stages
Gamesa to supply Gestamp Wind 128 MW for five wind projects in BrazilGamesa has signed a supply agree-ment under which it will supply 128 MW of its turbines to a Brazilian wind farm complex being developed by Gestamp Wind, the wind energy subsidiary of Gestamp renewables, in Lagoa nova in the state of rio Grande do norte. The development encompasses five wind farms: San-tana i (20 MW), Santana ii and iii (30 MW each), Lanchinha (28 MW) and Pelado (20 MW).
The scope of the agreement includes the manufacture, supply, transport, installation and commis-sioning of 64 G97 wind turbines, each with unit capacity of 2.0 MW, as well as the complex’s foundations civil works. The wind turbines are scheduled for delivery throughout the year, and the facility is expected to be commissioned at the end of this year. Gamesa will also maintain the facility’s services for 10 years.
Gamesa has secured supply contract for over 1,000 MW in Brazil, in less than two years. As of last Sep-tember, Gamesa had already installed 394 MW of capacity in Brazil, one of the company’s priority markets in the short and medium term.
supply agreement in TurkeyGamesa and Gestamp Wind have also entered into another agreement under which the former will supply the latter 10 MW of wind turbines for a
gamesa Spanish turbine manufacturer Gamesa—celebrating 20 years in the wind energy industry this year—ranks fourth among total installed U.S. wind energy capacity (3.9 GW, 2012).
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gAmeSA 2.0–2.5 mW CLASS
g80 g87 g90 g97 g114
rated Power (kW) 2,000 2,000 2,500
Wind Class (ieC) ia ia, iia ia, iia iia, iiia iia, iiia iia
project in Turkey. The company will install and commission five G90-2.0 MW turbines at the Adares wind farm, which Gestamp is developing in a joint venture with Faik celik
in Selçuk, in the province of izmir. Gamesa will maintain these turbines for 10 years. This facility is slated for com-pletion during the second half of this year.
REpower receives turbine orders totaling 266 MW for 24 German community wind farmsrEpower Systems SE, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Suzlon Group, has signed contracts to deliver 103 wind turbines with a total capacity of over 266 MW for 24 community wind farm projects in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germa-ny. The contracts were concluded with different contractors who were previously represented by a purchasing association.
rEpower signed a primary memoran-dum with the purchasing association, “Schleswig-Holstein GmbH Wind,” in december 2012. This memorandum assured the participants from 52 projects
in Schleswig-Holstein binding conditions in a model contract. The participants could choose the appropriate offer from the final negotiated contracts of four different manufacturers for their own location. rEpower has won 55 percent of all potential wind turbines for itself in this process.
The projects will employ various types of turbines from the MM82 with a 59 meter hub height, to the 3.2M114 with a hub height of 93 meters. Eleven wind tur-bines of the signed projects are already in the implementation phase and are to be
commissioned quickly. The other projects will be completed by 2015.
“With these contracts, we are significantly expanding our position in northern Germany,” said Andreas nauen, cEo of rEpower Systems SE. “This is only possible because we have a suitable turbine for each individual site in our product portfolio, from Lübke-Koog in the far north, to near Fehmarn in the east of Schleswig-Holstein, and also because we have the ability to implement the interests of customers optimally with our staff on site.”
RepowerREpower, a subsidiary of Suzlon, accounted for 595 MW of installations in the U.S. during 2012. The company is undergoing rebranding efforts this year, and will then be known as Senvion. (Editor’s note: Rebranding efforts had not been completed at press time. All references to REpower apply to the wind turbine manufacturer.)
Acciona’s 3MW platform issued seven GL design/type certificatesGL renewables certification, issued seven new certificates for different models of AccionA Windpower’s 3 MW AW 3000 turbine.
With these new certificates, Acciona Windpower now has 15 awarded for its 3 MW platform, a range of turbines for which the company has supplied or has orders for over 1,300 MW.
Specifically, GL renewables certification issued the design certificate for the AW 125/3000 iEc iiia wind turbine, with a 125 meter rotor, 120 meter concrete tower and
61.2 meter blade, for grids of 50 and 60 Hz. This model is specially adapted for sites with low wind speeds.
GL has also given the Type certificate for another six models of the AW 116/3000 turbine with a 116 meter rotor. Apart from validating the design, this certificate indi-cates that AWP has a quality management system according to the iSo 9001 stan-dard, that the manufacture of the main components of the turbine is done in line with the highest quality standards, and that the turbine is capable of passing
the prototype tests defined in current standards.
The Type certificate has been awarded to the models of the AW 116/3000 for 120 meter (hub height) concrete tower and for 92 meter tubular steel tower. Acciona Windpower also holds Type certificates for three other turbine models offered on its 3MW platform: the AW 100/3000 iEc ia (100-meter rotor), the AW 109/3000 iEc iia (109-meter rotor), and the AW 116/3000 iEc iia (116-meter rotor)— all mounted on 100-meter concrete towers.
AccionaAcciona Energy has the unique business model of not only being a wind turbine manufacturer, but also a wind farm developer. The company has developed more than 8 GW of wind globally. Acciona turbines accounted for 195 MW of capacity in 2012. Cumulatively, the company has 908 MW of installations in the U.S. (2012).
mitsubishiMitsubishi Power Systems, a division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has been involved in the development and manufacture of wind turbines since 1980. At the end of 2012, the company’s turbines account for nearly 3.9 GW of total U.S. installed capacity.
Nordex extends “Generation Delta” with the addition of the N131/3000 for light-wind sitesnordex SE is extending the “Gen-eration delta” turbine platform launched in spring 2013 with the addition of a turbine for light-wind locations. With the n131/3000, customers will not only be able to choose from strong and moder-ate-wind turbines but now also from a highly efficient system specially designed for iEc-3 locations. The n131/3000 combines the proven ad-vantages of the high efficiency and low sound power levels of the Gen-
eration Gamma’s n117/2400 turbine with the benefits of a high nominal output and the technical advances of the delta platform.
A special feature of the n131/3000 is the substantially larger rotor. With rotor blades measuring 64.4 metres in length, the rotor diameter is 14 metres larger, thus producing a close to 26 percent increase in rotor sweep. This sweep plays a key role for energy yield. For this reason, the n131/3000 will achieve substan-
tially improved project economics compared with existing turbines particularly at light-wind locations. The n131/3000 can derive up to 28.6 percent more yield from sites charac-terized by lighter winds. The reason for this is that nordex also has raised the nominal output of this product for locations with wind speeds of less than 7.5 m/s by 25 percent to 3.0 MW.
nordex is offering the n131/3000 on tubular steel towers with a hub
nordexGerman turbine manufacturer Nordex has nearly three decades of experience in wind industry, amassing a global installed capacity of more than 9 GW. In 2012, U.S. developers installed 111 Nordex turbines, accounting for 274 MW of installed capacity.
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windsystemsmag.com 35
height of 99 and 114 metres for international markets. The target markets for the n131/3000 are central Europe, Scandinavia and Turkey, as well as selected regions in Africa and the Americas.
one particular advantage of the turbine is the low operating sound power level. At nominal power, it achieves a sound power level of only 104.5 dB (A) — an advantage in densely populated regions or at noise-critical locations. A range of noise-optimised operating modes make it possible to run the turbine specifically meeting the requirements of those locations and so to reduce emissions even further.
The n131/3000 is based on the technical platform used in Generation delta. All relevant certificates and docu-ments required to apply for building permits have been available for the moderate-wind turbine n117/3000 and the strong-wind version n100/3300 since summer 2013. The first three Generation delta turbines are in operation in Germany and denmark. in Finland, two further cold-cli-mate turbines were recently installed.
The first light-wind n131/3000 turbine is to be in-stalled in the fourth quarter of 2014. Series production of the turbine is scheduled for 2015.
Goldwind breaks into Romanian, Eastern European markets Goldwind recently announced the first successful installation of its 2.5 MW PMdd wind turbine, as part of a 50 MW turbine supply contract with the romanian company Mireasa Energies S.r.L. The installation also
marks the first chinese wind turbine in romania as well as Eastern Euro-pean Market.
The Mireasa project is located in constanta, romania’s second largest harbor city. The city is on the west
coast of the Black Sea—170 kilome ters east of the capital city of Bucha-rest. The constanta region is one of the country’s most prosperous areas.
constanta has several benefits, including a temperate climate with an average annual temperature of about 10 degrees celsius, annual rainfall of 600 to 800 millimeters, and the main attraction for electric generation is its abundant wind.
Goldwind customized its per-manent-magnet direct-drive wind turbine to optimize its operating performance for local conditions in constanta—a standard practice for the company’s installations. The objectives are to make the best use of the wind resources and to provide the most durable long-life performance for each installation, given the loca-tion’s environment.
Twenty Goldwind 2.5 MW wind turbines were expected to be shipped to romania by the end of 2013. The turbine installations and connections to the local electric grid are to be completed in June. Monsson Alma, a local wind power developer in roma-nia, will operate the wind farm.
gW 2.5mW
gW 90 gW 100 gW109
rated Power (kW) 2500
Wind Class (ieC) iia iiia iia / iiia
Cut-in Wind speed (m/s) 3
Cut-out Wind speed (m/s) 25
rotor Diameter (m) 90 100 109
Hub Height (m) site specific
swept area (m2) 6,316.7* 7,854* 9,331.3*
generator Type Multi-pole synchronous, permanent magnet excitation
generator output (v) 690
Drivetrain Direct Drive
Goldwind recently announced the installation of its 2.5MW PMdd turbine, a scale model of which is seen here, in romania, marking the first chinese wind turbine installation in Eastern Europe.
goldwindHeadquartered in China, Goldwind’s entire wind turbine portfolio takes advantage of permanent magnet direct drive technology. Globally, the company has an installed capacity of more than 15 GW. In 2012, the U.S. market installed 155 MW of the company’s turbines.
generator Type Multi-pole synchronous, permanent magnet excitation
generator output (v) 620 (air-cooled) or 690 (water-cooled)
Drivetrain Direct drive
6th annual
Wind Energy Operations & Maintenance Summit USAApril 15-16, 2014 | Hyatt Regency North Dallas, Texas
Enhance Performance, Extend Asset Lifetime and Minimize your Risk on O&M ExpenditureThe Wind O&M Summit is the industries most anticipated and influential business conference & exhibition in the O&M industry. Since its initiation in 2009 it has attracted over 1,500 delegates from over 400 companies, 80 exhibitors and sponsors from 28 different countries. Now in its 6th year it promises to be the only event you will need to attend in 2014 to do business, establish your O&M strategy and cement your name in the industry.
Key topics to be discussed at the O&M Summit 2014:Reducing Cost of Operational Maintenance | Optimizing ProductionMain Component Strategy | Retrofitting and Asset Life ExtensionData Gathering and Analysis | Health and SafetyStrategic Solutions for Post Warranty Management
For more information:Visit www.windenergyupdate.com/operations-maintenance-usa, call 1-800-814-3459, ext. 7537 or send an e-mail to Elizabeth Demestihaat [email protected].
Register by 25th of January to save $100 on your pass.
Use code WSM100 & register here: http://goo.gl/mqOlUx
40 James Fisher renewables launches offshore oil change system using Sage oil vac technology
Thermal imaging cameras are devices that can show you the differences in the amount of heat that is radiating off of a surface. The image shown on the screen of a thermal imaging camera typically shows the shape of the items that the camera is pointed at on the viewing screen in shades of colors. Usually hottest components are displayed in the brightest of colors. The color spectrum often displays white or bright yellow as the hot point, and the colors progressively become darker—from bright reds, to darker reds, to “cooler” colors such as dark blue or black—as the temperature of the displayed item decreases. A brighter, lighter color indicates a hotter temperature.
These cameras have become much more affordable in the past few years. Also, as is the case with regular point and shoot digital cameras, almost everyone can use a thermal imaging camera with some degree of success.
My first exposure (no pun intended) to thermal cameras was in the military when we were taught a class in which we were shown the difference be-tween starlight scopes and thermal im-aging scopes. Back then, this camera’s
capability made it a very expensive technology that only the military and few others used.
That’s not the case today. Even bottom-dollar cameras can give you information that isn’t available with the naked eye. Every electrical main-tenance team should have at least one thermal camera. It would be extremely improbable for a team to not find in-dications of at least one problem upon the first scan of a wind farm while using the device. Today’s thermal cam-eras are as simple as “point-and-shoot,” and many have “live” action screens that allow you to continually scan through components in an electrical panel. The camera will allow you to take snapshots or video with notes of items that are suspiciously hot or don’t seem right.
The best time to perform thermal scans with your thermal imaging camera is during high production pe-riods. This is when your wind turbine equipment is working at its maximum. Scans of electrical connections, con-tactors, magnetic coils (such as those found on solenoids and main line con-tactors) will show you a world of items at different temperatures—through a world of different colors.
Other items to scan are reactive power supplying capacitors, control transformers, pumps, and cooling sys-tem components. You can scan pretty much anything. Taking a camera up tower with you will help you identify hot spots in controller cabinets, warm bearings, and hot and cool spots throughout the nacelle. Suspicious warm spots in faulty battery banks will show loose connections or bad batteries. You will find that unusually warm power electronic components
or faulty cooling systems will show temperature differences. All of these thermal signatures will have a normal color pattern that you can become familiar with. When something is not of the norm, you can further trouble-shoot to discover if there is a problem or not. The advantage of performing these scans is that you can stop and prevent a thermal failure of a com-ponent or electrical connection. As stated in the last maintenance article, electrical connections can loosen from thermal cycling and/or vibrations, contactors can wear, relay coils fail, and with this thermal imaging device, you may find signs of these impend-ing failures before they happen. This allows you to take what you learned from the thermal imaging scan and replace or repair before a surprise failure.
There are experts who specialize in thermal imagery. Even so, nearly anyone can use a thermal imaging camera, but only those trained to work in the wind turbine—specifically those trained to work within the electrical control panels—should have access to do so. Arc flash dangers are always present and opening any panels with live electricity behind them is a seri-ous, and potentially dangerous, if not deadly action.
There is a way to make the thermal imaging scans of electrical systems safer for everyone. This method will even allow those who are not electri-cally astute to perform these scans of electrical components safely. The method includes the installation of visual ports called infrared windows (IR Windows) to scan electrical com-ponents. Basically, these are windows that are inserted into panel doors that
Thermal imaging scans provide personnel with an “inside advantage” in electrical maintenance tasks
James Fisher Renewables launches offshore oil change system using Sage Oil Vac technologyU.K. marine services provider James Fisher Renewables has launched an oil change system utilizing technology patented by Sage Oil Vac. The Ship-to-Turbine system is designed to improve speed and efficiency in offshore wind turbine gearbox oil changes.
The oil exchange pumping technology includes an on-board filtration system that filters new oil to ISO-approved levels. Fresh oil is also heated for easier flow during the exchange. Time savings are realized by vacuuming new oil directly from a bulk tote or barrel. The systems also allows for flush and/or rinse capabilities. Sage Oil Vac equipment sold in Europe features CE tanks for compliance with European Union safety and environmental requirements.
James Fisher Renewables launched the STT system in November, building on the successful use of the technology in onshore applications. A range of product variants were created specifically for offshore use. These variants were based on application-specific oil volumes, oil types, umbilical lengths and ease of mobilization, and protection from the marine environment.
HeAdLineSVestas approves first fill agreement for Castrol synthetic gear oilcastrol has signed a global three-year deal with denmark-based vestas Wind Sys-tems to deliver first and service fills for all of its new builds and existing turbines.it is projected that castrol will deliver in excess of 1.5 million liters per year under this deal. The agreement follows the full product approval for global use, which came after a three-year trial.
“This agreement is the result of a close collaboration with vestas using our exten-sive expertise to deliver the best result for the company,” John carey, vice president for castrol Lubricant’s business for aviation, industrial, marine, and energy said. “At castrol, working alongside our customers is key to developing solutions that are able to meet their needs, and castrol optigear Synthetic cT gear oil has been formulated specifically for use in wind turbine gear box applications.”
New ASTM Standard Test Method certifies capabilities of Spectro’s Fluid-Scan handheld infrared oil analyzerASTM international approved Test Method d7889, “Standard Test Method for Field determination of in-Service Fluid properties using ir Spectroscopy,” in october. The approval represents official confirmation that the FluidScan handheld infrared oil analysis technology from Spectro inc. meets ASTM guidelines for the analysis of in-service lubricants.
The FluidScan method provides direct, immediate measurement of multiple lubricant condition parameters via Spectro’s patented direct infrared Spectroscopy (dir) technology. dir operates without wet chemistry and requires no solvents; only one drop of oil is needed for analysis.
To gain certification of the FluidScan method as a worldwide fluid field analysis standard, Spectro worked with ASTM committee d02.96 for in-Service Lubricant Testing and condition Monitoring Services to develop the d7889 Standard Test Method.
Test Method d7889 specifically describes the way the FluidScan process mea-sures soot, anti-wear additive, oxidation, nitration and sulfation. Performance levels published in d7889 for those in-service fluid properties (measured by repeatability tests) show that FluidScan analysis provides the measurements at levels compa-rable to established FTir methods. in essence, the Test Method covers six existing FTir in-Service Test Methods for lubricant analysis. Additionally, d7889 discusses the use of a FluidScan device to provide acid/base data, water content and other relevant parameters, and also establishes ASTM guidelines for creating infrared calibrations.
allow you to thermally scan hazardous electrical com-ponents without exposing the inspection technician to the dangers associated with live components (electrical shock, arc flash, and arc blast). The IR window is designed to resist failure during an arc flash. During non-inspection times, it has a protective shutter installed. If these devices are installed on electrical
component doors and panels, the technician can remove the shutter on an IR window and perform a quick thermal scan any time he enters a tower, or is near a pad mount transformer. This allows you to make a thermal imaging scans a reg-ular and common practice. You will gain regular insight to the potential problems of loose connections or soon-to-fail equipment. This alone
is worth the cost of the in-stallation of these windows. Imagine the value of the added safety of preventing your people from being exposed to potentially dan-gerous arc flash situations. Typically these windows are placed so that you can scan through the window over most precious or vola-tile important connections and components—power electronic devices, electri-
cal buss bar connections, power connections, or any other areas that make sense to be able to monitor anytime you pass by with your camera. Adding the IR Windows is the wise and safe way to help collect thermal data without expo-sure to additional risk. You will be collecting data for the life of the wind farm. Work as safe as possible and prevent surprises.
Thermal imaging scans Cont’d from pg 38
MAINTENANCE
windsystemsmag.com 41
PROdUCt PRIMERLESS, OIL-TOLERANT LOCTITE THREADLOCKER STICKS CURE THROUGH CONTAMINANTSHenkel corporation has upgraded two Loctite® anaerobic thread-locker sticks to deliver advanced performance on oil-contaminat-ed surfaces without requiring primers or accelerators. Formulated as wax-like, semi-solid adhesives packaged in a self-feeding stick applicator, Loctite® 248TM and Loctite® 268TM Threadlocker Sticks are designed to securely lock and seal threaded assemblies, fill gaps between threads and prevent corrosion. delivering the same proven performance as liquid threadlockers, these convenient and portable products will not leak or drip when carried in a pocket, stored in a toolbox or used in an overhead application.
When Loctite® 248TM Medium Strength Blue Threadlocker Stick is applied to a threaded fastener, it can be disassembled using hand tools. This anaerobic adhesive is typically used for machine tools, presses, pumps, compressors, mounting bolts and gearbox-es that require maintenance or servicing.
Loctite® 268TM High Strength red Threadlocker Stick can be removed with localized heat and hand tools. designed for more permanent, heavy-duty applications, this adhesive is typically used on heavy equipment, suspension bolts, bearing cap bolts and studs, and motor, transmission or pump mounts.
For additional information and to request a sample, visit www.henkelna.com/sticks or call (800) 562-8483.
Availon selected by Energiequelle to maintain portion of German turbine fleetAvailon recently announced that it won a full mainte-nance contract for seven Vestas wind turbines. The German multi-brand service provider is taking over the full maintenance of seven out of a total of 12 Vestas V80 turbines in the Hakenstedt wind farm. The wind farm is located 30 kilo-meters west of Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
“The seven 2 MW tur-bines, were commissioned in 2003 and are to be main-tained by Availon for five years as part of the ‘Wind-Keeper Complete Modular’ full-maintenance package. The contracts (began) in mid-December 2013, initial-ly for two wind turbines and will then be extended to five further turbines at the start of March 2014,” comment-
ed Ulrich Schomakers and Markus Spitzer, Availon’s chief executives.
The contract, with an availability guarantee of 97 percent, includes the main-tenance of all wind turbines including the wear parts package occurring twice each year, full-time remote monitoring, oil change and unscheduled maintenance, amongst other things. Furthermore, the repair or replacement of individual wind turbine components, up to and including add-on parts for major components, is also included in the deal.
As part of the full main-tenance agreement, Availon will be collaborating with Energiequelle GmbH, a German renewable energy project developer and oper-ator based in Kallinchen, a
suburb of Zossen near Ber-lin, who will be responsible for the technical manage-ment of the wind turbines. In the area of wind energy, Energiequelle now controls the technical management of more than 600 turbines, predominantly in Germany.
“We have had previous positive experiences with
Availon over the past five years relating to another wind farm, with another type of turbines. That’s why we are looking forward to expanding the cooperation with Availon as part of further projects,” says Lars Schiller, head of technical management at Energi-equelle GmbH.
Marshall Wind Energy LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RPM Access LLC, has commenced construction of its 74 MW wind farm in Marshall County near Beattie, Kansas.
Since project initialization in 2009, local landowner and community enthusiasm coupled with mutually beneficial arrangements established with Marshall County have underpinned the ongoing success of this development effort.
Marshall Wind Energy executed a high voltage transmission interconnection agreement with Westar Energy and Southwest Power Pool in mid-2011. Under the terms of this arrangement, the two companies are coordinating their efforts to pursue all design, engineering and construction activities related to the Westar 115kV Marshall County Wind Farm Switching Station and the Marshall Energy Rock Substation. Energization is scheduled for August with wind farm commercial operations expected by year’s end.
A contract has also been signed with Mortenson Construction to provide balance-of-plant design and construction management activities. Marshall Wind has established a local business office in Beattie. An on-site construction management office and equipment have
been mobilized to support construction of access roads to wind turbine locations along with substation site grading and foundation work activities that are now underway.
Renewable energy generated by the project will be purchased by multiple entities via long-term contracts. In September, Marshall Wind signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for 20 MW with the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC). The project will qualify for current renewable production tax credits (PTCs). Located within the Southwest Power Pool market region, Marshall Wind in 2014 is positioned to offer for sale under long-term contract(s) the remaining available capacity.
The project is anticipated to create more than 150 jobs during the construction phase and approximately four permanent positions. The wind farm will also benefit the community by strengthening the local economy and providing a steady flow of revenue to Marshall County.
Marshall Wind Energy, Mortenson team up on 74 MW Kansas project
HeAdLineSEDF acquires 200 MW Texas project, starts constructionEdF renewable Energy has announced it has acquired the 200 MW Hereford 1 Wind Project in the Texas Panhandle from Lincoln renewable Energy and construction has commenced.
Encompassing approximately 15,000 acres in deaf Smith county, southeast of the town of Hereford, the project will take advantage of the crEZ (compet-itive renewable Energy Zone) transmission lines connecting the wind generating capacity of the Texas Panhandle to high electricity demand areas in the state. EdF renewable Energy has also secured a long-term, fixed-price hedge agreement for the expected energy production.
EdF renewable Energy presently has 561 MW of wind capacity either in construction or ready-to-build in the State of Texas.
RMT begins construction on Greenbriar Capital’s 80 MW Blue Mountain Project Greenbriar capital corp. an-nounced in december that it has commenced formal construction at its 80 MW Blue Mountain, Utah wind energy site. Blue Mountain is a fully contracted 80 MW wind energy project holding a 20-year energy sales agreement with Pacificorp, a subsidiary of Mid-American Energy Holdings company (itself 89 percent owned by Berkshire Hathaway).
construction has been awarded to rMT, inc. of Madison, Wisconsin, a subsidiary of iEA infrastructure and Energy Alter-natives, LLc of chicago. rMT is a world leader in renewable power engineering, procurement and construction services having built over 5,000 MW of renew-able energy facilities.
construction began decem-ber 9th and will qualify the project for Federal investment Tax credits.
Highest Reaching Aerialin North America • 328 ft. working height
For more than four decades, Bridgeview, Illinois-based Imperial Crane
Services, Inc. has valued safety above all else. After a positive reception at
Windpower 2013, the company is now setting its sights on wind energy.
Ron Selby compares the multiple departments that comprise Imperial to the
assorted components of a crane.“There are a multitude of com-
ponents required to put the cranes together, but a piece of the crane is just one part of the whole,” he said. “In the same way, our commitment to safety is just one component of our business. But it’s the most integral part.”
Safety is indeed a part of the culture at Imperial Crane Ser-vices, Inc. The company has not had a reportable accident in over six years, and it continues to provide safety trailers on all big project sites, as well as at its Brid-geview, Illinois home office. They provide training for pre-job hires (testing equipment, passing drug screens) all the way to rigging qualifications.
“It’s who we are. Every piece of equipment has ‘safety’ plastered all over it,” said Selby, the compa-ny’s sales director.
Imperial built a strong repu-tation for itself through more than four decades of experience in the manufacturing and heavy industries. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of crane and heavy lift equipment rentals and sales, as well as managed operational services. Imperial em-ploys 300 people in six locations stretching from Bridgeview to LaPorte, Texas.
Current projects are underway in 10 different states across the nation, and expand international-ly into Columbia and Russia.
But despite its global influence, Imperial remains a homegrown business. Beginning in Chicago, John Bohne worked to build what has become one of the largest crane companies in the world. Today, his son B.J. leads Imperial Crane Services as president and CEO. Selby says Imperial’s recent decision to enter the wind mar-ket came from its experience at Windpower 2013.
“Back in May, when the show came through, we just threw up a booth to see what would happen at the show,” Selby said.
What happened was an enthusi-astic response—which Selby attri-butes to Imperial’s international renown in the crane industry. “We found a lot of companies al-ready wanting to do business with us at the show in Chicago. We’re as excited as everybody else about the opportunities in wind energy. We want to go out and capture them. It’s just a matter of us going out, promoting what we’ve done, and continuing to build on that. I think success is going to follow us.”
Imperial’s stellar safety re-cord—with an impressively low EMR rating of 0.57—should prove to be another factor in industry response. “Our safety culture has
gotten us to where we are,” Selby said. “We work safely and provide current machinery with safe per-sonnel.”
It helps when you’re sporting a newer fleet of machines, too. “We’re showing up with new equipment,” Selby said, “usual-ly at a new site or a site where maintenance is being done within the first year. We do a tremendous amount of repeat business.
Imperial’s sales team concen-trates mainly on used equipment and distribution of that product throughout a given territory. “As you’re doing work around various parts of the country, you have to adapt to what the rates are across the country,” Selby said. “You have to have an ear to the ground to be able to be competi-tive. Somebody might be within a hundred miles, and we’re 500 miles away.”
One unique aspect of Impe-rial’s efforts to meet customer needs is its computerized, 3-D lift plan. With this technology, the company is able to give clients or potential clients precise visual representations of actual equip-ment and site conditions. Imperial can provide lift simulations from multiple angles, taking actual job-site conditions and obstructions into account.
“We offer customers a good design up-front,” Selby said. “Every crane we have goes into
Construction
By: Tim Byrd
imperial Crane
windsystemsmag.com 45
the computer, and we can actually show a customer how a lift is going to happen. If it involves air condi-tioning, vessels, turbines, or fans—whatever it is, we can incorporate that into our drawings to show them how our equipment is going to work in their work environment. If there’s any doubt, when we’re up against a competitor, we show them printed pictures of our equipment on their job site.”
When asked what sets Imperial apart from the competition, Selby cited a general commitment to excel-lence in all aspects of the company’s operations.
“We are dedicated to the highest standards in safety, service, and quality,” Selby said. “That commit-ment shows through our remarkable customer service, our state-of-the-art technology, and the safest equipment and procedures anywhere in the world. By constantly updating our equipment and procedures, we aim to be the safest crane service company in the world. We are the recipient of numerous safety awards each year from accredited organi-zations such as American Subcon-tractors Association, Three Rivers Manufacturer’s Association and Specialized Crane and Rigging Asso-ciation.”
It’s who we are. Every piece of equipment has ‘safety’ plastered all over it.
48 Shaft alignment system takes advantage of ioS platform
Coupled with the redesign of its website, AWS Truepower has revamped its online Knowledge Center—a virtual li-brary of articles, maps, videos, technical papers, and other resources of interest to renewable energy industries.
The company’s new website has undergone a significant overhaul, and now contains a greater volume of timely information, user-friendly navigation, as well as a new aesthetic design.
Online dashboards allow the user to view and download information interactively, anywhere they have an Internet connection.
Wind energy-specific dashboards include:
• Wind Site Assessment Dashboard, for resource maps and data
• Wind Data Management Dashboard, for wind moni-toring data
• Wind Forecasting Dashboard (to be added soon), pro-viding low-cost forecasts up to a week in advance
In addition, the website highlights AWS Truepower’s portfolio of software and consulting services.
AWS Truepower expands online Knowledge Center
INNOVATION
windsystemsmag.com 47
United Wind recently announced a partnership with Bergey WindPow-er. Under terms of the agreement, United Wind will be the exclusive provider of third-party financing op-tions to customers seeking to lower their electricity costs.
As part of the agreement, United Wind will lease Bergey WindPower’s BWC Excel 10 primarily to residen-tial and farm customers. The BWC Excel 10 is the best-selling turbine of its size class in the world and is known for its high reliability, low maintenance, and low wind speed performance.
“One of the major barriers for small property owners and farmers in adopting wind energy has been the initial capital equipment expens-es,” said United Wind President Tal Mamo, who in December discussed the lease program during Roches-ter Institute of Technology’s Wind Power Workshop. “By using new financing models, small property owners can now take advantage of wind turbines without the up-front equipment expenses, to leverage con-siderable energy cost savings.”
United Wind’s lease program offers significant savings made pos-sible by the first institutional capital investment tax equity commitment of $25 million from GSG Energy Finance. By targeting New York, Oregon, Massachusetts and Maryland states, United Wind can now effec-tively monetize the tax incentives created by these projects and realize significant savings for its customers.
United Wind plans to partner with CEC Energy and other experienced partners to handle the planning, construction, installation, permitting and ongoing maintenance of each
turbine—passing significant savings to property owners with suitable properties.
Additionally, by partnering with companies like Bergey—those familiar with the local requirements for distributed-scale wind turbines—United Wind anticipates helping in the creation of local job opportuni-ties.
“United Wind’s WindLease pro-gram will unlock a huge segment of our market that we’ve been missing,” said Mike Bergey, president of Bergey WindPower. “This is an exciting partnership for us and I believe a bright new day for the American small wind turbine industry.”
The company’s unique wind energy financing model for reducing upfront costs was highlighted at a recent U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2012 Market Report on Wind Technologies in Distributed Applica-tions report.
Underscoring the value of the WindLease program, U.S. Depart-ment of Energy highlighted United Wind’s energy financing programs within the organization’s 2012 Mar-ket Report on Wind Technologies in Distributed Applications report. The detailed report hails the company’s financing model for reducing upfront costs while underscoring the value of supporting the development of distributed wind projects in the rural and farm markets.
United Wind teams with Bergey to extend unique financing modelCompany aligns with leading distributed-scale turbine manufacturer to increase customer savings
Calculator App is all-in-onesolution forelectricalcontractorsCopper electrical wire and cable manufacturer Cerro Wire LLC, has introduced a powerful electri-cal calculations app for the iPhone and iPad, giving electrical contrac-tors instant access to an easy-to-use, all-in-one tool for computing field measurements.
Electrical contractors can calculate conduit fill, voltage drop, and amperage all within a single mobile app.
Using the conduit fill calculator, users can enter the type of con-ductor, the size of each conductor, the type of conduit being used, and the length of the conduit run, and the calculator will return the recommended conduit fill.
For voltage drop calculation, us-ers enter the length of the conduit run and the type of conductor, and the calculator will return the recommended conductor size based on NEC-recommended amperages.
The amperage calculator simpli-fies an NEC amperage chart into a convenient calculator.
The app can calculate voltage drop for 120V, 208V, 240V, 277V, and 480V voltages, as well as 277/480V and 120/280V 4-wire voltages. Calculations work for THHN/THWN, XHHW, or USE copper or aluminum conductors.
The conduit fill calculator applies to 14 AWG through 750 MCM conductor sizes, and works for EMT, ENT, FMC, IMC, PVC, Type EB PVC, LFNC-A, LFNC-B, LFMC, and RMC conduit types.
The amperage calculator can handle 14 AWG through 1000 MCM conductor sizes.
The app is currently available for download for the iOS platform. Cerro Wire hopes to expand the app to Android at a later date.
Greg Knitz, President of Alignment Supplies, Inc., announced today the North American launch of the ALiSENSOR® SHAFTLASER™, a completely revolution-ary new system for shaft alignment that combines all of the best aspects of Apple’s iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone with the most streamlined and easy-to-use shaft alignment interface ever developed. “ALiSENSOR has already revolutionized the world of geometric measure-ment with the ALiSENSOR Level,” said Mr. Knitz, “and now they have changed the game for laser shaft alignment users all over the world.” At only $4,890, Alignment Supplies expects that the ALiSENSOR SHAFTLASER will make cutting-edge, wireless laser shaft alignment affordable and accessible to everyone.
The ALiSENSOR SHAFTLASER features the most intu-itive shaft alignment interface ever developed - in a 3D layout with live alignment diagrams and Grad-uated Tolerance Control to show both acceptable and excellent tolerances. Vertical and Horizontal misalign-ment results are shown simulta-neously in a 3D view, making it easier to understand and correct due to this unique, yet common-sense layout. Like all ALiSENSOR products, all measurement program Apps, like Shaft Alignment and Soft Foot, are simply downloaded for free from the App Store.
The ALiSENSOR SHAFTLA-SER system consists of two wire-less, Bluetooth laser measuring units, pre-assembled on Versatile Shaft Brack-ets (with adaptable components for mounting with chains or magnets), extension rods, and more - all in a rugged, compact case. “Unlike shaft alignment systems where the computer display unit can cost thousands of dollars to replace, the ALiSENSOR SHAFTLASER can sim-ply use an iOS device like an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch by downloading the free App measurement programs,” said Knitz. The ALiSENSOR SHAFTLASER is part of the Industrial MFi (Made for iPad) program, a groundbreaking integration of the iPad and other iOS devices into industri-al-grade tools and equipment which has revolutionized the world of precision measurement systems and equipment.
The ALiSENSOR platform is developed by GLOi AB, a pioneering company in the Industrial MFi sphere head-quartered in Mölndal, Sweden. GLOi AB was founded by Nils Andersson, a recognized luminary of the laser align-ment industry, who originally founded both Fixturlaser AB
and Damalini AB, two of the biggest laser alignment and measurement companies in the world. Andersson, along with R&D / Embedded Systems Director Ali Chitsaz and a full team of Technical Design and Development veterans, have embraced the exceptional opportunities and possi-bilities of designing products directly for use with Apple’s iOS devices. GLOi’s core development team also has an illustrious history of over 30 years of designing and devel-oping some of the world’s best-selling laser shaft alignment systems. GLOi has refined that expertise and modernized it by integrating the iPad - making shaft alignment easier, more reliable, and more affordable than ever.
The ALiSENSOR SHAFTLASER also incorporates sev-eral high-end features to its impressive slate of capabilities, including the ability to perform a standard 9-12-3 clock position measurement, or simply use a minimum of only
two 20° rotations of the shafts. Additionally, the system includes embedded help functions
like video demonstrations and instruc-tions. The ALiSENSOR SHAFT-
LASER also features Graduated Tolerance Control, giving users the ability to use both “Accept-able” and “Excellent” tolerances during the alignment. The ALiSENSOR SHAFTLASER creates fully-customizable PDF reports which can be preset
with template information like Company Name, Operator, Com-
pany Logo, and more. The system also possesses the ability to include
a photo of the machine (taken with the built-in camera of the iOS device) directly
in the report. The report file is automatically saved when the measurement is complete, and can be
easily shared like other files on any iOS device - via email, mms, and even cloud services such as Dropbox.
“The ALiSENSOR SHAFTLASER is exactly the type of laser shaft alignment system that people have been waiting for – with high functionality, low cost, and breakthrough technological innovations that just make sense,” said Mr. Knitz. “We anticipate that the arrival of the ALiSENSOR SHAFTLASER will revolutionize laser shaft alignment and create more incredible possibilities for Industrial MFi technology.”
Shaft alignment system takes advantage of iOS platform
52 doE awards $150 Million in tax credits for clean energy manufacturing
UL and West Texas A&M University announce the opening of large-scale wind turbine test facility in Canyon, Texas
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) in December announced the grand opening of the Advance Outdoor Wind Test Facility in Canyon, Texas, which will provide services for large, small and micro wind manufacturers as well as research and design testing capabilities.
The facility—one of the largest in the world—is located in the middle of the Great Plains Wind Corridor, with favorable wind conditions year round. Wind turbine manufacturers are able to erect turbines for extended periods of time. The facility opens new testing capacity for turbine manufacturers seeking certification to international standards, helping reduce time-to-market and lower costs, as downtime can essentially be eliminated.
The facility allows UL, with the additional services from their DEWI Group, to collaborate with WTAMU in providing small and large wind turbine manufacturers with a location that offers favorable wind resources. This site is favorable for installing wind turbines for extended periods, for research, performance measurements and certification purposes. Due to these conditions, UL’s turnaround time is highly reduced—allowing product to get to market faster.
“Utilizing the technical expertise from our DEWI Group and the WTAMU staff, turbine manufacturers can install wind turbines for extended periods for research, performance measurements and certification purposes,” said Evelyn Butler, Director of Business Development – Energy
and Industrial Solutions at UL LLC. “Large and small wind turbine manufacturers will benefit from the favorable wind conditions and UL’s turnaround time which will reduce time to market.”
“The collaboration is a win-win situation for WTAMU, a pioneer in wind energy research. We offer several unique resources that made this project feasible – location within the Great Plains Wind Corridor, availability of space, and more than 40 years of experience in wind-energy research,” said Don Topliff, dean of the College of Agriculture, Science and Engineering.
“The Advanced Wind Turbine Test Facility will give manufacturers the opportunity to have wind turbines, large and small, tested, and if passing, certified to several different standards at one facility: UL Standards 6141 and 6142 for large and small wind turbines, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)certification, Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC) certification, as well as several others,” laboratory director Adam Holman said.
Advanced Outdoor Wind Test Facility Grand Opening
HeAdLineSRockwell begins DOE test-bed project at Army manufacturing plantrockwell Automation has initiated a project to optimize manufacturing assets at a U.S. Army-owned, contractor-oper-ated, metal-parts manufactur-ing plant in Scranton, Pa. The work is one of two test-bed efforts in the $10 million Smart Manufacturing Leadership consortium (SMLc) project to develop the first open smart-manufacturing (SM) platform in the United States.
The U.S. department of Energy-supported project will show how the SM platform of SMLc can be used for re-al-time management of energy across many small, medium and large U.S. manufacturing companies. The technologies developed by the consortium are expected to help improve energy productivity, reduce carbon dioxide, and boost production output.
rockwell Automation is one of the principal members of the SMLc, along with Universi-ty of Texas – Austin, University of california – Los Angeles, Emerson, Honeywell Auto-mation and control Systems, Schneider Electric, Praxair and others.
CG distribution transform-ers receive GL Renewables CertificationAvantha Group company, cG was awarded the certification from Germanischer Lloyd renewables certification (GL rc), for its liquid immersed SLiM and Bio-SLiM distribu-tion transformers. The testing for adherence to certification norms was carried out accord-ing to GL’s Guidelines for the certification of offshore Wind Turbines, Edition 2012. The transformers are hermetically sealed with biodegradable fluid which reduces the risk of pollution at environmentally sensitive locations, such as offshore wind farms.
Cont’d on pg 52 >
PURE GOLDC.C. Jensen Fine Filters use an integrated pump to pull contaminated oil from the gearbox, purify it, and circulate it throughout the gearbox. Cleaner oil improves gearbox performance, prolongs oil, gear and bearing life 2-3 times, and lowers O&M costs. Call 1-800-221-1430 or e-mail [email protected] for your free copy of the Clean Oil Guide.
five years (2018). The certif-icates were awarded for cG’s system design, the implemen-tation of design requirements in Production and Erection (iPE), and quality system. Pro-totype tests were conducted as a part of the design Assess-ment of the components.
MFG introduces UL-ap-proved non-flammable SMC materialMolded Fiber Glass industries has announced the availability of a new proprietary sheet molding compound (SMc) material with non-flammable properties. Known as invEnTA 616UL, the material received UL 723 approval from Under-writers Laboratories earlier this year. UL 723 is recognized as the industry standard for evaluating surface burning characteristics of building materials.
initially formulated for HvAc (heating, ventilation, air con-ditioning) system components, the attributes of invEnTA 616UL are ideal for many applications where non-flam-mability is important and greater than ten square feet of composites may be required.
Moventas Group rebrands industrial gear segment Moventas has reintroduced its legacy brand Santasalo as the brand for its industrial gears business. The Moventas Group, now renamed Santasalo Moven-tas, has two brands and business areas; Santasalo for industry and Moventas for new energy. Santasalo Moventas now reintroduces its long-standing brand Santasalo as the brand for its industrial gears business, industrial gearboxes and related after sales service.
Moventas, a recognized brand in the renewables indus-try, will remain as the brand for renewable energy technology, such as wind gearboxes, and related service.
The company has also changed its group identity to Santasalo Moventas, to better reflect the two equally strong brands under its umbrella.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced $150 million in clean energy tax credits to build U.S. capabilities in clean energy manufacturing. The credits will go towards investments in domestic manufacturing equipment by 12 businesses. Through the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit program (48C Program), these awards will help create thousands of jobs across the country and increase U.S. competitiveness in the global clean energy market.
The awards include domestic manufacturing of a wide range of renewable energy and energy efficiency products and will support thousands of new manufacturing jobs in nine states and dozens of supply chains throughout the United States.
Among the recipients were the following companies that are either directly or indirectly involved in the wind energy industry:
– LM Wind Power Blades (ND) Inc. A $700,000 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit will allow LM Wind Power Blades (ND) Inc. to re-equip its Grand Forks, N.D., facility for increased participation in the North American large-blade market. The workforce at the facility will grow by 170 people as a result of the project, which improves the processing capabilities of materials used in manufacturing.
– Jyoti Americas, LLC Jyoti Americas LLC was selected for a $6.7 million 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit for its facility in Conroe, Texas, which is the only fully-automated lattice transmission tower manufacturing plant in the United States. The expanded 20 acre, 50,000 metric ton capacity plant nearly quintupled American manufacturing capacity for lattice transmission towers, which will support the increase in transmission of renewable energy into the grid. The Conroe Plant employs a workforce of 165—with plans for at least 200—and features 11 state-of-the-art computer numerical controlled machines and a fully-enclosed, zero-emission galvanizing.
– Southwire Company Southwire Company was selected for a $6.1 million 48C Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit to re-equip its facility in Villa Rica, Georgia. The company is the leading manufacturer of cable and wire used in electricity distribution in the United States, including control cable for use in renewable energy and smart grid applications. The facility, which will reach full capacity in 2014, is positioned to help foster growth in American manufacturing by producing necessary components for expansion of renewable energy, and will result in 10 construction jobs and 60 new direct manufacturing jobs.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz announced the 48C Program awards at the Energy Department’s American Energy and Manufacturing Competitiveness Summit, jointly sponsored by the Council on Competitiveness. As part of the Department’s broader Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative, this summit brought together industry, government, academia and the Department’s national laboratories to address national challenges in manufacturing and energy.
“Cost-effective, efficient manufacturing plays a critical role in continuing U.S. leadership in clean energy innovation, and the tax credits announced today will help reduce carbon pollution from our vehicles and buildings; create new jobs and supply more clean energy projects in the United States and abroad with equipment made in America,” Secretary Moniz said.
Investment allows LM Wind Power to hire 170 workers for its Grand Forks, North Dakota blade plant
DOE awards $150 Million in tax credits for clean energy manufacturing
MANUFACTURING
Cont’d from pg 50
windsystemsmag.com 53
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No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage-and-retrieval system without per-mission in writing from the publisher. The views expressed by those not on the staff of Wind Systems mag-azine, or who are not specifically employed by Media Solutions, Inc., are purely their own. All "News" mate-rial has either been submitted by the subject company or pulled directly from their corporate web site, which is assumed to be cleared for release. Comments and submissions are welcome, and can be submitted to [email protected].
Developer invests in education and career development of wind communities’ youth program expands to provide up to 16 one-time scholarships of $3,000 and one
First Wind has announced that applications are now open and available online for its annual scholarship program. Entering its fifth year, First Wind Scholars will make scholarships available to qualified high school se-
niors in communities where the company currently has projects in operation or in advanced stages of develop-ment.
As part of the 2014 pro-gram, 16 one-time awards will be granted to students
within host communities in Hawaii, Maine, new York, Utah, vermont, Washing-ton, Massachusetts, and the company’s home city of Boston. Qualified students enrolling in full-time degree programs with an interest in science, technology and/or the environment are invited to apply. First Wind Scholars recipients will be awarded a one-time $3,000 scholarship for one year. The company also awards one scholarship of $5,000, renewable for up to four years, to the year’s single most qualified applicant.
in order to be eligible for the scholarship, students need a GPA of at least 2.75 and must plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate
study with a focus in the sciences, technology and/or engineering. Applications are open and available online as of today, with all submissions due by February 15. Appli-cations are evaluated on a number of factors, including academic performance, work experience, school and community activities and a 300-word essay. The First Wind Scholars recipients will be announced in May.
Apply online at www.first-wind.com/our-commitments/education-programs.
Eagle take permit revisions spark debatein december, the department of the interior extended the dura-tion of programmatic eagle take permitting from five years up to a maximum of 30 years.
Extended permits will only be issued to applicants willing to employ and maintain adaptive management measures to sustain eagle preservation.
According to the interior, the new permit regulations will allow for closer monitoring of take numbers and conservation practic-es. Annual and five-year reports on permit holders will be kept and shared with the public.
Along with the extension, the fee schedule for programmatic per-mits increased exponentially from $1,000 to $36,000. Additional-ly, an administration fee of $2,600 is assessed for each recurring five-year permit period. The fee increase, according to the doi, will serve to fund additional administrative and monitoring costs linked to the permit changes.
reaction to the revision has been mixed. Here’s what some outspoken wind energy industry figures and conservation advo-cates had to say:
www.firstwind.com
FirstWindUSA
@firstwind
“Renewable energy development is vitally important
to our nation’s future, but it has to be done in the
right way. The changes in this permitting program
will help the renewable energy industry and others
develop projects that can operate in the longer term,
while ensuring bald and golden eagles continue to
thrive for future generations.”—Sally Jewell, Secretary of the interior
“This rule could lead to many unnecessary deaths of eagles. And that’s a wrong-headed approach. We can, and must, protect wildlife as we promote clean, renewable energy. The Fish and Wildlife Service missed an opportunity to issue a rule that would do just that. This rule sets up a false choice that we intend to fight to reverse.”— Frances Beinecke, president, natural resources defense council
“This permit program promotes eagle conservation. Con-
gress actually sanctioned it decades ago by specifically
authorizing a permit program under the Bald and Golden
Eagle Protection Act.” —John Anderson, director of Siting Policy, AWEA
“Instead of balancing the need for conservation and renewable energy, Interior wrote the wind industry a blank check. It’s outrageous that the government is sanctioning the killing of America’s symbol, the bald eagle.”— david Yarnold, president and cEo, national Audubon Society
Wind Systems would like to know your thoughts about the recent revisions surrounding eagle take permitting.
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