The Emerging Role of Preventative Maintenance in Wind Turbines Richard Ord, Marketing Director, Amantys Limited, Cambridge, UK

In contrast to on-site staff at traditional power stations, or the ready road access to transformer stations, wind turbines are generally unmanned and located in remote rural areas, or in offshore wind farms. By nature, access for maintenance is difficult, with trips planned well in advance, but entirely contingent on prevailing weather conditions. When it comes to the reasons for wind turbine down-time, around half of all the faults are related to the inverter tripping out or failing. Combining the worlds of analog power electronics with the digital domain of deeply embedded digital control techniques gives more insight. Richard Ord, Marketing Director, Amantys Limited, Cambridge, .

In contrast to on-site staff at traditional power stations, or the ready road access to transformer stations, wind turbines are generally unmanned and located in remote rural areas, or in offshore wind farms. By nature, access for maintenance is difficult, with trips planned well in advance, but entirely contingent on prevailing weather conditions. When it comes to the reasons for wind turbine down-time, around half of all the faults are related to the inverter tripping out or failing. Combining the worlds of analog power electronics with the digital domain of deeply embedded digital control techniques gives more insight. Richard Ord, Marketing Director, Amantys Limited, Cambridge, UK How many times have you driven past a set of wind turbines on a windy day and noticed that many aren’t working? Is it any wonder the anti-green lobby gain traction in debating the move to cleaner energy sources when wind energy companies cannot consistently predict maintenance failures? What’s surprising is that the majority of wind turbine issues aren’t related to the core structure. In fact, around half of maintenance problems are actually related to the power electronics- a problem that isn’t easily fixed. A recent story highlights one of the challenges of power electronics in offshore wind farms, with the Carbon Trust recommending better barges for the North Sea to cope with the frequent unplanned maintenance demands of offshore wind farms.
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