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WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT does not pass judgment on subjects of controversy nor enter into disputes with or between any individuals or organizations. WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT is also an independent forum for the expression of opinions relevant to industry issues. Letters to the editor and by-lined articles express the views of the author and not necessarily of the publisher or publication. Every effort is made to provide accurate information. However, the publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of submitted advertising and editorial information. Non-commissioned articles and news releases cannot be acknowledged. Unsolicited materials cannot be returned nor will this organization assume responsibility for their care. WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT does not endorse any products, programs, or services of advertisers or editorial contributors. Copyright© 2022 by WTWH Media, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified persons may subscribe at the following rates: U.S. and possessions, 1 year: $125; 2 years: $200; 3 years $275; Canadian and foreign, 1 year: $195; only U.S. funds are accepted. Single copies $15. Subscriptions are prepaid by check or money orders only. SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: To order a subscription or change your address, please email: please visit our web site at www.windpowerengineering.com WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT (ISSN 2163-0593) is published four times per year in February, May, September and a special issue in December by WTWH Media, LLC, 1111 Superior Avenue, Suite 2600, Cleveland, OH 44114. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, OH and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Windpower Engineering & Development, 1111 Superior Avenue, Suite 2600, Cleveland, OH 44114
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INSIDE WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT // VOL. 14 NO. 2
22
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COVER STORY
Maximizing turbine performance with automatic lubrication solutions
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Wind turbines are often in remote locations like mountaintops and offshore outposts. It’s up to operators to maintain turbine performance against all odds, and one way to do that is by ensuring proper lubrication. Cover image credit: Timken
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IN EVERY ISSUE
FEATURES
04 CONTRIBUTORS
08
05 WINDWATCH A selection of product and policy news from our website. 07 WIND WORK AROUND THE UNITED STATES On- and offshore wind project announcements from across the country.
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and U.S. project news as well as expert webinars and more on
Using digitilization to accelerate wind adoption
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Grid integration is a pressing challenge for wind sector experts, and this process will require standardization to be successful.
WINDPOWERENGINEERING.COM power developments
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The industry currently employs about 7,000 wind-turbine technicians. But it’s not enough. Not even close.
FIND US ONLINE See the latest wind
Overcoming the wind technican shortfall
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Navigating early wind’s midlife crisis
Even for turbines reaching middle-age, there is usually more than enough underutilized data to extend asset life.
Hurricane readiness for offshore wind assets
As more turbines set up along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts,
projects will have to prepare for increased hurricane activity.
HVDC transmission comes to U.S. offshore wind
A planned offshore wind project in New York is gaining attention for its novel design that will, for the first time, leverage high-voltage direct current technology to support offshore wind in the United States.
our website today
MAY 2022
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WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT
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CONTRIBUTORS WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT
HANS LANDIN
STAFFAN LINDAHL
J.L. BAKER JEFFREY LEWIS
KEVIN PEARCE
J.L. BAKER is the CEO at GattiHR, a leading talent solutions company and the country’s largest HR specialized search firm. His company recently announced that its high-velocity recruiting and training platform TalentBoost helped a global public utility company quickly fill a pressing need — more offshore wind turbine operators. HANS LANDIN is group vice president and an officer of The Timken Company, a global industrial leader in engineered bearings and power transmission products. Hans leads the successful integration and growth of business units that engineer, manufacture and sell lubrication systems, linear motion products, industrial belts, chain, couplings, clutches and brakes. With its Groeneveld and BEKA brands, Timken is the world’s second-largest producer of automatic lubrication systems for industrial applications. STAFFAN LINDAHL is an experienced engineering consultant and expert in data analytics for operational renewable energy plant, particularly wind power. His career in the wind industry started in Garrad Hassan (later DNV) in 2006, leading the service delivery and development of methods, processes and software tools for wind farm operational analytics, post-construction yield assessments and optimization. With an extensive industry network and in-depth understanding of the opportunities that digital technology offers, Staffan leads Bitbloom’s data-driven technical consulting services.
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JAMIE STAPLETON
JEFFREY LEWIS is a Senior Technical Consultant at BMT where he has been instrumental in the creation and implementation of met ocean and structural monitoring solutions to the maritime and offshore energy industries for over 30 years. and ensures the company delivers value for its customers. With more than 25 years of maritime industry experience, KEVIN PEARCE currently spearheads the growth and positioning of Siemens Energy for connecting U.S. offshore wind energy projects to the electrical grid. Prior to Siemens Energy, Kevin worked with several U.S. offshore wind developers, including Bluewater Wind, where he played a key role in several notable accomplishments including the first offshore wind PPA in the United States. Kevin also has experience in private marine consulting firms, where he led the engineering, financing, and construction of ships and offshore structures. Kevin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture and a Masters of Engineering in Ocean Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology, where he has also served as an instructor. JAMIE STAPLETON is a passionate technology and innovation leader who specializes in digital transformation strategies to help customers navigate the sustainable energy transition. In his current role as Global Digital Portfolio Leader for Hitachi Energy, his focus is spearheading and evangelizing a new sustainable energy era, enabled by advanced technologies such as IoT, AI/ML, and Edge computing. Jamie is an electronic engineer by trade and holds an MBA from the University of Sussex.
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MAY 2022
WIND WATCH W H AT ’ S N E W WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT
MAY 2022
Invenergy
New York offshore wind lease is largest in U.S. history The New York Bight offshore wind sale in February was the nation’s highest-grossing competitive offshore energy lease sale in history, out-grossing both gas and oil lease sales. The New York Bight sale covered six areas totaling over 488,000 acres and garnered winning bids from six companies totaling $4.37 billion. The lease winners were OW Ocean Winds
MAY 2022
East, Attentive Energy, Bight Wind Holdings, Atlantic Offshore Wind Bight, Invenergy Offshore Wind and Mid-Atlantic Offshore Wind. Lease sales include stipulations for developing the U.S. supply chain for offshore wind and involvement with the commercial fishing industry, Tribes, underserved communities and other ocean users.
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WIND WATCH W H AT ’ S N E W | C O N T I N U E D WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT
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MAY 2022
US Wind funds marine wildlife research on offshore wind lease area
California Energy Commission funds renovations for offshore wind port
US Wind is funding a 10-year program with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science for three research projects to understand the effects of offshore wind development on marine mammals, fish and birds. The research will take place in US Wind’s 80,000-acre federal lease area off the coast of Ocean City. Projects will observe how offshore wind structures impact native black sea bass, whale and dolphin populations.
The California Energy Commission approved a $10.5 million grant to renovate the Port of Humboldt Bay to support offshore wind activities in an area set for development on the north coast. The renovations will enable Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Terminal to handle heavy cargo vessels, offshore wind floating platform development, integration and decommissioning and other maritime services.
Dutch company starting offshore wind cable storage yard in Rhode Island
Massachusetts procuring 2.4 GW of transmission lines for offshore wind
Dutch subsea cable company WIND plans to establish a cable storage yard in Providence, Rhode Island, that will serve the U.S. offshore wind industry. From Providence, WIND will offer cable and accessories storage and handling, but project management will remain in Alkmaar, Netherlands.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed legislation that requires the state’s Department of Energy Resources to procure transmission infrastructure for 2,400 MW of offshore wind. The legislation is expected to reduce offshore wind project costs, avoiding an estimated $1.1 billion in upgrades to the onshore grid.
Carolina waters opened to 1.3 GW of potential offshore wind development
Submarine cable manufacturing facility proposed for New Jersey port
BOEM auctioned two lease areas for offshore wind development off the coast of North and South Carolina on May 11. The lease area covers 110,091 acres in the Carolina Long Bay area that could result in at least 1.3 GW of offshore wind energy. BOEM said it will offer a 20% credit to bidders if they commit to invest in programs that will advance U.S. offshore wind workforce training or supply chain development.
Rise Light & Power and Delaware River Partners (DRP) are investing millions to develop a site for a submarine cable manufacturing facility to support the New Jersey offshore wind industry. The facility will be at the DRPowned Repauno Port & Rail Terminal in Greenwich Township and will have a footprint of approximately 30 acres, along with dock access.
WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT
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MAY 2022
WIND WORK AROUND THE
UNITED STATES A selection of recently completed or announced wind projects.
Western Spirit Wind Credit: Pattern Energy
Pattern Energy completes largest multi-facility wind project in US New Mexico Pattern Energy officially completed the largest collective renewable energy project in the United States in February. The four-site Western Spirit Wind totals more than 1,050 MW and exports power to California and New Mexico through long-term PPAs with several utilities. Single-largest wind project in North America comes online Oklahoma AEP constructed the single-largest wind farm built at one time in North America, the 998-MW Traverse Wind Energy Center in Blaine and Custer counties in Oklahoma. Developed by Invenergy, the project delivers power to Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana customers.
MAY 2022
Leeward Renewable Energy expands and repowers New Mexico wind farms New Mexico Leeward completed two wind projects, which included repowering its existing Aragonne Wind farm and the construction of the new Aragonne Mesa Wind project, totaling 235 MW. The new turbines generate more than three-times the amount of power than Aragonne Wind’s legacy turbines and use 60% less land. First cross-border wind project between US and Mexico completed California Sempra Infrastructure started operations on Phase II of Energía Sierra Juàrez (ESJ), the first cross-border renewable energy project between Mexico and the United States. The expansion added 26 new wind turbines for a total of 263 MW.
Construction underway on New York’s first offshore wind farm New York New York legislators held a symbolic “groundbreaking” ceremony for the South Fork Wind offshore project to mark the start of construction. South Fork is the state’s first offshore wind project and the second commercialscale offshore project approved in U.S. federal waters. Enel Green Power plans 300-MW Oklahoma wind farm and new training facility Oklahoma The Seven Cowboy wind project is expected to start operations by the end of 2022. Additionally, Enel is planning a new office space outfitted with facilities to simulate working inside wind turbines. Coursework will cover topics on safety, ladder rescues and turbine repair. Invenergy building 250-MW Illinois wind project Illinois Invenergy started construction on the 250-MW Sapphire Sky Wind Energy Center in McLean County, Illinois. The wind farm is expected to start commercial operations in December 2022. Sapphire Sky will create 300 jobs during its 12-month construction period.
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don’t let
opportunities blow away:
3 strategies to beat the wind technician shortfall By J.L. Baker • CEO • GattiHR
Many
labor and workplace training concerns soon await the U.S. wind energy sector. In fact, several are unfolding right now. The industry currently employs about 7,000 wind-turbine technicians. That's no doubt a hefty amount of labor. But according to industry reports, it’s not enough. Not even close. To meet the overwhelming demand for wind energy generation, federal officials say the United States will need about 4,700 more wind turbines technicians — a 68% rise in labor by the close of the decade. That’s an overpowering increase — and yet one that drastically underestimates actual labor demand, one trade group claims. The American Clean Power Association predicts that the actual number of wind technician jobs will surge to more than 18,000 by 2030 — significantly higher than what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasted when it ranked the profession as one of the nation's fastest-growing jobs. 8
Equally concerning is how much of the current labor force lacks "long-term experience" working on turbines, Harvest Energy Services reports. "Even if they did [have more experience], there's a huge amount of work for them to carry out," the report's authors said. One last kicker: Most of these turbine technicians have worked onshore turbines, not offshore. That's because the United States, despite being a global leader in onshore wind energy generation, significantly lags in offshore wind capacity, for now. An assortment of private and public initiatives — impressive in size and scale and grander in sheer monetary investment — are fast in the works. Construction is underway at the country’s first utility-scale offshore wind energy project, more than 15 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Proposals are also in the works for various offshore wind projects along the northeastern shoreline. That is if the United States can muster the skilled labor to pull it off. MAY 2022
Ava ngri d
MAY 2022
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TRAINING TOMORROW’S TECHNICIANS
job boards use multimodal, geographicspecific methodologies that, based on the characteristics of the job ad, allow hiring departments to reach the audiences they need in the exact locations they require faster. Further, niche HR recruitment technologies offer more qualified job leads in less time and more cost-effective measures by advertising the job position on all applicable sites, not just one. For instance, in small rural communities, jobs are promoted on hyperlocal job boards and classified advertising websites in addition to brand-name employment sites. In college towns, word spreads through alumni networking channels and campus job fairs, creating visibility and accelerating reach.
Ørsted
How does the country recruit and train thousands of workers who have never worked on offshore wind turbines in less than a decade? Now is the time to begin closing the offshore wind technician skills deficit with emerging technology, robust human resources strategies and innovative training regimens. Here are three steps the offshore energy sector can take to close the wind technician shortfall.
countless sectors. Many recruitment agencies suffer from the same lack of industry-specific expertise. And their audiences aren’t what the renewable offshore energy sector sorely needs. Most experienced wind technicians are not on these platforms. A more tactical approach is using niche job boards backed by specialized recruiting agencies. Industry-focused
Create, don’t find, your next wind-turbine team Even with the best-reaching capabilities, the offshore wind sector cannot recruit a workforce that has worked on 15 other offshore wind projects because, unlike several other countries, the United States hasn't had that many offshore projects. Instead, sourcing and plucking talent from other energy sectors would be better, including onshore wind energy generation and fossil fuel energy production like coal, oil and natural gas.
Use niche job boards and recruitment agencies What job board or digital channels do hiring departments most commonly use to source hard-to-find candidates in far-off regions? Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster? Each platform proudly claims to be the jack-of-all-trades, posting jobs from nearly every industry to show practically everyone. Hirers get views, even applications, but rarely from the suitable candidates. These channels are generalist recruiting instruments, dabbling in
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MAY 2022
TRAINING TOMORROW’S TECHNICIANS
Then, companies should retrain them — digitally, at home with new, specialized digital training technologies, not away, which turbine training traditionally involves. While research shows that the main method of training for offshore wind technicians includes long-term, on-the-job training, there are numerous methods for hastening their education and expanding their experience with today's new array of digital training programs. For example, while the skillset required by fossil fuel energy generation differs from wind energy production, many attributes, including working in inclement weather and comfort in climbing large, towering structures, transfer to offshore wind. Also, each skill is transferable for serving, installing, maintaining and repairing offshore turbines. The offshore wind sector could also hire and retrain onshore wind technicians. While the composition of onshore turbines differs from their onshore peers (they're larger, include more unknown variables and involve more complex engineering), many of the basic skills still apply and are transferable, fast-tracking work to recreate wind generations next workforce. Get tomorrow’s workforce more excited The immediate need for more wind turbine technicians, paired with the sector’s notable talent shortfall, means one thing above all else: more rewarding career and financial opportunities for those throughout the industry in the years ahead. Better get the word out. That means present-day sixth graders need to know about the job opportunities that await them as soon as they graduate from high school. Young middle schoolers in rural regions in the Midwest and Northwest, where onshore wind turbines are familiar sights, would be great future candidates for offshore wind opportunities. But to do that, the industry must excel more at disseminating valuable educational resources for apprentices looking to dabble in a fast-growing field. The full-fledged PR front must include digital outreach such as email and social media engagement. In other words, offshore wind companies should begin training tomorrow’s workforce before they’re ever really interested in working. Sow the seed now — with today’s emerging workforce and the generation coming in close behind. WPE
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SOW THE SEED NOW — WITH TODAY’S EMERGING WORKFORCE AND THE GENERATION COMING IN CLOSE BEHIND.
EL NR
The opportunity for digitalization to build the wind sector and accelerate the energy transition By Jamie Stapleton • global digital portfolio leader • Hitachi Energy
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WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT
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MAY 2022
Digitalization
has transformed the power sector over the past two decades. From lower monthly utility bills to reduced outages and faster response times, it has enabled greater transparency into operations and increased efficiency and reliability while decreasing costs. However, in order to meet sustainability goals, this trend must translate into the undeniably beneficial wind sector, from widespread wind farm construction to O&M, to reduce cost and financial risk while accelerating the energy transition. Globally, momentum around offshore wind farms is mounting. President joe Biden’s $230 million investment into port and intermodal projects — including the first major offshore wind farm to supply power to New York is clear evidence of this. However, that offshore wind farm boasts a total of just 12 turbines. In contrast, Europe has 5,000. The United States needs more wind energy to accelerate the energy transition. In the wind power sector, digital applications will help transform the way that wind power is forecasted, monitored and managed. From wind power forecasting to wind farm monitoring and workforce management, understanding the role of digitalization in all aspects of wind farm management will be critical to furthering sustainability and development. A global opportunity for wind Consider this: In 2019, wind and hydro power each accounted for 35% of the total electricity generated from renewable sources in Europe. These are impressive statistics, but, to hit the EU’s goal of fully decarbonizing the power sector by 2045, wind energy must account for 50% of the EU’s electricity focus, according to the European Commission. In total, renewables will account for 80% of this mix. It’s no longer a question of when. To put these plans into action, rapid acceleration must take place. The amount of wind electricity generated has grown significantly in the United States, with the total electricity generated annually increasing from approximately 6 billion kWh to 338 billion kWh in the last 20 years. This progress is impressive and has already decreased the cost of producing electricity from wind, but there’s a global
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D I G I T I L I Z AT I O N T O A C C E L E R AT E T H E E N E R G Y T R A N S I T I O N
NREL
opportunity to greatly accelerate this growth. In order to meet the ambitious goal of 30 GW of offshore wind energy along every coastline by 2030, changes must be made, and digitalization can help. With an increased focus on the technologies that power wind farms, like real-time analysis and a move toward proactive analytics, we have the potential to further decrease costs and boost sustainability measures. It’s a true global challenge and opportunity to revitalize how we build our global wind economy. The technologies that power digitalization Major technologies are powering the digitalization of wind energy today,
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including centralized computer centers, 5G, descriptive/diagnostic analytics, proactive forecasting analytics and automation. Within the United States, the incorporation of these technologies will allow for improved wind power generation — from wind turbine manufacturing and construction to system integration and wind farm O&M. 1. Real-time analysis of operational processes within a centralized computer center like the turbinegenerated SCADA system enhances wind farm control by automatically detecting technical faults and building recommendations for corrective measures. This allows wind farm operators to avoid costs related to operational holds and damage. For
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2.
example, when a gust of wind hits one end of a wind farm, real-time monitoring allows for the adjustment of turbines to maximize its effect before that gust hits the other end of the farm. Another technology enabling digital applications to reach their full potential in the wind sector is 5G. These 5G networks are introduced through IoT and IIoT connections between systems, powered by wireless broadband internet and data services that are delivered through either a wireless local area network or a wireless wide area network. These gateways can source data from wind turbine sensors and share that data with engineers and control centers in the field.
MAY 2022
OUR ENCODERS DON’T SET THE WORLD ON FIRE... AND THAT’S A GOOD THING
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Descriptive analytics offer another layer of insight as they search and summarize historical data to identify patterns and meaning and deliver data on past events. Coupled with diagnostic analytics, these systems allow for event-and-alarm trigger processes. Descriptive and diagnostic analytics share the what and the why of current and historical data, which can help track system failures — from the electrical failure of wind generator turbines to structural disasters. By shifting from reactive to proactive analytics, the wind sector will have the opportunity to forecast wind turbine outcome and performance results before they happen, by focusing on real-time data monitoring and event analysis. By adjusting conditions before that critical moment, experts and engineers can stop a crisis in its tracks, protecting the functionality of existing turbines and enabling the potential for expansion. Lastly, the importance of automation cannot be understated. Through robotic process automation, machines can be instructed to replicate human-directed tasks, improve manufacturing accuracy, reduce human error and accelerate repetitive industrial operations.
Together, these technologies prevent the possibility of error, enable better functionality and improve the overall outlook for the wind power industry. The critical role of data The final, major steppingstone in accelerating the energy transition within the wind industry will be the establishment of a wind data standard. Incorporation would enable data sharing throughout the industry,
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from turbine manufacturers to wind farm operators and third parties, leading to greater cost reduction and innovation. The wind sector is not uniform. A standardized data process would allow for fully and partially digitized processes to communicate with one another and learn from each other. Working in tandem with a standard baseline for data modeling and wind operation classifications, the industry will be able to support system integration, performance monitoring, equipment certification and efficient data storage. Grid integration and wind farm development are some of the most pressing challenges for wind sector experts, and these processes will require standardization to be successful. So, how can we integrate the grid? First, it’s important to understand existing grid connection data standards. Data from the grid can be modeled within the common information models (CIMs), which align with those of transmission system operators (TSOs) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Currently, these standards can support the necessary data exchanges needed to ensure grid stability and efficient system operations. However, these cannot be widely applied. New and legacy wind farm systems need a commonly agreed upon data standard that includes parameters like behind-the-meter grid topology and power system variables to fully integrate systems nationally and globally. As wind sector experts look to address wind farm development, the tagging and certification of different wind farm components and their applications will be critical to establishing the quality of critical operating components. This will aid in the development of wind farms by enabling the introduction of new materials — like new sensing devices and wireless technologies — in an organized way, massively increasing the potential data volume and efficiency of wind farms.
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It will also be critical to ensure the value of data can be realized across the wind sector by defining a comprehensive data sharing policy that takes into account various stakeholder interests. This type of policy would address privacy and commercial IP, while enabling the sharing of valuable insights across the ecosystem, including the operation and maintenance of turbines and the performance of wind farms in different weather conditions. Developing universal data standards and data sharing will be both time consuming and challenging. However, it’s a necessity, and one that the wind sector is in a position to make a reality. What’s next for digitalization Digitalization has the potential to benefit the wind power sector globally, and with heightened global renewable goals, we need to address these gaps in our operations now. Many of the new technologies available will require additional infrastructure, funding or focus to work to the peak of their ability, but short-term costs translate into long term wins. Digitalization will play a key role in the building and expansion of the wind sector and wind farm management, which will be critical in furthering sustainability efforts. WPE
MAY 2022
Test busbar connections in windfarm networks with the Megger DLRO2 Real-life situations... Call for trusted test equipment When Rope Partner assesses a turbine blade to test lightning protection, their technician will use a low resistance ohmmeter, like the Megger DLRO2. The instrument is a handheld 2 Amp low resistance ohmmeter which has the capability of measuring the resistance between the turbine’s blade tip to the ground connection at base. Applications that require long test leads are not a problem for the DLRO2 as it has a dedicated long test lead mode that optimizes the instrument to work with very long test leads. This mode is able to provide up to 1 Amp of test current into 4 Ohms resistance. The DLRO2’s ability to test with up to 3.2 Ohms total resistance at 1 Amp means significantly enhancing your safety when working on wind turbines!
For your FREE copy of Megger’s Guide to Low Resistance Testing, Visit us.megger.com/getbook Reference Code: DLRO2_WPED_MAY
Rope Partner is the premier provider of at height maintenance, inspection, and performance enhancement services that require specialized access methods. By applying safe, cost-effective, and environmentally-appropriate solutions, Rope Partner reduces turbine downtime, increases productionbased availability, and ultimately extends the lifespan of turbines. www.ropepartner.com For over 130 years, Megger has been the leader in the manufacture of electrical test and measurement instruments. The company’s low resistance ohmmeters, insulation resistance testers, and motor test equipment cover a wide range of products for testing in windfarm networks. us.megger.com
MAXIMIZING TURBINE PERFORMANCE WITH AUTOMATIC LUBRICATION SOLUTIONS BY HANS LANDIN • GROUP VP • TIMKEN
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WINDPOWER ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT
www.windpowerengineering.com
MAY 2022
WHEN
it comes to the equipment inside wind turbines, performance and reliability can’t be compromised. Turbines are often in remote locations like mountaintops and offshore outposts. They must be built to withstand very harsh and dynamic operating conditions. They’re relentlessly pounded with weather extremes including oppressive heat, freezing cold, hail, rain, snow and the very wind they’re designed to harness. It’s up to operators to maintain turbine performance against all odds, and one way to do that is by ensuring proper lubrication. Lubrication keeps turbines in motion There’s a lot to be said for lubrication in the right amount, at the right time, applied consistently over the life of a machine. Bearings and other components simply last longer. Grease collars form to keep dirt and moisture out. Blownout seals are less likely. Lubrication not only protects the system — it keeps it in motion and helps reduce waste caused by over-lubrication along the way.
MAY 2022
According to the Global Wind Energy Council, global wind power capacity grew 275% from 2010 to 2020 and is projected to grow another 63% by 2025. One factor driving that growth is that the cost per kilowatt-hour of wind power has steadily dropped. To maintain this positive momentum and remain competitive, wind turbine operators today must rely on solutions to reduce friction, increase energy output and minimize maintenance costs. Turbines of any size require significant maintenance to keep them performing to their fullest potential. That’s where automatic lubrication systems come in. For any turbine larger than 2 MW, a lubricating system is becoming standard, and it’s a must-have for anything offshore. Four reasons to invest in automatic lubrication Automatic lubrication options have changed the game for wind farm operators. Here are a few ways automatic lubrication systems prove they’re worth the upfront investment.
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1.
2.
Improved safety. Manually lubricating turbines can be a hazardous task. A turbine’s most important internal components are situated where winds are strongest — as high as 400 ft. Offshore units present additional challenges if maintenance crews encounter rough seas. Today, automatic lubrication pumps and systems take human beings out of risky situations by automatically dispensing precise amounts of grease at regular intervals to reduce up-tower labor compared to periodic manual greasing. Reduction in downtime. Manual lubrication can be dangerous and tedious. Using a grease gun to lubricate each moving part in the turbine is a time-consuming job. Turbines operate 24/7, and stopping them to allow service technicians to lubricate bearings and other components interrupts the power supply they produce. With an automatic system, lubricant is applied
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while the system remains in motion. It also removes human factors, such as under- and over-lubricating or, even worse, completely neglecting lubrication. Maximized turbine life. Automatic systems can also improve the performance and extend the life of pitch, yaw, mainshaft and generator bearings. Further, moisture inside a turbine gearbox can be a significant issue, leading to corrosion. However, component failures due to mixing and contamination of grease with dirt and water are reduced with automatic lubrication systems in place. This leads to fewer maintenance issues, which is especially helpful for reducing the number of times offshore operators have to ship out a vessel to make repairs. Material savings and efficiency. Investment in a system vs. manual lubrication not only reduces labor costs, cuts risk and extends equipment life, but it can also ease waste and environmental challenges due to greater precision. Less grease reduces the environmental impact from grease waste. Grease spreads better across the surface while the moving parts are in operation, a further advantage of the automatic system. The increased efficiency and quality of application allows the system to use a smaller and more precise volume of lubricant at each maintenance interval. The future of wind turbine maintenance Thanks to innovations like automatic lubrication systems, wind power has become more reliable and more affordable than ever. American Clean Power reports that wind power was the No. 1 choice of utility-scale power generation in 2020, and together with solar delivers nearly 11% of the nation’s electricity. Additionally, per American Clean Power, wind costs are 70% lower since 2009 — thanks to considerable investment in improvements by all members of the wind power industry. Still, it’s a young industry with tremendous upside. As demand continues to rise for renewable energy sources, automatic lubrication systems will become even more vital. WPE
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HVDC TRANSMISSION COMES TO U.S. OFFSHORE WIND BY KEVIN PEARCE • GRID ACCESS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER • SIEMENS ENERGY
A
planned offshore wind project in New York is gaining attention for its novel design that will, for the first time, leverage high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology to support offshore wind in the United States. In a consortium with Aker Solutions, Siemens Energy is supplying the HVDC transmission system for Sunrise Wind as the project seeks to deliver enough clean, renewable energy to power nearly 600,000 New York homes and other customers. The product of a joint venture partnership between Danish clean energy
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giant Ørsted and New England energy provider Eversource, the 924-MW project will be located more than 30 miles east of Montauk Point, Long Island, and is expected to be up and running by 2025. Once complete, the project will play a key role in supporting New York’s commitment to transition to 100% clean electricity by 2040. The HVDC system is based on voltage source converter (VSC) and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technologies. It is designed to quickly, and independently, manage reactive and active power to support the grid at the point of interconnection.
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Siemens Energy is delivering the HVDC system on a turnkey basis as well as providing onshore civil work in partnership with local companies. This includes an offshore converter station that will collect 66 kilovolts (kV) alternating current (AC) power generated by the wind turbines through an interarray cable system. The AC power will be converted to 320 kVDC for transmission through a nearly 100-mile export cable to a Holbrook, Long Island, onshore converter station where it will be converted back to AC power and injected into the grid.
MAY 2022
Time-tested technology In the United States, the Trans Bay Cable (TBC) project was built in 2010 to provide critical backup for the San Francisco power grid. Like the Sunrise Wind project, the Siemens Energy HVDC transmission system project used VSC technology and included a 53-mile-long cable laid underneath the San Francisco Bay. More recently, HVDC transmission was brought onboard oil and gas platforms. Typically, these oil and gas platforms generate their own electricity using gas turbines. However, as oil and gas companies commit to reducing CO2
MAY 2022
emissions, the platforms are increasingly being powered from shore, with the power transmitted to the platforms using HVDC-VSC transmission. Benefits of HVDC-VSC for offshore wind HVDC-VSC was chosen for the Sunrise Wind project because it is the most flexible, efficient and reliable choice for the project’s transmission system. In fact, HVDC-VSC is a proven transmission technology that makes remote offshore wind farms possible. Here is a snapshot of some HVDC-VSC benefits.
1. Longer transmission distances One of the most often cited benefits of HVDC-VSC in offshore applications is that there are no technical limitations to the length of the cables that can be used for transporting the energy. This is in sharp contrast to AC cable transmission where a sizeable portion of the current capability is consumed by charging current which multiplies as the cable gets longer. 2. More flexible power Even though fewer cables are required with HVDC-VSC offshore projects, more generated green power can be
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HVDC TRANSMISSION
transmitted from the wind farm to the mainland. As the need for more energy increases and distance to wind farms increase, this benefit will become a significant HVDC-VSC offshore wind selling point. This is also good news for areas with limited cable corridors as the use of HVDC-VSC enables more power to be carried in fewer cables. 3. Controllable and reliable The modular multilevel converter (MMC), introduced for HVDC by Siemens Energy more than a decade ago, is the well-established standard for high-voltage, high-power VSC applications today. Each module within an MMC is a discrete voltage source with a local capacitor to define its voltage step without creating ripple voltage distortion across the converter’s other phases. As a result, it is possible to achieve the required sinusoidal AC and smooth DC side output voltage waveforms without excessive harmonic distortion and high frequency noise. In addition, the MMC can absorb and generate reactive power independently from active power up to the converter
rating. The output currents can be varied over the complete operating range in a smooth, linear way. This enables independent and very flexible control of active and reactive power, which supports the connected AC grid. A bright offshore future The move to building more renewable energy plants with increased capacities is well underway. Europe has benefited from offshore wind power for years. Now, with the installation of the first U.S. HVDCVSC offshore wind farm, North America is better positioned to continue its quest to help satisfy the growing demand for renewable Siemens energy. WPE
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NAVIGATING EARLY WIND’S MIDLIFE CRISIS THROUGH DATA BY STAFFAN LINDAHL • CO-FOUNDER • BITBLOOM
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www.windpowerengineering.com
MAY 2022
energy is no longer new, and a growing cohort of generation assets have been operational for well over a decade. With the first flush of youth (turbocharged by subsidies) behind them but many years ahead before mandatory retirement, these early-mover assets can pose challenges for owners and operators. The chances are that turbines installed in the early 2000s were technologically surpassed by bigger, more modern turbines capable of providing a lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). For site owners and operators, the question naturally arises over what to do with these middle-aged assets – should they persevere for as long as possible, or dismantle and upgrade to the newest models? The latter option, known as “repowering,” is certainly popular. Renewable UK makes the case for upgrading 12 GW of such capacity onshore alone. And you can see why: even with the UK government backing onshore wind once again, it’s not easy to secure a patch of land (or coastal shelf) with planning permissions and infrastructure ready and waiting for new turbines. However, tearing down and replacing perfectly serviceable turbines can also be seen as a rather drastic option. It is expensive, for a start, and inevitably entails an additional carbon cost for the manufacture, transport and installation of new components — on top of recycling challenges for the old ones. Repowering is certainly an option to consider, but should it be the first one to resort to?
MAY 2022
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WIND
Not necessarily. There are lowerinvestment, lower-risk options to explore first. There can be large reserves of unrealized value in these older projects hidden in their data. Once properly collected, cleansed and analyzed, talented engineers can uncover immediately actionable insights to improve asset performance and extend life — thereby yielding more green energy and improving commercial outcomes. Slow-simmer and acute pressures Through a combination of long-and short-term pressures, wind assets are reaching their midlife crises. A new turbine or wind farm is assumed to run pretty efficiently. Logic dictates that, as time goes by, components degrade and inefficiencies creep in. A common issue is blade surface degradation — a slow-build issue with a gradual impact on turbine efficiency. Other issues are less gradual and more abrupt, but nonetheless become progressively more likely over time. Anecdotally, we have seen that the design lifetime of certain common drivetrain components has probably been overestimated — something that has only become clear as the industry has built a library of real-world operational data over time. Physical componentry therefore introduces both slow-simmer and acute pressures over time that impact the risk/return profile of owning or operating a mid- or late-life wind asset.
More prosaic operational factors can also add to those efficiency pressures, too. For a lot of older wind assets, service contracts — or even ownership of the asset itself — have changed hands one or multiple times. In theory, this should cause no issues, but that theory depends on perfect technical handovers and knowledge transfer, and aspects of operational history are often lost. This could be rectified at handover or due diligence stage with sufficient investigatory work, but companies looking to run a lean wind portfolio can be daunted by the prospective spend. To these relatively steady pressures, we can also add some highly specific and exceptionally acute ones. For example, the current global energy commodity price rises, coupled with a European strategic acceleration toward energy independence due to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, add heat to an already hot renewables market. Power prices are high and likely will remain so for the near future, adding extra pressure for owners and operators to get the most megawatt-hours out of their assets as soon as possible. Squeezing extra value from wind farm data It’s clear then, that there is a huge potential upside in optimizing wind asset performance. Versus repowering and replacing, projects can be completed in a fraction of time and for a fraction of the cost with little-to-no supply chain risk.
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HVDC TRANSMISSION
That begs the rather important question of how. The good news is that there is typically a wealth of untapped value in the data that asset operators tend to already have to hand. However, many companies leave that value unrealized either because they don’t know it’s there or suffer from misperceptions about how difficult (read: expensive) it can be to uncover. For example, older turbines often exhibit yaw misalignment, reducing the asset’s efficiency. This is relatively easy to assess using existing datasets, even if older assets lack some of the problem-specific data acquisition found with newer technologies. In a multi-turbine context, it can be helpful to identify turbines with particularly high or low load metrics vs. others in the same farm or vs. industry benchmarks for similar technology. Operators can then make intelligence-
led decisions on which assets can be sweated for more value by running at increased load and which are vulnerable to excessive fatigue. In the ideal world, operators would sweat each asset for maximum value while also taking care for all co-located assets to reach end of life at roughly the same time ahead of a repowering project. What they don’t want is for some assets to fail after 20 years and others to stretch to 30 years with money left on the table in the interim. Live load management informed by intelligent analytics can help them achieve that balance. Work with what you’ve got Wind farm owners and operators — whether they’re looking at a site they’ve managed for 15 years or one they acquired the week before — often assume that uncovering these opportunities for optimization
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requires heavy investment in new data collection hardware and sophisticated performance analytics. While this may be true if the goal is to eke every theoretically possible drop of value from an asset, smart turbine engineers supported with built-for-purpose data analytics tools can achieve a great deal with the data already held within the organization. Too often, the default approach is to design complex analyses which end up being expensive, taking a long time to implement and being so situation-specific that they don’t scale. However, even for turbines reaching middle-age, there is usually more than enough underutilized data to extend asset life, increase efficiency, produce more renewable energy and, ultimately, bolster the balance sheet. After all — the most valuable data is the data you already have. WPE
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HURRICANE READINESS FOR
OFFSHORE WIND BY JEFFREY LEWIS • TECHNICAL ADVISOR • BMT
Extreme
weather is no new threat for offshore operators, but it is growing. The number of tropical storms and hurricanes is steadily increasing year on year, with 13 severe storms reported in 2020, and weather events like these threaten devastation and pose challenges to companies with assets that sit in their path. When extreme weather strikes, disrupted operations and repairs can be
MAY 2022
extremely costly, with tropical storms having caused $997 billion in losses to the U.S. economy in the last 40 years alone, the equivalent of 5% of the country's GDP. For those who reside along the U.S. Gulf Coast, hurricane preparedness is a term that yields anxiety and reluctance. Regulated by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), companies who perform operations within the offshore industry must meet
Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) requirements. Of the various provisions required, any company performing offshore work must be equipped with emergency response and control procedures. In readying critical systems, asset managers need to be able to monitor the health and structural integrity of the offshore assets during a hurricane. Particularly when personnel have
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been evacuated, accurate and reliable monitoring provides the necessary “eyes and ears” on the platform, allowing for informed decision-making in operations where safety is of paramount importance. Implementing a resilience strategy Hurricane season begins in June and lasts through November. Knowing this, offshore operators have a window of opportunity ahead of the season to proactively prepare with a resilience strategy. This involves implementing plans, procedures and technology to ready their operations and offshore assets for the disruption caused by extreme weather events. Being hurricane-ready begins months before the start of the season. Part of the preparation is observing the environment and analyzing patterns based on what has been observed before. To do this effectively, data collection and effective analysis becomes vital. Without it, it's impossible to gain organizational resilience and have any foresight when an event is on the horizon. The technology around data transmission has improved significantly in recent years. The way we organize data has made it readily accessible, and processing capabilities have expanded. With these advancements, companies can harvest data insights in real-time and combine these insights with historical records spanning 20 to 30 years. With the combination of new data and a timeline of events, they can make accurate predictions about extreme weather events and ensure the appropriate control and mitigation measures are in place.
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Vulnerable offshore assets For wind turbines, countering strong winds requires built-in mechanisms to lock the blades and protect the platform until the storm subsides. As well as contending with extremely high winds, the turbine’s foundation must have the ability to endure large, powerful waves, and variations in loads and how they impact the platform compared to normal operating conditions. All of these factors need to be considered in the design and maintenance of wind turbine platforms, and particularly for those turbines being installed in areas most impacted by hurricanes and storms, such as the Gulf of Mexico. In these areas, extreme weather protection becomes a critical factor that must be considered or the investment in installing, operating and maintaining platforms could quickly become untenable. Additionally, a common point of concern for any floating offshore platforms is mooring lines. To ensure the platform is maintained both during a hurricane and for the longer term, measuring both the mooring systems and GPS data can provide remote operators confidence that the platform is upright and on location. Many structures are going into ultra-deep water and use advanced mooring systems, and companies want assurance that the systems are performing the way they expect. If you can tap into measurements of the mooring lines to detect breakage or tension levels, this can provide a level of assurance. Having a general view of what is happening on offshore platforms can also inform operators of the asset's condition. By installing camera systems, they can see images of helicopter decks, rigs or moon pools, or indeed any area where they are concerned damage can occur. Having one monitoring system collecting the above data sets or one asset monitoring platform that consolidates data from multiple sources can improve the operator's abilities to respond to extreme events.
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What to do when disaster is approaching Offshore facilities are highly complex, with many interdependent systems for power, communications and sensors for data collection. Failure at any one point can lead to the onshore teams being left blind to the events happening at sea. Therefore, operators should install remote monitoring systems independent of dayto-day operating systems. Independent remote monitoring systems can be used in line with the operator's hurricane plan and its phases as the weather system approaches. As hurricanes approach, non-essential personnel are evacuated from the platform and measurement systems enter standby mode. Data starts is collected through the monitoring system. When all personnel are evacuated, videos, images and other data is transferred onshore for visualization on an online data management platform. When the hurricane hits the platform, further data is gathered, and the platform is monitored closely. Frequent measurements of sensors are important to fully resolve the motions and forces assets are experiencing. Data is typically sampled at a frequency high enough to capture the responses during an extreme weather event. This high resolution aids operators in capturing the impact of extreme waves and wind on the platform. Operators are also able to validate this data using machine learning, and they compare it against third-party sources such as NOAA's network of weather monitoring buoys to further strengthen their understanding of the impact of events. Maintenance, inspection and safety Post and pre-event activities are crucial for gaining operational resilience, but companies must consider another ongoing aspect. Maintenance and inspection play a significant role in
MAY 2022
HURRICANE READINESS
resilience — after a weather event has occurred and throughout the year. Ensuring platforms are safe before anyone steps onto them is crucial. Where possible, companies will use remote tools and only send teams to the platform when necessary as they want to reduce the amount of time people have to go near dangerous environments to minimize risk. The value of integrity When companies implement strategies to monitor and protect their assets, it's not just about being successful and profitable. Resilience will achieve those targets, but integrity is the overarching goal. In offshore preparedness, integrity is about companies showing that the work they've put into mitigating the impact of extreme weather events is long-lasting and will go toward sustaining their platforms for many years into the future. It also means that they've made a concerted effort to ensure their platforms are sustainable and doing the least amount of harm to humans and the environment. With climate change firmly on the agenda for offshore companies, following environmental governance and reducing potential sources of harm is a priority. The efforts companies make to prepare for extreme weather events also helps them collaborate with local, state and federal governments to utilize the best available science and traditional knowledge to minimize conflict. These collaborative efforts will all feed into future offshore projects they might pursue and enable them to put their best foot forward. WPE Adobe Stock
MAY 2022
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