Testing keeps the turbines going round

All the way back in 1860, Abraham Lincoln referred to the potential of wind power. “Of all the forces of nature, I should think the wind contains the largest amount of motive power,” he said. Now, wind turbines are running across the globe, generating renewable energy for millions, but what keeps them going? Here, Andrew Keith, Director of Power Prove, explains why rigorous testing is so important in keeping wind farms online.

31/10/2023 10:43:54

As the world increasingly shifts towards renewable energy in an attempt to meet sustainability targets, wind farm adoption is seeing an uptake. In 2022, more than 3.5GW of new wind capacity was added in the UK, providing power to more than 3.4 million homes.

However, wind turbines have a big problem: downtime. Electrical and generator failures are among the top contributing factors to wind turbine failure. Though generators fail less often than other components, such as the cooling and hydraulics system, they often have more severe consequences when things go wrong.

Such failures can be costly, and those that require more significant repair work can take time to fix. So, what can we do to stop this from happening?

Read the full article in DPA's November issue