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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}In 2005 ZephIR, the first wind lidar system for the wind industry, became commercially available founded on decades of lidar expertise within QinetiQ, a UK research and development laboratory. Working with Risø DTU, Denmark’s National Research Centre, the product was launched and stands today as one of the leading lidar devices with over six years of field experience and more than 450 system deployments ranging from -38°C Canadian winters through to +44°C African summers. ZephIR users range from developers, banks’ engineers and consultancies, through to turbine manufacturers, research institutes and utilities.
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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}The spectacular worldwide growth of renewable energy resources has created the need for specialised communications solutions for this market. Connection of distributed energy resources to the electrical grid, as well as their integration into data communication systems, is characterised by technical challenges not present in conventional electricity generating plants. Onshore and offshore wind farms are frequently built in remote sites that are exposed to extreme weather conditions and also lack an established telecommunications infrastructure; this makes it difficult to connect them to a communications network in a central location where data acquisition, monitoring and control systems are running.
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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}For most of its existence, patents and other IP rights have not played a major role in the wind industry. Even the most innovative companies in the field kept IP protection at a low level and peaceful coexistence was the norm. As a result, many companies in the wind industry have not paid attention to their IP strategies in recent years.
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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}Currently, repairing wind turbines is both time consuming and limited by a narrow weather window (above 15°C). Typically styrene, within polyester and vinyl ester wet-laminating resins cured below 15°C, has a tendency to homo-polymerise rather than co-polymerise with the vinyl ester or polyester resin. This can lead to a resin with permanent under-cure even when subsequently heated. Epoxy resins can be prone to ‘bi-product’ at low ambient temperatures and at high ambient humidity. Again this can lead to the resin exhibiting permanent under-cure and inter-laminar adhesion problems. These resins are difficult and messy to use when operating from rope or platform access when repairing wind turbine blades in situ, especially when you add high wind and cold temperatures to the equation.
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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}Blade Design Concept
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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}Throughout the world many of the best wind sites have been built out, leaving the more challenging sites – those with lower wind speeds, more complex terrain, or greater distance to the grid – to be developed. In addition, turbine hub heights are getting taller and wind farm operators, many of whom are inheriting older projects, are looking to optimise the performance of existing farms. As a result, demand for more accurate and reliable data has increased. With more stakeholders involved, more limited access to capital, and more wind farms in production, the data is under ever tighter scrutiny, and this has emphasised the importance of quality resource assessment campaigns and accurate energy estimates.
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{access view=!registered}Only logged in users can view the full text of the article.{/access}{access view=registered}Over the past five years, Shermco Industries has repaired over 1,200 generators ranging from 660kW to 3MW and, although the root failure causes vary, the rate of failures has not substantially declined with the larger turbine designs. A review of the collected data from these repairs has revealed that the occurrence of wind turbine generator failure types actually closely mirrors failure modes in more traditional rotating machines, just at a greater incident rate.
