Wind News

[dpeilow]

I would say the engineering (FEA etc) has moved on since 1996, but there are clearly scenarios not allowed or designed for. Maybe this is deliberate - how often do we get hit by 165 mph gusts? - so they are prepared to lose a few for better overall performance or cost reasons.

 

[TEG]

Sounds like they need better fire suppression systems then. Must be possible to flood it with inert gas.

Yeah, I came across a number of stories you might call advertisements basically saying "turbine fires are going to happen, so best limit the damage with automatic fire suppression".
Here is one example:
How can you prevent wind turbine fires? : Windpower Engineering Development

Other types of damage (besides fires) can happen from "natural disasters"... I saw various stories of damaged wind farms from hurricanes/typhoons/cyclones, earthquakes, etc.

 

[dpeilow]

Other types of damage (besides fires) can happen from "natural disasters"... I saw various stories of damaged wind farms from hurricanes/typhoons/cycles, earthquakes, etc.

Which of course can happen with anything. Including Japanese nuclear power stations.


(I don't think crashing a bike into one will damage it thought.)

 

[jcstp]

Which of course can happen with anything. Including Japanese nuclear power stations.


(I don't think crashing a bike into one will damage it thought.)

I wonder how big the decontamination-circle will be after a windturbine meltdown, and for how long this will last!
I guess people in Tchernobil and Fukushima would like to know! :biggrin:

I guess the impact of the turbine getting stopped must have had big impact on the grid!
Where there electricity-blackouts in Scotland?

Wind-energy is very dangerous you know! :tongue:

 

[Robert.Boston]

Reminds me of a half-true quip I heard from a Florida Power & Light employee:

"How long does a solar panel last in Florida?"
"Until the next hurricane."

 

[JRP3]

I think the newer turbine technology is going direct drive, eliminating the oil filled gearbox, which should help avoid fires and gear failures.

 

[Robert.Boston]

I think the newer turbine technology is going direct drive, eliminating the oil filled gearbox, which should help avoid fires and gear failures.

You're right about that; unfortunately, those DD turbines need rare-earth magnets in the generator (to get sufficient flux density at acceptable weight), and so we become beholden to China for our wind turbines, instead of Saudi Arabia for our oil. Great choices.

 

[JRP3]

Maybe not. China took over the majority of REE production because they were doing it so cheaply, there are other sources available if prices keep climbing. Last I checked they actually dropped some as the high cost forced a big push for alternatives.

 

[dpeilow]

This is quite a cool vid about one of the world's biggest turbines:




videos, juwi, Jochen Magerfleisch, Fred Jung, Matthias Willenbacher - juwi.com

 

[TEG]

And it makes sense to talk about JUWI on a Tesla forum as they are (from what I recall) a repeat Roadster customer.

 

[JRP3]

JUWI Roadster

 

[dpeilow]

2 JUWI Roadsters


Back OT now please

 

[jcstp]

[video]http://www.juwi.com/uploads/tx_dfmediacenter/JUWI_Elektromobilitaet_Gruenerstrom700kbit.flv[/video]

Here the JUWI Roadster

 

[JRP3]

Back OT now please

I assume they are wind powered so....:biggrin:

 

[VolkerP]

The wind turbine in the movie, like all current ENERCON ones, is gear less and has a weighty direct drive generator. This accomplishes for the large nacelle and massive concrete tower (not suitable for offshore). I just learned that they avoid using permanent magnets & rare earth in their foreign-excited annular generators.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Who makes the turbine, Volker? Not ENERCON; they're the project engineers.

 

[dpeilow]

That's right - direct drive since 1993 and no rare earths.

 

[VolkerP]

Who makes the turbine, Volker? Not ENERCON; they're the project engineers.

Robert,

Am not sure I understand what you mean by "project engineers"? The project leader, Thorsten Höllwarth, is from JUWI.
JUWI is a renewable energy project developer. And the depicted E-126 is manufactured by Enercon, see E-126/7,5 MW | ENERCON. Very likely that some engineers from Enercon were on site of a €11m unit being erected?

 

[dpeilow]

Here's another interesting article and vid about these turbines (in Dutch): Estinnes windturbinepark 11 x Enercon E-126 | OliNo

 

[Robert.Boston]

JUWI[/URL] is a renewable energy project developer. And the depicted E-126 is manufactured by Enercon, see E-126/7,5 MW | ENERCON.

My confusion; enercon.com only shows services, in contrast to the products on enercon.de. Very helpful.