Maximizing Wind Turbine Efficiency Through Preventive Maintenance

With all of the new wind power being implemented in the United States over the past few years, there has been a serious shortage of preventive maintenance technicians. The biggest problem with this is not just the increased cost of repair when wind turbines do finally break; it is the lack of efficiency these turbines are operating at when in motion. Sure, a working turbine puts out more energy than one that is under repair. However, if these working turbines are behind on routine maintenance, their power output is so minimal that it barely makes up for the cost of upkeep.

Another factor is that major repairs on the larger scale wind turbines can often be extremely costly compared to the initial cost of the installed turbine. For example, the average cost to completely replace a gearbox on a wind turbine would be close to 20% of the initial turbine purchase, whereas under routine maintenance a technician may have noticed a faulty bearing or lack of oil, which could eventually fail and require a complete replacement of much larger components.

If you also take into account the extreme costs associated with major turbine repairs, such as bringing in a giant crane to install large components like gearboxes, it makes even more sense to invest in preventive maintenance techniques like rope access teams. There are more and more wind turbine service companies popping up all over the country, some providing these specialized rope teams which can quickly and affordably perform routine maintenance like oil changes and bolt tensioning without the need to bring in heavy equipment.

With all this being said, it makes a great deal of sense to always be on top of maintaining wind farms so that they will be operational for the greatest amount of time possible. As it is, wind turbines only produce electricity when the wind allows for it. So wouldn’t you want your turbines to be ready and waiting to efficiently output all the electricity they can while the wind is blowing?

By: ComitSteve

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If you’re interested in keeping your large scale wind turbines and wind farms operating at peak efficiency, consider BIS Salamis for your Wind Turbine Services.