Page 19 - North American Clean Energy March April 2015

Winter O&M
* Note: he VTT worked in collaboration with the TechnoCentre ́olien transfer, and technical assistance for businesses. he TCE’s primary
Operations and maintenance (O&M) (TCE) on this ice map as a joint partnership
areas of activity relate to wind energy in cold climates and complex
during winter presents challenges and ** Survey conducted by the TechnoCentre ́olien
terrain, adaptation of technologies, and integration of supply chains.
opportunities. In a survey conducted in

2014 by Wind Energy Update, over 100 he TechnoCentre ́olien (TCE) is a center of expertise that supports TechnoCentre ́olien (TCE)
respondents involved in the Canadian the development of the wind industry through research, technology
www.eolien.ca
wind sector revealed that icing was the

most signiicant cause of production
loss, at par with gearbox issues (see
Figure 2).
Energy yields are higher in the winter

and, as a result, downtime is more costly
during colder months. Furthermore,
access time and costs are likely to be
greater. Based on a case study, Boucher

(2013) estimated that O&M activities
can be 30% more expensive in the winter
when considering increased energy yield,
increased access costs, and increased

technician time.
Signal trending or condition
health monitoring can help predict
failures, thereby reducing the costs

of maintenance, particularly if the
maintenance activities must be carried
out during the winter.
To access their assets in winter, wind

farm operators mainly rely on one of
three methods:
1. Maintaining access roads (at a cost of
between $1,000/km and $5,000/km);

2. Employing vehicles specially adapted
to drive in snow; or
3. Performing a minimum maintenance
of the roads to allow for the use of

four-wheel drive (4WD) pick-up trucks
or ATVs on tracks.

Various factors, such as the amount of

snow accumulation on site, as well as the
layout of the wind turbines and access
roads inluence operators’ decisions in

this regard.
A recent survey** of 11 wind farm
operators throughout Canada revealed The Siemens G2 platform
that the latter most often use vehicles

adapted for winter conditions. Of those Our turbines withstand the toughest
who don’t maintain access roads: 92%
use snowcats (at an approximate cost of
$200,000); 69% use snowmobiles (at a test of all: time.

cost of $10,000 to $16,000); and 62%
use 4WD pick-up trucks on tracks (at a
cost of $15,000 to $25,000).
It should be noted that 85% of

operators surveyed use more than one
type of vehicle, and those who use 4WD
pick-ups on tracks also have snowcats. The Siemens G2 platform of geared wind turbines is built
None of the surveyed operators to last. Every detail is designed to make these incredible Meet us at
machines trouble-free and fit for almost any application. AWEA WIND-
exclusively use snowmobiles.
With thousands of units installed both onshore and off- POWER 2015 May 18–21
he challenges brought upon by cold shore, 2.3-MW turbines are unrivaled in their class when it #2522
in Orlando, FL
climates have raised the bar for OEMs, comes to performance, productivity and availability. They
operators, and ISPs who have answered have truly withstood the test of time. As the world looks

with innovation and resourcefulness. As for energy solutions, Siemens has the answers.
a result, the wind industry is becoming
stronger and more competitive than
ever.
siemens.com / wind

North American Clean Energy 19
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