Page 53 - North American Clean Energy May June 2015

money involved. But redesigning and A more eficient turbine
reconditioning a wind turbine after a ire Senvion SE has launched a new wind turbine that is particularly suitable for low-wind sites and

is expensive, and conversely, applying ofers higher yields compared with its predecessors due to its capacity upgrade. he new Senvion
efective, preemptive ire suppression 3.2M122 turbine features the NES (Next Electrical System). he additional output increase to
systems is afordable. Wind turbine ires 3.2 megawatts (MW) will enable users to rise yield by 2–3% per year compared to a 3.0M122.
do not need to be a major issue, especially he Senvion 3.2M122 has a rated output of 3.2 MW and a rotor diameter of 122 metres (400 ft).

since the technology is already available to he large rotor combined with the hub height of 139 metres (456 ft) and the new NES, use at low-
prevent them.
wind sites can be made even more cost-efective, thereby helping to reduce energy costs.
he wind turbine nacelle presents a Senvion SE | www.senvion.com

unique challenge for ire detection and
suppression. An efective system has to
address the site’s isolation, particularly in
the case of ofshore wind farms, although

on-shore farms are also often in diicult
to access or remote locations. Automatic
ire detection and suppression systems
ofer an advantage in this respect as they

deliver around the clock reliability and
24/7 unsupervised protection.

Automatic systems in a single

package
he options that are often considered
in ire detection and suppression are:
air sampling detection, water mist

suppression, compressed-air foam
suppression, fusible link detection and
suppression, total looding CO2 (carbon
dioxide) suppression, total looding clean

agent suppression, and linear pneumatic
detection and suppression. Each of these
options have their own advantages and
disadvantages that can be overcome

by using automatic systems providing
both ire detection and suppression
in a single package. Self-contained
systems are available that require neither

electricity nor external power. hese
systems are beneicial because that they
can automatically engage at any time,
without the need for manual activation or

monitoring. hey are also intrinsically safe
solutions, not containing any components
holding enough energy to produce a spark

of suicient energy to cause an ignition.
Unfortunately, thousands of turbines
are still being installed without adequate
ire protection, making it extremely likely Turbines talk. We translate.

that ires will continue to occur. Insurers
and environmental groups are becoming
increasingly aware of this oversight and
the news media has informed the general Turning data into intelligent and proactive services that deliver real value.

public that turbine manufacturers and
wind farm operators know about the
risks. Pressure is building from all sides to
make signiicant changes because the cost

of even one catastrophic wind turbine ire
could be much more than just the value
of physical damage caused to and by the
equipment, but damage to the reputation Wind energy is key to creating a sustainable future – and analytics to provide valuable insights to help our customers

of the wind industry itself.
intelligent service is key to making wind power affordable make the best choices. As a result, they are able to plan
and reliable. That is why energy providers everywhere are ahead and prevent unexpected downtime, maximize
Scott Starr is the director of global marketing turning to Siemens to realize the full potential of their turbine performance, and ultimately offer lower energy
at Firetrace International and a member of wind power plants.
prices to their customers.

the American Wind Energy Association.
Every day our remote diagnostics services capture more Together with leading energy providers, Siemens will con-
than 200 gigabytes of incoming data from over 8,000 wind tinue to do what matters most: harnessing the full potential
Firetrace International
turbines. Our experts use advanced modeling and data
of wind power.
www.iretrace.com

siemens.com / energy / wind-service