Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
northern California is using 44 Siemens 2.3 MW turbines while in
Kumeyaay, east of San Diego, 25 Gamesa units equipped with 2 MW
generators are operating. At Mojave, a site close to the Tehachapi
Pass, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has built
the massive Pine Tree wind farm with some 90 GE 1.5s (1.5 MW)
becoming the department's first wind energy project. The most
ambitious project in the state in 2011 was being developed
by TerraGen and Oak Creek Energy systems. With its final 720
multi-megawatt turbines ranging from 1.5-3 MW built by GE and
Vestas the Alta Wind Energy Center
11
will deliver a substantial
contribution to the ever rising energy need of the state and will
back California's top position in the US ranking. The first 140
machines were already completed by mid-2011.
The steady technical improvements mentioned in chapter 2.2
result in a clearly visible operation philosophy. The elements most
often lacking on American and European turbines are the nacelle
covers and spinners. It is a standard situation if, for example, 7 out
of 10 USWP turbines at Altamont Pass lack nacelle covers. This is
to simplify maintenance. A maintenance team consisting of just
a hand full of engineers is often responsible for hundreds of
machines. In order to keep all turbines operative, nacelle covers are
often taken down and left on the ground or are disposed at nearby
sites. The missing nacelle covers make the work easier and quicker
for the maintenance team. Despite the missing nacelle covers, the
wind is strong enough to run the wind turbines and does not afect
the aerodynamics. Few people passing the resource areas notice
the wind farms in detail, and generally no one is annoyed about
this fact.
Another example of simplification of maintenance is noticeable
on many Danish turbines. In the 1980s, almost all of the Danish
manufacturers equipped their machines with the same components.
On some wind farms, interchange of components is practiced—
most commonly blade interchange. Thus, it happens that Bonus
turbines
12
13
are equipped with blades intended for Nordtank
machines and vice versa. Such a practice quickly becomes visible
when spotting the Patterson Pass wind farm comprising of 336
11
Located at Tehachapi/Mojave.
12
Blades had green tips.
13
Blades had red tips.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search