Talking Point
Leading the way to grid parity
Detlev Koch, Head of Solar Thin Film, Oerlikon Solar.
For the PV industry, this is a time of optimism, historic economic potential and technological progress - and unprecedented challenges. But governments and the private sector alike are betting on our industry to meet the challenges and supply an increasingly larger share of the world's future electricity needs.
The guardian angel
As the world entered a new millennium, Dr. Peter Volkmer discovered that condition monitoring of the rotor blades of wind turbines not only reduces risks but also pays for itself. At the time, systems monitoring the power train were already available and so the obvious question was why the most stressed parts of a wind turbine, the blades, remained unmonitored. This idea has been developed and Dr. Volkmer explains to PES the all round benefits of BLADEcontrol.
Micromorph tandem technology is good to go
Micromorph tandem technology is good to go
With key performance breakthroughs in amorphous silicon technology, Oerlikon Solar is set to launch the next generation thin film solar technology.
UPS solutions for wind turbines
UPS solutions for wind turbines: high performance in all weathers
The performance and profitability of a wind turbine stands and falls with its operational reliability. Any fault or outage can cost the operator dear while also potentially impacting on safety; costly servicing puts an extra strain on budgets. Therefore, it is all the more important for the operator to have full confidence in each individual component. A continuous power supply plays a crucial role in this and UPS systems from AKI Power Systems can provide the security of an uninterruptible power supply - 24/7, in all winds and weathers, in both onshore and offshore turbines.
Enhancing wind turbine reliability and performance
Dipl.-Ing. Kirsten Tschauder, Deutsche BP AG
Unplanned wind turbine downtime can lead to high financial losses and wind energy market statistics indicate that the average turbine downtime due to unscheduled events is around 270 hours per year. Roughly one third of such losses can be minimised or avoided by considering the special ambient and application conditions that the turbine operates in and choosing the correct lubricant and application method.
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