Your letters for Nov. 8, 2024
By NewsPress Now
Your letters for Nov. 8, 2024
The monster in the fields
Higher than 300 feet (100m), wind turbines are an integral part of our transition to renewable energy. Currently, there are more than 341,000 wind turbines across the globe.
Servicing is infrequent as it requires scaling to the top of the turbine so leaks may be missed. Oil leaks of any kind need immediate attention as they can mean critical parts are broken.
The global wind turbine market was worth around US$56B in 2021 and is forecast to grow to US$102B by 2030 with a CAGR of 6.34%. In 2016, it was reported that there are 341,000 wind turbines globally. In 2022, the U.S. has an estimated 70,800 operating turbines. The wind turbine lubrication market is forecast to reach US$226M by 2026.
As wind power is the second largest source of renewable energy after solar, wind energy has benefitted from many favorable policy structures and regulatory frameworks. One example is the Production Tax Credit (PTC) which provides a tax credit per kilowatt hour generated.
Overall, the wind turbine market is split into horizontal and vertical wind turbines where horizontal types are up to 10 times more efficient due to their scale — and hence are found in more remote and offshore settings. The onshore segment dominates the global market currently with installation constituting 71.7% compared to offshore. Utility-scale farms currently dominate the market.
Who is leading the wind turbine market? Geographically, China and the U.S. account for over half the world’s wind power capacity and in 2020, accounted for almost 75% of new wind turbine installations. China, Japan and India remain the largest markets. Other notable countries include Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam and Australia. Wind power demand is also growing rapidly in the EU, where electricity generation from wind grew from 3.9% to 12% between 2008 and 2019. The problems of turbine oil leaks — it is important to locate the multiple areas of a turbine that contain oil whether in the form of lubrication, hydraulic fluid or gear oil.
Gearboxes — Requires a huge assembly of industrial gears that depend on gear oil to ensure smooth rotations and to keep temperature stable.
Yaw and pitch drives — Can rotate in two ways, the yaw drive keeps the wind turbine head (nacelle). Therefore these components depend on a network of hydraulic fluid to operate.
Lubricants — For any part that moves. This includes bearings on the spinning rotor, main shaft, generator and the drivetrains for yaw and pitch control.
Brakes — All have a stop mechanism to brake rotor speed in emergencies or when components get too hot. This disc brake is usually implemented by hydraulic means or mechanically so plenty more hydraulic fluid or gear oil is required.
Transformers — A forgotten part of the turbine that contains significant amounts of oil is the built-in step-up transformer that processes the produced power from the generator.
Turbines are damage prone that are difficult to service, add harsh winds, vibrations and torques.
The turbine has one of the most dangerous pollutants due to the harmful components in the oil. What to do with the waste, improving environmentally friendly methods processing waste materials and used petrochemicals are also important. Old oil is one of the most dangerous pollutants due to the harmful components in the oil, irreparable damage to soil and water. Incineration adds to bad air. Special additives improve the properties but also indirectly causes the accumulation of many toxic substances in the oil. They can hold up to 1400 liters of oil, hydraulic fluid and lubricants. Some can run at 60mph.
Ben Pecora
St. Joseph
