FEATURE SPONSOR
DISTRIBUTED WIND Question:
There is an ongoing debate about UK standards within the small and medium wind industry. What are your thoughts on this in relation to planned and unplanned services?
“At present there are no uniform standards for the medium wind sector that companies must adhere to, which could damage what is a new but exciting industry. This is especially so for operations and maintenance which can really impact on the financial returns of a turbine.
“We hear stories about customers being left with turbines not working, no proper operations and maintenance contracts, a lack of turbine parts, installers who have walked away or manufacturers not set up to deal with the maintenance of their fleets.
“We need to make sure that for customers, manufacturers and the industry, that there are a set of standards for all aspects of a wind turbine project - especially for operations and maintenance which can really improve the finances.
Question: How is ICE working to set and maintain these standards in the UK?
“As a company we work to the highest standards. At present there are no defined rules or standards for installers or O&M companies to work to, so the quality of services varies across the UK.
“However the trade body RenewableUK has recognised this as a growing issue and their small and medium wind strategy group, chaired by ICE Renewables, are committed to setting MSC approved medium wind turbine standards by 2014, on site approval and importantly installation and operations and maintenance, so only qualifying accredited companies can offer an approved level of service.
“It is expected that this will be shortly followed by the IEC 64100-1 standard on wind turbine design. Julian Martin our CEO currently chairs the RenewableUK small and medium wind strategy group which is tasked with setting these standards. As a company we feed back the issues we face and the solutions we have found, feeding back what expected standards all O&M providers should deliver, to ensure customers get what they should expect out of their wind projects.
“These are real issues facing the industry and ICE Renewables has set out to improve medium wind standards and offer a quality assured service across the UK.”
Question:
What are the main challenges with wind projects and how can customers avoid these?
“Wind projects are split into different phases and each one has its own challenges:
Choose the right turbine for your wind project – wind turbines come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes to suit conditions, budgets, planning restriction and constraints on site. A specialist company will be able to advise on the most appropriate turbine to meet your needs and your site’s conditions.
“Getting a turbine through planning can be a difficult process and you shouldn’t embark on this unless you know that you have a project that they will accept – speaking to specialist wind planners and doing pre-planning work including grid connection limitations, is essential so that it saves you time and money in the long run and ensures your project has a better chance of success.
“Understand how you want to finance your project so you don’t get consent for a turbine you can’t afford to build: Banks and developers will be more cautious wanting to make sure the project is financially viable, with paybacks in an acceptable timeframe with a good return of investments (ROI). Banks will look at debt coverage whilst developers will be looking for higher wind speeds.
“The reliability of your turbine starts at the design phase so work with companies who really know what they are doing, so that when it comes to erect your turbine it’s on solid foundations.
“A good operations and maintenance regime will extend the life of your turbine, reduce costs and increase is availability. A bad regime can leave customers dealing with expensive downtime due to out-of-action parts and system failures which will have a big impact on the financial payback of a turbine, so it is crucial that a quality assured service is offered to customers.”
Question:
What would your top 5 tips to customers to ensure the best possible financial return from their wind project?
• An appropriate, well sited turbine • A good O&M strategy • A good O&M strategy • A good O&M strategy • A good O&M strategy!
Michael Hickey ICE Renewables
Click to view more info = Click to view video
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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