FEATURE | RENEWABLE ENERGY
RENEWING THE POWER
The world’s energy sources are in a state of transition. Renewable energy is powering an ever-greater proportion of our needs, and construction of sustainable energy plants is proceeding apace. Julian Champkin reports.
the promise has been delivered upon. Around 7.8% of the world’s electricity became wind in 2023 and capacity is growing and expected to continue to grow: that percentage is expected to quadruple by mid-century. Of all the renewables it is one of the fastest-growing. Wind turbines have some obvious and
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special characteristics. One of them is height. The hub height of towers of onshore wind turbines stood at around 80m a decade ago but the latest installations are 103m high, and designs for 150m hub heights are on the drawing board for near- future construction. Offshore towers are higher still, by a factor of 1.5 or more. Reaching the turbines at the top of those
towers therefore presents a problem. They need maintenance and occasional repair; service personnel need to be lifted up to the nacelles; so too do replacement parts, throughout the lifetime of the turbine. The solution is to have winches permanently
24 | October 2024 |
www.hoistmagazine.com
ind used to be considered the most promising of renewables. That is perhaps outmoded now:
housed in the nacelles; and those winches need special characteristics. Prime among these, of course, is very high lift heights – so large drums, or capacious chain containers, to accommodate long lengths of rope or chain are incorporated. Lifting to such heights takes time: so, the
ability to run for considerable periods without interruption is also a requirement. Many manufacturers have produced or adapted their models for exactly that purpose. Columbus McKinnon, for example, has
its CM Lodestar and Shopstar hoists for standard applications. It also has ‘Wind Editions’ of both of these which have been remodelled specifically for use as service and maintenance hoists for wind turbines. Lift heights exceed 300 feet (91 metres). Both are designed to withstand the application and environment, and both can lift parts and equipment from the ground to the nacelle with no interruption and minimal chain vibration, says CMCO. Coffing is one of the Columbus
McKinnon brands, and Coffing EC-HL Models are designed to exceed the requirements needed for the exceptional
CM Hoist Lodestar Classic
lifting ranges for wind turbine maintenance. They have a specially designed motor configuration that allows the unit to lift 100% of capacity at the extended run times needed to cover the height of the tower. GIS has its
GPW electric
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