RENEWABLE ENERGY | FEATURE


CM Hoist Shopstar


chain hoists for wind


power plants. Lifting speeds are


up to 16m/min and lifting heights up to 200m. There is temperature


monitoring with shutdown function of the motor in case of overheating. A geared limit switch automatically switches to low lifting speed as the load reaches the gondola. Demag’s DC-Wind chain


hoists are used for the maintenance and service of wind turbines all over the world in both onshore and offshore applications Offshore installations


face much harsher environments – corrosion in particular, but storm-


force winds, isolation and inaccessibility are other


factors; reaching even the base of the monopile can be


expensive and problematic in good weather, and next to impossible in some seasons of the year. Operators will want to keep routine maintenance of ancillary


equipment to a minimum, and yet offshore cranes are worked very seldom. They must start and perform at top efficiency even after months or years of standing idle. Demag’s DC-Wind units are intended for such adverse conditions. The gearbox and the slipping clutch of Demag’s machines are designed to be maintenance-free for up to 10 years; and components are selected to meet the needs of different climate zones. They can transport loads and tools weighing up to 1,500 kg to heights of up to 180 metres.


Demag also has the DS10-Wind rope


winch. This is a multilayer drum machine with high lifting speeds of up to 48m/min capable of raising loads up to 1,000kg. Space within a nacelle is extremely


limited, so this is a low-headroom design. It can be mounted on an overhead monorail for transporting components around the interior of the nacelle. Liftket supplies wind turbine winches for different load capacities and lifting heights.


It has, for example, a winch designed for a lifting height of 200 m with load capacity of 800 kg and lifting speed of 20 m/min. But these are far from the limits. Depending on the requirements, lifting heights of up to 250 m can be served and lifting capacities of several tons can be realised with products from Liftket while still remaining within the compact dimensions needed for the confined spaces of nacelles. Liftket provides a ‘plug and play’ solution


for simplified installation. The prefabricated installation solution can be used worldwide as it is designed for voltage levels from 110 to 690 V and for 50 or 60 Hz. Since enormous heights sometimes


have to be overcome Liftket also supplies solutions with radio remote control with several transmitters to reduce waiting times and thus also costs. Lifts can be performed within the hollow monopile tower. In order not to damage the inside of


the tower during the lift by the load hook, an electric chain hoist for wind power applications is equipped with a rubber sleeve. As well as serving the onshore sector


Liftket offers solutions for offshore plants. The main difference is that product requirements offshore are much higher. Conditions, as we have said, are rough, and strains are heavy. Alternative paints and materials may have to be used. For such applications Liftket products can be equipped with stainless steel chain and hooks, for example, so that no corrosion can occur. Wind of course is not the only source of


renewable energy. Hydro power (usually, but not always) requires large dams in environmentally sensitive areas. Solar currently supplies some 4.5% of


the world’s energy and remains the third largest renewable electricity technology behind hydropower and wind. In the US, the updated Western Solar


Plan targets 31 million acres (12.5 million Ha) for solar development; 428 gigawatts of


Inside a wind turbine column. The hoist chain is long.


solar capacity was installed last year. Solar presents no particular lifting challenges, which may be an advantage to those developing it but limits the space we need devote to it in these pages. Geothermal power does require more


heavy lifting machinery. It has a surprisingly long history. The Romans used it – not just to supply hot water for their baths, (as for example at Bath in Somerset) but also for space heating. A geothermal electricity generating


station was built in Italy in 1911. Unlike wind and solar energy, geothermal plants produce power at a constant rate regardless of weather or season. Capital construction costs are considerable, but running costs of an established plant are minimal: the US Department of Energy estimates that electricity from modern geothermal plants would cost around 5 cents per kilowatt hour. Thermal plants depend on the working fluid – steam or hot water – having a high temperature. This has restricted geothermal power to areas of high geological activity such as Iceland, parts of the US west coast, and the East African Rift Valley (see box); but deep drilling to reach hotter rocks, around 3km down, - depths that the oil industry is well used to exploiting - help circumvent this problem. So too does the so called ‘binary cycle’, a plant design that usefully exploits water at temperatures as low as 57°C and may make it economic for many more locations. Geothermal power may well have an increasing future. However, the sustainable energy sources


Inside a nacelle there is little room; hoists need to be compact.


of the future may divide themselves out, hoists and lifting gear will be needed for them.


www.hoistmagazine.com | October 2024 | 25


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