Wind Turbine Technology and Operations Factbook

1 2
 Introduction 2
Wind energy basics 3
Wind turbine technology description and economics 9
EC&R’s operations and maintenance strategy 25
Future of wind energy technology 38
Key facts on EC&R Wind 44

Picture taken at E.ON Offshore Project - Robin Rigg (United Kingdom, 2009)
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 Wind energy basics
As the renewable energy source with the biggest growth and share in the energy mix, wind energy
is a key pillar of a cleaner energy future. Since the creation of E.ON Climate & Renewables in 2007,
E.ON’s wind portfolio has grown from 400 MW to more than 4.6 GW in 2013 . With this factbook, we
Interesting facts about wind
aim to provide you with some insight into the science of wind turbine generation and technology, Rules of thumb
together with our operations and maintenance strategy at E.ON.

First, we address the basics of wind energy: Where does the wind come from? What makes a
good site for a wind farm? Then we give an overview of wind turbine technology: How does a
wind turbine work? What are the main components of a wind farm? Finally, we introduce our
operations and maintenance strategy, and the main activities of E.ON Climate & Renewables.

Wind turbine technology is still in its infancy, and research and development is steadily undertaken to make wind energy
more competitive by reducing capital expenditure, and operations and maintenance costs. We conclude with a selection of
key facts about E.ON Climate & Renewables Wind: for example, did you know when the first E.ON wind turbine was built?

We have made every effort to create an interesting factbook. We hope that you will enjoy it, and that it will further
stimulate your interest, and inspire you to learn more about wind energy. We welcome your comments and feedback. Wind speed
Kind regards, • 10% increase in wind speed leads to about 33% more
generation
• Doubling of wind speed allows eight times higher
power production
Blade length
• 20% increase in length leads to a power increase of 44%
Temperature
• Wind turbines produce 11% more power at -10°C than at 20°C
Hub height
• Average wind speed at 100 m can be up to 50% higher
than that at a height of 15 m
Wind energy
• Energy of air through a 80 m diameter rotor at 21 km/h
equals the energy of a small car driving at 160 km/h

2 3
 Wind formation is a complex global system
Coriolis effect, local effects and topography
The earth‘s rotation is one of the main
factors that influences wind direction
Wind is influenced by the time of day and
the temperature of sea and land
4 5
How is wind converted into electricity?
Physical principles
Good to know… Good to know…
• Wind is the movement of air, relative to the earth’s surface Principle
• Wind is the result of an air pressure difference between two points, and the • Wind turbines extract kinetic energy from the air
pressure difference is caused by differences in temperature • Conversion to rotational movement using blades
• The sun, by heating the earth’s surface, is the main contributor to the • Conversion to electrical energy with generator
temperature difference and hence wind formation
Wind energy
Wind direction is mainly driven by three phenomena:
• Wind energy (E) of streaming air can be calculated as:
1• Coriolis effect deflects the wind to the right in the Northern hemisphere and
to the left in the Southern hemisphere. The earth‘s rotation means that wind E = ½·m·v²
direction is not straight from the equator (hot air) to the poles (cold air)
where m = mass of the air and v = air speed
2• Local effects are influenced largely by the time of day. During daylight hours,
land increases in temperature faster than water so air rises onshore and Power
cooler air replaces it causing wind from water to land. The opposite occurs at • Power extracted by the turbine can be calculated as:
night, when the land temperature falls quicker than that of the water
Wind turbines converting energy Pturbine = ½·ρ·π ·r² ·v³·cp
3• Topography (land shape and features) influences the wind significantly. in the wind to electricity
Obstacles such as trees and hills create turbulence, changing the wind speed • The Power Coefficient (cp) is the efficiency or the proportion of kinetic energy
and direction ρ = density of the air extracted by the turbine. This is limited to a maximum of 0.59 as described by
r = radius of the rotor Betz law
v = air speed
cp = Power Coefficient
 Maximum turbine efficiency is 59.3% Knowing site conditions is key to the selection of the right turbine
Betz law technology and for determining actual availability
Summarised derivation of Did you know? Good to know…
Betz law in four steps • In 1919, the physicist Betz proposed a theoretical maximum to the amount of • Site conditions influence the wind turbine model selection and the wind
1 energy that can be extracted from the wind. This maximum is 59.3% farm design
• If 100% of the wind energy was extracted, then the air at the back of the • The best conditions for wind power are when the wind blows steadily without
turbine would be stationary. This would prevent further flow and hence no any turbulence
electrical energy could be generated Specific site condition are determined by • During the development phase of a project, wind characteristics are measured
four factors
• Similarly, if the air leaving the trailing edge of the turbine remained at the on site by a ‘met mast’
2 same velocity as the air entering the turbine then no energy would have been
Using basic equations and physical Good sites • Wind turbines are categorised into six IEC1 classes ranging from I, II and III
relationships, power extracted (p) can
extracted either (wind speed), and A, B and C (turbulence)
be related to power in wind entering • The optimum situation is therefore that some, but not all, of the energy in the • Turbine classes are determined by average wind speed, extreme 50-year gust,
turbine (p0). wind is extracted and turbulence
3 • Current, conventional wind turbine designs are between 30 and 40% efficient • Load factors, defined as the total electrical energy produced in reality
so are not close to disproving Betz law Obstacles
compared with the maximum theoretical production, vary between 20%
and 50% for wind farms

4
The speed of the wind is not the only
criteria for identifying a good site

6 1
7
 Power curves and Weibull distributions are essential for forecasting energy yield Wind turbine technology description and economics
Wind analysis
Wind turbine technology developed significantly in size and height
Good to know… from 2001 to 2013
1• The Weibull distribution is a site specific, continuous wind speed distribution
2• The power curve shows the electricity production across the entire wind speed
range. It is specific for each wind turbine generator
• The Weibull curve and the power curve are combined to determine the power
density at site hence the average load factor and the annual energy yield
1 The Weibull distribution shows the • Energy yield is a measure of the amount of energy converted into electricity by
probability of each wind speed a wind turbine/farm
• Wind turbines typically operate when the wind blows between 3 m/s (cut-in
limit) and 25 m/s (cut-out limit)
• Anemometers and ultrasonic wind sensors, placed on top of the turbines Project Pico Gallo, Spain Bowbeat, UK Sand Bluff, USA London Array, UK
measure, monitor and record the wind speed. This data is primarily used for Technology Onshore Onshore Onshore Offshore
the control and operation of the turbines
Year of 1st generation 2001 2002 2008 2013
Turbine type Made AE-46 Nordex N60 Gamesa G87 Siemens 3.6
Installed capacity 24.4 MW 31.2 MW 90 MW 630 MW
2 The power curve shows the electricity
generated at varying wind speeds Turbine power 0.66 MW 1.3 MW 2.0 MW 3.6 MW
Rotor diameter 46 m 60 m 87 m 120 m
Hub height 45 m 50 m 78 m 87 m

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 Onshore wind farms and capital expenditure break-down Offshore wind farms and capital expenditure break-down
From wind turbine generator to the grid How does an offshore wind farm work?
Wind farm part Capital expenses1 Illust Offshore wind turbines benefit from a 1 urbine
Wind t (50-55% of total capital expenditure)
rativ
e stronger and steadier wind compared Power of modern offshore wind turbines varies between 2 to 6 MW. EC&R is
Wind turbines 70% 4
3 with onshore wind farms. currently an owner of the biggest offshore wind farm in the world, London Array
Inter-array cables 7% with a total installed capacity of 1000 MW
They can operate at full power up to
Substations 4% 2
45% of the time. Foundations (10-15% of total capital expenditure)
2
Export lines 2% There are four main foundation concepts for offshore wind turbines; their
Site access 7% 7 Onshore substation – grid connection point selection depends on seabed conditions, water depth and turbine size
5 3 ables
Array c (5% of total capital expenditure)
Construction work 10%
6 Wind turbines are connected to the offshore substation via array cables. Cables

HV export cable
and foundation 1

Optional HVDC offshore substation

are usually buried between 1 m and 3 m below the seabed
Total capital expenses for the 5
Electrical o
4 ffshore substation (5% of total capital expenditure)
construction of an onshore wind farm
The export voltage is increased by the substation which reduces the current and
1 hence reduces losses
• 1 Wind turbine generators Wind turbines transform wind energy into electricity. Turbines are usually clustered into rows 5 oltage
High v export cables (5% of total capital expenditure)
in order to provide the optimum balance between availability and value for money Offshore substations are usually connected to shore with two export cables.
• 2 Inter-array cables Transport the electricity generated by the wind turbine to the substation or the grid This allows a large amount of electricity to be exported whilst also providing
(in absence of substation) 4 redundancy in case of one cable failing
• 3 Substations Use transformers to increase the voltage to reduce transmission losses 3 Installation and logistics (12-17% of total capital expenditure)
6
Array
• 4 Export lines Transport the electricity from the wind farm to the grid cabling
2 During construction, specialized vessels are required eg heavy lift and cable
laying vessels
• 5 Site access New roads and road reinforcements
3 Offshore
Onshore s
7 ubstation (3% of total capital expenditure)
substation The voltage is increased for a second time to between 130 and 400 kV before the
connection to the electricity grid

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 Six main components contribute ~80% to turbine cost Extracting energy from the wind
Wind turbine generator cost breakdown Rotor and blades
• 1 23% Blades Good to know...
1 • 2 13% Gearbox • In the most common wind turbine design, there are three blades. This design
is called three-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine:
• 3 13% Generator
− More blades improve efficiency only marginally
• 4 5% Converter
− Fewer blades increase rotation speed (noise) and material stress
• 5 4% Transformer
− Gearbox and transmission size acceptable
• 6 25% Tower • Rotor diameter varies normally between 70-140 m
• Commonly blades are made of fiber glass and carbon fiber and weight up to 13 t
2
3 Nowadays rotor blades dimension • Those materials have good fatigue characteristics and the advantage of being
And also... lightweight, strong and inexpensive
4 can be as big as football fields
• Foundations add significant • With a 164 m rotor (eg turbine model V164-8.0 MW), a turbine produces three times
cost, particularly offshore (jacket more energy than with a 90 m rotor (eg turbine model V90-3.0 MW)
foundations at Alpha Ventus ~850 t
5
of steel each)
6 • Logistics and assembly a major
cost component offshore (~15-20%)

Open air blades storage

12 Source: Vestas 13
 Ensuring that most of the wind energy is captured
Pitch and yaw system
Schematic representation of
pitch and yaw systems
3D bottom view of a yaw system3
Translating the power from rotor to generator
Drive train
Pitch system Good to know...
• The pitch orients the rotor blades in order to capture the maximum wind • There are two main types of drive trains:
energy and protect the turbine against high speed wind 1 Drive train with gearbox
• The pitch system is also the main brake for the wind turbine 2 Drive train without gearbox (also direct drive)
Æ Pitch offset’s effect on wind turbine generation1
• In most wind turbines the drive train is made of the
− a 1° offset can decrease energy yield by 1% mainshaft and the gearbox
• The mainshaft connects the blades and the gearbox/
generator. It rotates at the same speed as the rotor
Yaw system
• The gearbox increases the rotation speed of the rotor
• The yaw orients the rotor to face into the wind according to generator requirements
• The wind direction is continually monitored by sensors at hub height
Æ Yaw offset’s effect on wind turbine generation2:
− 10° offset leads to 6% decrease in power
− 20° offset leads to 17% decrease in power
Wind turbine in a workshop being inspected
1 Drive train with gearbox
Advantages
• Less expensive generator
• Generators able to operate at 1500 rpm (more common)
Considerations
• Failure of gearbox possible with high cost impact
Æ This is the most common design
2 Drive train without gearbox
Advantages
• No gearbox (15% of turbine costs)
• Increased reliability due to reduced moving parts
Considerations
• Full converter and sophisticated control needed to
compensate low generator speed
• Complete rotor removal in case of component failure in
highly integrated system

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 Converting the energy in the turbine rotation to electrical energy
Generator
Good to know...
• Electricity is produced when a magnetic field rotates
within the stator (the static part of the generator)
• The different generator concepts produce this magnetic
field in different ways but ultimately produce electricity
using the same principles
A generator works in the same way as a wire moving in a
magnetic field
The generator is a single point of failure and makes up 10%
of the turbine cost for a conventional drive train
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1 Doubly fed induction generator
Advantages
• Cheaper than permanent magnet designs
• Doubly fed induction generators are a common and well
proven technology
Considerations
• Gears are usually required, leading to potential failure
and maintenance costs
Æ This is the most common design
2 Full converter with permanent magnet
Advantages
• No excitation losses
• Used with full converter for greatest grid support
capabilities
Considerations
• Rare earth materials needed for the magnets are not
abundant and their cost is volatile
Providing sophisticated control for the modern turbines
Converter
Good to know... 1 Partially rated converter
• Converters are power electronic devices that are used to Advantages
control the output power of a wind turbine generator • Allows compliance with most network codes
• Converter technology is evolving all the time but they • Cheaper than a full converter for same turbine output
remain a complicated and expensive component
Considerations
• Double fed Injection generators can not always comply
with all grid codes
Æ This is the most common design
2 Full converters
Advantages
• Protect the turbine from mechanical shocks caused by
electrical faults on the grid
• Enable turbines to provide better support for the grid than
the other concepts
Considerations
• Are expensive and complicated, especially for higher powers
Æ This is becoming increasingly popular
Power converter for wind turbine application
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 Standing tall in the harshest conditions No single foundation type is suitable for all site conditions
Tower Onshore foundations
Good to know...
• Steel towers have been the preferred option for wind turbines so far
• However, towers close to and exceeding 100 m tall can suffer from a resonant
frequency problem, which usually is mitigated via the controller
• Designing out this problem is causing huge increases in tower costs for larger
turbines, since the diameter can’t exceed 4.5 m (approx) due to transportation
restrictions
Section of concrete wind turbine tower
• Hybrid solutions (concrete and steel) do not suffer from the same resonance
being lifted into place Spread foundation Skabersjö site in Sweden Foundation during construction
problem, and are therefore a possible solution for taller turbine design
• Novel solutions are in development, eg steel towers with shell segments,
which enables transportation even when more than 6.5 m in diameter, since Good to know...
the circumference is made by multiple shell segments • The foundation has the role of counter balancing the bending moment produced by the wind
• It is the link between the tower and the ground

1 Spread foundation 2 Piled foundation

• consists of a big plate to spread the loads to the ground
• weights up to 1000 t and is up to 5 m deep
• made exclusively of reinforced concrete
• must withstand tension and shear stress
Æ Adapted for strong and stiff soils ie soil with low elasticity
Steel wind turbine tower
• is similar to the spread foundation with additional piles
into the ground
• can reach up to 40 m in depth
• ensures a good connection between the foundation
plate and the piles for the distributing the loads
Æ Adapted for soft soils ie soil with high elasticity

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 Offshore foundations create more challenges than onshore Increasing the voltage to reduce losses
foundations leading to more complex technical solutions Onshore transformers
Good to know...
• Transformers are found in the wind turbines themselves and in substations
• They are used to increase the voltage of the exported electricity which reduces
losses and increases overall energy efficiency
• Usually, each turbine has its own small transformer and these are then
connected to a central substation
• The substation increases the voltage for a second time using another larger
transformer, which transforms the electricity from multiple turbines to the
Substation transformer 30/132 kV at Sierra transmission voltage
de Tineo (Onshore wind farm Spain) • The harsh conditions that wind turbines often operate in are undesirable for
• Steel structure • Re-enforced concrete • Heavy steel structure • Laterace steel structure
dry-type transformers, the type found within turbines. This presents unique
• Max. water depth = 25 m • Max. water depth = 30 m • Max. water depth = 35 m • Max. water depth = 45 m
challenges
• Limited to 3.6 MW turbines • Suitable for 5 MW turbines • Suitable for 5 MW turbines • Suitable for 5 MW turbines
• Most used foundation • Good experience • Little experience • Little experience • In the future, transformers may not be needed for each and every turbine if
the voltage at which the electricity is generated is increased. This could reduce
Good to know... capital expenditure for a wind farm
• Water depth and consistency of the seabed determine the choice of foundation. So far, there is no universal foundation
type suitable for all kinds of seabed conditions
• With a share of 75% in 2011, monopile foundations were the most commonly used foundation type, followed by gravity
foundations with a share of 21%
• Significant research and development are still necessary to develop a more cost-efficient concept for production at Circuit breaker at Roscoe‘s
industrial scale (See section “Future of wind energy technology”) substation transformer

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 Increasing the voltage to reduce losses Transporting electricity is much more complicated than you may have thought
Offshore substation transformers Offshore cables
Good to know... 1 Copper or aluminium conductors with 7 Cross linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation
longitudinal water barrier 1 Function: Electrical separation between
• A substation increases the WTG array voltage (ca. 33 kV) to transmission Function: Carry current 7 conductors and ground
voltage (>132 kV) in order to lower losses 2
2 Inner-and outer semiconductor layers 8
• It is located offshore because the losses and cost of cables from the WTG to an 8 Copper wire screen
Function: Spread electrical stress evenly 3 9
onshore substation would be prohibitive or simply physically not possible Function: Carry short-circuit current/
4 equalizing electrical stress/gathers leakage
• E.ON has unmanned substations so living accommodation is not required for 3 Fibre optic cables 10
Function: Provide communication between 5 and capacitive current
personnel on the platform
wind turbines/substation(s) and the onshore
• Depending on the seabed conditions and depth a monopile, jacket, tripod or control room 9 Water swelling tape
Offshore substation at Robin Rigg gravity foundation would be used Function: Longitudinal water barrier
4 Aluminium foil 11
• Generally, due to the size of offshore wind farms, two transformers are
Function: Radial water barrier
installed and some redundancy or increased reliability is provided 10 Cable filler elements
5 Outer high-density polyethylene sheath Function: Maintains the stability of the
Function: Mechanical protection of the single cable geometry
cable cores
11 Bedding layers/galvanized steel wires
6
6 Outer yarn covering filled with bitumen compound
Function: Maintain the corrosion protection of Function: Protect cable from mechanical
the steel armouring during installation damage during installation and operation
Diameter: 123 mm
Good to know...
• Submarine power cables transport the wind farm energy production to the shore
Offshore substation at London Array
• The diagram above describes a typical submarine power cable and the functions of the cable elements

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 Feeding in the electricity into the grid EC&R’s operations and maintenance strategy
Connection to the grid
EC&R currently owns a portfolio of more than 4.8 GW renewables
Nacelle Good to know... capacity across Europe and North America
• Electrical energy is transmitted from the wind farm to consumer via an
Wind currents electrical network or grid
National grid
Transformer power lines • The substation is the connection point of the wind farm to the grid
• During the development of a wind farm, the developer will obtain a grid
connection agreement from the network operator
• Wind turbines are becoming increasingly capable of supporting the grid,
Electricity
reducing the need for additional reactive compensation which is expensive
Power substation
• Due to increasing wind capacity and intermittency of production, grid congestion
Simplified view of the connection from becomes more frequent causing curtailment of wind farms
the turbine to the grid • Improving the integration of wind power is a key element for making energy
of the future cleaner and better

Key facts
• Assets with 4,831 MW total capacity
• 12.3 TWh electricity produced in 2012,
ter
Headquar
equivalent to demand of 3m homes1
Office location
• Global #8 in onshore wind
Capacity (MW)
• Global #3 in offshore wind Onshore wind
Wind turbines in the energy landscape • Active in 11 countries fshore
Of wind
Other
• 862 employees, 31 nationalities

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 Our wind portfolio: A diversified young fleet and with industrial size Besides CAPEX reduction, lower OPEX and increase energy yield
also contribute to make wind power more competitive
Fleet age Turbine manufacturer Fleet size LCOE structure: Example onshore wind LCOE reduction measures
11-25 years Others Below 10 MW
LCOE (€/MWh) CAPEX:
6-10 years 0-2 years Manufacturer E Manufacturer A 56% Between • Alternative suppliers, eg from Asia
10-25 MW
• Fit-for-purpose design, new tower materials
91% Manufacturer B
Above Between • Major potential in hardware costs
100 MW 25-50 MW
72% • Standardized, integrated design approach
Between OPEX:
3-5 years Manufacturer D Manufacturer C 50-100 MW CAPEX 70%
• O&M contract modules and 3rd party providers
Æ More than 2/3 of our wind Æ More than 90% of our wind capacity Æ More than 50% of our wind capacity • Predictive and smart maintenance
capacity has been commissioned consists of 5 wind turbine manufacturers consists of wind farms with an • Hands-on O&M service concepts
in the last 5 years installed capacity above 100 MW • SCADA Smart EC&R/EC&R Control Rooms
O&M strategy outlook • Global spares framework/global warehousing
Strategy in following pages
• Best practice sharing across whole fleet
• We focus on developing, building and operating industrial-scale projects in the US and in Northern Europe
OPEX 30% • Global benchmarking and global steering of fleet
• We aim to accelerate our capital rotation through portfolio measures and partnership models
• Onshore US: We aim to develop 400 MW new capacity per year on average, of which we build 200 MW ourselves Energy yield:
• Best location for turbine (micro-siting)
• Onshore Europe: We aim to develop 240 MW new capacity per year on average, of which we build 150 MW ourselves We aim to reduce onshore wind LCOE by • Higher availability
• Offshore: We aim to develop and build 150 MW offshore wind capacity per year on average 25% and offshore wind by 40% by 2015
• Improved average performance
Æ Wepursue ambitious targets to reduce the wind power
generation costs
26 27
 O&M costs account for ~ 60% of total OPEX1 O&M strategy: Our key beliefs and rationale for future active
This is what we can influence through our O&M strategy management of “our” assets
Onshore – Annual Operational Onshore – Annual Operations & Illust
rativ Key beliefs
e
Expenditure (OPEX) split Maintenance (O&M) cost split • We believe in the capabilities of our own in-house expertise and technicians
• Our own O&M capability is already high and we are aiming to gain even more knowledge
• We will take on more responsibility as an active asset manager
• With our operational experience, we will provide support and input for project development, construction and
procurement within EC&R

Rationale
• We will build up in-house expertise throughout mixed/hybrid teams
• Our gained knowledge will allow us to choose self-performed O&M
• We can leverage our global fleet size and scale to share knowledge and capture greater benefits
• We will be more OEM independent
• Higher level of control over our own assets will allow us to increase our assets’ availabilities and drive down O&M costs in
Good to know... the long-run
• The term Operational Expenditure (OPEX) covers all activities during the operational life of a wind farm
• WTG service contracts, maintenance and inspection represent the main O&M costs
• EC&R aims to break these costs up into different contractual modules
• Unscheduled maintenance eg repair of major components that fail unexpectedly has a significant impact on O&M costs

28 29
 By applying active asset management, O&M cost can be O&M strategic activities: Active asset management is applied
significantly reduced throughout various initiatives within EC&R
COD Years 2-5 Years 3-6 Year 25
Warranty period Post warranty
Hands-on O&M
O&M contract modules/
Transition framework agreements
service concepts Predictive Smart
Initially more (incl. mixed teams, maintenance/CMS maintenance
and 3rd party providers
expensive due to self-performance)
additional internal
O&M activities, staff
training cost

EC&R fleet Unscheduled

Spares strategy/global
EC&R active engineers/best maintenance Warehousing concept
spares framework
practice sharing model
O&M approach
Only slight year-on-year increase for post-warranty life (20 years).
Hands-off approach Increased cost control through:
Cost (OEM dependent) O&M Initiative: Active O&M approach:
• Modular O&M contracts • Mixed teams
• Smart maintenance • Competitive market penetration
• Competitive market penetration
Fleet analysis and
Energy Yield SCADA Smart EC&R EC&R Control Room
fleet performance
Under
Yr. 3 to 6: first major
warranty: no
Main cost driver: components failures Yr. 4 to 7 until 25: more components fail including main components
or only minor
Failure rate/spare with cost attributable (gearbox, generator, blades, frequency converters)
repair costs
replacement to the operator, mainly
attributable to
smaller components
operator
ÆÆWe will gain higher level of control to increase availabilities and drive down O&M costs significantly

30 31
 Active asset management Active asset management
O&M contract modules/3rd party O&M service Condition based maintenance: Predictive maintenance
providers and hands-on O&M service concepts and smart maintenance
Concept Rationale and benefit Concept Rationale and benefit
O&M contract modules/3rd party providers: Predictive maintenance:
Oil analysis
• Efficiency and transparency increase with standard • 4-steps-approach for meeting EC&R’s global predictive
modular contract maintenance strategy ensuring lowest cost operations
• Customizing service modules to EC&R’s demand by being
able to contract only required modules Example %
of Sites*

Condition monitoring Risk based monitoring

• Supporting market penetration by contracting different 10

modules to different suppliers including 3rd party 25 Advanced CM1

providers
Hands-on O&M service concepts: 75 Condition monitoring
Full service Modular contract
• Build-up internal O&M know-how via mixed teams
contract (As-Is) (Target) 100 Oil analysis
• In-source O&M activities for suitable sites
Advanced and
Joint scheduled maintenance risk based monitoring
with OEM’s and EC&R’s Smart maintenance:
technicians • Challenging and optimizing maintenance manuals and
processes based on plant condition not time
• Using alternative tools and techniques (eg main shaft
clamp, etc.)

Æ We are significantly increasing transparency in O&M contracts and service Æ We drive for condition based instead of time based maintenance

32 33
 Active asset management Active asset management
EC&R fleet engineers/best practice sharing Spares strategy/global spares framework
and unscheduled maintenance model and warehousing concept
Concept Rationale and benefit Concept Rationale and benefit
EC&R internal global
Best practice sharing: Spares strategy/global spares framework:
structure of fleet • EC&R internal global engineers’ pool structured along • Frameworks with 3rd party suppliers and parts-OEMs
Hubs at stock
engineers OEM technology (ie Technical Fleet Managers for Vestas, • Implementation of global framework agreements for
GE, Siemens etc.) strategic spare parts (eg gearboxes, etc.)
• Global Operators’ Forums on bi-monthly basis to
Warehousing concept:
exchange knowledge/experiences and to decide on
• Elaboration on where central warehouses are needed
operational issues
and where not (esp. offshore and in onshore US sites)
Unscheduled maintenance model: Small warehouse at Northern • Assessment on the safety stock level of spares and
• Establishing a global unscheduled maintenance model European Onshore site cluster between strategic components, general spares
to apply common forecast approach across the fleet and consumables
• Derivation of risk assessment, cost comparisons, spare
parts supply needs, etc.

Central warehouse concept

for big components in
Southern Europe

Examples of EC&R’s unscheduled maintenance tools

ÆÆWe globally steer our fleet by turbine technologies and harvest our knowledge ÆÆWe leverage our global fleet size and scale to share knowledge and capture greater benefits

34 35
 Active asset management Active asset management
Fleet analysis: Fleet performance and energy yield SCADA Smart EC&R and EC&R Control Room

Concept Rationale and benefit Concept Rationale and benefit

Fleet analysis and fleet performance: SCADA Smart EC&R:
• Analysis of our assets on a fleet-wide basis to • Global OEM-independent SCADA system to ensure
continuously identify low performing turbines efficient operation and control of the entire fleet
• Delivery of fleet-wide common reporting, analysis Centralized • Integration of all SCADA data onto one single Business
expertise and services SCADA system Process Database
Energy yield: • Automated fleet-wide operational reports on yearly/
• Increase availability and efficiency improvements by quarterly/monthly/weekly basis
modifications and upgrades EC&R Control Room:
• Part of regular inspections to ensure that fleet • 2 EC&R owned and operated control rooms- Coventry
operations is continuously improving for Europe and Austin for US sites- monitoring all EC&R
operated sites
• Global real-time monitoring and control to realize full
benefits of large-scale deployment

EC&R North
American Control
Room in Austin

ÆÆWe analyze, benchmark and challenge the whole fleet to continuously improve our performance ÆÆWe make use of and aim to gain even more knowledge about our O&M capabilities

36 37
 Future of wind energy technology
EC&R contributes to improve wind energy technology in its area of expertise 1 Optimize & drive down O&M cost
T&I project examples

Evolution of wind energy Evolution of wind turbine size

Variety of wind technologies from onshore to airborne
installed capacity in the world
wind turbines Offshore structure and foundation affected by scour Advanced Condition Monitoring pre-commercial trial

Motivation Focus Scour Prevention System Advanced Condition Monitoring (ACM)

EC&R is working with Technology & Innovation (T&I) to
make wind energy more competitive. Reducing cost is vital
and both improving performance of existing assets as well
as new types of assets, updates of existing wind turbine
technologies or completely new wind energy concepts, can
contribute significantly.
EC&R and Technology & Innovation have a broad value and
business oriented program with the main focus on where
EC&R can bring its own expertise, for example:
1 Optimize & drive down O&M cost
2 Reduce CAPEX – eg novel offshore foundations
Situation Situation
• Many offshore turbines are exposed to scour which causes structure instability ACM has been developed and proven very beneficial for our CCGT fleet: this
• Existing solution is rock dumping around the fundament but that is expensive project is to test its applicability to wind turbines
and it needs to be done every 3-6 years Complication
Complication Benefits case needs to be proven under real operating conditions
The existing solution, rock dumping, is costly, can cause wear on cables and scour Resolution
tends to occur around the dumped area
Provide a rationale for whether ACM should be applied generally across the
Resolution fleet; and if so how
Car tires connected like a mat around the monopile can reduce the cost Potential
compared to the current solution ACM can help reducing unplanned unavailability
Potential
Scour Prevention System has the potential to reduce lifetime cost significantly
and lower carbon footprint in comparison with existing methods

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 1 Optimize & drive down O&M cost 1 Optimize & drive down O&M cost
T&I project examples T&I project examples

Pitch Optimization – Air Density Schematic view of the LiDAR

Pitch optimization Yaw optimization

Situation
Optimum energy yield of a turbine depends on a number of factors, a key
one being correct blade pitch angle at a given air density, which varies
Predictive gearbox model (EOH1) seasonally
Situation Resolution Complication
The cost of wind turbine gearbox replacement, particularly off-shore Create a predictive failure models for wind turbine gearboxes based on Optimum yield conditions are only achieved at a few operational points
is significant Equivalent Operating Hours during the year. For some turbines the pitch angle is referenced from a
Complication look-up table based on static air density calibrated at commissioning
Potential
Our currently installed Conditioning Monitoring Systems (CMS) cannot If we can predict gearbox wear/damage and replace prior to Class III and IV Resolution
forecast far in advance the likely failures in sufficient time to schedule failure, E.ON can better schedule replacement campaigns The objective of the project is to increase the power output of the wind
replacement turbines by calculating new pitch tables specifically optimized for the site
climatic conditions and recalibrating the turbines accordingly
Potential
Optimized pitch tables will increase energy yield as the turbine adapts its
pitch strategy to the prevailing air density
Situation
Currently we rely on OEM anemometry to detect wind direction and
misaligned yaw from inaccurate wind direction readings reduces turbine
production
Complication
This project is to evaluate solutions to improve wind direction alignment
using retro-fitted modifications eg LIDAR solutions
Resolution
Increase energy yield of existing EC&R turbines by optimizing yaw using eg
retro-fitted LIDAR solutions
Potential
Improving yaw alignment will increase the power output of existing
turbines and reduce loads induced by turbulence

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 2 Reduce CAPEX How big can a wind turbine become?
Novel offshore foundations
The big question is: What will be the limit to
wind turbine size increase?
• Since the wind industry started to take off, there has
been a race to increase turbine size and power. With
hub heights now well over 100 metres, this trend is still
continuing
• Various companies have turbine designs of up to 10 MW
but few turbines with capacity above 6 MW have been
constructed up to 2012
• Larger turbines mean you do not need as many turbines
Keystone twisted Jacket Suction bucket Floating concepts
for the same energy output allowing for cost reduction
• There will be a limit beyond which the costs and
New offshore foundations technical limits associated with building larger and
Situation Resolution larger turbines become prohibitive
• Offshore wind CAPEX needs to come down and foundations and their Build confidence in and accelerate the development of the most
installation represent a significant share promising options by conducting met mast scale demonstrations and, if
• With sites further from shore and deeper water the “standard options” - successful, full scale demonstration
gravity and monopile - might not always be the optimal solutions Potential
Complication The ambition is to be able to install wind farms further offshore to
Many novel ideas and concepts exist, but many are at early stages and harness higher wind speeds and produce more electricity to a lower cost
some potentially lead to cost increases

Vestas V164 -8.0 MW model with a 164 m rotor diameter

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 Key facts on EC&R wind
Interesting facts about our wind business

London Array, UK Roscoe, USA Scroby Sands, UK

Did you know?

• EC&R has a presence in 10 countries
• EC&R operates almost 3,000 wind turbines
• Approximately 10,000 blades are regularly inspected
• The highest wind turbines of the EC&R fleet is 169 m high (blade included)
• The oldest EC&R wind farm was built in 1992
• EC&R owns and operates the world’s 2nd largest onshore cluster – Roscoe, Inadale, Champion and Pyron (782 MW)
• Jointly with partners DONG and Masdar, EC&R operates the world’s largest offshore wind farm – London Array (630 MW)

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