| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Te Apiti conditions force turbine service
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Several wind turbines on the Te Apiti site are undergoing major maintenance.
Meridian Energy spokesman Alan Seay said the work was being done under warranty and was part of normal upkeep for the turbines, which were installed less than two years ago.
“It’s not damage, it’s wear and tear the sort of thing you expect with a new plant.” Each turbine is 70m tall and has 35m blades.
“It’s a major job it’s a big piece of equipment.” He said “less than a dozen” of the 55 turbines at the site need replacement parts to be ordered from their Danish manufacturer.
The damage is to “gearboxes mostly, and a couple of blades”, which developed hairline fractures.
Despite the work, Mr Seay said the wind farm had been performing “beyond expectations”.
The company did not know precisely how the farm would fare as the Te Apiti site is windier than any other wind-farm site in the world.
“We weren’t clear exactly what to expect because they are being used in harder conditions than overseas.”
Mr Seay said while the Te Apiti turbines endure a harsh environment, they also generate a lot of power.
When conditions become too windy for the turbines to operate, they shut down.
“They are designed to prevent damage, but any machine that works hard will need maintenance,” said Mr Seay.
“There can be extreme conditions up there.”
He said the maintenance would not cause power cuts and all of the work could be done on site.
By Nick Wilson
This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.
| Wind Watch relies entirely on User Contributions |
 (via Stripe) |
 (via Paypal) |
Share:
[ Short URL: https://wind-watch.org/news/?p=658 ]
