WIND FARM OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT

摘要

With the continuous worldwide increase in wind energy developments as well as the trend tornprogressively build larger wind farms, wind farm operation and on-going maintenance canrnbecome a complex task. While most of the focus is naturally on the initial investment andrndevelopment phases, wind farm operation is frequently overlooked and left to the owner whornsometimes faces difficulties and disappointments once the wind farm construction isrncomplete. To achieve returns, wind farm performance and availability is targeted at thernhighest levels, which demand operational strategies adapted to each site and the best use ofrnmaintenance management tools. Operating wind farms starts by establishing key performancernindicators, which have to be meaningful, measurable and reliable. The functions of thernSCADA system (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) become fundamental to reportingrnfaults and tracking turbine conditions and also to measuring the wind farm performance andrnproducing decisive reports for the management team.rnEuropean countries like Germany, Spain and Denmark have learned to effectively operaternwind farms through extensive experience. However these countries make continuous effortsrnin driving the operating cost down and responding to new maintenance challenges such asrnageing assets and offshore wind farms. Other countries with fewer operating sites and recenthigher ambitions in wind energy development, such as those in the Asia Pacific region, arernready to embark on the latest wind turbine technological advances. Some of these countriesrnhave a shortage of experience in operating and maintaining wind farms, so operationalrnstrategies must be carefully considered in order to obtain optimum performance from windrnresources.rnBased on PB Power’s experience in the global wind industry this paper discusses a selectionrnof key performance indicators suitable for wind farm management with different operationrnstrategy options including a review of maintenance management tools and their effectivenessrnwhen operating wind farms. Typical issues facing today’s onshore wind farm operators arernconfronted with and assessed, and the different parameters driving the operation costs arernexplained.