The US wind industry has reached a utility scale wind capacity of 36,698 MW, with many of the turbines fast approaching the end of their warranty periods.
Wind farm operators now need to learn what management strategies and technological advances will optimize their turbines performance, minimize OPEX costs and drive down the overall lifetime costs of wind power production as their assets become their responsibility
The wind operations and maintenance (O&M) market is expected to reach $10.6 billion by 2016 following the likely growth in the Global wind energy market. The global onshore wind energy market has grown with a compound annual growth rate of 27% from 2005 to 2010 and is expected to grow significantly in the future. Europe has the largest wind O&M market due to aging turbines but is likely to lose relative market share to Asia Pacific and North America as O&M services grow in those regions.
In the North America, wind is one of the fastest growing forms of new electricity generation, accounting for roughly 40% of that added to the electric grid. AWEA’s end of year press statement showed that not only did the wind energy industry survive a tumultuous year in 2010 but actually laid the groundwork to return to large scale installations in 2011.
With a vast number of operating wind turbines approaching the end of their warranty period and new wind farms waiting to be constructed, internal decisions need to be made about on-going maintenance strategies. Operators now face more choice than ever over for post warranty aftercare the best way to organize post warranty operations and maintenance. Options need to weigh up in terms of whether to stick with the OEM’s contract, sign a deal with third-party providers or manage operations and maintenance in-house. Critical emphasis is now on:
