Sensors
There are several sensors, such as wind vane, anemometer, imbalance sensor, rotation counter and cable twist sensor located in the nacelle and connected to the IPC.
Based on the information from these sensors, the IPC will control the turbine, or stop it when necessary.
Gearbox
The Siemens/Flender gearbox (especially designed for WES turbines) transfers the rotary motion to the generator. The rotor is directly fitted to the low-speed shaft of the gearbox.
When the turbine is in the parked position (120 degrees out of the wind), the wind will be behind the blades and the gearbox will prevent the rotor from spinning.
Yaw system
The yaw-system ensures that the blades are in the right direction, turning the nacelle in or out of the wind.
The IPC in the control cabinet collects wind data from wind vane and anemometer and orientates the nacelle through the yaw-system.
In case of a grid failure, the yaw-motor will yaw out of the wind to the parked position all by itself.
Generator
A generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. Our generator is especially manufactured for wind turbine applications by ABB in Finland. The choice of an asynchronous generator is key to the WES design. Since such a generator is brushless, it is virtually maintenance free.
Fluctuations in wind speed are absorbed by rotor and generator frequency, and so do not cause fluctuations in loads on the blades, gearbox or tower. This is the main reason why the WES has a long life expectancy and needs little maintenance. The combination of an asynchronous generator and IGBT technology allows the WES to deliver electricity to weak or small grids.
Rotor & Blades
The rotor of a WES wind turbine has two blades. The blades are made of carbon and glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy...
Nacelle
The nacelle is the box on top of the tower that contains equipment such as the gearbox, generator, yaw-system and control system.
Tower
Steel tubular towers are available in a range of lengths: 18, 24, 30, 39 or 48 meters.
The 18, 24 and 30m towers are made from straight pipes, while the 39 and 48 m towers are conical.
Visual impact
Many different kinds of turbine and turbine technologies are now in use around the world. Each turbine and technology has a different visual impacts.
Noise
Wind turbines make very little noise.
The evolution of wind farm technology over the past decade has rendered mechanical noise from turbines almost undetectable, with the main sound being the aerodynamic swoosh of the blades passing the tower.
Environment
Wind energy is a clean energy the use of which has a positive impact on the environment.
The harnessing of wind energy decreases the use of fossil fuels, nuclear energy and other polluting energy sources, decreasing CO2 emission as it does so.
Controller
The control of the WES turbine is based on a Industrial PC or IPC. This IPC-based system has I/O modules in the control cabinet and a remote I/O unit in the nacelle.
Rotor
The rotor of a WES wind turbine has two blades. The blades are made of carbon and glass-fibre-reinforced epoxy. They are light, strong and flexible, and are thoroughly protected against erosion by a shock absorbing coating on the leading edge.
Electrical
Electrical energy is generated by the generator housed in the nacelle of the WES turbine. Cables run from the generator to the control cabinet. The flexible cable loop in the top of the tower is protected from twisting by an anti-twist sensor.
Hybrid
When sufficient wind is available in a remote, isolated grid area, the WES Hybrid system can significantly reduce energy costs.
Remote monitoring
A SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system is an Industrial Control System (ICS); a computer system used to monitor and control industrial systems - in this case WES turbines.
