The importance of Pitch-Backup Systems to control costs

Nearly all wind farm managers are under constant pressure to do more with less.

The average first-year operating costs of a wind turbine are $38,000 per MW. As the turbine ages, operating costs increase on average up to $58,000 per MW per year.

It is a daily struggle to monitor and control these costs.

The Pitch-backup system is of importance for the safety of the wind turbine. A failure of this system can lead to the fact that rotor blades spinning out of control and damage the wind turbine irreversibly.

Electric pitch systems are equipped with batteries. Those batteries are a common source of failure.

In this white paper, retrofitting battery-based pitch backup systems with ultracapacitors is considered as a cost-effective strategy to improve reliability and safety and to reduce costs.

Here you will get your free copy to learn more about the following aspects:

• Why do batteries often fail before their expected lifespan?
• Surprising operating and maintenance costs caused by battery failures.
• How retrofits work and what are the competitive advantages for your wind farm.
• The impact of retrofitting on the safety of your technicians