Category Archives: Turn Key Wind Farms

Site visits and information management tools

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This post complete the information of the previous article on how to plan a site visit for a renewable energy project.

I will try to answer this question: what is the better tool to manage the information obtained on site?

There are several very useful mobile apps that can help us finding the target locations and geolocate the position of all relevant elements of the project (wind turbines, substation, roads, crane pads, etc.).

They can also help us obtaining and storing information in an efficient and organized way.

Although none of these software has been specifically created for the wind business´s needs, they offer very useful features that could make our lives easier during a site visit.

As they are mobile apps, we should make sure we have enough battery and that is why I always recommend bringing a portable charger with you.

Google Earth / Google maps

These two apps are by far the most popular. Anybody who is familiar with the desktop software will rapidly recognize their strengths integrated in a very powerful GUI.

They allow the user to load kml files with very valuable information such WTG positions or road alignments or even connect to maps edited and stored in our personal Google account

I see three main drawbacks here:

  • The basemap loaded in the background is limited to the basic formats: Street, Terrain, Traffic, Satellite, etc. Unfortunately they do not offer the chance to insert our customized maps as a background.
  • The geolocation is based on the device´s built-in GPS, but the background map data is loaded only if network is available – and this could be a big risk in remote areas.
  • They are not really prepared to create and store points of interests with comments and link personal photos taken in the area of study – or at least, not as I would like.

Avenza maps

This app uses the device´s built-in GPS so that the correct positioning does not depend on the availability of the network.

One of the main advantages compared to the traditional GPS mapping apps like “Gaia gps”, “Google Maps” or “Google Earth” is that Avenza maps allows the user to import our own customized maps in different file formats such as geopdf, geotiffs.

These maps can be any kind of project drawings created with GIS tools such as QGIS or ArcMap.

This app can be used for free. With the free version we can download up to a certain number of maps at a time (usually 3). There is also is also Pro version which includes more features and increases the possibilities.

It also includes the option to create a store account. It is not required but is recommended though.

For more information about this tool, I recommend you go directly to the official web.

Maprika

This is a tracking map app used mainly by hiking lovers.

Initially, it looks like a very simple app without any special charm. However, it offers similar functionalities to “Avenza maps” and I personally consider it gives a good service to the actual needs in a site visit.

The main advantages are:

  • We track our routes and the elevation information (longitudinal profiles) is registered as well.
  • The photos taken along the routes are georeferenced and can be visualized over the route.
  • There is the option to add “Places of interest” with comments.
  • We can create our customized maps either by using the app or from the desktop tool called “Maprika map designer”. See below a link with a tutorial explaining how to do it.

As a drawback, we can considerate the lack of confidentiality: any map uploaded containing relevant wind farm information would be available to any user from the server.

Furthermore, it is quite easy to upload a map to the server but deleting is not as straightforward.

Here is the link to the website:https://www.maprika.com/

Road AI from Vaisala (old Vionice)

I leave to the end which, from my point of view, is the most promising from all the apps listed here and, surprisingly, maybe the less popular: Road AI

The first time I heard about this tool was in a Finish project I was involved in.

One of the contractors used to work with it and it ended up being a really nice discover.

Although addressed to cover infrastructure management, it can be “recycled” to work as an information management tool for site visiting. The mobile application provides a dynamic and flexible way to collect, manage and deploy data in a user friendly environment.

The main strengths are:

  • The user can record videos and make photos of the construction site which will directly be stored and available in a cloud service. E.g. We can make videos using a phone holder on the windscreen to record routes and the time and the GPS location will also be saved.
  • Make annotations associated to the audio-visual material recorded on site.
  • View all of the recorded routes and sites together with the annotations and metadata using the map interface available through a normal browser application.
  • We can share this information with anybody inside your organization or with a client.
  • It also allows to use filters and requests to visualize data following a certain criteria with a similar philosophy than in a GIS environment.

Surprisingly, it is difficult to find any reference to this application out from the local Finnish market. Only a few references are found in works at UK.

This is a link to the first of a series of video tutorials explaining the way to use and take most of the system (sorry it is in Finnish):

All in all, the proposals presented here are only a sample among a big offer presented in the market. Any tool with similar properties would work well enough used in a proper way. It is just a matter of personal preference as long as an ad hoc and convincing system is deployed and released into the market. Maybe one day…

Wind Energy in Finland

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One of the things I enjoy more in my job is that it gives me the possibility to work in several  different countries.

In  the last months I've had the pleasure to visit several time Finland for a project developed by Neoen (the French developer that it's about to launch its IPO) and Prokon.

It's a 81 MW project called "Hedet". 18 Nordex/Acciona N149 4.0-4.5 MW turbines will be installed under a full EPC contract in an area near Närpiö (a low - medium wind site in West Finland).

It will be built in 2019, bust some preliminary works for roads and tree cutting have already been started.

The energy will be used to power a Google data center (see my other post on this topic).

It’s interesting to note that this is a private, unsubsidized PPA – meaning that it is a transaction between companies, not a “classic” setup where the electricity is sold by the developer to an utility for public consumption.
I believe that this kind of deal will increase in the next years given the sharp decrease of solar and wind plants.

In addition to Hedet there is a second group of wind farm that will be built in Finland in 2019, a portfolio of 107 MW divided in 4 different projects, all of them with the N149/4.0-4.5 MW.

These project are developed by Ox2 (a big player in Northern Europe) and not EPC (they are "Clean Sell", to use a regrettable expression I've heard to define a Supply and Installation project).

The Ox2 projects are founded by IKEA - now you know were your money end when you buy the "Billy" bookcase (I think I bought like 5 of them when I was young).

Wind energy use is growing in Finland – the country started somehow late (in 2010 they had less than 200 MW installed) to accelerate strongly in the last few years. The country has over 2 GW installed now, covering about 5% of consumption.

I would like to thank our colleagues in Finland and all the subcontractor we’ve worked with in the last months. Thank you for your hospitality!

Wind Farm LIDAR topography

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LIDAR topography is the best available solution available nowadays.

We have used it in several wind farms and I’m enthusiast of the results. It can be used to define earthworks with great precision.

Basically it is made with an airplane flying with a laser, a digital camera and a GPS.

The laser “sweep” the requested area and a receiver on the plane register the laser beam waves reflected by all the surfaces. At the same time high quality digital pictures are taken, and the position of the plane is registered thanks to the GPS.

This is how the equipment used looks like:

After the flight, the cloud of point obtained is filtered: first of all points are divided in classes, depending on the type of reflection (“echoes”). Groups of points representing trees, bushes, buildings and so on can be defined.

In the second filtering the intensity of the reflected beams is considered (vegetation and ground reflect with very different intensity).

The next step is to calculate a mean between different laser passages, as the same point may appear in slightly different coordinated.

This kind of mistake introduces a noise in the results, and contour lines may results as broken lines instead of smooth lines:

As a result of this data cleaning process, all the point can be classified as belonging to a type surface (trees, grass, building, and ground) and it’s possible to visualize them with a different color.

You can see in the following image some examples. In the first, an agricultural area is mapped. In green you can see the trees and in brown the ground:

In this other example, we mark in green the ground, in violet the trees and in brown the buildings:

In this final example, you can see as a whole town would look like in a cloud of points:

Control point are manually selected identifying them in the picture. They are used to put the data in the correct absolute coordinates:

Finally, a digital terrain model is produced using the Delaunay triangulation, to maximize the area of the triangles.

As you can see, the results are often exceptional:

Wind farm standard layout

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The components of a typical, utility size wind farm are:

  • One or more rows of turbine perpendiculars to the prevailing wind direction, with a distance between them of 2 or more diameters. For instance, if the diameter of the rotor is 100 meters, the distance would be from 200 to 300 meters. This distance is necessary to avoid induced turbolences to the rotor, than can affect the life of the generator. The number of turbine installed depend of the chosen model: a wind analysis is made, to define the WTG with the best fit for the location.
  • An underground power collection system, normally around 20kV-30kV. Sometimes an above ground medium voltage power collection system is used, although it happens very rarely due to the visual impact. Here there is a trade off between greater spacing between the WTGs (=more production) and greater cables length (=more energy losses and cable cost).
  • Civil works (roads, crane pads, foundations)
  • A substation transformer
  • An operation and management (O&M) building, to store spare parts and perform maintenance. Can be integrated in the substation.
  • A SCADA system, to collect and transmit data from the wind farm to the stakeholders.
  • A high voltage interconnection line to the grid. The distance from the substation to the grid can vary greatly, and if the wind resource is sufficiently high longer distance can be feasible. The interconnection point to the utility line can be co-located in the substation: in this case (frequent when the wind farm connects to an existing substation) there is no need for an overhead line.

San Anton - a Wind Farm from cradle to completion

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San Anton is a small wind farm (4 WTGs) located in Lillo, Toledo (Spain).

I had the opportunity to follow this project from the beginning visiting the site very often. I collected several picture to show the main phases of a wind farm construction.

First of all a met mast is installed, and wind data is collected. If there is enought wind in the area and the investment is profitable, an authorizative project is developed and transmitted to the authorities. Normally this project is developed using existing information, that is without developing a new cartography or other field works.

When this project is approved and it start to become reality, than the first work on site is the geotechnical report, done to define the subsoil conditions trought several in situ and laboratory test: here in the picture a trial pit is open to see the materials in the subsoil

Trial pit

A trial pit opened using a backhoe

With this information and a document provided by the seller of the wind turbine with the load transmitted to the base (shear, moment and vertical loads), a preliminary (or sometimes directly a constructive project) of the foundation is developed.

Afterwards, a topographical survey is developed. This can be done using standard field topography, a flight or LIDAR (a laser system that can provide a very dense cloud of point).

The following picture show the first step of the construction phase: topsoil stripping, an operation that consist in the removal of the first layer of fertile vegetal terrain that will be stocked and piled separately and used at the end of the works to revegetate the site area.

Topsoil stripping

Topsoil stripping

The next step is what is called earthworks: the construction of embankments and cuts. For instance in the image below a crane pad is under construction. Several thousands of cubic meters can be moved during this operation.

Earthworks

Crane pad earthworks

In parallel, the foundation for the met mast is constructed. The mat foundation is smaller than a WTG foundations: it is around 7 x 7 meters. It has 3 pedestal where the met mast will be connected.

Met mast foundation

Met mast foundation

After, the circular holes for the turbine foundation are opened: here you can see the topographer checking the dimension and horizontality of the hole. Several days of work are necessary to open the hole, depending on the hardness of the excavated material.

Foundation hole

The internal roads are continuously washed with water, to avoid accumulation of dust in the air due to the traffic of heavy trucks and other machinery.

Roads watering

The following step is to pour the blinding concrete, to assembly the anchor cage and to position the steel reinforcement bars (rebars). More info here.

This is how it looks a completed foundation:

Meanwhile, the operation and maintenance building is built nearby. It will host the SCADA equipment and the medium voltage switchgear:

O&M Building