Why Surge Protection Systems Are Necessary On Wind Turbines
Climate conditions are continually changing, and when combined with an ever-increasing global dependence on fossil fuels, the worldwide interest in sustainable and renewable energy and resources grows every year. From those who are adamantly pushing for renewable energy to be adopted in a more widespread way due to climate change concerns, to those who are interested in renewal models as a method of creating cheaper power for the masses, all interest revolves around the development of more technologically advanced wind turbines and solar panels. Wind power is seen across the globe as being one of the most promising technologies, with ample room for improvement to the systems. Aggressive government programs in nations across the world have pushed wind and solar energy to evolve at a far faster rate than ever expected, and the rollout of new wind turbines in all of these countries is seeing exponential growth. Along with the installation of every new wind turbine comes the risk of that turbine being struck by lightning and seriously damaged. Lightning protection for wind turbines has become one of the most challenging and yet important aspects of the future of green energy.
Wind turbines are unique structures, being mostly made of metal and generally situated as the tallest structure in a region. They are difficult to protect using the conventional surge protection methods, and many times will be sacrificed after a single surge instance. Wind towers can easily be more than 150 meters in height and located on high ground in remote areas which are exposed to the elements. The most exposed of the components within a wind turbine are the blades and nacelle, and due to their being constructed from composite materials, are generally unable to sustain a direct lightning strike without significant damage. The lightning strike often happens to the blades, creating a situation where a significant power surge travels throughout the turbine structure and impacts all of the components within the windturbine itself. It can also spread to the electrically-connected areas nearby as well, and do to poor earthing conditions that are present, most wind power setups will very often see significant damage as a result of a single strike and surge.
Electronics and bearings are very susceptible to lightning damage, and maintenance costs are high due to the difficulties associated with component replacement. Improving this statistical average of necessary component replacement is seen by many as the most viable method of technologically improving the wind power systems to remain online and functional for longer periods of time. Additionally, driving down production costs by eliminating maintenance and field maintenance calls as much as possible is also positive. This plan falls squarely in the lap of surge protection systems which are designed to isolate damage as much as possible to the strike point and eliminate the subsequent damage because of the surge. As better surge protection devices are integrated into wind farms worldwide, we will see both the driving down of costs as well as improved volumes of energy production over time.
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