NEWSLETTER#1 July 2014 Industry Trends As the wind industry has matured, the availability of the best sites those with higher wind speeds and in close proximity to the grid has greatly diminished. Although repowering and new technologies have opened up new prime locations, sites with lower wind speeds are expected to represent the majority of the global installations by 2016. MAKE Consulting expects that by 2016, CIII will represent over half of total installs in 2016, up from about a quarter in 2011. If you exclude offshore which is mostly CI and some CII the size of the CIII segme nt is even larger. A large share of this demand is coming from big wind markets like Asia and Western European countries. However, demand for CIII wind turbines is also strong in some new growth regions like MEA. In Latin America, Brazil in particular, OEMs are also pushing CIII A WTGs to CII B in order to increase energy yield due to low turbulence. CIII class wind turbines will represent over half of total installs in 2016 With respect to size, the general trend is for turbine nameplate ratings to continue to increase globally, as many wind markets are experiencing more land and access constraints or elevated Balance of Plant costs that favour a larger turbine rating at each location. According to MAKE Consulting, just under one half of 2012 total installs were turbines with ratings <2.0MW, with 1.5MW platforms being the standard in China and the USA. By 2016, MAKE expects this segment to account for less than a quarter of installs due to the changing nature of available sites, shifting customer preferences, and the fact that OEMs themselves have been pushing their larger WTGs. To a large extent, demand for small wind turbines will continue to be driven by China and India, as all other regions shift almost completely toward large machines. Demand for wind turbines >5MW will be driven by offshore, although a few, ad hoc onshore projects in Europe will also be comprised of very large turbines. Global MW rating segmentation 2012 vs. 2016 (MAKE Consulting) The ECO 122 was identified by MAKE as «Best In Class» for the 2.5-3.5 MW segment and IEC II conditions
Industry Trends Interview with MAKE Consulting Aaron Barr (Global wind turbine consultant at Make) Q: What key technological innovations to access new low-wind sites have you seen evolving over time? A: Cost-effective rotor scaling has been the most significant technical innovation to enable access to lowwind sites. Longer blades deployed on a common turbine platform have allowed turbines to produce more energy while maintaining a low cost position, allowing for low wind sites to be economical. These larger rotors have incorporated a number of innovations, including new materials, enhanced structural designs and advanced loads controls. Q: In which areas do you think there is space for further innovation of class III WTGs? A: In the near-term, many turbine manufacturers are experimenting with new control algorithms to optimize operation near cut-in windspeeds. While the power produced near cutin is very low, the frequency of these ultra-low wind speeds is very high, resulting in a substantial impact on total energy production. These optimization routines can include seasonal adjustment of controls to account for density changes, yaw misalignment correction, and finepitch angle corrections to optimize cut-in procedures on a site-specific basis. These simple controls upgrades represent low-hanging fruit that can provide large benefits to asset owners. In the long-term, energy storage and improved near-term wind forecasting has potential to make low-windspeed sites more competitive. Low windspeed sites suffer from lower capacity factors as well as dramatic swings in energy production profiles. Short term energy storage can reduce the volatility of energy production on Class III sites, by smoothing out plant-level production in the seconds to minute timescale. Advanced wind forecasting can help operators anticipate and plan for dramatic fluctuations in power production. Q: According to your Global Wind Turbine Trends 2013 report from December 2013, the ECO 122 is a best in class product. Could you explain what are the qualities/ characteristics you think make this WTG stand out? A: The ECO 122 was identified by MAKE as Best In Class for the 2.5-3.5MW segment and IEC II conditions. The criteria that define best-in-class are heavily weighed by capacity factor and energy production leadership, but are also influenced by technical architecture, expected product reliability, company track record and recent commercial success. The ECO 122 benefits from large rotor, allowing for a strong capacity factor position within the segment, relative to competitors. In addition, the Pure-Torque structural concept allows for isolation of nontorque loads from the gearbox, providing a reliability advantage relative to other gearbox support architectures. Finally, recent commercial success in Brazil highlights the strength of this product. Q: According to you, continued scaling comes at a price. In which areas do you think the most cost savings could be achieved to ensure that the price of new technology does not become a barrier for its adoption? A: Cost effective scaling within a turbine platform is the best strategy to maintain cost position. This strategy enables the re-use of major
Industry Trends components, and allows for economies of scale to be established within the supply chain. The platform approach also helps to maintain a consistent reliability profile by utilizing similar technologies across products. In addition, the platform approach helps to limit services cost, as maintenance lessons learned from one product can be easily applied to others within the platform. Alstom is a clear leader in this regard, with multiple products stemming from the original ECO 100 platform. Tower technology also has significant potential to reduce the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of wind. The tower is typically the most expensive component in the turbine, but in many ways is one of the least complex technically. New tower designs, such as concrete hybrids and alternative steel constructions, are allowing turbines to access higher winds at greater heights while limiting exposure to cost escalation. As these technologies are increasingly adopted, MAKE expects that significant economies of scale will be realized on assembly labor and material costs. Alstom has positioned the ECO 122 in a position to take advantage of these advancements, by experimenting with multiple tower designs, hubheights and vendors. Q: What is your view on the role of OEMs in contributing to the development of low wind sites through their service proposition? Have you seen an industry trend in services catering specifically to low-wind sites (e.g. PBA)? A: Production Based Availability (PBA), otherwise known as Yield Based Guarantees (YBG) is a significant trend in wind energy service agreements that has emerged partly due to increased development in low-wind speed sites. The emergence of the YBG is driven by the fact that not all run hours are created equal, and incentives should be contractually implemented to maximize production while reducing downtime. This practice pushes planned maintenance towards lowwind seasons, to avoid lost production during peak wind season. MAKE s expectations are that the YBG will completely replace the traditional time-based guarantee over the next five years. YBG will further promote innovation for wind service repair operations, as incentives and risks are now aligned between service provider and asset owners.
Technology Highlights How Alstom carried out the development of the ECO 122 wind turbine successfully For several years, Alstom Wind has put together a cross-functional team working on the development of a next generation of large, high-powered turbines suitable for medium and low wind sites worldwide, the ECO 122. Aligned with Alstom strategy, the purpose for developing the ECO 122 was to improve the competitiveness of the existing ECO 100 Platform, especially for class IIIA & IIB specifications, while maintaining the platform approach. Meeting customers expectations The first step of our product development consisted in determining what kind of product Alstom needed to develop in order to meet the future expectations of our customers. At this stage, our biggest challenge was to find out the best possible distribution between rotor diameter and optimal nominal output. After several rigorous analyses, and according to our customer feedback, the dedicated cross-functional project team decided to develop the ECO 122-2.7 MW product. Designed for low and medium wind sites According to our findings from our calculations, this innovative wind turbine was the best solution for medium- and low wind site specifications. Its 122-meter rotor diameter and the 11,700-m² swept area provide increased wind farm yield. The main benefits of the ECO 122 offering are to provide a high nominal output (2.7 MW) combined with a high net capacity factor (up to 48%). Building on the proven ECO 100 platform According to Alstom control strategy, the ECO 122 project team first focused on load optimisation and reduction. At this early stage, Alstom needs to make sure that its new wind turbine will sustain 20 years of operational lifetime. From design to sourcing and from assembly to installation, the objective of ECO 122 development was to take advantage of the proven ECO 100 platform. We therefore used a specific methodology during the ECO 122 design development that depends on the standards and the know-how of the company, as well as numerical models commonly used in dynamic characterisation and performance prediction for wind turbines. Furthermore, we took into account local requirements of materials & technology when designing the machines in order to comply with our target markets, such as Brazil. Driven by Alstom s Supplier Quality Management (SQM), we established, implemented and maintained the necessary processes and tools at suppliers sites to guarantee that the supply of ECO 122 key components fulfilled quality and timing expectations for the ECO 122 development. Prototype installation and product certification After installing the prototype in 2013 at ECN site in the Netherlands, we carried out an extensive measurement campaign, with about 1,000 hours of collected data. The objectives were not only certification, but also to exceed standards requirements. Despite the specific methodology used for ECO 122 design, the code and models needed to be validated against field measurements, comparing the theoretical and real results in wind turbine dynamics and performance.
Technology Highlights In parallel with the loads, the power curve had also been measured to control the energy captured by the wind turbine and to guarantee the reliability of our preliminary forecasts. The good match between our predicted power curve and our measured data comfort us and reinforce the reliability of the newly developed ECO 122 wind turbines. Furthermore, we ran an Annual Energy Yield calculation - weighting both measured and predicted power curves with Weibull probability distributions and for different mean wind speed values - in order to get a better understanding of our previous measurement results and to ensure a proper balance between all wind speeds according to their respective probabilities. Consequently, the modal characteristics of the overall ECO 122 turbine structure under various operating conditions were available, loads were measured and processed to monitor ultimate and fatigue load levels on the prototype. All these experimental values have been correlated with the numerical models, providing valuable information in the objective of ECO 122 2.7 MW design validation. We were now able to control and anticipate the ECO 122 2.7 MW performance under all of the different site conditions where it will be installed. The first conclusion of our analysis demonstrated that more than 100% of the predicted annual energy production was obtained within a range covering low and high wind speed values. Another very positive result involved the measured noise curve at ECN test site which has been slightly lower than our predictions. Then, combined with the loads analysis, we are highly confident in what our product can deliver which, along with the certification and validation processes, has demonstrated its robustness, its optimisation, and a high reliability. Successes Finally, in April 2014, the ECO 122 2.7 MW obtained the Provisional Type Certificate, with Loads, Power Curve, Power Quality, Noise measurements Functional & Safety Tests finished. Besides the site, all the components have been tested, such as the blades which successfully passed the static & fatigue tests. The ECO 122 2.7 MW main activities will close with Final Type Certificate for summer 2014. As a result of our customers confidence in our ability to develop and deliver a strong, competitive product meeting all Alstom standards as well as your respective site requirements, Alstom had already booked more than 2 GW of ECO 122 2.7 MW wind turbines by late 2013. Further development of our offering: Upgrade to IIB and 3.0 MW/ Freyssinet Feedback from the ECO 122 2.7 MW development experience forms the basis for the upgrade to the new 3.0 MW rated power, which will have up to 6% higher yield compared to the 2.7 MW model. The 3.0 MW variant is developed using the same approach and prototype as the 2.7 MW variant. The purpose is to maximise the energy production in sites with a limited choice of wind turbine positions, and to lower the overall cost of energy. Furthermore, in order to further improve and expand its onshore wind turbine offering, Alstom, in partnership with Freyssinet world leader specialized in civil engineering, has developed an innovative tower design using proven technology. This new 119-metre tower will be made of precast concrete sections, to be erected using a unique craneless erection method based on proven hydraulic lifting techniques used in civil engineering. This latest development of Alstom s proven ECO 100 platform is the result of more than 30 years experience in wind power solutions. In July 2014, Alstom signed a contract to supply 36 ECO 122 wind turbine units to the Trairí II project in Brazil. Trairi II will be the first wind farm using our new 119-metre towers. This success confirms the value our customers attribute to our Research & Development investments and to our wind expertise.
Technology Highlights This process ensures that our new products are designed and developed in compliance with our main Business Excellence drivers: Safety, Product & Operational Quality and Technical Excellence. The PDQ process will ensure that ECO 122 has been designed to cause minimum environmental impact and deliver total safety in its operation and performance, including all stages from individual components to manufacturing, assembly, installation and operation. The PDQ process will ensure ECO 122 gets proper quality control and assurance for all components and systems during all stages of development involving suppliers and certification bodies. At Alstom Wind, we strive to be the customer s preferred choice by reinforcing our Business Excellence throughout our organisation and supply chain. This strategic objective is part of a Quality Program that is deployed from product development to wind farm construction and maintenance. Based on our commitment, we have deployed strong tools & processes across the entire platform process, from design to manufacturing, from sourcing to installation, in order to sustain our Business Excellence. The development of the ECO 122 was performed according to Alstom s general Product Development Quality (PDQ) methodology. The PDQ process will ensure ECO 122 fulfils an exhaustive testing and validation plan to demonstrate technical performance and proper wind turbine operation in accordance with customer requirements, internal Alstom rules and IEC-International Electrotechnical Commission standards. Finally, the efficient PDQ process applied for ECO 122 development, combined with the Alstom Wind Platform approach, guarantees 80% of common components and bill of materials between ECO 100 platform products. As a result, this will increase volumes of scale and reduce energy costs for our customers.
Wind Customer Newsletter Latest News Get the latest Alstom Wind news and contracts Haliade 150-6MW achieves key step in essential certification process In July Alstom received the Provisional Type Certificate for the Haliade 1506MW from certification body DNVGL. This is a big step forward in the certification process and the result of the hard work of various teams involved since the installation of the Haliade at Le Carnet site, France, in March 2012. Once a series of tests and field measurements completed, the Final Type Certificate will be issued, expected in September 2014. Saint-Nazaire plants are moving forward and will be delivered in the coming weeks Started in 2013, the construction of the plants are nearing completion. The new plants, entirely devoted to assembling nacelles and manufacturing generators for the Haliade 1506MW offshore wind turbine are scaled for a production capacity of 100 machines per year. Canoas plant receives certification for ECO 122 towers The Canoas plant, Alstom s factory dedicated to the production of towers for wind turbines in Latin America (Rio Grande do Sul State Brazil) has successfully passed a manufacturing conformity evaluation from certification body DEWIOCC. The evaluation demonstrates to our customers that the tower manufacturing processes at Canoas are of the highest quality for the ECO 122 tower. This manufacturing evaluation will be added to the Type Certificate of the ECO 122 wind turbine.
Wind Customer Newsletter Meet us! Alstom showcases its wind energy solutions Meet us at the upcoming events and schedule meetings with our experts! Join us at WindPower Brazil! Stop by booth 179 to 184, on second floor, to speak with Alstom colleagues aboutyour project and Alstom wind solutions. Read more (/presscentre/2014/7/alstomshowcasesitswindenergysolutionsatbrazilwindpower2014/). Contact us for a meeting appointment (mailto:wind.customers@alstom.com)! Alstom invites you to meet our experts at WindEnergy Hamburg, on our booth 302 in hall B7, for an indepth look at how our wind power solutions can be the answer at your project. Read more (/presscentre/2014/7/meetalstomexpertsatwindenergyhamburg2014/). Contact us for a meeting appointment (mailto:wind.customers@alstom.com)!
Wind Customer Newsletter Curiosity killed the cat Explore new experiences! Activity 1: Can you find the words in the box that relates to wind turbines? Words to look for: ALSTOM ROTOR NACELLE GENERATOR WIND TURBINE GEARBOX SHAFT BLADES TOWER PURE TORQUE Activity 2: Draw your wind Turbine Activity 3: Build your own Wind turbine 1. Take a sheet of heavy cardstock. 2. Draw a perfect square and draw diagonal lines from each corner to its opposite corner of the square. It should look like a large X in a square (creating 4 triangles) 3. Draw a circle in the centre of the paper where the lines cross. Starting with the top triangle, draw a smaller circle in the upper right corner of each triangle and spinning the sheet, continue adding circles for each triangle in the same spot. 4. Cut out the outside square of the pattern. 5. Cut the diagonal lines from the corners to the outside of the centre circle. DO NOT cut through the centre circle. These sections are the blades of the wind turbine. 6. Using a hole puncher or a pencil, poke a hole through the 4 smaller circles that are in the corners of the blades 7. Gently bend the blades with the holes in them towards the centre of the centre circle. DO NOT fold them; there should be a curve in the paper. 8. Line up the 4 holes and fasten to the centre of the paper using a push pin. 9. Poke a hole in the straw/stick about 1 inch from the top. 10. Attach the wind turbine to the wand (push pin through the hole and secure). Make sure the hole is big enough so that the blades can spin freely. 11. Test out your new wind turbine by blowing on it to see how fast it turns. For more information & recommendations Please contact Alstom Wind: wind.customers@alstom.com Visit us online: www.alstom.com/wind Discover our Alstom Wind ipad App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/alstom-windpower/id880574246?mt=8 Discover our Alstom Wind Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com. hiddenltd.alstomwind&hl=en