Before international energy solutions company Alstom puts its wind turbines out to market, it performs extensive testing to keep future maintenance costs down.
Most recently, according to Electric Light and Power, the company reported that its new 6 megawatt offshore wind turbine received the necessary accreditation for power performance after three months of exhaustive testing. The company called the achievement a key milestone in the type testing certification process. The entire testing process, which has been going on since March 2012, has given the company extensive data on the structure’s power curve, which experts say have cemented the product’s technical specifications.
The findings also correlate with the design models of the product, the news source noted.
Now, the company is moving forward with the testing process, and will begin to assess more specific functions of the structure, including diagnostics, reliability and the cost of maintenance. The next phase will cover the turbine’s generator, pitch, converter and yaw system.
According to Wind Power Monthly, testing is a crucial part of developing wind turbines, as it can lower costs down the road by preventing failure, as opposed to running the structures until they break. Focusing on this phase is a growing trend in the U.S. and around the world as companies aim to lower maintenance costs.