Wind energy yields are declining. It’s no wonder that investors are preparing to tighten their belts. Is abstinance really the one and only solution in the face of a lull?To fi nd out why declining yields neednot automatically result in sinking invest-ments, continue reading on Page 4

Focus on

The Availon journal for independent wind energy service | April 2011

WTG insurance:Experience pays. Page 8

Full maintenance: Clear benefi tsfor customers. Page 13

New generator:Reliability check. Page 10

Relaxed, even in tense situations.

4 8

10 13

IMPRINT Published by: Availon GmbH · Jacksonring 2 · 48429 Rheine · GermanyFon +49 5971 8025-0 · Fax +49 5971 8025-109 · www.availon.euEdited and designed by: EXPECT MORE Kommunikation GmbH · Breite Straße 4 48431 Rheine · Germany · Fon +49 59 71 80 40 9-0 · Fax +49 59 71 80 40 9-100 · www.expect-more.de Responsible according to German press law: Availon GmbH Fotos: Commerzbank AG ( S. 6 ), Nordwest Assekuranzmakler GmbH & Co. KG ( S. 8 – 9 ), Markus Hauschild ( S. 13 –15 ), Avanti Wind Systems GmbH ( S. 16 – 17 )Copyright: All contributions (text, photos, graphics, logos and tables) published in ON Service are copyright protected. The copyright is owned by Availon GmbH, unless stated otherwise. Reprinting, storing in databases,on online services and Internet pages or copying onto data media is only allowed with prior written permissionby Availon GmbH. Number of copies: 1000

CONTENTS | April 2011

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Focus onCover story: Relaxed, even in tense situations.

TopicA very important type of risk management: Insurance coverage

for wind turbines.

Current newsFirst installation in sub-zero temperatures: Premiere of a generator prototype.

FeatureFull maintenance: Complete satisfaction instead of empty promises.

InterviewDangerous negligence: Why regular safety checks are important.

DialogueSupplier management: Building an effi cient supplier network.

44 Focus on

5

Norbert Blüm once said, “Today, pessimism should not be the only growing industry.“ This is easy to say, but diffi cult advice to follow given the “low-wind” years of 2009 and 2010. Investors in wind turbine generator systems are getting ready to tighten their belts with potential dividends not expected until some time in the distant future. What eff ects will this have on maintenance services for wind turbines?

A lull ? Or just the calm before the storm?

Years with low wind levels cause problems for operators.

A brief look at the IWR Wind Yield Index for the regions® for 2009 and 2010 already illustrates the dilemma. Wind energy yields are decreasing. According to information provided by the IWR (International Economic Forum on Renewable Energies), the cumulative total yield index value in 2009 for inland sites amounted to 93.1 percent and to 89.3 percent for coastal sites. Compared to the average

yields from 2004 to 2008, this represents a decrease of 6.9 percent for inland sites and a 10.7 percent decrease for coastal sites. The fi gures for 2010 are even worse. Inland sites produced a total yield index value of 76.2 percent and coastal sites a value of 84.8 percent, equivalent to a de-crease of 15.2 percent for coastal and 23.8 percent for inland sites compared to the 5-year average value for 2005-2009.

1 IWR wind yield index for the regions: Calculated from the actual energy yields of wind turbines & wind farms, spread across diff erent

locations in the respective region. (Source: www.iwr.de)

Focus on

6

further develop this form of energy generation. In accordance with our philosophy, we are also acting in the interest of our clients,“explained Markus Wessel-Ellermann, Head of Project Finance Germany.The Commerzbank competence center located in Hamburg is responsible for the bank’s worldwide activities in the renewable energies field and manages an (investment) fund of about 4 billion Euros. The bank is consequently one of the leading banks financing renewable energy projects worldwide and isinvolved in more than 1,000 wind energy projects in Germany alone.

Markus Wessel-Ellermann,Head of Project Finance Germany

of the Commerzbank AG.

A sobering outlookThe IWR does point out that a regional wind index (comparable to the German share index) only provides a guideline and may not be used for determining the long-term yields of individual wind farms. However, the above fi gures indicative explain the current pessimistic mood in the wind energy sector, since initially calculated earning targets no longer bear any relation to reality. The operators of wind energy generator systems and wind farms are facing considerable challenges safeguarding the future fi nancing of projects. In those unfortunate instances where decreasing yields lead to decreasing investments, the consequences might be that planned maintenance, servicing measures and repairs on wind turbines, as well as measures for optimizing turbines are postponed or even cancelled. Is it really that simple to justify decisions such as these by arguing that “decreasing yields = decreasing investments?” Wind energy has always been praised as a particularly sustainable form of energy generation. If this is truly the case, the claim of “sustainability” needs to function both ecologically and economically, because banks that provide financing for wind turbines and wind farms, such as Commerzbank AG, strongly believe sustainability also implies continuity.

Social and corporate responsibility”Commerzbank has been fi nancing wind energy projects in Germany from the beginning, at times holding a market share of approximately 50 percent. With the formation of the Renewable Energies Division eight years ago, we have acknowledged our social obligation to sustainably support activities in the renewable energies sector by providing sound fi nancial solutions. In this way we are continuously creating options to

6 Focus on

7

No need to worryDespite the low-wind years of 2009 and 2010, industry expert Markus Wessel-Ellermann is not worried about fi nancing existing wind energy projects. “There have always been years like this, although 2010 is certainly a unusually bad outlier. In my opinion, there is one thing that is overwhelmingly important in this context - an open and early dialog between wind farm operators or wind turbine owners and the bank. As soon as a shortage of capital or cash fl ow becomes apparent it is possible to join eff orts in fi nding solutions to the actual situation. From a client perspective, the mood is one of growing dissatisfaction rather than unease at the moment. This is understandable given that generating a profi t from wind energy projects and earning money is simply not possible right now due to a lack of wind.“

Conservative fi nancing with a variety of optionsAccording to the Head of Project Finance Germany, unease is only really justifi ed with projects based on a rather aggressive fi nancing structure.

”This is not the case with our loans. Our fi nance models are conservative and designed to be sustainable, so that both the investors, and we as the fi nancers, can be relatively relaxed about low-wind years. As part of providing continuous and sound fi nancing for the entire loan period, our models also always incorporate adequate buff ers. The models are quite complex and are designed based on a large volume of data. This is why I cannot off er a detailed explanation of them here. But in general the following applies: the basis for fi nancing renewable energies projects is fi rst of all the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), guaranteeing a payment over a period of 20 years. A part of this 20 year period must be available for reorganization. For example, if a project is fi nanced over

a period of 17 years, a three year buff er remains at the end to compensate also for low-wind years. In addition, a so-called reserve account is maintained that covers 50 percent of the annual debt service. This reserve account serves as a fallback for all possible, unforeseen events that would require capital on short notice.”As an extra option, the bank off ers short-term fi nancing in the form of a “interim loan“: “This temporary loan can be added to the existing loan in order to make up for missing capital. Another alternative would be to extend the term of the loan or to use some of the capital from the reserve account to service the interest and repayment. These or similar models off ered by us are reliable and safe, even in the current times. In our experience, operators have always been able to pay back the loans when using our fi nancing packages – even in diffi cult years. We are therefore somewhat relaxed about the current situation,“ commented Mr. Wessel-Ellermann.

A positive outlookWith this insight, operators of wind turbines and wind farms should not hesitate to carry out planned maintenance, servicing, repairs and upgrades. A turbine is, after all, an expensive investment, requiring continuous investment, especially for those looking beyond the short-term view. Wind turbines or wind farms that are not using the latest technology, or are not continuously maintained and repaired, cannot produce reliable yields and thus profi t in the long term. It is very likely that such turbines will fail in decisive periods, (i.e. high-wind periods) due to technical defects and will therefore generate costs when they should be producing revenue. People who actively invest in a sustained and continuous manner in wind energy should be aware that there is also a time when reinvestment is required.

7Focus on

8 Topic

“The insurance sector can look back on many years of experience in the wind energy sector, a fact that becomes apparent from its risk management in recent years," commented Thomas Haukje, Managing Partner of Nordwest Assekuranzmakler GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen.As an expert involved in insuring wind turbines since the end of the nineties, Haukje knows what he is talking about. The Nordwest Assekuranzmakler is an international, modern and owner-operated industrial insurance brokerage acting as a neutral partner in the area of risk and insurance management for large projects, including wind farm development. Since its establishment in 2000, the company has specialized in serving clients from the renewable energy sector. In the wind energy sector alone, the fi rm serves clients with an installed overall output of over 5,000 MW.

"Prior to entering into an agreement with an owner or operator, insurance companies will mainly look at four important points: the turbine manufacturer, the turbine model, its age and its condition. They are also interested in what service and maintenance agreements the owners have entered into for their turbines or wind parks,“ said Haukje.For new turbines, the insurance company

initially calculates low risks, as the turbine manufacturer is responsible for remedying faults or serious defects within the warranty period. However, this does not apply to turbines that are no longer under warranty and are, thereby, referred to as ‘used turbines’ within the insurance industry. “In these situations the insurer is always liable and is required, from time to time, to pay out larger amounts depending on the agreement.“For this reason, insurance companies normally require a ‘status report’ from service companies or industry experts when renegotiating a policy.

”Depending on the insurance company, such status reports must be renewed at determined intervals. Depending on the regulations of the individual insurer, this may be annually or every two years. The type of turbine and the maintenance agreement also influence the length of time between reports,” explained Thomas Haukje. He also emphasized “Risk management for used turbines has defi nitely changed for insurers. They want to know precise details about the operating and servicing concept and, in particular, what support is provided to the owners or operators in regards to maintenance. In order to avoid considerable restrictions, (i.e. the outright exclusion of certain

Thomas Haukje,Managing Director and Partner

Nordwest Assekuranzmakler GmbH & Co. KG.

What you should consider when choosing

insurance coverage for wind turbines.

“An agreement early is better than a dispute later.” There is no other area where this is more true than when dealing with insurance coverage for wind turbines.

insurance coverage for wind turbines.

A special form of risk management.

9Topic

types of damage or a non-insurability of the turbine) it is very important to provide the insurer or the insurance broker with the specifi c servicing information and to be fully covered in the event of a claim of course.“Insurers pay special attention to the area surrounding the drive train and rotor blades when dealing with insurance benefits and claims settlements. This is hardly surprising, as damage to the main bearing, coupling, gearbox, generator or the rotor blades can quickly exceed a six-fi gure sum. Due to considerable problems that some turbine manufacturers have with foundations, the focus of insurers has shifted in the last three years to also include this area of the turbines. Although established insurance companies have extensive experience in this area, experts have considerably diff erent opinions when it comes to the restoration of foundations. ”Often the way in which a claim is settled hinges on the negotiating skill of the broker.”According to Nordwest Assekuranz, when choosing a suitable insurance company one should make sure that the insurer has extensive experience with turbines, and provides all-inclusive solutions at a comparably favorable premium. “Another key aspect is who the owner

or operator has arranged the servicing of the turbines, as this will have a considerable effect on the premium and quality of the insurance coverage.” In this respect, Haukje believes that it is important to ensure that the service provider

is familiar with the respective turbine model and provides an eff ective spare parts concept.

“The expertise of the service provider is very important, particularly in regards to thier familiarity with the engineering aspects of the turbine. In addition to being able to replace defective components, a service partner must be capable of developing technical improve-ments for reoccurring problems with specifi c components in order to prevent future damage or defects. This is only possible with considerableknowledge and qualifi ed personnel.” Insurance brokers will say that the more professional and comprehensive the turbine inspection, main-tenance and repair services are, the better the quality of the insurance coverage. When choosing suitable service partners, turbine operators often select several firms specializing in diff erent parts of the turbines. According to Haukje, this is less advisable, since the more companies involved in the service work, the higher the interface risk. Haukje also said, “In the event of a claim, all carried out repair measures must be fully documented and be verifiable to the insurer, so it is much better to use a provider who can off er an all-inclusive service.“

WTGs generally sustain severe damage when struck by natural hazards such as a lightning strike.

A WTG damaged by lightning.

10 Current news

December 21, 2010 – There were only a few days until Christmas. The temperature dropped to a frosty 14 °F, snow made the German roads impossible to drive on, and a driving restriction was implemented for heavy goods vehicles in North-Rhine Westphalia. Not particularly good conditions for installing a generator prototype into a V80 VCS® 2 MW turbine with a hub 311 ft. high. But time is of the essence, because the turbine is shut down due to a defective generator.

“ Vestas” and “VCS” are registered trademarks of Vestas Wind Systems A/S, DK.

10

Prototype has obstacles.First generator of its kind ever installed.

11Current news

The 5.9 ton generator, including the heat exchanger, was transported overnight on December 20th from Rheine to a wind farm in Brandenburg some 300 kilometers away. The coupling fl anges were already installed on the hub at the warehouse in order to avoid any unnecessary time loss during installation on site. When the service team arrived at the turbine on the morning of December 21th, the genera-tor and crane were already waiting.

Effi cient interactionFirst, the service team prepared the defective generator to be dismantled. They disconnected it from the supply voltage on the machine and the heat exchanger. In the meantime, the roof of the nacelle was opened and lowered down by the crane before lowering the heat exchanger and then the generator nearly 330 ft. down to the base of the turbine.

“Uniting“ the generator and turbineAs soon as the components, weighing several tons, were removed, a team started cleaning the nacelle and prepared to install the new generator. First the double-fed asynchronous generator and then the heat exchanger were lifted into the nacelle by crane. Next, the roof was lifted back to the lofty height to close the nacelle.

Everything according to planInside the turbine, the service team started working on con-necting the generator after shutting down the transformer room to power up the system again. The technicians, working for Lasse Clausen, Head of Availon´s service team, were happy with the fi nal result. Despite the freezing cold and falling snow, everything went according to plan on the fi rst day of the installation.

Seamless integrationExcited to fi nish the project, the service team traveled to the turbine on the second day to reinstate the electrical connection to the machine. Again, everything ran according to schedule and to the full satisfaction of everyone involved. Prior to the fi nal startup, the parameters were mapped, allowing the turbine converter to directly couple to the generator and the turbine to feed electricity into the grid. The result was that the new generator smoothly integrated into the existing controller infrastructure.

Minor obstacles were removed immediatelyClausen was delighted. “We have not only braved the adverse weather conditions with all its unforeseeable prob-lems and interruptions, but have also installed the new generator and started the turbine as scheduled.“ Anyone who believes that this was easy is wrong. When installing a prototype like this complex component, unforeseen events or problems can always cause delays.

“In this case, we only experienced a minor problem with the grounding of the position sensor, which we quickly resolved by replacing the encoder. Since the generator was able to continue operating despite the marginal fault, the system did not have to be shut down, so it didn’t adversely aff ect the project,“ comments Clausen.

Standstill after one monthHowever, Clausen´s delight was, somewhat marred on February 8, 2011. The operator of WindStrom Betriebs- und Verwaltungs GmbH reported that the turbine and the new generator stopped working. An Availon service team rushes out to the turbine. After taking some read-ings from the generator, the Availon service team decided,

The service teammeets in a wind park in

Sachsen-Anhalt on an icyDecember 21st morning.

11

12

in agreement with the client, to dismantle the defective machine and to immediately provide a replacement generator, in order to prevent a longer downtime. “We only needed one day to replace the generator. The turbine was therefore operational again within a very short time“, recounts Olaf Kleesch, Director Global Technical Support & Engineer-ing of Availon.

Immediate fault analysis provides clear resultsThe immediate fault analysis carried out on the defective generator showed that area around the slip ring overheated. The reason was that the link attaching the ends of the rotor cable to the slip ring liquefi ed and coated the inside the slip ring due to the centrifugal force, causing a ground fault. The terminals connecting the rotor cables to the slip ring were quickly identifi ed as the cause of the slip ring overheating.

Marginal problems are remediedKleesch adds: “By carrying out further detailed analyses we have been able to ensure that nothing else could have caused the gener-ator to switch off . These are comparatively marginal problems that we can manage by replacing the current terminals with lower-resistance terminals and clamping the rotor cables to the slip rings in the future.“

Nominal power on several occasionsDuring the fi rst weeks, the double-fed asynchronous machine achieved its nominal power of 20 MW within a few hours. During this time, the generator stabilized at its operating temperature of 71 °F in the engine-house, and winding temperatures were 212 °F. However, the dimensions of the generator comply with class F insulation, allowing for a constant operation with a maximum winding temperature up to 311 °F.

Expectations fulfi lledAxel Ringhandt, Technical Director of WindStrom, isn’t worried about the problems with the new generator. “All in all, WindStrom manages 249 turbines with a total rated power of approximately 420 MW and is one of the leading turbine management providers in the fi eld. In Germany, we are one of the operating companies who deliberately try to strengthen the independent turbine service companies, in order to increase competition in the marketplace. In my opinion, Availon is better than average in regards to their commitment and the knowledge of their employees,. Our decision to replace the existing generator with a double-fed asynchronous Availon machine is a future-oriented strategic decision for us. The fact that there can be problems with such a large machine is irritating, but also understandable. In such a situation, I expect that an independent service provider openly communicates such problems. And that is exactly what Availon has done. Therefore I am very confi dent in the future reliability of the machine.“

Current news

“Uniting:“ The new generator is installed

in the engine room.

12

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Full service agreements for wind turbines minimize the risk of damage to the turbines and unforeseen shutdowns, as well as the danger of unplanned and sometimes high investments for owners and operators. A contract is a contract. But “full service” can mean many things. Therefore, one should think carefully before deciding on full service agreements or service partners.

Decisive factors in choosing a full service partner.

Full service concepts off ered by both OEMs and independent service providers often carry the same names and diff er only slightly in terms of the scope of services off ered. Generally, all concepts off er a basic package with remote monitoring and technical advice, fault analysis and removal, and preventive maintenance. Additional services include: oil changes and wear parts replacement, regular turbine and rotor blade maintenance, drive train analysis, safety system checks, transformer installation main-tenance, spare parts supply and management, including main components and an availability guarantee.Therefore, it is not always easy for owners and operators to easily decide on a suitable service provider. When taking a closer look, however, there are considerable differences that can help weigh the advantages and disadvantages of existing concepts.

Focus on core competenciesMaintenance, servicing and repairs are the core business of independent service companies. However, these companies initially had to prove their competencies in these areas as compared to similar services off ered by OEMs. By now, independent service providers have established themselves on the market. Unlike the OEMs, they were able to fully concentrate on their core competencies, gather considerable experience and gain valuable knowledge.

Today, they are without a doubt, specialists in providing a comprehensive service and full service concepts for turbines. Independent service providers can offer a technical avail-ability guarantee of 97 percent for turbines they service.

Realistic insurance coverageA technical availability guarantee does not cover unforeseen events beyond the infl uence of the service provider. Typical examples include a grid outage or the shutdown of a turbine at wind speeds above the cut-out wind speed. Also, damage caused by fire or the destruction of rotor blades by natural forces, such as lightning strikes, are generally not covered by a full service agreement – and for a good reason. Owners who wish to

Diff erences between serviceproviders are not always

immediately apparent.

No false promises.

Feature

14

protect themselves against considerable repair and servicing costs from major damage, such as burnt-out nacelles and snapped-off rotor blades usually obtain coverage from an insurance fi rm specializing in wind turbine risk. In this way, respective terms for the settlement in the event of a claim can be agreed upon. A service company that incorporates such an agreement in its full service concept would basically accomplish the same result.

Business risk remainsWhen in doubt, an owner or an operator should act according to the principle “Trust is good, control is better.“ and should first check the services and prices offered by an insurer. Regardless of existing agreements with a service provider, an owner continues to bear the business risk for his turbines. Consequently, it remains up to him to assess the likelihood of the occurrence of major damage and decide how strictly he wishes to minimize such risks. When evaluating the ability of a full service agreement to provide comprehensive services and minimize risk, the potential unique selling points of a service provider must be found in other areas.

Comprehensive engineering knowledgeFirst and foremost, one must evaluate the engineering services. An independent service company with its own engineering department is able to focus on customer benefits. Such providers are able to solve even the most complex problems and have the ambition to design technical improvements for turbines and to adopt new approaches, where required.

Off ener Dialog An investment in such highly qualified personnel only makes sense if the company specializes in very specific turbine models and bundles that knowledge in competency centers. A responsible service provider will only market services for a specifi c turbine model after a team of engineers and employees with extensive experience have adequately tested the service and developed appropriate technical optimizations.

In this case, clients profi t from a very dynamic technical development of their turbines with the objective of con-siderably reducing unplanned turbine down time caused by continuously reoccurring problems. Comprehensive engi-neering knowledge ensures that the service provider will quickly identify and resolve problems and act proactively to guarantee important turbine components do not fail in the fi rst place. Open communicationIndependent service companies have another advantage over OEMs. They can openly discuss technical turbine problems with owners and operators. What car manufacturer would openly discuss the technical problems of their cars with a customer when they take their car in for a check-up at the dealership? On the other hand, an independent garage would not shy away from openly discussing technical defects with the owner of a vehicle. The same applies to an independent service provider for wind turbines. If the service provider is also able to develop and implement solutions for remedying constantly reoccurring defects – even better.In fact, an open dialog between independent service providers and turbine owners and operators often results in optimizations that have a signifi cant positive eff ect on the technical availability of a turbine. Some cases can even result in completely new and more effi cient mainte-nance and service concepts developed for specifi c turbine models that create real cost advantages.

Acting in the interest of the customerOpenness and trust coupled with a comprehensive and fl exible range of services are generally the foundation for a successful partnership between independent service companies and turbine owners and operators. If you have the impression during the course of a full service agreement that the service provider is acting in your full interest, is not only listening to problems, but also off ering suggestions and ideas, and is devoting a lot of energy and technical expertise to solve your problems, you have most likely already made the right choice.

Trust is good,

control is better!

Feature

15Feature

16 Interview

Why are regular turbine safety inspections so important?

Jens Stange: The short and concise answer is because we are responsible for the lives and safety of people inside the turbine. As part of obtainingplanning permission for the installation and operation of a turbine, the respective authorities demand that the turbine operate safely at all times. Otherwise an approval will not be granted. This is for good reason, as the safe access to a turbine and the safety of all devices and components related to that access has direct consequences on personal security. This must never be neglected. Doing so could have legal consequences for the operator of a turbine in the event of a claim.

How long have you been active in this field?

I have been working in the wind turbine occupational health and safety field for approximately eleven years.

In your experience, how often does the technical equipmentof a turbine not comply with the required safety standards?

Unfortunately much too often. From 100 service orders there are generally25 turbines that need repairs and additional work to bring the turbine back up to the required safety standards. Often this involves only minor but important repairs or component replacements. Ropes and belts are, for instance, subject to natural wear and can become brittle at times, even if they are not used.

Which technical equipment in a turbine must be regularly checked?

The first priority should be the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) against falls. This includes the harness, the lanyard and the energy absorber. If a person who weights approximately 100 kg falls two meters, his body would normally absorb a fall energy of approximately 1.75 tons. That is equivalent to the weight of a VW Golf. A human body can only withstand a maximum of 800 kg without any serious consequences. The energy absorber lessens the amount of energy impacting the body during a fall. A fall arrest lanyard generally reduces the force during a fall to around 400 to 600 kg, thus ensuring that the person involved survives the fall without getting hurt. The ladder and fall protection system must also be inspected. The fall protection system is fixed to the ladder. If it is not fixed correctly, the system will not work in an emergency. Other important devices for personal protection are the anchor points at the transitions to platforms. When climbing onto the platform, technicians must hook themselves to these anchor points before releasing themselves from the

Dangerous negligence.

“Wind turbines are not monitored on a daily basis, often with the unfortunate result that regular technical safety inspections are not given the necessary attention. It’s important not to forget that this kind ofnegligence can lead to personal injuries,“ commented Jens Stange, Central Europe Service Manager for the Avanti Wind Systems GmbH. The company based in Heide, Schleswig-Holstein, specializes in periodicturbine safety inspections. During an interview with ON Service, Jens Stange explained the importance of regular safety inspections and the reasons why such work should only be carried out by qualifi ed experts.

Knows why regularsafety checks on WTGs can

save lives: Jens Stange.

Safety devices in turbines often contain defects.

17Interview

ladder’s fall protection system. Additionally, the service lift, crane and the chain hoist for transporting loads, (i. e. maintenance material, operating materials and tools) as well as the first aid equipment and any existing fire extinguishers must be inspected.

Can you describe the systems used for height rescues?

The inspection of such systems is very important, as the rescue equipmentis the life insurance for each person inside the turbine. If someone in the turbine becomes injured and has to be lowered from a great height,rescue services such as the fire service and ambulance service are also called in, depending on the seriousness of the injuries.Unfortunately only very few voluntary fire services have a height rescue team. So the people in the turbine must actively assist the fire services with the rescue of an injured or even unconscious person. What’s more, any emergency doctor contacted for initial medical help is not obliged to climb up the turbine,so the person may first have to be lowered down to the base of the turbine prior to medical treatment.

Who should carry out the regular safety checks on a turbine?

Only people who have received the proper product training from the manufacturer. Based on our strict quality regulations, we always check which service employees that work on the turbines regularly have the necessary competence for such safety inspections. We carefully train the service employees, such as the technicians who work for theindependent service provider Availon, to carry out regular safety checks. We must be sure that the employees are aware of their enormous responsibility. A safety inspection can only be carried out with 100 % reliability.

How often should safety inspections be carried out and whatcontributions can a turbine owner or operator make to this?

In order to have a good understanding of the situation, a operator or manager should first collect all existing operating instructions for theindividual components or equipment of the turbine. These operating instructions specify how often the manufacturer recommends inspectionstake place. These inspection periods should then be logged into an

inspection period list. Carrying out an inventory check like this makes it easy to keep track of the scope and periods of the required testing and ensures that one keeps track of all necessary inspections. In general, a safety check should be carried out at least once a year on each turbine.

Thank you for the interview.

Bent lift systems, damaged ladders: Nearly one quarter of all safety checks result in repairs.

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18 Dialogue

To off er a high-quality service for specifi c turbines, an independent service provider must ensure a high availabilityof spare parts at all times. In particular, the provider must have comprehensive engineering knowledge to develop and implement groundbreaking upgrades and real design improvements for turbines. Apart from in-house specialistswho focus on specific turbine types and technologies,relations with suppliers or parts distributors play an importantrole in procuring these upgrades.

A choice with foresightWhen choosing development partners and suppliers, an independent service provider must focus, in particular, on their responsibility toward their customers. Therefore, choosing a suitable partner or supplier requires foresight and answers to the following questions. From an economic perspective, is the partner able to cooperate with the

service provider in the long term? What knowledge and competencies can the potential partner contribute to the development of current upgrades? Is the potential partner able to understand the requirement of the independent service provider’s customer in order to produce economicallyviable, eff ective improvements for the turbine together with the service provider?

Network with high customer benefi tthe answer to the above and similar questions must be

“Yes!” for the independent service provider to establish a successful supplier network with strong customer benefi ts.Individual partners are chosen for their ability to work together with the independent service provider on joint developments reliably over a long period of time. The goal is to develop technically advanced products and services for the wind energy sector. Dealings between the service company and its partners must include a high degree of mutual trust. This form of cooperation enhances the innovative capability of both parties and also creates freedom and openness for the supplier to incorporate their own ideas in joint projects.

All in due timeAnother important factor for a successful partnership is when an independent service provider involves his suppliersin projects and development processes. When a partner is involved in a project at a very early stage, they can contributevaluable ideas or experience to considerably speed up the development of an innovation. Competencies already acquired by a partner for producing specifi c componentsor processing certain materials can make a decisivecontribution to the quick success of a project or upgrades.

The goal of independent service providers is to off er clients a high-quality inclusive service for turbines.Their range of services must not only compete with those provided by OEMs, but must off er much more.It is for this reason that independent service companies are developing specific strategies that providecustomers with additional advantages. For example, they work hard to create an efficient, reliablenetwork of suppliers.

Sustainability instead of short–term thinking.Intelligent supplier management enhances the power of innovation.

The bottom line: Open exchange and innovation-driven thinking.

19Dialogue

Open communicationOpen communication between the service provider and their suppliers and developmentpartners is an added advantage. As part of the development of turbine optimizations, anindependent service company can openlydiscuss the problems with their partners. This unrestricted communication allows both parties to make decisive technical improvements, sustainably eliminating problems and conse-quently promising a real economic benefi t in the short term. For example, during maintenance, anindependent service provider noticed again and again that the replacement of carbon brushes on a generator of a 2 MW turbine took up a considerable amount of time because of the existing holders. The holder components could fall into the slip ring compartment during disassembly, requiringa considerable amount of searching and disposal prior to the replacement of the brushes. Based on this practical experience,the independent service provider developed

a new holder concept, using the opportunityto also improve the configuration of the carbon brushes themselves with the help of a specialist. The cooperation between the service provider and his development partnerresulted in a successful special confi guration and new holder concept. The new carbon brushes has a significantly longer service life compared to the previous solution. The new holder also makes it much easier and quicker to replace the carbon brushes. The customer benefi tsAs a result of the successful cooperation between the independent service provider and his development partners, owners and operators benefit from a cost-effective and innovation-driven approach to existing, but not yet optimally developed technologies and materials, as well as the reduced time required for the actual maintenance.

Minimize dependenciesThis form of knowledge sharing demonstrates

how the effi ciency of an intelligent supplier management concept directly benefits thecustomer. The independent service provider has the practical experience and is able todefi ne potential problems within the turbinein such a precise manner that the supplier ordevelopment partner can work with the serviceprovider to design the best solution for theproblem. At the same time, this form of supplier management considerably reducesdependencies. An independent service provider is not only completely free to choose his partners, but also can create long-termpartnerships with suppliers. For customers, thismeans that the risks of spare parts bottlenecks,the discontinuation of previously offered services, and missed opportunities for turbineoptimizations due to a lack of new developmentsare reduced signifi cantly. An independent service company that not only depends on its own experience and knowledge, but also establishes a well functioning supplier network with innovative capability off ers more –entirely in the interest of its customers.

Signifi cantly higher lifetimedue to a new holder concept:

Carbon brushes.

What drives

us now? Brakes.

KTR-STOP®

Analogous to drives braking is a complex pro-cess. Every application makes high demands on the system. KTR has successfully projected and distributed brakes for some years already.Subject to the comprehensive analysis of STOP-and-GO processes we have developed a new hydraulic brake system operating simply more effi ciently: KTR-STOP®.

Further details available at:

www.ktr-stop-and-go.com

www.ktr.com

H a n n o v e r F a i rApril 4th to 8th, 2011Hall 25/booth D25Hall 27/ booth H56