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AC883’s Lars Bendsen chats with Allen and Joel about their LiDAR programs for turbine alignment, drone inspection providers together with ultrasonic blade scanning, and growth into inside turbine inspections utilizing drones. AC883 continues bringing new wind turbine applied sciences to North America and permitting wind farms to maintain producing vitality. Attain out to Lars! lars@ac883.com
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Allen Corridor: Welcome to the particular version of the Uptime Wind Power Podcast. I’m your host, Allen Corridor, and I’m right here with my co host, Joel Saxum. And we introduced alongside a good friend, Lars Bendsen of AC883. We’re nonetheless in San Diego, so we’re a great distance from Canada, the place AC883 relies. Lars is at all times stuffed with details about what’s taking place within the wind trade and what’s taking place on the restore aspect and the expertise aspect.
As a result of he’s been concerned in wind because the daybreak of wind, just about. Lars, welcome again to this system. Thanks. So there’s a complete bunch of issues occurring proper now. We’re at ACP OMS. We’ve been collectively all week. You had a ton of site visitors to your sales space. Loads of clients making an attempt to join repairs this season and find out about all the brand new expertise that’s occurring.
You wish to simply discuss to what you’re seeing?
Lars Bendsen: Yeah, I’ll attempt to do this. Thanks for having me on. We we appear to be getting busy. Yeah. There’s a ton of curiosity for our blade program, which differs clearly from the remainder of our good colleagues, the way in which we’re approaching it. Yeah. We’re constructing a brand new web site as a result of now we have so many choices now.
We must be extra, we must be extra clear in our communication.
Joel Saxum: Confirmed new web site. We simply confirmed it.
Lars Bendsen: Confirmed, Yeah. And AC83, that title will stay, nevertheless it could possibly be the set AC83 wind restore, wind no matter one thing. We’re going to rebrand that a bit of bit as a result of it may be a bit complicated.
Okay. As a result of now we have so many providing in. As an ISP half, but additionally as a brand new expertise supplier, which is the DNA of the corporate. That’s how we began.
Joel Saxum: Proper, so let’s discuss blade restore actual fast. You guys it’s mid February proper now. Often once we begin to see tenders come out from the large operators and even smaller operators, they arrive out in November and December in the event that they’re on the ball.
Yeah. In the event that they’re on the ball since you wish to get your blade restore, mainly capability prepared for that subsequent season, as a result of there’s, everyone knows there’s a restricted quantity of it capability within the Yeah. And in Canada, your season’s actually quick, so that you’re like finish of Could to mid October.
Lars Bendsen: Possibly It’s mid Could to worst case situation finish of October.
Yeah. Yeah. However yeah, folks need have us out of the door and finish of September if they will.
Joel Saxum: Yeah. So for those who, if the, so what it appears like proper now, are you see, did you see quite a lot of tenders come by within the Canadian market?
Lars Bendsen: There’s a ton of ten, not, there’s a ton of tough cues on the market, nevertheless it looks as if the choice has not likely been made.
Hasn’t been made but? Some haven’t. And a little bit of a thriller to us, why it’s dragging out. We all know our colleagues haven’t gotten it both, it’s not as a result of we haven’t gotten the work. Yeah. It merely hasn’t been awarded.
Joel Saxum: Yeah. Which is odd, as a result of it’s like, we’re approaching the top of February, so there’s actually solely You realize, two months to get able to get these technicians suited up and booted up and able to go.
Lars Bendsen: Yeah, usually you possibly can say that technician who is on the market in June in Canada, we don’t wish to have him. There’s a purpose why I don’t have a job in June. Yeah. So due to this fact, there’s actually preventing for the nice assets. Yep. We have now constructed our division up a bit of bit completely different as a result of the season solely is for 5 months.
Yeah. So now we have a mix of Canadian crews. It’s a bit of base crew. We have now all our administration, in fact, product administration, high quality, all of the job. We personal the mission, however now we have a workers coming in from Europe with, in fact, enough work allow and all that jazz. They’re all GVO skilled and we’re solely working with our relatively licensed manpower corporations.
So we do the standard management and we’re precisely what we’re getting. Which means now we have certified. 10 years from day one, the place our good colleagues that has their very own staff, we allow them to go finish of November after which had them again in Could and 50 p.c not coming again. They’re beginning up with a carpenter.
He’s not afraid of heights, so he can work in ropes. That’s, I believe that’s our benefit that we’re constructing. We attempt to construct our groups to the scope we’re getting. The flip aspect of that’s we want a bit of bit extra prep time. Yep. Yep. As a result of we wish them to indicate they’ve the enough, certificates when I’ve the most effective of the folks, and we additionally ensure we get the work allow. It simply takes time. And it’s out of these guys. They’re actually in, in it’s all, it’s a worldwide factor that there’s merely not technicians sufficient. So if we don’t assign them now, they go elsewhere.
Joel Saxum: Yeah. So these RFQs which can be sitting on the market, they must be let quickly. They’ve to provide any individual a job
Lars Bendsen: at a sure level.
Yeah. And that’s not solely us. I believe that’s a cross to you. Yeah that’s my two cents.
Allen Corridor: As a result of AC883 doesn’t do work simply in Canada. You’re doing it throughout North America.
Lars Bendsen: You do it throughout North America, however that additionally get the work firm into us. It’s not essentially simpler than this to get into Canada. That’s true. It’s only a course of in time, proper?
Allen Corridor: Yeah. And you then obtained to get organized. And I do know one of many discussions I heard on the ground this week was primarily energy loss since you’re undecided the place your turbine is pointed.
And. My first thought was Lars is aware of. Yeah. He’s most likely one of many few that may really discover out. The criticism we’re listening to is we’re not producing sufficient energy. Is it the wind useful resource? We had an engineer come up speaking about wind assets. Or is it the turbine themselves? And I believe it’s possibly a mix of each.
However we ought to have the ability to eradicate the pitch angle of the blades and the yaw. Yeah. And level the factor in the proper path. It looks as if the easy factor. You’d assume. But it surely’s not simple to do, really.
Lars Bendsen: No, nevertheless it’s fascinating. Once more, I believe we spoke about it a couple of instances. The brand new expertise, 90 p.c of it’s coming from Europe.
Yeah. Oh, certain. That’s the character of the beast. As a result of that’s the place the fireplace began.
Yeah. That’s how it’s, proper? And now we’re right here within the ACP and simply the Danish sales space on the Hamburg exhibition is larger than this whole exhibition. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Joel Saxum: In Hamburg, it’s different 100 some odd corporations.
110 Danish exhibitors final 12 months.
Lars Bendsen: Yeah. So simply to provide a perspective. Yeah. And there’s all new expertise popping out. It’s coming on the market. There are a couple of popping out of North America. One among them is right here. However I’m simply saying that. 90 p.c is popping out of Europe, that’s only a reality. And so the entire management philosophy and the correct alignment of generators can also be popping out of the German world or the Danish world.
The DTU, the variety of spin offs of DTU into the wind trade is loopy, insane.
Allen Corridor: And that, that capability that AC883 has to go off and take a look at pitch alignment with out touching the turbine, proper? It’s all loopy. Lasers and magic. Yeah, it’s lasers. Lasers and magic. Lasers and magic.
Lars Bendsen: Lasers and magic.
That’s the brand new web site. That’s what we do. No, we’re again to, to the saying I began I believe final 12 months I mentioned the rotor is the motor.
Allen Corridor: Yeah. Rotor is the motor.
Lars Bendsen: And as everyone is speaking about, gearbox just isn’t sure, if a rotor just isn’t aligned, It could possibly be on the pits. It could possibly be on. on the yaw, no matter, if that’s not aligned, or you might have forefront erosion, then in fact the turbine just isn’t performing.
Then you definately begin speaking about gearbox, it doesn’t actually matter. The difficulty begins on the root, as a result of it comes from the rotor, in 9 out of ten instances.
Allen Corridor: In order that leads into the query about LiDAR. Yeah. As a result of there’s extra discussions, you learn by the magazines, log on, there’s quite a lot of new LiDAR programs which can be on the market.
However you’ve really utilized LIDAR to some specific OEM generators that wanted assist. They weren’t pointed in the proper path. You wish to clarify like how that, what that’s and the way it works?
Lars Bendsen: It’s fascinating as a result of simply to briefly contact on the pitch. I talked to some folks, oh, it’s a brand new expertise.
No, the system is definitely 15 years outdated in Germany, nevertheless it’s new right here. And on the LIDAR system, the cell based mostly LIDAR, we launched it in 2014. Yeah, it’s not new. It’s simply new right here. Yeah, it’s been in China for the final 10 years It’s confirmed however even China’s forward of the curve that we’re right here.
Certain. So but additionally in all equity in 2014 I name it a inexperienced banana May be not one hundred percent developed. Now the banana have, mature to be a yellow banana. So it’s working now. And I’ve been by that painful course of.
Joel Saxum: So that they don’t comply with the TRL scale. No. Zero to 9 expertise readiness.
It’s how inexperienced is the banana?
Lars Bendsen: However I had hair once I began this present.
Yeah, it’s been a studying curve. It’s been good. And now they know what’s working, been rolled out. to greater than 200 generators in Canada. Oh, wow. And it seems that one of many specifics, it really works on all stall regulated, pitch regulated, nevertheless it looks as if the older stall regulated generators have an issue actually being properly aligned in direction of the wind.
And that’s one situation they’ve. The opposite, there’s a pure, there’s a cell switch perform which means the true wind velocity that the sunshine is measuring 80 meters in entrance of the turbine. Okay. That’s the true wind velocity. It’s not the identical on the anemometer. The again of the nacelle. It’s really, it’s at all times searching the wind as a result of it registered wind after it occurred.
And it’s in a, what do you name it, in a not clear air stream. Yeah, it’s soiled again there. Yeah in order that’s one of many points. One other situation that seems, there was additionally a steep studying curve, that the stall regulator, as soon as they hit the rated wind speeds, they will really get extra alarms. So I can’t bear in mind what the alarm code known as, however I get extra alarms if you hit the rated wind velocity if you’re one hundred pc aligned.
So what we do above rated wind velocity, we really misalign it one or two levels. After which we get much less alarms on the turbine and we take the masses off the tower. Certain. By misaligning it above wind velocity. It’s not logic. It was solely by making an attempt it so many instances that misaligned it one or two levels. When you get above rated wind speeds, however the ramping up, you wish to align as exact as we are able to.
As soon as over, we we change to keep away from the overspeed after which we’re misaligning a bit of bit. And that’s with stall regulated generators. That’s all common generators. Okay. Okay. It’s not the identical on a pistol regulator. It’s only a common, we wish to guarantee that now we have a correct angle in direction of the wind.
We wish to be that as near zero as attainable. So in a Lehman’s approach, you possibly can say now we have a greater common. As a result of it’s all based mostly on common. The identical with the anemometer behind. It’s additionally based mostly on common for the mid wing. We simply have a extra exact common. As a result of now now we have two lasers, plus or minus 30 levels popping out.
We evaluate the angles, and that approach we get the proper the proper turbine angle.
Allen Corridor: So for those who’ve confirmed now the expertise on the pitch the Stall regulator. Stall regulator generators. Yeah. That appears and we vetted the factor, it’s now a totally ripe banana. Or does that imply that is going to return into america?
And so much, as a result of there’s quite a lot of little wind farms. You’ll be able to simply drive round Texas. You’ll be able to level to the generators that aren’t pointed in the proper path.
Lars Bendsen: I’ve been to wind farms the place actually you possibly can see driving by it as 30 diploma distinction. Yeah. Yeah. And I don’t get it, however appears till you don’t do something, appears they don’t do it.
You’ll be able to see it along with your eye simply driving by. Yeah. The anemometer is the worst.
Joel Saxum: That info’s again within the distant operation heart too. Yeah. Somebody’s taking a look at it.
Allen Corridor: So what does that imply then? Is that imply that the trade as a complete, which is counting on anemometers, which isn’t an ideal measurement and it’s in soiled air they usually apply quite a lot of.
Averaging to it as a result of they don’t need the turbine searching and pecking on a regular basis As a result of that simply wears and tears on the turbine. Yeah, as a result of they don’t have one thing very correct So is the transfer then to go to one thing like a LiDAR system? Even when it’s like one each different a turbine or one each 5 generators.
I’ve heard some operators speaking about that. Is that the transfer?
Lars Bendsen: I believe it’s a matter of the turbine age and likewise The PPA you might have? Certain, as a result of there’s an ROI on it. On the on the installer c it’s relying in your PPA it’s about 3% energy. Whoa. That’s so much. 3% energy for an funding on, I’m simply saying between 15 and $20,000.
That’s all, that’s what these, that’s all it price. Okay. That’s, so they’re lower than I believed. And it takes an hour to put in, so it’s not a giant.
And you’ll both do this. The issue is to get them into the, to the Wi Fi system on the turbine. Certain. And nobody had that. So we really put in it on the SIM card and it goes straight to Denmark.
We don’t even contact, we don’t even want to the touch the.
Joel Saxum: So that you’re not even touching {the electrical} system.
Lars Bendsen: Simply want energy. That’s it. That’s simple.
Joel Saxum: Yeah. As a result of that’s at all times a giant factor in the case of management programs or sensors or no matter is cybersecurity with wind generators. No one needs to essentially.
Lars Bendsen: Individuals freaks out simply on it. Can we get entry to your web on the turbine? Individuals begin freaking out already then. Yeah. Some clients now, we’re probably going to put in in U. S., fingers crossed this 12 months on fairly a couple of generators. So it’s coming additionally on the photo voltaic generators within the U.
S. Wow. For Canada, Canada has greater than 200. Put in.
Allen Corridor: That’s superb. Okay.
Lars Bendsen: But additionally assume it, so again to, so I am going again to the PPA and the lifetime of the generators, proper? As a result of we’re generators are getting know 100 {dollars} or extra from megawatt. Yeah. That’s simple to justify proper? The place go down on the spot market in Texas get 20, $20 megawatts and the turbine is 16 years outdated.
It’s a tougher, it’s a tougher promote or a tougher enterprise case to make.
Joel Saxum: If you consider this too that LiDAR system can go, if there’s a, if there’s a repower scenario, no matter, you possibly can pop it off, put it on the brand new one.
Lars Bendsen: We’re on initiatives now, what’s it referred to as, repower, IRA? IRA. Yeah. We’re on already and verified there.
One among our shoppers obtained us in there. So they’re doing an influence improve. Yeah. And placing a LiDAR on. Wow. It’s there. So we’re in that ballpark. However there’s quite a lot of, there’s a lot noise on the, a lot noise on the communication once more. Certain. As a result of there’s all management programs, they will do higher.
There’s three management programs down there, retrofit controllers, they usually declare they will do it. Yeah. And I can’t say if they will or not. There’s quite a lot of noise on the communication line. But it surely, the wind vane is the wind vane. So you possibly can’t change that. Yeah. In order that wouldn’t clear up the opposite factor.
You’d have may be have higher, your algorithms. that there’s on the controller at present. However I, I can’t inform if I don’t assume they will achieve the identical. And you then’re additionally again. Now we’re trusting folks’s generators, trusting folks’s controllers. And now it’s a tougher promote impulsively.
Now there’s extra to have a say.
Allen Corridor: Yeah, certain. However with any type of newish expertise, it’s simply because it’s not being deployed but. as extensively because it presumably ought to. There turns into a chance, particularly with the repower scenario, the place you’re placing, as an alternative of placing up a 1. 5, you’re placing up a 2.
3 or God forbid a 3. So what else is cooking Lars? What else you bought going?
Lars Bendsen: We have now a ton of stuff going with our new companions within the management. That’s a drone firm. They hate once I say the drone firm, as a result of it’s a trains, planes and cars, as a result of they will on helicopters or airplanes or drones.
However they might do extra than simply, taking photos of blades. It’s probably the most boring factor on this planet now. There’s greater than 20 suppliers, so we attempt to get away from that market.
Joel Saxum: Yeah. Was it, I used to be speaking with Yannick in your staff, I believe yesterday, and he mentioned that they noticed a 14 drone suppliers reply to an RFQ.
Lars Bendsen: It was FQ for the 17 corporations. 1714. Have been bidding on the identical work.
Joel Saxum: I didn’t know there was that many drones. I didn’t know that many nonetheless round.
Lars Bendsen: And it’s only a overwhelmed down market, so it’s not even . However these guys can we’re working now on doing ultrasonic testing on the blades. Certain, yeah.
So once we’re up on the blade, we see a lightning strike, we wish to examine, what’s it? How deep is it going? Is it only a scratch? Or is it actually doing a little injury? We do the ultrasonic, then we can provide a extra correct quote to the client. As a result of now we all know what it’s. As an alternative of getting to grind into it.
However proper now it could possibly be between 2, 500 and 60, 000. The final one. The identical image. One was actually 2, 500 and the following one was 6, 000 to five, 000 for a similar image.
Joel Saxum: Yeah, as a result of when you begin opening it up, that’s an issue with all of the blade restore campaigns. Oh, it’s the identical. It’s hey, bid on these, and also you’re like, I don’t know, it could possibly be 10, 000 to 50, 000.
Lars Bendsen: Janick spent a month and a half, he couldn’t go to Calgary final 12 months. He was sitting a month and a half and he took 400 and considerably. Damages. Give me a worth on that. Good job, Yannick. Thanks. He’s shedding his hair from that, too. So it’s mainly a professional guessing competitors. Yeah. There’s not likely any benefit to it.
Joel Saxum: After which when procurement steps in, it’s a professional guessing competitors for the bottom worth.
Lars Bendsen: Yeah, then once more, so we’re not bidding on the identical phrases. What if certainly one of our opponents say, greatest case situation? Certain. And now we have a practical, and now we have a European sq. mind, so we do the worst case within the space.
Yeah. $50,000, 2,500 go. These guys. Every thing is completed on t and m anyhow. So that you to get an additional invoice. The place we’re extra actual, extra reasonable or making an attempt to be extra, you’re getting nearer to what their funds is definitely. Yeah. We making an attempt to get extra properly leveled. Yeah, true. And once more, it’s a certified guessing competitors, however now new expertise coming in.
However that additionally sonic scanning with a drone, flying a drone up on the blade, and likewise sonic scanning. That’s cool. That’s cool. They do x ray of transmission traces, all of the splices.
Allen Corridor: Oh certain, that’s the place the failure factors are.
Lars Bendsen: They should be x rayed. So that they’re flying an x ray with a drone.
Allen Corridor: Oh, okay.
Lars Bendsen: And so they’re beginning a brand new mission now, now we have two drones.
As a result of if you get x rayed within the hospital, there’s a again plate. Yeah. So now they’re flying two drones, one the wrong way up, and one right here. And doing the traces. And scanning it. Are they going to deliver that to the blade room? They’ve it already. No not the x ray half.
Joel Saxum: When you get x ray blades, I checked out a mission like that about six years in the past.
And we have been like, ah, it’s tough as a result of these should fly in unison. The bottom plate can not transfer as a result of then it will get blurry. However for those who can determine that out for blades.
Lars Bendsen: I don’t know in the event that they, on the blade aspect, however they’re doing a ton of stuff on the identical transmission traces to doing a foundations.
Yeah, these are massive areas. I’ve even developed a system that may blow my thoughts. So that you’re flying with a drone within the tower, contained in the tower, to examine the muse there. You open the hatches and it flies instantly up and do inside inspection of the blades. You’re flying with a drone from the bottom.
From the bottom? From the bottom. You’re flying contained in the tower with a drone.
Joel Saxum: We’ll should get these guys on the podcast. Yeah, I haven’t seen that. In order that’s what I’m saying.
Lars Bendsen: Because the A folks based mostly on bringing new expertise in. Yeah. In order that’s proper down our DNA get completely excited once I see that.
Yeah. As a result of, and now we have introduced in, we talked about final time, 27 or 30 corporations over from Europe to North America the final 10 years. Yeah. However that’s one thing that, that triggers me. However they’re not American. They’re Canadian, so everybody Proper.
Yeah. That’s, in order that’s what’s occurring. And that’s why we must be extra clear now. communication as a result of now we have so many choices. That’s an ISP with a distinct strategy after which our optimization, I’d name it, and new applied sciences.
Joel Saxum: And also you guys doing spare elements and stuff too.
When you want one thing discovered, you’re name ours. Yeah. He’ll discover you brake pads and kit oil and pitch alignment. I’m so comfortable.
Lars Bendsen: We have now folks within the workplace now serving to out. So yeah, we improve our workers for 40%.
Joel Saxum: Shout out to Sydney, the brand new workplace supervisor, who retains these guys in line.
Lars Bendsen: Completely. Completely. She is superb. This may not be attainable in any respect with out her. She’s annoyingly organized.
Allen Corridor: So Lars, how do folks attain AC883? Since you’re such a wealth of data and AC883 is beginning to get actually busy. So folks gotta attain out.
Lars Bendsen: Gotta attain out. I used to be about to say our web site, however that’s going to be renewed. It’s Lars, lars@ac883.com.
Allen Corridor: There you go. Lars, thanks a lot for being on the podcast.
And thanks for sharing a sales space with us this week at ACP. And yeah, we’ll see you subsequent time.
Hopefully in Hamburg.
Lars Bendsen: We’ll see in Hamburg, September newest. Completely. Thanks a lot. Sure. Thanks