Top challenges and possible solutions on poor pitch settings

We organised a webinars with more than 50 individuals from 35 energy companies from 20 countries and four continents. Prior to the webinar all participants posted (mandatory) their top challenge on the topic of poor pitch settings. After the webinar we turned all this top challenges into a survey so that they give input on eachothers top challenges. Do you wish to view the summary listing all top challenges and possible solutions, fill in the form and we will send it.

Background - How good is your pitch?

An O2O Wind member posted a challenge named “How good is your pitch?” in which he had a detailed description on their current issues on this topic and then served several questions on revenue losses due to poor pitch settings.

Inspired by this very well written challenge we then organised a Monthly O2O WIND Webinar with the same headline. 

The webinar was introduced by one of our members who shared their specific challenges on the topic.

The suggested agenda for these owner-to-owner discussions looked as follows:

• How can I check for possible poor pitch settings – which methods are being used – from calibrate pitch and yaw from photographs from the ground to the more sophisticated mechanical tuning
• How much control does an owner have when it comes to adjust parameter settings to follow the generated pitch profile for the specific turbine on the specific site?
• Which different strategies can an owner apply to steer pitch and yaw controls to optimise utilisation of the wind
• Which accessible methods does an owner have to improve aerodynamics on their blades
• What would be the best approach for the active owner to ensure that pitch and yaw is optimised for their turbines
• How much do we loose with just one degree error on one blade?
• What is statistically the proportion of error we can expect in a given population of turbines?
• Where is the break even for our efforts – how accurate can the setting be?
• How to include pitch control verification during periodical maintenance
• Conclusion where should an owner focus to have increased power output from blades – pitch, jaw and aerodynamics

It all comes out as a very valuable document

At O2O Wind we have developed the format of our webinars to become a very valuable:

1. First we got the simple idea to organise webinars,
2. then we got the idea to make it mandatory for each participant to share their top challenge within the given topic for the webinar – to build a good foundation for discussions and
3. then we got the idea to create a questionnaire based on the participant’s top challenges and to let them give input on each other challenges.

For the last step we explain to the owners that only those who will put some effort into answering will be sent the summary. This has created a great response rate.

Image how valuable:

• You spend one hour only among genuine wind asset owner peers to discuss a specific theme also introduced by one of the o2o wind members.

• Two weeks later you receive a summary where you (for this specific webinar) can read your own top challenge at the top of a document and thereunder suggested actions from 19 peers working for other wind farm owner across the world.

• Furthermore you can read their top challenges also with 19 suggestions from their peers to be found underneath.

For obvious reasons we cannot share this summary. But we ¨can serve you a downsized version that has been made completely anonymous. Furthermore we have also removed all mentions of turbine makes, suppliers, consultants and any brands. Removing this has made some challenges and input rather thin and these have then been removed completely.

The material is provided “as is”, and O2OWind International assumes no responsibility whatsoever for it use or correctness.

If you wish to connect your O&M team with their peers at O2O WIND please arrange for an introduction. After I have understood that your company fullfills the conditions set by our members to be a part of their collaboration, I will first present the business logic behind O2O WIND and how it came into making. Thereafter we will login at the actual plattform so that you can see the actual collaboration going on with your own eyes.

Choose a suitable time for you:

So far we have had the privilage the serve the following companies at our webinars:

Acciona Energia, Aegis Renewable Energy, Akuo Energy, Akuo Energy Med, Algonquin Power & Utilities, Allianz Capital Partners, Arctic Wind, Arevon Energy, Arise, Atlantica Yield, BayWa r.e., Belltown Power, BKW, Blue Energy, BP Alternative Energy, BP Wind Energy North America Inc., Brookfield, Brookfield Renewable, Capital Power Corp, Cartier Energie Eolienne, Casa dos Ventos, CEZ ROMANIA, Consumers Energy, Cubico Sustainable Inestments, DTEK Wind Power, E.ON Climate & Renewables, Eco2, Ecoren Energy, EDF Energy, EDP Renewables North America llc, EIG S.A., EKZ Renewables AG, Element power, Enbridge, Eneco, Enel Green Power, Energy Invest Group S.A., Engie, ERG Power Generation, Fortech bvba, Fortum, Fred. Olsen Renewables, Gaelectric, Gas Natural Fenosa Renowables, Generg, Genneia, Glennmont Partners, Greenmint Power, Guris, Hofor, Iberwind - Desenvolvimento e Projectos, SA, IC Power, Infinis, INFRASTRUTTURE SPA, Innogy, Innowind, IWB Industrielle Werke Basel, John Laing, JPEE, Kallista Energy, Kennedy Renewables, Kruger Energy Inc., La Compagnie du Vent, Luz De Mar, Muirhall Energy, Next Energy, NTR PLC, OCES, Parkwind, Pattern Energy, PGE ENERGIA ODNAWIALNA S.A., Polat Enerji, Polen Energia, Puhuri, Renvico, RES Group, Skellefteå Kraft, Solvind, Statoil, Stena AB, Taaleri Energia, Taiga Mistral, Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd, Terra-Gen Power, The Blue Circle, TrønderEnergi, Umeå Energi, Ushdev Power Holdings Pvt Ltd, VALOREM, Vattenfall, Vattenfall Vindkraft A/S, Ventus Energia, WFSO, Wigton Windfarm Ltd, Vindkraft Ukraina, Voltalia

Any questions or considerations do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards

Mårten Nilsson, Head of Collaboration at O2O WIND International

+46-760-21 71 77 or marten@o2owind.com