Predictive maintenance technology provider Onyx Insight is installing its monitoring platform across 730MW of wind farms operated in Portugal by Iberwind.
Onyx’s hardware and Fleetmonitor software will be used on Iberwind’s fleet, which comprises Vestas V90 3MW turbines to support predictive maintenance practices and boost profitability.
Onyx’s specialised hardware monitors the condition of a turbine’s drive train and the cloud-based software maps turbine ‘health’ and provides early failure detection across all assets.
Iberwind operates 323 3MW wind turbines in Portugal, which equates to around 15% of wind energy in the country.
Supported by a programme of training and technology transfer from Onyx the operator will build in-house capacity to monitor the condition of its wind fleet.
Iberwind chief operations officer Rui Maia said: “We are constantly searching for ways to optimise the control of wind farms and now we are taking predictive maintenance to the next step.
“By embracing digital technology we are able to take advantage of Onyx’s high levels of service and flexibility to our needs.”
Onyx’s hardware-based condition monitoring system uses micro-electro mechanical systems technology to increase coverage of sensors on a turbine’s drivetrain.
Triaxial accelerometer sensors monitor vibration as well as turbine rotor balance and all provide a temperature signal.