Spica Technology tests the turbine monitoring in a Danish offshore wind farm

There are considerable savings to be achieved within the operation of offshore wind turbines. Currently, Spica Technology is working on an exciting project where its monitoring system is being tested on offshore turbine. This project is a cooperation between Spica Technology and a Danish energy company operating one of largest offshore wind farms in Denmark.

– A lot of data are already being collected from the turbine’s standard SCADA system. But the system we develop, collects additional specific data, which are expected to reduce the cost of the operation and maintenance significantly, commented CEO Benny Thomsen, and further added:

– This particular offshore project is as much a learning process as it is a development process, with ongoing testing. The first installation will be a prototype test of various technologies. Only time will tell how the final version of the system will look like, but we are very optimistic. 

The first version of the data collection system is being tested on a Siemens 3.6 MW offshore turbine in a large Danish offshore wind farm during the autumn, after which the final version of the system will be rolled out to other turbines / parks as required.

Experience counts

Spica Technology has extensive experience in the optimisation of wind turbine operation, especially when it comes to wind turbine controllers and data collection. This is also why the company has received this opportunity to move offshore.

– It is simply due to our experience, know-how and our network, that we have been invited to this project, says Benny Thomsen, who, despite of Spica Technology’s many years of experience, still feels positively challenged by the task.

The company operating the wind park uses their own monitoring centre with their own system – this is a part of the challenge.

– Our system should fit directly into their system. They control the software and we provide the hardware, and it is the combination of the two, that we work on together, says Benny Thomsen.

By Energy Supply, September 21st 2016.