Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

flagship german offshore wind farm project humiliated by technical faults
breitbart. ^ | Sept 12 | DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS

Posted on 09/14/2014 2:44:47 PM PDT by dennisw

Germany’s flagship Bard 1 offshore wind farm has been described as “a faulty total system” as technical problems continue to plague the project, casting major doubts on the feasibility of large scale offshore projects.

The wind farm was officially turned on in August last year but was shut down again almost immediately due to technical difficulties that have still not been resolved – and now lawyers are getting involved.

The wind farm comprises 80 5MW turbines situated 100 km off the north German coastline. The difficulty facing engineers is how to get the electricity generated back to shore. So far, every attempt to turn on the turbines has resulted in overloaded and “gently smouldering” offshore converter stations.

Built at a cost of hundreds of millions and costing between €1 and €2 million a day to service, the project is estimated to have cost €340 million in lost power generation over the last year alone. And if the problems with the technology are deemed not to be the fault of the operator, German taxpayers will be on the hook for the running and repair costs, thanks to the German Energy Act 2012.

Understandably, the project’s investors are becoming increasingly nervous, which is why lawyers are now scrambling to pin the blame elsewhere. According to the German magazine Speigel “everything has turned to the question of who is responsible for the fiasco – and the costs.”

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Germany
KEYWORDS: energy; turbines; wind
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-68 next last
To: dayglored; All
it's a Ted Kennedy problem; "Drunken Swimmer" wanted marine
windpower, but not "the views" off Martha's Vineyards.

41 posted on 09/14/2014 3:38:18 PM PDT by skinkinthegrass (The end move in politics in always to pick up a weapon...eh? "Bathhouse" 0'Mullah? d8^)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

At least when wind farms are offshore, copper thieves can’t pillage them without a boat.


42 posted on 09/14/2014 3:50:48 PM PDT by Age of Reason
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

No wind?


43 posted on 09/14/2014 4:00:39 PM PDT by SkyDancer (I Was Told Nobody Is Perfect But Yet, Here I Am)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: moovova

That far is likely due to huge fishing industry. Would be a lot of productive fishing grounds taken out of production. Think all the underwater cables running along the seabed. Snagged nets and major lawsuits or else just close the whole area to commercial fiahing and suffer the rage of the German public plus the huge hit to the German balance of trade.


44 posted on 09/14/2014 4:01:35 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: SkyDancer

major problems with sea water corrosion and nightmare servicing 400 ft towers and complicated equipment way out there (in a wind)
dumbest idea them windmills!!!


45 posted on 09/14/2014 4:39:14 PM PDT by Leo Carpathian (FReeeeepeesssssed)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: dennisw


46 posted on 09/14/2014 4:43:55 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -vvv- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dayglored

Try Mark Duchamps article on the Scottish Eagle. I saw it on a Canadian website. I hope it’s ok with FR to refer to different websites as reference.


47 posted on 09/14/2014 4:46:11 PM PDT by lee martell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: dennisw
FLAGSHIP GERMAN OFFSHORE WIND FARM PROJECT HUMILIATED BY TECHNICAL FAULTS

Gee, even a caveman could have figured that out!

And our very own Independent-Communist Senator Angus King wants to bring this wonderful development to the coastal waters of Maine...the "Saudi Arabia of Wind".

Of course, he wouldn't directly profit from all those taxpayer dollars now....Would he?

48 posted on 09/14/2014 4:46:24 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves" Month.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: moovova
I do have to ask...why 100km off shore? Tides/currents? Winds? Geography? Shipping lanes? The noise?

That seems like a long way.


Dead birds washing ashore.


49 posted on 09/14/2014 5:12:42 PM PDT by 867V309 (Crusade: the only solution.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Leo Carpathian

Serves Germany right. Didn’t they close down some nuke plants because they were scared a tsunami would take them out like at Fukashima?


50 posted on 09/14/2014 5:14:50 PM PDT by SkyDancer (I Was Told Nobody Is Perfect But Yet, Here I Am)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: dennisw

but but but..


51 posted on 09/14/2014 5:16:35 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Revolution is a'brewin!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SkyDancer

Hih? There is hardly any coast, %-wise anyway.


52 posted on 09/14/2014 5:24:53 PM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: the OlLine Rebel

After the tsunami destroyed the Fukushima plants, Germany moved quickly to shut eight nuclear power plants, and made plans do away completely with their nuclear capability. Despite the best safety record of any industry in the country, and the critical role nuclear plays in fueling German industry, Germany’s past experience with large tsunamis was just too horrific to ignore. And Germany’s strong economy and commitment to protect the environment were small prices to pay for Chancellor Merkel to shore up her weak coalition with the Free Democrats. Maybe she can ask Greece for help later. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2012/08/31/germany-insane-or-just-plain-stupid/


53 posted on 09/14/2014 5:28:54 PM PDT by SkyDancer (I Was Told Nobody Is Perfect But Yet, Here I Am)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: Chode

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhXMycNAGpQ here is the video with sound


54 posted on 09/14/2014 6:42:57 PM PDT by dennisw (The first principle is to find out who you are then you can achieve anything -- Buddhist monk)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: Chode
Looks like over-speed causing tip speed to exceed the speed of sound, which is surprisingly easy on these big rotors.

Where's that from?

55 posted on 09/14/2014 6:52:13 PM PDT by dayglored (Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is...sounding pretty good about now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: dayglored
not sure, i thinking rotational speed induced blade delamination

just thought it fir the thread

56 posted on 09/14/2014 7:41:20 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -vvv- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: dennisw; dayglored
Oh yeah, she was singin alright... blade delamanation in post#54 big time
57 posted on 09/14/2014 7:45:18 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -vvv- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: Steely Tom
They had to build it quickly. Global Warming might have evaporated the ocean before the could figure out the power transmission problem.

That's right.
Al Bore said we only had 5 years to prevent armageddon.

That was over fifteen years ago, as I recall...

We are all already dead.

58 posted on 09/14/2014 9:17:15 PM PDT by publius911 (`)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: dayglored
I'm no fan (pun intentional) of large wind farms, but to be fair, this doesn't sound like a WIND GENERATOR problem, this sounds like a POWER TRANSMISSION problem, and that's independent of the source of the power.

I totally disagree.
It's not a power transmission problem.

It's a SYNCHRONIZATION PROBLEM coupled with very high voltages and current.

59 posted on 09/14/2014 9:27:15 PM PDT by publius911 (`)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: publius911
> It's a SYNCHRONIZATION PROBLEM coupled with very high voltages and current.

Synchronization between which components? Generator frequency/phase and landline freq/phase? Between/among multiple generators?

On the assumption that the generators are producing multi-phase AC at a frequency determined by the wind (and at, as you say, very high volts and amps), getting the power transferred should be a difficult but already solved problem -- don't windfarm generators do that all the time?

What are the Germans doing that's so different? Or did they just screw up implementing a known solution?

Many years ago (c. 1980) I designed multi-phase inverters at the 400HP level and we had ways of synchronizing with the existing AC line to pump power to and from the mains. This German issue is 30+ years later. WTF did they do wrong?

60 posted on 09/14/2014 10:49:57 PM PDT by dayglored (Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is...sounding pretty good about now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-68 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson