Page 6 - Energize January 2022

COVER STORY

The role of oil analysis in wind

turbine reliability

by Steven Lumley, WearCheck

raditionally, South Africa has relied
on non-renewable coal resources
Tto generate electricity. In fact,
more than 80% of the country’s power is
generated from this fossil fuel. However,
as the demand for electricity has surged
– and at times, outstripped supply – it’s
become critical to consider more viable
energy resources. One such resource is
wind – an abundant, renewable energy
resource that has been used to generate
power for thousands of years. Wind is
a clean, free, and infinite resource that
presents viable opportunities for energy
production in South Africa.
South Africa’s Integrated Resource
Plan (IRP), under the leadership of the
Department of Energy (DoE), foresees
renewable energy contributing to 42% or
17,8 GW of the country’s new generation
capacity by 2030. One of the ways they Figure 1: WearCheck technician performing viscosity testing on wind turbine gearbox oil samples
plan to achieve this is with 8,4 GW of wind
generated power. Africa had 2500 MW of cumulative wind capacity installed, representing about 34% of
While wind energy in South Africa the 7300 MW of capacity installed across Africa and the Middle East.
is still, relatively speaking, in its infancy, However, these two regions represent only a fraction of the total market, with global
when compared to more developed additions of about 70 GW in 2020 and with the cumulative installed base expected to grow
nations, the benefits of developing this to about 800 GW in 2021.
alternate energy resource have become The government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement
abundantly clear. Over time, wind energy Programme (REIPPPP) has already overseen the completion of four successful bidding
could help to alleviate the country’s windows in South Africa, and the approved wind farm bids from all four bidding rounds has
dependence on expensive, harmful and resulted in the construction of several wind farms over the last few years that collectively
diminishing fossil fuels, while providing a house in the region of 1400 wind turbines.
sustainable and secure energy resource In October of 2021 the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) announced
for a greater number of people. The the preferred bidders for the Fifth Bid Window (BW5) under this programme which will see
message is clear, the transition to clean a further 1600 MW of onshore wind energy being developed, in line with the government’s
renewable energy is about making an intention to increase generation capacity and ensure the security of energy supply to society.
investment in the future of our civilization It is self-evident from the above that in the current environment of renewable energies,
and the planet. wind energy has played an important role as a driver of change in the generation of clean
According to a new analysis published alternative energy. However, this rapid increase has also given rise to several operational and
by the Global Wind Energy Council performance issues related mainly to equipment design and maintenance practices.
(GWEC), South Africa added 515 MW of As the growth in wind energy has continued, the average size and capacity of wind
new wind capacity in 2020, cementing its turbine generators has also increased. With this increase in size comes an increase in
wind leadership on the African continent. the cost of operation, and specifically the cost of repairs, downtime, and unscheduled
By the end of last year, South maintenance.

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