The costs of wind power are falling, not only for turbine cost and performance, but also for operating and maintaining onshore wind farms. In just the last four years, operation and maintenance costs have dropped 38 percent, according to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Wind Operations and Maintenance Price Index.
The figures are based on average prices for full service operation and maintenance contracts in onshore wind farms between 2008 and 2012. For the report, which appeared in the first issue of the O&M Price Index, Bloomberg analysts examined confidential operation and maintenance contract data from 38 major wind power developers and service providers around the world.
The costs of wind power are falling, not only for turbine cost and performance, but also for operating and maintaining wind farms. Shown here, Siemens service engineers work in a wind turbine's gondola. (Source: Siemens)
Service providers consisted of turbine manufacturers, primarily in Europe and the Americas. The price data included 104 confidential and undisclosed contracts in more than 24 markets. Typical contracts considered in the report included replacement costs of major components -- for example, blades, gearboxes, and generators -- as well as scheduled and unscheduled maintenance work.
Compared to the costs of gas-fired and coal-fired generation, the capital costs of wind power have already become more competitive due to better turbine siting and wind farm management, as well as lower cost, more technically advanced turbines, said Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, in a press release.
Wind project owners and investors are becoming increasingly interested in improving the performance and efficiency of wind assets, since better planning and more efficient management of spare parts can improve output and generators’ margins by cutting unplanned, unexpected downtime.
We've previously reported on remote-controlled climbing robots developed to make wind tower maintenance easier, cheaper, and safer by doing it remotely. Although these have not yet been deployed in anything resembling huge numbers, their use could also bring maintenance costs down even more in the future.
These are interesting questions, Old_Curmudgeon. As for fracking, the procedure is being used for both oil and gas. And I've also heard about the old oil wells replenishing. In looking at the stories on this, nobody seems to know why old wells have replenished.
...and also the laws of thermodynamics, that in essence state that conversion from one form to another is always less than 100% efficient. Further, entropy (the measure of all that UNRECOVERABLE heat energy lost in the conversion) MUST increase IN A CLOSED SYSTEM over time. A lot of the nonsense stated in these fora ignores these facts, especially the "closed system" one.
Mr. Dyson, my post was supposed to make all aware of some areas that have to be included in analyses IF they are intended to be rigorous and SCIENTIFIC. I was NOT stating these were invalidators of any proposals, only that you cannot afford to ignore ANYTHING in an honest evaluation of them! For centuries, the untrained have postulated all sorts of "perpetual motion" mechanisms that simply don't stand up to the rigor of the "closed system" analysis.
Fracking or fracturing and expanding the microcracks in the rock within an oil deposit using high-pressure steam has been used for years. It has also been used in expanding the cracks in water wells using dry-ice to increase yield. I'm not sure I'm in support of fracking in Washington as they already seem separated enough. Perhaps the application of some glue would help. The aspect of fracking we're hearing so much about today involves the injection of chemicals that dilute the thick oil and those chemicals might get into the water table. Luckily we no longer need deal with the NIMBY crowd as they have been replaced by the BANANA (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything) crowd, apparently they've expanded their horizons.
This information about "fracking" is not something that I researched myself. However, I DID hear a comment very recently regarding this technology, and the person making that comment stated unequivocally that it dates back approx. 60 years. Now, maybe it is that your thought is correct, when oil was $20 bbl, it was economically unfeasible to invest in that technology, BUT now that it hovers around $100/bbl., it HAS become the technology du jour! Also, I'm NOT sure about the ultimate goal of fracking ...... is it to obtain heretofore unrecoverable oil reserves, OR is it to obtain natural gas reserves?
One final thought which I also heard in the last few days regarding petroleum supplies. It seems that investigators (exactly WHO these people are I don't know) have uncapped some very old domestic wells spread throughout the Texas / Oklahoma region, which were previously declared "empty", and have found that they are now averaging about ONE HALF FULL again!! So, WHAT does that mean? Is the global oil reserves really a result of eons of decayed dinosaurs, flora, etc., OR is it a naturally replenishing resource from all the modern decayed flora & fauna? Personally I have NO opinion since I am very unknowledgeable in the minutiae of this field, BUT it may be something for the philosophers amongst us to contemplate on a deep level.
Old_Curmudgeon, I'm one of those who was under the impression that fracking was new. If it's been around so long, why has it not been used? Let me guess: when oil was $20 dollars per barrel, fracking wasn't worth the trouble.
At least YOU did see the humour in my post. I was shocked to read so many of the newer ones that kept to the main topic without comment of my sarcasm. Only one other blogger referenced my note.
To me the saddest part of this "energy problem" is that fracking has been a technology in use for the better part of SIXTY years. To read the current news reports or listen to the items on the news programs, one would think that the industry just invented this technology yesterday, which proves how the mass media's into a debate CAN & DOES influence the discussion& outcome.
Finally, ALL of these discussions of "energy" NEVER consider one very basic Law of Physics, which, if I'm NOT mistaken was authored by MADONNA (or maybe Lindsey Lohan??) .........
"ENERGY CAN NOT BE CREATED OR DESTROYED. It can only be changed from one form to another."
Often farms are being bought by investers who hope to own the land for a few years and sell it off, or by families who's parents farmed and then are waiting to sell the land when the markets at its peak. Either way people are not always ready to put windmills on the land because they fear it might decrease the value.
Inspired by the hooks a parasitic worm uses to penetrate its host's intestines, the Karp Lab has invented a flexible adhesive patch covered with microneedles that adheres well to wet, soft tissues, but doesn't cause damage when removed.
Engineers at the University of California, San Diego are designing a robotic arm that takes inspiration from the loose, flexible, yet very strong structure of the armored plates on a seahorse's tail.
Researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology have designed a new nanoscale material that can transmit light faster than the 186,000 miles per second it usually takes to travel through air.
It has often been said that as California goes, so goes the nation. This spring, the state's wind power is setting energy generation records and solar energy generation is expected to rise sharply during the second half of 2013.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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