Exo At the WINDPOWER 2018 Conference
Every year, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) holds a conference to talk about the latest clean energy and other aspects of the wind industry and the American consumer. This conference brings together manufacturers, wind energy innovators, scientists, and industries on the front lines of wind energy. Exo was invited in 2018 to speak at the conference. As a company always on the cutting edge of innovation, safe and reliable safety measures, and infrastructure longevity, it was natural for Exo to be a part of this event. We were asked to answer the question: Can a 10 cent cotter pin really cause a million dollar outage for a wind farm. Let’s explore the answer here.
Transmission Interconnections
During the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference in 2018, Exo’s Grant Leaverton hosted a roundtable discussion on Balance of Plant Maintenance Strategies for Transmission Interconnects. Transmission Interconnections apply to any generation plant, not just wind. Grant discussed the importance of proper building, implementation, and maintenance of such assets, including those related to transmission assets and wind turbines. Each wind farm must have balance of plant infrastructure in place to safely transfer generated power to the grid. And if it’s not properly maintained, expensive outages are likely to occur..
Why We Need Transmission Interconnections
Wind and solar farms are typically built in rural parts of the country far away from our big cities, where most of our electricity is consumed. Transmission lines make it possible to deliver all of that renewable power to those large demand hubs. While local utilities own most of the major lines delivering that power, many times renewable companies must build and manage their own transmission system many miles to the nearest interconnection. When those transmission “gen-tie” lines are properly built and installed, it reduces O&M costs for the owner and makes the system more reliable.
Maintenance needs to be performed at regular intervals and cover even the smallest of components. A cotter pin, for example, is a small piece of hardware that holds pins, bolts and nuts into place. They’re small and cheap, but incredibly important as they hold the transmission lines to the structure. If one breaks, that can cause power lines to fall, which can add catastrophic damages. Maintenance is imperative to ensuring these tiny parts of the structure are holding on to avoid a loss of millions of dollars in damages, liability, and manpower.
Ready to Work With Us?
Our team would love to talk to you, so we can learn about your lighting company’s goals and primary areas of concern. Contact us today, and we’ll help you take the first step in creating a comprehensive lighting asset management program. Give us a call at 281-259-7000.
Get Started with Exo
Ready to Work With Us?
Our team would love to talk to you, so we can learn about your lighting company’s goals and primary areas of concern. Contact us today, and we’ll help you take the first step in creating a comprehensive lighting asset management program. Give us a call at 281-259-7000.
