UpWind Solutions Inc., an operations and maintenance (O&M) service provider for the North American wind energy industry, has entered into a strategic relationship with Denmark-based ROMO Wind to make ROMO's patented iSpin technology available in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for the first time.
According to UpWind, the iSpin solution uses ultrasonic technology to measure the wind in front of a turbine's rotor directly at the spinner, thus being able to measure parameters at the nacelle.
Data collected includes wind speed, yaw alignment, flow inclination, turbulence, rotor position and temperature. UpWind claims the technology helps ensure turbines are aligned for the best possible yield, as well as allows for optimized wind farm management and load reduction, which prolongs the total life of the turbines.
"ROMO Wind is a leader in their field and a perfect addition to our technology-driven approach to reliability-centered maintenance. We're excited to be working with them and are looking forward to enhancing our O&M excellence portfolio with their iSpin system," says Peter Wells, CEO of UpWind Solutions.
Jan Nikolaisen, co-CEO at ROMO Wind, states ROMO is also excited about the partnership, noting, "Our experience shows that operators can increase the yield of their wind farm by two percent on average by correcting previously undiscovered yaw misalignments."
UpWind says the iSpin solution can be packaged with VG upgrades or O&M agreements and delivered standalone.
