Wind turbines have come a long way since 1887 when the first electricity generating wind turbine, a battery charging machine, was installed by Scottish academic James Blyth in Scotland (1). Today, most turbines on wind farms for commercial production of electric power are highly advanced automated, three-blade systems. Each blade can be up to 135 feet in length. As anyone who has seen one of these giants knows, they can be massive, reaching as high as 50 stories. Blades rotate at up to 22 revolutions per minute. Some rotate at constant speed, while others operate at variable speeds. Other models have systems consisting of banks of lead acid batteries built into each blade to adjust the pitch control. This is used to stop the turbine, or act as brakes. Pitch can also be adjusted by these batteries to respond to weather conditions and adjust output.
Turbine maintenance is a large, prohibitive cost factor. Skilled labor and equipment such as cranes often have to be brought in to maintain these giants. System failures are the Operations & Maintenance (O&M’s) teams worst nightmare. And energy companies don’t take well to down-time, since it is revenue lost. As the number of US Wind turbine installations multiply (AWEA estimates 5,116MW of wind power installed in 2010, which is a 15% annual growth rate),(2), and the number of wind turbines installed since 1996 continue to age, unscheduled maintenance incidents will increase. Dangerous weather conditions, like the type we have seen this past spring can also attribute to these incidents.
Panasonic has developed four special wind turbine batteries that help ease the stress of unscheduled maintenance from battery failures after just a few years. The LC-WTV and LC-WTP series of batteries are the latest iteration of Panasonic’s Valve-Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) technology adapted to the specific and demanding needs of wind turbine applications. All of the new batteries feature flame-retardant cases of UL94V-0 resin.
- The LC-WTV127R2 is a 12V, 7.2Ah VRLA battery. Expected life is 5 years at 20°C and 3 years at 25°C based on a weekly discharge cycle of max 15 seconds.
- The LC-WTV1212 is a 12V, 12Ah VRLA battery. Expected life is 5 years at 20°C and 3 years at 25°C based on a weekly discharge cycle of max 15 seconds
- • The LC-WTP127r2 is a 12V, 7.2Ah VRLA battery. Expected life is 10 years at 20°C and 5 years at 25°C based on a weekly discharge cycle of max 15 seconds.
- • The LC-WTP1212 is a 12V, 12Ah VRLA battery. Expected life is 10 years at 20°C and 5 years at 25°C based on a weekly discharge cycle of max 15 seconds.
Each of the batteries feature high quality and reliability, exceptional deep discharge recovery, no corrosive gas generation, long service life, quick changeability, high power density, tight capacity distribution and virtually maintenance-free operation. Low-cost lead solutions from China are not the optimal choice. By paying a little more you are ensuring that your long term cost is lower, and your quality and craftsmanship high. Most importantly, your peace of mind is intact.
(1) Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/100957.html. Retrieved April 2011. (2) AWEA, http://www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/factsheets/factsheets_windenergybasics.cfm, Retrieved April 2011.
