How Wind Energy Learned To Be Better
Lessons from the oil and gas industry could power wind energy’s future
16 November 2017 (Washington Post)
“Innovation sometimes comes from surprising places. The leading edges of whale fins inspired the shape of wind turbine blades. A closer look at owl feathers has engineers thinking how to make blades quieter. And the way schools of fish move through currents sparked new arrays for maximizing how turbines interact with wind…Another unexpected source for innovation in the wind energy business has been the oil and gas industry…[T]here are broad similarities in how they become marketable power sources…Experienced energy companies can bring to bear the operating efficiency, environmental impact sensitivity and focus on safety that are key elements for growing an important alternative technology such as wind power…[Pre-planning is an] operations strategy borrowed from the oil and gas playbook. Efficient operations at remote locations require construction, maintenance and staff moves to be highly choreographed. In the oil and gas industry, shutting off the flow of oil for maintenance means shutting off supply, to the tune of potentially millions of barrels a day. Similarly, careful planning of maintenance is essential to wind operations…” click here for more
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