Over the course of the last five years or so, the nationwide interest in clean energy production has sparked additional demand for larger industrial installations of clean production facilities. The growing demand has produced the need for both larger facilities but also safer and more productive systems. The main issue facing these types of installations is the production of energy at a price which can match fossil fuels. The affordability of energy produced through “less clean” means has historically lead to the stagnation in advancements within the clean energy sectors, simply due to the lack of funding to develop the technologies. As we come closer and closer to prices which are equal, we find that technological exploration into improvements can propel clean energy production to a place which is unmatched as far as affordability.
One area that shows great signs of being able to be improved within the clean energy sector is resetting and repair of existing equipment. Both solar installations and wind farms utilize large expanses of space, generally within remote and unobstructed areas, in order to maximize the access to the fuel which is utilized. In the case of solar, access to unobstructed sunlight is necessary. In the case of wind, access to unobstructed gusts of wind are necessary. Both of these needs create a unique situation in the industry, that the natural phenomenon of weather takes it’s toll on the very equipment which utilizes that resource to produce energy. With regards to wind power, the wind turbines are magnets for electrical activity in the form of lightning strikes during storms. The height of the turbines and their positions in areas where they are unobstructed draws the lightning to them. Strikes directly to wind turbine structures produce two forms of damage which must be prepared for in the operational projections. The actual damage to the area of a direct strike will need to be repaired, however the surge related damage must also be figured in. Damage to circuitry and other sensitive equipment as a result of the surge produced by a lightning strike has the ability to be mitigated or prevented all together through the use of SPDs. These surge protection devices are one of the areas which have shown significant improvement as the interest in the industry and money saving methodologies have been applied. The end game is to save money by preventing damages that can be prevented, thus driving the costs of production down and making the product more affordable.
Raycap has developed a line of surge protection devices that provide greater levels of protection than can be achieved through the use of traditional SPDs. Utilizing a more robust construction as well as a technological feature which eliminates the need for resetting and replacement after a strike, Raycap’s Strikesorb products not only prevent surge related damage costs but also maximize facility uptimes. By allowing the wind turbines to be online for longer periods of production time, their potential is further maximized. Contact Raycap for information on these exciting advancements.
