Wind Tower Surge Protection Systems
Read More: https://www.raycap.com/wind-turbine-surge-protection/
The traditional methods of power production for human consumption involve positioning a turbine over a heat source, which ultimately moves the turbines and generates static electricity for capture. That heat source is usually a bulk fuel that can be burned in order to generate the heat necessary. The fuels used in these capacities have been things like coal, oil and wood in the past, because they are relatively cheap and available in large quantities. The problems with these methods is that eventually these fuel sources will become more scarce and more expensive as a result. As the human population continues to swell, this is becoming more of a reality every day. The need to develop methods of generating power in a way that can not only satisfy the huge demand but also do it at a lower cost is a critical problem that the world needs to solve.
One method that shows promise of being able to achieve this task is wind power. The same types of turbines are used to generate power this way, only it is not a heat source that is causing them to turn. Instead, the wind blowing over the blades of a wind tower causes the movement necessary to produce the static electric charge. The drawbacks to this method are that the wind must be available to accomplish the goal, and there are expenses involved that are typically not seen in other methods. All the parts and pieces needed to make a wind turbine make the structure very expensive to manufacture. As well, the effort to transport and position these structures in the field, and the sensitive electronic equipment installed inside the structures to make them work efficiently mean that the total costs are enormous. Lastly, when they are finally installed and brought online their exposure to the elements is a threat. At any point in time there are storms happening all over the globe that produce lightning, and this lightning is always seeking the tallest structure in a region to strike. It is the nature of lightning to seek the path of least resistance to earth. Because the tops of the towers or the blades must be unobstructed by other structures to perform at their top capabilities, this makes the towers themselves a significant target. The strikes to the blades causes damage, and the power surge that follows causes additional damage to the equipment inside the structures. The power surge travels along all the conductive surfaces, coupling into the cables and wires that connect the equipment. This means a chain reaction of damage happens after each and every strike, even if it not a direct strike but a nearby one. The potential for damage can be reduced through the use of better materials in blade construction, and by the integration of industrial surge protection into the towers. By avoiding the damage to the blades using more robust materials, as well as the damage to the equipment downstream using surge protection devices, the threat of damage can be reduced or maybe eliminated. Through the ongoing development of better technologies used in these processes, we find that the costs can be reduced at the same time the capacities are improved. The result is less expensive and more plentiful power that does not rely on fossil fuels.
