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- Category: Windtech Future
What if you owned a wind turbine that could self-diagnose a gearbox vibration it detected and ‘call home’ to a remote monitoring operations centre to ask for an oil change? The wind energy industry is only a few years away from the digital industrial revolution having a major impact on the way in which the industry operates and generates revenue.
By Philip Totaro, CEO, IntelStor
- Category: Windtech Future
A primary constraint of global expansion for many wind turbine OEMs is the ability to achieve scale through global sales volume. But the shift towards a common platform architecture and wind turbine products that are designed for global markets will open up more export market opportunities. This also protects against regional fluctuations in demand and provides an offset to currency depreciation.
By Philip Totaro, CEO, IntelStor
- Category: Windtech Future
What does it take to be globally competitive in the current wind energy market environment? As we approach another season of major industry events at which a series of new turbine product introductions are anticipated, the industry can expect those turbines to have a relatively new design philosophy governing their development.
By Philip Totaro, CEO, IntelStor
- Category: Windtech Future
Offshore wind technology development has seen an explosion in the past six years. Almost 80% of all the innovation and technology development in offshore wind has been undertaken in that time-frame. The result has led to the global surge in deployment and the significant cost reductions that have been recognised.
By Philip Totaro, Founder & CEO, IntelStor
- Category: Windtech Future
The slump of innovation investments seen in the wind industry back in 2013 is coming to an end. A healthier global market and replenished coffers have inspired a surge in new technology and product development. The global market downturn saw a 34% drop in patent filings in 2013 versus 2012. That same time frame also saw an industry-wide drop from 5.2 to 2.3% in average research & development (R&D) expenditure as a percentage of revenue. The full breadth of patent filings for 2014 will become public in July of this year,(1) but they appear to be trending upwards, with an 18% improvement over 2013 so far. In the meantime, an evaluation of the R&D spend signals a rebound back up to an industry average of 4.7% of revenue based on analysis of 2015 data.
By Philip Totaro, Founder & CEO, IntelStor
- Category: Windtech Future
Components which follow a ‘design for service’ philosophy combined with an increasing reliance upon data analysis will be the driving force behind O&M cost 
reductions in the coming years. Sub-components which are integrated into the drivetrain, generator, electrical system or blade offer the ability for weight reduction as well as an improvementon reliability, but typically this level of integration makes service more difficult. Striking the right balance is key and modularisation of sub-components has already been undertaken by proactive OEMs and subcomponent suppliers.
By Philip Totaro, Founder & CEO, IntelStor
