The global electricity generation from renewables is expected to rise to 45% by 2040 from 26.2% in 2018.
Nowadays, the demand to generate more power from different types of renewable energy is increasing month after month.
Homeowners and businesses are switching to clean energy to reduce their environmental impact (the carbon footprint of their household) and energy costs (lower energy bills).
As the rate of green energy consumers increases, the need to maintain utility scales in solar, wind, and hydro power plants becomes essential. Like other industries, running maintenance processes in green power farms requires a variety of testing equipment.
Tools Used For Operations And Upkeep in the Renewable Energy Sector
Here are some tools used during routine maintenance in the renewable energy sector.
Borescopes For Remote Visuals
Borescopes are essential tools for remote visual inspections as they allow engineers to look inside inaccessible areas.
In the green energy sector, borescopes enhance the maintenance of steam and gas turbines, and also wind power generators.
For instance, with the flexible camera attached to a borescope, inspectors capture quality visuals in hidden spaces during the general upkeep of these systems. Meanwhile, rigid cameras provide high-resolution images in inaccessible areas.
These tools are adjustable and they are often used in the recovery of different parts of equipment.
Thanks to advancements in technology, borescopes now come with various features that make them more efficient than ever.
Besides providing photographed images, modern borescopes provide high definition video images that can be viewed on-screen. The articulating video borescope offers advanced connectivity and enough memory for storing recorded videos.
The diameter, length, and operation method of borescopes also vary.
Drones To Inspect Greater Heights
Power plants around the world are using drone technology for visual inspections because of the many benefits it offers.
Unmanned aircraft vehicles provide a cheap and practical way to inspect systems at heights or hard to reach areas.
Since drones use high-resolution digital and infrared cameras, they capture quality images. The infrared images show structural defects or anomalies like cracks and corrosion on solar panel cells and wind turbine blades.
Moreover, real-time connectivity to GPS satellites helps engineers capture accurate data. That way, engineers can determine the number of repairs they need to carry out the task.
Thermal Measuring Devices For Heat Defects
Thermal measurement gadgets are useful in identifying overheating in renewable energy systems.
Infrared thermal testing devices convert temperature readings into images. Besides detecting overheating, thermal testers identify corroded fuse clips, loose connections, deteriorated splices, and potential defects in spots that generate heat.
These devices range from simple units to complex gadgets. Simple thermal tools provide direct measurements on a meter of scale, while advanced instruments show clear images that highlight exact trouble spots.
IR Camera
Another useful tool is the IR (infrared) camera.
This camera functions as a heat-sensor that registers temperature levels and then converts the data into film or video images.
The use of IR cameras in the renewables sector ranges from identifying thermally stressed overcurrent protective devices to locating module defects.
By using digital imaging or chemical infrared imaging, these cameras can detect faulty internal connections, cracked cells, and high-resistance electrical connections.