Credit: Sulzer Schmid

“We have a great working relationship with ENERTRAG Betrieb and we are delighted to be working on this very exciting project which develops a new ground-breaking use of our technology,” said Tom Sulzer, Sulzer Schmid, co-founder and CEO. “With this new solution, ENERTRAG Betrieb customers can combine LPS testing and rotor blade inspections in one go using our autonomous drones and our software. This enables more efficient test and route planning, leading to downtime reduction which results in higher revenue for the owner of a wind farm. In addition, the cost savings by ENERTRAG Betrieb due to less travel time will be forwarded to the customer.”

Lightning is a major risk for wind farm operators, endangering people and equipment. Using an intermittent AC voltage of up to 6000 V, which is much closer to the reality of a lightning strike than previous measurements of just 24 V, the voltage is fed into the LPS located at the root of the wind turbine rotor blade which then generates an intermittent electric field around the blade.

If the electric field is detected in the area of the blade tip, the lightning protection system is functional. If the electric field does not reach the blade tip, this indicates damage to the lightning protection system. The damage is located where the electric field stops in the direction of the blade tip.

The two companies have co-developed a non-contact testing solution by mounting the LPS measuring equipment onto the DJI M300 RTK blade inspection drone and integrating the results within Sulzer Schmid’s 3DX Blade Platform.

“Non-contact lightning protection measurement by drone will become the new norm for equipment inspection,” said Konrad Iffarth, the key driver of the LPS testing innovation at ENERTRAG Betrieb. “We were pleased to be able to work with a leader in the UAV turbine inspection field like Sulzer Schmid to bring our innovation to the market. It will now be possible to inspect many more wind turbines in succession. What is more, the new measuring method simulates a lightning strike much more accurately than current test methods could. Faulty results will be reduced and the method will be universally applicable for all plant types.”

The development of the prototype and its test phase has been completed and the product feasibility has been proven in a recent study.

News item from Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG

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The amount of standardized safety training continues to increase year-over-year across North America in the wind industry because companies gain productivity and a more flexible workforce, while workers are more easily hired and valuable to their employers.

Credit: GWO

In 2020, the number of Global Wind Organisation (GWO) training modules completed grew by 30% compared to the previous year and exceeded 10,000 courses in North America. More and more technicians are trained in basic safety training (BST) that includes first aid, manual handling, fire awareness and working at heights.

Additionally, growth is seen in basic technical training (BTT) and advanced rescue training (ART). BTT covers safe working activities in relation to the mechanical, electrical and hydraulic components of a wind turbine, while ART enables technicians to perform up-tower rescue in the nacelle, tower, hub, spinner and inside the blade using industry-standard rescue equipment.

Comparing 2019 to 2020, completed BTT courses grew by 24% across North America, while the number of ART courses completed rose by an amazing 600% — illustrating how the standard created by GWO members met an industry need for up-tower rescue.

Technicians with certifications in all three GWO standards (BST, BTT and ART) can save employers approximately three weeks of entry level training, allowing them to perform safely and effectively on wind turbines.

An additional benefit of GWO standard training for employers is that certificates for completed courses are uploaded to WINDA, the global wind industry training records database. Employers can use the database to verify certifications of employees and contractors who have finished GWO-certified training courses, essentially making the hiring and onboarding more efficient and effective.

An inside look at development of training standards

GWO standards are created by the industry, for the industry. The membership of globally leading OEMs and owner-operators use a dynamic list of known risks and hazards faced by wind turbine technicians to inform their development of training standards.

As the graphics in this illustration show, there are currently 25 top hazards and risks grouped into GWO’s current list. A white rosette on the illustration indicates that a training standard has been created to mitigate that risk, while a transparent rosette indicates that a training standard is in development. For other risks on the list — like items 24 and 25, diving and helicopter transfer, for example — GWO members know there is already an established training standard available and there is no need to re-invent the wheel. Since this list was last published, item 19 (working with lifts/elevators) has also been developed into a new GWO training standard — the GWO Basic Lift User course.

Using this top-level matrix as a guide, the beginning for development of a standard is analysis of data, including injury records, risk statistics and existing training programs already in use by wind turbine manufacturers and owner-operators, which are the GWO membership.

Credit: GWO

Specifically underway now is a standard for control of hazardous energy (COHE) for release in October 2021.

The COHE standard addresses several challenges for employers and is illustrated by risks 7 and 8 on the top 25 risks and hazards list (7: electricity – working on energized systems; and 8: electricity – working in high voltage).

The team developing the COHE standard begin with a problem-solving statement that specifies the training standard is intended to mitigate safety risks of hazardous energies for technicians in the wind industry and reduce the need for company-specific COHE trainings while ensuring efficient resource allocation and stakeholder collaboration.

We have observed that the GWO current training standards aren’t fully reflecting the risk environment faced by technicians in the wind industry in terms of hazardous energies, which is a central part of the value proposition for GWO, i.e., creating risk-based training that reflects the risk environment in the wind industry.

The process for development of the COHE training standard includes three areas of focus:

• Analysis of members’ needs and requirements to create the COHE standard.
• Design of a minimum viable product standard based on identified needs.
• Develop and test of the training standard to increase technicians’ knowledge of hazardous energies, their characteristics and how to recognize them.

This training will increase technicians’ skills to measure for the presence of hazardous energy and to isolate the sources of hazardous energy.

This is a complex area, governed by a wide range of regulatory systems depending on where you are based. For example, working with electricity in Europe is a protected profession requiring several years in education after high school. In other countries, simply calling oneself and electrician can be enough to qualify.

Nevertheless, the COHE standard will do what GWO training standards always do — look at the risks and hazards specific to a wind turbine environment and provide training that helps workers avoid injury in that place of work.

The standard will be built on a foundation of learning objectives that the GWO instructors must achieve with their students in the specified time. Each learning objective incorporates lesson elements where instructors teach students using a taxonomy guide supporting learning in three domains: knowledge, skills and ability. Within those three domains, the lessons will either be at the basic level, intermediate or advanced.

With COHE still under development, the lessons and learning objectives remain under wraps until the training is piloted by a select group of training providers.

For the industry, by the industry

Credit: GWO

Standards for the wind industry are developed by working groups, which consist of subject matter experts from GWO member companies. This is key because standards are created and developed by specialists who understand the various roles of wind technicians, turbine components and technologies, risks, hazards, local regulations and challenges. The working groups also ensure that each standard complies with regional and national legislation.

Next, the COHE training standard is approved by the GWO training committee. The training committee is made of leaders also from member companies who specialize in health, safety and environment; learning and development; and operations.

In addition to creating and developing training standards, existing GWO courses are reviewed and updated through a constant review cycle to reflect a changing risk landscape using feedback from GWO members, training providers and certification bodies. This year, updates were made to basic technical training (BTT) with a more specific equipment list, Rigger Signal Person with simplified instructions resulting in a savings of two hours for the course and Blade Repair where further emphasis was added to the craftsmanship skills in grinding materials to perform repairs.

Inside North America

The GWO North America committee was formed in 2019 to align standards with any regulatory requirements or practices prevalent or in development in the region. Working groups are also underway in North America to create and tailor standards for the region.

One working group is now assessing challenges and opportunities for GWO standardized training in North America for onshore and offshore wind. The intent is to ensure that GWO standards continue to meet the regulatory environment of North America, make training more efficient and reduce retraining.

Stakeholders collaborating in North America include Avangrid Renewables, ENERCON Canada, GE Onshore Wind – Renewables, RWE Renewables, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Vestas Wind Systems.

Across the North America region, standardized safety and technical training offers advantages for companies and the workforce to make renewable energy a reality for both onshore and offshore wind turbine industry.

Wesley Witt is head of quality management and health, safety and environment (HSE) at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. He is also Chair of the GWO North America Committee. Wesley is an experienced HSE professional and has been in his role at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy since 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in safety, security and emergency management from Eastern Kentucky University.

Kristy Abel is director of O&M health & safety and training at Avangrid Renewables, while also servicing as Vice Chair of the GWO North America Committee. She is a skilled health and safety and technical training leader with expertise in strategic planning, change management and project administration. Kristy also brings a combination of experiences gained in the renewable energy and electric utility industries.

GWO is a non-profit group of wind turbine owners and wind turbine manufacturers, committed to the creation and adoption of standardized safety training and emergency procedures.

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The wind technician career is projected to have the highest job growth rate in the United States for the next eight years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected percent change in employment from 2019 to 2029 for wind techs is 61%; the average job growth rate for all occupations is 4%.

Training at KVCC

Scott Conner, the chief of training at Team 1 Academy in Ontario, Canada, theorized that along with the increase in towers going up, there’s also more turnover in North American wind techs due to the physicality of the job. “People get burnt out; most people can’t climb for 20 years,” he said. “But, there are also more turbines going up.”

ENSA Access + Rescue, based in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, is a training organization that offers wind, telecom, residential roofing and general industry courses. Rob Siegel, executive director of ENSA North America, said they’ve doubled in size every year for the past three years. “Wind is the reason we’ve been able to hire and partner with more schools to increase our bandwidth,” said Siegel.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) offers an exceptional wind program, headed by Tom Sutton, director of wind energy and technical training services, since 2013. Sutton took a lead role in the design of the wind program and understands not only the importance of a mechanical and electrical background but also competency in rescue and risk management. KVCC offers a 24-week program, and the first 160 hours of training is focused on “nothing but rescue and safety,” said Sutton. The first 80 hours specifically are focused only on rescue techniques.

Zev, a December 2020 graduate of the KVCC wind school currently works with one of the largest companies in the industry. “Tom Sutton is one of the best in the industry, and I definitely felt prepared for a career as a wind tech,” Zev said. “I wanted to combine my passion for climbing with my electromechanical engineering technology degree, and being high up is so enthralling and beautiful.” Thankfully, Zev hasn’t had to perform a rescue during his short time as a wind tech, even with the preparation at KVCC.

However, non-life threatening rescues can occur, and competency in an assisted self-rescue is imperative for wind techs. “The nice thing about training now, compared to 15 years ago, is that people can attend wind schools and learn skills like negotiating an edge, which gives us at ENSA the opportunity to teach high commodity skills like advanced rescue techniques,” Siegel said.

ENSA recently added the JAG RESCUE KIT to its advanced rescue training program. “We’ve been using mechanical advantage systems for years, but students always appreciate a pre-rigged system vs. building their own in the moment,” Siegel said.

Petzl developed the JAG RESCUE KIT for quick rescues. It’s designed for easy pick-offs with a 4:1 mechanical advantage. Pulley sheaves are mounted on sealed ball bearings, and a flexible cover around the 8-mm haul rope gives the user a compact and tangle-free rescue option. Both ends are color-coded to differentiate the victim and operator end.

The latest version of the JAG is equipped with an I’D EVAC, designed with a handle specifically oriented to allow for comfortable descent control when lowering from the anchor. The I’D EVAC is used by pulling on the handle and controlling the descent speed by holding the brake side of the rope as it slides through an auxiliary friction brake. An anti-panic function limits the risk of an accident due to uncontrolled lowering. Self-braking descenders provide rescuers the option to perform an accompanied or unaccompanied rescue operation depending on psychological, environmental and physical obstruction factors.

Conner, who leads the advanced hub and blade rescue course at Team-1 Academy, also incorporated the 5-m JAG to its kit. “It’s a godsend for the advanced rescue because I have more room to move the patient in the blade,” he said. “And if you want to make it foolproof, buy the system.”

Bruno Pinard, the principal training consultant and Petzl technical specialist at Nouvelle Hauteur, a fall protection, rescue, rope access and confined space training center based in Quebec, said, “We use the JAG on everything from evacuation to a pick-off to a confined space to a blade rescue.” Pinard has found the 1-m JAG is more convenient for pick-off rescues. “It’s great for hauling and lifting, not just evacuations.”

An increase in employees, for any industry, can potentially increase the number of accidents and under-trained individuals. It only takes one accident for a serious injury or death. “A student told me about a rescue he had to do for someone who had a heart problem in the cell, and it was an eye-opener for him because it had been a while since he’d practiced,” Pinard said. “I see more techs taking rescue training because they realized how important it is, especially after being in a real rescue.”

Conner echoed a similar sentiment, noting an increase in companies relying on outside organizations, like Team 1 Academy, to train their employees instead of managing safety training within the company.

“I’ve seen many contractors requiring wind techs to have GWO certified courses,” Conner said.

A Denmark-based organization, Global Wind Organisation (GWO) has been the leader in providing an “injury-free work environment in the wind turbine industry, setting common international standards for safety training and emergency procedures.” For an industry to see substantial growth, like what the wind industry is currently experiencing, it begs the question of who identifies and sets training standards? As of now, there are no ANSI standards regulating the wind industry.

When not managing the wind school at KVCC, Sutton also sits on several committees, and has a heavy hand with the “DC side of wind.” He recently assisted in writing an ANSI standard for rescue and climb training. It will be the first ANSI standard for the wind industry, once it goes through public comment.

There are several resources and organizations that provide training in North America and ENSA, Team-1 Academy, Nouvelle Hauteur and Kalamazoo Community College are some of the best out there. An increase in wind technician careers hopefully means an increase in a healthier and cleaner future for us all.

Former student Zev summarized it well: “I’m passionate about the environment and wanted to give back. I realized I could go into this field and keep the wind turbines spinning.”

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