Renewable energy

Are we making progress in mass production?

With an ever-increasing demand for renewable energy, what are the challenges ahead for the power industry and what has been achieved to date? Claus Myllerup, from Lloyd's Register ODS, shares his views on a young business that has had to mature fast, looking at the wind power sector in particular.

With an ever-increasing demand for renewable energy, what are the challenges ahead for the power industry and what has been achieved to date? Claus Myllerup, from Lloyd's Register ODS, shares his views on a young business that has had to mature fast, looking at the wind power sector in particular.

How has the renewable energy business changed since its infancy?

"One of the most important changes is the heightened scale of production and this presents a unique challenge. Renewable energy technology is still fairly young when compared to, say, oil and gas technology and has only had 20 years or so to develop. That looks like even less time when you consider the rapid market changes over the last few years alone."

Is there a global picture of progress?

"No, it depends on where you look in the world. Some countries have vast experience with wind power, while others have gone directly from small-scale production to setting up entire wind and solar farms as major energy conglomerates."

What are the technical challenges of mass-scale production?

"Let’s use the wind power industry as a good example because a wind turbine is an extremely complex piece of machinery. To get the full return on investing in a single turbine, you need to understand two key factors: a turbine’s individual components and, even more crucially, how these parts operate together.

"The energy generated by a wind turbine is less stable than that produced by regular power plant. When a turbine transfers energy to the grid, the grid reacts by sending small torque fluctuations back, which affect the shaft speed at the turbine’s generator and, consequently, the power output. This problem magnifies when setting up 50 turbines for a new wind farm. You also have to consider the variations in load, which differ depending on a turbine’s position. Today, turbines are also being proposed for use in extremely arduous locations, presenting complex sea-bed and extreme weather challenges."

How has increased demand affected the market?

"New manufacturers are pushing the competition for quick, efficient supply solutions. On the technology side, the road from idea to construction is much shorter than in traditional power generation, with less time to correct teething troubles. This calls for a higher level of troubleshooting by independent specialists such as Lloyd’s Register?

"Economically speaking, huge sums are being invested in the business, from a supplier and energy-producer point of view. This is a good thing, as both suppliers and producers have highly skilled technicians working together to perfect this new technology. However, there is a great deal at stake for both parties when a piece of machinery fails and it may be impossible to work out a solution without an independent assessment from a technical expert."

What lies ahead?

"Despite the technical challenges, mass production of renewable energy is taking innovation to a whole new level and this needs to continue. We are seeing rapid progress in developing solutions that would otherwise have taken decades to reach. New challenges require new skills and the change in the market’s structure has  strengthened the collaboration between universities and companies in terms of research. We also see an increased exchange of knowledge and experience between industries and across disciplines.

"There is, of course, a strong political focus on decreasing the impact energy consumption has on our planet. At the same time, we have a responsibility to expand the accessibility of energy to give emerging economies a chance to develop their industries and institutions. An important way to meet these two goals is through continuous technological and economical investment in renewable energy solutions."

About Claus Myllerup

Myllerup is Managing Director of Lloyd's Register ODS, Technical Investigation and Analysis. With a PhD in mechanical engineering and 20 years’ field experience, Myllerup has served as Chairman for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' International Gas Turbine Institute Conference and is an external lecturer at the Technical University of Denmark.