Within the wind energy market there is a growing need for independent knowledge and expertise, particularly when it comes to the final guarantee inspections of wind turbines.
For an owner of wind turbines it is of great importance to know the technical state of its working capital.
Damages develop gradually and may not be completely evident until after the guarantee period so that the owner cannot fall back anymore on the guarantee which was given by the supplier.

This has led to a concentration of strengths at WEOM, Stork Gears & Services and NGup in order to create a jointly inspection package which then gives a complete picture of the technical state of wind turbines.

All three parties have been doing this independently of each other for years and only in their own expertise. A jointly concentration of strenghts offers an enormous synergy which is an advantage for the client.

Parties involved
Head contractor WEOM
Since its establishment in 1993 WEOM has supplied consultancy services in the field of wind energy, both national and international and under the banner “everything in wind”.
WEOM is executing all the activities between planning and operational management of a constructed windfarm. Whether it is a site survey in China, a yield calculation for a 100 MW offshore windfarm, or a technical decline of a 42 MW windfarm in Ireland, WEOM has got the technical degradation to do this and to deliver results.
Striving for result has led to a constant growth of WEOM in people, means and expertise and the realization of more than 200 MW mounted wind power in The Netherlands and other countries over the past years. WEOM provides services not only to private individuals, but also to energy companies, financial institutions and insurers.

Stork gears & services
Stork Gears & Services grew from a number of specialized producers and maintenance companies of gearboxes, including Tol, Brevo and Rademakers. The company traditionally has a lot of knowledge inhouse in the field of gearbox technology and also the engineering department is contributing to a lot of specific gearbox know-how. Stork Gears & Services has developed into a service aimed company, which is combining specific expertise and innovation with speed and service. It is dealing with revising gearboxes, inspecting the gearboxes on location, designing modifications and the developing of complete “custom built” gearboxes.

In addition to serving the wind energy sector Stork is also putting the gearbox technology in action for applications in the maritime sector, the steel- and petrochemical industry and in the transport sector.

NGup Rotor Blades
NGup possesses the necessary knowledge and experience of design, production and maintenance of rotor blades for wind turbines. NGup was launchedin the year 2001 and has its roots in the rich tradition of rotor blade manufacturers in the Netherlands in Almelo. The company is a continuation of the service department of Aerpac, which was then one of the largest rotor blade manufacturers in the world.
NGup owns modern vehicles and equipment plus people with a lot of experience to inspect, repair and maintain all type of rotor blades, whether they are made of glass polyester, glass epoxy or carbon. NGup has a broad experience with rotor blades of: GE Wind, Polymarin/Euros, LM, Aerpac, Lagerwey, Gamesa/Vestas and Enercon.

Final guarantee inspection
The final guarantee inspection consists of an interview with the client, a visual inspection of the whole installation, the inside inspection of the blades, the external inspection of the blades, the visual inspection of the gearbox, a vibration measurement of the gearbox and generator and optionally an oil sample analysis of the gearbox.
The inspections as described above are laid down in an extensive report in which the results (measure results, photographs, grafics, etc.) are clearly set out and in which clear conclusions are formulated with a recommendation for the client.
Consequently it is up to the client to discuss the report with his guarantee distributor. We are always pleased to support the client in these discussion.