Siemens breaks ground on new remote diagnostics center for wind turbines in Denmark

Upon completion, scheduled for autumn 2014, the 1,400 square-meter facility will be one of the most advanced wind turbine remote diagnostics service (RDS) centers in the world. It will host advanced diagnostic operations and monitoring services for more than 7,500 installed Siemens wind turbines worldwide to proactively keep the units operating at their optimum levels of performance.

"As a global leader in the operation and maintenance of wind power plants, it is important for us to continue to advance our services and innovations to meet our customers' needs," said Torben Bang, Head of Siemens Wind Power Service. "Our highly advanced, industry-leading RDS operations enable us to support those efforts by monitoring our global Siemens fleet 24/7/365 and flagging potential issues before they become serious. Remote diagnostics is a key component of a smarter and integrated service approach that helps our customers lower the overall cost of energy.

Remote diagnostics is an important part of Siemens' portfolio of value-added services. Monitoring experts can solve more than 85 percent of all alarms remotely without a service team doing trouble-shooting onsite. Reduced downtime and lower number of turbine visits result in a higher energy output. With vibration diagnostics Siemens can find even the smallest indicator that something may not be operating normally and follow up by recommending proactive solutions before the issue becomes serious. Furthermore, we are able to analyze the data collected to draw trends on individual turbines as well as the overall fleet. The results contribute to enhanced current and future designs and improves existing turbine performance over the long term, thereby lowering the cost of energy.

After testing in 1998, Siemens installed the first condition monitoring system for wind turbines in 2000. Since then the company's expert team in Brande has continuously developed the technology. In establishing the new remote diagnostics center, Siemens further advances its monitoring and diagnostic capabilities and bundles expert knowledge in one place. The new building will also include a dedicated customer area. "We want to create an environment that fosters a collaborative process when it comes to decisions about the performance of our customers' equipment," added Bang.

Wind power service is part of Siemens' Environmental Portfolio. Around 43 percent of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. That makes Siemens one of the world's leading providers of eco-friendly technology.