Americas: Bachmann Monitoring Secures Major Order in Central America

Bachmann Monitoring GmbH (BAM), based in Rudolstadt/Jena, is taking its first major step towards Central America: In three countries at once – Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica – wind farm operators have decided to use the Condition Monitoring (CMS) hardware and Remote Service of BAM.

After extensive research, Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy (GME), probably the most experienced planner and operator in this region of the continent, awarded the contract to the Thuringian experts due to their outstanding modular technology and their long-standing know-how in drive train monitoring. The GME order package consists of the hardware and monitoring contracts for a total of 83 type Gamesa G8x/G9x wind turbines.

The key reasons for choosing Bachmann Monitoring as the ideal partner for GME, are the quality of the hardware, which is well-proven in the wind power sector, the extensive practical experience in monitoring 54 different types of turbines, which is unique in the sector, and the detailed support in the drawing up of the communication concept. They were also persuaded by BAM’s experience from the previous major order from e.on Climate & Renewables (ECR), which included a large number of installations on Gamesa turbines of the same G8x/G9x type.

Always wind rich: Nicaragua’s coasts

Everything in view online

“Our offer of detailed onsite installation training and the willingness to provide intensive support for customers up to the possible handling over of full responsibility certainly played a decisive role,” explained BAM general manager, Holger Fritsch. During the installation the technicians of GME were supported on their smartphones and tablets via special reports, which documented every step in detail and carried out function tests automatically. This enabled the engineers in Rudolstadt to check remotely the quality of every completed installation quickly and notify the GME team of any possible faults.

Fabulous potential for green energy

There has been considerable growth in the Latin American wind power market for some years. Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica are countries with a tremendous potential for wind energy, tropical sunshine and active volcanoes. “These countries are simply a renewable energy paradise,” says Axel Ringhandt, project manager for Bachmann Monitoring for this major order. “The countries between the Caribbean and the Pacific have what’s needed to be green energy giants.” Within a few years, the majority of Central American electricity will come from hydropower stations, geothermal plants and wind farms.

While Honduras aims to meet 60% of the domestic demand with renewable resources by 2022, Nicaragua is aiming for 80% within the same time frame. Costa Rica is even targeting 100% total supply by 2020. “Wind energy and hydropower are ideal complementary sources of energy in these countries. There are therefore a host of possibilities here for our Condition Monitoring. Due to the high utilization factors of 50% and over, the early detection and localization of weak points is essential for the operation of plants. This also ensures the sustainable securing of yields – as is the case worldwide,” says Holger Fritsch.

End of the working day in Honduras: After installing Bachmann Monitoring CMS it’s straight into football kit.

Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy (GME) is one of the leading planners and operators in Central America and an important regional operator in the field of wind power. In the near future, GME is planning to install several hundred megawatts of clean energy in order to meet the growing electricity demand in the region. At the same time GME is making an important contribution to the environment and to the Central American countries. The strategy of the company not only focuses on possible greenfield developments, but beyond this also on the taking over of operational and development projects all over Central America.