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The storm season in Western Europe began in late September 2023 with Storm Agnes bringing strong winds and heavy rain across Ireland and the UK. In October 2023, Storms Ciarán and Domingos delivered severe weather to Belgium, the Netherlands and France, with some areas such Normandy and Brittany witnessing winds of up to 200 km/h. Furthermore, in January, Storm Isha hit Ireland and the UK particularly hard with winds of up to 220 km/h and blankets of snow in some areas of Scotland, leaving many homes without power. The region has been impacted by eleven storms so far this season, adding additional pressure to our fleet, and challenges to our service and project management teams. Maud Girard, Service Director, ENERCON Western Europe, says, ‘While weather conditions can be really challenging, they also present an opportunity to demonstrate the resilience and team spirit within ENERCON, and our commitment to get the work done safely and in good time, delivering what we promise to our customers.’
Due to this resilience, team spirit and technical options provided by ENERCON such as storm control and real-time information from SCADA Remote, the ENERCON fleet across the region holds up very well. ENERCON wind energy converters (WECs) are equipped with Storm Control enabling continued operation of WECs even at very high wind speeds. Storm Control is a limiting operating mode that reduces downtimes caused by excessive wind speeds and helps to have more AEP (annual energy production) at sites with high wind speeds and more stable power feed to the grid.
When a windstorm strikes, ENERCON service teams stand down while keeping an eye out for any faults in our fleet using SCADA technology. SCADA Remote is ENERCON’s software solution for a secure connection to wind farms. This allows users to retrieve historical data as well as real-time information – which is especially valuable during these extreme weather conditions. The ENERCON SCADA Server is the central component of the ENERCON SCADA system and is connected to the wind turbines via the wind farm’s fibre optic data bus system. It fulfils a variety of functions with regard to communication, data recording and control in the wind farm.
Once conditions and the data retrieved from SCADA allow for safe work again, service teams are equipped and ready for troubleshooting and maintenance. Strong collaboration is vital following a storm. The service teams work together to share knowledge and resources to find and fix any faults as soon as possible.
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