As the state of Texas was suffering an unusual heat wave over the last few days, the energy demand of homes and businesses reached peaks of 75GW. The contribution of renewable energy sources such as solar and, especially, wind power, have avoided supply blackouts, maintaining the integrity of the service at all times. Texas is the US leader in installed wind projects. The state currently has 150 operating wind farms with more than 15,000 wind turbines, which has multiplied the need for preventive maintenance and repair operations, maximising uptime thanks to specialists like Sarens.
The latest heat wave across the state of Texas, which has seen cities such as San Antonio hitting high record temperatures at this point in the year, reaching 102 degrees Fahrenheit, has put the consistency of the state’s electricity system to the test. According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), demand peaks of up to 75GW have occurred in a single day without failures or outages.
To ensure the quality of service, ERCOT, responsible for maintaining the power grid in the state, has made use of the contribution of renewable energy sources such as solar and especially wind, which have increased their contribution to coincide with this heat wave, and have reached daily peaks of 27 GW per day, approximately 40% of the demand required by homes and businesses.
This figure reaffirms the growing importance of renewable energy generation in Texas. In the first quarter of the year alone, wind and solar power generation broke its record with 32.3 million MWh, compared to 29.7 million MWh produced by combined cycle plants. In fact, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, 34% of all energy produced in Texas comes from renewable sources, of which 29% of the contribution comes from wind.
The state of Texas is already the main US reference in the development of wind projects. There are currently 150 wind farms in operation across the state, with approximately 15,000 wind turbines in operation, enough to power more than 250,000 Texas homes.
The increased demands placed on these turbines, not only during this heat wave, but so far this year, have multiplied the need for preventive maintenance work on wind turbine rotors and blades, parts that are subject to increased exhaustion. To minimise the time that each wind turbine remains out of service, it is necessary to involve specialised companies such as Sarens, one of the world’s leading references in heavy lifting, engineering transport and specialised machinery rental.
Thanks to the use of cranes such as the Liebherr LTM 1500, Liebherr LTM 1400, Demag CC8800 or SL3800, Sarens is able to lift loads of up to 1,200 US tons under the highest safety conditions, thus helping to lower and hoist repaired parts to the ground for placement at heights that sometimes exceed 390 feet, reducing the time required to adapt the machinery to each task and facilitating operations in remote locations or those located in soft or difficult to access terrain.
Sarens has extensive international experience in the assembly and maintenance of wind farms. It has participated in installations in countries such as South Africa, where it took part in the Karusa and Soetwater plant projects; in Sweden, at the Markbygden wind farm; or more recently, in the transport work for the foundation bases of the new offshore wind farm in Saint Brieuc, off the French Brittany coast, where it has been able to transport loads of more than 1,150 tons.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world’s largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today’s heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/
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