Reliability is vital in the growth of wind power, especially offshore installations, currently generating ~8% of UK electricity. Preventive maintenance, enabled by condition monitoring systems, increases reliability and availability of wind farms as well as reducing maintenance costs, leading to a lower 'Levelised Cost of Energy' (LCOE). Green Solution Engineering Ltd has developed SmartCMS, a unique condition monitoring technology which utilises the electrical measurements available in the converter to detect and diagnose both mechanical and electrical faults in the wind turbine drivetrain (i.e. gearbox, bearings, generator and converter). Having been successfully tested on a laboratory test bench, this project aims to take SmartCMS to the next phase of exploitation through assessment of its technical and commercial feasibility through testing on a pilot wind drivetrain and study of the economics with respect to net reduction in the LCOE.

Reliability is vital in the growth of wind power, especially offshore installations, currently generating 7.7% of UK electricity. Preventive maintenance, enabled by condition monitoring systems, increases reliability and availability of wind farms as well as reducing maintenance costs, leading to a lower 'Levelised Cost of Energy' (LCOE). Green Solution Engineering Ltd has developed SmartCMS, a unique condition monitoring technology which utilises the electrical measurements available in the converter to detect and diagnose both mechanical and electrical faults in the wind turbine drivetrain (i.e. gearbox, bearings, generator and converter). Having been successfully tested on a laboratory test bench, this project aims to take SmartCMS to the next phase of exploitation through assessment of its technical and commercial feasibility through testing in a pilot wind turbine drivetrain and study of the economics with respect to net reduction in the LCOE.

GSE Ltd have developed a novel traction inverter technology, GaNDrive, based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) incorporating a disruptive gate drive design and an ultra-efficient, light-weight, integrated inverter design with patented thermal management that eliminates the need for a second cooling loop. The technology is proven on laboratory prototypes, showing attractive technical performance and economics. This project aims to prove the feasibility and quantify the economics of GaNDrive technology through design, build and testing of a 10 kW traction inverter for ultra-low emission electric vehicles.