Shermco’s Kevin Alewine to present at 2013 Wind Plant Reliability Workshop

DALLAS - Aug. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- DALLAS – Kevin Alewine, director of Renewable Energy Services for Shermco Industries, will present Wind Turbine Failure Modes and Occurrences on August 13-14 at the 2013 Wind Plant Reliability Workshop. The event will be held at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM.  

Over the past decade, there have been many changes in wind turbine generator designs and output ranges.  A 2010 study reviewed the records of over 800 generators repaired, refurbished or remanufactured from 2005 to 2010, totaling a combined power rating of greater than 1.5 gigawatts.  This presentation will be an update to that study, focusing on the failure modes of the larger turbines that have been popular in more recent years.  Alewine will cover the common failure modes, several critical root causes for premature generator failures and a statistical review of the frequency of those failure modes.  

“As the industry develops a heightened recognition of proper maintenance parameters, knowing what to expect will be of key importance to planning for maximum availability,” said Alewine.

ABOUT KEVIN ALEWINE

Kevin Alewine is the Director of Renewable Energy Services for Shermco Industries with a focus on business development in the wind energy business sector including both maintenance services and community wind projects.  He has extensive global experience with the application of materials, systems and processes for both the manufacture and repair of electrical machinery, including wind turbine generators. Kevin is an active member of several IEEE and American Wind Energy Association working groups and is the Co-chair of the AWEA Operations and Maintenance Working Group responsible for developing and maintaining recommended practices for wind energy asset maintenance and operations management.  Kevin is also the Technical Program Chair of AWEA’s WINDPOWER 2014 Conference & Exposition to be held in Las Vegas on May 5-8.

ABOUT SHERMCO

Shermco Industries (http://www.shermco.com/) is a provider of safe, reliable testing, repair, professional training, maintenance and analysis of rotating apparatus and electrical power distribution systems and related equipment for the light, medium, and heavy industrial base nationwide. Founded in 1974 in Dallas, the company is comprised of two strategic business units; the Machine Services Division and the Engineering Services Division. With a corporate location in Irving, Texas, a sales office in Brussels and service centers in Austin, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Houston, San Antonio, Sweetwater, and Tulsa, Shermco Industries has over 440 full-time employees. The company is a member in good standing with the Electrical Apparatus Service Association, American Wind Energy Association, Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League, and the InterNational Electrical Testing Association. For more information about Shermco Industries, visit www.shermco.com.