FAQ about wind turbine retrofit solutions and software upgrades
Do you change any hardware?
No, our wind turbine controller software upgrade is only a software replacement. All we need to do is change the Compact Flash (CF) card in the Bachmann Controller and replace it with a new CF card. The client always keeps the old CF card.
What about the turbine safety/certification?
We replace the wind turbine controller software without touching any wires, sensors or hardware. This ensures that the safety chain is left untouched and functioning as the original Suzlon or Senvion safety chain.
How much AEP improvement can I expect?
It depends on the turbine brand and model, but as a general rule of thumb you can expect somewhere in the range of 1,4% to 5% improvement.
Can I connect to my existing SCADA system?
Yes, we have SCADA interfaces through either OPC, OPC UA, MMS IEC 61850 or Modbus, using IEC 61400-25.
Can I operate or perform maintenance on the wind turbines myself?
Yes, you are 100% free to do O&M yourself or through an ISP of your own choice. The NWT service tool is 100% open and transparent, you can change the parameter settings yourself, get access to all Events, Alarms, Warnings, etc. Please contact us for an online demonstration.
Can you support Reactive Power Management?
If the wind turbine is able to deliver reactive power to the grid, our software supports this. In most cases, the grid operator requests the active & reactive power through a Power Park Controller, which transmits the commands to the turbines. NWT also provides software upgrades for Power Park Controller Management.
How much time does it take to install the SW?
Installation is very simple. First, we make sure that we have the existing parameters used by the wind turbine. Then we stop the turbine and take the old CF card out of the Bachmann controller. When this is done we install the new NWT-software CF card with the parameter list from the old one and start the turbine up again. Installation time is usually somewhere between ½ to 1 hour.
