SPM enters the windpower market in Egypt

The New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) in Egypt has chosen portable equipment from SPM for condition monitoring on the wind turbines in Zafarana wind park, approximately 200 km southeast of Cairo.

NREA acts as the national focal point for renewable energy in Egypt. Assessing renewable energy resources and investigating various available technologies through studies and pilot projects, the authority is working to develop and introduce renewable energy technologies to the Egyptian market and support local industry initiatives.

As the demand for electricity is growing rapidly in Egypt, so is the need to develop alternative power resources. According to nrea.gov.eg, the present energy strategy aims at generating 20% of the country’s energy production from renewable resources by 2020. Egypt has excellent opportunities for wind power generation, particularly in the Gulf of Suez and on the banks of the River Nile, and the Egyptian government has set aside 700 square kilometres of desert land for future wind energy projects.

While the operating conditions in the Zafarana wind park are particularly favourable with constant winds of about 9 m/s, this also places high demands on the construction of the wind turbines. Gearboxes, bearings, shafts and other machine parts must be designed to withstand the constant strain. In order to monitor the operating condition of the wind turbines, NREA has purchased the portable Leonova Diamond instrument for vibration analysis and shock pulse measurement with SPM HD®.

Mina Nabil of Atlasco Egypt, SPM’s Egyptian partner and distributor, comments: "Given Egypt’s ambitious goals for renewable energy, we expect to see an increasing interest in condition monitoring technology from the windpower industry. We are very proud to work with NREA and look forward to continue delivering first class condition monitoring products to windpower producers in Egypt."