NRG Systems, manufacturer of measurement systems for the renewable energy industry, has signed a collaborative agreement with TechnoCentre éolien that allows NRG Systems to install and validate its patented condition-based turbine health monitoring system known as TurbinePhD.

Hinesburg, Vermont (USA) – NRG Systems, manufacturer of measurement systems for the renewable energy industry, has signed a collaborative agreement with TechnoCentre éolien that allows NRG Systems to install and validate its patented condition-based turbine health monitoring system known as TurbinePhD. The system was installed on a Repower MM92 wind turbine at the TechoCenter's northern wind energy research center location in Rivière-au-Renard, Quebec last month.

The TurbinePhD health monitoring system allows operations and maintenance professionals to dramatically lower their costs by accurately predicting when components in the turbine's drive train are likely to fail months in advance. Maintenance and crane calls can then be scheduled at the most optimal time, such as during the low-wind season.

Adapting advanced technology from the aerospace industry, the TurbinePhD differs from traditional condition monitoring systems in that it delivers a single readily understandable health indicator for each component in a turbine's drive train—and accurate predictions of their future health—straight to the desktops of operations and maintenance professionals.

"This system will completely change the way we understand condition monitoring," said Larry Jacobs, product manager at NRG Systems. "It allows any operations and maintenance professional to accurately predict and schedule repairs months in advance of a failure—all without relying on diagnostic engineering support."

"TechnoCentre éolien is proud to work with NRG Systems to develop this innovative product. That kind of project is part of our mission as a research facility," said Frederic Côté, TechnoCentre éolien general manager.

The turbine health monitoring system is patented under US Patent No. 8082115.

About NRG Systems:
NRG Systems is an independently owned company that has served the global wind energy industry for 29 years. Its wind measurement systems and turbine control sensors can be found on every continent in more than 145 countries, serving electric utilities, wind farm developers, turbine manufacturers, research institutes, government agencies, and universities. For more information, visit www.nrgsystems.com.

About the TechnoCentre éolien:
Founded in 2000, the TechnoCentre éolien is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to contribute to the development of a made-in-Québec industrial wind energy network that can compete on North American and world stages while promoting the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region as central to this emerging niche of Québec's economy. For more information, visit www.eolien.qc.ca/.