PLC's

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller

These devices are very interesting. I have a lot to learn. We started in class last night reviewing the basic logic concepts we started to explore in electrical. Using ladder diagrams, and machine logic, PLC's are programmable, and can be wired to inputs and outputs eliminating complex wiring or relay conglomerations. They are a clean, flexible format that can be changed quickly and easily. There are PLC's in many systems we use regularly. In this course we will be taught enough to do diagnostics on systems that use PLC's and be able to identify the parts of a PLC's inner workings. We will use this knowlege to identify problems and troubleshoot for solutions.
PLC's are used in industry to moniter and regulate the function of Wind Turbines. I am looking forward to this month's coursework.

Also this month I will be beginning job search. My resume and cover letters are shaping up, and I am getting excited to start finding work.

Hydraulics

This module taught me a lot about working with hydraulics. The information in the section was very rich. I studied schematics, and learned about Pascal and fluid pressure. I discovered many devices I had no idea existed before taking this class. The quizzes were challenging yet rewarding. The final was very difficult. I am relieved to have completed that coursework, and am looking forward to the PLC section of this diploma program.

This is what the hydraulics trainers look like.

The labs we have done so far have been very fun and informative for me.

Hydraulics

The first week of my hydraulics course (4th month) in this wind turbine tech program has been very informative and exciting. Our instructor has real turbine experience. He worked for Vestas, and his sharing of knowlege and ability to teach has been very fun.

There is a written curriculum in which we are learning the principals of hydraulic devices, and interpreting and drawing schematic diagrams. We use training tables that have a selection of DCV's, needle valves, flow meters and guages. There is a range of lengths of hydraulic hose with Quick connect fittings, and we use pictoral or schematic diagrams to reproduce many fluid power configurations on the trainers.

I never guessed before this class how engaging hydraulics could be. I am very excited about the education I am getting in this class, and in this program as a whole.

Wild Horse Wind park

Wild Horse

There are 149 Vestas turbines used at the PSE wind farm in Kittitas.

These photos were taken from the winding road that takes visitors to the tour center near the top of the farm.  

What impressed me the most is the sound/feeling of the air moving around the blades. With a blade tip speed of 150MPH, the turbulence under/near these machines is impressive.

The visitor center is very nice. There were PSE personnel on site that were very informative and welcoming.

The center has on display some very nice models, and examples of the technologies being used at the facility.

I personally liked the touch of a older generation wind mill at the entrance.

To the rear of the visitor center is a small bank of solar cells that produces plenty of power most days to run the visitor center. This renewable aproach to the center was a big plus, and impressed me. It shows their commitment to renewables.

After a very informative presentation in the conference room of the visitors center, we put on hard hats, and safety glasses, and drove up to the top of the wind park. Safety guidelines provided by the state mandated that the wind farm go no farther than 4000 ft, and the top of Whiskey Dick Mountain sits at 3900 ft of elevation. This made installing turbines at the top of the facility impossible, so PSE turned to solar. They installed a 3500 cell array that provides .5 MW of power. The solar array compliments the ups and downs of the wind. On windy days, the skies are gray for the most part, but when the turbines die down, and the air is still, solar seems to be a strong player in the energy dynamic at Wild Horse.

Next we drove down the hill to a turbine that we were able to go inside of. We looked at the PLC, the ladder that heads up the tower sections to the nacelle, and talked about the construction of the wind machine.

This close up view of a wind turbine left me feeling excited for my first climb.  I am feeling more and more passionate about wind energy, and proud to have made a leap of faith in a direction I can believe in.

I feel fortunate, as well as proud to have become involved with renewable energy and look forward to a time in the near future when I can contribute directly to the unfording of the next generation of electricity production. A bright, clean new era.

On my trip to PSE's Wild Horse Wind farm I stopped by this Invenergy site to see turbines pre-commission.

These GE's are going in at Kittitas, WA and they were a fun bonus to my trip.

When I first saw these I thought they were part of the Wild Horse project, and it was after it registered that none of them were moving that I realized they were a whole seperate farm.