Assessing how Lubricants Could Impact Maintenance Costs for the US Offshore Fleet of 2050

Presentation Description: Currently, the US wind turbine fleet satisfies approximately 10% of the overall US electricity demand. As with any mechanical system, lubrication plays an important role in ensuring that turbines are operated in a reliable and cost-effective manner. However, there are few sources of publicly available information on the financial impact of improved lubrication on the wind turbine fleet at a national scale. In this study, open-source simulation and modeling tools developed by the National Renewable Energy Lab were used to quantify the potential for improved gearbox lubrication to reduce the levelized cost of energy of the projected US offshore wind turbine fleet of 2050. Specific cases were developed for baseline, realistic and stretch goals to determine the magnitude and relative priority of key lubricant performance properties in optimizing offshore wind turbine lubrication.