With full commitment

After the availability of the facilities in Poland had significantly decreased, the technicians on-site did everything they could to restore it to the usual level. A success story.

Ninety percent? Far too little! At the start of the year, the average availability of Prokon's own wind turbines in Poland had fallen to this level. 'The target is at least 97 percent,' explains Karsten Brandt, Head of Service and Operations at Prokon. This was also the norm in Poland before a few negative factors came together: delays in the supply of spare parts due to the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, a shortage of skilled workers among external service providers, and some unusual damage to major components. 'In one turbine, the spinner – the rotor nose – had fallen off; in this case, it was a very rare system that was difficult to replace,' reports Tomasz Switon, who, as base manager in Bełchatów, coordinates the service.

Typical weak points in focus

A challenging time for the Prokon team in Poland. The 53 turbines across the 14 Polish wind farms all come from the same manufacturer but differ internally depending on the series. The oldest are 14 years old, while the newest have only just gone into operation in Rusiec II. 'Teething problems are almost non-existent; instead, we're starting to see typical signs of ageing,' says Switon. This primarily concerns mechanical wear and tear of parts. Gears, shafts, bearings, and occasionally larger components like the gearbox – the technicians are quick to step in to repair or replace parts. 'Since we know the turbines so well, we've practically developed a sixth sense for predicting what will break next,' says Switon. The highly qualified electrical engineers, electricians, and mechatronics specialists manage to tackle almost every problem within the team.

Von der schnellen Truppe

They are supported in this by modern diagnostic tools such as the operations management software and a condition monitoring system. In addition to the four teams continuously tasked with maintenance and repair work, there is also a rapid response unit that can quickly reach a site in emergencies. In serious cases, even at weekends, covering a distance of 500 kilometres may be required. The commitment of Prokon's service technicians is no accident: 'The people enjoy working at Prokon and want to achieve good results as quickly as possible,' says Switon. They have succeeded in this: in August, the critical value of system availability was again over 97 percent, reports Brandt. 'What the colleagues achieved through their high level of competence and dedication is truly remarkable.' Switon highlights the technical support provided by the headquarters in Germany – here too, the saying goes: 'Success has many fathers.'

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