Year-round protection at Kazakh wind farm
A Saft backup battery is protecting wind turbines at the Badamsha wind farm on the steppe of western Kazakhstan, even in the harshest winters when temperatures can drop to -35˚C.
If the power supply for a wind turbine drops out, it will lose essential systems such as electronic monitoring, mechanical braking, pitch control and grease supply. Without functioning safety systems, the turbines could be damaged following a power failure, with a potential loss of generating capacity for the wind farm and the community that depends on it.
That could have big repercussions for Badamsha as expert technicians cannot easily visit to make repairs due to its extremely remote and exposed location deep in central Asia, 2,100 km from Almaty, the country’s largest city.
That’s why industrial power standby contractor APS Energia specified a battery system based on Saft’s Uptimax nickel batteries because they are proven to provide reliable power in extremely cold conditions.
Alexey Kredin, Chief Executive of APS Energia Kazakhstan, said: “Saft’s long track record of providing industrial nickel battery solutions in cold climates gave us confidence that our backup power system will provide reliable performance to support continuity of generation for the wind farm.”
Chilling out in sub-zero conditions
It’s important to know a site’s ambient temperature when specifying a battery system. Battery power relies on electrochemical reactions that absorb and release energy. These reactions will slow down or speed up in the heat or the cold, with some batteries not able to deliver the required power in all conditions.
However, Uptimax is based on nickel battery technology and will work as expected up to -40˚C, giving Badamsha’s operators some room for comfort.