PROTEST (PROcedures for TESTing and measuring wind energy systems)

PROTEST, the acronym of the full title “PROcedures for TESTing and measuring wind energy systems", is a European project funded under the EU's seventh framework program (FP7). This pre-normative project looks towards the reduction of early failures of mechanical components in wind turbines, more specifically the drive train, pitch system and yaw system. The project wants to increase the knowledge to specify and measure the loads at those points (interfaces) where the mechanical components are attached to the wind turbine.

The first challenge is to develop procedures, complementary to the existing procedures for wind turbine design that better specify the design loads at the interfaces. These procedures will take into account specific design load cases and give recommendations for component modelling. The second and most important challenge is to develop procedures, complementary to the presently available standards and guidelines for mechanical load measurements that enable validation of the design models and verification of the component design.

The PROTEST consortium consists of a wind turbine and a gearbox manufacturer, R&D institutes, a university, and measurement institutes. The consortium brings together the most advanced European specialists of the wind industry in the areas of design, measurements, and manufacturing.

The results of the project will be disseminated through public reports with recommended practices. The findings of the project will be submitted to the relevant wind energy standardisation committees.

The project has started March 1st, 2008 and will run until August 31st, 2010.

More details, publications, and deliverables can be found at the project website www.protest-fp7.eu.