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Why Cranes Are Important for the Ever-Expanding Wind Industry

Crane Importance In the Wind Industry

What You’ll Learn

As you read about the connection between the wind industry and professional crane services, you’ll learn:

  • As wind energy becomes more prevalent, there’s an increasing need for crane services to build and maintain wind turbines.

  • Since many wind turbines are placed in high, mountainous areas, there’s a need for cranes that can navigate rugged terrain.

  • To maximize efficiency and reduce risks, look for professional crane services from companies with a low Experience Modifier Rate (EMR).

The Wind Industry Continues to Grow

After China, the United States is the global leader for new wind power installations. In 2020, the United States was responsible for more than 18% of the entire world’s wind power installations, according to data released by the Global Wind Energy Council. This is a relatively large chunk of the world’s best year in history regarding new wind energy capacity installed.

The 93 GW of new capacity installed globally in 2020 represents a 53% increase year over year. The wind industry is making significant strides already, and this trend seems likely to continue as world leaders look to reduce dependence on nonrenewable energy and lower carbon emissions in years to come. As new wind energy sources are manufactured and erected, these efforts will continue to generate new business and new jobs throughout the United States.

What Does the Wind Industry Have to Do With Crane Services?

Cranes are essential to the wind industry. From the day a turbine is erected until the end of its service lifecycle, crane services are vital to every project stage. Wind turbines often reach great heights of roughly 400 feet, equivalent to the height of a building with more than 30 stories. To complete the construction and maintenance of such large turbines, it’s important to have a reliable way to elevate materials. Even once the construction is complete, many wind turbine sites will require large cranes multiple times each year to replace major components.

Crane services are essential when replacing gearboxes, generators, blades, and other equipment. The ability to repair and replace these key components effectively can extend the life of a wind turbine by several years or even more. Once the turbine can no longer be efficiently maintained to preserve consistent operation, crane services are required once again to deconstruct the equipment safely and bring the project to its end.

How Are Wind Turbines Changing?

As the wind industry grows, turbines are evolving. In recent years, we’ve seen a trend that turbines are becoming taller and achieving higher capacities for energy generation. In some cases, this may even involve introducing other materials such as concrete in addition to the traditional steel from which older turbines were constructed. As heavier materials go into the segments of windmills, it becomes more challenging and sophisticated to build them. Among other things, this creates a greater need for taller, stronger cranes.

As wind turbines evolve, the associated crane services must keep pace with them. To continue making progress, organizations in the wind industry need access to large cranes with high weight capacity. To put it simply, the next generation of windmills and wind turbines will rely on the next generation of high-capacity cranes.

Where Are Wind Turbines Built?

Even as demand for taller, more powerful cranes grows, it becomes even more critical for cranes to be versatile and flexible. Wind farms are often developed in less populated areas where land is available, and the turbines won’t be in the way. In other words, these projects are often taking place in parts of the Western United States where the infrastructure hasn’t been especially well-developed. In many cases, equipment must be transported to and assembled in areas where the terrain is predominantly gravel or dirt instead of concrete slabs.

Since the Western United States also contains so much mountainous terrain, many wind turbines are also created at altitude. When rolling, open plains aren’t an option; wind turbines are best placed in open spaces between mountains or on top of slightly elevated areas. This allows them to be most effective since it gets them access to more wind. Considering these types of geographic challenges, the wind industry needs crane services that can be effective as terrain changes.

Best Crane Rental Services in the Western United States

Here at Reliable Crane, we’re the fastest-growing crane company in Southern California. We’ve earned a reputation for having an exceptionally low EMR that indicates how safe and reliable our crane services are. Since we also offer related services such as heavy machinery moving and heavy haul transportation, we’re uniquely qualified to facilitate various stages of your wind industry project. Contact us today!

Featured Image: engel.ac/Shutterstock