Climate Change: Efficiency Makes the Difference

Climate change is influencing weather conditions around the world. Torrential rains, storms, drought and “simple” drops in temperature have become frequent and widespread. These emergencies, now becoming habitual, turn into prohibitive conditions for those who must deal with natural elements for work. Enel Green Power’s Operation & Maintenance teams, who take care of our plants around the world, know exactly what it means to deal with the consequences of climate change. Extreme conditions require advanced control skills, the ability to quickly turn knowledge into action, and the ability to intervene while guaranteeing both safety and high efficiency. When Celsius Met Fahrenheit Daniel Fahrenheit, a German physicist and engineer born in 1686, dedicated his life to inventing and commercialising tools like the thermometer and the aerometer. Anders Celsius, a Swedish physicist and astronomer born in 1701, spent his whole life studying the stars and the northern lights. History knows them for an invention they have in common: a scale for measuring temperature. The Fahrenheit (F) scale is mainly used in the United States, while the Celsius (C) scale is common in the rest of the world. They have different zero points (0° C is equal to 32° F) and the Celsius degree is larger than the Fahrenheit degree. However, there is a temperature that is expressed in the same way in both scales. Celsius and Fahrenheit meet at -40°. It’s a rare and extreme event that happened in North America in January and presented a challenge to EGP’s wind O&M teams. "Snows, hail and storms forced O&M teams to work in conditions similar to the lunar landscape, with completely snow-covered terrains, limited visibility, biting wind and frost that affected tools, machinery and people." At the Canadian plant of St. Lawrence, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the O&M team had to dig out snow to guarantee access to the fencing, free the switches and substations, to then work on them manually. At the Castle Rock Ridge wind farm, also in Canada, temperatures dropped to – 60° F (-51°C) and the snow blocked access to the site and turbines. In Extreme Cases: Efficiency and Safety Canadian O&M teams have responded to these extreme conditions by relying above all on specific procedures to guarantee safety, efficiency and efficacy. All team members must be aware of weather conditions and forecasts and stay up to date on road closures and relevant decisions by public authorities. Furthermore, low temperature limits have been established, when all work must be stopped and workers must seek shelter from the elements. Every member on the O&M teams is required to respect rules of behaviour and PPE - personal protection equipment -, such as not having exposed skin to avoid skin burns from the cold, in addition to having special survival kits in vehicles (lights, water, blankets...), special clothing (boots, overalls, coats hat, gloves, goggles...) and chemical hand-warmer packets.

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Climate Change: Efficiency Makes the Difference

Climate Change: Efficiency Makes the Difference