Macom takes monitoring technology to the States
A Scottish technology firm has been selected to supply its advanced monitoring equipment for hundreds of wind turbines in the US.
Macom Technologies’ pioneering Scottish technology can help users slash the cost of maintaining equipment such as turbines.
The company’s monitoring units can detect minute changes in the composition of lubricants, which help ensure that the moving parts in expensive machines like turbines and marine engines operate effectively.
Using technology developed at the University of Edinburgh, Macom’s state-of-the-art range of sensors – TechAlert – provide remote diagnosis of the components within rotating equipment by measuring the wear debris that is carried by the lubrication oil.
By allowing operators to monitor systems remotely, the sensors can help ensure appropriate repairs and maintenance work are completed in good time, while reducing the costs involved.
In a significant endorsement for the pioneering technology, Macom will supply hundreds of the sensors to Clipper Windpower to monitor the performance of wind turbines that are to be deployed in the US over the next two years.
A spokesman for Clipper, Jim Dehlsen, said: “Scotland’s leadership in driving forward technologies in support of wind energy’s global expansion offers the potential of increased Scottish economic development, including new supply opportunities and associated jobs.”