Around half of the currently 30,000 active wind turbines in Germany will reach the end of their service life by 2030, which is generally defined by the manufacturer as 20 years of operation. The most common strategy for the subsequent use of a wind farm is repowering, provided this is (legally) possible at the respective location. One option for dealing with old turbines is to resell them. At the time of repowering, in Germany after an average of around 17 years, the wind turbines usually still have a remaining operating time of several years before critical parts such as generators fail.
This article presents a machine learning model for predicting the resale value of used wind turbines. This model can be used to approximately predict the resale value of comparable wind turbines based on certain input parameters such as the power output or the age of the wind turbines. The model was trained using an adjusted data set from an online trading platform for wind turbines. The necessary pre-processing steps such as the removal of extreme outlier values and the addition or replacement of missing or incorrect wind turbinespecific data from a second data source using a self-developed matching algorithm are presented. Finally, the prediction accuracy of different ML algorithms is tested using test data to find the best method for predicting the resale value of wind turbines.
Renewable energies, wind turbines, resale values, machine learning, data science
Twelve interviews were conducted with IT system users and providers in order to investigate the adaptability of IT systems in manufacturing companies. A methodical evaluation of the interviews made it possible to identify factors that influence the service life of IT systems. The evaluation shows that, in addition to the technical characteristics, human and organizational aspects in particular are decisive for the long-term use of IT systems.
Information management, people and technology, software
In an increasingly digitalized world, IT systems such as ERP or MES are the backbone of efficient processes. But many companies find that their IT systems neither meet changing requirements nor effectively support new processes. This leads to either the development of shadow IT, provisional adjustments to the IT system, or the selection of a new IT system. The VIPER research project was launched to counteract such developments and to improve the selection process for a new IT system. FIR at RWTH Aachen University and the IPH – Institut für Integrierte Produktion Hannover gGmbH have set themselves the goal of helping companies to extend the service life of their IT systems and make better decisions when selecting new IT systems by analysing the entire socio-technical information system.
IT systems, ability to change
Development of a prototype for automated data quality control at Trivium Packaging GmbH, a manufacturer of metal packaging. The project aimed to ensure the reliability of production data for KPI calculations by implementing plausibility checks for machine and line status to identify faults at an early stage. The use of AI and algorithms to monitor and evaluate data quality in real time led to improved efficiency and performance of the production lines. A guide to ensuring data quality for reliable KPI calculations was also created to help small and medium-sized enterprises increase their competitiveness.
Data quality, production, manufacturing, KPI, metrics
After the EEG subsidy for wind turbines expires, the choice of a post-utilization strategy depends on many influencing factors, including the resale value of the old turbines. One of the research questions to be answered in the "TransWind" project is what revenues can still be achieved. Evaluations of data from a trading platform could provide answers.
Renewable energies, wind turbines, repowering, revenues, resale
For more than half of the approximately 30,000 wind turbines in Germany, the 20-year EEG funding will end in the next ten years. It is still unclear what the optimal technical and economic strategies for end-oflife utilization might look like. The BMWK joint project „TransWind“ aims to analyze the end-of-life issue on a micro- and macro-level in a transdisciplinary manner to support stakeholders from politics, the wind industry, and the resource and recycling sector in the selection of end-of-life strategies.
wind turbines, end-of-life, ecology, dismantling, repowering, disassembly, recycling, XXL products
When selecting new business software, pre-selected providers are usually invited to attend presentations. This is important in order to base the selection decision on personal impressions as well as content-related aspects.
Due to the Corona-pandemic and advancing digitalization, such appointments are increasingly taking place online. In an ERP selection project for a start-up from the paper industry, the challenges and potential of digital supplier presentations were examined.
ERP, MES, provider, software, IT system, selection
