Torque Sensors and Load Cells in Green Energy Production

As part of the economic stimulus bills of the last few years, tax credits and other incentives were offered to companies working in the field of sustainable energy. These incentives were beneficial to many small green energy companies who were struggling to grow. Thanks to this assistance from the government, wind and other alternative energy companies have experienced significant growth.

The flourishing sustainable energy industry is stimulating innovation in load cell technology. As new methods of producing energy are created and older methods are improved, monitoring and testing technology must also change. Updates about load cell developments are available from resources like Transducer Techniques press releases. Entrepreneurs in alternative energy can receive updates on the latest advances in load cells and torque sensors.

Load cells play an important part in the sustainable energy field, particularly in wind turbine technology. Torque sensors are critical safety components in wind turbines. Sensors are used in both the testing and operational phases of wind energy production. As the capacity of turbines has grown, so has the capacity of accompanying torque and other sensors.

Engineers and manufacturers must extensively test building materials to identify the safest and strongest substances. The tension and weight on the turbine base and platform must be carefully calibrated to avoid accidents. Stresses on spinning blades are evaluated to determine safe operating limits. Every part of the wind turbine system is tested and monitored to assure maximum safe energy output.

A variety of different load cells and torque sensors are used in this process. Miniature load cell sensors are used to monitor forces on small scale models. Full size testing uses load cells bolted to turbine blades or attached to the platform. Since turbine monitors are exposed to the elements, they must be fully encased to protect them from moisture and wind.

Once the turbine is operational, the sensors continue to monitor conditions. Data can be sent remotely to monitoring stations to ensure the safety and optimum functionality of the wind energy facility. Since many wind turbine facilities are in isolated locations, the ability to remotely monitor and control the turbines is critical to successful operation.

Bio-gas is another emerging energy industry, and load cells play an important role in this field as well. Ring-torsion load cells are used to monitor and control the machinery that loads fuel into the fermentation tanks. On-site scales measure incoming material and solid waste byproducts. Loading equipment can be equipped with wireless load cell sensors, or the plant can be built with a platform scale. Load cell scales are used in conjunction with other technology to analyze incoming material and adjust plant operation for optimum bio-gas production.

Just as the conventional energy industry uses load cells for safe operation and accurate data collection, so does the emerging alternative energy field. As the green energy industry grows, even more uses for load cells will be developed. Greater public acceptance of sustainable energy methods can only help further increase the need for load cells in producing energy.

Torque Sensor picture from Shutterstock