PERIODIC INSPECTIONS - Biogas facilities

• § 15 Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (ex protection)
• Water right tests
• §29 a of the safety inspections ordinance

PERIODIC INSPECTIONS - Individual emission measurements

• Individual emission measurements in accordance with § 26 Federal Imission Control Act (BImSchG)
• We are a recognized measurement centre in accordance with §§ 26, 28 of the Federal Imission Control Act (BImSchG) for measuring a broad spectrum of material groups.

Operators of biogas plants must have the concentration of individual materials or materials in plant emissions determined. This is regulated by conditions that appear in the licensing notice or it is required by public authorities. Individual measurements also serve as proof of compliance with prescribed limit values for guaranteeing the respective bonuses stipulated in the renewable energies law. We are able to guarantee that these measurements are carried out smoothly and give you a meaningful result.

We offer consultation on:

• Questions on the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health
• Analyses of incidents
• Investigation of damages
• Remuneration in line with the renewable energies law (EEG)
• Setting up a quality management system
• And much more

QUALITY ASSURANCE - Efficient optimisation

You must continuously offer high quality in order to survive the competition over the long-term. For us, quality assurance is not simply a buzzword, but a central instrument in making our customers successful.

MEASUREMENTS - Tracking emissions

Our services at a glance:

• Individual emission measurements in accordance with § 26 Federal Imission Control Act (BImSchG)
• Individual emission measurements in accordance with § 28 Federal Imission Control Act (BImSchG)
• Individual emission measurements in accordance with 17th, 27th and 30th Federal Immission Control Act Ordinances (BImSchV)
• Emission measurements for a special reason: Warranty issues, measurements on testing systems, proof of limited value compliance to guarantee bonuses, etc.
• Measurements and tests in accordance with 2nd Federal Immission Control Ordinance (BImSchV) (chemical purification and surface treatment systems)
• Working base: various Federal Imission Control Ordinances (BImschG)

INSPECTIONS - Playing it safe
Producing energy from biomass can be immensely dangerous: many intermediate and end products are explosive, combustible, or toxic. To stay on the safe side and satisfy official requirements, TÜV NORD provides safety inspections prior to commissioning.

PROFITABILITY ASSESSMENT - Ensuring profit on investments
The technology of biogas plants is both sophisticated and proven. However, this does not automatically mean that plant operation is profitable. TÜV NORD lets investors know whether operating such plants is worthwhile.

AUTHORIZATION PROCEDURES - Guide through the official jungle
Support from TÜV NORD eases the process of obtaining your authorisation: experienced experts assist you throughout the entire process and provide you with advice until your approval has been issued.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPATIBILITY TESTS - In line with natural laws
We provide you with support in environmental impact testing that is based on our longstanding experience and our extensive knowledge of installations and facilities – from the preliminary inspection to the complex environmental impact evaluation.

SOUND ASSESSMENTS - We ensure proper sound
That plants do not propagate any unnecessary and excessive noise is considered common practice. Therefore, building applications and licensing procedures frequently require that noise emissions are determined and assessed before construction begins.

SAFETY AND INCIDENT CONCEPTS - Well prepared with sound safety
In order to allow system operators to effectively minimise their technical risks and to ensure that they are ideally equipped for emergencies, we develop safety concepts for the sites, equipment, framework conditions of the authorisation law, technical regulations, and disaster prevention.

ODOUR ESTIMATES - The right insight
Unpleasant odours can present a considerable nuisance in everyday life. To ensure that system operators can be certain that residents will not soon lodge odour complaints, we offer comprehensive odour estimates.

Connected with the base
Any technology is only as good as its scientific basis. This applies both to the research for new discoveries and to realistic testing of the products that result. TÜV NORD engineers are actively improving the development of wind turbines in collaboration with research institutes and recognised testing institutions.

An expression of these activities can be found in our cooperation with scientific research institutes as well as internationally renowned companies in the field of materials testing.

With sense and sensibility
A sound examination of wind energy systems during manufacture, assembly and operation makes a decisive contribution towards the functional safety when operating systems. Here, the systematic and prudent interweaving of all technical and commercial measures plays a decisive role. The TÜV NORD engineers and technicians focus on this responsible task with a broad and equally deep range of services. For manufacturers and operators, the result means that they have a competent, reliable contact partner for a wide ranges of services.

Just as demanding as the requirements for the production of wind turbines are the analyses and tests carried out on their planned future location and their economic efficiency. These do not solely consider factors associated with the wind flow conditions at the site. Many other site conditions will affect the safety, environmental compatibility, and economic viability of a wind power project. Regardless of whether it is a single turbine or a wind farm.

Certificate for a solid position
Modern wind power systems are technically complex major projects which are in part subjected to tremendous structural loads. There are numerous legal and technical planning and manufacturing guidelines and processes.

The experienced TÜV NORD specialists and the modern technical equipment cover the entire spectrum of services for certifying new wind power system types and hence securing successful market entry for complete systems or individual components.

What are the targets and motivations in wind energy business?
- Use of alternative and decentralise energy sources
- Less dependence from hydrocarbons and utilities
- Mid and long-term investments with attractive ROI
- Expansion of know-how and technology
- Available and reliable equipment
- Environmental protection
- Political influence

What are the key-success factors?
What is it all about?

- the optimum wind turbines
- need to be optimally arranged
- at the optimum place
- and operated at their optimum conditions

What are potential barriers and risks to miss the optimum?

- Feed-in tariffs / access & compatibility to grid
- Weak partners (e.g. competence, experience...)
- Lack of local acceptance (e.g. population, politics...)
- Slow processes / processing (delay of approvals & permissions)
- Sub-optimal wind conditions / wrong assumptions
- Limiting site conditions (e.g. topography, geology)
- Efficiency consuming effects (e.g. turbulences, wake etc.)
- Poor quality or quality assurance (e.g. design, materials, manufacturing)
- Missing or failing safety measures
- Incompatibility within equipment or interfaces

TÜV NORD provides comprehensive methods, expertise and experience in quality assurance, inspections, certifications as well as engineering to help you through.

In wind energy TÜV NORD is serving almost all international manufacturers of wind turbines as one of the leading accredited certification bodies’ world wide. Certifications are carried out according to all international certification guidelines like IEC, EN, GL, Danish approval scheme, DIBt and TAPS. During the certification process TÜV NORD assesses the design of the whole wind turbine including the load assumptions, the safety concept and all components
which gives certainty to the design departments of wind turbines manufacturers. Furthermore TÜV NORD undertakes the required manufacturing evaluation including the quality management system (ISO) – which is necessary for a type certification – as well as different measurements within the type testing. The certification can also be done for separate components like gear boxes, rotor blades, generators and more and therefore helps the manufacturers of these to get access to the wind market. The necessary gear box prototype test can be carried out on our own gear box test stand being operated by our TÜV NORD group sister company DMT.

Wind farm planners, operators or financers make use of the broad experience of TÜV NORD and enjoy the whole spectrum of project related assessment services from one hand:

- Due Diligences
- Project certifications
- Comparison of site conditions with certification of turbines ( acc. to IEC WT01)
- Assessments of resources / wind potential maps / energy yield prognosis
- Soil assessments, foundation consultancy, building surveillance
- Sound immission prognoses, shadow flicker analyses
- Turbulence reports
- Environmental impact studies
- Risk analyses
- 3-D flow calculations
- Compliance with local grid codes /
- LVFRT measurements
- Assessment of grid connection concepts
- Manufacturing inspections of components or whole turbines

A safe and economic foundation design is the basis for all construction projects, not only for wind turbine. The reliability of all further structural components and service installations depend on a successful foundation design. During the last
20 years rotor diameters of wind turbines have increased from 20 m to 120 m, hub heights from 30 m to 130 m and the electrical power production from 75 kW to 5.000 kW. Modern wind turbines with their large hub heights and large rotor diameters produce extremely high bearing loads and have stringent requirements which must be fulfilled by the subsoil. This must be carefully checked by geotechnical experts; otherwise the consequences might be damage to the foundation base or the loss of the wind turbine itself.

TÜV NORD Group has a lot of experience and references in the field of site investigations and foundation design consultancy for wind farm projects. Worldwide our experts do site investigations for the planning of wind farm projects. These are our geotechnical services for investors, project developers and turbine manufacturers:
- Geological desk studies
- Special types of drillings, borings and soundings
- Soil mechanical laboratory tests
- Geophysical investigation methods
- Structural safety calculations
- Quality and safety management
- Inspection of the excavation pits
- Geotechnical reports

TÜV NORD geotechnical site investigations:
- provide you with all necessary data for an optimised foundation design
- give you certainty about the load bearing capacity of your site
- help to maintain time schedules
- secure your investment

Our site investigations and geotechnical reports are conforming to the requirements and regulations of Eurocode 7 or national standards, depending on the customer’s wishes.

By innovative foundation design methods like floating foundation bases or readjustable foundation bases we are able to find a safe and economic foundation design even on critical locations like refilled quarries and coal
mines.

More than 15 years of experience guarantee that a site investigation & foundation design consultancy by TÜV NORD Group will find a safe and economic foundation design for your wind turbine, wherever they shall be installed.

For more than fifteen years TÜV NORD accompanies manufacturers and suppliers in implementing their products into the markets all over the world. By certifying and type approving of their products and systems we make an important contribution to ensure quality, safety and efficiency of wind turbines and wind farms. TÜV NORD is accredited for type and project certification of wind turbines according to all recognised certification schemes like the IEC WT 01, GL-Guidelines and the Danish Type Certification Scheme or the Indian Type Approval Scheme TAPS 2000. Additionally TÜV NORD is authorised by the German government as “Prüfamt” (authorized body) to issue type approvals according the German Building Law (DIBt-Guideline).

The scheme describes the type certification process according to IEC WT01:2001. All other certification schemes like GL-Guideline, the Danish Executive Order 651 or the TAPS 2000 are quite similar or refer directly to IEC WT01. Within the certification process the design of the whole wind turbine is assessed including the load assumptions, the safety concept and all  components based on the documentation submitted by the customer. During type testing of a prototype all relevant assumptions of the design process and functioning in all operating conditions are verified by practical tests.Our certification body employs numerous well specialised and qualified engineers, who cover all technical disciplines along wind turbines. The certification body and their personnel are regularly audited by the DAR to maintain their high quality
of service.

TÜV NORD has processed numerous type certifications and design assessments according to any international guideline for almost all manufacturers worldwide. We have straight but pragmatic rules and processes for the use of the certification, the handling with modifications and the implementation of various site specific conditions like on cold-climate-sites or in earthquake areas.

To ensure the quality of the wind turbine as assumed in the design assessment the manufacturer has to operate a certified quality system (ISO 9001). The certification body approves by shop inspection that all design related requirements are implemented in the manufacturing process.

In a project certification it has to be approved for a specific site that type certified wind turbines and particular foundation designs meet requirements governed by site-specific external conditions and are in conformity with applicable local codes
and other requirements relevant to the site. On the basis of applicable measurements and/or local standards the site specific external conditions, such as wind and wave distribution, wind farm effects, earthquake and temperature
conditions, (sea-)ice, soil and electrical network conditions, have to be evaluated. Within the foundation design and installation evaluation the certification body observes by independent inspections – based on the certified specifications and manuals – the conformity of the foundations and supportstructures respectively the installation and commissioning procedures.

Operation and maintenance surveillance is an optional module of the project certification and includes periodical inspections of the wind turbines and random checks of the maintenance procedures.

More efficient use of energy within industrial processes not only means lower energy costs - it can also lead to competitive advantage through careful use of resources and therefore to the long-term success of the enterprise as a whole. The know-how of the TÜV NORD Group is already in demand all over the world in this sector. Our objective is to identify significant savings potentials which can be implemented realistically despite the investments needed. For the most important aim of any advice given on the subject of energy is long-term reduction in energy consumption and therefore lower operating costs, greater cost-efficiency and conservation of the value of plant and equipment.

We are also able to draw up an overall energy balance. This may make it easier to renew individual components within production plant with components which are optimised from the energy point of view. This means that in future energy costs as a whole can be optimised in spite of rising energy supply prices. Following on from the advice which is offered, it is also possible to achieve subsequent certification of energy management systems.

More limited availability of fossil fuels, rising energy costs and the increasing importance of climate protection are leading to new challenges when it comes to energy savings and efficient use of energy. The legislature has reacted by issuing the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV), which contains considerably more stringent requirements for the thermal insulation and the technical equipment used in residential and non-residential buildings.

Following a successful building check and analysis of the current situation on site, including building physics and energy calculations, TÜV NORD issues the energy efficiency certificate which is required for all new and old buildings, both residential and non-residential.

The European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) stipulates among other things the presentation of an energy efficiency certificate each time a building changes hands or there is a change of tenant. Therefore the certificate can be in important factor when a decision is made regarding rental or purchase of commercial property, and also apartments or houses. While the energy efficiency certificate for residential buildings only covers the energy needed for room and water heating, the certificate for non-residential buildings must also cover cooling, lighting and ventilation.

In addition to the energy efficiency certificate for buildings themselves, the Federal Government also requires that ventilation and air-conditioning equipment is inspected for energy efficiency. According to §12 of the the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV 2007), such inspection is mandatory for plant > 12kW.

Regular energy efficiency inspection of climate control equipment with a nominal capacity greater than 12 kW is intended to help reduce energy consumption and limit carbon dioxide emissions. The inspection includes a test of plant efficiency and establishment of the dimensioning of the plant in relation to the cooling requirement of the building. Users receive advice on how to improve or replace the existing system and on possible alternative solutions.

Main aspects of the inspection
- Plant documentation
- Determination of an efficiency characteristic value for the air conditioning unit
- Consideration of the plant and the building as an overall system
- Appropriate recommendations for improvements in energy efficiency