Wind Energy

Hood Lifting and Parking Brakes:

Wind mills are built with top hatches to allow maintenance of large components in the turbine house. These hatches are often too heavy to operate manually. The turbine itself also needs to have a parking brake so that the rotor stays in position for service or when the wind conditions require the mill to stop. Linear actuators or screw jacks are the ideal solution in both cases.

• Actuators and screw jacks are clean compared to hydraulic alternatives. They do not require pumps, pipes, valves and plumbing. There is no risk of oil leakage or need for maintenance.
• Positioning is easy with end of stroke limit switches readily available.
• Installation and operation is simple.
• Thomson actuators or screw jacks have a variety of mounting options available, allowing flexible configuration.

Hood Lift:

Heavy service hoods need to be powered to open even if covered by ice making an actuator or screw jack ideal.

Rotator Brake:

A rotor braking function can easily be done using an actuator or a screw jack. The brake is used when serviced and when the wind conditions are such that the rotor must be parked.

At Sea, in the Desert, or on the Plains:

Wind mills are usually placed where wind conditions are ideal. Salt water, ice, sand storms, high humidity, and extreme temperature changes make the environment less than ideal for most electromechanical components. Thomson actuators and screw jacks are available with protection up to IP67 and are tough enough to do the job.

Solar Energy

Solar Panel Tracking:

Tracking the movement of the sun will boost the efficiency and increase output from a given panel by up to 30%. Accurate, trouble-free positioning of the panels is the challenge. The system must be highly rugged and able to withstand wind and weather. It must function reliably and maintenance-free for many years. Thomson linear actuators and screw jacks offer affordable, custom-fitted solutions to these challenges.

Solar tracking requires actuation solutions which are stiff and will not back-drive in high wind conditions. All Thomson actuators and screw jacks can be equipped with a holding brake that eliminates back-driving.
Accurate tracking often requires some form of feedback. Most Thomson actuators and screw jack models can be equipped with encoders, resolvers or potentiometers to meet either analog or digital feedback requirements.
All Thomson actuators and screw jacks are available with adjustable end of stroke limit switches to protect the panel from damage due to overtravel in either direction.
Panels can require up to 9000 N of force to move in windy conditions, which both actuators and screw jacks can deliver with ease.
Multiple mounting options are available.
Actuators and screw jacks require little to no maintenance, making them ideal for solar panel applications.

Customization:

Thomson has a long history of building custom products. A custom tailored solution can be an integrated part of the structure and make assembly quick and easy.

Wind, rain, sun and snow:

The elements can put stress on a solar panel. Thomson actuators and screw jacks are built to handle these conditions with little or no service or maintenance.

Limit the movement:

Both actuators and screw jacks can be supplied with built-in adjustable end of stroke limit switches which makes it easy to set the limits of movement.

Feedback:

Thomson actuators and screw jacks are offered with both analog and digital feedback to allow precise tracking of the sun.