BLADE INSPECTION & REPAIR
FEATURE SPONSOR
CUTTING COSTS IN PRODUCTION AND MAINTENANCE IS KEY
With more than 1,300 offshore wind turbines off the UK coast and sufficient energy to power three million homes generated in the last five years, the offshore industry is fast establishing itself as a viable energy source. By 2030 there are plans that 35% of the UK electricity demand will be met by offshore wind but cutting costs in production and maintenance is key.
“The industry needs to innovate as advances in technology will help reduce the costs of offshore wind,” says Steve Ross, Managing Director – GEV Wind Power. “Time efficient and cost effective repair and maintenance programmes will ensure the longevity of turbines and maximum return on investment.”
LEADING EDGE EROSION Leading edge erosion is incredibly costly to a developer as it reduces the turbine’s efficiency and reliability. Blades with no protective coating can show the first signs of wear within two years and even the smallest scratch is a weak link in productivity so should be considered as necessary maintenance.
“In 2015, we became the first contractor to be trained by BASF with its BASF RELEST leading edge protection system,” adds Steve. “This two-part paint technology offers four times higher resistance than conventional solutions and is designed to bear extreme conditions to provide significantly improved erosion and corrosion protection, thereby offering immeasurable savings in maintenance.”
MAINTENANCE PRACTICES Scheduled maintenance costs are relatively low, however studies have shown that unscheduled maintenance for baseline windfarms of 4-10MW turbines, constitutes around 65% of O&M costs.
Steve continues: “Our new fixed-price maintenance plans provides developers with the security of a scheduled maintenance programme, at pre-agreed costs.”
Utilising panoblade camera systems, offers further cost savings as it enables the rapid capture of high resolution images from an entire turbine blade surface and shares these via a web-based platform. GEV technicians are then able to identify the blade that requires priority maintenance and as only one operator is required to inspect the turbines, the system offers both exceptional savings in time and money.
“We used this cost saving technology extensively in the field during 2015 and typically achieved the inspection of over 70 offshore wind turbines in three weeks,” adds Steve. “It can inspect up to five onshore or three offshore turbines per day.”
GUARANTEED REPAIR TIMES
The company is also able to provide guaranteed repair times by deploying its patented wind habitat structure which mitigates
many of the environmental restrictions causing the delays in repairing blade damage. The wind habitat is easily retrofitted to most blade access platform solutions.
“Technology solutions that optimise and provide cost savings are essential to the long-term future of the offshore renewables sector,” concludes Steve. “As the UK becomes a hub for the industry the potential for UK innovators is huge.
“Announcements confirming Galloper, East Anglia ONE and the submission by Scottish Power Renewables for East Anglia THREE reinforces the commitment of the industry’s major players. It is now up to technology and O&M companies, large and small, to realise and seize the opportunity they have been presented.”
GEV Wind Power
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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