RENEWABLE ENERGY
RAPID ROI FOR REPAIR ROBOTS
Wind turbine blade fi eld repairs conducted via robot pay off in six months
A
fter over 18 months in operation, having repaired over 150 rain- damaged onshore wind turbine blades on three continents, the
patented robot from Denmark’s Rope Robotics, an expert in robotic blade maintenance, has demonstrated return on investment (ROI) for turbine owners within just six months. Compared to manual alternatives, the robot can repair the blade around four times faster at half the cost.
An increasing problem, rain erosion damage compromises aerodynamic performance of the blade and at worst can lead to blade failure and expensive turbine downtime. T e repairs off ered by Rope Robotics not only restore turbine power output but are quick, cost-eff ective and effi cient as well as safe for technicians to perform in all but the most inclement weather conditions. Previously, technicians
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have had to abseil from the nacelle to the blade and work with harmful chemicals, a high-risk work environment that is weather-dependent and costly. “Rain erosion is an already serious and worsening issue with the longer rotor blades generating tip speeds of over 380 kilometres per hour. Rain drops at that speed act like a hail of bullets that, over time, damage the leading edge of the blade,” explains Martin Huus Bjerge, CEO, Rope Robotics. Effi cient leading-edge repair contributes to life extension of one of the most expensive components on a wind turbine accounting for some 25 to 30% of the build cost.
IMPROVED ANNUAL ENERGY OUTPUT (AEP) Rope Robotics’ BR-8 robot can restore up to 3% energy output within less than
one day per blade at half the cost of manual solutions. First on the market, Rope Robotics’ nine robots have been in commercial operation for almost a year and have repaired over 150 wind turbine blades in the USA, Canada, South Africa and Europe. “Feedback from customers so far
confi rms our calculations that after six months, the investment in the robot repair service has paid off ,” says Huus Bjerge. “T e robot has been well received especially in countries like the USA and South Africa where there has been a backlog of repairs. T e robot is therefore an additional capacity to the market right now,” he adds. Applying results from the onshore
repairs in countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Germany, test repairs on off shore turbines are in progress, in preparation for a commercial launch scheduled at the end of 2023.
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