AGENDA

• How will the UK harness its onshore wind potential - now that planning constraints have been loosened in England - to help meet net zero targets? 
• How is the UK government working with the onshore wind industry to drive investment into new projects? 
• What does the onshore industry want from ‘allocation round seven?’ 
• Exploring Scotland's onshore wind sector potential

• Overcoming the challenges of assessing internal damage in larger blades

• Data capture and accuracy

• Which new technologies can address the emerging challenges?

• The role of robotics and sensors for optimising internal inspections

Q&A

• The wind energy industry's measurement of three-dimensional wind flow presents growing opportunities for large rotors

• Improved blade pitch aerodynamic control considering inclined wind flow in onshore hilly wind farms

• Optimised blade pitch aerodynamic control to enhance floating turbine performance

• Additional advantages enabled by look-ahead LIDAR technology

• Further benefits of converging beam LIDAR, including integration with turbine blades

Q&A

• Scaling blades amplifies structural risk 

• Subjective inspections fall short 

• NDT delivers data-driven insights 

Q&A

There are fundamental reasons of physics why very large blades are more likely to suffer problems in service. This presentation is a look into the ‘black box’ mystery of blade design - how compromises have to be made between ideal aerodynamic performance, structural strength and stiffness, and the ability to be manufactured to high-quality. And how size really matters. In addition there are the risks of transporting a structure which is akin to a giant egg in fragility by often unwitting transport crews. Where do we expect vulnerabilities and let’s discuss how these can be managed in operation.

Q&A

• What are the biggest concerns around upscaling turbine technology? Growth vs reliability

• Design approaches to increase blade durability

• Which financial tools and insurance options can offset costs and mitigate risk?

• How can risks be managed using advanced inspections and pre-installation damage checks?

• R&D: Advances in materials and manufacturing techniques

Moderator:

• Sandro Di Noi, Senior Wind Turbine Blade Specialist, RWE

Q&A

Other topics:

• Identifying and mitigating structural damage before installation 
• Best practice and frequency for inspections. 
• How can technology enhance the inspection process and provide better diagnostics 
• Scheduled maintenance - from minor repairs to major overhauls. Best strategies and practice 
• Specifics of offshore blades M&O

Cost management in blade maintenance and repair

1. What is the blade strategy used and why?
   
   

2. What tools / (project) software is used to monitor, plan and keep track of the bladeworks? How other owners/operators or OEMs are handling the blade integrity management?
   
   

3. What is the biggest challenge for blade maintenance in the upcoming 5 to 10 years?

Key blade O&M tasks requiring standardisation through the IEC 61400-32 Blade O&M Standard.

The round table discussion will update participants on the status of and future plans for the IEC 61400-32 Blade Operations and Maintenance standard that is currently in development and will provide participants opportunities to share and discuss the blade O&M activities that they believe are in most need of standardisation, and what they would like those standards to look like.

• Collecting data from different sources: How to address differences in format or terminology from multiple providers? 
• Solutions for addressing common defects and catastrophic blade failures, as well as handling defective blades 
• How a collaborative approach between producers, R&D, and operators can help mitigate blade damage. 
• How can AI models identify damage and improve diagnosis?

Moderator: Matthew Malkin, Principal Engineer, DNV

• Implementation of ground-based infrared thermography for blade inspection.

• What can be achieved with thermographic inspections

• Case study: thermographic inspections in partnership with Statkraft.

• Understanding the potential and limitations of thermography using controlled climate

• Chambers and simulation.




Q&A

The challenges and opportunities related to loads analysis and lifetime extension of wind turbine rotor blades.

• Where does the industry stand today, and which blade technologies are approaching end-of-life this decade?

• How has the industry and blade design evolved, and what does this mean for lifetime extension?

• What are the technical and practical challenges of reverse engineering rotor blades for aging assets?

• What actions can the industry take to support the safe and reliable life extension of rotor blades?
  
  

Q&A

Improving maintenance efficiency: automated systems enhance maintenance efficiency, reduce downtime, and improve overall blade longevity

• Lightning protection systems for bigger wind turbine blades - offshore vs onshore 
• The effects of lightning strikes on blade integrity 
• Repair methods for lightning damage 
• Solutions to reduce downtimes

In this presentation, Dr. Fine will present a novel coating technology that significantly reduces lightning damage to wind turbine blades. The coating enhances the performance of existing lightning protection systems by promoting earlier, controlled attachment of lightning strikes to blade receptors.   The system can be applied to both new, and existing blades in-field.  Dr. Fine will share results from high-voltage lab testing and field studies, demonstrating a substantial reduction in blade damage under realistic lightning conditions.

Q&A

• How do repair strategies differ between internal and external wind blade issues? 
• What are the different approaches and technologies for addressing internal versus external damage in wind turbine blades?

Q&A

Moderator: Geoff Hoffheinz, Managing Director, Chief Engineer, Nuveen Infrastructure Clean Energy