A closer look on blade maintenance The rationale behind a blade inspection and early intervention program Blades play a crucial role in the operations of a wind turbine, acting as the direct interfaces between the wind and the turbine. Any inefficiency in this first encounter can have major impacts on turbine production. When you then consider that blades face all sorts of climatic conditions such as rain, sand, snow, hail, and even lightning strikes, the case for why blades need extraordinary care is clear. Yet, blades are not always treated as their importance warrants. Often, they are neglected in maintenance strategies, resulting in unnecessary high costs and turbine downtime. Across the 18.4 GW fleet Vestas manages in the U.S. and Canada, blades account for more than 5% of all lost production time, 6th highest among all components. In addition, turbine owners face the costliest repair operation on a turbine if blades are in such poor condition that they need to be replaced. With this knowledge, a blade maintenance strategy should be a prerequisite for all asset owners. In this article, we zoom in on blade inspections and early intervention, a key ingredient in any blade maintenance strategy. Prevention beats cure - also for blades Vestas’ data indicates that blade maintenance costs account for 4-5% of the annual O&M spend on a turbine. As blades are not covered by industry standard full scope contracts, blades can make up as much as 30% of the non-contract O&M costs for an asset owner. Thus, any initiative to reduce blade maintenance costs strongly impacts the overall lifetime business case. One initiative that can significantly change the cost profile of blade maintenance is an inspection and early intervention program designed to identify damage (or potential damage) as early as possible and rectify or prevent at the optimal time. Generally for wind turbine maintenance, cost savings can be achieved with the ability to prevent wear and tear on main components from developing into serious damage. ►
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