Operations and maintenance managers need to closely monitor turbine blades at wind farms under five years old, as these require more repairs than older turbines, according inspection and repair specialist Altitec.
The company said that, based on its own data, an average of seven repairs per turbine under five years of age exceeds the average of 2.2 repairs for blades on older machines.
It released the findings in the company’s 2018 Blade Repair Atlas that offers a breakdown of Altitec’s operations.
The Atlas advises newer projects require more active monitoring and maintenance of turbine blade condition, though owners and operators often expect to prioritise the O&M activity on older wind farms.
Altitec recommended that all wind farms undergo regular blade inspections, no matter what the age, to ensure they continue to perform well and that energy production remains as high as possible.
Altitec Group managing director Tom Dyffort said: “Our records indicate that, during the first five years of a wind farm’s operational lifetime, O&M managers may be more prone to overlooking the need for blade maintenance.
“Ultimately, this will only result in more serious faults developing, more repairs being required and longer periods of turbine downtime.”