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

• 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
  
  Case study: Enhancing Operational Modal analysis 
  
• Introducing blade shape monitoring: How can we derive natural frequencies from blade shape?
• Comparing Acceleration vs Shape sensor in operational conditions.

Q&A with Matiss Sivins

Cost management in blade maintenance and repair

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

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

• 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