Off the coast of Portugal, a team of underwater robots is scanning the base of turbines on a wind farm and looking for signs of damage. The activity is part of a project to reduce inspection costs, keep wind turbines running for longer and ultimately reduce the price of electricity.
Wind power accounted for more than a third of the electricity generated from renewable sources in the EU in 2020 and offshore wind energy is expected to make a growing contribution over the coming years. In 1991, Denmark became home to the world’s first offshore wind farm, and Europe is now a global leader in this field.
Despite the potential benefits of offshore wind farms, including cost savings and less encroachment on land, they are expensive to operate and maintain.
Cost Analysis
“Up to 30% of all operation costs are related to inspection and maintenance,” said João Marques of the INESC TEC research association in Portugal.
The EU-funded ATLANTIS project is exploring how robots can be used to maintain offshore wind turbines. The ultimate goal is to reduce the cost of wind energy by decreasing the number of times technicians have to visit turbines and perform maintenance.
Researchers are testing underwater robots, surface-traveling vehicles, and drones to inspect wind turbines. The technology combines multiple types of imaging and sonar to identify cracks in turbine blades and increase the time that maintenance vessels can work on wind farms by 35%.
