The Challenges of Wind Turbine Blades Durability, and What Can You Do About It.

Blade durability has become a significant challenge in wind turbine technology. During operations of wind projects, wind turbine blades have transitioned from relatively low-maintenance components to the leading problem for many operators, both for long term operations but also in early life for new projects, many of which have led not only to isolated blade failures, but also large inspection campaigns that can significantly impact production.
This presentation will examine the factors that are contributing to this transition through the lens of broad trends across the life cycle of blades – design, manufacturing, transportation/handling, operations, and decommissioning – and synthesizes a perspective based on DNV’s experience providing technical support to owners, operators, and turbine manufacturers. Perspectives provided are driven by a combination of observations made through DNV’s interactions with the industry, including seeing the commercial and contractual forces driving new projects, providing certification-related services, performing blade design reviews and blade manufacturing evaluations, observing operational damage from inspections, and investigating blade failures.
Following a description of the state of the industry with respect to blades, technical mitigants will be presented, allowing project financiers, owners and operators to be pro-active about their blade fleet and mitigate the issues before they become too problematic.