Keeping Wind Turbines at Max Capacity is Critical

Wind farms are a crucial part of our global clean energy infrastructure, accounting for close to 10% of the world’s electricity generation. Regular and effective inspection of wind turbines is needed to ensure that wind farms operate safely and efficiently.

As the demand for wind energy grows, so does the need for effective turbine inspection solutions. Turbine inspection, however, presents a number of challenges.

Wind farms are often situated in remote locations, where they are subject to harsh environmental conditions, including extreme temperature fluctuations, high winds, and airborne contaminants. Over time, this can cause a variety of turbine issues, including corrosion, blade damage, and electrical faults—all of which can reduce energy production and lead to catastrophic failure if left unattended.

Inspecting the inner workings of a turbine presents its own set of challenges, as many critical elements, including gearboxes and generator components, are difficult to access. This means that costly and time-consuming disassembly is usually required for inspection.

In recent years, ultra-portable video borescopes have emerged as a game-changing tool in the inspection of wind turbines.

With Evident’s IPLEX™ G Lite video borescope, engineers in the wind power industry can safely and efficiently inspect and maintain onshore and offshore wind turbines. This ultra-portable videoscope allows inspectors to access critical turbine components without disassembling large internal systems, greatly reducing downtime and promoting a safe working environment that does not require personnel to enter cramped workspaces.
“IPLEX G Lite technology is transforming our inspection process,” said Mathieu May, customer care manager at I-care, a global leader in predictive and prescriptive maintenance for the wind energy industry. “It allows us to safely access small cavities and find small defects, even in dark environments. We have inspected more than 350 wind turbines this year. The ability to capture high-quality images of difficult-to-reach components keeps my clients more than satisfied.”

“I have many colleagues using IPLEX videoscopes in other industrial sectors, such as pharmaceutical, metallurgy and the food industry,” Mathieu added. “Basically, all domains where video inspection is needed.”