Wind Energy

Wind power is already the largest source of energy in Germany.
In 2020, the almost 30,000 wind turbines with a nominal output of around 60 gigawatts produced around 132 terawatt hours, which accounts for 27 percent of net electricity generation in Germany. The turbines currently have an average age of over 12 years. Due to the growth in size and the increasing age of the turbines, the focus is on plant safety and availability.

 

A particular focus is currently on the area of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) in rotor blades of wind turbines. Rotor blades are designed for a service life of 20 years. However, after an average of 5 ½ to 10 years, significant repairs are necessary due to material fatigue. By detecting changes in the component structure at an early stage, major damage or malfunctions could be avoided.

By combining several innovative, modular sensor systems, FiberCheck enables long-term, continuous monitoring of the condition of rotor blades on wind turbines. In addition, information on the presence or absence of ice and the load effect on the individual rotor blades is available at any time.

The advantages of the system are the possibility to

• permanent condition monitoring,

• Early detection, classification and localization of damage as well as

• pitch setting.

 

In the long term, it is also planned to provide service life forecasts for rotor blades.

 

You can also use our iCM-Wind network: www.icm-wind.de

For further technical details on our latest sensor contact us » here.