ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.

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ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
2018

                            ALTITEC
BLADE REPAIR ATLAS
 Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance
            statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
CONTENTS
Welcome – Understanding Blade Damage   3

Markets                                4

Onshore & Offshore                     5

Damage Report                          6

      Internal Repairs                 7

      Aerodynamic Add-on Repairs       8

      External Repairs                 9

      The Altitec Approach             11
ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
Understanding Blade Damage

The wind industry continues to grow at a rapid pace, with an additional       In this report, we analyse this data to shed more light on the priorities
52GW of capacity installed in 2017. Alongside this growth in capacity,        the industry should be aware of when it comes to blade O&M, and how
we are seeing the global reach of the industry extend to emerging             these can differ, particularly as parts of the global turbine fleet age.
markets in Latin America, Australia and South Africa, among others.
                                                                              At Altitec, we’re committed to supporting the growth of the wind
Global growth is also resulting in greater blade spans, as OEMs respond       industry both in its global expansion and by adopting the latest technol-
to calls for larger turbine technologies and start to bring them online.      ogies to enhance blade inspection and repair methodologies.
With all this in mind, the industry’s potential for success over the
coming years is plain to see.                                                 From our Altitec Academy training centres in London and Cape Town,
                                                                              we train the next generation of blade repair technicians, providing
But with this growth come challenges – particularly with regard to            them with the skills required to ensure turbine blades across the world
O&M. In order to get the maximum operational and financial benefit            operate in peak condition.
from larger turbines, and those in new markets, it is essential that
turbine blades are serviced regularly and to a high standard.                 Equally, our technicians utilise the latest in rope access and blade repair
                                                                              technologies. Equipped with ActSafe Ascenders for instance, they can
Leading edge erosion, tip damage and trailing edge cracks are just            raise and lower themselves and their equipment with ease, and
some of the issues that will naturally arise over the course of a turbine     complete 35% more work when compared with traditional rope access
blade’s operational lifetime, but all can severely limit its functionality.   techniques. Adopting technologies such as liquid leading edge
Extreme weather will also be a key factor in a blade’s health, with           protection and aerodynamic upgrades has similarly allowed us to
lightning damage in particular a common source of catastrophic                develop innovative ways of increasing turbines’ annual energy produc-
damage. But while blade damage is a fact of life for a wind turbine, the      tion.
financial and production losses associated with it needn’t be.
                                                                              I hope this report provides you with some valuable insights into the
Understanding the scope of blade damage is the first step to prevent-         importance of turbine blade repair. It should serve as a valuable asset
ing it. In this report we have therefore drawn on a sample of our own         to help identify areas where your own O&M practices can be optimised.
inspection and repair data to highlight some of the leading causes of
blade damage across the UK, Europe and beyond. To date, Altitec has
worked on over 5,000 blades and 1,500 turbines worldwide, and, as an
independent service provider, this encompasses all blade types, turbine                                                             Tom Dyffort
models and a variety of site conditions, both on- and offshore.                                                 Managing Director, Altitec Group

                                                                                                                                                Page 3
ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
Markets
In 2018 Altitec’s blade inspection and repair teams provided maintenance services on sites comprising more than 500 turbines, on four
continents. This maintenance service included turbine rotor blade inspection and the repair and replacement of worn and damaged
blades and blade parts. The wind energy sector continues to grow and expand in all directions, and as it does, Altitec’s team of techni-
cians find themselves working in global markets, both on- and offshore.

                                                                                             Americas
                                                                           Australia

                                                                                             1%
     Location of Altitec                                                               11%
     wind farm inspection &
                                                            South Africa
     repair projects                                                           15%
                                                                                                        58%    British Islands
                                                                                                               and UK waters
     For the purposes of this report, and to maintain our
     clients’ confidentiality, data are anonymised and
     reported on an aggregate level.
                                                                                 15%
                                                                   Europe

Page 4
ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
Offshore & Onshore
In 2018, Altitec technicians worked on a wide range of wind           Working on offshore wind turbines makes the logistics of
farms that varied in their nameplate capacity and the number          transporting equipment and materials each day more
of turbines installed. Altitec teams work year round on a mix of      complicated. Taller turbines and larger blades can demand
onshore and offshore wind farms in markets across the world.
                                                                      more time from teams for each individual turbine.

Given their location and vast size, offshore wind farms can be
                                                                      Additionally, getting teams on-site requires the use of crew
more demanding of technician’s skills than onshore wind farms,
                                                                      transfer vessels (CTV), and for this reason, on larger offshore
with turbines on offshore wind farms, and thus their blades,
                                                                      wind farms Altitec often dispatches multiple teams each day, to
being typically much larger than their onshore counterparts.
                                                                      make best use of the commissioned CTV.

Typically Altitec project teams comprise two technicians, one
                                                                      The average size of the wind farms Altitec manages as an
working up-tower n the blades, and another providing support
                                                                      independent blade service provider is 53MW, and they range in
on the ground, managing materials required for repair and
                                                                      size from sites rated at just a few megawatts and comprised of
ensuring the safety of the technician. Onshore technicans can
                                                                      a handful of turbines that are part of a larger managed
manage this process efficiently, storing materials and
                                                                      portfolio, to offshore wind farms rates with capacities of several
equipment in the vehicle they use to visit the site.
                                                                      hundred megwatts.

Average project size onshore and offshore

     Onshore – 32MW                                                    Offshore – 398MW
ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
Damage Report
For each project, Altitec technicians provide a daily report on the work completed. Each report records and details inspections, repairs
and replacements performed on-site. The below data illustrates the types of repairs conducted by our technicians, and is based on the
information recorded in these documents.

Altitec classifies repairs into three types: repairs done to the internal structure of the blade; repairs to the external surfaces of the blade;
and repairs to attachments to the blade, designed to make the more aerodynamic and increase annual energy production (AEP).

The average age of the wind farms Altitec worked on in 2018 was five years. Wind farms inspected ranged in age from less than a year
to 14 years old. The majority of repairs carried out by Altitec technicians in 2018 were carried out on wind farms under 5 years of age.

                                                                           Internal repairs

                                                                                                12%

     Repairs by type
                                                                                         31%
                                                                  External repairs                              47%

                                                                                                                      Aerodynamic
                                                                                                               add-on replacements

                                                               On wind farms
                                                                                      76%
                                                             under 5 years old
     Repairs by age
     of wind farm
                                                                                                               24%
                                                                                                                       On wind farms
                                                                                                                      over 5 years old

      With an average of 7 repairs per turbine for wind farms younger than 5 years, compared with
      an average of 2.2 for those older than 5 years, O&M managers of newer farms need to keep on
      top of the health of their blades.

Page 6
ALTITEC BLADE REPAIR ATLAS - Wind turbine rotor blade repair and maintenance statistics from a year onsite up-tower.
Internal Repairs

These repairs typically demand some of the most intensive              Extensive damages such as lightning strike damages can often
work from technicians. Internal blade repairs include repairs to       mean the turbine blade has to be removed from the nacelle and
the bulkhead brackets and sealing, and repairs to the inner            dropped to the ground to be repaired, or replace entirely.
laminations or removing foreign objects and retrofit solutions
to optimize performance or minimize maintenance.                       However, where possible Altitec aims to make repairs to
                                                                       lightning damage uptower, and recognises that as turbines are
Repairs to laminations can require extensive preparation of the        erected in ever more remote locations, repair, rather than
blade, cleaning and ensuring a safe system for work within             replacement may be the best option.
confined spaces, before the actual work of repairing the inner
laminate damage can begin. Internal damages can be the result          Internal repairs were chiefly conducted on turbines less than
of sub-optimal manufacturing of, for instance, blade bulkheads.        five years old.

                                                                     Bulkhead
                                                                      Brackets
                                                                                         23%

      Damage type
      as share of all
      internal repairs                                             Bulkhead        17%
                                                                                                          60%
                                                                    Sealing

                                                                                                                    Retrofit
                                                                                                                    Lamination

                                                                                                                               Page 7
Repairs of Aerodynamic Add-ons

Blade attachments are designed to aid the aerodynamic               been rigorously tested and proven to improve performance.
properties of the blade and boost performance. Aerodynamic          Altitec teams have worked with them extensively and are
additions to blades are particularly important for ensuring that,   experienced at positioning and attaching them to ensure
as turbines age, owners continue to realise optimal perfor-         optimal effect.
mance from their assets.
                                                                    In 2018, Altitec teams replaced signficantly more vortex gener-
All wind farms requiring blade attachment repairs were under        ators on turbine rotor blades than they did other aerodynamic
five years old.                                                     add-ons. Repairs of Aerodynamic Add-ons were conducted
                                                                    wholly on turbines under 5 years old.
Altitec employs a few main blade add-ons – zig-zag tape,
vortex generators and trailing edge add-ons, all of which have

                                                                     Others

                                                                              48%

      Share of
      attachment
      replacements
                                                                                                        52%

                                                                                                                Vortex
                                                                                                                generators

Average add-on replacements per turbine

    Vortex generators – 92                                          Others - 3

Page 8
External Repairs

External repairs constitute the vast majority of repairs to           Typical surface repairs can include simple scratches and scrapes
turbine rotor blades themselves. External repairs typically           of the top coat that may require light patching, or damage to
involve patching and replacement of areas of the blade’s              the leading edge of the blade, or its protection, where it faces
surface layers, which, as well as being exposed to the elements,      into the weather.
need to withstand the mechanical stresses placed upon them as
the blades flex and twist under loading.                              The largest portion of external damages are to the gelcoat,
                                                                      which will require cleaning and sanding before the coat is
Rain erosion is recognised as one of the major causes of turbine      applied, left to cure and then smoothed.
rotor blade damage, and early identification and repair can
prevent more costly repairs being required further down the road.

Damage type as share of all external repairs                            Average number of external repairs per turbine

                                                                        8
                                                                                  6.6
                  11% 3%
                                                                        7

                                                                        6

                                                                        5
           14%
                                                                        4

                                                                        3
                                                                                            2.4
              20%                  58%
                                                                        2
                                                                                                      1.6        1.4
                                                                        1
                                                                                                                         0.6
                                                                        0

    Gelcoat damages                            Leading edge protection damages             Leading edge cracks

    Top coat damages                           Composite laminate damages

                                                                                                                               Page 9
Aging turbine blades need to be looked after to ensure they                       five years ago) are nearly four times more likely to require a
maintain performance and continue to provide the best return                      repair for cracks on their leading edge than turbines on farms
on investment. Equally, a well repaired turbine blade can be as                   built less than 5 years ago.
good as a new one, if the repair remedies damage and defects
that have been hampering blade performance.                                       With a variety of solutions for repairing leading edge cracks,
                                                                                  including tapes, liquids and softshells, the technicians and
Internal repairs are often limited to newer turbine blades and                    engineers working on the turbines are able to select from a
required to remedy known deficiencies early on in a wind farm’s life.             range of options to make the best repair.

For external repairs, the age of the turbine makes little
difference to whether wind turbines require gelcoat or topcoat
repairs. But older turbines (i.e. those on farms built more than

                                                                                            % of service / repair type

             Age                   Of total turbines                    Add-ons                Gel coat & top coat       Leading edge cracks

    Over five years old                   32%                             0%                           24%                      62%

   Under five years old                   68%                            100%                          75%                      38%

Page 10
The Altitec Approach
Altitec has been a leading provider of blade inspection and        The easy-to-use technology allows technicians to move up and
repair services to the wind energy industry for more than a        down their ropes without having to rely on muscle power,
decade. Our teams are highly experienced, and all blade            which can then lead to increased fatigue and potentially
technicians are graduates of our industry-certified blade repair   lower-quality work. Our teams’ use of personal ascenders
training course, the Altitec Academy, as well as being highly      ensures the job is done well, on time and safely, thus reducing
proficient in rope access. Combined, this means teams can          the amount of turbine downtime and therefore revenue losses
quickly access areas of damage on blades to inspect and repair     for the owner and operator.
them, without having to bring large machinery on site.
                                                                   Operations and maintenance teams, whether or not they are
Blade inspection and repair is a team effort. Turbine blade        supported by independent service providers, are firstly
technicians are supported by a team of materials engineers,        responsible for ensuring turbines are online and working as
who    analyse    blade    inspection   reports    and    make     efficiently as possible. Understanding the scope of blade
recommendations on tailored repairs for each turbine.              damage as it can occur on a wind farm is an important first step
Technicians and engineers have access to a library of inspection   to meeting these responsibilities.
reports and previous repair solutions to ensure onsite teams are
able to draw on a wealth of knowledge during their work.

Altitec uses technology every day to help its turbine
technicians work more efficiently. With a high degree of care,
our rotor blade technicians are focused on doing the job
properly. To help them do this, teams use personal elevators
from ActSafe, which can cut the time spent manoeuvring into
position by as much as 30%.

                                                                                                                           Page 11
About Altitec
Altitec is an independently operated, specialist rope access blade inspection and

repair business, headquartered in London and Berlin. Since 2010, Altitec technicians

have provided regular inspections on more than 5,000 blades and 1,500 turbines

throughout the UK, Europe and key emerging wind markets around the world.

The firm provides a full range of blade inspection, repair and maintenance services, as

well as an established, industry certified training programme, known as the Altitec

Academy. Altitec holds distribution rights for the Actsafe Ascender in the UK, Baltics,

and Ireland.

   Altitec London                           Altitec Berlin                       Altitec South Africa

   Phone: +44 (0) 20 7474 5034              Phone: +49 (0)30 81032675            Phone: +27 (0)87 943 6265
   Fax: +44 (0)20 7084 7742                 Fax: +49 (0)30 81032675
   uk@altitec.co.uk                                                              Altitec South Africa Pty Ltd
                                            Altitec Wind GmbH                    Unit 5 Royal Cape Park
   Altitec Limited                          In den Engelhöfen                    1 Londonderry Road
   Unit 4 Datapoint Business Centre         Leuschnerdamm 13                     Ottery
   6 South Crescent                         10999                                7808
   London E16 4TL                           Berlin, Germany                      Cape Town, South Africa

   The data contained in this report is for information only, and is not intended to represent all turbine
   rotor blade damages.

© 2018 Altitec Ltd.
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