Operations & Maintenance
RSS feedNews & in-depth analysis of wind farm and turbine operations & maintenance, including turbine & blade failure, access, monitoring & control systems, health & safety, refitting, repowering, wind monitoring and site security.
Vestas halts 150 turbines following blade investigation
Vestas has removed from operation 150 turbines of its V150 turbines, following a collapsed turbine at a Swedish wind farm last year.
Wind farm owners join forces to share turbine performance data
Enel, Engie and Equinor have joined a programme to share turbine performance data and "end OEMs' superiority" in data ownership
US backs 10MW floating offshore wind demo in Shell lease area
The US government has backed plans for a 10MW floating offshore wind project as part of a new funding round for demonstration projects
News and Analysis
GE signs deal to use old turbine blades in cement production
Wind turbine blades will be used to replace the raw material for cement manufacturing and cut emissions under a new agreement between GE Renewables and waste company Veolia
WindEnergy Hamburg 2020: How top wind CEOs are navigating the Covid-19 pandemic
Manufacturing, developer and investor chiefs say the wind industry has proved its resilience while showing it can be relied upon in a crisis
Warning over heavy lift vessel 'bottleneck' for offshore wind
Analysis from Rystad Energy indicates demand from offshore wind's development pipeline is outpacing the number vessels capable of installing large components
Exclusive: Vestas deploys remotely operated blade-correcting installation tool
Vestas has started using a new remotely operated blade installation tool that removes the need for handheld taglines
‘Wind turbines don’t turn forever’: Industry issues new end-of-life guidance
WindEurope has issued new guidance on dismantling onshore turbines, many thousands of which are due to be decommissioned over the next three years
In depth
Windtech: Click-on and go device promises fast turbine evacuation
Quick access to a safe way to escape from a turbine fire is key to saving lives. Eize de Vries finds out why a new evacuation system claims to have the edge over traditional rope-based rescue solutions
Big turbines push down O&M costs
Advances in turbine technology have improved reliability, reducing unscheduled downtime and cutting service costs. While offshore projects remain more expensive to operate, economies of scale will play an increasing role as arrays featuring hundreds of units become the norm.
Material considerations: covering up the cracks on turbine failure
The Material Failure Investigation Group of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) has been listening to, and acting on, presentations on the subject of wind turbine failures for the past two years.
What to do with turbines after they leave support system
With around 6,000 turbines due to leave the support system in 2021, Germany's environment agency has assessed the country's readiness to recycle this potential flood of turbine components, and at what cost.
Windpower Monthly review of 2019 -- part 2
The next generation of new turbines continues apace in the second half of the year, but financial woes among many of the industry's western OEMs also bite. Here are the top articles from the latter half of 2019.
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