PROWESS Final Report
report
Offshore wind turbine design lifetime is currently 25 to 30 years. However for wind turbine blades (WTB), as critical components of the wind turbine, lifetime and performance are two central concerns for wind farm owners/operators and OEMs. Leading edge erosion (LEE) has been identified as the main factor to substantially reduce both blade lifetimes and energy output over time. Severe consequences of LEE effects are linked with blades’ lifetime reduction, reflected on increasing the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) and higher CO2 emission rates at initial stages of the supply chain, involving more frequent blade repairs, inspections and early replacements. Without the suitable information on LEE events, the decision making strategies on LEE measures, selection of the right coating, operational and maintenance activities are insufficient and the LCoE will continue increasing on this front. At the wind farm planning stage, the lack of validated methods to estimate the overall cost of erosion causes uncertainty in the investment decisions. Wind farm developers currently have access to detailed data on seabed and wind conditions, though virtually no useful information on offshore precipitation.
Topics
TNO Identifier
1006719
Publisher
TNO
Collation
31 p.
Place of publication
Petten