More than 100 turbine blades owned by Scottish Power are to be taken out of
service this spring to repair damage – ironically caused by wind power and
sea-spray.
A total of 108 turbines in the company’s Duddon Sands wind-power farm need
attention for ‘leading edge erosion problems’.
The 58.5-metre blades will be removed and stowed onboard a support boat in
the Irish Sea while protective new rubber edges are attached.
Industry sources indicate that this work is expected to take between three
and 10 days per turbine, depending on weather conditions, and the work may
run into 2019.
Turbine manufacturer Siemens declined to comment on the cost of this
remedial work.
A spokesman for West of Duddon Sands, the joint venture between Orsted and
Scottish Power, said: “This is a planned maintenance programme. The work
will not impact windfarm output in the short-term, and it will maximise
performance in the long-term.
“The entire offshore wind industry has long been looking at leading edge
erosion.
“Ultimately the harsh offshore environment can have the potential to impact
the performance of wind turbine blades.
Meanwhile blade-tip extensions to be fitted to Siemens wind turbines at the
Crystal Rig II site in the Borders are expected to boost electrical output
by up to 10%.
A prototype tested at Fred.Olsen Renewables’ 138MW wind farm delivered a
7.85% boost in performance.
The 2.55m extensions are made of two shells of fibre-glass reinforced epoxy
that are glued together and filled with epoxy foam before being fitted to
the blade.
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