Operating and maintenance costs make up a significant proportion of the total cost of offshore wind power.
Offshore wind turbines are exposed to weather and wind. This requires regular inspection. Both of turbine blades and masts, but also of what is below the sea surface. With Utsira as the drone base, a drone inspection of the wind turbines on Utsira Nord can be carried out in a very cost-effective way. Be it over water, with drones and climbing robots, or under water with autonomous ROVs. Everything controlled from land on Utsira.
By Tau Autonomy Center companies such as Bluelogic and Oceaneering test autonomous ROVs with subsea charging stations. This is technology that can provide major cost savings when it comes to future subsea inspections.
Inspection of rotor blades
Inspecting the rotor blades on an offshore wind turbine can be a difficult and time consuming task. Limited weather windows and harsh weather at sea create a challenging working environment, and downtime results in lost income. There are also high costs associated with inspections, condition checks and repairs.