DBB Jack-Up, an operations and maintenance service provider to offshore wind farm owners and turbine manufacturers, today released a new report on O&M in the offshore wind industry.
The report based on exclusive research by MAKE Consulting focuses on technology developments and the related impact on wind farms and vessel operators.
As wind farm owners and operators realise the increasing importance of a sound O&M strategy, technology trends are driving major changes to this relatively young industry. These trends, featuring larger turbines installed in deeper waters further out to sea, will have an impact on not only jack-up vessels, but also the methods and cost implications of replacing major components.
The average global turbine rating is expected to reach 5.9 MW by 2020, according to the report. Wind turbines’ heavier and larger components, such as the nacelles, blades and bearings, will place greater demands on the lifting capabilities of jack-up vessels.
Highlighting the urgency of preventing downtime caused by major component failure, MAKE Consulting reveals that 95 per cent of downtime is caused by 25 per cent of all turbine faults.
Thorsten Jalk, CEO of DBB Jack-Up Services A/S says: “The industry needs to be more aware of losses due to outage time, especially as turbines get larger. This report presses home the need for not just wind turbine OEMs to focus on major component reliability, but also for wind farm operators and O&M service providers to work together and plan efficiently to reduce maintenance days and, ultimately, downtime.”
The full report can be found here , free of charge.
Image: Liebherr (Illustration)