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Evolution for blades in O&M

4C Offshore | Lewis Holdsworth
By: Lewis Holdsworth 24/02/2015 Greensolver
Greensolver, the independent wind and solar farm asset manager, today launches its wind turbine blade inspection service that provides developers, investors and utilities with a cost effective way to rapidly assess and monitor the condition of equipment.

The launch of the service marks a milestone in the evolution of the operations and maintenance market and, for the first time, gives owners and operators a credible means through which they can assess and manage the long-term condition of wind turbine blades.

The service, based on a Cornis camera, enables owners and operators to assess 6-7 onshore turbines, or a minimum of 3 offshore turbines, every day. This significantly increases the current speed and accuracy at which most traditional blade inspections are undertaken and provides a more comprehensive overview of short and long-term portfolio performance.

“Based on our own experience of managing an extensive European fleet, traditional blade inspection services that include rope access, mobile elevated working platforms, ground scope and the use of drones and helicopters are expensive, inefficient and arguably pose an unnecessary health and safety risk when used as the sole means of initial inspection. This, combined with the experience and feedback from our long-term retained client base, led us to a partnership with Cornis Blade Inspection.” said Stephen Bolton, General Manager, Greensolver UK.  

As part of the collaborative working agreement, Greensolver now provide clients with comprehensive blade inspection reports in hard copy and via Cornis web portal.



 This bespoke analysis capitalises on high quality photographic imagery and the power of Cornis’s data processing and image enhancing core competency, combined with Greensolver’s knowledge of site operations and safety requirements.

The result is a system that not only provides an almost immediate health statement on 100% of the blade surface but also allows long term blade condition monitoring, as the scheduled imagery can be readily compared over time within the web portal.

With almost immediate single person mobilisation, low health and safety risks and considerably reduced turbine downtime, limited to just one hour, the impact on turbine productivity is minimised. The reduction in the requirement for multi-person inspection teams and additional equipment results in lower overall costs including the costs associated with weather downtime, which can be significant with other technologies.

As part of the agreement between the two firms, Greensolver has leased and purchased the equipment and fully trained its team of engineers. Cornis will work directly with Greensolver to process the data and produce the reports.

Founded in 2008 by financiers, for investors, Greensolver is an independent asset manager providing technical and business services that enable developers and investors to maximise the value of their wind and solar farms. The service is available immediately and is being delivered by Greensolver in cooperation with Fellmarsh Associates,

 

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