TOWERPOWER - Case Study

Objective: TOWERPOWER was focused on the development of a real-time remote monitoring system to diagnose the aging of the metal structure of offshore turbines. The ultimate goal was to reduce maintenance costs in offshore wind energy.

The project included the design of a sensor system based on acoustic emissions (AE) and guided waves capable of monitoring the vibrations and degradation of the towers and metallic structures of offshore wind turbines, as well as the necessary communication systems to implement remote monitoring of each turbine from a control centre. The project culminated in 2017 with field tests carried out on a real prototype installed at the Nenuphar wind farm in Fos-sur-Mer (France).

Year of implementation: 2015 - 2017

Members: BZEE (German Training and Qualification Centre for Wind Energy), ANEV (Italian Wind Energy Association), SGS, WindEurope (European Wind Energy Association) and AEE.

Financing: 7th Framework Programme of the European Union