PES Wind 4 2022

SensoriaTM by MISTRAS 4cast MO4 Conference Call Looking at the future of Forecasting technology Data driven strategies and What to expect at blade integrity with the rise to keep grid frequency decision making that rise the Offshore Energy of Industry 4.0 and NDE 4.0 constant to the challenge whatever Exhibition & Conference the weather in RAI Amsterdam WIND All the latest news, opinions and innovations from throughout the industry, including product updates, expert analysis, insight and viewpoints from the key players. PLUS exploring latest industry trends and legislation, objective thoughts on burning issues and lots of food for thought from this existing sector POWER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS • ISSUE 4, 2022 INNOVATION TAKES CENTRE STAGE



EDITOR’S NOTE SensoriaTM by MISTRAS 4cast MO4 Conference Call Looking at the future of Forecasting technology Data driven strategies and What to expect at blade integrity with the rise to keep grid frequency decision making that rise the Offshore Energy of Industry 4.0 and NDE 4.0 constant to the challenge whatever Exhibition & Conference the weather in RAI Amsterdam WIND All the latest news, opinions and innovations from throughout the industry, including product updates, expert analysis, insight and viewpoints from the key players. PLUS exploring latest industry trends and legislation, objective thoughts on burning issues and lots of food for thought from this existing sector POWER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS • ISSUE 4, 2022 INNOVATION TAKES CENTRE STAGE Editor’s note POWER & ENERGY SOLUTIONS Welcome to the fourth issue of PES Wind, and our last one of 2022. It’s been quite a year! While ripples from the pandemic continued to be felt early on, particularly in Directors terms of supply chain issues, the focus soon shifted to Europe and the war. As a Stuart Gillies result of trade and production disruptions caused by the invasion of Ukraine, energy Mark Smith prices soared around the world and the need to end our reliance on fossil fuels Stefann Perrigot moved up a gear. Client Liaison Manager Vikki Birch All of this was occurring of course against a backdrop of unseasonable weather and Editor adverse conditions that took their toll on livelihoods globally. The effects of climate Elaine Perrigot change will no longer be ignored and the time for action has arrived. The UN recently [email protected] issued another of its stark warnings that the ‘world is heading towards catastrophe’. Associate Editors But there are rays of hope. Stephen Pearson Zachary George The wind sector is most definitely one of these rays, and is playing a significant part in Design making sure change is possible. Just last week, the UK’s on and offshore wind farms Andrew Jenkins generated more than 20 GW for the first time, a new record and one that is being [email protected] echoed in many countries worldwide. Production Paul Lawson As we sign off 2022 and look forward to the next 12 months, I think it’s fair to assume [email protected] that more new milestones will be passed, thanks to the innovation of the industry and Sales Enquiries the key players within it. We count ourselves very lucky at PES, to be able to speak to [email protected] so many of them and to share their foresight and opinion with our readers. General Enquiries [email protected] Wind is consistently generating vast amounts of clean power and becoming the Media Partnership Enquiries backbone of our modern energy system. Flick through the pages of this issue and you [email protected] will see trends in floating wind, hybrid models and new and inventive ways of Advertising Opportunities monitoring, to name just a few of the hot topics for our industry. [email protected] PES is published by P&G Media Ltd As I write, COP27 delegates are meeting in Egypt to show their commitment to the global climate agenda, despite the difficulties and uncertainties of our time. The wind P&G Media Ltd sector will no doubt play a key role in discussions and developments that follow as a PO Box 310, Bristol, BS10 5WT, consequence of the event. United Kingdom 2023 looks to be another challenging year as countries carefully balance the need for investment in their net zero agendas with the continuing financial uncertainties that This publication is copyright © 2017 P&G Media Ltd and are affecting us all. While uncertainty lies ahead, the wind sector and the key people may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole within it can be relied upon to grow and prosper, as is so very much needed now. There or in part without the prior permission of P&G Media Ltd. will no doubt be new designs and new technology to help the industry be bigger, better While every care has been taken during the preparation of and even more efficient. this publication, P&G Media cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information published herein or any I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this issue of PES Wind as much as I have enjoyed consequence arising from it. putting it together. All that is left is to wish all our readers a peaceful end to 2022 and we look forward to bringing you more news, views and opinions from across our From sustainably managed forests. sector next year. For more information visit: www.pefc.org Sit back, relax and enjoy! www.peswind.com Elaine Perrigot WWW.PESWIND.COM 3 Editor

CONTENTS 46 SensoriaTM by MISTRAS explores the rise of Industry 82 Competing in the energy market means selling your 4.0 and NDE 4.0, the role that acoustic emission power before it is produced. How, therefore, do you (AE) condition monitoring plays in shifting the focus ensure you can meet or exceed your protections by of blade integrity programs, and a glimpse of what keeping your grid frequency constant? PES heard the future of blade integrity might look like with the from Sascha Bauer, CEO at 4cast, about the power adoption and proliferation of these new technologies. of technology to forecast the energy output from renewable energy power plants. SensoriaTM by MISTRAS 4cast MO4 Conference Call 16 The impact of weather on offshore operations will remain a challenge regardless of how smart we get from digitalization. And as wind Looking at the future of Forecasting technology Data driven strategies and What to expect at farms grow and move further from shore, it seems that data driven blade integrity with the rise to keep grid frequency decision making that rise the Offshore Energy strategies and decision making will become more relevant than ever of Industry 4.0 and NDE 4.0 constant to the challenge whatever Exhibition & Conference before. PES wanted to ask Jelte Kymmell, Co-Founder of MO4, what the weather in RAI Amsterdam the advantages and disadvantages of this evolution are. WIND All the latest news, opinions and innovations from 8 Conference Call throughout the industry, including product updates, expert analysis, insight and viewpoints from the The energy transition and sustainable solutions are the hot key players. topics running throughout the Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference. PES finds out what visitors can expect from PLUS exploring latest industry trends and legislation, Europe’s leading event that takes place on Tuesday 29th and objective thoughts on burning issues and lots of food Wednesday 30th of November 2022 in RAI Amsterdam. for thought from this existing sector POWER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS • ISSUE 4, 2022 INNOVATION TAKES CENTRE STAGE Comment Talking point 78 With an urgent need to exploit our 6 As we continue to strive for a cleaner 28 In the wake of the ground-breaking domestic energy market, which delivers cheaper and greener energy, planet, governments, industries and innovation with the world’s first hybrid Peel Ports Group makes the case for organisations around the world are power CTVs, Danish shipping company creating floating wind manufacturing uniting to build a sustainable future. Iron MHO-Co is setting out on its next hubs and attracting investment for Mountain suggests that the time is ripe voyage towards zero emission. With a long-term growth. to explore innovations and technologies targeted course towards a fleet with net that can work to reduce carbon zero emissions, PES learns about a new 88 A t the beginning of this year, Liebherr emissions and help to facilitate better order now placed for two new, state of resource efficiency. the art, hybrid vessels. introduced us to LiMain, an in-house solution from the company championing 32 As the offshore industry expands quick and reliable maintenance for offshore platforms. Since then, it has quickly in the coming years, innovative attracted a lot of interest from a wide solutions are needed. HeliOIS wants scope of stakeholders recognizing the to add more flexibility and efficiency, necessity for smart responsiveness by creating new service and inspection in a rapidly changing offshore wind concepts that can optimise the way environment. Now we take a closer look we work. at the advantages it can bring. 36 How can the latest technology enable 102 A s the energy sector continues to face real time monitoring of turbine blades high levels of volatility and uncertainty, and towers, enabling repair and different challenges and opportunities replacement before a critical failure are created for development-stage occurs. DarkPulse asks, is this the projects and operational assets. way forward for protecting assets and Natural Power looks at how more lowering costs? and more projects are seeking to complement basic PPAs with merchant trading and additional revenue streams. 4 PES WIND

CONTENTS 120 Nuts and bolts are one of the most 108 Industrial drones, or flying cranes, offer 112 The global installed capacity of floating simplistic components on a modern a possible new way to revolutionize wind offshore wind, ‘floating wind’, will wind turbine, but their inspection is turbine maintenance, with the potential grow from 88MW in 2022 to 260GW often the single largest maintenance to save wind farm operators and owners in mid-century. We hear from DNV on expenditure. TensionPro talks to us incredible amounts of time, money, and maximising opportunities from floating about inspection-free bolting, a new CO2 emissions. PES was keen to learn offshore wind hinges and de-risking maintenance approach that is now more from Mikkel Sørensen, Owner and the economics, technology, logistics available in the offshore wind industry Chief Executive Officer of Airflight. and operations. through the adoption of bolt load monitoring technology. Think tank PES essential 126 Achieving net zero is critical to 25 D ue to the high demand of electricity 12 Being able to efficiently install offshore supporting jobs and delivering economic and its high production price, Renewable turbine’s towers, nacelles, and blades growth and the Humber offers the Energy Resources (RERs) are considered in a high wind environment requires biggest decarbonisation opportunity in as a viable solution. TSR Wind explores new initiatives and solutions. NOV’s the country. Together, ABP’s four ports the opportunities and the challenges Sjøhest Wind Blade Installation solution in the region provide an unparalleled that lie ahead. lowers the cost, time, and complexity gateway for the trade and prime of offshore turbine blade installs, locations for green energy generation 54 A ll major regions aim to be climate while avoiding the need for oversized projects, connecting businesses across installation vessels. the UK, Europe, and beyond. neutral by 2050. Renewables-based electrification across the economy 40 W ith 92GW of new wind energy Ask the experts will be key to this ambition. Europe and other regions want faster generation capacity added last year 20 P roviding live sea state insights allows implementation, putting even more alone and the global wind power market pressure on supply and changing how expected to reach 69.7GW by 2027, offshore wind operators not only to businesses work together. ZF Wind Sulzer Schmid explores how tracking be better informed about weather- believes that we must rethink how we blade damage progression to enable sensitive operations, but access to sea create new opportunities to increase predictive maintenance can generate conditions in real-time is also crucial competitiveness in this challenge. huge savings and increase annual for improving safety, saving cost and energy production. the environment. We interviewed 58 During the construction and operation Gunnar Prytz, Miros’ Chief Technology Corporate focus Officer, to discuss why monitoring of wind farms, there are lots of data waves and sea level conditions in real- being collected for various purposes. 66 The skills shortage within the sector time are vital to enable better decisions Atlas Copco asks, how can the value for operations offshore. of data from bolted joint connections is a challenge for all. Could robots be deliver a competitive advantage across the solution? BladeBUG, explains 50 D uring a 12-hour trip to a wind farm 40 the wind industry? how its innovative robots can operate both onshore and offshore, working nautical miles offshore, a hybrid CTV 92 In the future, hydrogen will be a independently, or collaboratively with will emit 41% less CO2 compared to a a drone or technician, to perform conventional CTV. If a helicopter were fundamental building block for the a diverse range of inspection, used for the transport, CO2 could be transformation towards a climate- maintenance, and repair tasks. reduced by 73%. PES sat down with neutral economy. Its various production DECK1 CEO Jim Hededal Nielsen to methods and possibilities for use will 72 The VelociWrapper, a play on the fast, find out more. render it essential. Fraunhofer argues that, for the conversion of the energy fierce and famous dinosaur known as 62 As renewable energy becomes the system, hydrogen offers the possibility the velociraptor, is a cable wrapping of storing the volatilely produced machine designed to speed up triplexing. primary source of power in the future, renewable energies. The name is so clever and memorable, it modern, special and sustainable ships recently won an award for best name at a need to be ready to work and integrate 98 There is a significant boom in offshore solar energy conventions. in this market. We spoke to Nikol Hearn, M&A and fund advisor at Waterworks, renewable energy generation about how the company is acting in its satisfying the increasing demands of own innovative way to shape the future the world whilst also plugging the gap of the renewable energy industry. in capacity lost as more traditional generation methods come to end of life. OceaniQ looks at how these surges in connectivity rely almost entirely on vital cable infrastructure on the seafloor as it circumnavigates the globe between countries and continents. WWW.PESWIND.COM 5

COMMENT Clean energy: the key to economic and environmental resilience Words: K evin Hagen, Vice President, Environmental Social & Governance Strategy, Iron Mountain As we continue to strive for a cleaner planet, governments, industries and organisations around the world are uniting to build a sustainable future. The time is ripe to explore innovations and technologies that can work to reduce carbon emissions and help to facilitate better resource efficiency. In our digital age, data centres are Helping businesses overcome one of Kevin Hagen commonplace. However, in the winds of the today’s greatest challenges climate crisis sweeping the globe, it is not subject to fluctuating costs, and despite incumbent on the data centre and As its intersecting benefits for both the their intermittent nature, once the assets colocation industry to minimise its environment and economy are realised, the are built to harness them there is minimal environmental impact and maximise its spotlight on clean energy has brightened. recurring cost. As such, companies energy efficiency. Since 2007, when industry Businesses are seeking collaborations that investing in clean energy infrastructures, consortium The Green Grid first underpin their sustainability, as well as data centres amongst them, enjoy materialised, it has been clear that clean financial goals and are partnering with predictable and consistently lower energy energy is the key. Unfortunately, concerns companies who use clean energy in their own about prohibitive costs put the data centre operations, or better yet, investing in their efforts on the backburner. own renewable energy procurement solutions. As a prevalent partner in the But today, a selection of forward-thinking modern business landscape, this naturally companies in the sector have led the charge includes data storage operators. in embedding cost-competitive renewable energy supplies into the data centre One of the key business challenges in many ecosystem. And now, as businesses face parts of the world today is soaring energy both mounting energy costs and pressure costs. A gas shortage in Europe in 2021 first to conduct more sustainable operations, pushed energy prices up and then the renewable energy should take centre Russian war in Ukraine doubled them. But stage, as we fight to rescue our resources the crux of the problem is that relying on any and economies. one country for the import of energy, Russia or otherwise, is risky. If countries can The promise of a net zero future is in our increase the amount of their energy coming sights. Luckily, we do not have to choose from local renewable sources, each market between acting on the energy crisis or the will become much more resilient and energy climate crisis, with renewable energy, we costs will decline. can do both. Unlike fossil fuels, the sun and the wind are 6 PES WIND

COMMENT ‘If we make a collective, industry-wide drive to use 100% clean energy in all data centres, the momentum will shift our energy supply to a greener grid overall and help to make renewables more accessible to everybody.’ costs, which is usually a benefit they can developed innovative procurement solutions reduce carbon emissions; and building pass on to their customers. have since made green energy cost- BREEAM design-certified facilities that competitive and reliable. Now, there is no mean operations are sustainably minded Thus, the economic benefits of a renewable reason not to use it. If we make a collective, end-to-end. energy supply are as significant as the industry-wide drive to use 100% clean environmental ones. It is unquestionable that energy in all data centres, the momentum will In a world beset by complex challenges, our embracing clean energy will strengthen all shift our energy supply to a greener grid industry has the power to make real progress businesses, everywhere. Even just in the UK overall and help to make renewables more in some of the biggest. Organisations of alone, predictions are that widespread accessible to everybody. every kind must recognise the opportunities adoption of renewables could lower the before them to create change, data centres nation’s electricity bill by close to 9 billion Using green energy in the world’s data are now able to access the resources that pounds every year. centres is only part of the puzzle though. contribute to a sustainable future and what is The commitment to sustainability needs to more, enable our customers to do the same. The steward our planet deserves be broad for every operator if we are to build the carbon-neutral industry we’re all aiming By weaving sustainable practices into all data As a necessary partner for millions of for: targeting exponential decrease in Scope centre operations, we can allow businesses businesses, data centres must resolve to be 1 and 2 emissions, for which a 25% reduction around the world to join the ‘clean energy the ally that their customers, and indeed the over five-year periods is certainly realistic; revolution.’ Not only will this help to create planet, needs. joining the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative the change our planet so desperately needs, and pledging to achieve fleet-wide but it will also help to solve one of the largest A decade ago, despite enthusiasm for using electrification this decade; working with the economic threats to global businesses today. renewables, existing procurement sources Environmental Defence Fund to identify meant that data centres just could not make efficiencies and natural gas mitigation h ttps://www.ironmountain.com/uk?locali it work. It was simply too expensive. Luckily, strategies to bring down heating costs and ze=true&returnurl=https://www. the efforts of determined operators who ironmountain.com/ WWW.PESWIND.COM 7

CONFERENCE CALL Offshore energy in a changing world The energy transition and sustainable solutions are the hot topics running throughout the Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference. PES finds out what visitors can expect from Europe’s leading event that takes place on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th of November 2022 in RAI Amsterdam. Two days full of networking opportunities, sharing knowledge and shaping the future of energy together. 8 PES WIND

CONFERENCE CALL In many ways we have entered a new era in and investing in sustainable solutions. The Offshore Energy platform offers insights the last couple of years. The industry is This is the way forward for our industry. and foresights. This provides an overview changing. The world is changing. Change is about what is going on in our industries and the only constant. The need to innovate and This is why the energy transition and this leads to business opportunities. We do transform are key in remaining relevant and sustainable solutions are the main topics this by creating moments where people can future-proof. To make right decisions in the Offshore Energy platform focuses on. meet and exchange ideas and business these challenging times, it is essential to The communities, the offshore, maritime information. Where companies can showcase have a broad view. Information from our own and energy industries, are front-runners in their unique solutions to the market. This sector and neighbouring markets can help this change. A large part of the energy place is the Offshore Energy Exhibition & spot business opportunities. Sharing transition will take place at sea and Conference in RAI Amsterdam. knowledge with the community creates sustainable innovations will reshape the strong and valuable networks and maritime sector. Cross-market Offshore Energy Exhibition & sparks innovation. It all starts with collaboration connects the gears that set Conference 2022 connecting people. the energy transition in motion. Everything starts with connecting people. To The driving force behind the changes in the Think about it. Maritime ingenuity is needed pick up the pace in energy transition, offshore energy industry is the state of the to construct wind farms. Electric power is businesses, workers, governments, experts, earth. CO2 emissions are warming up the transmitted by subsea cabling. Oil and gas investors and the young generation must planet and pollution is damaging ecosystems. and the fuels that makes the energy find grounds for collaboration. Offshore To ensure a sustainable future, the energy transition happen. Other forms of Energy Exhibition & Conference 2022 (OEEC), transition is set in motion. Being future-proof renewable energy, like marine energy, are taking place on the 29th & 30th of November within the oil, gas, maritime, offshore wind, needed to meet energy demands. Without 2022 in RAI Amsterdam is the place where hydrogen and marine energy industries dredging, ports cannot function. Everything the entire offshore energy industry comes means being part of the energy transition is connected. together. This event is an opportunity to get in touch with business leaders, highly qualified experts and professionals across global markets. The future of offshore energy The world is facing a global energy crisis and increased prices for energy. Governments and companies are investing more and more in renewables, energy efficiency and clean technologies. The urge to switch to renewable energy is greater than ever, and concrete actions must be made now in order to accelerate the energy transition. Content program Energy is grabbing the headlines daily. When it comes to fighting climate change or from the viewpoint of foreign dependency, energy plays a pivotal role. The offshore energy sector is in the middle of all these developments. The content program of OEEC 2022 gives an overview on what is going on and singles out important drivers of change. This year hydrogen, floating wind and CCS will be in the spotlight. Offshore renewables like wind, wave and solar take the stage, together with the maritime industry and fossil energy. Different markets meet under one roof to foster business opportunities and learn from each other. With panel discussions, presentations and after talks, experts and industry leaders focus on the changing offshore energy landscape. Innovations like hydrogen and floating wind are highlighted, as well as the latest developments in offshore wind, marine energy and oil and gas. The content program, entitled ‘The Future of Offshore Energy’ includes flowing elements. Conference sessions In an inspiring setting, thought leaders and industry experts come together to share knowledge and discuss the latest trends. In the program experts talk about, among other topics, the role of hydrogen in transforming WWW.PESWIND.COM 9

CONFERENCE CALL our economies; innovations in the floating makes it possible to get to know each other Europe’s leading event for the entire offshore wind industry; developments in the and to share knowledge about various offshore energy industry and an marine energy sector; leading a company in topics related to offshore energy during opportunity to reach business leaders, these turbulent times and how to be future the event. highly qualified experts and professionals proof in a world that is changing fast. across global markets. The event takes The goal is to provide an event that will allow place on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th of The stage exhibitors, visitors, speakers and sponsors November 2022 in RAI Amsterdam. to connect. Besides the conference sessions, h ttps://www.offshore-energy.biz/ participants are welcome to visit the Stage, Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference is offshore-energy-2022 where they can expect perspectives on the where the energy transition takes place. It is human capital, interviews from start-ups, market updates and interviews from stakeholders in the hydrogen sector. In addition, our OEEC reporter will show the stunning exhibition floor and talk to exhibitors, visitors, presenting their products and innovations. The footage will be instantly available for exhibitors to share. Masterclasses Elaborating on previous editions, the Government of the Netherlands will host two exclusive masterclass sessions on offshore wind and hydrogen. The program brings together international government officials and business partners, aiming to build new partnerships, enhance international relations and to share knowledge and the latest policy developments. Matchmaking OEEC 2022 offers a matchmaking program that is available to all visitors, exhibitors and participants of the event. This feature 10 PES WIND

JOIN US! Do not miss out on the opportunity to meet the entire industry! O shore Energy Exhibition & Conference is where the energy transition takes place. It is Europe’s leading event for the entire o shore energy industry and your opportunity to reach business leaders, highly qualified experts and professionals across global markets. Supporting partners WWW.OFFSHORE-ENERGY.BIZ/OEEC2022 Created and produced by

PES ESSENTIAL Right-sizing offshore wind installations 12 PES WIND

PES ESSENTIAL With a steady growth off offshore wind energy and turbine sizes and components increasing continuously, installation challenges are also getting bigger. Being able to efficiently install offshore turbine towers, nacelles, and blades in a high wind environment requires new initiatives and solutions. NOV’s Sjøhest Wind Blade Installation solution lowers the cost, time, and complexity of offshore turbine blade installs, while avoiding the need for oversized installation vessels. Increasing demand for renewable power is optimal use of onshore loading space, prompting offshore wind farms to install an important consideration as increasingly bigger wind turbines, with higher towers and longer blades require larger hubs. larger blades. Installing 115m long blades on 140m tall towers raises the risk of delays and The Sjøhest solution also avoids the time and downtime due to wind. Of all the equipment costs associated with crane usage. The making up an offshore turbine, the blades are blades are rolled, not lifted, onto the WBI most susceptible to wind loads. As a result, jack-up deck during loading. blades currently take the most time to install with conventional wind turbine installation The new installation solution loads the blades vessels (WTIVs). longitudinally on the deck, in the same direction as the forward movement of the These challenges have prompted a jack-up out of the harbor. As a result, the partnership between GustoMSC and NOV loaded jack-up can move easily out of the Lifting & Handling in Norway to develop a harbor without interrupting the movement more efficient offshore turbine blade of other vessels. installation strategy. The result is the Sjøhest, Norwegian for ‘seahorse’, a smaller, Conventional WTIVs, by contrast, place the more efficient Wind Blade Installation (WBI) blades transversally on the deck. Loading in solution that makes blade transportation and this way results in 50-60 m of blade hanging installation safer and faster. off the side of the vessel, restricting harbor traffic, raising collision risks, and increasing Easing harbor bottlenecks transportation costs. The Sjøhest solution replaces large, Advancing safety and time-savings in high-capacity WTIVs with a dedicated the field newbuild NG-5500XL jack-up vessel or smaller converted jack-up. In combination In the field, the Sjøhest solution calls for with the alternative storage of blades on deploying the WTIVs to install the towers and deck, longitudinal instead of transversal, this nacelles, followed by the dedicated WBI smaller WBI vessel affords greater flexibility jack-up vessel to perform the blade and speed for blade loading and transport in installation. the harbor. The solution integrates several pieces of The cranes on conventional WTIVs have lift technology with a proven track record of capacities of 1,600 to 2,500 tons to performance in the oil and gas industry. accommodate loading heavy towers and However, NOV and its project partners nacelles. However, these cranes are modified this technology to improve oversized for lifting blades, which typically the safety and efficiency of every only weigh 70 to 80 tons each. Using such a blade installation. large, expensive installation vessel to lift relatively light loads is an inefficient use One efficiency-saving technology is the of resources. WBI’s telescopic leader boom. Just as a seahorse uses its strong grasping tail to The Sjøhest’s WBI jack-up is dedicated solely resist ocean currents, the Sjøhest relies on to blade loading, transport, and installation. the leader boom to minimize the effects of As a result, the loading and mobilization of wind and waves by connecting the WBI to the the towers/nacelles can be handled installed tower. separately from the blades, at two separate onshore mobilization hubs. This option In traditional installations on a WTIV, the vessel, allows for greater logistic flexibility and more blades, and tower all move independently in response to changing wind currents and waves. WWW.PESWIND.COM 13

PES ESSENTIAL This slows down the installation process and installation risks. The connection aligns the The WBI vessel is also equipped with a raises the risk of increased downtime and movement between the WBI leader boom knuckle boom crane. This proven damage to the blades. and the tower, allowing the separate technology picks up individual blades from components to move as one connected unit. the rack using a blade-handling tool Leader booms have been successfully designed by Danish blade-installation tool applied in offshore oil and gas operations for This unique connection affords safer and specialist Liftra. The tool ensures safe more than 20 years. But for wind more efficient blade installations. It also handling of the blades during installation to applications, NOV Norway and GustoMSC allows installation to continue in wind maintain their structural integrity for a 15 to made design modifications to ensure a conditions that would slow down, or 20 year service life. robust WBI/tower connection that minimized completely stop, operations from a WTIV. The knuckle boom crane moves the blade and handling tool to a trolley positioned on the leader boom. The blade and tool are transferred to the trolley in one action, an industry-first operation, patent pending. The trolley then horizontally transports the assembly up along the leader boom and toward the nacelle. As it climbs, the assembly rotates to place the blade in a vertical position. At the top of the boom, the blade is set into and bolted to the rotor. The nacelle rotates to place the next open rotor slot above the leader boom and the trolley descends back to the WBI to pick up the next blade assembly, with no delays or downtime. All three blades can be installed on a turbine in just one day. Splitting installation efforts between a WTIV and the Sjøhest solution provides significant efficiency benefits in the field. The larger WTIVs can be dedicated solely to tower and nacelle installations, while the WBI jack-ups install blades in another part of the field at the same time. By performing these separate installation operations in parallel, the solution decreases the total time required to install a wind farm. Keeping pace with future wind power demands As global power demands continue to rise, wind operators foresee a need for larger offshore farms with bigger turbines. Plans for 20MW wind projects are already in the works, and new wind turbines are being designed to accommodate 140m long blades. While the Sjøhest solution was developed to optimize blade installations for today’s turbines, it was also designed for the next generation. As towers get taller, for example, the length of the telescoping leader can be easily increased to accommodate blade installs at greater heights. The solution also promises to give aging WTIVs a new lease on life. Vessels that were built a decade ago or longer are quickly becoming too small for the new generation of towers and nacelles. But by installing the Sjøhest equipment on their decks, these vessels can perform installations for longer blades entering the offshore wind farm market. At a time when offshore wind developers require fast, reliable, and cost-effective construction options, the Sjøhest WBI solution offers blade installation services optimally sized to field demands. www.nov.com/sjohest 14 PES WIND

efficient, expert blade inspections intelligent, high quality data acquisition smart software using computer vision & machine learning * Aero Enterprise is the Official DJI Partner For the Optical Inspection of Wind Turbines industry leading, detailed analytics reporting Innovating the Future with Smart, Effective Data Acquisition & Analysis Solutions. www.aero-enterprise.com [email protected]

ASK THE EXPERTS The new standard in marine operations The impact of weather on offshore operations will remain a challenge, now and in the more digitalized future. As wind farms grow and move further from shore, it seems that data driven strategies and decision making will become more relevant than ever before. PES wanted to ask Jelte Kymmell, Co-Founder of MO4, what the advantages and disadvantages of this evolution are. PES: It’s great to speak to you Jelte and I’m JK: It is clear that there is a push towards allows for clear and straightforward looking forward to learning more about more data driven solutions to achieve better strategic long-term decision making. At the MO4. Your focus as a business is on cost performance and lower costs. Some refer to same time, it saves the staff a lot of time saving through digitalization of marine it as digitalization, others like to talk about spent on making logs, filling databases and operations, is that right? digital-twins, but they all serve the same progress reports. purpose. We basically offer two services. Jelte Kymmell: The pleasure is all mine. And MO4 Forecasting, on the other hand, yes, that is correct, although digitalization is a Our MO4 analytics service collects, revolutionizes the way a ship’s planning is broad term. We provide a very specific digital automatically processes and presents only made for the coming day or days. A method solution that drastically improves the the relevant operational data. For example, which is just simpler and also drastically performance of ships during installation and the time spent waiting on weather or the reduces weather downtime. Now don’t get maintenance activities for offshore wind farms. safety score of a transfer operation. We use me wrong, idea is not new and is being used practical knowledge of real world operations and proven but was always considered to be PES: How does this fit within the offshore in combination with the obtained data to complex and challenging to use for most. We wind industry? What services do you offer? generate exactly what our clients need. This have just made it easy to use for everybody. 16 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS So how does it work? The user, whoever is PES: Planning inefficiencies can be a challenge Jelte Kymmell responsible for the ‘go / no-go’ decision, and increasingly so as wind farms grow and provides some basic input about the the market for the energy they create 2.0m, we often see an increase of 20-50 planned operations such as the activity, develops. How can these be overcome? workable days. With day rates ranging from ship loading condition and potential Euro 10.000-400.000 it seems an easy way to heading restrictions. Depending on the JK: To optimize your planning you first need save up to millions per year per ship. type of project the ship motion limits are to know what it is that you want to optimize loaded beforehand or set by the user. For for. Fuel costs? Low emissions? WTG yield? How can this be, you may think? The key to the relevant site that latest weather Technician fatigue or one of the many other reducing weather downtime is to remove as forecast is retrieved and now factors that may be relevant. many assumptions as possible made in the hydrodynamic wizardry is put to work to preparation and engineering phase. Each generate a plot which shows in detail if the Apart from this, we also see that a whole new assumption comes with uncertainty and foreseen operations can be safely generation of ships will enter into the market inaccuracy. In turn leading to a stack of executed. Optimization by changing some with alternative fuels, fuels cells or battery conservative influences often resulting in parameters is easily done leading to lower packs to power the ship. This may bring unnecessary downtime. So, the trick is to be downtime. See figure 1. forward completely different requirements able to separate unnecessary downtime from related to power availability. An aspect that actual downtime. How this is achieved I will PES: How can MO4 help to make offshore drivers of full electric cars may have get to later. operations more efficient? experienced all too well. Also very important in reducing downtime is JK: It is all about being able to make the right And last but not least; the contractual to use the right measure to define what is decision to safely work while using the full obligations and KPIs may also impact how a safe or not. And it only seems logical to look potential of your ship. And for the right ship is put to work. Clearly, a straightforward at how the ship is moving. The movement of decision you need the right data. answer cannot be given. Therefore, we will continue to rely on the planners. For example, MO4 forecasting presents clearly what your ship can do over the coming However, their work, their effort and the hours and days. By changing from the old resulting performance of the ship or method based on wave height forecasts contractor will mostly depend on the alone to the new method also including ship equipment they have. What type of ships, motion forecasting you will gain many what capacity, size, fuel capacity, mission additional workable days per year. And equipment etc. do they have to work with. knowing exactly which turbine, which landing And just as important, how well trained is the platform, which ship heading or which crew to be able to use ships to their full operation you can safely perform allows you potential. Having the right operational data to plan much more efficiently. on the different activities and strategies allows for continuous improvements. It is this ‘knowing’ which allows the captain and planners to cut away many unnecessary PES: Is it really possible to reduce weather downtime days. You just need to be weather downtime without using bigger presented with the right data. This is what or heavier equipment? we do. JK: Yes, it surely is. For operations that currently have wave height limits of, say Hs WWW.PESWIND.COM 17

ASK THE EXPERTS Figure 1. Presentation of workability where 100% indicates the safety limit for a certain ship heading at a which is typically quite good for the first 24 or certain moment 48 hours and becomes less reliable afterwards. the ship results in sliding cargo, slipping-ctv use a motion forecast and compare this with PES: What gains in workability can be fenders, overstressed sea-fastening, a much more easily and accurately definable achieved with MO4 Forecast technology? swaying loads or exceedance of a gangway’s motion limit. mechanical limits. Yes, the ship moves as a JK: We have conducted various business result of waves, but waves come in an endless The most important difference is that setting cases looking at gangway operations, cable variety of heights, periods and directions and the wave height limit should be done before lay and heavy lift operations. In these are therefore difficult to assess. the weather forecast is available. Waves cases, we have used wave limits from actual often come from different directions, with projects and derived the associated Ship motions are straightforward. MO4 varying wave lengths and may consist of motions limits. Forecasting has enabled switching to these various wind sources, local or far away. ship motions as a safety measure. This is To overcome these complexities, overly For the cases where wave height limits were often referred to as response based simplified assumptions used to be made around 1.5m in the northern North Sea we forecasting. This shift is key to getting a grip during the engineering phase. The error, have found 50 additional working days. As on workability and better performance. often not well acknowledged, can lead up to can be expected the gains reduce as the 20-30 or even 50%. allowable wave height increases as such PES: Is it a case of looking back at conditions happen less often. For southern operational data to help define strategy or On the other hand, the motion limit can easily North Sea sites and operations with a Hs planning for the future and identify be defined. A certain upward acceleration at limit of 2.5m we found 30 to 40 more potential bottlenecks? How reliable and some point or a roll angle will result in workable days. effective is this? mechanical failure. Simple. Now we only need to transform the incoming wave forecast to a We have also been able to a ‘shadow run’ on an JK: We often say ‘without data, it’s just an motion forecast. Now, this is easier said than actual cable lay project. Details cannot be opinion’. Our technology is unique in its done. But this is essentially what we do. Just shared unfortunately, but 9 out of 11 downtime ability to identify the various activities such making it simpler and more accurate by using events were shown to be unnecessary. as ‘transfer of personnel’, ‘approach’, a better method. ‘stand-off’, ‘transit’, and many more. This The bar graph showing workability per allows us to clearly correlate performance for PES: It’s about forecasting for the coming month shows typical results of such a case each activity with circumstances such as days too, isn’t it? study clearly identifying the gained weather, crew, ship type etc. workability per month. JK: Correct. We rely on the weather forecast, This proves to be very effective data and PES: How is the strong reduction in essential in improving overall performance. weather downtime realized without This data has obviously been checked and taking more risk? validated and proves to be highly reliable for repetitive operations as we often see in WF JK: That is a very good question. I sometimes O&M. For less repetitive operations more compare it to walking in the mountains. If you care should be taken in interpreting the would normally wear prescription glasses but output. The current fleet of some 25 ships, you have lost them you cannot clearly see the mostly SOVs and CTVs, allow us to boulders or even worse the edge of a cliff. You continuously learn and improve. would therefore walk slower and stay further from the edge. After having found your glasses PES: What is the difference between wave again you can better see where the edge is and based and motion based forecasting? can therefore walk faster and closer without taking more risk. You just have better JK: We need to get a bit more into the information to set your course of action. technical details to shed some light on this. So bear with me. First, let’s take a small step www.mo4.online back, with wave based forecasting we use a wave height forecast for the coming days and compare it to some wave height limit. Similarly, with motion based forecasting we 18 PES WIND

Situational Awareness for safe and efficient Marine Access Planning To go or not to go? Accurate measurements of local environmental conditions contribute significantly to enhancing safe and efficient offshore operations. Make the right decisions based on reliable real-time data anytime, anywhere and on any device. • Wider weather windows • Increased safety Scan to access • Enhanced performance • Reduced downtime live sea state data www.miros-group.com on miros.app:

ASK THE EXPERTS For safe and efficient operations, it is important that all the disparate project stakeholders have the same situational awareness to make the right decisions at any time Wave measurements to reduce risk, costs and emissions Providing live sea state insights allows offshore wind operators not only to be better informed about weather-sensitive operations, but also access to sea conditions in real-time is also crucial for improving safety, cost saving and the environment. The wind industry moves further out and pushes its boundaries of operation toward deeper waters and harsher environments, which demands an increased focus and commitment to enhance the safety of the people who operate and maintain these assets. 20 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS Reliable and accurate wave and weather data is now Equinor. Since then, we have been PES: What does Miros bring to the offshore essential for ensuring the safety of staff, as well working with some of the largest companies wind industry? as the integrity of assets and we must work on in the offshore and maritime industry. That is minimising risk for the people who operate in how we gained our vast experience and this GP: Measuring local environmental one of the most hazardous work environments. high-demanding industry's trust. Hence, we conditions is critical for the planning and do not compromise when serving extremely execution of offshore operations. We interviewed Gunnar Prytz, Miros’ Chief high requirements on quality, performance, Technology Officer, to discuss how and why accuracy, reliability and security. Traditionally, on offshore wind farms data monitoring waves and sea level conditions in are siloed into the Construction, real-time are vital to enable better decisions We have grown alongside our clients on their Operations, SCADA, IT, Metocean, and for operations offshore. energy transition journey and have been Asset Integrity teams. This means that, providing wave monitoring solutions to the once the project is operational, it becomes PES: Welcome to PES Gunnar. It’s great to offshore wind market since 2014. Our deep rather cumbersome for data to be shared have you with us. For readers who may be knowledge of working in various offshore across both internal teams and external unfamiliar with your company, can you give markets and their challenging environments, stakeholders like vessel operators and a brief introduction to Miros and your fit nurtured our technology development as we various consultancy companies. within the wind energy industry? continuously learned what high-performance sensors and data services are needed to One of our strengths as a supplier and a Gunnar Prytz: Miros is a technology succeed in an offshore milieu. Thus, the project partner is that we can connect all the company specialising in measuring the ocean transition to supporting offshore wind disparate stakeholders through our data surface, providing sensors and systems for operators came naturally. platform, Miros Cloud. This is a service environmental monitoring to the global offering which is available alongside all our offshore and maritime industry. We provide We have been working with a range of clients core IoT wave and weather sensors as a accurate, real-time data for weather- on both fixed and floating projects, including subscription, allowing for easy and secure sensitive operations offshore, as well as the world's first floating wind farm. We value access to real-time sea state data. It is valuable input to asset integrity systems and our legacy as we have been working with the important for everyone to have the same coastal monitoring through our portfolio of energy industry from the start and we have situational awareness to support internal sensors. The primary applications include the track record to prove it. We are proud of teams’ decision-making as well as the wave and current monitoring and oil spill being a trusted partner to our clients and it is planning of future life extensions or bidding detection systems. this trust and continued collaborative for new leasing rounds for example. working that has ensured our success as the Miros’ journey started nearly 40 years ago, as energy industry has transformed over the While we cannot underestimate the intrinsic an offshore research project utilising past four decades. value of data, the added value for our clients microwave radars with the company that is comes from this holistic image we can offer WWW.PESWIND.COM 21

ASK THE EXPERTS to all the involved parties. To help our clients Successfully operating Miros sensors and Cloud solution on several wind farms, the company has now better understand the wave conditions transferred the gathered experiences into the development of a new multi-parameter wave sensor, which across a site Miros has also developed a will be launched in 2023. Expect streamlined sensor design, smarter functionality as well as tailored cloud brand-new tool called Sensor Placement dashboards for easy access to the crucial sea state data you need Optimisation Tool (SPOT). GP: In the wider offshore community, there is approaches to measurement. The methodology embedded ensures that a marked lack of awareness of the economic we can advise best installation points for value of wave measurements, particularly The first scenario, business-as-usual, instrumentation in an intelligent way across when it comes to having spatially distributed assumed wave height (Hs) access conditions an offshore wind farm to maximise the value ocean measurement technology installed. were the same at every location across the of the solution. Our advanced cloud platform site while the second, with Miros sensors then enables us to easily make data available We recently ran a study with Trios deployed, used simulated distributed to all stakeholders, anywhere on any device, Renewables which has provided evidence of real-time measurements at five sensor in real-time. More importantly, for our the potential benefits of direct wave locations across the site. customers it comes down to using data to measurements for offshore wind farms. solve real problems. That is why we are The model used two case studies, an existing We looked at suitable weather windows, missed focusing on adding applications on top of our offshore site, a modern Scottish site with opportunities, and successful trips, comparing data to enable our customers to improve seven megawatt turbines, and a ScotWind the results between relying on forecasts and their decision-making. site expected to be operational by 2030, as a using our sensors for real-time measurements. benchmark for the effectiveness of different The main aim was to see if we could reduce In addition, we are also working with other turbine downtime and operational costs. service suppliers for these projects and are integrating data both to and from their platforms i.e., marine coordination, weather forecast and even vessel management systems. This all contributes towards enhancing and connecting the digital ecosystem on an offshore wind farm. There is value in the data we provide, but there is even more value in connecting all the project stakeholders and enabling them to commonly make faster and better- informed decisions about their operations and assets. To boost this dynamic work environment, we will be introducing a new IoT multi-parameter wave sensor to the Offshore Wind Market in 2023. PES: Do you have any recent case studies you could share with us, as an example of your products in action? Preview of the new Miros Offshore Wind portal to improve visibility of wave conditions throughout the farm, for improved operational planning and infield decision-making 22 PES WIND

ASK THE EXPERTS Preview of a new vessel access forecasting tool using a fusion of environmental and operational data sets to provide the user with a streamlined dashboard that can identify weather windows for go/no go vessel dispatch decisions The results clearly showed that deployment GP: Throwing out some guiding keywords to improve our products to better support our of sensors at various locations across a site characterise the future of wave clients and the wider offshore industry. would enable operators to better utilise their measurement for this burgeoning industry I Almost half our staff is involved in the opportunities for site visits, leading to would highlight accuracy, transparency and development of our products in one way or potential annual savings of more than £1m. flexibility at first. Very closely followed by another and we are excited to launch a new scalability, adaptability as well as easy data sensor and new advanced tools next year. This benefit would be enhanced even more integration and accessibility. Getting the right data at the right time to on a site with digital vessel dispatch inform operational decisions is critical in this planning, which is becoming more prevalent As projects are moving further from shore picture and that is exactly our focus in Miros in offshore wind, as a key uncertainty in an and the turbines are becoming larger and as a leading provider of ocean insights. optimised schedule is the Hs condition larger, the space between turbines also across the farm. increases. This means that weather h ttps://miros-group.com/markets/ conditions can vary dramatically from one renewables/ PES: How important is the ability to side of the wind farm to the other and that, measure the ocean surface for those in the from an operational perspective, planning Gunnar Prytz, Ph.D., CTO Miros wind sector? access to these projects will become more Miros’ portfolio has undergone a of a challenge. dramatic transformation under GP: Hugely important! Many of those Gunnar’s keen eye, with IoT-enablement directly involved in the operational side of Also, as the turbine sizes increase, both and cloud-integration paving the way offshore wind recognise the huge from a megawatt perspective and from a for evermore exciting innovations in the importance of site accessibility and the physical size perspective, it becomes more field of real-time wave and value wave measurement plays in achieving important than ever to reduce downtime as environmental monitoring. efficient access. not only will the commercial implications be massive if they are switched off We need to remember that Hs is still the key unnecessarily, but the longer distances parameter in terms of decision-making for between turbines will increase risk in terms vessel dispatch. So even if an operator does of getting there and back safely. It is about not use sensors for wave measurement, they enhancing weather windows and driving will still look at the weather forecast, wind operational safety in harsh offshore speed and direction when deciding whether environments and because of that, to send personnel out on a crew transfer accurate wave data plays a crucial role. vessel for example. As the offshore wind industry is poised to Having accurate wave data is not only experience exponential growth over the significant in terms of crew safety, but also coming years, the need to send personnel for optimising efficiency for operations. This offshore to conduct the operation and ensures that vessels are not sent out maintenance of those assets, many in more unnecessarily, which is obviously incurring hazardous areas than previously costs from a manpower and fuel perspective, experienced, will also rise. This is an urgent but it also increases CO2 emissions at a time reminder that identifying ways to minimise when companies are looking to reduce their the risks faced by the workforce must always carbon footprints. be a priority. PES: Where do you see the future of wave Therefore, are we constantly investing measurement for offshore wind? heavily in research to find the best ways to WWW.PESWIND.COM 23

Real Time Wave Monitoring Wave measurements provide crucial input for testing and validating the innovative floating � Highly accurate turbine solutions. � Maintenance free � Plug & play � How will the construction perform in (extreme) wave conditions? � How does the wave load contribute to the mooring line tensions? � How does the dynamic performance compare to the models? Knowing the actual waves is key to the floating turbine development. This is our expertise: measuring waves by radar without the need for any water contact. Radac, a Dutch company, applied 25 years of experience into the development of a highly accurate wave radar, specifically designed for the floating wind industry.

THINK TANK Following the weld Nowadays, due to the high demand of electricity and its high production price, Renewable Energy Resources (RERs) are considered as a viable solution. The penetration of renewables as a means of electricity production is expected to increase by up to 60% by 20501. Introduction: wind turbine history towers are a key component in a wind Robotics at wind farms service turbine, but specific inspections are only Wind turbine technology is one of the most carried out if it shows a visible defect. Kratos 200 executes weld inspection tasks reliable of the most-used resources in the past Therefore, damage can harm the entire Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) in wind few years. The first wind farm in the world was structure of the wind turbine, so it is vital to turbine towers. This robotic platform is inaugurated in 19812. Since then, wind energy carry out regular inspections. designed to be transported on steel surfaces has experienced exponential growth. or other ferrous material. Typical tower inspections methods On the other hand, due to the significant The solution features several highly complex use of wind turbine technology for a One of the common Operation and proprietary technical innovations. These number of years, 28% of European wind Maintenance (O&M) strategies that is include the mechanical system, to guarantee farms exceeded 15 years of operation in carried out on wind farms currently is an accurate omnidirectional movement while 20203, which shows the need for careful manual UT Inspection. With this method, withstanding the pull force from the magnets inspection of them before extending their the operator climbs the tower to inspect and the perturbations caused by the gravity useful lifetime. Moreover, these statistics the steel tower´s welds, using rope access and weight of the robot and its payloads. are continuing to increase, as the wind or with the help of a lifting platform. This Based on the same family of motors used for energy market is growing rapidly every method is carried out manually, therefore, TSR robots, the team has designed a day. For this reason, many wind farm the inspection takes several days of work mechanical system to couple a motor with its owners are dealing with the challenge of to inspect a complete wind turbine. reductor directly into the wheel, with a their assets’ life extension. There is risk for the operator due to the mechanical support that allows a rotation of height, as well as the high costs of using 360 degrees, augmenting efficiency and Increasing the life term of a wind farm lifting platforms. reducing the weight of the complete depends on the quality of maintenance that assembly compared to the first prototype. is carried out during its useful life. TSR Wind offers robotic solutions to eliminate Inspection of each component is essential the risks for operators by proposing an An ad-hoc probe holder visible to press the for a wind turbine to continue its healthy innovative solution: Kratos robot. surface of the tower, adapting to different operation, not only to save costs, but also to reduce the environmental impact by delaying the recycling of the materials that make up the machine. In this context, the 1 International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Figure 1. Weld inspection procedure carried out by a level II ultrasonic expert Global Energy Transformation. A Roadmap to 2050, 2018. http://www.irena.org/. 2 A BC Science, The world’s first wind farm. 2015. https://www.abc.net.au/science/ articles/2015/07/30/4282474.htm 3 L isa Ziegler, Elena Gonzalez, Tim Rubert, Ursula Smolka, Julio J. Melero. Lifetime extension of onshore wind turbines: A review covering Germany, Spain, Denmark, and the UK. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,v 82, Part 1, 2018, p. 1261-1271. https://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/S1364032117313503 WWW.PESWIND.COM 25

THINK TANK diameters, weld geometries, projections In addition to collecting ultrasound data, to inspect an entire tower of a and impurities, while moving with a Kratos utilizes a high-quality video camera to wind turbine. millimeter precision. record the entire process, which allows any other visual defect in the tower to be The level II ultrasound expert analyses the Finally, a control system is designed monitored and to assess whether it needs results obtained during data collection and especially for acting over the inclination and any type of maintenance. prepares a report that will be incorporated altitude of the robot while it moves following into the TSR Inspector platform. In this the weld on an inspection, avoiding the It depends on the height of the wind self-developed application, the client can gravity drift while it moves horizontally. turbine and the number of welds to check, see the results on any device with an but the inspection process can take a day internet connection and conveniently The powerful neodymium magnets allow it to climb a tower up to 100 meters high at a speed of 5 meters per minute. Although the robot is prepared to work autonomously, an operator reviews the inspection process by observing its location with a device connected via optic fiber to provide high speed connection between the robot and the operation station. The welds are inspected by attaching an intelligent probe holder device to the robot, equipped with motorized probes that can be controlled independently, with adjustable pressure to the surface and a weld detection system based on computer vision to aid the robots to follow the weld automatically, using ultrasonic testing methods that complement each other during the acquisition, Time of Fight Diffraction (TofD) and Phased Array (PAUT). A small amount of water is applied as a coolant, instead of other chemical liquids, which the robot dispenses and is used both in the calibration process and in data acquisition. The information of the Kratos can be collected and reviewed in real time by a level II ultrasound expert or downloaded for a later inspection. Figure 2. Damage example. Materials analysis by ultrasound (Phase Array and TOFD technology) 26 PES WIND

THINK TANK download the reports to check them at there isn’t any damage in the structure. involves the creation of an important any time. Some examples of serious damage that database, where the client can consult at Kratos can detect in welds are cracks, any time and observe the damage evolution During the first phase of this project, the fissures, and manufacturing defects with over time. Kratos 150 was used to inspect more than depths greater than 2mm. It is clear that time 200 welds. can extend these damages until they become Savings for owners and O&Ms a big problem for the towers. Ultrasonic inspection for life extension By using this robotic inspection method, the In addition, the robot is also capable of wind farm owner can optimize and reduce the As mentioned above, the wind turbine´s detecting smaller defects, such as pores or budget of weld inspection of the turbines by a tower is a key component of the system, lack of fusion before they became minimum of 50%. Moreover, the time of therefore inspections of the tower's welds something worse. inspection can be reduced by a third, which are highly related to the life extension of the means shorter inspection time, longer turbine. Welds status directly affects the Having all the inspections kept in TSR production, and in-use time of the turbine. integrity of the tower and maintaining Inspector keeps all the useful information in periodic inspections is a way to be sure that one platform. The storage of this data Another key feature of using TSR robots, is if the safety regulations of the park allow, the robot is able to inspect the tower of the turbine while it is in operation mode. So during the inspection period the turbine can still produce power to avoid the loss of income. A robot with many possibilities Kratos provides many possibilities for wind farm operators. Its probe system, where the ultrasound monitoring is performed, is just one of the functionalities of Kratos. It is also able to lift heavy loads and move in any direction through the tower. The robot could help maintenance technicians who are working at heights to lift certain heavy tools, attach another type of ultrasound system, perform paint stripping, repaint the wind turbine, carry out non-destructive tests, install sensors or antennas, and many other complementary functionalities. Apart from the wind industry, the TSR Wind vision is widely open to apply its solutions in other industry sectors. Although it has inspected more than 4,400 turbines, TSR Wind solutions has been examined in some industrial storage tanks, providing excellent results. Typically, these kinds of inspections are carried out by assembling large scaffolding. However, Kratos provides an optimal inspection solution for any structure with steel surfaces or other ferrous materials. The perspective for offshore structures The weld inspection on the deep waters or in shallow waters with strong waves is a hard task and dangerous for the operator comparing to those carried out in onshore structures. Consequently, for offshore wind farms, Kratos provides a solution to check the welds of the wind turbines with floating platforms or other infrastructures in port before the installation. Ultimately, Kratos is prepared to respond to the great demand that exists all around the world. The complexity and multi- functionality feature of Kratos makes it a unique solution for a reliable welding inspection process using ultrasound technology. Kratos is considered as a fundamental solution for wind farm life extension processes. www.tsrwind.com WWW.PESWIND.COM 27

TALKING POINT New vessels bring MHO-Co closer to net zero emission In the wake of the ground-breaking innovation with the world’s first hybrid power CTVs, Danish shipping company MHO-Co now sets out on the next voyage towards zero emission. With a targeted course towards a fleet with net zero emissions, an order has now been placed for two new, state of the art, hybrid vessels. 28 PES WIND

TALKING POINT The course is set and although it is still some a long and broad international experience in a gain, as the diesel engines are constantly way off, the destination is clearly in sight: A the industry. running in the optimal ‘green field’ and are full fleet of flexible, capable, comfortable, turned off for many more hours during the and least but not least, sustainable CTVs with The sum of skills from both him and his day. This aspect we hope to optimize even net zero emissions. crews, combined with the experience more on the next generation.’ gained from operating the first generation This is the guiding star for Esbjerg-based of hybrid vessels, is now being built into the The new vessels are expected to be delivered Danish shipping company MHO-Co and two new flagships. at the end of 2023, going into operation background for the ordering of two upcoming around February 2024. Like the first vessels of completely new standards. ‘We expect a CO2 reduction of up to 30% and generation, the order has been placed with we consider that a realistic scenario. Our first the AFAI Southern Shipyard in Guangzhou, ‘It’s a natural next step for us and a large generation performed twice as well as China, representing a total investment a bit move for the entire sector. Our goal is always expected, with a 20% reduction in bunker north of 17 million euros. to set new industry standards for each consumption against the expected 10%. In generation of vessels, and now we raise the general, we estimate conservatively, and we ‘The industry is booming, and offshore wind bar once again,’ says CEO and founder of have experienced some bonuses in hybrid activities are moving further and further MHO-Co, Mik Henriksen. consumption we didn’t see coming from land. We invest to maintain a strong beforehand,’ Mik Henriksen explains. momentum and secure our leading position,’ A strong imprint has already been left in the adds Mik. wake of the world’s first hybrid vessel; two ‘Theoretically, the energy loss when significant innovations launched by the converting from mechanical to electrical and The new hybrid vessels now have four shipping company in 2021. In line with the from electrical to storage, and then back electrical motors. This represents a first generation, the upcoming vessels are from storage to mechanical, would be around double-up on electrification compared to the also designed by Mik, a reputable figure with 6 to 9%. In practice though, it has turned into proud ships MHO Asgaard and MHO Apollo of the first generation, where propulsion takes place with the help of two electrical and two diesel motors. Thus, all propulsion of the new vessels is carried along with electric motors. The capacity of the battery pack is now three times higher than the first generation of the hybrid driveline. Even more impressive, the usable range of the batteries has now improved five times. Combined with four electrical motors in the all-new propulsion system the result is a unique stand by time of a whole 36 hours with zero emissions on site. Not far away on the horizon awaits the next step in the development process, which is supported by EUDP-funding due to the strong innovation. ‘A Ballard fuel cell system is ready for installation, awaiting only final approval from the authorities. Flexibility is a key factor in our design and thus the driveline is fully prepared for future technologies,’ says Mik. ‘Furthermore, we have optimized the hull lines by three to five percent. This will add to the overall reduction in fuel consumption and emissions besides an improvement in zero speed performance.’ Speaking of performance, the new vessel will benefit from the design in ‘wave ability’ performing stable operation in conditions exceeding two-meter significant wave height. Industrial Personnel and crew will experience a more stable and reliable vessel in high sea with even better maneuverability. This is thanks to another innovation on board, jet bow thrusters currently under development for installation in the new vessels. The components of this novelty consist of two 50 KW thrusters with DESMI pumps and Danfoss PM electric motors. The comfortable surroundings on the upcoming vessels are a pleasant chapter in itself. Both crew and Industrial Personnel will enjoy captain class comfort in every aspect of everyday life on board. Among other WWW.PESWIND.COM 29

TALKING POINT things, access to the hull has been changed personnel can enjoy bright and spacious complicated and challenging journey. to reduce noise. Accommodation has been surroundings. This applies to the eight further designed and developed to ensure cabins as well, which all have direct access to ‘We have a clear ambition to stay at the front maximum tranquility for the crew in the a spacy bathroom. of this fantastic and ever challenging completely enclosed crew quarters. industry,’ ‘Captain Mik’ enthusiastically According to Mik, this focus and prioritization points out. ‘Go green or go home, you could This will ensure absolutely no disturbance to of welfare facilities will ensure a higher level add, and we go nowhere but to the front. the crew’s rest and thus a more relaxed trip of safety and an easier recruitment of the Obviously, in every part of the industry we for the Industrial Personnel as well. The idea most competent crews. ‘The best should take our own medicine as behind this design is simple and efficient: technology is not enough; the human aspect contributors to the green transition, and the With a completely separate area for the crew, is an equally important piece to achieve our answer from MHO-Co is loud and clear: neither party needs to consider each other. future goals,’ he adds. Challenge accepted!’ In addition, there will be an even better sea MHO-Co stays on course towards a future https://mho-co.dk/ view from the salon where industrial free of emissions. Although it is a Words from the crew of MHO Asgard Principal particulars 35.9 m LENGTH OVERALL: 411 / 123 Jurelevicius Valdemaras, engineer TONNAGE, GT / NT: 33.08 m LOAD LINE LENGTH: 35.00 m Compared with other CTVs, the MHO LENGTH WATERLINE: 11.00 m Asgard has a big advantage above all BEAM MOULDED: 1.70 m (typical) others with the batteries of the vessel. DRAFT: 18-25 knots This means that laying in the field or in SERVICE SPEED: 80 t (subject to final lightship) port we can go full electric. Sweet MAX DEADWEIGHT: 2 x 1485 litres silence and saving of fuel and running DAY FUEL CAPACITY: 90000 litres (6 tanks) hours on the generators. CARGO FUEL: 2500 litres FRESH WATER: 2500 litres Tobias Danser, master SULLAGE : Aluminium CONSTRUCTION: DNV +1A HSLC Crew Windfarm R1 Battery Power It is my first time sailing with a IPS SURVEY: 24 technicians + 6 crew (integrated propulsion system) driven Personnel Capacity: 142 m² with 2 t/m² load capacity vessel and I must admit it sometimes Foredeck Cargo Area: makes me feel like a child again. The steering is amazing, easy and light to handle and all in one joystick. Viktoras Soponaru, chief officer Working in this industry for10 years, this CTV is the best yet. Better cabins , better maneuvers, more stability on the waves. I like this vessel! 30 PES WIND

Onentczoeurroseemtoiswsaiordnss The journey continues. With our recent order for two new state of the art hybrid CTVs. We are taking the next step towards a zero emission fleet. Following the groundbreaking premiere of our first hybrid vessels, the new 36m CTVs elevate the hybrid technology to even higher standards. The first generation achieved a reduction in emission of up to 30%. The next generation will reduce emissions even more, and the exact data will be registered and shared when we start operations. The four electrical engines, with the all-new propulsion system, ensure a unique stand-by time of 36 hours with zero emissions on site. Furthermore, the hull is optimized to our latest know-how resulting in 3 to 5% less water resistance and new standards of zero speed capability. Last but not least, the on board crew facilities are significantly improved, e.g each of the eight cabins has direct access to a spacious bathroom. These captain-class wellbeing surroundings guarantee our customers the highest level of safety and recruitment of the most competent crew. Our new hybrid CTVs are expected to enter operation in Q4 2023, and the next generation is already on www.mho-co.dk the drawing board, securing our lead position. [email protected] To be continued… Welcome aboard our green journey!

TALKING POINT Look up for new solutions 32 PES WIND

TALKING POINT As the offshore industry expands quickly in the coming years, innovative solutions are needed. HeliOIS wants to add more flexibility and efficiency by creating new service and inspection concepts that can optimise the way we work. Imagine this: a wind farm operator discovers Janni Andersen sky for new solutions. Literally. We need new that a substation in the North Sea is solutions that are holistic and innovative. malfunctioning and needs repairs. But the and foremost, you travel faster by air than HeliOIS wants to challenge the status quo technician who can do the job is working at by sea. And as the industry grows both in and create new innovative solutions that another wind farm far from the problem, and size and in geography companies need to saves money, saves time and CO2,’ cannot be at the malfunctioning substation allocate qualified employees almost all over continues Janni. for days, even if he jumps on a CTV the globe. immediately. Normally, this situation Innovation is a prime focus for HeliOIS, as would mean many days of downtime and Secondly, the number of CTVs are limited, the Danish company believes that through unnecessary loss of both sustainable and with the current shortness of steel and innovation the offshore industry can be energy and money. general supply chain challenges it is difficult optimised and improved. The goal is to make to procure more vessels, and therefore the it easier, safer, and more comfortable to HeliOIS wants to change this, with innovative CTV fleets are not growing at a pace that work offshore. solutions that bring a new flexibility to the can keep up with demand. By adding offshore industry as it is growing rapidly. helicopters to the equation assets can be ‘We want to create innovation and new freed for other tasks. solutions that are second to none. To do ‘The offshore industry is suffering from that we have gathered a network of growing pains,’ says Janni Andersen, CEO & Optimise through innovation specialists in logistics, aviation and offshore Co-founder of HeliOIS. ‘The industry is industry, each an expert in their field. When expanding due to the focus on renewable ‘The system needs more flexibility to keep different expertise and competencies work energy and the current system cannot scale up with the current demand. The offshore together innovative solutions emerge,’ quickly enough. So we believe that innovation industry has a strong maritime history, but it explains Janni, who has more than 15 years and new out-of-the-box solutions are needed.’ is time to be innovative and look up in the of experience with aviation logistics in different airline companies. Technician on site in 24 hours The 24-hour transportation service is just To solve the problem described in the one of several new solutions from HeliOIS. beginning of this article, HeliOIS has a concept that brings technicians to any Outsource all inspection and audits European offshore site in 24 hours, from anywhere in France, Belgium, The Another innovation from HeliOIS is the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, possibility to outsource all offshore inspections Poland or Denmark. and audits to its subject matter experts. This 24-hour transportation service can Offshore inspection and audits are complex reduce costs significantly when technical matters for most companies, as they are not malfunctioning is causing downtime on their core competence. The work includes substations or wind farms. The secret to the contacting many different contributors and fast response is using helicopters for authorities and requires vast knowledge of transportation as an addition to CTVs. regulations and standards. Adding helicopters to the offshore service ‘When outsourcing inspection and audits to fleet has more than one advantage. First us you get a simple and yet very competent WWW.PESWIND.COM 33

TALKING POINT solution to a complex task. First of all, we are Safe and simple ‘The offshore industry is a complex business, aviation experts and our subject matter we want to make it a little simpler. By experts are skilled and experienced. Using helicopters for offshore inspection is outsourcing all inspections to us, you only have Secondly, we have a holistic mindset and relatively new, but increasingly favoured due one supplier. Instead coordinating different make sure that everything is covered, and to the agility and speed. Inspection at suppliers and people in an area, that is not core that all relevant levels and partners are both offshore sites is safer and more efficient business for you. That’s not very efficient and involved and informed e.g., park owner, when done by helicopter rather than by not a good use of your time,’ claims Janni. subcontractors, mill producer, and service vessel. The G+ states in their 2020 incident providers. We want to make this complex and data report that safety is increased by 90% Efficiency equals employees unfamiliar task easy for the offshore when using helicopters for offshore industry,’ says Janni. inspection rather than vessels. According to Janni, efficiency can help solve one of the important issues in the offshore HeliOIS can take care of all inspections of Doing inspections by helicopter rather than industry: labour shortage. helidecks, helibaskets, fuel stations and by boat may sound like a less sustainable blades. The work is done by in-house subject solution in terms of energy consumption. ‘The business is expanding, and more matter experts. But surprisingly it is not. qualified employees are needed everywhere. By optimising the way we work, we can free Blade inspection: pollution control ‘A CTV and a helicopter consume the same up time and make sure that employees use all amount of fuel per hour, but a helicopter is 3 their time in the best possible way,’ he says. HeliOIS can provide surveillance and analysis to 4 times faster than a CTV, so it actually can of blades, performed either by drone or be a fuel reduction,’ explains Janni. HeliOIS is driven by the idea of making it helicopter and a cameraman. By using drones simpler and safer to work in the hostile and special camera setup in the helicopter, Single point of contact offshore environment for everyone. we ensure the best and most accurate results. The footage can be used for analyses By gathering all inspection tasks with one ‘It is our mission to make it easier, safer, and as the files provide details of blade condition supplier, the work can be more efficient in more comfortable to travel and work offshore.’ about erosion, nicks, dents or damage, and different ways. One subject matter expert the metadata on the footage ensures correct can do several inspections at the same time, Tailormade aviation location on both wind turbine and blade. when all inspections are done by one company instead of several. But it is also HeliOIS specializes in offshore aviation Helibasket and helideck Inspection more efficient for the park owner as they logistics and service worldwide and can help only need to work with one supplier instead companies in the offshore energy sector with The concept also includes full inspection of many to make sure the inspection is every travel and inspection need. HeliOIS reports on helibaskets and on helidecks both always compliant. also provides tailored aviation solutions, just on- and offshore. The inspections can be as the inspection concepts are more performed on pre-installation, pre-shipping efficient, as it saves time for employees and or after installation. The inspections live up money for the offshore companies. to ICAO and The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGPs) standards with The travelling concept is simple: respect to CAP 437. tailormade streamlined aviation solutions for the offshore industry. For example, a ‘We are experienced in working offshore and chartered plane for a full crew, that travels our auditors and inspections comply with together to an airstrip by the shore, is industry standards and recommendations picked up by a helicopter that takes them and work closely together with authorities. offshore to the wind park. Tickets, Our inspection services cover Europe, boarding, certificates, covid test, PPE, etc. Northeast US and Taiwan, with several other all taken care of and information available locations to come,’ promises Janni. in the offshore travel app. Fuel station inspection ‘We pride ourselves on providing outstanding service. HeliOIS is your single point of HeliOIS can also inspect fuel stations, both contact 24/7/365. Call us and we will find a offshore and onshore, as part of the concept. solution for you,’ concludes Janni. The inspection lives up to JIG standards and CAP 748 / FAA ICAO Annex 14 chapter 9. www.heliOIS.com 34 PES WIND

Easier and safer offshore travel All offshore and travel documents at your fingertips HeliOIS wants to make it easier and safer to work offshore. Therefore we have developed an app for our passengers. When you travel with us you’ll find all your information and documents in our app. Designed for offshore travel HeliOIS is your single point of Everything your employees need for offshore travel, contact 24/7/365 – handy on their smartphone: call +45 53 56 69 81 and we will find a ■ Itinerary and tickets are automatically distributed solution for you to the app. Janni Andersen ■ Passport number can be entered. ■ Certificates for travelling and working offshore CEO & Co-Founder can be uploaded. ■ Company info: safety videos, covid procedures can be distributed to your employees via the app. ■ Latest wheatear forecast will be available ■ PPE sizes can be entered. ■ Covid certificates can be uploaded. ■ The app notifies about delays and changes in flights. Services Follow us @heliois Offshore Aviation Service / Corporate Travel / HEMS + Air Ambulance Offshore Safety + Inspection Service / Audit + Survey / Drone Expertise / PPE Supply + Logistic Do you want to know more? Check out our website: HeliOIS.com

TALKING POINT Reducing risks and costs with virtual reality How can the latest technology enable real-time monitoring of turbine blades and towers, enabling repair and replacement before a critical failure occurs? Is this the way forward for protecting assets and lowering costs? In November 2021, US President Biden will upgrade the country’s power technologies to accelerate the transition to a signed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill to infrastructure, by building thousands of miles zero-emission economy. rebuild the nation’s deteriorating roads and of new, resilient transmission lines to bridges and fund new climate resilience and facilitate the expansion of renewables and DarkPulse is a global leader in critical other initiatives. The Bipartisan clean energy, while lowering costs. It will also infrastructure/key resource monitoring. Infrastructure Law’s investment includes the fund new programs to support the The innovative company has developed largest investment in clean energy development, demonstration, and patented high resolution smart sensors that transmission and grid in American history. It deployment of cutting-edge clean energy perform real-time health monitoring of critical infrastructure. 36 PES WIND

TALKING POINT Smart infrastructures for smart cities infrastructure; the Honcut Bridge in temperature changes of turbine blades, Sacramento, California. DarkPulse joined the structural health and corrosion of towers, The company believes the US has begun its pilot project in November 2021 to monitor the and integrity of array cables. This enables journey towards smart infrastructures, which structural health of bridges and roadbeds with repair and replacement to be conducted will lead toward smart cities. It is therefore the California Department of Transportation before a critical failure occurs, protecting positioning its systems and capabilities as (CALTRANS) and used its patented BOTDA assets and lowering costs. the foundational technology for smart cities. system to monitor temperature changes of concrete in real-time ensuring proper curing All types of blade failures can cause In September, Dark Pulse launched the latest had occurred. significant economic loss and incur negative virtual reality (VR) technology for social impact. Despite regular inspections, infrastructure at the Smart Cities Connect There, the system remains in place, where it 85% of blade failures are due to poor Conference and Expo, held in Washington monitors the stress and strain of the bridge’s maintenance. These failures are extremely DC. Its VR capable, 3D, anywhere, any device structures and roadbed. The bridge includes costly, ranging from £80,000 to £811,000 user interface was available for Smart City a section of Smart Road™ which is capable of with the highest reported failure costing leaders to put on headsets and walk the overweight vehicle and speed detection and £4.8m, according to TWI Global, 2020. Early Honcut Bridge, located outside the city of version 2 will include an EV dynamic Charging detection through instant identification Sacramento, California. Lane™, which will allow electric vehicles to ensures an immediate and correct response charge whilst driving. by engineers. Visitors to the exhibition experienced how the alert system works and how engineers Virtual reality for the wind energy sector The easy-to-use interface helps every team could visit the geo-tagged locations to member get involved, without needing to be inspect them in real-time. A digital twin of Specifically for the wind market, DarkPulse’s an engineer or the need to use a headset. The the bridge has been created, allowing users solutions can be used from the planning and high-quality 3D visuals are accessible to to see real-time the effects weather, design stage, through installation and personnel from any position and any location. overweight vehicles, storms, or collisions can construction, to monitoring and maintaining For example, if an engineer found a concern cause on the bridge structure. assets and protecting personnel. on a tower, they could geo-tag the position and raise an alert which allows others to take This new virtual reality technology has been DarkPulse sensors provide real-time a closer inspection. used on the world’s first intelligent piece of monitoring of structural heath and WWW.PESWIND.COM 37

TALKING POINT Turbine health and cost savings multi-layered maintenance team that action is taken to ensure workers have the includes accredited technical engineers and necessary skills. The VR element of the DarkPulse offering trainers to support the lifecycle of the could be used to look at the condition of wind telecommunications and security solutions. In July in Massachusetts, 12 offshore wind turbine blades after electrical storms or The diagram above shows not only the size of workers became the first in the world to impacts from objects, to check their stress / strain applied to the bridge (in this receive certification through virtual reality condition immediately, allowing decisions to instance) but also the direction in which it has training. With DarkPulse equipment and be made about turbine health or next steps been seen, which could aid in determining the digital twin technology, staff training can should the system be showing stress. issue or root cause. become an easy task, where inexperienced trainees can gain hands-on training whilst Whilst VR might not be applicable for subsea The user interface can also be an aid for staying within the safety of an office, cables, the ability to look for hot spots using training, allowing operators to scroll back reducing risk to personnel safety, and fibre installed could prevent catastrophic through time and see the stress and strain on reducing training costs significantly. failure and reduce downtime associated with components at precise moments or events, cable failures, or allow planned maintenance. this can aid lessons learnt and advise Using the capabilities and experience of six All of this is with the aim of keeping measures needed should similar events members of the DarkPulse team, they can unplanned unavailability to a minimum and occur in the future. not only offer end-to-end solutions for wind limiting the effects of weather on wind farm farms, but also reduce accidents and access for technicians to complete works or Part of the DarkPulse mission is to catastrophe, reduce maintenance costs, and visual checks on suspected emergencies. safeguard human security and the company provide better training ready for future believes its patented sensor systems will developments in the wind industry. With tight budgets, it’s also good to know that reduce accidents drastically. Not only with Dark Pulse systems can easily be added to the VR technology but also through its www.darkpulse.com existing infrastructure, so there is no need to perimeter security and surveillance consider the cost of rebuilding. For example, if services, which evaluate conditions on the About DarkPulse single mode fibre is already installed in cables, remote site and safeguard personnel whilst a single core can be utilised to deploy the monitoring operations. Founded by Dennis O’Leary, DarkPulse DarkPulse technology and through drone was started in 2010 in New Brunswick technology their 3D scans turn in-service Offshore wind engineers trained virtually Canada, and via a reverse merger went assets into 3D models allowing retrofits and public in 2018. Headquartered in the USA the planning of maintenance activities. In the UK, the offshore wind energy industry is with a global footprint, DarkPulse and its developing at an enviable pace, with more subsidiaries provide engineering, During the planning through co-design, than 1,465 installed turbines. But it has also installation, and security management learning, and education, the DarkPulse experienced a significant increase in solutions for critical national software can also be deployed in control accidents, both in the UK and globally. For infrastructure to governments and rooms to give accurate, instantaneous data example, the Caithness Windfarm Information industries worldwide. on the health of the wind farm to control Forum (CWIF) reports that there have been room staff, technicians, and engineers. 1,951 wind energy accidents, with 165 DarkPulse is more than a global leader in fatalities since 1970, with most of these critical infrastructure/key resources As well as the DarkPulse fibre technology, accidents occurring within the last eight years. monitoring. Its patented high-resolution holistic access control, security, smart sensors perform real-time health communication, and radar systems can be One of the reasons for this high number of monitoring of critical infrastructure, designed, tested, and installed by the team. accidents is the lack of skilled workers. This creating the foundational technology With ongoing maintenance and 24/7 support gap is likely to grow as the renewable energy necessary for building and services, the company ensures all clients get industry moves even further offshore in the interconnecting smart cities to the most from their assets, whilst preserving future. So there is clear potential for a rise in monitor around the world. the integrity of their operations. With a the number and severity of accidents unless 38 PES WIND

efficient, expert blade inspections intelligent, high quality data acquisition smart software using computer vision & machine learning * Aero Enterprise is the Official DJI Partner For the Optical Inspection of Wind Turbines industry leading, detailed analytics reporting Introducing the Flight Intelligence System for DJI Drones from Aero Enterprise More efficient fast turnaround Real-time automated flight path calculation. wind turbine inspections. No pre-defined calculations are required. More accurate higher-quality image data. Drone Minimal effort required from pilot with easy is always at an optimal distance from the wind data upload straight into our Cloud. turbine through real-time adaptive algorithms. www.aero-enterprise.com [email protected]

PES ESSENTIAL 40 PES WIND

PES ESSENTIAL Moving to predictive blade maintenance Words: M arc Hoffmann, Global Head of Sales & Marketing, Sulzer Schmid Tracking blade damage progression to enable predictive maintenance can generate huge savings and increase annual energy production. It’s no secret that wind energy is Marc Hoffmann experiencing enormous, and fast, growth. Irena's Renewable Capacity1 Statistics 2022 mechanisms of wind turbines. Only then can shows that 93 GW of new wind energy we predict failure events and find the optimal generation capacity was added last year timing for repairs. With aging turbines, alone and the annual installation is extending the lifetime of blades becomes anticipated to exceed 120 GW by 20272. increasingly important and is one of the best The numbers speak for themselves. strategies for their continued use after 25 years of service. While this is positive news for the sector, such growth does make the challenge of Take leading-edge erosion as an example, cost-effective wind turbine maintenance this type of surface damage increases the more crucial than ever. As demand increases, drag coefficient, which in turn can lead to a and fleets age, repair requirements and their reduction in AEP of up to 5%4. Despite this, related costs also grow. A recent report3 these damages are often marked with a shows that the number of wind turbines lower severity, with no immediate action reaching 20 years of operation annually, for planned. However, sometimes repairing instance, in Spain and Germany will be around these damages before they reach a high 800 per year in the next decade. With an level of severity means that we not only annual average of 3,800 blade-related lower the cost of repairs, but we can also failures globally and an increase in unplanned repairs, it’s no surprise that repair budgets surge, sometimes doubling from year to year. In fact, onshore wind farm operators spent around $15 billion on operations and maintenance services in 20193, a cost that has a huge bearing on the energy price and overall competitiveness of renewable energy. Finding the balance between repair cost and performance Not unexpectedly, there is huge pressure to optimise blade O&M and reduce cost. A key element of this is for OEMs, owners and operators to have a good understanding of the blade health of their entire fleets. This includes knowing which damages are present, the effect these damages have on turbine performance, how they develop over time, as well as identifying the failure WWW.PESWIND.COM 41

PES ESSENTIAL High-quality rotor blade data is obtained with digital inspection methods restore the turbine AEP and prevent a per turbine4 it’s easy to see that finding the and surface damages, for example, are certain number of rotor blade failures. right balance between repair costs and among the most common reasons for wind Conversely, it might be better to aerodynamic performance of your blades is turbine failures, both of which can be wait because history has shown a crucial to guarantee the efficiency of your identified at an early stage with a simple slow progression. wind farm. But how can this be achieved? visual inspection. With costs of $200,000 and more to replace a turbine blade and damage inflicted downtime Driven by data The Sulzer Schmid 3DX™ Blade Platform leading to a daily loss of income up to $1,600 marks the start of a digital journey, First of all, you have to regularly monitor providing an overview of the condition of Leading edge erosion can reduce AEP by up to 5% the condition of your blades. Severe cracks assets. Our end-to-end process employs autonomous drones and incorporates cutting-edge image analysis tools within a browser-based interface, but the platform is open and compatible with many kinds of inspection data. With a flexible, modular, and scalable design, the system can be customised to work seamlessly with a customer’s existing processes, facilitating both historical and current data as well as a smooth annotation workflow. By means of the 3DX™ Data Analytics capability, the inspection data can be 'sliced and diced' in different ways. Dynamic dashboards allow for a quick overview and are a highly effective tool for communicating with customers or own management. Drilldowns enable operational staff to quickly pin-point conditions where action must be taken. For instance, filters can consolidate certain damage types or severities across an entire wind asset portfolio or specific wind farms. 42 PES WIND

PES ESSENTIAL Monitor damage progression But that’s not all. With a new unique damage progression module you can also compare damage data from previous inspections with new data of the same damage in an intuitive way. Thanks to a user-friendly interface, the progression of a damage is displayed in a time series of recorded inspections and can be easily evaluated. OEMs, owners and operators now have the information to optimize repair campaigns and take a significant step closer to predictive maintenance. The new Damage Progression module has a unique damage ID component. The rich inspection data is used to accurately identify, localise, measure, and classify damages. This means that for each subsequent inspection it is always possible to find the exact location and history of any damage, review, and evaluate its evolution in a so called ‘damage chain’. Knowing how damage develops over time Damage is displayed in a time series of recorded inspections and can be easily evaluated more accurately allows blade experts and service planners to better determine which damage needs to be information relating to specific damages can collected, we learn how problems develop repaired, and when. Having this information easily be shared, enabling repair companies over time and lay the foundation for at their fingertips, makes the planning of to provide reliable quotes, and facilitating predictive maintenance. repair campaigns significantly more efficient, discussions with customers, certification saving downtime and optimising blade repair bodies or any other parties. A future-proof O&M strategy budgets. Being able to compare current inspection data with historical data also Sulzer Schmid is constantly innovating to Finding the optimal balance between repair facilitates the quality assessment of repairs. increase the degree of automation for rotor costs and aerodynamic performance of rotor blade inspections and that’s what makes our blades plays crucial role in any O&M strategy Laying the foundation for predictive new Damage Progression module possible in and the benefits of investing in a powerful maintenance the first place. When inspections are carried asset management platform are clear. The out in a routine and automated fashion, the system provides detailed information on The 3DX™ Blade Platform is a powerful asset data generated becomes a veritable rotor blade condition, delivering lifetime management platform that enables OEMs, treasure. As more and more data are records of rotor blades across entire fleets owners and operators to make informed that allows for comprehensive trend analysis decisions about their assets in a way that fits and benchmarking over time. With this with their processes, strategy and ambitions. information to hand, OEMs can more easily define blade repair work and schedule The platform provides transparency, which preventative measures, leading to O&M allows customers to work more efficiently cost savings and, ultimately, energy both within their organization and with production gains. partners. The deep link function means that www.sulzerschmid.ch www.youtube.com/@sulzerschmid 1. IRENA (2022), Renewable Energy Statistics 2022, The International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi 2. Global Market Insights, Report ID: GMI2387, Published Date: Apr 2021 3. R oot Causes and Mechanisms of Failure of Wind Turbine Blades: Overview, by Leon Mishnaevsky, Jr, 2022 Data is captured in a routine and automated fashion, allowing for comprehensive trend analysis and 4. A Comprehensive Analysis of Wind Turbine benchmarking over time and across an entire fleet Blade Damage, Dimitris Al. Katsaprakakis, Nikos Papadakis and Ioannis Ntintakis Energies, 2021 WWW.PESWIND.COM 43

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TALKING POINT NDE 4.0 and a paradigm shift in blade integrity management Words: V alery Godinez-Azcuaga, Vice President of Engineering and Product Development, Sensoria™ by MISTRAS Join us for an exploration of the rise of Industry 4.0 and NDE 4.0, the role that acoustic emission (AE) condition monitoring plays in shifting the focus of blade integrity programs, and a glimpse of what the future of blade integrity might look like with the adoption and proliferation of these new technologies. The concept of Industry 4.0 has been technologies, like Sensoria™, an innovative or drone-based visual inspections at around for a little over a decade and has 24/7/365 wind blade monitor from MISTRAS predetermined time intervals, usually already had a massive impact on the way Group (NYSE:MG), is transforming traditional ranging from a few months to up to three the world operates. Whereas earlier blade inspection and maintenance decision- years. These inspections generate visuals industrial revolutions brought about the making practices. This has additional that are confined solely to what blades and rise of mechanisation, then mass implications for the role that integrity data can damages looked like at the time of production, and later computing and play in blade design optimization and inspection. This allows damage to form and/ automation, the fourth industrial revolution predictive performance analytics. or worsen in between scheduled shutdowns, is leveraging an increase in computing reducing generating capacity and often power to create an unprecedented web of Blade integrity management within NDE 3.0 resulting in higher maintenance costs. interconnectivity and business intelligence across industrial processes. The first two decades of the 21st century As wind energy operators seek ways to saw incredible advancements in NDE meet the ever-growing demand for wind It has been described as: ‘The fourth technologies. Tremendous reductions in the energy production and as the number of revolution is not a discrete event; it is a phase size of electronic instrumentation, wind turbines at individual wind farms that over which the suite of cyber-physical advancements in unmanned robotic require regular inspection stretches into the technologies is coming together to change technology, and exponentially-increased thousands, there is a clear need to mature the way humans work and live, produce and computing processing capabilities made these practices alongside the rise of consume, learn and stay healthy.’1 In short, possible the commercial deployment of Industry 4.0. the world is digitally transforming. powerful NDE systems. A philosophical shift from static to dynamic Occurring alongside this transformation is the These enhancements resulted in higher- evolution of non-destructive examination resolution data that could be collected Recent industrial and technological (NDE) technologies that both incorporate quicker than ever before, but the actual advancements are not only streamlining the elements of and serve as a connective inspection process, along with the transfer, acquisition of blade integrity data, but component of Industry 4.0, in a shift called integration, and analysis of blade integrity enhancing data analysis and cross- NDE 4.0. As digital technologies mature as data, continued to operate from a more functionality to better inform inspection and part of the fourth industrial revolution, the reactive, siloed orientation. maintenance decision-making. rise of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)- connected online condition-monitoring The standard industry practice to determine Elements of the fourth industrial revolution blade integrity involves conducting manned that are enabling greater computing power, 46 PES WIND

TALKING POINT Industry 4.0 refers to the marriage of physical assets and advance digital technologies. NDE 4.0 technologies like the Sensoria™ wind blade monitor can play a key role in generating business intelligence based on real-time condition monitoring Big Data analytical capabilities, relatively Acoustic emission blade condition Operation & Management (O&M) of these ubiquitous internet connectivity, and monitoring crucial renewable energy assets. inexpensive data storage are also being incorporated into the latest generation of Rather than fixed, semi-annual inspection The implementation of NDE 4.0 NDE technology. schedules, NDE 4.0 is leveraging online technologies require a continuous stream of monitoring systems that detect and data from permanently-installed NDE As this shift towards NDE 4.0 occurs, the communicate information on asset sensors, and correlations with real-time latest technologies have a few technical conditions in real time. operational data. Acoustic emission capabilities in common, dependent upon the technology is particularly suited to meet the system’s place along the spectrum of Condition-monitoring systems are common needs of a condition-based philosophy of evolution. These include on-board data in many industries, including defence, integrity management, as the large amounts processing; cloud connectivity; remote aerospace, and oil & gas, to guide and of real-time data that it produces is software and firmware updates; machine optimise inspections and repairs. The wind conducive to be utilised within the context learning/artificial intelligence/predictive energy industry already uses condition- of modern computing power. MISTRAS analytics; integration with virtual reality; and monitoring systems on drive trains, towers, Group has been a leader in acoustic cybersecurity. and foundations for both onshore and emission monitoring for decades, and the offshore turbines. These systems monitor company’s systems have proven to be Just as Industry 4.0’s marriage of the cyber for specific, well-known conditions and have effective in monitoring integrity conditions and physical spaces is evolving the way that been commercially available in some cases of civil infrastructure and other traditional the world lives and works, NDE 4.0 for decades. power generating assets. technologies are enabling us to reimagine the way that integrity data can be used to However, IIoT-capable monitoring systems Today, AE instrumentation has evolved to the maximise asset uptime and productivity. for wind turbine blades, such as the point that it has built-in communications The evolution that’s underway is Sensoria™ wind blade monitor, that can modulus for internet access via Wi-Fi and empowering a shift from the traditional, remotely detect cracking, delamination, cellular, including 5G, networks, which enables reactive, fixed-interval-inspection impacts, and other damages are a new data accessibility to users via a Data-Driven philosophy towards a proactive, condition- innovation that can help in the constant Web Application, and AE data integration with based integrity paradigm. search for better alternatives to traditional operational and weather data affecting the NDE inspections, and to improve the assets2. In the case of Sensoria™, the system WWW.PESWIND.COM 47

TALKING POINT NDE 4.0 technologies like Sensoria™ collect real-time integrity data and report it through an online, easily-accessible data portal, enabling wind turbine operators to proactively plan their inspection and maintenance activities based on the actual conditions of their assets consists of three Micro Electro-Mechanical replicate behaviours from their real-world 1 Vrana, J.L., & Singh, R. (2020). NDE 4.0 From System (MEMS) AE sensors, one per blade, a counterparts to predict possible outcomes. Design Thinking to Strategy. arXiv: Other powerful AE data acquisition system Computer Science. (AE-DAQs), and a cloud-based Data-Driven Specifically for the purpose of wind blades, Web Application (DDWA). digital twins enable the integration of blade 2 Godinez-Azcuaga, V., Ley, O., Nunez, A., condition-monitoring system data with Lowenhar, E. &; Kattis, S. (2022). From NDE Once the acoustic data is collected and design, test, inspection, maintenance, and 4.0 A Natural Step for Acoustic Emission. transferred to the cloud, processing is performance data to predict and help 35th European and 10th International completed in the DDWA, where proprietary improve blade behaviour, integrity Conference on AE Testing. Ljubljana, Structural Health Quantities (SHQ) for the conditions, and generating capacity. Slovenia. blades are calculated and used to guide the inspection and maintenance decision- Whereas traditional inspection practices The vision for a future with fully-digital making process. The DDWA also provides require operational shutdowns and manual wind farms presented here is still in the visualisation, interpretation, blade acoustic inspections to identify even if damage is distance, but the evolution towards a activity ranking, real-time alarm present, a blade’s digital twin could enable condition-based approach to blade communication, trending, reporting, wind turbine operators to detect damages integrity management built upon NDE 4.0 and data archiving for individual blades in real time and predict the impact of various technologies is fully underway. and full wind farms. rates of degradation on short- and long- term blade productivity, creating an With IIoT condition-monitoring systems Incorporating NDE 4.0 into Industry 4.0: exponentially more informed and timelier like the Sensoria™ wind blade monitor, a vision for the future integrity program. Digital twins can play a wind turbine owner-operators can crucial role in these efforts, as they enable a transform their approach to blade NDE 4.0 technologies are one piece of the direct, symbiotic feedback loop between integrity management from static to Industry 4.0 puzzle. The digital design and operating data. dynamic, from reactive to proactive. transformation being brought about by Industry 4.0 enables collaboration amongst In the long term, as NDE 4.0 monitoring As the world continues to increase its previously-siloed industries and technologies become further enmeshed in reliance on wind energy generation, these technologies that can have hugely beneficial wind energy operations and as Industry 4.0 technologies will be crucial in improving impacts on blade design and performance. continues to create more opportunities for blade generating capacity and One notable example is through the use of digital, collaborative infrastructure, a maximising blade value. digital twins. possibility begins to take shape for not just a digital twin of an individual wind turbine, but www.sensoriawind.com Digital twins are virtual representations of for a complete digital wind farm, incorporating physical assets that incorporate real-time models of nacelles, drivetrains, towers, operational data, machine learning, and foundations, transformers, and more, artificial intelligence to enable users to integrated with the relevant operational data. 48 PES WIND

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