Realtime blade monitoring startup Fibersail that enhances safety and performance in wind turbines

Blade maintenance is by far the most complex and costly aspect of wind power generation. Currently, there is no reliable way to monitor the exact condition of the rotor and blades. Wind turbine operators need to inspect their blades regularly to ensure asset availability, optimization and lifetime. Fibersail has developed a shape sensor that is applicable and easy to install in any type of wind blade. Fibersail’s technology means higher reliability and productivity and a longer life for wind farms. It means a revolution in the energy transition.

Wind farms undervalued due to lack of measurement tool

Wind turbines now use a wind meter that only measures wind speed, but not the load on (parts of) the blades due to, for example, a different wind direction. With blades larger than 100 meters, 15% to 20% deflection at the tip is possible (with a chance of hitting the tower). So, there is a lack of reliable control of blade loading. This leads to increased O&M costs, shorter lifespan and lower valuation of wind farms due to the risk of failure.

Moving towards predictive maintenance monitoring

Fibersail has developed a shape sensor that is applicable and easy to install in any type of wind blade. This gives wind turbines and wind farms greater reliability and productivity as well as a longer lifespan. In time, Fibersail wants to move toward a control and predictive maintenance model, which will allow for power performance strategies and estimation of when turbines need maintenance.