CASE STUDY: An Intelligent Approach to Assessing Wind Turbine Lightning Damage

“The repair cost for a blade is tens of thousands of dollars, while replacement is in the hundreds of thousands. By comparison, the annual cost for Vaisala’s data across our entire wind fleet is less than 5% of a single blade replacement, so it clearly pays for itself and is well worth the investment,”

—Ben Rice, Operations Engineering Manager, Pattern Energy

When wind power assets are located in a lightning-prone area, there is a greater risk of turbine blade damage caused by lightning. However, if you are able to determine if a blade was affected you can repair it rather than replace it, saving time and cost.

Power companies are seeking out ways to improve inspection processes, including ways to correlate lightning data with blade damage. Using Vaisala lightning data is a cost-effective way to improve inspections and keep efficiency at an optimal level.

Read how Pattern Energy is using Vaisala lightning detection information to improve its operational efficiency and its inspection processes. Read the case study to learn:

 
  • How historical Vaisala lightning data helps assess risk
  • How leading power company, Pattern Energy, correlates lightning strikes with blade damage
  • Why Pattern Energy says Vaisala is "the source for lightning data and is well worth the investment."

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