33% of operational costs on a wind farm relate to logistics (2023)

As much as 1/3 of operational costs on a wind farm relate to logistics.

Drones cost about 1/10 of the operational cost of helicopters, says Ihle. “If we combined the use of drones with digitalization and artificial intelligence, we could reduce the human interface with turbines. That means we could
(1) cut craning hours,
(2) reduce the need for accommodation vessels, and
(3) cut the cost of #chartering ships.

We would also reduce our reliance on
(1) daylight,
(2) wave height, and
(3) weather conditions, allowing us to optimize maintenance and reduce downtime.”

The use case for participants in the challenge includes completing flight tasks for the transportation of materials [see image above].

“If we’re delivering heavy hydraulic equipment to tighten bolts, for example, we need to ensure the integrity and functions of a landing pad on a platform that may only be 15 meters in diameter. We also need to establish the technical interfaces that allow communication between the hardware in the drones and turbines, as well as the ‘IT handshake’, which alerts a turbine that a drone is approaching. As the turbines will probably be at least 100km from land, what provisions will be made for landing en route if it is ever needed? What form will the container for the payload take? We also need to ensure stable connectivity between all concerned.”

Source: Allianz Offshore Wind Report 2023
Graphics: #EnBW