Wind turbines are designed and certified for a period of twenty years. Now, the turbines of the first generation have reached this age. What is now going to happen to these wind turbines? With the publishing of the internationally valid Guideline for the Continued Operation of Wind Turbines, Germanischer Lloyd is from now on offering owners and operators of wind turbines, insurance companies, creditors, manufacturers and building authorities support in answering these questions.
Germanischer Lloyd offers two pathways for the inspection of an existing turbine: the practical and the analytical method. The practical method is an extended recurring inspection of the turbine on site that is carried out in accordance with the Guideline for the Continued Operation of Wind Turbines. The GL experts check during a detailed inspection the fundamental, above all critical, points of the turbine. A renewed inspection takes place as a rule one year later. If the turbine has a condition monitoring system the period to the subsequent inspection may vary. The analytical method in contrast is more time- and cost-intensive. In this method the turbine is completely recalculated on the basis of existing load data of the previous years. This inspection takes place in accordance with the guideline that was the basis for the building permit in its current version. It is used particularly for large wind farms.
