FEATURE: Offshore Wind Journal A recent Navigant Research report concludes there is significant potential for using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – commonly known as drones – to carry out inspection and maintenance work at offshore windfarms. So what are the actual and potential uses for offshore wind turbine inspection and maintenance? According to Jesse Broehl, senior research analyst at Navigant Research and author of UAVs for Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Inspections , the ‘value proposition’ for UAVs is greater for offshore wind applications than it is for onshore applications. This is because conventional ground-based, optical inspections are more difficult to accomplish in the offshore environment. Although inspection can be conducted from a vessel, he highlights the fact that the movement of a ship often tends to disrupt image integrity if using binoculars and field scopes. Although image stabilisation can provide a solution in some cases, he also points out this is “not a full solution”. He also sees rope and platform access inspections at sea as “costly and risky”. “Currently, blade inspections are conducted with optical scopes from the base of a wind turbine’s foundation or around the transition piece platform that couples the tower to the oceangoing foundation. […]

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