Increasing failure rates across both legacy and new wind turbine fleets are exposing the limitations of optical inspection. Advanced subsurface analysis is enabling operators and OEMs to move from reactive maintenance to accurate repair planning, improved downtime forecasting and proactive asset management.
Across the wind industry, there is a growing trend that is now impossible to ignore. Blade failures are increasing.
This is not limited to one OEM, one geography or one generation of turbine. It is being seen across ageing legacy fleets, midlife assets and newly installed turbines. This is not a future risk; it is happening now.
For legacy fleets, the drivers are relatively well understood. Years of cyclic loading, environmental exposure and repeated repair campaigns are taking their toll. Fatigue is accumulating and repairs have been layered over time, often without full visibility of what sits beneath the surface.
For newer turbines, the challenge is different. Blades are larger, lighter and operating under higher loads than ever before. At the same time, manufacturing has scaled rapidly to meet demand, introducing inconsistency. Across the industry, there is increasing evidence of bonding inconsistencies, insufficient adhesive application, laminate defects and variability in factory and site repair standards. These issues are now being directly linked to in-service failures.