Japanese Company Showcases First Non-Stop Wind Turbine Inspection Technology Using Drones
by DRONELIFE Staff Author Ian J. McNabb
On the Tsukaba Forum recently held in Japan, Tokyo-based Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) recently unveiled latest technology for inspecting wind turbines without requiring them to stop, announcing an illustration experiment to showcase their progressive approach. Conventional methods for inspection required the turbine to be completely stopped before a technician could inspect it, a difficult process that had serious effects on power generation efficiency. NTT’s latest process takes two autonomous drones, fitted with relatively small business radio emitters, and sends weak radio signals between them (which don’t require a federal license). This creates a “Fresnel Zone” between the 2 UAVs that might be formed on either side of a turbine, sensing damage or other issues with the whole unit because it continues operating.
In response to NTT’s press release, Japan, which has invested heavily in wind power and is constructing large latest farms off its long coastline, may have over 3,600 latest wind turbines constructed by 2040. Finding improved ways to service the often-remote units is vital for alleviating the transition into greener types of energy, so the autonomous drones could make inspection of offshore turbines much easier. By utilizing the radio field, the drones accurately gauged the degree of injury on a moving turbine arm without requiring stationary evaluation, albeit in a controlled lab setting.
Working on wind turbines might be dangerous, with often stormy conditions and the dizzying heights involved presenting considerable barriers to regular maintenance. NTT hopes that integrating more distant and autonomous systems with wind farms can lead to a greener, more efficient future. While this technology is promising, thus far, it’s mostly a proof-of-concept, with NTT not announcing a timeline for release, but progressive uses for drones will proceed to seem across the worldwide economy, especially in relation to the rollout of renewable energy sources worldwide. In response to NTT, next steps will include a larger-scale outdoor test on multiple functioning units to further develop the method.
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