Wind turbine
For wind turbine maintenance, IoT continuously supplies data from the gearbox, generator and converter. Operators detect damage early, plan technician visits precisely and avoid trips to turbines that are hard to reach.
Wind turbine at a glance
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Verified projects featuring Wind turbine
Predictive maintenance for wind turbines
Bird protection in wind turbines
Remotely controlled energy assets: attack detection at the edge for wind farm cybersecurity
Demand-driven night marking for wind turbines – an IoT solution for Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH
Predictive maintenance for offshore wind turbines reduces logistics costs
Condition monitoring for power generation plants
Wind turbine maintenance based on condition, not the calendar
In the solution examples, a sensor box such as Arrow’s iCOMOX measures vibration, magnetic field, acoustics and temperature. An edge device filters the raw data and sends only changes to the cloud via NB-IoT, cable or SmartMesh radio. Materna’s solution records power and sensor data at the frequency converter between generator and grid and transmits it to the AWS IoT platform, onshore via cellular network and offshore via cable or satellite. ZF analyses the behaviour of wind turbine gearboxes in Microsoft Azure. Gateways for security and operation complete the picture: Rhebo detects attacks directly on the INSYS icom Smart Energy Gateway, and Telefónica SIM cards connect the night marking system of each nacelle.
The examples come from the energy industry, one of them also from agriculture, typically for condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and risk management. ZF Friedrichshafen and doubleSlash predict gearbox behaviour so that, in the event of damage, it is known in advance which part needs replacing. For Woodward Kempen, Materna detects generator problems from unusual fluctuations in power generation, eliminating trips that are not technically necessary. In BayWa r.e.’s pilot wind farm, Rhebo’s anomaly detection uncovered an unsecured FTP server and unencrypted data transfer, among other issues.
Podcast episodes featuring Wind turbine
Data Harmonisation with AIoT: What Do AI Agents Need for the Mapping?
Scaling Industrial IoT: Cumulocity as Strategic Growth Partner
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- Sustainability as a Market Driver: IoT for ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) | Software AG
- More acceptance for wind energy: Minimum light pollution with maximum air traffic safety
- Mobile solutions for wind farm operators and construction vehicle theft prevention — IoT SIM cards, M2M connectivity, VPN, NB-IoT, LTE-M and 5G.
Wind turbine maintenance: frequently asked questions
What does wind turbine condition monitoring measure?
Condition monitoring measures the variables that signal impending damage on a wind turbine, above all on the generator, turbine and pipework. For an energy company, Codestryke used the iCOMOX sensor box, which records vibration, magnetic field, acoustic data and temperature several times per second. An edge device on site forwards only changes in readings to the cloud, keeping data traffic low across distributed sites.
How does demand-driven night marking for wind turbines work?
With demand-driven night marking, the red obstruction lights on a wind turbine only switch on when an aircraft is actually approaching. Lanthan Safe Sky’s transponder-based system evaluates the signals that transponders in aircraft send continuously. Because reception must be guaranteed at all times, each nacelle is connected via a Telefónica Global SIM that can log on to any available mobile network.
How can damage to a wind turbine generator be detected?
Generator damage shows up in operating data before the turbine fails. The solution Materna developed for Woodward Kempen records all power and sensor data at the frequency converter between the generator and the grid. A self-learning application searches this data for patterns that indicate faults: unusual fluctuations in power generation point to a generator problem. Operators can then send technicians to the turbine with the right tools.
How can offshore wind maintenance effort be reduced?
Offshore, maintenance effort falls mainly through remote monitoring, because weather and sea conditions make every visit difficult. In Materna’s solution, data from the frequency converters at sea is sent to the AWS IoT platform via cable or satellite connection. Operators see the status of each turbine and are informed of potential problems at short notice. Trips that are not technically necessary are eliminated, and maintenance can be planned precisely.
More assets in “Machinery and Equipment”
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Packaging machine
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Refrigeration system
A refrigeration monitoring system makes service plannable: temperatures, refrigerant circuit pressures, compressor status and energy consumption flow into a platform in real time. Operators and service partners detect faults early, avoid unnecessary site visits and reduce excess consumption.
Air conditioning system
Commercial air conditioning systems in offices, retail branches and data centres can be monitored remotely with IoT. Operators see energy consumption, temperatures and faults in one place, detect failing compressors or refrigerant shortages early and plan service visits precisely.
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