WP5 Overview
O&M - The Lifecycle Stage with High Potential to Benefit from Digitalization
In an IEA Task 43 survey, respondents identified O&M as the lifecycle stage which stood to gain the most from digitalization.
Furthermore, it was felt that some of the benefits could be realized with relatively modest effort.
Launching the Work Package
At the Task 43 kick-off meeting, the WP5 breakout group set out build on this survey feedback and discuss a range of tasks including:
Identifying aspects of O&M amenable to digitalization technologies and methods
Highlighting what opportunities might be realized.
Discussing the challenges in pursuing the opportunities.
Agreeing the objectives and overall approach of WP5.
Scope of O&M
From the outset, it was apparent that Wind O&M encompasses and wide range of responsibilities, tasks, decisions and deliverables. O&M topics discussed included:
Managing asset performance and identifying technical, operational and meteorological contributors to under performance.
Measuring and modelling turbine availability and reliability and isolating failure modes and other causes of downtime.
Evaluating and implementing turbine enhancements to improve yield and return on investment.
Developing and deploying proactive maintenance strategies to reduce operating costs and increase yield.
Evaluating asset lifetime extension alternatives.
The challenge was to structure the O&M work package to uncover valuable insights in the midst of this diversity of topics and scope. To this end, the overall approach revolves around exploring representative use cases to help identify applicable methodologies and tools. Progress to-date and additional activities under consideration are outlined under the various headings.