Wind sector urged to share operational data

The wind sector has been urged to get better at sharing operational data to enhance the performance of turbines and drive down costs.

In a new report, Onyx Insight said the sector should learn from other industries such as aviation where collaborative data sharing has increased aircraft up-time and reduced maintenance costs.

The consultancy said although the wind industry has been quick to adopt digitalisation and predictive maintenance, the lack of access to data is holding it back from realising the full benefits.

It said this missing data can improve asset management, long-term planning and strategic maintenance, noting that unexpected turbine failure accounts for the majority of operational expenditure, “the bulk of which is reactive, unplanned maintenance that could have been avoided.”

In particular, Onyx said more widespread data sharing could allow the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve turbine performance. It said the “massive potential” of AI is recognised throughout the industry but use of the technology has been hampered by the lack of clean, cross-platform, normalised data.

The report urged turbine owners to better leverage their negotiating positions to ensure data sharing becomes a contractual requirement and is not left until after the contract is signed when this bargaining power is lost.

Onyx said most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can restrict access to data, with only one of the top 12 condition monitoring system (CMS) hardware providers – comprising 80 per cent of market share – giving turbine owners and operators full data access. It said four of these CMS providers offer limited access, with the remaining seven giving no access at all.

Chief executive Bruce Hall said: “With a rapidly falling levelised cost of energy, solar energy is gaining market share. The wind sector needs to continually look for ways to increase its competitiveness and boost efficiencies to realise its crucial role in the energy transition.

“This will ensure that our future energy mix is diverse and takes full advantage of the technologies available to drive decarbonisation. Collaborating on data access is a critical example of how the wind industry can do this.

“Our report shows there is no universal or standard approach to data sharing, but wind should follow aviation’s lead by empowering owners and operators,” he added.

“To be clear, OEMs shouldn’t be put into a position where they are having to provide intellectual property around design – that data belongs to them. However, operational data is different; open access to operational data is critical as it helps owners get the very best out of their asset.”