Early Stage Wind Turbine Blade Damage Detection

Early Stage Wind Turbine Blade Damage Detection
Wind turbine blades operate under extreme conditions. From constant rotational stress to weather exposure and material fatigue, these massive structures are vulnerable to hidden damage long before any visible signs appear. With Werover’s Windrover technology, we enable wind farm operators to detect these issues at the earliest possible stage, unlocking the full potential of predictive maintenance and system reliability.
The Critical Importance of Early Detection
Most major blade failures begin with a small, undetectable fault, perhaps a micro crack, internal delamination or structural weakening that cannot be seen from the outside. Normally, wind turbine blades are inspected only once a year either by drone or rope access team. These traditional inspection methods often miss these early warnings because they rely on annual manual checks, offering no insight through a year. Additionally, during the annual inspection periods, turbines need to be stopped which results in energy loss due to downtime.
By the time visible damage appears, the issue has often progressed to a point where repairs are costly and downtime is unavoidable. Early detection allows operators to intervene before damage spreads, keeping both costs and risks under control.

How Windrover Makes It Possible
Windrover combines advanced hardware with AI powered software to monitor blade health in real time. Our system collects raw acoustic data directly coming from the blade itself. Our hardware, Windrover IoT, is specifically designed to capture high precision sounds. Windrover IoT placed on the turbine tower within seconds thanks to its plug and play system, without requiring any cabling or operational distribution. Collected sounds are analyzed in the cloud through ML algorithms, enabling AI-based sound analysis with high precision.
These models identify subtle anomalies in sound frequency. After analysis, the results are visualized through the Windrover Dashboard and Mobile App, where daily, weekly, and monthly health tracking is provided with intuitive charts and performance insights. In case of performance drops or critical findings, alerts and notifications are instantly sent to operators, enabling timely action.
A Shift from Reaction to Prevention
With early stage detection, maintenance shifts from a reactive to a preventive model. Instead of responding to failures after they occur, operators can plan inspections and repairs in advance saving both time and resources.
This approach not only improves turbine availability but also extends the operational lifespan of the blades. Over time, this leads to significant reductions in maintenance costs, less environmental waste from replaced components and safer operation overall.
Designed for Real World Conditions
Windrover’s early damage detection system is built for reliability in the field. Whether installed on offshore or onshore turbines, the hardware and software are designed to withstand harsh environments while continuing to deliver accurate, high quality data.
Alerts are transmitted in real time through our cloud based infrastructure, with all monitoring data accessible via our secure mobile and web platforms. This gives turbine owners and O&M teams full visibility over fleet health at all times.