Calculation of the possible total service life for safe continued operation of your wind turbine.

The investment in a wind turbine is always made with the aim of operating the system for significantly longer than just the period of its planned useful life. In most cases, however, the operator does not know how long a system can actually be operated. Here, we can support you by calculating the possible total useful life and documenting proof of structural integrity.

Determining the total useful life is interesting, for example, if the wind farm configuration changes and this influences the load on the existing system. We tell you to what extent the service life of a system is reduced by additional strain from pre-built systems. In addition, determining the total useful life is also important if the revenue or repayment phase will be extended due to individual circumstances.

We will tell you what total useful life you can expect for your wind turbine and what revenue opportunities exist if you continue to operate after the end of the EEG remuneration.

Safe, continued operation of your wind turbine!

Even after a wind turbine has made it to the end of its expected useful lifetime - usually 20 years - it is generally desirable to continue its operation. In our experience, the total useful life of a turbine can be significantly longer than the planned useful life. However, proof of structural integrity, which ensures that the load-bearing capacity and usability of the system is maintained over the turbine’s entire operating life, must be maintained.

Our services within assessment and testing:

• Calculation of the total useful life based on the individual wind conditions and park configurations at the location
• Vulnerability analysis for the existing system type
• Inspection of the entire system
• Expert statement for continued operation (proof of structural integrity)

As part of assessment and testing for wind turbines, we carry out an individual analysis and assessment of possible risks that may arise from the operation of the entire system or individual components. We pay particular attention to how long the turbine has already been in operation, the specific site conditions, and the life history of the system. Based on the corresponding results, we will create a concept for continued operation that is tailored to your system, and which secures remaining use.

So far, our 8.2 experts have already inspected and evaluated over 1,500 wind turbines for continued operation!

Results

So far, more than 30 projects show that the simulated wind turbines can be operated past their design lives.The results show a real lifetime between 23 and 41 years for a design life of 20 years.

In most cases a retrofit or renewal of the weakest component can easily be carried out after a few years of operation. That way, the overall lifetime is prolonged for several years.

Table 1. Examples of the minimum lifetime in years per component for different wind turbines