Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Wind-Turbine Inspection. Next Step: Offshore

Offshore wind turbine application has been widespread in the last years, with an estimation that in 2030 will reach a total capacity of 234GW. Offshore wind farms introduce advantages in terms of environmental impact (noise, impact on birds, disrupted landscapes) and energy production (34% onshore and 43% offshore). Still, they also introduce scientific challenges in developing methodologies that allow wind farm inspection (preventive maintenance) safety for humans. This paper presents a UAV approach for autonomous inspection of inland windturbine and describes the field tests in Penela, Portugal. From the state-of-the-art available wind turbine inspection, in 2015, we carried out the first autonomous inspection with a UAV. The inspection of wind blades offshore is an ongoing project; therefore, the paper also presents the preliminary results with a simulation environment to validate the 3D LiDAR and the inspection procedure with new challenges effects: floating platform, wind gusts, and unknown initial blade position.