IEA Wind Task 33 - - Reliability Data

IEA Wind Task 33 aims at description and development of standardized, well-structures databases for optimizing reliability and maintenance procedures of wind turbines. The aim is to address the different developments of data collection and failure statistic to agree on standards and overall structures. The purpose is to bring together the present actors in the industry and research community to create synergies and agreements in the many &D activities already on-going in the field of statistical failure analysis. The drivers for the IEA Task based on wind turbine reliability are: a) Extensive national research projects dedicated to reliability analyses on wind turbine failures have been performed during the last years, e.g. Denmark, Finland, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, USA and Sweden. However, a consolidated multi-lateral and international exchange has to date just partially taken place. b) The increasing future demands on reliability and profitability of wind energy use especially offshore require the optimization of wind-turbine maintenance. For this in turn, an appropriate data management and sophisticated decision-support tools are pre-requisites. c) Several working groups on appropriate standards for operation and maintenance of wind power plants have been launched on national levels for onshore wind energy application, e.g. joint activities on standardizing operation and maintenance measures, documentation and data structure. The IEA Wind Task 33 has three Subtasks. They reflect the experience of reliability analyses and failure statistics in the last decade not only in the wind industry, and the determination of data collection and analysis based on defined structures and standards. The Task addresses an intensive and effective investigation on common terminologies, preparing formats and guidelines for data collection (inventory, maintenance, failure and possibly condition data), setting up procedures for analysis and reporting. The planned work involves a first activity of exchange for identification of common working fields and areas where specific research activities should be prioritized. Eventually there is a formulation of common detailed objectives and coordinated research activities in selected areas. In the following activities the working groups join efforts to exchange experience and results of individual or collective activities. The expected outcome is the formulation of guidelines towards data collection, data structure and data analyses for an overall wind turbine failure statistics. These can then be applied to cost-optimal design of wind turbines and planning of operation and maintenance.