UK-based Texo Drone Survey and Inspection (DSI) has become an industrial partner of HOME Offshore – Holistic Operation and Maintenance for Energy from Offshore Wind Farms.
HOME Offshore is a research project funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which partners five UK universities.
The project will investigate the use of advanced sensing, robotics, virtual reality models and artificial intelligence to reduce maintenance cost and effort for offshore wind farms.
The remote inspection and asset management of offshore wind farms and their connection to shore is an industry which will be worth up to GBP 2 billion annually by 2025 in the UK alone, Texo DSI said.
80% to 90% of the cost of offshore O&M according to the Crown Estate is generated by access requirements: such as the need to get engineers and technicians to remote sites to evaluate a problem and decide what action to undertake. Such inspection takes place in a remote and hazardous environment and requires highly trained personnel, of which there is likely to be a shortage in coming years. Additionally, much condition monitoring data which is presently generated is not useful or not used effectively.
The project therefore aims to generate more ‘actionable data’ – useful information that can reduce O&M costs and improve safety for the Offshore Wind sector.
Dr David Flynn from HOME Offshore said: “Industrial partnerships with HOME Offshore are vital for de-risking research. Having partners such as Texo DSI on board helps us to take our research into industrial delivery creating a viable long-term solution for the sector.”