OREANDA-NEWS. The wind energy industry has witnessed rapid development in the last few years. Large economies of scale have thus been achieved by market players. With technological advancements, the competition in the market is increasing and is leading to the emergence of various wind-energy-linked businesses. One of the most attractive and emerging businesses in the wind energy industry is wind turbine inspection. Wind turbine inspection services primarily focus on servicing generators and gearboxes, as they have multiple moving parts that are prone to breakdowns. The installed capacity of wind energy is expected to double between now and 2023, which in turn will trigger growth in the wind turbine inspection services market.

In this blog post, Transparency Market Research (TMR) answers three critical questions about the wind turbine inspection services market:

What impacts the performance of the wind turbine inspection services market?

The wind turbine inspection services market is gaining momentum due to continued wind energy capacity addition across the globe. Since a turbine is a highly crucial component for the wind energy generation industry and is composed of several smaller components such as a generator and gearbox, the wind turbine needs to be inspected and serviced on a regular basis. This ensures optimal performance and efficiency. Thus, wind turbine inspection services are increasingly being adopted by wind farm contractors and operators to ensure the longevity of wind turbines. 
 
In November 2015, one of the ten Bonus Energy 2.3MW turbines near the Danish island of Samso suffered a catastrophic failure leading to the nacelle and blades breaking off and falling into the sea. Such incidents not only cause downtime but could also prove detrimental to marine life. Such failures have led to a growing awareness about the importance of servicing and inspecting wind turbines, thus boosting the market.

What are the recent trends and developments in the wind turbine inspection services market?

Drones for the inspection of wind turbines are becoming commonplace in the wind turbine inspection services market. Conventionally, a repair man had to climb the massive structure to perform inspection and maintenance, which was a dangerous gig. Now, companies are increasingly using drones to remotely check for faults and then carry out repair and maintenance tasks. Spotting this opportunity, companies such as Aibotix have already begun marketing drones for the wind turbines inspection services industry.

Which regions are expected to contribute significantly to the wind turbine inspection services market?

The Asia Pacific region is expected to be an attractive market for wind turbine inspection services. In the Asia Pacific region, China is expected to lead the offshore wind energy sector, thereby exhibiting a high demand for wind turbine inspection services. Other attractive markets for wind turbine inspection services include the Middle East and Africa and South and Central America. Europe is expected to have a high demand for offshore wind turbine inspection services as the region has been targeting offshore wind energy development. The U.S. will be initially slow in entering the offshore wind energy market, but installations of wind turbines will pick up speed in the future, which in turn is expected to give rise to a demand for offshore wind turbine inspection services.