Optimising offshore wind efficiency with condition monitoring systems
Page date: Published 15 Jan 2025; updated 30 Sep 2026. 3 min read.
The article says offshore wind operation and maintenance can account for about 25–30% of total operational costs, partly because turbines are difficult to access and weather is variable. Condition monitoring systems (CMS) remotely track turbine components such as bearings, gearboxes and generators, comparing current measurements with normal performance to detect faults early and support timely repairs.
The described CMS workflow converts sensor measurements (including vibration, oil debris, temperature and pressure) into digital data; processes the data into indicators; detects abnormal conditions; diagnoses whether an alert is a fault and assesses its location and severity; estimates remaining component life; and recommends maintenance actions.
The article describes a digital twin as a data-driven virtual representation of a physical asset. A wind farm twin can combine CMS and operational data to simulate scenarios, forecast turbine life and support predictive maintenance. Challenges listed include initial hardware and software costs, continuing updates, training needs and cybersecurity risks associated with shared data.
Related links: Energy; Offshore wind. The article links to external technical sources, including NRG Systems and an NTNU digital-twin thesis.