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With climate change affecting us every day, onshore and offshore wind is increasingly becoming the leading renewable energy source in the US. Data released from the U.S. Energy Administration Information (EIA) show that wind energy is officially the most-used renewable electricity generation source in the U.S, surpassing hydroelectric generation. In 2019 alone, the figures for wind energy increased to over 300 million megawatt-hours (MWh). These figures indicate that wind energy is bringing in new investments around the world in an ever-increasing high-value market. 

Renewable energy sources can be costly if not properly maintained. Energy services and wind developers that don’t make use of proper maintenance services can spend millions on operating expenses such as capital and labor. With proper maintenance of wind energy turbine services, there is a deduction of maintenance costs as it requires less labor than traditional methods of maintenance and accurately obtains data that is used to keep wind turbine services running optimally throughout the year, saving on costs associated with repairs.

The cost of wind energy maintenance is affordable and beneficial to keep wind turbines functional for decades to come. We have a guide on more information regarding the costs involved with wind energy maintenance. 

The importance of wind energy maintenance

Establishing a good maintenance plan for a wind project is often the best way to predict (and avoid) issues that could impact land leases, project permits, and wind-farm financing. Wind developers require a proper and financeable wind-measurement campaign during the process of wind-farm development. This data includes essential maintenance information, such as an equipment maintenance plan. The data from this campaign helps them to secure finance from investors, wind turbine manufacturers, and banks, which often require a minimum of one year of onsite wind data. 

The maintenance plan also assists developers in obtaining reliable measurements on predicting future repair costs needed and financial risks concerning projects. Permitting bodies also have a more favorable disposition towards wind energy projects that have a strong maintenance plan and support, so being proactive towards maintenance can have a successful impact on wind energy services.

The maintenance costs of wind turbine services 

Due to previous large turbine designs, the maintenance of wind turbines was excessively often costly and time-consuming. This trend, however, has declined, resulting in a significant drop in expenses. There has been a significant reduction in maintenance costs due to turbines that make use of better design and technology (more than 90 percent from 1983 to 2015). 

A Reuters report showed that the median operations and maintenance (O&M) cost for a U.S. utility-scale wind farm in 2016 was just over $48,000/MW, with an average age of installed turbines being around six years. As US developers start to spend more on wind energy, the cost of its services such as wind turbine maintenance has been lowered by $42,000 – $48,000 per year.

It is important to note that operation and maintenance costs include insurance, land rent, service repair costs, spare parts, as well as all administrative costs involved. There are turbine types that have higher upfront costs and some that have higher operations and maintenance costs. Even though this can be recurring costs, the income and money saved from the use of wind turbines significantly out-produces the maintenance costs. 

Why should you make use of energy maintenance services?

With the rise in investments in solar technology around the wind, it is undoubtedly a future that is going to be dominated by wind energy services and manufacturing. Proper due diligence and maintenance plans are important to keep wind energy services running for decades to come. It is also critical to ensure that you keep wind turbines working effectively to avoid costly mistakes down the road. 

Wind energy service developers are sometimes financially affected by changing market costs, which impact their maintenance of wind turbines and parts. A maintenance campaign is therefore essential and should be initiated in advance to predict maintenance costs involved in projects. This will also assist developers so that they are prepared for any maintenance costs that occur even during challenging times.

Anemoi Energy Service offers affordable high-powered wind turbine maintenance services to ensure your wind energy equipment runs efficiently and smoothly. Our team works across the US ensuring that regular maintenance is carried out, and we have experts that promptly schedule and predict the maintenance of wind turbines  – saving you and your team time and money! 

For more information on our wind energy maintenance costs, contact us today!