Bristol-based Perceptual Robotics has signed a major contract with energy giant Enel Green Power to process future inspections blade data from across its extensive fleet of operational wind turbines.

Enel chose to work with the robotics specialist following test results with its pioneering Dhalion system, which analyses inspections data and uniquely identifies future potential faults before they cripple the wind turbine.

This high-quality analysis from Perceptual Robotics will quickly give Enel engineers the information they need to carry out preventive maintenance, dramatically reducing turbine downtime, increasing safety and cutting costs.

Kostas Karachalios, Perceptual Robotics CEO, said: “The task of inspecting and maintaining these structures is becoming ever more challenging, as the industry is increasingly recognising. There is a clear need for faster, safer inspections that produce high-quality data in order to conduct preventive maintenance and reduce the need for technicians to attend to turbines. Perceptual Robotics is delighted to be offering this unique service to Enel Green Power.

“Our solution is driven by meticulous data and the science of materials. This allows us to provide much more granular information about any defects, and to make sure we detect within hours possible issues before they become a problem as AI can detect thousands of data in parallel, reducing wind turbine downtime, and significantly affecting the repairs needed in the future.

“Notably, another of the biggest differentiating factors in our solution is the ability to work with clients to deploy the processing and reporting software within their own servers, improving transparency and security. Our AI solution also works with all type of source data, providing a very valuable flexibility in huge fleets such as Enel’s.”

The new contract will not be the first time Perceptual Robotics and Enel have worked together. In tests with Enel Global Services, Perceptual Robotics carried out a successful full case study on the performance and business impact of using artificial intelligence on analysing wind turbine blade data. The results showed AI is already exceeding the capabilities of current blade experts.

Matteo Cantù, head of Innovation industries 4.0 at Enel Green Power, said: “There is no doubt that the technology can have a relevant impact on the future cost of turbine blade repairs. Perceptual Robotics was able to work with us to develop and finalise a proof of concept (POC) which is currently being implemented in the wind farm fleet.”