The role of Robotics and AI in renewables O&M | edp.com

Renewables face new challenges in operation and maintenance (O&M) tasks. Robotics and AI may offer a reliable solution.

EDP NEW leads innovative EU-funded projects like ROMAIN, TALOS, and ATLANTIS, that develop AI-driven robotic solutions for wind and PV O&M.

In the quest for sustainable energy, the rise of photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy installations are reshaping the landscape. For instance, PV plants’ size are scaling up rapidly, becoming four times bigger in 2023 when compared to 2021, while the size of new wind turbines is getting bigger and bigger, ultimately meaning a faster tip speed of the blades, which will result in a faster wearing of blades’ surface. This rapid expansion of renewables presents new challenges for operation and maintenance (O&M) of these parks. Traditional O&M methods struggle to keep pace with the scale and complexity of modern renewables projects, leading to concerns about workforce shortages and workers' safety.

Courtesy image by: SolarCleano. Robot from the TALOS project carrying out O&M work on photovoltaic panels.

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) may offer innovative solutions to these pressing O&M challenges. Combining robotic systems equipped with advanced sensors and AI algorithms capable of rapidly processing large chunks of data, site inspections may become autonomous and more efficient.Predictive maintenance can be achieved using AI to analyze real-time data and anticipate equipment failures, minimizing plant downtime. Robotics and AI may also enable remote monitoring and control of renewable plants, allowing operators to remotely operate the asset and diagnose and operate maintenance tasks without the need for on-site presence. These technologies not only enhance efficiency but also revolutionize safety protocols, reducing the need for hazardous manual labor.

As the R&D Centre of EDP’s Group, EDP NEW is at the forefront of this paradigm shift. EDP NEW currently coordinates the EU-funded ROMAIN project, dedicated to the development of a remotely operated robot to perform inspections and repairs of onshore wind turbine blades. ROMAIN will increase by 20% the efficiency in composite repairs of the WTBs and reduce by 80% the mechanical failures due to subsurface defects of the blades.

EDP NEW coordinates another EU-funded project, TALOS, whose main objective is to develop multiple fully autonomous robotic solutions for O&M activities (such as monitoring, inspection, cleaning, and vegetation management) in three different PV scenarios: Conventional PV, Floating PV, and Agrivoltaics. TALOS aims to reduce the PV inspection time and maintenance period by 50% and 90%, respectively, detect PV panels’ defects with an accuracy of 90%, increase the panel lifecycle by 3 years, and achieve 35% of water savings in the cleaning processes.

Lastly, EDP NEW just concluded its participation in another innovative EU-funded project, ATLANTIS, that demonstrated the capabilities of different robotic solutions in the inspection, maintenance, and repair of offshore wind turbines. The demonstrations took place at the WindFloat Atlantic, Europe’s first floating offshore wind farm, located in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. Results show that ATLANTIS robotic solutions have the potential to reduce the O&M costs by 10% and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by 3.5%.