The global need to scale up sustainable energy solutions is urgent, both to meet rising energy demands and to reach climate goals.

The EU Member States are committed to making Europe the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050, and Denmark aims to be fully independent of fossil fuels by the same deadline. Wind energy plays a central role in achieving these targets and must transform itself to expand its capacity, become more reliable, and be cost-effective.

Although the manufacturing process of wind turbines has become more advanced and sophisticated, current trends, such as turbines getting bigger and being installed at more remote locations, add new layers of complexity to maximise their performance.

Maintenance and repairs are essential to extending the lifespan of wind turbines and preventing failures. These processes can significantly reduce operational costs when carried out effectively and on time.

ReliaBlade-2 is the successor of ReliaBlade-1. This pioneer Danish-German joint research project developed and showcased the potential of digital twin technology to track the current and future state of wind turbine blades focusing on their unique defects and variations.

From the lab to the real world

ReliaBlade-2 takes the next step by testing and improving these innovations on commercial-scale wind turbines.

The continuous interaction between laboratory research and real-world application, enabled by the collaboration between the industry and DTU, provides a unique setting for the project that accelerates the deployment of effective solutions, shifting the focus from reactive measures to predictive and intelligent maintenance of wind turbines.