True Cost of Wind Turbine Maintenance

For wind turbines operating in remote locations, whether that is in mountainous regions or off-shore, emergency repairs or regular maintenance checks – such as oil changes –come at varying levels of expense and frequency.

To put the financial ramifications into perspective, the industry spends up to $8 billion on wind-farm maintenance, globally¹. Around 20% of the budget on any given wind project accounts for operational costs², including 1,200 incidents of gearbox failure, which sets the industry back $300,000 - 500,000 per breakdown³.

Considering the high number of issues that demand attention, it can be easy to focus on the immediate cost-savings and look past the potential benefits of optimising operations to the company’s bottom line.

An example of this is gearbox maintenance, where opting for a lower-grade lubricant may save on short-term costs, but risks reducing the wind turbine’s overall efficiency and can raise the likelihood of failure.

To combat this, Shell Lubricant Solutions offers a variety of technologically advanced lubricants to protect mechanical equipment and extend maintenance intervals.

For example, Shell Omala S5 Wind 320 is a high-performance gearbox oil that comes with a market-leading 10-year warranty. This gives customers peace of mind that fewer oil changes are likely to be made during a wind turbine’s lifecycle, which can help generate productivity gains. The product is also now carbon neutral⁴, to support customers in meeting their own ambitions to address emissions.

Beyond high-quality lubricants, Shell Lubricant Solutions experts can also help operators improve the company’s Total Cost of Ownership by advising on best maintenance practices. Shell LubeAnalyst oil condition monitoring service, for example, can help stop potential failures in their tracks. Find out more from the link below.