Recurring Inspections
Focus on structural safety technology and people
In Germany, wind turbines are classified as buildings and are therefore subject to construction regulations. The building permit requires you as the operator to have your wind turbine inspected regularly by experts in the course of recurring inspections.
Recurring inspections focus on safety – the safety of the structure, its technical systems and the safety of persons working on and in the wind turbine or in its vicinity.
Count on our know-how – in Germany and abroad
As an accredited inspection body, type A, according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012, Deutsche WindGuard is your reliable partner for recurring inspections. We analyse the structural and technical condition of your wind turbine. In Germany, we ensure accordance with the "Guideline for Wind Turbines" – issue 2012 – from the German Institute for Structural Engineering (DIBt – Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik). With our many years of experience and expertise, we are of course capable of complying with any local regulations as well.
Our scope of services includes, on the one hand, the inspection of the turbine. We carefully check stability and structural condition of tower and foundation, condition of nacelle, machine and rotor blades, as well as the functionality of all systems serving the safety of persons and technology. On the other hand, we take a close look at the documentation of your wind turbine in terms of construction law, technical specifications and maintenance history. You receive a detailed report on the results of the recurring inspection.
International customers take advantage from the fact that we operate in accordance with globally recognised ISO and IEC standards. Additionally, we can assess the results from the inspection of your wind turbine according to the normative or regulatory situation in your country. Jointly we will define a common basis for the inspection of the turbines already during the quotation phase. Successful inspection assignments and satisfied customers in Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium and the USA provide evidence of our flexibility in international environments.
Recurring inspection intervals in Germany
After commissioning your onshore wind turbine, you as its operator are required to have a recurring inspection conducted every two years. This interval can be extended to four years, provided that you have regular monitoring and maintenance of your turbine carried out by service companies authorised by the turbine manufacturer.
When your wind turbine reaches the age of twelve years, the rotor blades have to be inspected every two years.
Offshore wind farms in Germany's exclusive economic zone are subject to the guidelines from the "Standard Construction" of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH – Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie). According to these guidelines, recurring inspections must be performed on one fourth of the wind farm’s turbines per calendar year, so that by the end of four years, all turbines will have been inspected.
- Visual inspection of tower, nacelle, rotor blades and accessible parts of the foundation
- Visual and functional inspection of machine and relevant components
- Visual inspection of wind turbine control and electrotechnical systems
- Check of function and compliance with safety-relevant threshold values
- Verification of compliance with obligations arising from the construction permit, type approval and other technical specifications
Deutsche WindGuard is a member of the German Wind Energy Association's (Bundesverband WindEnergie – BWE) expert committee. We thus guarantee a first-class service - onshore and offshore.
For the visual inspection of tower and rotor blades, we offer you two alternative procedures.
In the remote sensing procedure, we use a high-performance camera mounted on a motorised tripod to conduct visual inspection. Unclear defects or damages discovered this way may be examined by inspectors using rope access technology, if appropriate. Ideally, this allows a quick decision as to whether, for example, a repair or the replacement of a rotor blade is necessary.
Alternatively, we offer you a complete visual inspection using rope access technology. When choosing the appropriate procedure for your wind turbines, we will be happy to use our many years of experience to advise you and provide you, as the operator, with the greatest possible degree of safety.
Machine inspection consists of a visual inspection of all structurally relevant components as well as a functional test of the safety systems. To support you in your responsibility as an operator, we also check whether your wind turbine complies with occupational health and safety regulations.
Our expertise offers you safety
As one of the first companies globally and after almost a decade of experience in this field of expertise, Deutsche WindGuard was accredited as an inspection body for wind turbines by the German Accreditation Body (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle – DAkkS) back in 2010.
Since then, we have continuously enhanced our range of inspection services and have optimally geared up for the future with the DAkkS accreditation as a type A inspection body in accordance with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012 for wind turbines in 2021.
Annually, we inspect a total of around 800 wind turbines from all renowned manufacturers both onshore and offshore.
Information on our accreditation is available here >>>.