Wind maintenance glossary
The terms that will come up in a quote from us or in the conversation with the site, explained without ceremony. If one is missing, write to us and we will add it.
- Wind turbine
- Blade
- Leading edge
- Hub
- Nacelle
- Tower
- Rotor diameter
- Yaw
- Pitch
- Maintenance position
- RPAS
- Aviation authorisation
- O&M
- Lost production
- Rope access
- Contractor prequalification
- Contractor coordination
- Mobilisation and demobilisation
- Weather window
- Repowering
Wind turbine
The complete machine that converts wind into electricity: blades, hub, nacelle and tower. Colloquially, a windmill.
Blade
Each of the three aerofoils that capture the wind. The part with the most exposed surface and the one that accumulates most soiling, especially on the leading edge.
Leading edge
The forward edge of the blade, the one that cuts the air. Where insect residue and erosion concentrate.
Hub
The central piece where the three blades join the shaft. Cleaned together with the blades.
Nacelle
The housing at the top of the tower containing gearbox, generator and control systems. We clean its exterior; we do not access the inside.
Tower
The structure holding up the nacelle. Collects ground level soiling, ingrained grime and run-off staining.
Rotor diameter
The circle swept by the blades. It is the figure that determines the price of a cleaning campaign, together with the scope and the number of machines.
Yaw
The orientation of the nacelle relative to the wind. During the intervention it is controlled by site personnel to hold the machine in maintenance position.
Pitch
The rotation angle of each blade about its own axis. Like yaw, controlled by the client during the operation.
Maintenance position
The yaw and pitch configuration the machine is left in, stopped and locked, so it can be worked on safely.
RPAS
Remotely piloted aircraft system, the regulatory term for what everyone calls a drone. It is the wording that appears on the permits.
Aviation authorisation
The permit required to operate a drone around a wind farm, filed in Spain with AESA, the state aviation safety agency. Eolinet handles the filing.
O&M
Operations and maintenance. The function that manages site availability and the one that decides and contracts a cleaning campaign.
Lost production
The output a site does not generate while a machine is down. It usually weighs more in the arithmetic of a campaign than the contractor’s price.
Rope access
The traditional method: abseiling from the nacelle by personnel certified to work at height. Four to five days per machine for a full clean. See the comparison.
Contractor prequalification
The process by which a utility validates a supplier before allowing it onto its sites: health and safety, insurance, audits and documentation for every individual. Usually a matter of months.
Contractor coordination
The legal obligation to exchange preventive information between companies working at the same site. In practice, the platform where documents are uploaded before site entry.
Mobilisation and demobilisation
Moving the crew, the water tank and the technical resources to the site and removing them afterwards. Included from four turbines per campaign.
Weather window
The range of conditions in which flying or working at height is possible. It is the variable that fixes the final execution date, confirmed the week before.
Repowering
Replacing a site’s older machines with higher capacity ones. When it is planned for the short term, it changes the judgement on how much to invest in maintaining the current fleet.
Tell us about your site and we will send you a quote
Three data points are enough: number of turbines, location and rotor diameter. We come back with a fixed price per machine and scope within two working days.