The European Wind Energy Technology Platform highlighted in its report “Workers Wanted: The Skills Shortage in the EU Wind Energy Sector”, that every year around 4,000 properly trained graduates enter the wind energy industry. Therefore, the importance of training a competitive and qualified workforce in the Operations and Maintenance sector through proper training becomes clear.
The goal of the project is to develop specialized training that will allow reducing the LCOE by reducing the OPEX, increase the quality of O&M services while extending the lifetime of the assets and the working conditions of the maintenance personnel.
In this context, a consortium of key European players in the wind industry (business associations and maintenance companies), universities and training centers propose the creation of the WINDEXT reference training course.
This project will reinforce the creation of new companies in the classical maintenance activities, but also in new business areas as for instance: life extension, through the integration of new digital tools and advanced maintenance, recycling and reuse of components.
The main objectives are:
- Providing a better understanding of the use of simulators and digital approaches for maintenance and lifetime extension as well their validation in real conditions.
- Teaching on diagnostic procedures to evaluate the situation of the different components.
- Teaching on the methods to evaluate the factors affecting the loss of availability.
- Selection of the best procedures to dismantle a wind farm regarding the final use of the WTG components.
- Teaching on the most appropriate methods for logistics, recycling and/or re-use of machinery, blades and main components.
- To design and develop e-learning platforms that will host the educational resources.
- Consolidation of Independent Services Providers.
The WINDEXT project is funded by the Erasmus+ program.