Wind turbine blade failures are an unavoidable reality of wind energy, and as turbines grow larger and more complex, the demand for specialist insight is only increasing. Wind Power LAB (WPL) has spent over a decade building market-leading expertise in wind turbine blade advisory, consulting and innovation, delivering more than 700 repair recommendations in the last year alone. We recently sat down with Lene Hellstern, who joined as WPL CEO earlier this year, to find out what she’s learned so far, and the exciting developments taking place across the company and wider industry.
What Was Your First Impression Of The Team?
Lene admits she wasn’t sure what to expect when she joined Wind Power Lab. What she found, she says, exceeded it.
“What struck me immediately was the collective depth of knowledge about turbine blades, not just technically, but a level of pattern recognition that only comes from years in the field. I’ve watched team members look at a handful of images of a damaged blade and identify the likely root cause before anyone has said a word. I’ve seen them name the damage a client wants to discuss before the client has brought it up in the meeting. All they knew was the blade type. I haven’t met a team like this before.”
What Stands Out When Working With Clients?
Blade issues rarely come at a convenient time for clients. The team at WPL brings clarity to a stressful situation, offering the kind of guidance that only comes from having seen a problem many times before.
“Since joining, I have already had the opportunity to meet more than 40 of our clients, which means lots of meetings, but very rewarding ones.
Often, clients come to us when something has gone wrong with a blade. The response our team is able to offer in those situations is simple but significant: we’ve seen this before, and we know how to approach it. That matters more than people might expect.”
What Excites You About The Technology Developments At Wind Power LAB?
Blades are one of the most critical components on a wind turbine, yet they’re often the least well understood.
“The volume of cases means the team’s instincts keep getting sharper. Every case is essentially a mystery to be solved, and very few organisations are seeing failure patterns at the scale we are. It is an underappreciated strength and one of the reasons I love my job here.”
From a technology perspective, Wind Power LAB is taking major strides to develop industry-changing software, which is driving enhanced visibility and data-driven insights to owners and operators globally.
LASSIE, Wind Power LAB’s lightning detection system, requires no turbine communication and no installed sensors. It allows operators to identify historical lightning events and assess risk across both operating wind farms and sites still in development.
“Since its launch, LASSIE has already supported over 5300+ wind turbines across 20 countries worldwide. I wish I had access to a system like this when I was working with development projects earlier in my career, technology like this is a huge win for the industry, allowing for much earlier detection of potential risk.
Wind Power LAB is also in the process of bringing an internal blade analytics platform to the market. With the ongoing development of the new technology, we are able to ensure crucial insights are more accessible to those who need it.”
What Does The Next Chapter Look Like For Wind Power LAB?
Four new individuals will be joining the team in the coming weeks, supported by existing client demand. With blade failures showing no sign of decreasing across the industry, the need for deep specialist expertise is only growing.
“I’m proud that we have been able to attract such experienced professionals to the company, and we are fortunate to have loyal clients who have trusted us for many years. We are excited to share further updates in the coming weeks as we continue to grow our team of talented individuals.
With the expertise in the team and the software we are developing, Wind Power LAB has tremendous potential for growth in the pipeline this year. I’m particularly excited to see how the industry responds as we bring solutions like LASSIE and our blade analytics platforms more widely to the market.”.
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