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Data Insights Environment sustainability in power: wind turbine performance monitoring

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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

45+ innovations will shape the power industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the power industry using innovation intensity models built on over 83,000 patents, there are 45+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, solar-powered desalination, wind turbine performance monitoring, and renewable energy storage are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Foldable solar panels, solar thermal collectors, and geothermal collectors are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are wave energy converters and solar cell protective films, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for environmental sustainability in the power industry

Wind turbine performance monitoring is a key innovation area in environmental sustainability

Wind turbine performance monitoring systems are known as health monitoring systems, which are widely used for diagnosing faults, defects, or anomalies and monitoring the condition of wind turbines. The wind turbine performance monitoring systems monitor the performance of wind turbines using various tools and techniques to collect data. One of the crucial components in performance monitoring includes exploiting artificial neural networks composed of different network designs and training algorithms, using simulated supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) data. The monitoring systems include sensors, data acquisition, data processing, cabling, and other installations that provide continuous and real-time information on the monitored component condition.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 510+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established power companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of wind turbine performance monitoring.

Key players in wind turbine performance monitoring – a disruptive innovation in the power industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.  

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’. 

Patent volumes related to wind turbine performance monitoring

General Electric is one of the leading patent filers in wind turbine performance monitoring. As a leading wind turbine repair company, GE combines technical expertise and rigor to keep wind turbines online by servicing and repairing major systems within the turbine to avoid potential downtime and underperformance. In addition to wind turbine repair services, GE applies robust methods to monitor, troubleshoot, and inspect turbines, boosting uptime and lifecycle production. Some other key patent filers in the automotive industry include Wobben Properties, Nordex, and NTT.

In terms of application diversity, Northrop Grumman leads the pack, while International Business Machines (IBM) and Schaeffler stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Romo Wind held the top position, followed by IFP Energies nouvelles and Northrop Grumman.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the power industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) in Power.

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.