SETU’s CleerBlade research receives €666,000 from SEAI
The CleerBlade project, led by researchers at South East Technological University (SETU) in partnership with Technological University Dublin has received €666,000 in funding from SEAI’s National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Funding Programme – 2024 call.
CleerBlade is set to revolutionise the maintenance of offshore wind turbine blades by tackling one of their most critical challenges: erosion of leading-edge coatings on wind turbine blades, especially in harsh offshore weather conditions.
Wind energy contributed 32% of the country’s total electricity generation in 2024. The Irish government plans to develop 9GW of onshore and 5GW of offshore wind farms by 2030; and a further 37GW by 2050.
Environmental conditions like rain, hailstorms, and lightning often result in rapid wear and tear of wind turbines, with leading-edge defects appearing within one to three years of installation. These defects require expensive, frequent, and time-consuming repairs, increasing the cost of renewable energy.
Dr Ashish Vashishtha, SETU researcher, said: “The CleerBlade project proposes a novel, rapid, and portable polymer cold-spray technology with potential for in-field repair of wind turbine blades. This technology will address technical challenges associated with repairing various categories of blade defects, extending blade lifespans and reducing maintenance costs.”
Project collaborator Dr Yuan Hu added: “The project will upgrade existing erosion test rigs, develop automated repair processes, and enhance adhesion techniques to optimise repairs. A techno-economic and life-cycle assessment will also be conducted to evaluate the long-term viability and sustainability of the cold-spray method, including its potential integration with robotic systems for automated repairs.”
CleerBlade marks the fourth successful collaboration involving engcore at SETU and Crest at TUDublin.
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